Most recently published
Needed: More Effective Resources for Homeland Security
Dennis R. Schrader
April 22, 2009
Few if any states will reject federal funds earmarked for any purpose or program. But recent analyses suggest that a high percentage of federal-level allocations for local homeland-security plans and programs are not as well targeted as they should be.
TWIC Program Close to Full Implementation
Corey Ranslem
April 22, 2009
Most U.S. ports are now safer from sabotage and terrorist attacks than ever before in recent years. The safety imperative will soon be upgraded even more when the new Transportation Workers Identification Card regulations become SOP at all of the nation’s ports.
Funding & Capabilities: A New Look at DHS Grants
Timothy Beres
April 15, 2009
A new look at how DHS grant funds are being spent should be a major priority of the Obama administration. It will be difficult to find fault with the earlier focus on equipment, but it seems obvious that the previously neglected “planning factor” also deserves greater emphasis.
First-Person Report: Operation ‘CAMCO’ and How It Grew
John J. Burke
April 15, 2009
A first-person report from a veteran firefighter and incident-management professional tells how the Town of Sandwich, Mass., and local military units joined forces to synergistically enhance their individual and collective disaster-response capabilities.
A Consuming Need: Improved Security in the Food Chain
Steven Harrison
April 8, 2009
Safeguarding the nation’s food supply – from the farm to the fork, so to speak – is not only mandatory for health reasons but also, and increasingly, a national-defense/homeland-security requirement as well.
Food Safety: A Few Questions for the U.S. Government
Diana Hopkins
April 8, 2009
Most Americans eat too much and too often. Solving that problem is a personal dietary responsibility. Protecting the nation’s global food chain, though, is the government’s responsibility – one previously neglected, but now receiving close attention from a slim new president.
Hospital Security Planning: Operational & Technological Considerations
Craig DeAtley
April 1, 2009
It may be the best designed hospital in the world, but a handsome façade is of little importance if the medical equipment is second-best and/or the doctors, nurses, & other healthcare personnel are not well organized & trained to be the best they can be.
Double the Trouble: H5N1 Plus Cat 3 Complications
Ann Marie Brown and Jeffrey B. Peterson
April 1, 2009
A major epidemic to deal with is difficult enough in itself. Toss in a hurricane about to make landfall and the situation becomes impossible. Or it would have been if ServNC, the SMAT IIs, the NCOEMS, CDC, ESAR-VHP, and two FMSS trailers had not been available.
Everyone Must Go: The Anatomy of an Evacuation
Joseph Cahill
March 25, 2009
No response, no matter how successful, is ever complete without an honest after-action review, which if properly carried out leads to the extension of successful tactics and discontinuation of the unsuccessful ones. It also allows sharing this information with response partners and other agencies that could use the information to
Mexico’s Narco-Civil War: Porous and Perilous – The U.S./Mexican Border Situation
Joseph W. Trindal
March 25, 2009
The escalation of drug-cartel violence in Mexico is rapidly becoming a clear & present danger to the United States itself and, if not checked, will soon evolve into a major national-security challenge for the Obama administration’s homeland-security team.
Pamper and Protect: A Professional’s Guide to Personal-Security Details
Derrick Mayes and Cynthia Ekberg Tsai
March 25, 2009
The armed forces protect the nation, the Secret Service protects the president, and gated communities protect the affluent. But who protects the movie stars, the world-class athletes, the company CEOs, and other VIPs?
The EMS Role in Chemical-Release Incidents
Joseph Cahill
March 18, 2009
Few if any EMS agencies anywhere in the world are properly equipped to cope with the accidental or intentional release of lethal nerve agents. But there are several ways to keep the death toll low while also protecting the first responders themselves.
Green Building Plus Greater Safety Equals Survival
Joseph Cahill
April 22, 2009
Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than simply being experts in one subject. The seven and
Needed: More Effective Resources for Homeland Security
Dennis R. Schrader
April 22, 2009
Few if any states will reject federal funds earmarked for any purpose or program. But recent analyses suggest that a high percentage of federal-level allocations for local homeland-security plans and programs are not as well targeted as they should be.
TWIC Program Close to Full Implementation
Corey Ranslem
April 22, 2009
Most U.S. ports are now safer from sabotage and terrorist attacks than ever before in recent years. The safety imperative will soon be upgraded even more when the new Transportation Workers Identification Card regulations become SOP at all of the nation’s ports.
Funding & Capabilities: A New Look at DHS Grants
Timothy Beres
April 15, 2009
A new look at how DHS grant funds are being spent should be a major priority of the Obama administration. It will be difficult to find fault with the earlier focus on equipment, but it seems obvious that the previously neglected “planning factor” also deserves greater emphasis.
First-Person Report: Operation ‘CAMCO’ and How It Grew
John J. Burke
April 15, 2009
A first-person report from a veteran firefighter and incident-management professional tells how the Town of Sandwich, Mass., and local military units joined forces to synergistically enhance their individual and collective disaster-response capabilities.
A Consuming Need: Improved Security in the Food Chain
Steven Harrison
April 8, 2009
Safeguarding the nation’s food supply – from the farm to the fork, so to speak – is not only mandatory for health reasons but also, and increasingly, a national-defense/homeland-security requirement as well.
Food Safety: A Few Questions for the U.S. Government
Diana Hopkins
April 8, 2009
Most Americans eat too much and too often. Solving that problem is a personal dietary responsibility. Protecting the nation’s global food chain, though, is the government’s responsibility – one previously neglected, but now receiving close attention from a slim new president.
Hospital Security Planning: Operational & Technological Considerations
Craig DeAtley
April 1, 2009
It may be the best designed hospital in the world, but a handsome façade is of little importance if the medical equipment is second-best and/or the doctors, nurses, & other healthcare personnel are not well organized & trained to be the best they can be.
Double the Trouble: H5N1 Plus Cat 3 Complications
Ann Marie Brown and Jeffrey B. Peterson
April 1, 2009
A major epidemic to deal with is difficult enough in itself. Toss in a hurricane about to make landfall and the situation becomes impossible. Or it would have been if ServNC, the SMAT IIs, the NCOEMS, CDC, ESAR-VHP, and two FMSS trailers had not been available.
Everyone Must Go: The Anatomy of an Evacuation
Joseph Cahill
March 25, 2009
No response, no matter how successful, is ever complete without an honest after-action review, which if properly carried out leads to the extension of successful tactics and discontinuation of the unsuccessful ones. It also allows sharing this information with response partners and other agencies that could use the information to
Mexico’s Narco-Civil War: Porous and Perilous – The U.S./Mexican Border Situation
Joseph W. Trindal
March 25, 2009
The escalation of drug-cartel violence in Mexico is rapidly becoming a clear & present danger to the United States itself and, if not checked, will soon evolve into a major national-security challenge for the Obama administration’s homeland-security team.
Pamper and Protect: A Professional’s Guide to Personal-Security Details
Derrick Mayes and Cynthia Ekberg Tsai
March 25, 2009
The armed forces protect the nation, the Secret Service protects the president, and gated communities protect the affluent. But who protects the movie stars, the world-class athletes, the company CEOs, and other VIPs?
NIMS & ICS – A Road Map for U.S. Health Departments
Raphael M. Barishansky
March 11, 2009
Implementation of the guidelines undergirding new national anti-terrorism policies will be a major challenge for state & local health departments. But the end result will be a better coordinated and much more effective national healthcare community.
The Friendly Neighborhood Chemical Weapons Store
Adam Montella
March 11, 2009
It doesn’t take much money, time, or a genius IQ to build a clumsy but extremely effective chemical weapon that could kill thousands of people. But a pickup truck would be needed to haul “the makings” from the local warehouse or agricultural combine.
Pandemic Preparedness: Strategies to Protect the State Workforce
David G. Henry
March 10, 2009
H5N1 avian influenza has recently resurged in Southeast Asia, scientists continue to warn that the next pandemic, based on all scientific data, is inevitable.
Bioterrorism Exercise: A Taste of the Real Thing
Stephanie Ostrowski and Crystal Castillo
March 4, 2009
Food poisoning – whether intentional or accidental – can have lethal consequences. In either case, it is CDC’s job to find out what caused it, what treatments are recommended, and how it can be contained.
Is Al Qaeda Seeking Weapons of Mass Destruction
Neil C. Livingstone
March 4, 2009
Some pundits and some politicians seem to think the war on terror is over, or almost over. But new evidence suggests that it is not, and will not be, over until the terrorists say it’s over – and that day may still be a long way off.
‘Wetware’ and Other Technologies Supported Obama Inauguration
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
February 25, 2009
The swearing-in ceremonies, the parade, and the celebrations that followed were major successes. An even greater success was the behind-the-scenes preparations that ensured that nothing happened that was not supposed to happen.
Mergers, Volunteerism, and Cost Considerations
Joseph Cahill
February 18, 2009
Cut costs the easy way – by merging agencies, using more volunteers, and reducing services. The only problem is that agency employees might be unhappy, taxpayers might revolt, and elected officials might soon be looking for new jobs.
New Focus on Private-Sector Preparedness Standards
Diana Hopkins
February 11, 2009
At last! A Federal Register notice asks the nation’s business community to comment on ideas that have been submitted to upgrade the disaster-preparedness capabilities of the U.S. private sector. Read, heed, and proceed – but do it fast.The nation’s private-sector businesses – a generic term that includes not only manufacturers,
Surge Prerequisites: Plans, Practices, Preparations
Theodore Tully
February 11, 2009
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers are aware that surge capabilities have become increasingly important in dealing with mass-casualty incidents. But few really understand that many meanings are encompassed in that one word.
No Time to Cut Back on Safety – The Cost Is Too High
Warren K. Brown
January 28, 2009
Companies throughout the United States are trying to cut expenses any way they can: by layoffs, by plant closures, even by reductions in safety programs – which, it says here, are not only the most unkindest but also the most foolish cuts of all.
How the NDMS Can Be Made More Effective
Michael Allswede
January 28, 2009
The Spirit of Volunteerism is a noble virtue, and has been embraced by millions of Americans. Many of them volunteer once too often, though, creating a difficult dilemma for NDMS and other agencies that have a joint claim on their skills and services.
Cold Calculations and the Search for Inner Warmth
Joseph Cahill
January 28, 2009
A timely and temperate reminder that cold weather may be and is uncomfortable, but extremely cold weather can kill. Among those in the greatest danger, surprisingly enough, are EMS staff and other responders.
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