Most recently published
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.
Mumbai: Implications for the West
Neil C. Livingstone
January 21, 2009
Mumbai was totally unprepared for the terrorist attacks of 26 November – and paid dearly for its lack of vigilance. Will the great nations of the West learn from India’s mistakes, or simply repeat them?
The Mumbai Attacks – Lessons for the Western World
Joseph W. Trindal
January 14, 2009
The terrorist attacks two months ago in Mumbai provide a number of lessons for emergency-services agencies throughout the world. The attacks, which represented an ever-increasing level of sophistication and ingenuity of terrorist activity worldwide, started during the evening hours of 26 November 2008 when small teams of armed terrorists launched
Changes and Clarifications – NIMS Upgrade Released
Stephen Grainer
January 14, 2009
On 18 December 2008, long-awaited revisions to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) – officially described as an “upgrade” by the former acting director of the NIMS Integration Center, Albert Fluman – were published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and are now being implemented.The effort to improve the
The Field Testing Dilemma and LRN Chemical Laboratories
Richard A. France
January 14, 2009
The field testing of potentially lethal chemicals has always been an iffy proposition. Fortunately, a new national network of “gold standard” labs is now available to eliminate much of the uncertainty.
Emerging Infections and Their Impact on EMS
Raphael M. Barishansky
January 7, 2009
“New” diseases, combined with the fatal rebirth of ancient diseases believed to have been terminally laid to rest, are giving epidemiologists, EMS agencies and responders, and healthcare workers a daunting challenge of epic proportions.
Litigation Trends Regarding Security
Neil C. Livingstone
December 17, 2008
One of the most effective weapons against terrorists, surprisingly, is Money! Not the reasonable sums used to pay for new surveillance systems but damages charged against businesses that fail to provide proper security for customers, tenants, & employees.
Coming: An Upgrading of Security Standards for Rail Transit
Diana Hopkins
December 17, 2008
For many Americans the most important date to remember next month will not be Inauguration Day, but 27 January, when the American National Standards Institute’s Transit Security Workshop starts a much-needed review of U.S. rail-security deficiencies.
Safety: Those Who Stay Behind
Joseph Cahill
December 10, 2008
The evacuation of a major city devastated by a natural disaster or an act of terrorism takes multi-agency cooperation, numerous training drills, & dedicated professionals who have the courage needed to stay in place while saving the lives of others.
Important Homeland Security Input: High-Ranking PNSR Group Releases Its Final Report
Martin D. Masiuk
December 10, 2008
The report, perhaps the most important and best grounded national-defense and homeland-security document released since 1947, includes numerous recommendations that, if fully implemented, will add immensely to current and future U.S. defense capabilities.
Hospital Security: An Age-Old Problem Becomes Increasingly Important
Craig DeAtley
December 3, 2008
The nation’s healthcare workers could become an endangered species if numerous planned improvements in hospital security are not funded and implemented in the near future. Here is a quick look at some of the innovative design upgrades recently introduced.
Hospital Security: An Age-Old Problem Becomes Increasingly Important
Craig DeAtley
December 3, 2008
The Emergency Department of any major hospital or other healthcare facility is commonly a site of workplace violence – with healthcare or mental health workers being the victims in 12 percent of the cases, according to a 2001 report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. Long waits, substance abuse,
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.
Mumbai: Implications for the West
Neil C. Livingstone
January 21, 2009
Mumbai was totally unprepared for the terrorist attacks of 26 November – and paid dearly for its lack of vigilance. Will the great nations of the West learn from India’s mistakes, or simply repeat them?
The Mumbai Attacks – Lessons for the Western World
Joseph W. Trindal
January 14, 2009
The terrorist attacks two months ago in Mumbai provide a number of lessons for emergency-services agencies throughout the world. The attacks, which represented an ever-increasing level of sophistication and ingenuity of terrorist activity worldwide, started during the evening hours of 26 November 2008 when small teams of armed terrorists launched
Changes and Clarifications – NIMS Upgrade Released
Stephen Grainer
January 14, 2009
On 18 December 2008, long-awaited revisions to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) – officially described as an “upgrade” by the former acting director of the NIMS Integration Center, Albert Fluman – were published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and are now being implemented.The effort to improve the
The Field Testing Dilemma and LRN Chemical Laboratories
Richard A. France
January 14, 2009
The field testing of potentially lethal chemicals has always been an iffy proposition. Fortunately, a new national network of “gold standard” labs is now available to eliminate much of the uncertainty.
Emerging Infections and Their Impact on EMS
Raphael M. Barishansky
January 7, 2009
“New” diseases, combined with the fatal rebirth of ancient diseases believed to have been terminally laid to rest, are giving epidemiologists, EMS agencies and responders, and healthcare workers a daunting challenge of epic proportions.
Litigation Trends Regarding Security
Neil C. Livingstone
December 17, 2008
One of the most effective weapons against terrorists, surprisingly, is Money! Not the reasonable sums used to pay for new surveillance systems but damages charged against businesses that fail to provide proper security for customers, tenants, & employees.
Coming: An Upgrading of Security Standards for Rail Transit
Diana Hopkins
December 17, 2008
For many Americans the most important date to remember next month will not be Inauguration Day, but 27 January, when the American National Standards Institute’s Transit Security Workshop starts a much-needed review of U.S. rail-security deficiencies.
Safety: Those Who Stay Behind
Joseph Cahill
December 10, 2008
The evacuation of a major city devastated by a natural disaster or an act of terrorism takes multi-agency cooperation, numerous training drills, & dedicated professionals who have the courage needed to stay in place while saving the lives of others.
Important Homeland Security Input: High-Ranking PNSR Group Releases Its Final Report
Martin D. Masiuk
December 10, 2008
The report, perhaps the most important and best grounded national-defense and homeland-security document released since 1947, includes numerous recommendations that, if fully implemented, will add immensely to current and future U.S. defense capabilities.
Hospital Security: An Age-Old Problem Becomes Increasingly Important
Craig DeAtley
December 3, 2008
The nation’s healthcare workers could become an endangered species if numerous planned improvements in hospital security are not funded and implemented in the near future. Here is a quick look at some of the innovative design upgrades recently introduced.
Emergency Operations Centers: The Heartbeat of Disaster Management
Kay C. Goss
November 26, 2008
Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) are complex facilities to design and build. Many emergency managers and other participants in response operations may be involved in only one new facility or only one remodeling during their careers. To begin with, it is a major challenge to obtain funding for an EOC that
H5N1: Still Waiting in the Wings – An Updated Assessment of the Pandemic Flu Threat
Steven Harrison
November 26, 2008
Just in case the United States, & the rest of the world, did not have enough to worry about, recent public-health reports provide a timely reminder that new pandemics, possibly the most disastrous ever, could still strike at any time.
Multipurpose Buildings: A Towering Challenge for Security Planners
Neil C. Livingstone
November 19, 2008
From parking lots to elevators & escalators to penthouse apartments – every room and every floor in the office and residential buildings now being designed represents a different type of danger. Here is a handy list of some of the more avoidable ones.
Filling the Equipment Inventory: Some Relevant Questions
Joseph Cahill
November 12, 2008
The well-dressed first responder can take with him or her a limited amount of equipment to the incident scene. The selection of that equipment may be, and often is, a literally life-or-death matter.
TERT Takes Toxic Approach to Emergency Response
Shannon Arledge
November 12, 2008
Chemicals, biological agents, and other dangerous substances are among the key instructional materials used to train hazmat technicians and other first responders participating in the CDP’s upgraded “COBRA course” in Anniston, Alabama.
The All Threats Agent Content System (ATACS): A CDC Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Information Management System
Joe Posid
November 5, 2008
“Learning by Doing” was the guideline used by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in responding to the anthrax attacks in 2001 by developing a new and highly sophisticated multipurpose bioterrorism detection system.
An Open Letter to the President-Elect
Martin D. Masiuk
November 5, 2008
President-Elect Obama has promised that “change” will be the hallmark of his administration. Here are a few major changes that, it is respectfully suggested, he might consider in the fields of national defense and homeland security.
Parking Security: A Lot to Think About
Neil C. Livingstone
October 22, 2008
An underground garage open to the general public and poorly lighted is an open invitation to a robber, a rapist, or a murderer. Also to a terrorist whose life’s ambition is to kill as many Americans as possible, even at the cost of his own life.
The Dopplerian Resonance Effect on Continual Preparedness
Adam Montella
October 22, 2008
Memories of even the most cataclysmic disaster fade as time passes, but those memories are important reminders that continued vigilance is needed to ensure that similar disasters are avoided in the future.
Planning for a Mass Evacuation: Contraflow, Katrina, and Gustav
Joseph Cahill
October 22, 2008
Get out of town before the hurricane hits! Everyone! That was the warning issued by the state of Louisiana and City of New Orleans before both Katrina and Gustav. The warning worked – the second time around.
NIMS Preparedness and Resource Management
Stephen Grainer
October 15, 2008
One of the core components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is Resource Management. Preparedness is another. The other principal components are: Communications and Information Management; Command and Management; and On-Going Management and Maintenance. Because both Resource Management and Preparedness affect and are affected by the other NIMS components
A Jubilant Festival of Preparedness
Ruth Marrero
October 1, 2008
A behind-the-scenes CDC report on how DHS’s NIMS & ICS guidelines were pressed into service to protect the participants (from 27 countries and territories) in this year’s Festival of Pacific Arts, hosted by American Samoa.
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