Most recently published
The What If Possibility: A Chilling Report
John F. Morton
June 27, 2007
A new and, unfortunately, highly credible report on the devastating ramifications of nuclear terrorist attacks against the U.S. homeland suggests that it is high time for the nation’s elected leaders to start thinking about the previously unthinkable.
Mid-Atlantic States Brainstorm Planning for Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) GrantSubmissions
John F. Morton
June 20, 2007
Federal officials provide insight to mid-Atlantic states as they finalize statewide plans for PSIC grant submissions. Seven states & the District of Columbia share how they are implementing interoperable communications.
ASTM-E 2458: A Mandatory Sample of Common Sense
Jason Pastuch
June 13, 2007
HazMat and EMS technicians across the nation will be working from the same text, thanks to new biological-sampling techniques developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
Hampton University and ERVE: Academia Learns a Tragic Lesson
Teresa Walker
June 13, 2007
Even as the nation’s colleges and universities were still mourning the tragic loss of life at Virginia Tech, one school was taking the steps needed to make its own faculty and students safer and more secure.
Citizen-Participation Drills: Beyond Duck and Cover
Joseph Cahill
June 6, 2007
With fire-prevention programs serving as an example, there is much that “everyday citizens” can learn about protecting themselves and their families in a variety of emergency situations. The most important lesson is learning one’s own limitations.
The Homeland-Security Advantages of Telework
Tom Davis
May 23, 2007
One of the nation’s most highly respected Congressional leaders points out that “the Telework Option” for federal employees is not just another employee “perk” but an easy way to cut commuting costs and, just maybe, save hundreds or thousands of lives.
Expanding the Quarantine System at the Nation’s Borders
Mathew Thomas
May 16, 2007
The need for quarantine stations at U.S. borders was on the decline – until SARS & bioterrorism created a need for more stations on a continuing basis. Dulles International Airport (first one), has achieved much success & is a template for future use.
John F. Clark, Director, U.S. Marshals Service
John F. Morton and John Clark
May 16, 2007
Clark’s views on the security improvements already achieved, and the areas in which a greater effort is needed. Also discussed: The USMS’s Special Operations and Technical Operations Groups, and the support provided to state and local L-E agencies.
Resources in Waiting: EMS Task Forces
Joseph Cahill
May 8, 2007
“Just in Case” has been trumped by “Just in Time.” One result is that there is no surge capability that emergency managers can call on in times of major incidents. Unless, of course, an EMS Task Force is waiting in the wings.
Port Security Exercises and Training: A Formidable Curriculum
Joseph DiRenzo III and Christopher Doane
May 2, 2007
As explained on the U.S. Transportation Security Agency’s website, PortSTEP (the Port Security Training and Exercise Program) was established as a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard to improve “the intermodal transportation industry’s ability to prepare for and contend with a Transportation Security Incident.” The program is in that context
The Well-Planned Use of Citizen Volunteers
Joseph Cahill
May 2, 2007
Many first-responder agencies routinely use “4×4 volunteers” to help out in hazardous-weather situations and other emergencies. This solution to community problems must be handled with care and requires careful planning by state/local decision makers.
APHL Position Statement: Field Testing Kits, Devices Must Be Validated
Chris Mangal
April 25, 2007
The Association of Public Health Laboratories says, without proper validation, field tests of suspected biological and/or chemical agents might yield either false positives or, worse, false negatives & therefore would be, “dangerously misleading.”
Emergency Medical Services at a Mass Casualty Incident
Joseph Cahill
July 11, 2007
Standard operating procedures are by definition not enough when EMS responders are called to the scene of a mass-casualty incident. Extraordinary and/or non-standard procedures are not only permitted, therefore, but frequently mandatory.
The What If Possibility: A Chilling Report
John F. Morton
June 27, 2007
A new and, unfortunately, highly credible report on the devastating ramifications of nuclear terrorist attacks against the U.S. homeland suggests that it is high time for the nation’s elected leaders to start thinking about the previously unthinkable.
Mid-Atlantic States Brainstorm Planning for Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) GrantSubmissions
John F. Morton
June 20, 2007
Federal officials provide insight to mid-Atlantic states as they finalize statewide plans for PSIC grant submissions. Seven states & the District of Columbia share how they are implementing interoperable communications.
ASTM-E 2458: A Mandatory Sample of Common Sense
Jason Pastuch
June 13, 2007
HazMat and EMS technicians across the nation will be working from the same text, thanks to new biological-sampling techniques developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
Hampton University and ERVE: Academia Learns a Tragic Lesson
Teresa Walker
June 13, 2007
Even as the nation’s colleges and universities were still mourning the tragic loss of life at Virginia Tech, one school was taking the steps needed to make its own faculty and students safer and more secure.
Citizen-Participation Drills: Beyond Duck and Cover
Joseph Cahill
June 6, 2007
With fire-prevention programs serving as an example, there is much that “everyday citizens” can learn about protecting themselves and their families in a variety of emergency situations. The most important lesson is learning one’s own limitations.
The Homeland-Security Advantages of Telework
Tom Davis
May 23, 2007
One of the nation’s most highly respected Congressional leaders points out that “the Telework Option” for federal employees is not just another employee “perk” but an easy way to cut commuting costs and, just maybe, save hundreds or thousands of lives.
Expanding the Quarantine System at the Nation’s Borders
Mathew Thomas
May 16, 2007
The need for quarantine stations at U.S. borders was on the decline – until SARS & bioterrorism created a need for more stations on a continuing basis. Dulles International Airport (first one), has achieved much success & is a template for future use.
John F. Clark, Director, U.S. Marshals Service
John F. Morton and John Clark
May 16, 2007
Clark’s views on the security improvements already achieved, and the areas in which a greater effort is needed. Also discussed: The USMS’s Special Operations and Technical Operations Groups, and the support provided to state and local L-E agencies.
Resources in Waiting: EMS Task Forces
Joseph Cahill
May 8, 2007
“Just in Case” has been trumped by “Just in Time.” One result is that there is no surge capability that emergency managers can call on in times of major incidents. Unless, of course, an EMS Task Force is waiting in the wings.
Port Security Exercises and Training: A Formidable Curriculum
Joseph DiRenzo III and Christopher Doane
May 2, 2007
As explained on the U.S. Transportation Security Agency’s website, PortSTEP (the Port Security Training and Exercise Program) was established as a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard to improve “the intermodal transportation industry’s ability to prepare for and contend with a Transportation Security Incident.” The program is in that context
The Well-Planned Use of Citizen Volunteers
Joseph Cahill
May 2, 2007
Many first-responder agencies routinely use “4×4 volunteers” to help out in hazardous-weather situations and other emergencies. This solution to community problems must be handled with care and requires careful planning by state/local decision makers.
The Rationale for a Pessimistic Preparedness Planning Scenario
Michael Allswede
April 18, 2007
For most U.S. hospitals, planning for a mass-casualty disaster is an administrative afterthought. The result, frequently, is a counterproductive “game plan” based on rosy optimism and unproven assumptions.
George C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, Executive Director, American Public Health Association (APHA)
John F. Morton
April 18, 2007
The APHA leader’s authoritative views on bioterrorism preparedness, the new challenges facing public-health officials in planning to cope with mass-casualty situations, the quarantine and isolation processes, & the threat posed by a pandemic influenza.
Real Resources and Real Reforms: A Report from the Committee Chairman
Bennie G. Thompson
April 18, 2007
The chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security promises fast and effective action – and the provision of “real resources” – to improve U.S. domestic preparedness across the board, to protect American lives & the nation’s critical infrastructure.
The Either/Or Dilemma: Hard Choices Ahead in Materials Management
Joseph Cahill
April 4, 2007
Preparing for an emergency is like packing for a long trip: Focus on the essentials first, and always consider the possibility of a worst-case scenario. Unfortunately, some communities and hospitals are making cost reductions their highest priority.
Richard Mirgon, Second Vice President, Association of Public-Safety Communications Officals (APCO)
John F. Morton and Richard Mirgon
April 4, 2007
His views on the enhanced capabilities made possible by the National Joint TERT Initiative and a host of related issues, including FEMA report requirements, the financial aspects of mutual-aid agreements, and the NCR’s new wireless broadband network.
Personnel Staffing in Times of Disaster
Joseph Cahill
March 14, 2007
Three modes of operation, two of which might strain the trained EMS personnel resources immediately available but would not overwhelm them. Preparing for the third mode, a sudden mass-casualty scenario, must be done carefully and thoughtfully.
The MOTR Process – Ensuring Unity of Effort in Maritime Security
Joseph DiRenzo III and Christopher Doane
February 28, 2007
Several U.S. government agencies have overlapping jurisdictional responsibilities in the enforcement of laws and treaties, particularly in maritime matters. For many years these agencies have from time to time responded independently to the same threat information, a practice that would seem to be an inefficient use of taxpayer money. The
Needed: A Comprehensive Medical Intelligence Picture
Asha M. George
February 28, 2007
Defeating the threat posed by biological weapons requires a mountain of relevant information, collated and translated into actionable data, and distributed to a broad spectrum of potential users.
Kevin Yeskey, M.D., Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Preparedness and Emergency Operations, HHS
Kevin Yeskey
February 21, 2007
His comments on, among other topics, NIMS compliance efforts, state drug and vaccine distribution programs, state and local response capabilities, and the role of IRCT team leaders.
IEDs, RDDs, and Other Improvised Hazards
Joseph Cahill
February 14, 2007
When it seems likely that explosives have been used in a mass-casualty incident or “event,” the personnel responding must remember that additional, and bigger, explosions might soon follow and that they, the first responders, may be the target.
Pandemic Preparedness: The Driver for Most Suppliers
John F. Morton
January 31, 2007
Question: Is the United States prepared to deal with a biological-warfare attack? Answer: Not yet – but the nation’s private-sector biotech labs are working closely with state, local, and federal governments to detect, prevent, and/or deal with an attack.
Wicked Problems, Virtuous Solutions: How to Design a Risk-Based Medical Facility
Michael Allswede
January 24, 2007
The setting of national standards for the personal protective equipment worn and training received by first responders working in a hazardous-materials environment is a positive step forward.
Follow Us
Get Instant Access
Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.
