Most recently published

Agitated Delirium: A Primer for EMS/Law-Enforcement Personnel
Jay Kehoe
August 10, 2005
The sudden death of anyone is a personal tragedy for his/her friends and next of kin – and creates a sometimes extremely complicated issue for police, EMS, and correctional personnel to deal with.

NCRP 138: Reliable Guidance for Radiation Emergencies
Rob Schnepp
August 10, 2005
In an era when terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, including radiation weapons, represent a clear and present danger, decision makers are turning to a useful document for guidance in formulating their what-if contingency plans.

Vayl Oxford, Acting Director of the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection
Vayl S. Oxford and John F. Morton
August 10, 2005
His views on the office’s mission, interfaces with other agencies, and the future development of a global nuclear-detection architecture.

Piracy 2005: A New and Major Terrorism Concern
Laurie Thomas
July 27, 2005
Although romanticized in the movies, piracy remains a clear and present danger in many areas of the world – and, in the Age of Terrorism, poses a major new threat to the United States and its Free World allies.

Dennis R. Schrader, Director of Maryland’s Office of Homeland Security
John F. Morton
July 27, 2005
Mr. Schrader discusses all-hazards preparedness, intel fusion centers, use of GIS, and more. Schrader also comments on Maryland’s regional all-hazard approach, which already is developing horizontal linkages with adjacent states.

Mid-Term Report Card, A Note from the Publisher
Martin D. Masiuk
July 27, 2005
The Publisher offers a mid-term report and asks readers to grade the first semester’s effort.

Lessons Learned: A Major Educational Resource
Laurie Thomas
July 13, 2005
In the middle of an Area Maritime Security Committee meeting, a facility security officer wonders out loud why it is so difficult to coordinate and disseminate information about terrorist activities, particularly in the maritime field, between all of the government agencies and private-sector entities that have a legitimate “need to

New York, Madrid, London: What City Is Next?
Joseph Cahill
July 13, 2005
The latest Great Awakening terrorist strikes should serve not only as another warning but also as a spur to collective action, particularly by the nation’s first-responder communities.

Governor James S. Gilmore, III, A Focus on Border Protection, Medical Surge Capacity
John F. Morton
July 13, 2005
Former Virginia Governor James S. Gilmore III shares his views, as chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Commission appointed to assess U.S. domestic-response capabilities, on such major issues as vulnerability assessments, risk management, border prot

Homeland Defense Begins at Home!
James D. Hessman
July 13, 2005
The Department of Homeland Defense and American Red Cross are leading the way, but true national preparedness requires an all-hands effort starting with teachers and students, parents, first responders, businessmen and factory workers, the media and the m

Electro-Muscular Disruption Technology and How it Works
Jay Kehoe
June 29, 2005
Shockingly enough, Tasers are becoming the most humane working tool available to law-enforcement personnel and correctional officers who have no choice but to use force in dealing with aggressive and/or demented individuals who are threatening the peace

Ludwig Benner: The Father of Modern HAZMAT Thinking?
Rob Schnepp
June 29, 2005
In the late 1960’s, far too many firefighters were dying in the line of duty when the fires were fighting involved hazardous materials. One man, Ludwig Benner, realized that changes were needed, both in the way firefighters were being trained and in the

USAWC’s New Emphasis on Homeland Security
Brent Bankus
August 10, 2005
One of the world’s most-renowned naval/military educational institutions revamps its curriculum to incorporate courses and research projects related to the global war on international terrorism.

Agitated Delirium: A Primer for EMS/Law-Enforcement Personnel
Jay Kehoe
August 10, 2005
The sudden death of anyone is a personal tragedy for his/her friends and next of kin – and creates a sometimes extremely complicated issue for police, EMS, and correctional personnel to deal with.

NCRP 138: Reliable Guidance for Radiation Emergencies
Rob Schnepp
August 10, 2005
In an era when terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, including radiation weapons, represent a clear and present danger, decision makers are turning to a useful document for guidance in formulating their what-if contingency plans.

Vayl Oxford, Acting Director of the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection
Vayl S. Oxford and John F. Morton
August 10, 2005
His views on the office’s mission, interfaces with other agencies, and the future development of a global nuclear-detection architecture.

Piracy 2005: A New and Major Terrorism Concern
Laurie Thomas
July 27, 2005
Although romanticized in the movies, piracy remains a clear and present danger in many areas of the world – and, in the Age of Terrorism, poses a major new threat to the United States and its Free World allies.

Dennis R. Schrader, Director of Maryland’s Office of Homeland Security
John F. Morton
July 27, 2005
Mr. Schrader discusses all-hazards preparedness, intel fusion centers, use of GIS, and more. Schrader also comments on Maryland’s regional all-hazard approach, which already is developing horizontal linkages with adjacent states.

Mid-Term Report Card, A Note from the Publisher
Martin D. Masiuk
July 27, 2005
The Publisher offers a mid-term report and asks readers to grade the first semester’s effort.

Lessons Learned: A Major Educational Resource
Laurie Thomas
July 13, 2005
In the middle of an Area Maritime Security Committee meeting, a facility security officer wonders out loud why it is so difficult to coordinate and disseminate information about terrorist activities, particularly in the maritime field, between all of the government agencies and private-sector entities that have a legitimate “need to

New York, Madrid, London: What City Is Next?
Joseph Cahill
July 13, 2005
The latest Great Awakening terrorist strikes should serve not only as another warning but also as a spur to collective action, particularly by the nation’s first-responder communities.

Governor James S. Gilmore, III, A Focus on Border Protection, Medical Surge Capacity
John F. Morton
July 13, 2005
Former Virginia Governor James S. Gilmore III shares his views, as chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Commission appointed to assess U.S. domestic-response capabilities, on such major issues as vulnerability assessments, risk management, border prot

Homeland Defense Begins at Home!
James D. Hessman
July 13, 2005
The Department of Homeland Defense and American Red Cross are leading the way, but true national preparedness requires an all-hands effort starting with teachers and students, parents, first responders, businessmen and factory workers, the media and the m

Electro-Muscular Disruption Technology and How it Works
Jay Kehoe
June 29, 2005
Shockingly enough, Tasers are becoming the most humane working tool available to law-enforcement personnel and correctional officers who have no choice but to use force in dealing with aggressive and/or demented individuals who are threatening the peace
Asymmetric Warfare: Redefining Standard Terms
Ashley Moore
June 14, 2005
Chaos and confusion reign not just on the battlefield but also, particularly in recent times, in policy pronouncements, position papers, and the public consciousness. Principal problem is a proliferation of acronyms meaning almost the same thing – but not
CERFPs: A New Resource for Emergency Response
Christopher M. Schnaubelt
June 14, 2005
The National Guard creates new units to deal with mass disasters. After the first responders come the WMD-CST teams, and behind them, providing a second protective shield for the American people, come the twelve CEFRP units, stationed in FEMA regions thro
John Thomasian, Director, National Governors Association Center For Best Practices
John F. Morton
June 14, 2005
Director of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices reports on the proceedings of last week’s National Executive Forum for State Homeland Security Directors. Also included is a discussion of the so-called intelligence fusion centers.
Michigan, New York, Washington, and Florida
Anthony Lanzillotti
June 1, 2005
Michigan plays a perfect game before defending the Great Lakes; New York considers the purchase of an advanced helicopter for firefighting, rescue operations; the state of Washington conducts its first bioterrorism exercise; and Florida sets aside a speci
Workloads and Respiratory Rates: The Key Factors in Respiratory Protection
Rob Schnepp
June 1, 2005
Breathing is not easy for anyone involved in the responses to and cleanup of hazardous materials. The task is much more difficult, though, when the equipment provided to first responders is less than adequate, and deficient in many other ways.
Coming Soon: A National EMS Administration?
Joseph Cahill
June 1, 2005
Today’s EMS community is a full partner on the nation’s homeland-security first-responder team, but gets short shrift in funding, in representation at the White House and on Capitol Hill, and in media attention. One way to even out the playing field might be to establish a national office representing city,
Guest Commentary: Resolving
Buck Somes
June 1, 2005
GenPrime V.P. suggests a new paradigm for the handling of emergency calls – many of them hoaxes – reporting the presence of anthrax-like substances that might be cornstarch, baby powder, or coffee creamer. Or anthrax. The use of on-site broad-spectrum screen can be used to determine a “threat/no threat” result
Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, and Kansas
Anthony Lanzillotti
May 18, 2005
Oklahoma continues to provide more resources for first responders and counterterrorism personnel; new partnerships in homeland security and emergency preparedness formed in Texas; Indiana agencies address suspicious activity and fraud; Kansas responders.
ALPR Systems and How They Grew
Jay Kehoe
May 18, 2005
Crime-fighting goes high-tech with the introduction and increasing use of affordable, relatively compact, and user-friendly OCR and ALPR technology. Today, speeders are the most likely target. Tomorrow and the day after it will be known criminals and/or s
A Long Tradition of Voluntary National Service
Brent Bankus
May 18, 2005
The recent spate of articles and commentaries about the “Minuteman” group that, without invitation, helped the U.S. Border Patrol apprehend over 300 illegal migrants is a timely reminder that other citizen groups have provided significant homeland-defense
“The Week That Was” in Washington, D.C.
James D. Hessman
May 18, 2005
Orders to “Run for your life!” were followed in short order by the announcement of new port-security grants and the Pentagon’s latest list of base closings, consolidations, and realignments. All three became major national stories, and all are related – i
SNL and Merlin: A New Way to Look at Decontamination
Rob Schnepp
May 4, 2005
The war against bioterrorism moves forward – at less than flank speed – from the water-based decon agents of the 1990s to faster and much more effective peroxide-based solutions that can be used to deactivate biological pathogens and TICs as well as the CW agents.
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