Most recently published
Building Business Post-Disaster – A Florida Case Study
Mark McQueen
February 8, 2023
Opportunities can be found in the wake of great devastation. However, it can be challenging to plan for the future while restoring critical services and repairing the damage left in the crisis’s wake. Recovery plans should look beyond what existed before the disaster and include laying a foundation for regrowth
PACEing a Communications Resilience Plan
Charles J. Guddemi
February 8, 2023
Most organizations have a daily operational plan for their communications that works most of the time and a backup plan for a short-term problem. However, many do not have a primary, alternate, contingency, emergency (PACE) plan for critical operational tasks. Learn more about the benefits of creating and maintaining a
Threat Assessment and Management: Practices Across the World
Carl Amritt, Eliot Bradshaw and Alyssa Schulenberg
February 1, 2023
The ever-evolving threat of terrorism continues to impact cities around the world. The Global Terrorism Index shows that in 2021, the number of attacks increased from the previous year by 17 percent to 5,226. As actors adapt and change their tactics and techniques, cities must develop new capabilities to counter these threats.
Winter Storm – Reimagining Recovery Using Support Functions
Jamie Hannan and Stephanie Wright
February 1, 2023
Out of first-time events come many important lessons learned. For example, information must be disseminated using familiar terminology when an unfamiliar event occurs. In addition, recovery is a team effort that begins before the event has ended. Learn how the third most populated county in the United States handled recovery
Strong Foundations – What Every Disaster Plan Needs
Catherine L. Feinman
January 25, 2023
The initial goal of a disaster plan should be to avoid the disaster. The secondary goal should be to respond effectively when a disaster cannot be avoided. To be clear, the disaster here is not a hurricane, earthquake, flood, wildfire, tornado, or even human attacker. These are simply examples of
Crisis Standards of Care – A Mental Health Perspective
James Greenstone
January 25, 2023
Crisis standards of care and sufficiency of care are topics of great controversy and debate in professional circles. The reasons may be obvious to most. Traditionally, health care responders are trained and held to the standard of care of their profession when rendering aid. Nothing less is acceptable. The public
Applications for a Newly Developed Risk and Resilience Tool
Kyle Pfeiffer, Rao Kotamarthi and Christina Nuñez
January 25, 2023
A new, publicly available tool provides a window into how future climate realities could affect U.S. cities and towns. Learn how planners and decision-makers can get map-based analyses driven by peer-reviewed climate data using this free portal.
Virtual Reality Training Revolution Is Here
Peter Johnson
January 18, 2023
The click-through, good-enough training, ubiquitous in many organizations, is not good enough anymore. A Harvard Business Review article titled “Where Companies Go Wrong with Learning and Development” (L&D) discovered that only 12% of employees applied training from L&D programs to their work. The same article explains that hundreds of billions of dollars are spent annually
The Pony Express Rides Again
Monty Dozier
January 18, 2023
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers and facilities, local jurisdictions, and state agencies struggled to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, gowns, and hand sanitizers, for their patients and staff. Supplies of these items were extremely low and getting them shipped proved
Benefits of Industrial Liaisons – A Harris County Example
Jamie Hannan
January 11, 2023
Planners in the Harris County, Texas, area are successful specifically because of the relationships they have built over many years. For example, the county’s Industrial Liaisons Program provides many positive takeaways and best practices practitioners can implement throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Building Design for Safety and Resilience – First Steps
Paul Marshall
January 11, 2023
An all-hazards design process considers the function of the building during normal operations as well as the safety of the occupants and the surrounding community against possible risks and threats. Like layers of an onion, effective security should take a multi-layered approach. Safety and security do not need to be
Beachie Creek Fire – A Practitioner’s Firsthand Account
Charles (Chuck) Perino
January 4, 2023
When disaster strikes, sometimes those trained to respond find themselves and their families fleeing from the fire. Once their families are safe, they jump back in to assist wherever needed. This scenario happened to one emergency manager when the Beachie Creek wildfire engulfed surrounding Oregon communities with little warning.
Trends in Political Violence and Mass Demonstrations
Richard Schoeberl
February 15, 2023
Article Out Loud More than 400 worldwide antigovernment protests have taken place since 2017. According to the Global Peace Index (GPI), the incidents of civil unrest have doubled across the globe over the past decade. Moreover, the 2022 GPI indicates the world has become “less peaceful for the eleventh time in the
Building Business Post-Disaster – A Florida Case Study
Mark McQueen
February 8, 2023
Opportunities can be found in the wake of great devastation. However, it can be challenging to plan for the future while restoring critical services and repairing the damage left in the crisis’s wake. Recovery plans should look beyond what existed before the disaster and include laying a foundation for regrowth
PACEing a Communications Resilience Plan
Charles J. Guddemi
February 8, 2023
Most organizations have a daily operational plan for their communications that works most of the time and a backup plan for a short-term problem. However, many do not have a primary, alternate, contingency, emergency (PACE) plan for critical operational tasks. Learn more about the benefits of creating and maintaining a
Threat Assessment and Management: Practices Across the World
Carl Amritt, Eliot Bradshaw and Alyssa Schulenberg
February 1, 2023
The ever-evolving threat of terrorism continues to impact cities around the world. The Global Terrorism Index shows that in 2021, the number of attacks increased from the previous year by 17 percent to 5,226. As actors adapt and change their tactics and techniques, cities must develop new capabilities to counter these threats.
Winter Storm – Reimagining Recovery Using Support Functions
Jamie Hannan and Stephanie Wright
February 1, 2023
Out of first-time events come many important lessons learned. For example, information must be disseminated using familiar terminology when an unfamiliar event occurs. In addition, recovery is a team effort that begins before the event has ended. Learn how the third most populated county in the United States handled recovery
Strong Foundations – What Every Disaster Plan Needs
Catherine L. Feinman
January 25, 2023
The initial goal of a disaster plan should be to avoid the disaster. The secondary goal should be to respond effectively when a disaster cannot be avoided. To be clear, the disaster here is not a hurricane, earthquake, flood, wildfire, tornado, or even human attacker. These are simply examples of
Crisis Standards of Care – A Mental Health Perspective
James Greenstone
January 25, 2023
Crisis standards of care and sufficiency of care are topics of great controversy and debate in professional circles. The reasons may be obvious to most. Traditionally, health care responders are trained and held to the standard of care of their profession when rendering aid. Nothing less is acceptable. The public
Applications for a Newly Developed Risk and Resilience Tool
Kyle Pfeiffer, Rao Kotamarthi and Christina Nuñez
January 25, 2023
A new, publicly available tool provides a window into how future climate realities could affect U.S. cities and towns. Learn how planners and decision-makers can get map-based analyses driven by peer-reviewed climate data using this free portal.
Virtual Reality Training Revolution Is Here
Peter Johnson
January 18, 2023
The click-through, good-enough training, ubiquitous in many organizations, is not good enough anymore. A Harvard Business Review article titled “Where Companies Go Wrong with Learning and Development” (L&D) discovered that only 12% of employees applied training from L&D programs to their work. The same article explains that hundreds of billions of dollars are spent annually
The Pony Express Rides Again
Monty Dozier
January 18, 2023
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers and facilities, local jurisdictions, and state agencies struggled to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, gowns, and hand sanitizers, for their patients and staff. Supplies of these items were extremely low and getting them shipped proved
Benefits of Industrial Liaisons – A Harris County Example
Jamie Hannan
January 11, 2023
Planners in the Harris County, Texas, area are successful specifically because of the relationships they have built over many years. For example, the county’s Industrial Liaisons Program provides many positive takeaways and best practices practitioners can implement throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Building Design for Safety and Resilience – First Steps
Paul Marshall
January 11, 2023
An all-hazards design process considers the function of the building during normal operations as well as the safety of the occupants and the surrounding community against possible risks and threats. Like layers of an onion, effective security should take a multi-layered approach. Safety and security do not need to be
Publisher’s Note: Auld Lang Syne (A Chance to Recollect and Restore)
MacGregor Stephenson
December 28, 2022
As we come to the end of a challenging year and a tumultuous period, please know that your efforts are appreciated, and the sacrifices of you and your families have a significant and positive impact on all of our communities. On behalf of the Domestic Preparedness Journal, its staff, and
How Technology Systems Impact Critical Infrastructure
Nathan DiPillo and Paul Galyen
December 21, 2022
Operational technology systems that run many critical infrastructure functions are becoming more dependent on information technology. As these worlds converge, emergency preparedness professionals must address the related security challenges. This article shares some lessons learned and uses a foundational knowledge of the topic to inspire possible solutions.
Applying Environmental Design to Prevent Active Shooters
Rodney Andreasen
December 14, 2022
Active shooter trainings can help prevent some injuries and deaths. However, additional measures should also be taken to prevent the attack from occurring. This article describes how to apply environmental design to thwart attackers.
Implementing “Stop the Bleed” for Future K-12 Educators
Will Brewer, Peggy Bergeron and Wayne Bergeron
December 14, 2022
How have recent school shootings impacted future K-12 educators and what new skills will help better prepare them for potential threats? One study at the University of North Alabama combined training and research to answer this question.
Maintaining a Strong Volunteer Force
Kristina Hamilton
December 7, 2022
Volunteers are a lifeline for many nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies during emergencies and disasters. However, recruiting and retaining good volunteers can be difficult. This article shares some simple strategies and tools for any emergency preparedness professional seeking to build and maintain a strong volunteer force.
Value of Enterprise Data Management in Emergency Management
Anne Marie Smith
December 7, 2022
An enterprise data management program emphasizes the importance of managing information as an asset and protecting it from misuse or loss. Knowing the landscape of data and how to manage it is critical to an organization’s recovery and sustainability after a disaster. This article explains the need to coordinate data
“Moneyball” for the Wildland Fire System
Matthew Thompson and Erin Belval
November 24, 2022
The wildfire management community has made great strides incorporating new decision support tools into how it plans for and responds to wildfire incidents. Despite improvements in risk assessment and management at the incident scale, increasing fire activity and critical resource shortages reveal a system under strain in need of strategies
PPD-44: Implications for Domestic Incident Management
Robert J. (Bob) Roller
November 23, 2022
An essential national incident management guidance document is finally available to responders nationwide. This document will significantly improve a unified response to and recovery from large-scale incidents. However, additional work is needed to create an enhanced unity of effort and fully integrated response among federal, state, and local responders.
Workplace Strategies to Reduce Burnout and Build Resilience
Judy Kruger and Chris Paquet
November 16, 2022
A multi-year pandemic has resulted in organizations looking to reframe traditional workforce management practices to retain seasoned staff and prevent burnout. To address these issues, state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management offices can consider implementing workplace engagement strategies to address the mental and physical health concerns resulting from this
Switch to Online Enables Active Shooter Training for All
Michael Melton
November 16, 2022
Since the emergence of COVID-19, many trainings have had to adapt to an online presence. In one case, an active shooter training not only successfully transitioned to support the online delivery of these skills, but the developer embraced it and has now made it publicly available for everyone.
Power Outages, Communication Failures & Healthcare
Daniel Rector
November 9, 2022
All disasters have a health aspect, and all disasters, exercises, responses, and recoveries are deeply dependent on technology and communications. Two large-scale disasters affecting much of the United States – Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Sandy (2012) – provide vast amounts of documentation on the significant technological challenges that arose. In
The Role of Faith in Disasters
Michael Prasad
November 9, 2022
Many faith-based organizations have disaster response and recovery components as major elements of their own missions. By partnering with governmental and nongovernmental organizations, faith-based groups can coordinate locally to support response and restoration efforts, as well as provide mental health and spiritual care when resources are critically needed.
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