Most recently published
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.
How One Town Stood Up to a Category 4 Storm
Jennifer Languell
January 4, 2023
When Category 4 Hurricane Ian crossed Florida in September 2022, more than 4 million Florida homes and businesses lost power. However, one town kept the lights on and was spared the devastation the cities surrounding it faced. With resilience and sustainability in mind, this author shares the planning involved in
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
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.
How One Town Stood Up to a Category 4 Storm
Jennifer Languell
January 4, 2023
When Category 4 Hurricane Ian crossed Florida in September 2022, more than 4 million Florida homes and businesses lost power. However, one town kept the lights on and was spared the devastation the cities surrounding it faced. With resilience and sustainability in mind, this author shares the planning involved in
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Training the Next Generation of Cyber Guardians
Steve Stein
November 2, 2022
Despite small local governments being overrun with malware, ransomware, and myriad other threats, it is difficult to find experienced cybersecurity professionals. Meanwhile, students search for nonexistent entry-level jobs. One Washington State-based nonprofit is seeking to close this cybersecurity gap.
Nuclear Threats Against the Homeland: Impact and Preparation
Tanya M. Scherr, Dan Scherr and Richard Schoeberl
November 2, 2022
How the war in Ukraine will end is unclear. However, research shows that there is the potential for devastating effects on a global scale. As such, it is important for emergency planners to reassess their all-hazards plans to ensure their communities identify the threats and ensure their planning processes include
Listen to the Warnings, Plan for Threats
Catherine L. Feinman
October 26, 2022
Emergency preparedness professionals continually strive to protect the lives and health of those within their communities. This October edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal describes how some professionals are doing that.
A Communicator’s Overview of a Large-Scale Exercise
Michael Montfort
October 26, 2022
A June 2022 exercise challenged amateur radio operators with establishing a Communications Unit with no power or pre-positioned equipment. The exercise was successful, but the key takeaways are already helping to improve collaboration and communications throughout the region.
Monkeypox: A Public Health Update
Deborah Sateler and Mabel de Leo
October 19, 2022
Declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox has been on the news since early May 2022 due to the high number of cases and its worldwide distribution. The current outbreak varies from the historical situation, in which the virus remained endemic
Earthquakes & Pandemic – Keeping People Fed Amid Crises
Zsofia Pasztor and Szabolcs (Szabi) Pasztor
October 19, 2022
Even though food is necessary for survival, it is not common to see agricultural workers at a disaster training exercise. However, one organization demonstrates why training these volunteers with emergency preparedness and response skills is essential for future large-scale disasters.
Looking Back to Look Ahead to Protect the Food Supply
Benjamin Lieb and Jason Bashura
October 12, 2022
History reveals patterns that preparedness professionals can use to better protect communities from agroterrorism and supply chain threats. One historical study has been updated to reflect cases of intentional food contamination events around the world. Learn more about this research and how to protect the food supply.
Follow Us
Get Instant Access
Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.
