Most recently published

Preparatory Consequence Management & Weapons of Mass Destruction
Scott J. Glick
November 4, 2020
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stated that the United States faces a rising danger from terrorists and rogue states seeking to use weapons of mass destruction (WMD). If the government learned that a terrorist intended to use a WMD in a major metropolitan U.S. city, senior government officials

The New Age of Police Reform – Part 2
Joseph W. Trindal and Lynn Holland
October 28, 2020
During the years leading up to 2020, the policing profession has faced many challenges attracting talent and retaining experience, particularly among sworn officers. A robust national economy, as evidenced by exceptionally low unemployment, had been one contributing factor to diminished applicant interest in the police profession. In 2017 and 2019,

COVID-19 Testing – What It Is & Why It is Important
Matt Scullion
October 28, 2020
In the age of COVID-19, community leaders and the public they serve are bombarded with news related to testing. However, many do not understand the value the results can provide, to whom they should be given, and the actions that are allowed and should be taken. These questions need to

The New Age of Police Reform – Part 1
Joseph W. Trindal
October 21, 2020
As if the first two decades of the 21st century were not dynamic enough, the first year of the third decade has impacted every person on multiple levels. While the viral pandemic continues to affect every profession, health care professionals around the world are dramatically reassessing their service delivery models.

Hope to Action: Medical Equipment for Children Post-Disaster
Marsha Williams, Judy Kruger, Eli Fresquez and Eric J. McNulty
October 14, 2020
Effective disaster response and recovery involves the whole community. In the United States, there is a wide variation as to how families acquire durable medical equipment (DME) for their children with disabilities post disaster. DME is essential for those children to maintain their usual level of independence as well as

Law Enforcement’s Perfect Storm 2020
Joseph W. Trindal
October 14, 2020
Law enforcement is having a perfect storm with challenges in hiring, challenges in retention, and challenges with early retirement. This podcast is a follow up to a discussion that began in January 2017 with Joseph Trindal. Joe leads a team of retired federal, state, and local criminal justice officials providing

Bringing Calm to Chaos: HICS & the Coronavirus Pandemic
Andrew R. Roszak
October 7, 2020
The hospital incident command system (HICS) was designed decades ago to provide a decision-making framework to manage incidents and disasters. Now, more than ever, health care systems are relying on HICS to help meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. This interview with Dr. Brent Kaziny and James Mitchell explores

Hospital Resilience – Operational Perspectives From COVID-19
Craig DeAtley, Connor Scott, James Terbush and W. Craig Vanderwagen
October 2, 2020
The concept of hospital resilience has changed in light of COVID-19. Despite planning and training for unexpected worst cast scenarios, one key assumption was not consistent with this pandemic response – that not everyone would be affected. This webcast discusses the gaps, challenges, and opportunities related to this ongoing response

Earthquake Preparedness in Non-Earthquake Country
Stephen Maloney
September 30, 2020
Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than simply being experts in one subject. The seven and

Disaster Support – Meeting Today’s Needs
Catherine L. Feinman
September 30, 2020
Despite emergency planners using worst-case scenarios and high-impact, low-frequency events when planning for disasters, experiencing an event in real time exposes gaps in those plans that were not foreseeable (or at least not included in the plan). Furthermore, as time goes on, resources and other needs naturally change. In order

Public Safety Drones: Disasters & Drones for Good
Charles L. Werner
September 16, 2020
Drones are having a dramatic impact on public safety and emergency management operations. While some form of public safety drone has been in place for a while, drones did not begin to see wider adoption until 2016 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented 14 CFR Part 107 (Part 107)

In an Era of Coronavirus, Do Not Forget Security
Andrew R. Roszak
September 2, 2020
The United States is currently facing historic challenges. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, the United States is experiencing an historic rise in gun violence and civil unrest. Social issues, such as a dramatic increase in unemployment, a rise in domestic violence, an increase in substance abuse, social isolation,

The New Age of Police Reform – Part 3
Joseph W. Trindal
November 11, 2020
Accountability and transparency are prominent features of modern police reform. Yet, the concepts and structures for holding police accountable trace back to the origins of modern democratic police service in London, UK. A key motivation for creating public police service was the lack of accountability afforded by private police services

Preparatory Consequence Management & Weapons of Mass Destruction
Scott J. Glick
November 4, 2020
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stated that the United States faces a rising danger from terrorists and rogue states seeking to use weapons of mass destruction (WMD). If the government learned that a terrorist intended to use a WMD in a major metropolitan U.S. city, senior government officials

The New Age of Police Reform – Part 2
Joseph W. Trindal and Lynn Holland
October 28, 2020
During the years leading up to 2020, the policing profession has faced many challenges attracting talent and retaining experience, particularly among sworn officers. A robust national economy, as evidenced by exceptionally low unemployment, had been one contributing factor to diminished applicant interest in the police profession. In 2017 and 2019,

COVID-19 Testing – What It Is & Why It is Important
Matt Scullion
October 28, 2020
In the age of COVID-19, community leaders and the public they serve are bombarded with news related to testing. However, many do not understand the value the results can provide, to whom they should be given, and the actions that are allowed and should be taken. These questions need to

The New Age of Police Reform – Part 1
Joseph W. Trindal
October 21, 2020
As if the first two decades of the 21st century were not dynamic enough, the first year of the third decade has impacted every person on multiple levels. While the viral pandemic continues to affect every profession, health care professionals around the world are dramatically reassessing their service delivery models.

Hope to Action: Medical Equipment for Children Post-Disaster
Marsha Williams, Judy Kruger, Eli Fresquez and Eric J. McNulty
October 14, 2020
Effective disaster response and recovery involves the whole community. In the United States, there is a wide variation as to how families acquire durable medical equipment (DME) for their children with disabilities post disaster. DME is essential for those children to maintain their usual level of independence as well as

Law Enforcement’s Perfect Storm 2020
Joseph W. Trindal
October 14, 2020
Law enforcement is having a perfect storm with challenges in hiring, challenges in retention, and challenges with early retirement. This podcast is a follow up to a discussion that began in January 2017 with Joseph Trindal. Joe leads a team of retired federal, state, and local criminal justice officials providing

Bringing Calm to Chaos: HICS & the Coronavirus Pandemic
Andrew R. Roszak
October 7, 2020
The hospital incident command system (HICS) was designed decades ago to provide a decision-making framework to manage incidents and disasters. Now, more than ever, health care systems are relying on HICS to help meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. This interview with Dr. Brent Kaziny and James Mitchell explores

Hospital Resilience – Operational Perspectives From COVID-19
Craig DeAtley, Connor Scott, James Terbush and W. Craig Vanderwagen
October 2, 2020
The concept of hospital resilience has changed in light of COVID-19. Despite planning and training for unexpected worst cast scenarios, one key assumption was not consistent with this pandemic response – that not everyone would be affected. This webcast discusses the gaps, challenges, and opportunities related to this ongoing response

Earthquake Preparedness in Non-Earthquake Country
Stephen Maloney
September 30, 2020
Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than simply being experts in one subject. The seven and

Disaster Support – Meeting Today’s Needs
Catherine L. Feinman
September 30, 2020
Despite emergency planners using worst-case scenarios and high-impact, low-frequency events when planning for disasters, experiencing an event in real time exposes gaps in those plans that were not foreseeable (or at least not included in the plan). Furthermore, as time goes on, resources and other needs naturally change. In order

Public Safety Drones: Disasters & Drones for Good
Charles L. Werner
September 16, 2020
Drones are having a dramatic impact on public safety and emergency management operations. While some form of public safety drone has been in place for a while, drones did not begin to see wider adoption until 2016 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented 14 CFR Part 107 (Part 107)
All Models Are Wrong (But Modeling Is as Necessary as Ever)
Terry Hastings and Colin Krainin
August 19, 2020
British statistician, George Box, famously stated that “all models are wrong, but some are useful.” The nation’s experience with COVID-19 has highlighted this fact as policy makers have struggled to calibrate their actions based on imperfect data and modeling. Yet, modeling is useful and will continue to be an important
Disaster Case Management: An Important Disaster Response Tool
Senay Ozbay
August 5, 2020
Effective disaster response and recovery involves identifying and establishing an organization that serves the needs of vulnerable populations utilizing pre-disaster risk assessments and crisis management communication, with planned and tested tools and robust resources. Disaster Case Management is one such tool.
The Epitome of Failure – Part 3
William H. Austin
July 22, 2020
At the beginning of a 28 May 2020 court hearing, U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup made the following opening statement, “If there ever was a corporation that deserved to go to prison, it is PG&E for the number of people it has killed in California.” Pacific Gas and Electric’s
A New Way of Looking at Earthquake Plans
Frances Dunniway
July 15, 2020
With the inevitability of earthquakes in California, disaster preparedness and evacuation focused on the safety of lives is of utmost importance. The health, welfare, and safety of children are of paramount importance, as children are left in the protection of school district officials. In 2005, California Legislature passed Assembly Bill
EMS Continuity of Operations Plan: A Critical Lifeline Component
Ron Cain
July 8, 2020
“A lifeline enables the continuous operation of critical government and business functions and is essential to human health and safety or economic security.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed the Community Lifelines construct after the 2017 and 2018 hurricane seasons. The framework of Community Lifelines allows the whole community
The Dynamics of Human Trafficking: Before & After COVID-19
Michael Breslin
June 24, 2020
These are challenging times. The immediate impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are impossible to ignore when viewed in terms of the sickness and death it has brought upon the world community. It continues to impact the global economy and social norms. The long-term impacts of this virus and subsequent mitigation
An All-Hazards Educational Approach to Emergency Management
Paula Gordon
June 17, 2020
The nature and scope of the emergency management field can be defined in a variety of ways. An all-hazards definition of emergency management encompasses some essential homeland security concerns. A conceptual framework then helps bring together an understanding of the challenges facing those in the emergency management and homeland security
Active Shooter Preparedness: Beyond Run/Hide/Fight
Chad Hyland
June 10, 2020
Run/Hide/Fight or Avoid/Deny/Defend – no matter which mantra is taught/trained, there is one unfortunate constant between both methodologies: the shooting has begun, and there is an imminent loss of life occurring at the workplace, school, church, grocery store, or wherever the active shooters have selected their targets. Thorough understanding of
Acceptable Loss in a Pandemic-Editor’s Note
Martin D. Masiuk
June 4, 2020
Dear DomPrep Readers,Since day one on 11 November 1998, DomPrep has been and continues to be a publication for preparedness and resilience professionals with operational and strategic responsibilities. Since then, we have published many beneficial articles on pandemics, terrorism, natural disasters, chemical weapons, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), active shooter(s), opioids,
National Pandemic Planning – The Forgotten Scenarios
Rick C. Mathews
June 3, 2020
“Are we prepared?” is a simple question with a not-so-simple answer. There are generally two times this question arises: (1) when funding is being requested, and (2) after an incident occurs where the preparedness comes under review. Both timings are appropriate, but arguably not the best time to raise the
The Epitome of Failure – Part 2
William H. Austin
May 27, 2020
The aeolian winds took control of the surrounding environment. A death-defying vortex formed and, along with it, a perturbation as inconceivable as the Camp Fire was overwhelming. This article continues to chronicle the story of a mega-disaster. Part 1 described how the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) spent the
Disasters & Their Acceptable Losses
Catherine L. Feinman
May 27, 2020
One of the biggest challenges that emergency preparedness professionals face is how to balance the choices they make. Mitigating every risk is not realistic, but ignoring threats is reprehensible. Lessons learned from any disaster exposes the successes and failures of those tasked with keeping their communities safe. Some decisions have
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