Most recently published
Protecting Responders From the Known and Unknown
John Lazier
September 12, 2012
Law enforcement officers secure the scene, hazmat teams enter the hot zone, emergency medical technicians transport victims, and emergency room doctors and nurses receive patients following a radiological incident. Each responder plays an important role, but each requires a different level of protection, which is dictated by different standards. Resources
Radiation Contamination of Emergency Equipment
Joseph Cahill
September 5, 2012
In 1945, Nagasaki became the second Japanese city destroyed by an atomic bomb in the closing days of World War II. The nuclear explosion caused immediate damage and killed tens of thousands of people, but the radiological contamination that remained took many additional lives. A crisis at a nuclear power
Countermeasures to Cope With Radioactive Exposure
W. Craig Vanderwagen
September 5, 2012
The threat posed by an intentional manmade explosion from a radiation dispersal device, a nuclear detonation, or an accidental failure of a nuclear power plant persists. Recent events have brought these threats into focus over the past couple years – e.g., the Iranian plans for nuclear development and the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear
DPJ Book Review: Centerline
Randall (Randy) Larsen
August 28, 2012
“Everybody who goes to war gets shot,” one soldier says. “Some in the body. Some in the head. Some in the heart.” The National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (NCVAS) estimates that, as of 30 September 2011, the nation’s veteran population is more than 22.2 million. Although the journey
The Path to Longer-Term Resilience
Mara Bún
August 22, 2012
Smoke thickened, black ash fell from the sky, and fire sirens wailed as residents fled for their lives – ortried to get back to their homes. They were all in a life-or-death race against Australia’s “Black Saturday”bushfires, which devastated huge areas of Victoria. Numerous lives were lost, thousands of citizens
Intelligence-Led Policing: Contributions to Community Resilience
Joseph W. Trindal
August 22, 2012
Law enforcement’s role in expanding and improving “Whole of Community” resilience is continuing to develop at a rapid rate. In most communities, incorporating the concept known as “intelligence-led policing” continues to progress. Therefore, today’s police service agencies are now in aneal position to contribute substantively to strengthening community resilience across
Radiation Resources for First Responders
George Mills
August 22, 2012
There is no room for error during a radiological event. For that reason, information must be readily available and as accurate as possible. Listen to subject matter experts from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they discuss the types
Mass Transit Security Force Multipliers
Douglas McDaniel
August 15, 2012
Situational awareness and information sharing are key factors in the guidelines recommended for mitigating terrorist threats. By developing the standards and policies needed to train all employees to recognize and report suspicious activity – and regularly reassessing such training – mass transit agencies can build a strong front line of
The ABCs of Transportation Planning for Special Events
Laurel J. Radow
August 15, 2012
Washington Nationals’ owner Mark Lerner recently told The Washington Times that his team “would love to host a future All-Star Game.” That honor, though, would require extensive preparations to ensure the safety and security of people in and around the nation’s capital. Fortunately, the Federal Highway Administration has many useful
Improving Healthcare Sector Interoperability
Thomas Russo
August 8, 2012
Having choices opens many opportunities for patients and responders as well as medical staff within the U.S. healthcare system. However, that benefit has led to complications in communications and the sharing of information. Healthcare coalitions are seeking better ways to meet daily operational goals while at the same time expanding
Disaster Operations for Businesses: Options & Opportunities
Amy Major
August 8, 2012
Representatives of a Business Operations Center (BOC) ensure that the public sector obtains the resources needed during a disaster. In addition, the BOC offers private-sector volunteers an opportunity to play a critical role in disaster response while at the same time helping to reduce lost business revenue and building resiliency
Building/Improving Community Health Resilience
Jeffrey Stiefel
August 1, 2012
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, reporters show images of communities that are faced with destruction and a need to rebuild. However, there is often an even greater devastation with even harder pieces to pick up – the mental and physical health effects. Both types of recovery are required
The Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills
Domestic Preparedness
September 13, 2012
Great ShakeOut earthquake drills help people in homes, schools, and organizations practice how to be safe during big earthquakes, and provide an opportunity for everyone to improve their overall preparedness.
Protecting Responders From the Known and Unknown
John Lazier
September 12, 2012
Law enforcement officers secure the scene, hazmat teams enter the hot zone, emergency medical technicians transport victims, and emergency room doctors and nurses receive patients following a radiological incident. Each responder plays an important role, but each requires a different level of protection, which is dictated by different standards. Resources
Radiation Contamination of Emergency Equipment
Joseph Cahill
September 5, 2012
In 1945, Nagasaki became the second Japanese city destroyed by an atomic bomb in the closing days of World War II. The nuclear explosion caused immediate damage and killed tens of thousands of people, but the radiological contamination that remained took many additional lives. A crisis at a nuclear power
Countermeasures to Cope With Radioactive Exposure
W. Craig Vanderwagen
September 5, 2012
The threat posed by an intentional manmade explosion from a radiation dispersal device, a nuclear detonation, or an accidental failure of a nuclear power plant persists. Recent events have brought these threats into focus over the past couple years – e.g., the Iranian plans for nuclear development and the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear
DPJ Book Review: Centerline
Randall (Randy) Larsen
August 28, 2012
“Everybody who goes to war gets shot,” one soldier says. “Some in the body. Some in the head. Some in the heart.” The National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (NCVAS) estimates that, as of 30 September 2011, the nation’s veteran population is more than 22.2 million. Although the journey
The Path to Longer-Term Resilience
Mara Bún
August 22, 2012
Smoke thickened, black ash fell from the sky, and fire sirens wailed as residents fled for their lives – ortried to get back to their homes. They were all in a life-or-death race against Australia’s “Black Saturday”bushfires, which devastated huge areas of Victoria. Numerous lives were lost, thousands of citizens
Intelligence-Led Policing: Contributions to Community Resilience
Joseph W. Trindal
August 22, 2012
Law enforcement’s role in expanding and improving “Whole of Community” resilience is continuing to develop at a rapid rate. In most communities, incorporating the concept known as “intelligence-led policing” continues to progress. Therefore, today’s police service agencies are now in aneal position to contribute substantively to strengthening community resilience across
Radiation Resources for First Responders
George Mills
August 22, 2012
There is no room for error during a radiological event. For that reason, information must be readily available and as accurate as possible. Listen to subject matter experts from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they discuss the types
Mass Transit Security Force Multipliers
Douglas McDaniel
August 15, 2012
Situational awareness and information sharing are key factors in the guidelines recommended for mitigating terrorist threats. By developing the standards and policies needed to train all employees to recognize and report suspicious activity – and regularly reassessing such training – mass transit agencies can build a strong front line of
The ABCs of Transportation Planning for Special Events
Laurel J. Radow
August 15, 2012
Washington Nationals’ owner Mark Lerner recently told The Washington Times that his team “would love to host a future All-Star Game.” That honor, though, would require extensive preparations to ensure the safety and security of people in and around the nation’s capital. Fortunately, the Federal Highway Administration has many useful
Improving Healthcare Sector Interoperability
Thomas Russo
August 8, 2012
Having choices opens many opportunities for patients and responders as well as medical staff within the U.S. healthcare system. However, that benefit has led to complications in communications and the sharing of information. Healthcare coalitions are seeking better ways to meet daily operational goals while at the same time expanding
Disaster Operations for Businesses: Options & Opportunities
Amy Major
August 8, 2012
Representatives of a Business Operations Center (BOC) ensure that the public sector obtains the resources needed during a disaster. In addition, the BOC offers private-sector volunteers an opportunity to play a critical role in disaster response while at the same time helping to reduce lost business revenue and building resiliency
Resilience & Emergency Management: All Hazards, All Phases, All Stakeholders
Kay C. Goss
August 1, 2012
Although there is no universally accepted definition of the term “Resilience,” there is no doubt that planners and responders throughout the world are working to achieve it. The residents of Greenburg, Kansas, are a typical example. After the city was hit in 2007 with an EF5 tornado broader in scope
Shipboard Emergencies – 1000 Miles From Nowhere
Corey Ranslem
July 25, 2012
In 1990, a cruise ship travelling from Norway to Denmark – the Scandinavian Star – turned into a “floating fireball” within 45 minutes after a small hallway fire erupted, resulting in 158 deaths. Better ship construction and new maritime training standards target such disasters and help prevent future tragedies with
Lightweight Networks – Enabling the Homeland Security Enterprise
Dennis R. Schrader
July 24, 2012
One of the geniuses of “the American system” is the frequently complex working relationships between the federal branch of government and the private sector. More than two centuries of experience show that coordination, cooperation, and collaboration continue to be the keys to eventual success – despite some complications from time
Colorado Builds a New Generation of Emergency Managers
Christopher Mailliard
July 23, 2012
The next generation of first responders is starting earlier and growing faster, thanks in large part to new educational initiatives. High school now offers not only initial emergency management courses, but also classroom training with hands-on operational experience, college credits, and opportunities for a broad range of professional careers.
Harris Corporation Conducts First Nationwide Public Safety LTE Demonstration
Domestic Preparedness
July 20, 2012
Harris Corporation has successfully conducted the first live, multi-state demonstration that showcased the powerful capabilities of 700 MHz Band LTE (Long Term Evolution) for first responders. Users at multiple sites across the United States tapped into the LTE network to share streaming video, voice, mapping and presence to support various
U.S. Citizens: The First Line of Defense
Vernon Herron and Michael Vesely
July 18, 2012
Today, as in the Colonial era, homeland defense and emergency management begin at home. Homeowners and their neighbors are often the first responders available when disaster strikes. Whether they are ready to meet that challenge is not always certain, but individual citizens are starting to learn the fundamentals of planning,
Canada Emergency Management – The Same, But Different
John Saunders
July 18, 2012
As one of the largest countries in the world in terms of its land area, Canada creates a geographic challenge for emergency managers. Its ten provinces and three territories encompass dense urban areas such as the City of Toronto (nearly three million residents) and remote rural areas including many “fly-in”
Emergency Responses – With No Geographic Limits
Christine Thompson
July 18, 2012
In sailing-ship days, it took three months or more to send a message from the United States to New Zealand. Today, those countries are only a mouse click away, as the citizens of Chicago and Christchurch gratefully found out when both major cities were hit hard, and almost simultaneously, by
NIMS – Not an American Exclusive
Stephen Grainer
July 18, 2012
“Management” is in many ways an abstract and somewhat generic term, but most citizens have a general understanding of what the word means. Whether the relatively new U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS) is of American origin or not is perhaps debatable, but the concept itself is nonetheless useful in
International Medical Missions: Preplanning Essentials
Joseph Cahill
July 11, 2012
An earthquake devastates Haiti, a tsunami smashes into northeast Japan, tornadoes rip through major U.S. cities – all of these disasters attracted responders from around the world who had volunteered to help in the aftermath. Some of the volunteers were well prepared and went through proper channels, but others created
Leveraging the Expanding Social Network
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
July 3, 2012
Blizzards, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, icebergs, and volcanic eruptions are just some of the natural hazards found across the unique Canadian terrain. Although knowing who is charge during an incident can be a challenge under the existing political structure, emergency managers continue to communicate, collaborate, and learn from other nations to
Securing the Torch – 2012 London Olympics
Richard Schoeberl
June 27, 2012
During World War II, the United Kingdom deployed ground, air, and naval forces in a war that affected all nations around the globe. Today, London and the Olympic Games Committee are again preparing for war to cope with a broad spectrum of security threats that could affect the city’s own
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