Most recently published
National Fire Academy Adds New Online Chemistry Course
Domestic Preparedness
May 24, 2012
The U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Academy (NFA) announces the availability of a new NFA Online course: Foundational Concepts of Chemistry (Q228), which provides students with fundamental knowledge to prepare for the more advanced Hazardous Materials curriculum courses.
Finding Beds in the Middle of a Disaster
Beth McAteer
May 23, 2012
One of the most recent examples of medical surge in action was the response effort following a devastating EF5 tornado that ripped through the city of Joplin, Missouri, with virtually no warning on 22 May 2011. Among the most heavily damaged components of the city’s vital infrastructure was the area
A Healthcare Coalition’s Support for Evacuating a Facility
Craig DeAtley
May 23, 2012
As recent experiences have shown – the hospital evacuations in Joplin, Missouri, and Loma Linda, California, are perhaps the best examples – the partial or complete evacuation of a healthcare facility is traumatic, complex, and extremely challenging not only for the facility itself but also for the entire local
Beyond Vaccines: Defeating Future Flu Viruses
David Gibson
May 16, 2012
Throughout history, invisible enemies such as plague, pandemic influenza, and other infectious diseases have posed a great threat to human life. Public- and private-sector agencies and organizations are diligently working together to prevent future pandemics before they start. The immediate goal is to protect the nation’s warfighters, but the greatest
Mass-Fatality Surge & Family Assistance
Thomas Russo
May 16, 2012
The South Carolina Region’s healthcare coalition is bringing together various resources and knowledge to improve capabilities for mass-fatality incidents and subsequent family assistance operations. Through ongoing discussions, the coalition is able to address planning efforts – e.g., additional training and exercises, available morgue space, multi-jurisdiction cooperation, and various other aspects
Amateur Radio and the Healthcare Field
Michael Corey
May 16, 2012
Amateur Radio can be a lifesaving communications service that has supported emergency responders, law-enforcement teams, and the public during major flood events, power outages, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters both large and small. Like other “Guardian Angels,” the nation’s Amateur Radio operators may not always be seen, but they are
The 2012 PHP Summit: Sustaining Preparedness
Jack Herrmann
May 9, 2012
A “big-screen” presentation, an all-star panel discussion, the Joplin tornado, preparedness gains – and the many gaps that still remain – were among the major highlights of the 2012 Public Health Preparedness Summit in Anaheim. Numerous workshops and town hall meetings were also on the hugely important schedule. Plan early
Taxis for the Sick
Joseph Cahill
May 9, 2012
Thanks to the increased focus on homeland security in recent years, most Americans now understand the need to “triage” victims of a mass-casualty incident. Less understood is the triage approach as it applies to taking patients from an incident site to a healthcare facility: (a) immediate transport, with medical care
FINAL REPORT: Preparedness Goals Associated with the Nuclear Threat
Vayl S. Oxford
May 8, 2012
In 2011, the world witnessed the devastating effects after Mother Nature triggered an accidental “nuclear attack” on Japan. That incident offers a glimpse of what could happen following a deliberate nuclear attack on U.S. soil. On 2 May 2012, Vayl Oxford led a distinguished panel of experts in New York
Mass Violence: Planning & Response Considerations Course
Domestic Preparedness
May 4, 2012
This is one-day course is designed to help prepare first responders and receivers to assess, plan for, prepare for, and handle critical incidents such as workplace violence attacks, school shootings, mass shootings, domestic violence spill-over attacks, extremist threats and other incidents are occurring with alarming frequency.
A New Standard of Care for Crisis Incidents
Raphael M. Barishansky
May 2, 2012
Most medium-sized or larger U.S. hospitals can handle multi-casualty incidents efficiently and effectively under normal circumstances. However, during major incidents such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or terrorist attacks, those same hospitals often require additional resources. Through interagency cooperation, new standards of care have been published to help better prepare for future
If & When Needed: The Building of Pandemic Barriers
Patrick P. Rose and Katherine Duncan
May 2, 2012
Infectious diseases such as influenza are invisible, fast-moving, and often extremely lethal. The best and sometimes only way to kill them is to detect them early, stop them before they start to spread, isolate them at the first sign of an outbreak, and have at hand the trained medical professionals,
Integrated Capstone Event Expands Training for Responders
Shannon Arledge
May 30, 2012
Professional athletes focus first on personal training skills, but understand that team training is needed to win games – and championships. The Center for Domestic Preparedness uses that winning philosophy for their “Capstone” events, in which students from many professional disciplines join forces to address realistic scenarios that require their
National Fire Academy Adds New Online Chemistry Course
Domestic Preparedness
May 24, 2012
The U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Academy (NFA) announces the availability of a new NFA Online course: Foundational Concepts of Chemistry (Q228), which provides students with fundamental knowledge to prepare for the more advanced Hazardous Materials curriculum courses.
Finding Beds in the Middle of a Disaster
Beth McAteer
May 23, 2012
One of the most recent examples of medical surge in action was the response effort following a devastating EF5 tornado that ripped through the city of Joplin, Missouri, with virtually no warning on 22 May 2011. Among the most heavily damaged components of the city’s vital infrastructure was the area
A Healthcare Coalition’s Support for Evacuating a Facility
Craig DeAtley
May 23, 2012
As recent experiences have shown – the hospital evacuations in Joplin, Missouri, and Loma Linda, California, are perhaps the best examples – the partial or complete evacuation of a healthcare facility is traumatic, complex, and extremely challenging not only for the facility itself but also for the entire local
Beyond Vaccines: Defeating Future Flu Viruses
David Gibson
May 16, 2012
Throughout history, invisible enemies such as plague, pandemic influenza, and other infectious diseases have posed a great threat to human life. Public- and private-sector agencies and organizations are diligently working together to prevent future pandemics before they start. The immediate goal is to protect the nation’s warfighters, but the greatest
Mass-Fatality Surge & Family Assistance
Thomas Russo
May 16, 2012
The South Carolina Region’s healthcare coalition is bringing together various resources and knowledge to improve capabilities for mass-fatality incidents and subsequent family assistance operations. Through ongoing discussions, the coalition is able to address planning efforts – e.g., additional training and exercises, available morgue space, multi-jurisdiction cooperation, and various other aspects
Amateur Radio and the Healthcare Field
Michael Corey
May 16, 2012
Amateur Radio can be a lifesaving communications service that has supported emergency responders, law-enforcement teams, and the public during major flood events, power outages, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters both large and small. Like other “Guardian Angels,” the nation’s Amateur Radio operators may not always be seen, but they are
The 2012 PHP Summit: Sustaining Preparedness
Jack Herrmann
May 9, 2012
A “big-screen” presentation, an all-star panel discussion, the Joplin tornado, preparedness gains – and the many gaps that still remain – were among the major highlights of the 2012 Public Health Preparedness Summit in Anaheim. Numerous workshops and town hall meetings were also on the hugely important schedule. Plan early
Taxis for the Sick
Joseph Cahill
May 9, 2012
Thanks to the increased focus on homeland security in recent years, most Americans now understand the need to “triage” victims of a mass-casualty incident. Less understood is the triage approach as it applies to taking patients from an incident site to a healthcare facility: (a) immediate transport, with medical care
FINAL REPORT: Preparedness Goals Associated with the Nuclear Threat
Vayl S. Oxford
May 8, 2012
In 2011, the world witnessed the devastating effects after Mother Nature triggered an accidental “nuclear attack” on Japan. That incident offers a glimpse of what could happen following a deliberate nuclear attack on U.S. soil. On 2 May 2012, Vayl Oxford led a distinguished panel of experts in New York
Mass Violence: Planning & Response Considerations Course
Domestic Preparedness
May 4, 2012
This is one-day course is designed to help prepare first responders and receivers to assess, plan for, prepare for, and handle critical incidents such as workplace violence attacks, school shootings, mass shootings, domestic violence spill-over attacks, extremist threats and other incidents are occurring with alarming frequency.
A New Standard of Care for Crisis Incidents
Raphael M. Barishansky
May 2, 2012
Most medium-sized or larger U.S. hospitals can handle multi-casualty incidents efficiently and effectively under normal circumstances. However, during major incidents such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or terrorist attacks, those same hospitals often require additional resources. Through interagency cooperation, new standards of care have been published to help better prepare for future
If & When Needed: The Building of Pandemic Barriers
Patrick P. Rose and Katherine Duncan
May 2, 2012
Infectious diseases such as influenza are invisible, fast-moving, and often extremely lethal. The best and sometimes only way to kill them is to detect them early, stop them before they start to spread, isolate them at the first sign of an outbreak, and have at hand the trained medical professionals,
FY 2012 AFG Grant Workshops – Now Available
Domestic Preparedness
May 1, 2012
During the month of May, the Regional Fire Program Specialists in the 10 FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) regions will host workshops on the FY (fiscal year) 2012 AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant) Program and upcoming application period. The workshops will help potential applicants understand the purpose of the FY
Protecting First Responders from Biological Agents
Christina Spoons
April 25, 2012
Bio-weapons are the new “hidden dangers” available to terrorist groups seeking to kill and create widespread havoc. They are low in cost, quickly available, difficult to detect, and – if properly designed – extremely lethal. Moreover, first responders are often the most likely victims – but can save themselves, and
Protecting the U.S. Agriculture and Food Sector
Douglas Meckes
April 18, 2012
The well-known military axiom that an army “travels on its stomach” applies equally to a nation – more so now than ever before, primarily because of the massive increase in the international trade of food and agricultural products that has taken place in recent years. For this reason, the accidental
Enterprising Solutions: Buying/Building New State & Local Preparedness Capabilities
Dennis R. Schrader and John F. Morton
April 17, 2012
For more than a century, the United States has followed a “forward defense” strategy – in other words, fighting the nation’s battles overseas rather than in the United States itself. The 9/11 terrorist attacks led to the realization that homeland security must now begin at home. The federal government has
An Exercise in Utility: The Role of Public Health
Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek
April 11, 2012
The federal funding streams that improved U.S. preparedness capabilities, at all levels of government, so significantly in the first decade after the 9/11 attacks have already declined, and additional reductions are just over the horizon. But a lack of funds can be overcome, at least in part, by careful planning,
Foodborne Outbreaks in Minnesota: Training and Performance
Kimberley Wetherille and Evan Henke
April 11, 2012
There are almost 50 million foodborne illnesses “of various types” in the United States, and over 3,000 deaths annually. Those are the grim statistics that persuaded the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the FDA, and NACCHO to expand and upgrade programs already in place to detect, control, and
Food Fight – Bioterrorism & Emergency Response Capabilities
Joseph Cahill
April 11, 2012
Infected salad bars and the “improved” technological capabilities of modern-day terrorist groups have combined to make U.S. responders, and the American people, much more cautious about what they eat. Fortunately, that heightened awareness has led to a much closer scrutiny of restaurants, super markets, food-processing plants, and the super-rich diet
First Responder HazMat/CBRN Training SURVEY
Domestic Preparedness
April 5, 2012
Your Opinion Matters! DomPrep wants to know your opinion on preparedness and training efforts related to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) warfare and hazardous material incidents. In today’s environment of reduced funding, maintaining these efforts can be even more challenging than in the past. How prepared is your jurisdiction?
Dual-Use Disasters: Lessons for Preparedness Professionals
Earl Stoddard
April 4, 2012
Actions have consequences – not all of which are intended, or desired. Some military actions, for example, are intended to intimidate another nation – but instead lead to an outright war. The same is true in the fields of medicine and biological research that, while expanding the range of knowledge
Aligning Priorities with Healthcare Coalitions
Andrew R. Roszak
April 3, 2012
Growth in the number and capabilities of the nation’s healthcare coalitions will undoubtedly continue for the foreseeable future – as will the operational capabilities of those coalitions. Helping that growth, and making the coalitions both more capable and more cost-effective, is a new plan (going into effect this summer) to
Protecting Subway Riders from a Chemical Attack
Joselito S. Ignacio
March 28, 2012
The numbers are staggering – U.S. subway systems carry literally billions of passengers every year, while all of the nation’s airlines combined carry less than one billion! Today, airline passenger screening is routine, and reasonably thorough. However, there is little if any screening of subway passengers, making subways an easier
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