FIRE
A Free Mental Health Resource for All Public Safety Professions
- Bridgett Clark
Public safety professionals—including emergency communications specialists—face daily exposure to trauma, often without acknowledgment. However, the very systems built to safeguard the larger community frequently fail to safeguard their own. With telecommunicators as a key example, this article describes mental health care needs across the public safety community and provides a free training resource to help address these needs.
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The United Cajun Navy: Advancing Disaster Response With Volunteerism and Industry Partnerships
Mitchel Reed
September 10, 2025
Formed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the United Cajun Navy unites boat owners and other volunteers to aid during floods, hurricanes, and other disasters, bridging gaps in official response and recovery. A volunteer “technical industry liaison” partners with businesses to add technical capabilities and strengthen its efforts. This model shows
Lessons From Indigenous Emergency Response in Canada
David Formentini
September 3, 2025
Emergency management in Indigenous communities carries a unique spirit, one not always captured in the structured blueprints of conventional emergency operation centers. Emergency managers should examine culturally appropriate emergency support and communication strategies to improve crisis response.
Wildfire PREsponse: Closing the Gap With Mitigation
Mark Howell
June 18, 2025
Mitigation is essential to managing wildfires. As fire seasons grow longer and more costly, responders should be PREsponders, and mitigation experts may participate in response. Coordinated efforts to prevent wildfires are a proven strategy to address the next fire season.
Physical and Mental Injuries in First Responders: Why Wait?
Pascal Rodier
May 14, 2025
First responders undergo intense physical training to ensure they are physically prepared for emergencies. Yet despite the high-stress nature of their work, mental fitness is not given the same priority. To truly support first responders, mental wellness must be fully integrated into recruit training programs and proactively addressed throughout their
FIRE Archives
Evolution of a Critical Emergency Response Tool
Jamie Hannan and Kristina Clark
January 8, 2025
During a derecho in May 2024, Texas agencies contacted and conducted wellness checks on residents with disabilities or with functional and access needs. One tool
Protecting Critical Infrastructure From Weaponized Drones
David Winks, Steve Chill, Frederick Ferrer, Michael J. "Apollo" Lovell, Mike Swearingen and Mary Lasky
December 4, 2024
Electricity substations are traditionally only protected by chain link fences and signage warning of the dangers of high voltage. However, this still leaves property vulnerable,
National Laboratory Partnerships: Linking Operations and Research
Ryan Eddy and Ann Lesperance
September 25, 2024
The September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 spurred a pivotal change in the way the U.S. approaches preparedness for threats to the homeland. In recognition
Responder Fatigue: A Growing Concern
Dan Scherr and Tanya M. Scherr
September 18, 2024
Emergencies require immediate action by people trained to extinguish fires, treat injuries, protect the public, and perform other life and safety tasks. Responders who repeatedly
AI and 911 Call Systems: A New Ally or a Hidden Risk?
Michael Breslin
September 11, 2024
From natural disasters to sophisticated cyberthreats, the risks to public safety are evolving fast. As unexpected events can strike at any moment, the systems designed
Security in and Around D.C.: Following the Informational Dots
Catherine L. Feinman
September 11, 2024
Preparing for any special event includes many unknowns. When an event involves national security, the stakes are even higher. Public safety agencies have been sharing
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FIRE
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What Volunteers Mean to Emergency Management Budgets
Keith Mumaw
September 17, 2025
Driven by a sense of humanity, volunteers are invaluable to emergency efforts. But they are essential to emergency management in
The United Cajun Navy: Advancing Disaster Response With Volunteerism and Industry Partnerships
Mitchel Reed
September 10, 2025
Formed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the United Cajun Navy unites boat owners and other volunteers to aid during floods,
Lessons From Indigenous Emergency Response in Canada
David Formentini
September 3, 2025
Emergency management in Indigenous communities carries a unique spirit, one not always captured in the structured blueprints of conventional emergency
Wildfire PREsponse: Closing the Gap With Mitigation
Mark Howell
June 18, 2025
Mitigation is essential to managing wildfires. As fire seasons grow longer and more costly, responders should be PREsponders, and mitigation
Fire Archives
Dual-World Tabletop Exercises: Addressing Unmet Infrastructure Needs
Charles (Chuck) L. Manto
August 21, 2024
The U.S. critical infrastructure is vulnerable to many forms of cyber and electromagnetic threats. This article presents a new tabletop exercise concept for addressing these
Volunteers: Incident Management Assets or Liabilities?
David Wells
July 31, 2024
Responses are often only effective if volunteers and their teams are properly trained, prepared, motivated, and deployed. One faith-based organization has refined these criteria over
The Key Bridge Collapse – Through the Lens of Community Lifelines
Michael Prasad
July 17, 2024
The eight major elements of Community Lifelines use traffic-light-type color-coding to categorize the adverse impact status of a disaster. The article’s author has applied this
Five Key Domains of Incident Management
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg
July 10, 2024
Effective incident management is a set of activities, not policy box-ticking of doctrine that may or may not be followed. A new free toolkit based
The Maui Wildfires, Relief Funds, and Incident Recovery
Douglas (Doug) Stockham
July 10, 2024
Financial preplanning goes beyond savings accounts and life insurance policies. When a disaster strikes, some people do not have these protections nor the financial means
Jane Doe – Responding to Vulnerable Patients
Catherine L. Feinman
June 26, 2024
Despite the prevalence of first responders encountering human trafficking victims, they are not always aware of the signs or proper handling of the situation to
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Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.