VOLUNTEERISM
National Preparedness Month 2024: Talk About It
Each September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) promotes National Preparedness Month, a campaign to educate and empower individuals and communities to prepare for emergencies. In 2024, FEMA emphasizes the importance of disaster readiness with the theme “Start a Conversation.” These campaigns are for everyone in any community, but the campaign chooses a specific focus group to highlight each year. In 2021, it was the Latino community; in 2022, it was the Black and African…
Most Recent
Vulnerability and Exploitation – Human Trafficking After Natural Disasters
Benjamin Thomas Greer and Nathan DiPillo
August 28, 2024
Disasters inherently come with known and unknown threats. One looming emerging threat is human trafficking because traffickers capitalize on the vulnerability these events create to exploit victims. However, when properly trained, emergency management and disaster responders are uniquely positioned to identify, prevent, and mitigate exploitation before and after an emergency.
Realizing the Power of Community in Disaster Recovery
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg
August 21, 2024
No two communities are the same. Each community has unique vulnerabilities, capacities, and needs, and each has its own leaders, areas of cooperation, and areas of disagreement. Understanding these factors and building on the community’s strengths are critical steps in disaster recovery.
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 its 57 years of responding to major disasters in the U.S. and abroad. Learn about their best practices for driving the mission, boosting the response
Mitigating Disasters Through Collective Resilience
Andrew (Andy) Altizer and Barrett Cappetto
July 24, 2024
Existing social bonds can help communities better adapt to, respond to, and collectively cope with crises. Although the collective resilience concept is not a typical emergency preparedness strategy or organizational structure, it could help lessen the effects after an emergency. With creative thinking and research, executive leadership can develop realistic
VOLUNTEERISM Archives
Bridging Preparedness: State Medication Reserves for Pandemics and Beyond
Angie Im
August 14, 2024
New human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been confirmed in the United States. Although most cases like this do not escalate to pandemic
Lessons in Social Media – Preparing Kids and Community Leaders for Disasters
Patricia Frost and Michael Prasad
August 7, 2024
Addressing children’s needs during a crisis can be challenging. Leveraging social media to create crisis communication campaigns can be an effective way to boost community
A Homeland Vulnerability Continues
Robert C. Hutchinson
August 7, 2024
The U visa process offers help to immigrants who are victims of certain violent crimes. However, loopholes or weaknesses in the process could provide a
What Level of Ugly Are Communities Prepared For?
Joseph J. Leonard Jr.
July 31, 2024
The July 2024 attempted assassination of Former President Donald Trump raised questions about event security, the roles that agencies play, and the planning and execution
Drones – A Life-Saving Time-Saver
Kevin Jones
July 24, 2024
As drone technology continues to evolve, it is important for law enforcement and other first responder agencies to understand the range of possible applications and
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
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Volunteerism
National Preparedness Month 2024: Talk About It
Each September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) promotes National Preparedness Month, a campaign to educate and empower individuals and communities to prepare for emergencies. In 2024, FEMA emphasizes the importance of disaster readiness with the theme “Start a Conversation.” These campaigns are for everyone in any community, but the campaign chooses a specific focus group to highlight each year. In 2021, it was the Latino community; in 2022, it was the Black and African…
Most Recent
Amateurs of Action – The Women of Radio
Desiree Baccus
March 6, 2024
Volunteers are transforming emergency preparedness with an inclusive, diverse movement of impactful community engagement. Explore the inspiring stories of some
Unleashing Community Resilience Through Collaborative Leadership
Michael Valiente
January 31, 2024
Elected officials and emergency response personnel form the nucleus of community leadership, a driving force for collaborative relationships with local
Weathering the Unknown: Inside Grant County Emergency Management
Tara Leigh Goode
January 24, 2024
When threatening weather approaches, communities must make tough decisions. Grant County, Minnesota, is building on its lessons learned to better
National Preparedness Efforts Among Tribal Communities
Lynda Zambrano and Catherine L. Feinman
October 9, 2023
Participants at the National Tribal Emergency Management Council’s annual conference in August shared some key takeaways for tribal and nontribal
Volunteerism Archives
Deploying With Adult Non-Prescription Medication Kits
Richard (Kirk) Higgins
August 16, 2023
The availability of non-prescription medications may mean the difference between a successful deployment and needing to return home ahead of schedule. As such, first responders
Community Preparedness for the Socially & Civically Isolated
George Schwartz
August 9, 2023
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of American adults reported feeling lonely. A lack of engagement can have serious health effects for socially isolated
Incident Management – The Whataburger Way
Ron Derrick
July 19, 2023
The Whataburger Command Center team uses a hybrid form of the Incident Command System when an unexpected event threatens the company’s stability, reputation, or operations.
Unleashing the Power of Amateur Radio in Times of Emergency
Scott Roberts and Desiree Baccus
June 21, 2023
Amateur radio operators are skilled communicators who serve as a lifeline during emergencies by relaying essential information, coordinating resources, and providing situational updates. On June
Service Animal Awareness in Disaster Response
Melissa Resnick
June 7, 2023
Although they are companions to their human partners, service animals are not pets. Instead, they are trained to perform specific daily tasks, which are
Preparing the Next Generation for Increasing Disasters
Kay C. Goss
April 5, 2023
Preparing the next generation of emergency preparedness and response professionals requires educational programs that teach critical thinking and life-saving strategies. Many programs and resources address
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