VOLUNTEERISM ARCHIVES

Preparing the Next Generation for Increasing Disasters

When examining the national, state, tribal, and local efforts to prepare children for disasters and to educate them on emergency management as a profession, emergency planners often look to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), other federal agencies, states, tribes, and local governments. However, many businesses, nonprofits, and other entities

Challenging the Next Generation to Communicate Preparedness

Communicating preparedness messaging is simple. According to sociology professor Benigno Aguirre, messages should be clear, understandable, accurate, credible, and specific. Messages should also be universal, timely, self-validating, and available everywhere. If the entire population received all information the same way, this would indeed be simple. However, public information officers know

A National Plan to Link Response and Recovery

Federal government-wide disaster planning dates to the Cold War-era Federal Response Plan (FRP) and similar documents that described how the United States would respond to nuclear war and severe disasters. This singular plan was maintained and updated after the Cold War ended. However, following the attacks of September 11, 2001,

Leader of the Pack – Canine Detection

Technology such as drones, robots, listening and visual devices, etc., have successfully been used for search and rescue operations in numerous disaster responses. Yet, in many ways, a tool used for centuries continues to be as valuable, if not more effective, in finding and rescuing lost and trapped persons, recovering

Crisis Standards of Care – A Mental Health Perspective

Crisis standards of care and sufficiency of care are topics of great controversy and debate in professional circles. The reasons may be obvious to most. Traditionally, health care responders are trained and held to the standard of care of their profession when rendering aid. Nothing less is acceptable. The public

The Pony Express Rides Again

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers and facilities, local jurisdictions, and state agencies struggled to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, gowns, and hand sanitizers, for their patients and staff. Supplies of these items were extremely low and getting them shipped proved

Find Chances to Make Positive Changes

Emergency preparedness and response professionals willingly insert themselves into many emergencies and disasters that they could have avoided in other professions. However, they use these opportunities to make positive changes and build resiliency within their communities.

Avoiding the Complacency Trap After This Hurricane Season

Despite punishing hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Florida, the 2022 season has been relatively quiet for much of the Gulf coast and Atlantic seaboard. This article describes the resources that help communities mitigate risk now before the next hurricane season.

Resources Not to Be Overlooked

The term “whole community” is frequently used in preparedness materials and discussions. In practice, though, how often is the whole community represented and all community resources considered? Here are some key resources that should not be overlooked.

Credentialing a Nation’s Volunteer Responder Network

On an August night in 2005, a concerned neighbor woke political science teacher and author Daniel Aldrich and warned him to flee with his wife and children as Hurricane Katrina approached. Aldrich, who attributes his family’s survival to his New Orleans neighbor, was profoundly impacted by this experience. He began

Working Together: Partnership, Training, Funding & Tolerance

When community stakeholders work together to prepare for emergencies and disasters, they will be better prepared and have more resources to face whatever threats, risks, and hazards are in their future. Four key aspects to consider when building community resilience are addressed in this June edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal: public-private partnerships,

Public Safety Grant Programs Changes – A 10-Year Review

Article Out Loud Change is inevitable. As society continues to progress in the “digital age,” so has applying for various federal grant programs. It is becoming almost impossible to apply to these programs via a paper application, as in the past. To remain competitive when applying for these grants, it

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