Volunteerism Archives

Military Combat Skills for Civilian Disaster Response

Lisa Nenno and Timothy Miller September 28, 2022

During their service, military personnel acquire a broad range of lifesaving skills that are critical when on the frontline during wartime. Effective medical triage is one of the skills needed during combat and any major disaster or catastrophic event. When preparing and training for all hazards, the learned experience from

Resources Not to Be Overlooked

Catherine L. Feinman September 28, 2022

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.

Building Resource Capacity – Start Now

Andrew (Andy) Altizer and Timothy S. Murphy September 21, 2022

Building resource capacity involves research, planning, and execution that should begin now. Identifying potential dangers, considering “what if” scenarios, capitalizing on other events and incidents, and overcoming barriers are key components for building resilient communities. This article explains how to get started.

Credentialing a Nation’s Volunteer Responder Network

Patty Ridings September 7, 2022

Catastrophic earthquakes and a desire for residents to help their neighbors inspired the creation of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). Since its creation in 1986, CERT has become a nationwide program that continues to evolve. This article describes how a new digital solution is closing the credentialing gap between citizen

Wanted: Mental Health Support for Disaster Trauma

Mary McNaughton-Cassill, Mary Schoenfeldt and Ruth Baugher Palmer August 3, 2022

Disaster response organizations have become increasingly adept at meeting the basic needs of survivors, including shelter, food, water, and medical treatment. However, traumatic disaster-related experiences – including threats to life, exposure to death and injury, and the destruction of homes and communities – also take a psychological toll on survivors. Common responses to

Working Together: Partnership, Training, Funding & Tolerance

Catherine L. Feinman June 22, 2022

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,

Protecting Life and Safety – A Job for Everyone

Catherine L. Feinman May 25, 2022

Firefighters, emergency medical services, law enforcement officers, and emergency managers can create force multipliers through the education and training of other community stakeholders. This May edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal provides valuable information for emergency response organizations to consider when fortifying their efforts and engaging other community stakeholders.

Bipartisan Commission Says Nation Unprepared for Biological Events

Asha M. George and John T. O'Brien March 9, 2022

On 17 February 2022, Dr. Asha M. George, executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at a hearing on addressing the gaps in the nation’s biodefense and level of preparedness to respond to biological threats. In

Predictable Surge: A Pilot in Providence

Sara Kelly January 26, 2022

Collaboration between public entities and private companies is essential to prepare for disasters. However, current partnerships can be formal and cumbersome to the point of detriment, or impromptu and do little to achieve their goals. This unmet need to find appropriate partnership mechanisms could be addressed by the Harvard National

The First Open-Source Equitable Decision Intelligence Model

Eric Kant, Joel Thomas, Chauncia Willis, Sarah K. Miller, Nissim Titan, Tzofit Chen, Brian Kruzan, Camila Tapias and Alexa Squirini January 5, 2022

When incidents are catastrophic and/or happen in compromised environments, complexity can increase rapidly and dramatically, compromising response objectives and resulting in catastrophic failure. The cost of these failures is measured in destruction and human lives, making even minimal reductions in capabilities untenable. A rapidly changing environment requires that the modern emergency manager is capable

Transportation Security in a Holistic Homeland Security Enterprise

Daniel Rector December 22, 2021

Transportation security is the act of ensuring the protection and continued functioning of mobility systems for both people and commerce. It includes air, maritime, and all forms of surface transport. Transportation security is an enormous undertaking involving all government levels, the private sector, volunteer organizations, and the public. These organizations

Resilience After 2021: Unfinished Business & Future Agenda

Robert McCreight December 1, 2021

In 2021, many questions have been raised about resilience. Is more known about resilience and have more leverage tools been retained to establish resilience at will than a decade ago? What ideas and notions were expected 10 years ago in energizing resilience tasks, activities, and operations? Has the leverage needed

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