Underground, Under Water, and Under Heavy Pressure Thousands of lives will be at stake if the New York/New Jersey plan to evacuate the victims of an explosion on a trans-Hudson passenger rail train fails in any of several important particulars. read
CPG 101: All Hazards and All Phases FEMA's new Comprehensive Preparedness Guide, scheduled to be released later this year, will be an instant best seller - thanks in large part to a distinguished heritage that started more than forty years ago. read
Multipurpose Buildings: A Towering Challenge for Security Planners From parking lots to elevators & escalators to penthouse apartments - every room and every floor in the office and residential buildings now being designed represents a different type of danger. Here is a handy list of some of the more avoidable ones. read
Parking Security: A Lot to Think About An underground garage open to the general public and poorly lighted is an open invitation to a robber, a rapist, or a murderer. Also to a terrorist whose life's ambition is to kill as many Americans as possible, even at the cost of his own life. read
Georgia and California Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will use non-intrusive millimeter-wave technology to scan future aircraft passengers. Five million Californians register for "diving" exercise in Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. read
Maryland and Texas Budding controversy over potential misuse of new federal biodefense center dedicated at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. Texas lawmakers seek parity with Louisiana in the federal assistance provided after Hurricane Ike. read
NIMS Preparedness and Resource Management The rules and regulations related to implementation of the National Incident Management System are many and varied. They also are constantly changing - but almost always for the better. read
IEDs and the First Responder Despite numerous improvements in homeland security since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, few if any U.S. communities are prepared to cope with what may be the most challenging threat of all: the use of IEDs to create large-scale havoc in a low-cost way. read
International Standards for National Defense & Homeland Security There are many reasons - e.g., future sales, & an infusion of outside expertise - for including international partners in the setting of standards. There are also legal & security factors to consider, particularly in the fields of weapons & technology. read
Standards for Sharing Intelligence and Information It has taken years to remedy the intelligence-sharing deficiencies reported by the 9-11 Commission, but Congress and the President have worked hard to overcome the ignorance and apathy that once were the norm but are now the exception. read
China Today: Spectacular, Mesmerizing, Prosperous - But An AUSA (Association of the U.S. Army) report takes a close look at the "New China" and sees not only unprecedented prosperity and a less hostile foreign policy but also a fierce nationalism and some still-simmering anti-U.S. political policies. read
'Zero Hour': A Serious Game for Emergency Responders George Washington University plans to convene two "policy summits" focused on the preparedness needs of large cities. One highlight of the meetings will be a bloodily realistic videogame showing how first responders can help turn victims into patients. read
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Stadium and Venue Security Crowd control is today both a challenge and a necessity, as demonstrated by the Beijing Olympics and this summer's political conventions. The controls used, though, are often resented, and frequently expensive - but not as costly as a terrorist attack. read
When Disaster Strikes: Gaining Peace of Mind Members of the armed services, policemen, and other first responders accept the fact that when duty calls they may have to put their own lives on the line. But acceptance is much more difficult when the lives of family members also are being risked. read
Higher Fuel Costs, Less Public Safety Napoleon said that an Army travels on its stomach. Today, policemen and other first responders use more modern means of transportation - but if a police car runs out of gas it stops immediately, and the impact is felt throughout the entire community. read
An Open Letter to the President-Elect President-Elect Obama has promised that "change" will be the hallmark of his administration. Here are a few major changes that, it is respectfully suggested, he might consider in the fields of national defense and homeland security. read
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