For decades, governments have conducted emergency preparedness exercises as a method to evaluate
the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and manmade disasters. There is no
doubt the tens of thousands of exercises conducted across the nation have improved the nationās
preparedness but, in order to tackle new and emerging threats, more must be done.
Throughout National Preparedness Month many communitiesā preparedness plans have been tested.
Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and drought are just some of the threats faced this month.
Although preparedness is highlighted during the month of September, recent events reinforce the need for
preparedness to be a year-round effort ā especially during months when daily operations are not being
overshadowed by catastrophe, and agencies and organizations are not being tested in full public view.
The concept of the Rescue Task Force (RTF) came from the Arlington County (Virginia) Fire
Department. Looking at active shooter events around the country, these fire department leaders created a
model that enables emergency medical services (EMS) to provide emergency medical intervention faster and
within the Incident Command System (ICS) construct.
In an atmosphere of limited resources, critical infrastructure (CI) protection can be difficult to prioritize with crime-fighting and disaster response. Understanding real-world lessons learned from local agencies is one way to make progress. Leveraging the urgency demanded by special events can be a particularly productive path forward. This article offers suggestions from practitioners to develop CI protection programs through special events management, at varying levels of capability and scale.
In fall 2013, the Littleton Public Schools District (Colorado), with great support from the
community, passed an $80 million bond election for capital improvements within the school district.
Immediately following the bond election, the Littleton Public Schools Security Department personnel
began planning to implement their portion of the bond funds, which was about $7.5 million. Its security
teamās journey toward security technology and infrastructure is a good example for other school systems
Recent studies have shown that pets have the ability to relieve stress, provide purpose, and give unconditional love and support to those who need them. This profound connection is referred to as the āhuman-animal bond.ā During an emergency or disaster, this bond is exhibited with the great lengths people go to both remain with and save their pets, including putting themselves and others at risk. A new tool addresses this gap.
A chemical spill, nuclear attack, biological agent, pandemic, hurricane, and numerous other threats and hazards have the potential to kill enough people to overwhelm any particular jurisdiction. Whether that number is 10 or 10,000 or more, the āunthinkableā can happen anywhere. On 16 June 2017, DomPrep hosted a panel discussion on this topic at the International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The key takeaways from that session are summarized here.
Hurricane Harvey has caused widespread destruction, and its aftermath continues to pose a
significant threat to life and safety. In this and other large-scale incidents, the exact number of
people affected is hard to determine because of the complex physical and social networks that exist
within and between jurisdictional boundaries. Knowing how to manage the lives lost and the lives
affected is a challenge. However, when preparing for a catastrophic event, it is important to remember
that even one lost life can have devastating effects on a community.
When faced with a health crisis such as a pandemic, the primary objective is ensuring the health and well being of the public and finding the fastest and easiest method to limit the spread of disease and take care of those who are sick. Cyberthreats can hinder public health efforts if mitigation steps are not taken and partners are not engaged before a pandemic or other public health crisis occurs.
Effective trainings are ones where the participants remember and later implement what they learned
into their daily operations. Not everyone knows how they would respond in a true emergency. However,
some trainings provide a more realistic glimpse into disaster scenarios than others. This first-hand
account describes what it was like for one participant inside a hospital training facility.
For decades, governments have conducted emergency preparedness exercises as a method to evaluate
the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and manmade disasters. There is no
doubt the tens of thousands of exercises conducted across the nation have improved the nationās
preparedness but, in order to tackle new and emerging threats, more must be done. 
Throughout National Preparedness Month many communitiesā preparedness plans have been tested.
Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and drought are just some of the threats faced this month.
Although preparedness is highlighted during the month of September, recent events reinforce the need for
preparedness to be a year-round effort ā especially during months when daily operations are not being
overshadowed by catastrophe, and agencies and organizations are not being tested in full public view. 
The concept of the Rescue Task Force (RTF) came from the Arlington County (Virginia) Fire
Department. Looking at active shooter events around the country, these fire department leaders created a
model that enables emergency medical services (EMS) to provide emergency medical intervention faster and
within the Incident Command System (ICS) construct. 
In fall 2013, the Littleton Public Schools District (Colorado), with great support from the
community, passed an $80 million bond election for capital improvements within the school district.
Immediately following the bond election, the Littleton Public Schools Security Department personnel
began planning to implement their portion of the bond funds, which was about $7.5 million. Its security
teamās journey toward security technology and infrastructure is a good example for other school systems 
Recent studies have shown that pets have the ability to relieve stress, provide purpose, and give unconditional love and support to those who need them. This profound connection is referred to as the āhuman-animal bond.ā During an emergency or disaster, this bond is exhibited with the great lengths people go to both remain with and save their pets, including putting themselves and others at risk. A new tool addresses this gap. 
A chemical spill, nuclear attack, biological agent, pandemic, hurricane, and numerous other threats and hazards have the potential to kill enough people to overwhelm any particular jurisdiction. Whether that number is 10 or 10,000 or more, the āunthinkableā can happen anywhere. On 16 June 2017, DomPrep hosted a panel discussion on this topic at the International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The key takeaways from that session are summarized here. 
Effective trainings are ones where the participants remember and later implement what they learned
into their daily operations. Not everyone knows how they would respond in a true emergency. However,
some trainings provide a more realistic glimpse into disaster scenarios than others. This first-hand
account describes what it was like for one participant inside a hospital training facility. 