COMMENTARY ARCHIVES
NIMS Training Plans: An Effort Without End
Stephen Grainer
June 16, 2008
From George Washingtonās days to the present, U.S. leaders have adhered to the credo that āEternal Vigilanceā is āthe price of freedom.ā Today, those wise words of warning are applicable, with only a slight modification, to the efforts of federal, state, and local officials seeking to meet National Incident Management
Three to Get Ready
James D. Hessman
May 21, 2008
The could-have/should-have (but did not) scenarios of the past serve as abundant reminders that the cost of national preparedness is only a fraction of the much higher cost that must always be paid for not being prepared.
Debris Recycling – Transforming Disasters Into Opportunities
Kirby McCrary
April 16, 2008
After the storm comes the rainbow. Supposedly. After a disaster comes the debris – and the problem of what to do with it. Surprisingly, perhaps, there are some profitable solutions that should be considered.
The Creation of a Home Guard for Domestic Preparedness
Lawrence J. Korb and Ian Moss
April 2, 2008
At a time when defense of the U.S. homeland is a major concern, the National Guard is playing a much-increased role in U.S. operations overseas. The best way to fill the capabilities gap is to establish a non-deployable Home Guard under the Department.
The Gateway Key to Synergistic Communications
Stephan Macke
March 26, 2008
Thanks to mutual-aid compacts between neighboring political jurisdictions, first-responder cooperation at mass-casualty incidents is often a multi-agency effort. But before the agencies can work together they must first be able to speak the same language.
PPE: Defining the Terms, Resolving the Ambiguities
Dennis Jones
March 12, 2008
Fundamentally, the personal protective equipment (PPE) required to protect two workers ā one responding to a hazmat (hazardous materials) incident and one providing care to an infectious disease patient ā differ considerably from one to another, but most Americans, including those working in the emergency-response and medical communities, commonly refer
Thomas J. Lockwood, Senior Advisor, DHS Office of Screening Coordination
John F. Morton and Thomas J. Lockwood
January 30, 2008
How does the department manage, and reconcile, the complex and politically difficult task of identification security with privacy needs, site-access requirements, and the National Incident Management System process?
Moulage Casts Reality With Mock Injuries
Shannon Arledge
January 16, 2008
An ancient & honorable Renaissance word is put to good use at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness, where moulage artists replicate broken arms, cuts, bruises, & other injuries to make first-responder training more realistic and more effective.
Election-Year Realities, and the Promise of Change
James D. Hessman
January 9, 2008
One primary election and one caucus down, and only 48 states to go. The quadrennial U.S. presidential election process, front-loaded this year as never before, is well underway. By the time the candidates of the two major parties (with one or more viable third-party candidates a real possibility) have been
Spores: The Threat of a Catastrophic Attack on America
Neil C. Livingstone
November 28, 2007
The first anthrax terrorist attack on the United States was relatively minor. Now a second attack, exponentially more lethal, is almost certain. When, not if, it happens, the decision makers in Congress & the White House will have only themselves to blame
The Mid-Atlantic All-Hazards Forum – Hugely Successful
James D. Hessman
November 21, 2007
Those who attended the regional conference in Baltimore earlier this month found it eminently worthwhile and developed a long list of solutions to current problems – and an even longer list of new dangers and difficulties lurking just over the horizon.
Damage and Debris – The Difficult Decisions Involved
Kirby McCrary
November 14, 2007
When an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane causes horrendous property damage, the “cleanup crew” (a veritable army of debris-removal workers) faces a number of major challenges, not the least of which is documenting the amount of work done.
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