EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ARCHIVES
Gauging The Threat of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack
Scott Stewart and Nathan Hughes
September 15, 2010
Among the various threats to the safety and security of a nation, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack should not be overlooked. The potential threat of an EMP attack has been recognized since the early 1960s, but the growing debate surrounding this possibility parallels modern civilizations’ growing dependency on electronics and
The EMS Role on FAST Teams & HazMat Assignments
Joseph Cahill
September 1, 2010
The risks may be theoretically “controlled” but they are still risks – and controls don’t always work. Which is the reasoning behind the “two-in/two out” rule, the need for an EMS specialist on scene, and the ethical imperative guiding the decisions of political leaders and emergency managers.
TOPOFF 4 & Looking Glass RDD Lessons Learned
Brandy Jones
September 1, 2010
There are still many important lessons to be learned from the massive “Looking Glass” tabletop exercise carried out almost three years ago just a dirty-bomb’s throw from downtown New York City. Here is a quick and easy primer on some of the most important of those lessons.
‘IT Security for Knuckleheads’: Ten Basic Steps
Allan Carey
August 25, 2010
The still misunderstood, and sometimes even frightening, term “Cyber Security” has entered the common vocabulary in force in recent years. It is generally agreed that the lack of cyber security is dangerous, and potentially catastrophic. But there are a number of common-sense guidelines to follow to protect an organization’s, or
Review of Medical Countermeasures and a New Federal Approach
Martin D. Masiuk
August 25, 2010
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announces the allocation of $1.9 billion for new U.S. medical countermeasure capabilities – plus five “breakthrough” initiatives to get the ship underway and on a course both straight and true.
Public Safety Agencies Fight to Protect Privacy via Cyber Security
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
August 18, 2010
The numerous technological advances in security systems in recent years have created new opportunities for growth, for improved operational capabilities, and for both legal and moral complications. Question: What is the dividing line between improved security and personal privacy – or is there one?
Decision-Making in Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) Response
Christopher Wrenn
August 18, 2010
This is the first of a four-part series on Chemical Detection and Decontamination for Multiple Applications. In response to releases of CWA, there may not be one technology or one “answer” that is correct. The responder must take into account all of the clues to determine the presence or absence
Update on Private Sector Preparedness (PS-Prep) Standards
Diana Hopkins
August 11, 2010
The 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks against the WTC Towers & the Pentagon theoretically “galvanized the nation” – but it still took roughly three years before the 9/11 Commission recommended the development and promulgation of “private-sector preparedness standards.” Another six years have passed, and three of those standards are ready
Lessons Learned from EOCs & Their IT Support
Sophia Paros
August 11, 2010
The 2009 inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American commander in chief, was the biggest – and, of course, best publicized – national “special event” on the long and growing list of emergency-management best-case/worst-case scenarios. Fortunately, most of the lessons learned two years ago involved relatively minor
Monitoring the Monitor: Additional Breakthroughs Predicted
Joseph Cahill
August 4, 2010
More and better clot busters, instant timelines, smarter (maybe even genius level) cellular technology, and open-source software. All are part of the still ongoing revolution in medical monitoring devices that started with the EKG and defibrillator and has already saved untold thousands of lives in almost every country in the
FINAL REPORT: Evacuation Planning
John Contestabile and John F. Morton
July 31, 2010
The DP40 and DomPrep readers assess their opinions on the nationwide progress of evacuation planning. All levels of response, and responsibility, the federal, state, and local jurisdictions of government are required to develop effective evacuation plans and to have those plans in place before, not after, disaster strikes.
Evacuation in the United Kingdom: Reshaping Policy
Andy Oppenheimer
July 28, 2010
The “9/11” attacks on the World Trade Center Towers in New York City differed in several respects from the “7/7” bombings of the London transit system. But both of these mass-casualty disasters led to the belated public recognition of terrorism as a clear and present danger – and, from there,
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