Most recently published
Emergency Planning for Special Events
Kay C. Goss
January 6, 2010
Special Events are exciting, enjoyable, and frequently historic – last year’s U.S. presidential inauguration is the prime example. For emergency managers, security personnel, and other behind-the-scene participants, though, they also are a massive responsibility fraught with hidden dangers, an unending workload, and – far too often – enjoyable only when
The Multi-Tracking Evolution for Emergency Preparedness: 2010 and Beyond
Andy Nunemaker
January 6, 2010
The increase in terrorist attacks in recent years – combined with the ability, and need, to deal both more promptly and more effectively with natural disasters – has led to a greater emphasis on new multi-tracking technologies that, EMSystems CEO Andy Nunemaker points out, give political leaders as well as
Impact of eLearning on Hospital Emergency Preparedness
Howard Levitin
January 6, 2010
Rapid advances in eLearning technology have led to rapid advances in the preparedness training available to Emergency Department personnel in hospitals throughout the country, according to DQE President Howard Levitin. However, he adds, that training should be very carefully planned not only to be compatible with the individual hospital’s incident
What Gets Measured, Gets Done – The Long and Winding Road of Preparedness Measurement
Timothy Beres
December 30, 2009
How does one measure preparedness, particularly in the field of homeland defense? Slowly, most of the time – and very carefully – is the correct answer. But there are other relevant questions that first must be answered. What is being measured, for example? And who, or what agency, is in
Protecting Citizens by Predicting Future Threats
Jennifer Smither
December 30, 2009
The threat is imminent, and can become a reality at almost any time. But no one knows about it except those who plan to carry out the threat. Chicago’s new District Intelligence Bulletin System (DIBS) is helping to even the odds by the extremely rapid dissemination, to law-enforcement agencies throughout
Degrees of Progress – Emergency Management: Today and Tomorrow
Kay C. Goss
December 23, 2009
Pandemics, wildfires, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, and an occasional tsunami – they are all in a day’s work (not all in the same day, though) for the highly professional emergency managers now assigned to a higher seat at the decision-makers’ table, and whose primary duty is teaching the nation not only
The Jeff Cooper Principles: Changes Needed in Personal Defensive Preparedness
Joseph W. Trindal
December 16, 2009
From time immemorial, and in every society on earth, those who enforce the law have themselves been targeted for death or injury by those who break the law. The attacks against U.S. police and other law-enforcement professionals have become both more frequent and more violent in recent years. Fortunately, there
Hospital Preparedness 2010: Are Additional Advances Possible?
Craig DeAtley
December 16, 2009
A greater focus on NIMS objectives seems likely, as well as some HICS modifications. But the possibility of maintaining recent-year funding levels is already very unlikely, and the final version of the healthcare-reform bill, if enacted, has yet to be determined.
First-Person Report – Forecast 2010: A New Model for Disaster Management
Mark Merritt
December 16, 2009
When the moisture level in Iowa climbed several inches, and then several feet, last year, the residents of the Hawkeye state knew they were in for a very wet summer. The still-ongoing recovery process from the 2008 drenching required several new approaches, a courageous decision by the governor, and some
2010: Will It Be ‘The Year of the IMT’?
Stephen Grainer
December 9, 2009
Eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks U.S. planners say that the nation is now “better” prepared than it was in 2001 – but not yet totally prepared. What they do not say is that total preparedness is a philosophical as well as financial impossibility. Continued improvements are the second
The Coast Guard Looks Ahead: A Closer Spirit of Cooperation With Local Agencies
Corey Ranslem
December 9, 2009
For many decades the U.S. Coast Guard was the nation’s “”forgotten service”” – except in time of war. In an era when international terrorism is the greatest threat to the U.S. homeland, though, the multi-mission service has moved front and center to a starring role. But it needs help from
Emergency Preparedness in Healthcare – 2010 & Beyond
Theodore Tully
December 9, 2009
Emergency planners, political and budget decision makers, and the general public are almost always more focused on preparing for last year’s hurricane than they are concerned about this year’s sudden earthquake, or tsunami, or – much more likely – long-predicted pandemic. Which is why common sense must sometimes take precedence.
New and Emerging Shelter Technology Provides Solutions for Responders
Ron Houle
January 13, 2010
In many emergency situations the most important and longest-enduring task is finding proper shelter for disaster victims and their families. Ron Houle, DHS Systems’ vice president of government relations, points out that the use of new high-tech fabrics and a focus on advanced technology is leading to the development of
Emergency Planning for Special Events
Kay C. Goss
January 6, 2010
Special Events are exciting, enjoyable, and frequently historic – last year’s U.S. presidential inauguration is the prime example. For emergency managers, security personnel, and other behind-the-scene participants, though, they also are a massive responsibility fraught with hidden dangers, an unending workload, and – far too often – enjoyable only when
The Multi-Tracking Evolution for Emergency Preparedness: 2010 and Beyond
Andy Nunemaker
January 6, 2010
The increase in terrorist attacks in recent years – combined with the ability, and need, to deal both more promptly and more effectively with natural disasters – has led to a greater emphasis on new multi-tracking technologies that, EMSystems CEO Andy Nunemaker points out, give political leaders as well as
Impact of eLearning on Hospital Emergency Preparedness
Howard Levitin
January 6, 2010
Rapid advances in eLearning technology have led to rapid advances in the preparedness training available to Emergency Department personnel in hospitals throughout the country, according to DQE President Howard Levitin. However, he adds, that training should be very carefully planned not only to be compatible with the individual hospital’s incident
What Gets Measured, Gets Done – The Long and Winding Road of Preparedness Measurement
Timothy Beres
December 30, 2009
How does one measure preparedness, particularly in the field of homeland defense? Slowly, most of the time – and very carefully – is the correct answer. But there are other relevant questions that first must be answered. What is being measured, for example? And who, or what agency, is in
Protecting Citizens by Predicting Future Threats
Jennifer Smither
December 30, 2009
The threat is imminent, and can become a reality at almost any time. But no one knows about it except those who plan to carry out the threat. Chicago’s new District Intelligence Bulletin System (DIBS) is helping to even the odds by the extremely rapid dissemination, to law-enforcement agencies throughout
Degrees of Progress – Emergency Management: Today and Tomorrow
Kay C. Goss
December 23, 2009
Pandemics, wildfires, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, and an occasional tsunami – they are all in a day’s work (not all in the same day, though) for the highly professional emergency managers now assigned to a higher seat at the decision-makers’ table, and whose primary duty is teaching the nation not only
The Jeff Cooper Principles: Changes Needed in Personal Defensive Preparedness
Joseph W. Trindal
December 16, 2009
From time immemorial, and in every society on earth, those who enforce the law have themselves been targeted for death or injury by those who break the law. The attacks against U.S. police and other law-enforcement professionals have become both more frequent and more violent in recent years. Fortunately, there
Hospital Preparedness 2010: Are Additional Advances Possible?
Craig DeAtley
December 16, 2009
A greater focus on NIMS objectives seems likely, as well as some HICS modifications. But the possibility of maintaining recent-year funding levels is already very unlikely, and the final version of the healthcare-reform bill, if enacted, has yet to be determined.
First-Person Report – Forecast 2010: A New Model for Disaster Management
Mark Merritt
December 16, 2009
When the moisture level in Iowa climbed several inches, and then several feet, last year, the residents of the Hawkeye state knew they were in for a very wet summer. The still-ongoing recovery process from the 2008 drenching required several new approaches, a courageous decision by the governor, and some
2010: Will It Be ‘The Year of the IMT’?
Stephen Grainer
December 9, 2009
Eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks U.S. planners say that the nation is now “better” prepared than it was in 2001 – but not yet totally prepared. What they do not say is that total preparedness is a philosophical as well as financial impossibility. Continued improvements are the second
The Coast Guard Looks Ahead: A Closer Spirit of Cooperation With Local Agencies
Corey Ranslem
December 9, 2009
For many decades the U.S. Coast Guard was the nation’s “”forgotten service”” – except in time of war. In an era when international terrorism is the greatest threat to the U.S. homeland, though, the multi-mission service has moved front and center to a starring role. But it needs help from
An Opportunity Beckons: Converging Disaster Recovery and Infrastructure Resilience
Dennis R. Schrader
December 2, 2009
Prevention – of terrorist attacks and/or other mass-casualty incidents – is and must be the first priority in homeland security. But when, not if, prevention fails, as it sometimes will, recovery and resilience move to center stage. The problem is that much has been accomplished in those areas, but much
Destination Decisions: Back to the Future, Again and Again
Joseph Cahill
December 2, 2009
Ambulance drivers, EMTs, and other responders may not yet be able to perform brain surgery or heart transplants at the accident scene – but that time might be not too far off, thanks to rapid and continuing advances in medical technology, ultrasound and data-retrieval systems, and other scientific breakthroughs.
DMORT Teams and Their Role in MFIs
Frank P. Saul
November 24, 2009
Recent-year increases in the number of mass-fatality incidents, combined with the increasingly bizarre nature of some of those incidents, have led to the formation of specially trained medico-legal teams to deal with the on-site aftermath. This is their story, which is more complicated, and sophisticated, than anything seen on national
Expanding the Definition of Public Health
Raphael M. Barishansky
November 24, 2009
The field of medicine has come a long, long way from the early 20th-century tradition of family doctors, homespun remedies, and much lower life expectancies. People are healthier today, and usually live longer lives, but the technology of terror also has grown exponentially, creating a need for a new public-health
Iran’s Long Reach Into the U.S. Homeland
Neil C. Livingstone
November 24, 2009
Despite U.S. moves to improve nation-to-nation relations with Iran, Tehran continues to support groups and organizations obviously unfriendly to the United States – the Alavi Foundation, for example. It is clear, moreover, that the anti-U.S. virus is spreading, with Somalia and other countries joining the international junta facing the free
Supply on Demand: The Strategic National Stockpile
Kate Rosenblatt
November 18, 2009
One of the most important, best managed, but only theoretically “secret” weapon in the U.S. defense arsenal is the Strategic National Stockpile (of medicines, pharmaceuticals, and other life-saving goods and materials needed to counter biological and/or chemical “incidents,” including terrorist attacks). Fortunately, this weapon is designed to save lives, not
Case Study: Influenza Preparedness in Marin County
Mary Lilley
November 18, 2009
Something like an earthquake – not as loud or as immediately terrifying, but longer lasting and immensely more lethal. That is more or less how the leaders of California’s Marin County viewed the approach of the H1N1 pandemic, and why they were so determined to take whatever measures were needed
Biopreparedness and the Hydra of Bioterrorism
Diana Hopkins
November 11, 2009
Science is wonderful! Except when it is not. One of the almost inevitable problems facing researchers in the biological sciences is how to ensure that their discoveries are used to benefit mankind. Unfortunately, achieving that enviable goal may be a true Mission Impossible.
Mortuary Services & The Lessons Learned From Real-Life Tragedy
Jennifer Smither
November 11, 2009
First responders do their utmost to save the lives of those seriously injured in mass-casualty incidents. Medical examiners and local volunteers have what is sometimes a more difficult job: identifying the bodies, “processing” the remains, and notifying the victims’ families.
New and Emerging Al Qaeda Threats
Neil C. Livingstone
November 11, 2009
The term “global war on terrorism” is now politically incorrect, in at least some circles. There is mounting evidence, though, that some terrorists do not agree and are already planning new attacks against domestic targets on the U.S. homeland.
Ham Radio – An Emergency Tool for Public Health
Barry Kanne
November 4, 2009
Many citizens served their communities heroically in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and some of their stories are well known – but most of them remain untold. One of the still relatively unknown heroes is a legally blind New Orleans jazz musician, who also happens to be an amateur radio
Field-Based Patient Tracking: Real-Time Data Sharing Comes of Age
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
November 4, 2009
The old saying that the job “”isn’t done until the paperwork has been completed”” is particularly true if the “paperwork” data – vital signs, indications of internal bleeding, etc., collected at the scene of a car accident or other incident – is somehow lost before, during or after the patient’s
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