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Field-Based Patient Tracking: Real-Time Data Sharing Comes of Age

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
Read More »

Mass-Casualty/Medical-Surge Capabilities: Closing the Gap

The U.S. government, and most major American cities, have worked diligently, and with considerable success, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks to upgrade their homeland-defense capabilities. But “better” is not the same as “enough” – and probably never will be.
Read More »

Expanded Duty for EMS Techs: Tactical Decisions

Most medium-sized or larger U.S. communities are now better prepared than ever before to cope with “routine” incidents such as car crashes and motorcycle accidents. But a much smaller number is able to deal with truly major incidents that stress not only the rescue equipment available but also the skills
Read More »

Expanded-Duty EMS: Heavy Rescue

Most medium-sized or larger U.S. communities are now better prepared than ever before to cope with “routine” incidents such as car crashes and motorcycle accidents. But a much smaller number is able to deal with truly major incidents that stress not only the rescue equipment available but also the skills
Read More »

Communicating With the Public During a Pandemic Influenza

The United States is home to probably the most ethnically diverse population in the world. That is a blessing in many ways – but it poses major difficulties for emergency-management officials and other leaders in times of crisis, when the responsibility of warning the public becomes a polyglot challenge.
Read More »

Telemedicine: Funding Increases & Rapid-Paced Development

It started with extremely low-tech audio communications, and in recent years telemedicine technology has spawned a spectrum of much more advanced systems and devices that are of literally life-or-death importance to many citizens in distress. But the paperwork – specifically including development and performance standards – has not kept up.
Read More »

HLS & EM: Blueprinting the Future

Today’s homeland-security and emergency-management professionals are highly skilled and exceptionally well motivated. Their second most important goal, though – after keeping the nation safe – is to ensure that their second- and third-generation successors are even more competent and capable than the first-generation leaders now setting the pace.
Read More »

SAMU & EMS: The Principle Differences

The goal is the same – doing the most good for the most patients. But there are several significant, and perhaps educational, differences between the way that French medical-response units are trained and operate as compared with their American counterparts.
Read More »

NIMS & ICS: The Next Level

  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resumed the “next” series of its NIMS (National Incident Management System) Incident Command System (ICS) training in August with the delivery of eight ICS position-specific Train-the-Trainer (T-t-T) programs in College Station, Texas, where the Texas Forest Service (TFS) is headquartered – on the
Read More »

Organophosphates: A Clearly Present Danger

Properly used, chemicals can benefit mankind in many ways. Improperly used – by terrorists, for example – they can be more of a curse than a blessing, and as weapons of mass destruction could be even more dangerous, over a longer period of time, than a nuclear missile.
Read More »

Understanding Public Health Mutual Aid

Friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors – it’s Biblical, it’s common sense, and it’s the right thing to do. But it’s also much more complicated in today’s world, when mass-casualty incidents can cause so much damage that very few communities can recover without outside help.
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Ham Radio – An Emergency Tool for Public Health

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
Read More »

Field-Based Patient Tracking: Real-Time Data Sharing Comes of Age

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
Read More »

Mass-Casualty/Medical-Surge Capabilities: Closing the Gap

The U.S. government, and most major American cities, have worked diligently, and with considerable success, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks to upgrade their homeland-defense capabilities. But “better” is not the same as “enough” – and probably never will be.
Read More »

Expanded Duty for EMS Techs: Tactical Decisions

Most medium-sized or larger U.S. communities are now better prepared than ever before to cope with “routine” incidents such as car crashes and motorcycle accidents. But a much smaller number is able to deal with truly major incidents that stress not only the rescue equipment available but also the skills
Read More »

Expanded-Duty EMS: Heavy Rescue

Most medium-sized or larger U.S. communities are now better prepared than ever before to cope with “routine” incidents such as car crashes and motorcycle accidents. But a much smaller number is able to deal with truly major incidents that stress not only the rescue equipment available but also the skills
Read More »

Communicating With the Public During a Pandemic Influenza

The United States is home to probably the most ethnically diverse population in the world. That is a blessing in many ways – but it poses major difficulties for emergency-management officials and other leaders in times of crisis, when the responsibility of warning the public becomes a polyglot challenge.
Read More »

Telemedicine: Funding Increases & Rapid-Paced Development

It started with extremely low-tech audio communications, and in recent years telemedicine technology has spawned a spectrum of much more advanced systems and devices that are of literally life-or-death importance to many citizens in distress. But the paperwork – specifically including development and performance standards – has not kept up.
Read More »

HLS & EM: Blueprinting the Future

Today’s homeland-security and emergency-management professionals are highly skilled and exceptionally well motivated. Their second most important goal, though – after keeping the nation safe – is to ensure that their second- and third-generation successors are even more competent and capable than the first-generation leaders now setting the pace.
Read More »

SAMU & EMS: The Principle Differences

The goal is the same – doing the most good for the most patients. But there are several significant, and perhaps educational, differences between the way that French medical-response units are trained and operate as compared with their American counterparts.
Read More »

NIMS & ICS: The Next Level

  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resumed the “next” series of its NIMS (National Incident Management System) Incident Command System (ICS) training in August with the delivery of eight ICS position-specific Train-the-Trainer (T-t-T) programs in College Station, Texas, where the Texas Forest Service (TFS) is headquartered – on the
Read More »

Organophosphates: A Clearly Present Danger

Properly used, chemicals can benefit mankind in many ways. Improperly used – by terrorists, for example – they can be more of a curse than a blessing, and as weapons of mass destruction could be even more dangerous, over a longer period of time, than a nuclear missile.
Read More »

Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Ten

The ambitious, entertaining, and stunningly innovative series ends with the volunteers’ “Exodus” – “Escape” would be an equally accurate description – to a new and seemingly better world 150 miles or so south, a bit further inland, and apparently blessed with a greater abundance of the resources needed for human
Read More »

Agricultural Incidents and Effective Multi-Agency Coordination

An attack on U.S. cities could topple skyscrapers, destroy seaports, and block highways, tunnels, and bridges. Those are all local effects. An attack on the nation’s food supply could sicken the entire nation, so coordinating a response and recovery operation require a different approach.
Read More »

Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Nine

The Colonists fight, then reunite, but recognize that their chances of long-term survival diminish almost visibly with each passing week. They have done well – exceptionally well, under the circumstances – but know that a brighter tomorrow is many miles away. Can they make it?
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Public Health, EMS, Emergency Management: Partners in Preparedness

The brave new world of the 21st century has added weapons of mass destruction to the already long list of dangers facing individual citizens, political jurisdictions & humanity in general. The new keys to survival are not good weather and good luck, but cooperation and collaboration at all levels of
Read More »

Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Eight

The survivors gain an additional member, and encounter not one but several additional problems. Tempers flare, supplies dwindle – but human genius provides a spark of mobile optimism. What are the lessons learned that future generations can use to develop and implement their own survival plans?
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Team Typing & Other Innovations: The California Way

Mutual aid – between emergency responder agencies, and between cities, counties, and other political jurisdictions – is a noble goal, and worth striving for. But all the good will in the world is meaningless if equipment compatibilities are lacking, there are no uniform training rules, and other essential criteria are
Read More »

Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Seven

Another trip (always dangerous) to the L.A. River teaches the Colonists that the challenges they face are psychological and emotional as well as physical. They also know that they need a continuing supply of protein; fortunately, there is a lot of it scurrying about the warehouse.
Read More »

Responding to Incidents in a Neighboring Port

The U.S. port system is huge, complex, and immensely important to the nation’s economy and to homeland security. The 24/7 protection of that system is an extremely difficult task and usually involves a host of different organizations and agencies working in close cooperation with one another.
Read More »

EMS: Increased Emphasis on the Medical Aspect

The still ongoing professionalization of the EMS field has been a gradual but hugely successful undertaking that has resulted not only in the saving of many, many lives but also has made those lives richer, less painful, and longer-lasting.
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Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Six

The ten volunteers continue their quest for survival – but are suddenly rocked by the unexpected, and unexplained, disappearance of one of their members. The “real” loss of this one person is in some ways emotionally more distressing than the cataclysmic loss of the entire nation in which they had
Read More »

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