Most recently published
Food Safety: A Few Questions for the U.S. Government
Diana Hopkins
April 8, 2009
Most Americans eat too much and too often. Solving that problem is a personal dietary responsibility. Protecting the nation’s global food chain, though, is the government’s responsibility – one previously neglected, but now receiving close attention from a slim new president.
Hospital Security Planning: Operational & Technological Considerations
Craig DeAtley
April 1, 2009
It may be the best designed hospital in the world, but a handsome faƧade is of little importance if the medical equipment is second-best and/or the doctors, nurses, & other healthcare personnel are not well organized & trained to be the best they can be.
Double the Trouble: H5N1 Plus Cat 3 Complications
Ann Marie Brown and Jeffrey B. Peterson
April 1, 2009
A major epidemic to deal with is difficult enough in itself. Toss in a hurricane about to make landfall and the situation becomes impossible. Or it would have been if ServNC, the SMAT IIs, the NCOEMS, CDC, ESAR-VHP, and two FMSS trailers had not been available.
Everyone Must Go: The Anatomy of an Evacuation
Joseph Cahill
March 25, 2009
No response, no matter how successful, is ever complete without an honest after-action review, which if properly carried out leads to the extension of successful tactics and discontinuation of the unsuccessful ones. It also allows sharing this information with response partners and other agencies that could use the information to
Mexico’s Narco-Civil War: Porous and Perilous – The U.S./Mexican Border Situation
Joseph W. Trindal
March 25, 2009
The escalation of drug-cartel violence in Mexico is rapidly becoming a clear & present danger to the United States itself and, if not checked, will soon evolve into a major national-security challenge for the Obama administration’s homeland-security team.
Pamper and Protect: A Professional’s Guide to Personal-Security Details
Derrick Mayes and Cynthia Ekberg Tsai
March 25, 2009
The armed forces protect the nation, the Secret Service protects the president, and gated communities protect the affluent. But who protects the movie stars, the world-class athletes, the company CEOs, and other VIPs?
The EMS Role in Chemical-Release Incidents
Joseph Cahill
March 18, 2009
Few if any EMS agencies anywhere in the world are properly equipped to cope with the accidental or intentional release of lethal nerve agents. But there are several ways to keep the death toll low while also protecting the first responders themselves.
DHS – Moving Forward; And Moving Out
Kay C. Goss
March 18, 2009
An expeditious start, clear directions, and a detailed road map to the future augur well for an ambitious new slate of initiatives, both domestic and international, for the overworked and not always adequately funded Department of Homeland Security.
NIMS & ICS – A Road Map for U.S. Health Departments
Raphael M. Barishansky
March 11, 2009
Implementation of the guidelines undergirding new national anti-terrorism policies will be a major challenge for state & local health departments. But the end result will be a better coordinated and much more effective national healthcare community.
The Friendly Neighborhood Chemical Weapons Store
Adam Montella
March 11, 2009
It doesn’t take much money, time, or a genius IQ to build a clumsy but extremely effective chemical weapon that could kill thousands of people. But a pickup truck would be needed to haul “the makings” from the local warehouse or agricultural combine.
Pandemic Preparedness: Strategies to Protect the State Workforce
David G. Henry
March 10, 2009
H5N1 avian influenza has recently resurged in Southeast Asia, scientists continue to warn that the next pandemic, based on all scientific data, is inevitable.
Bioterrorism Exercise: A Taste of the Real Thing
Stephanie Ostrowski and Crystal Castillo
March 4, 2009
Food poisoning – whether intentional or accidental – can have lethal consequences. In either case, it is CDC’s job to find out what caused it, what treatments are recommended, and how it can be contained.
A Consuming Need: Improved Security in the Food Chain
Steven Harrison
April 8, 2009
Safeguarding the nation’s food supply – from the farm to the fork, so to speak – is not only mandatory for health reasons but also, and increasingly, a national-defense/homeland-security requirement as well.
Food Safety: A Few Questions for the U.S. Government
Diana Hopkins
April 8, 2009
Most Americans eat too much and too often. Solving that problem is a personal dietary responsibility. Protecting the nation’s global food chain, though, is the government’s responsibility – one previously neglected, but now receiving close attention from a slim new president.
Hospital Security Planning: Operational & Technological Considerations
Craig DeAtley
April 1, 2009
It may be the best designed hospital in the world, but a handsome faƧade is of little importance if the medical equipment is second-best and/or the doctors, nurses, & other healthcare personnel are not well organized & trained to be the best they can be.
Double the Trouble: H5N1 Plus Cat 3 Complications
Ann Marie Brown and Jeffrey B. Peterson
April 1, 2009
A major epidemic to deal with is difficult enough in itself. Toss in a hurricane about to make landfall and the situation becomes impossible. Or it would have been if ServNC, the SMAT IIs, the NCOEMS, CDC, ESAR-VHP, and two FMSS trailers had not been available.
Everyone Must Go: The Anatomy of an Evacuation
Joseph Cahill
March 25, 2009
No response, no matter how successful, is ever complete without an honest after-action review, which if properly carried out leads to the extension of successful tactics and discontinuation of the unsuccessful ones. It also allows sharing this information with response partners and other agencies that could use the information to
Mexico’s Narco-Civil War: Porous and Perilous – The U.S./Mexican Border Situation
Joseph W. Trindal
March 25, 2009
The escalation of drug-cartel violence in Mexico is rapidly becoming a clear & present danger to the United States itself and, if not checked, will soon evolve into a major national-security challenge for the Obama administration’s homeland-security team.
Pamper and Protect: A Professional’s Guide to Personal-Security Details
Derrick Mayes and Cynthia Ekberg Tsai
March 25, 2009
The armed forces protect the nation, the Secret Service protects the president, and gated communities protect the affluent. But who protects the movie stars, the world-class athletes, the company CEOs, and other VIPs?
The EMS Role in Chemical-Release Incidents
Joseph Cahill
March 18, 2009
Few if any EMS agencies anywhere in the world are properly equipped to cope with the accidental or intentional release of lethal nerve agents. But there are several ways to keep the death toll low while also protecting the first responders themselves.
DHS – Moving Forward; And Moving Out
Kay C. Goss
March 18, 2009
An expeditious start, clear directions, and a detailed road map to the future augur well for an ambitious new slate of initiatives, both domestic and international, for the overworked and not always adequately funded Department of Homeland Security.
NIMS & ICS – A Road Map for U.S. Health Departments
Raphael M. Barishansky
March 11, 2009
Implementation of the guidelines undergirding new national anti-terrorism policies will be a major challenge for state & local health departments. But the end result will be a better coordinated and much more effective national healthcare community.
The Friendly Neighborhood Chemical Weapons Store
Adam Montella
March 11, 2009
It doesn’t take much money, time, or a genius IQ to build a clumsy but extremely effective chemical weapon that could kill thousands of people. But a pickup truck would be needed to haul “the makings” from the local warehouse or agricultural combine.
Pandemic Preparedness: Strategies to Protect the State Workforce
David G. Henry
March 10, 2009
H5N1 avian influenza has recently resurged in Southeast Asia, scientists continue to warn that the next pandemic, based on all scientific data, is inevitable.
‘Wetware’ and Other Technologies Supported Obama Inauguration
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
February 25, 2009
The swearing-in ceremonies, the parade, and the celebrations that followed were major successes. An even greater success was the behind-the-scenes preparations that ensured that nothing happened that was not supposed to happen.
Mergers, Volunteerism, and Cost Considerations
Joseph Cahill
February 18, 2009
Cut costs the easy way – by merging agencies, using more volunteers, and reducing services. The only problem is that agency employees might be unhappy, taxpayers might revolt, and elected officials might soon be looking for new jobs.
New Focus on Private-Sector Preparedness Standards
Diana Hopkins
February 11, 2009
At last! A Federal Register notice asks the nation’s business community to comment on ideas that have been submitted to upgrade the disaster-preparedness capabilities of the U.S. private sector. Read, heed, and proceed – but do it fast.The nationās private-sector businesses ā a generic term that includes not only manufacturers,
Surge Prerequisites: Plans, Practices, Preparations
Theodore Tully
February 11, 2009
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers are aware that surge capabilities have become increasingly important in dealing with mass-casualty incidents. But few really understand that many meanings are encompassed in that one word.
No Time to Cut Back on Safety – The Cost Is Too High
Warren K. Brown
January 28, 2009
Companies throughout the United States are trying to cut expenses any way they can: by layoffs, by plant closures, even by reductions in safety programs – which, it says here, are not only the most unkindest but also the most foolish cuts of all.
How the NDMS Can Be Made More Effective
Michael Allswede
January 28, 2009
The Spirit of Volunteerism is a noble virtue, and has been embraced by millions of Americans. Many of them volunteer once too often, though, creating a difficult dilemma for NDMS and other agencies that have a joint claim on their skills and services.
Cold Calculations and the Search for Inner Warmth
Joseph Cahill
January 28, 2009
A timely and temperate reminder that cold weather may be and is uncomfortable, but extremely cold weather can kill. Among those in the greatest danger, surprisingly enough, are EMS staff and other responders.
Mumbai: Implications for the West
Neil C. Livingstone
January 21, 2009
Mumbai was totally unprepared for the terrorist attacks of 26 November – and paid dearly for its lack of vigilance. Will the great nations of the West learn from India’s mistakes, or simply repeat them?
The Mumbai Attacks – Lessons for the Western World
Joseph W. Trindal
January 14, 2009
The terrorist attacks two months ago in Mumbai provide a number of lessons for emergency-services agencies throughout the world. The attacks, which represented an ever-increasing level of sophistication and ingenuity of terrorist activity worldwide, started during the evening hours of 26 November 2008 when small teams of armed terrorists launched
Changes and Clarifications – NIMS Upgrade Released
Stephen Grainer
January 14, 2009
On 18 December 2008, long-awaited revisions to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) ā officially described as an āupgradeā by the former acting director of the NIMS Integration Center, Albert Fluman ā were published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and are now being implemented.The effort to improve the
The Field Testing Dilemma and LRN Chemical Laboratories
Richard A. France
January 14, 2009
The field testing of potentially lethal chemicals has always been an iffy proposition. Fortunately, a new national network of “gold standard” labs is now available to eliminate much of the uncertainty.
Emerging Infections and Their Impact on EMS
Raphael M. Barishansky
January 7, 2009
“New” diseases, combined with the fatal rebirth of ancient diseases believed to have been terminally laid to rest, are giving epidemiologists, EMS agencies and responders, and healthcare workers a daunting challenge of epic proportions.
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