Most recently published
TERT Takes Toxic Approach to Emergency Response
Shannon Arledge
November 12, 2008
Chemicals, biological agents, and other dangerous substances are among the key instructional materials used to train hazmat technicians and other first responders participating in the CDP’s upgraded “COBRA course” in Anniston, Alabama.
The All Threats Agent Content System (ATACS): A CDC Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Information Management System
Joe Posid
November 5, 2008
“Learning by Doing” was the guideline used by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in responding to the anthrax attacks in 2001 by developing a new and highly sophisticated multipurpose bioterrorism detection system.
An Open Letter to the President-Elect
Martin D. Masiuk
November 5, 2008
President-Elect Obama has promised that “change” will be the hallmark of his administration. Here are a few major changes that, it is respectfully suggested, he might consider in the fields of national defense and homeland security.
Parking Security: A Lot to Think About
Neil C. Livingstone
October 22, 2008
An underground garage open to the general public and poorly lighted is an open invitation to a robber, a rapist, or a murderer. Also to a terrorist whose life’s ambition is to kill as many Americans as possible, even at the cost of his own life.
The Dopplerian Resonance Effect on Continual Preparedness
Adam Montella
October 22, 2008
Memories of even the most cataclysmic disaster fade as time passes, but those memories are important reminders that continued vigilance is needed to ensure that similar disasters are avoided in the future.
Planning for a Mass Evacuation: Contraflow, Katrina, and Gustav
Joseph Cahill
October 22, 2008
Get out of town before the hurricane hits! Everyone! That was the warning issued by the state of Louisiana and City of New Orleans before both Katrina and Gustav. The warning worked – the second time around.
NIMS Preparedness and Resource Management
Stephen Grainer
October 15, 2008
One of the core components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is Resource Management. Preparedness is another. The other principal components are: Communications and Information Management; Command and Management; and On-Going Management and Maintenance. Because both Resource Management and Preparedness affect and are affected by the other NIMS components
A Jubilant Festival of Preparedness
Ruth Marrero
October 1, 2008
A behind-the-scenes CDC report on how DHS’s NIMS & ICS guidelines were pressed into service to protect the participants (from 27 countries and territories) in this year’s Festival of Pacific Arts, hosted by American Samoa.
Hybridizing the Power Supply
Joseph Cahill
October 1, 2008
Enhance emergency preparedness by installing heating systems that also can generate electrical power during severe weather. The most important benefit, though, would be not a change in equipment but a change both in thinking & in planning ahead.
Stadium and Venue Security
Neil C. Livingstone
September 24, 2008
Crowd control is today both a challenge and a necessity, as demonstrated by the Beijing Olympics and this summer’s political conventions. The controls used, though, are often resented, and frequently expensive – but not as costly as a terrorist attack. A terrorist walks into a football stadium on a beautiful
International Standards for National Defense & Homeland Security
Diana Hopkins
September 24, 2008
There are many reasons – e.g., future sales, & an infusion of outside expertise – for including international partners in the setting of standards. There are also legal & security factors to consider, particularly in the fields of weapons & technology.When a U.S. agency or private-sector company is developing standards
China Today: Spectacular, Mesmerizing, Prosperous – But
James D. Hessman
September 24, 2008
An AUSA (Association of the U.S. Army) report takes a close look at the “New China” and sees not only unprecedented prosperity and a less hostile foreign policy but also a fierce nationalism and some still-simmering anti-U.S. political policies.
Filling the Equipment Inventory: Some Relevant Questions
Joseph Cahill
November 12, 2008
The well-dressed first responder can take with him or her a limited amount of equipment to the incident scene. The selection of that equipment may be, and often is, a literally life-or-death matter.
TERT Takes Toxic Approach to Emergency Response
Shannon Arledge
November 12, 2008
Chemicals, biological agents, and other dangerous substances are among the key instructional materials used to train hazmat technicians and other first responders participating in the CDP’s upgraded “COBRA course” in Anniston, Alabama.
The All Threats Agent Content System (ATACS): A CDC Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Information Management System
Joe Posid
November 5, 2008
“Learning by Doing” was the guideline used by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in responding to the anthrax attacks in 2001 by developing a new and highly sophisticated multipurpose bioterrorism detection system.
An Open Letter to the President-Elect
Martin D. Masiuk
November 5, 2008
President-Elect Obama has promised that “change” will be the hallmark of his administration. Here are a few major changes that, it is respectfully suggested, he might consider in the fields of national defense and homeland security.
Parking Security: A Lot to Think About
Neil C. Livingstone
October 22, 2008
An underground garage open to the general public and poorly lighted is an open invitation to a robber, a rapist, or a murderer. Also to a terrorist whose life’s ambition is to kill as many Americans as possible, even at the cost of his own life.
The Dopplerian Resonance Effect on Continual Preparedness
Adam Montella
October 22, 2008
Memories of even the most cataclysmic disaster fade as time passes, but those memories are important reminders that continued vigilance is needed to ensure that similar disasters are avoided in the future.
Planning for a Mass Evacuation: Contraflow, Katrina, and Gustav
Joseph Cahill
October 22, 2008
Get out of town before the hurricane hits! Everyone! That was the warning issued by the state of Louisiana and City of New Orleans before both Katrina and Gustav. The warning worked – the second time around.
NIMS Preparedness and Resource Management
Stephen Grainer
October 15, 2008
One of the core components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is Resource Management. Preparedness is another. The other principal components are: Communications and Information Management; Command and Management; and On-Going Management and Maintenance. Because both Resource Management and Preparedness affect and are affected by the other NIMS components
A Jubilant Festival of Preparedness
Ruth Marrero
October 1, 2008
A behind-the-scenes CDC report on how DHS’s NIMS & ICS guidelines were pressed into service to protect the participants (from 27 countries and territories) in this year’s Festival of Pacific Arts, hosted by American Samoa.
Hybridizing the Power Supply
Joseph Cahill
October 1, 2008
Enhance emergency preparedness by installing heating systems that also can generate electrical power during severe weather. The most important benefit, though, would be not a change in equipment but a change both in thinking & in planning ahead.
Stadium and Venue Security
Neil C. Livingstone
September 24, 2008
Crowd control is today both a challenge and a necessity, as demonstrated by the Beijing Olympics and this summer’s political conventions. The controls used, though, are often resented, and frequently expensive – but not as costly as a terrorist attack. A terrorist walks into a football stadium on a beautiful
International Standards for National Defense & Homeland Security
Diana Hopkins
September 24, 2008
There are many reasons – e.g., future sales, & an infusion of outside expertise – for including international partners in the setting of standards. There are also legal & security factors to consider, particularly in the fields of weapons & technology.When a U.S. agency or private-sector company is developing standards
‘Zero Hour’: A Serious Game for Emergency Responders
James D. Hessman
September 17, 2008
George Washington University plans to convene two “policy summits” focused on the preparedness needs of large cities. One highlight of the meetings will be a bloodily realistic videogame showing how first responders can help turn victims into patients.
Customizing the Tool: The Tailoring of Crisis-Management and Mass-Casualty Software
Kate Rosenblatt
September 17, 2008
The U.S. healthcare system is in most respects the best in the world. But keeping the paperwork up with the patient is still a formidable problem, particularly in the handling of mass-casualty patients with several hospitals involved.
On the Anniversary of 9-11, Where Is Homeland Security as an Election Issue
Jena Baker McNeill
September 17, 2008
The campaign platforms of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates differ in many particulars, but they should agree on most homeland-security issues. (Article reprinted courtesy of the Heritage Foundation.)
The Bruce Ivins Case: Pros and Cons
Michael Allswede
September 10, 2008
Did the suicide of Dr. Bruce Ivins write “finished” to the investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Perhaps. But questions remain, there are some circumstances yet to be explained, & the case against him may not be as airtight as originally believed.
Undomiciled: Domestic Preparedness for the Homeless
Joseph Cahill
September 3, 2008
When disaster strikes the impact is felt by all members of the community, including those without homes, without power (electric or political), and sometimes (far too often) almost without hope.
Standards for Sharing Intelligence and Information
Diana Hopkins
August 27, 2008
It has taken years to remedy the intelligence-sharing deficiencies reported by the 9-11 Commission, but Congress and the President have worked hard to overcome the ignorance and apathy that once were the norm but are now the exception.When individual professionals, government agencies and other organizations, and the private sector join
New Radiological Tool Kits Available from CDC
Judith L. Kanne
August 27, 2008
A major upgrading of state and local abilities to respond to radiological emergencies is now possible, thanks to CDC’s development and production of two new on-the-scene tool kits.
Local Emergency Management: The CFATS Challenge
Joseph W. Trindal
August 20, 2008
Chemical facilities have always been a concern for local first responders. Most major chemical accidents rapidly overwhelm community emergency-services capabilities. Until the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, U.S. emergency-services agencies viewed chemical incidents as accidental events – and the tragic Bhopal (India) toxic chemical release in 1984 had already
Hospital Decontamination: Many Questions, But Few Answers
Theodore Tully
August 20, 2008
From “two-lane” decon lanes to high-tech detection equipment and personal protective gear, most U.S. hospitals are behind the curve in preparing to deal with mass-casualty decontamination incidents. What can be done about it?
Radiation Detection: Dosimeters Plus Common Sense
Glen Rudner
August 13, 2008
The reality of a radiation emergency differs little from that caused by a chemical or biological release – any or all of them are either accidental or intentional. But in either case the emergency-response community is tasked with determining the type, size, and impact that the incident has on the
Dead Reckoning: EMS, Death, and Resource Management
James Mason
August 13, 2008
The assumption that an accident victim who is not breathing is dead can be a fatal mistake – for the victim. Which is just one of many reasons why so many laws governing the handling of apparent deaths have been enacted by every state in the union.
Standards Organizations: A Helpful Road Map for Emergency Responders
Diana Hopkins
July 23, 2008
Where are standards these days? And who (or what agency) decides on them, determines their content, announces and implements them, and – if necessary and permitted by law – enforces them?
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