Most recently published
John F. Clark, Director, U.S. Marshals Service
John F. Morton and John Clark
May 16, 2007
Clark’s views on the security improvements already achieved, and the areas in which a greater effort is needed. Also discussed: The USMS’s Special Operations and Technical Operations Groups, and the support provided to state and local L-E agencies.
Resources in Waiting: EMS Task Forces
Joseph Cahill
May 8, 2007
“Just in Case” has been trumped by “Just in Time.” One result is that there is no surge capability that emergency managers can call on in times of major incidents. Unless, of course, an EMS Task Force is waiting in the wings.
Port Security Exercises and Training: A Formidable Curriculum
Joseph DiRenzo III and Christopher Doane
May 2, 2007
As explained on the U.S. Transportation Security Agency’s website, PortSTEP (the Port Security Training and Exercise Program) was established as a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard to improve “the intermodal transportation industry’s ability to prepare for and contend with a Transportation Security Incident.” The program is in that context
The Well-Planned Use of Citizen Volunteers
Joseph Cahill
May 2, 2007
Many first-responder agencies routinely use “4×4 volunteers” to help out in hazardous-weather situations and other emergencies. This solution to community problems must be handled with care and requires careful planning by state/local decision makers.
APHL Position Statement: Field Testing Kits, Devices Must Be Validated
Chris Mangal
April 25, 2007
The Association of Public Health Laboratories says, without proper validation, field tests of suspected biological and/or chemical agents might yield either false positives or, worse, false negatives & therefore would be, “dangerously misleading.”
Question – Is Anthrax Present, Too Long to Wait for an Answer
Kate Rosenblatt
April 25, 2007
Homeland-security experts believe the worst-case scenario for future terrorist attacks will involve biological-warfare agents such as anthrax rather than nuclear weapons. Which is why the numerous delays in the anti-anthrax program have aroused concern.
The Rationale for a Pessimistic Preparedness Planning Scenario
Michael Allswede
April 18, 2007
For most U.S. hospitals, planning for a mass-casualty disaster is an administrative afterthought. The result, frequently, is a counterproductive “game plan” based on rosy optimism and unproven assumptions.
Real Resources and Real Reforms: A Report from the Committee Chairman
Bennie G. Thompson
April 18, 2007
The chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security promises fast and effective action – and the provision of “real resources” – to improve U.S. domestic preparedness across the board, to protect American lives & the nation’s critical infrastructure.
George C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, Executive Director, American Public Health Association (APHA)
John F. Morton
April 18, 2007
The APHA leader’s authoritative views on bioterrorism preparedness, the new challenges facing public-health officials in planning to cope with mass-casualty situations, the quarantine and isolation processes, & the threat posed by a pandemic influenza.
The Either/Or Dilemma: Hard Choices Ahead in Materials Management
Joseph Cahill
April 4, 2007
Preparing for an emergency is like packing for a long trip: Focus on the essentials first, and always consider the possibility of a worst-case scenario. Unfortunately, some communities and hospitals are making cost reductions their highest priority.
Richard Mirgon, Second Vice President, Association of Public-Safety Communications Officals (APCO)
John F. Morton and Richard Mirgon
April 4, 2007
His views on the enhanced capabilities made possible by the National Joint TERT Initiative and a host of related issues, including FEMA report requirements, the financial aspects of mutual-aid agreements, and the NCR’s new wireless broadband network.
Personnel Staffing in Times of Disaster
Joseph Cahill
March 14, 2007
Three modes of operation, two of which might strain the trained EMS personnel resources immediately available but would not overwhelm them. Preparing for the third mode, a sudden mass-casualty scenario, must be done carefully and thoughtfully.
Expanding the Quarantine System at the Nation’s Borders
Mathew Thomas
May 16, 2007
The need for quarantine stations at U.S. borders was on the decline – until SARS & bioterrorism created a need for more stations on a continuing basis. Dulles International Airport (first one), has achieved much success & is a template for future use.
John F. Clark, Director, U.S. Marshals Service
John F. Morton and John Clark
May 16, 2007
Clark’s views on the security improvements already achieved, and the areas in which a greater effort is needed. Also discussed: The USMS’s Special Operations and Technical Operations Groups, and the support provided to state and local L-E agencies.
Resources in Waiting: EMS Task Forces
Joseph Cahill
May 8, 2007
“Just in Case” has been trumped by “Just in Time.” One result is that there is no surge capability that emergency managers can call on in times of major incidents. Unless, of course, an EMS Task Force is waiting in the wings.
Port Security Exercises and Training: A Formidable Curriculum
Joseph DiRenzo III and Christopher Doane
May 2, 2007
As explained on the U.S. Transportation Security Agency’s website, PortSTEP (the Port Security Training and Exercise Program) was established as a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard to improve “the intermodal transportation industry’s ability to prepare for and contend with a Transportation Security Incident.” The program is in that context
The Well-Planned Use of Citizen Volunteers
Joseph Cahill
May 2, 2007
Many first-responder agencies routinely use “4×4 volunteers” to help out in hazardous-weather situations and other emergencies. This solution to community problems must be handled with care and requires careful planning by state/local decision makers.
APHL Position Statement: Field Testing Kits, Devices Must Be Validated
Chris Mangal
April 25, 2007
The Association of Public Health Laboratories says, without proper validation, field tests of suspected biological and/or chemical agents might yield either false positives or, worse, false negatives & therefore would be, “dangerously misleading.”
Question – Is Anthrax Present, Too Long to Wait for an Answer
Kate Rosenblatt
April 25, 2007
Homeland-security experts believe the worst-case scenario for future terrorist attacks will involve biological-warfare agents such as anthrax rather than nuclear weapons. Which is why the numerous delays in the anti-anthrax program have aroused concern.
The Rationale for a Pessimistic Preparedness Planning Scenario
Michael Allswede
April 18, 2007
For most U.S. hospitals, planning for a mass-casualty disaster is an administrative afterthought. The result, frequently, is a counterproductive “game plan” based on rosy optimism and unproven assumptions.
Real Resources and Real Reforms: A Report from the Committee Chairman
Bennie G. Thompson
April 18, 2007
The chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security promises fast and effective action – and the provision of “real resources” – to improve U.S. domestic preparedness across the board, to protect American lives & the nation’s critical infrastructure.
George C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, Executive Director, American Public Health Association (APHA)
John F. Morton
April 18, 2007
The APHA leader’s authoritative views on bioterrorism preparedness, the new challenges facing public-health officials in planning to cope with mass-casualty situations, the quarantine and isolation processes, & the threat posed by a pandemic influenza.
The Either/Or Dilemma: Hard Choices Ahead in Materials Management
Joseph Cahill
April 4, 2007
Preparing for an emergency is like packing for a long trip: Focus on the essentials first, and always consider the possibility of a worst-case scenario. Unfortunately, some communities and hospitals are making cost reductions their highest priority.
Richard Mirgon, Second Vice President, Association of Public-Safety Communications Officals (APCO)
John F. Morton and Richard Mirgon
April 4, 2007
His views on the enhanced capabilities made possible by the National Joint TERT Initiative and a host of related issues, including FEMA report requirements, the financial aspects of mutual-aid agreements, and the NCR’s new wireless broadband network.
Needed: A Comprehensive Medical Intelligence Picture
Asha M. George
February 28, 2007
Defeating the threat posed by biological weapons requires a mountain of relevant information, collated and translated into actionable data, and distributed to a broad spectrum of potential users.
Kevin Yeskey, M.D., Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Preparedness and Emergency Operations, HHS
Kevin Yeskey
February 21, 2007
His comments on, among other topics, NIMS compliance efforts, state drug and vaccine distribution programs, state and local response capabilities, and the role of IRCT team leaders.
IEDs, RDDs, and Other Improvised Hazards
Joseph Cahill
February 14, 2007
When it seems likely that explosives have been used in a mass-casualty incident or “event,” the personnel responding must remember that additional, and bigger, explosions might soon follow and that they, the first responders, may be the target.
Pandemic Preparedness: The Driver for Most Suppliers
John F. Morton
January 31, 2007
Question: Is the United States prepared to deal with a biological-warfare attack? Answer: Not yet – but the nation’s private-sector biotech labs are working closely with state, local, and federal governments to detect, prevent, and/or deal with an attack.
Wicked Problems, Virtuous Solutions: How to Design a Risk-Based Medical Facility
Michael Allswede
January 24, 2007
The setting of national standards for the personal protective equipment worn and training received by first responders working in a hazardous-materials environment is a positive step forward.
Rear Admiral W. Craig Vanderwagen, M.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response andChief Preparedness Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
W. Craig Vanderwagen
January 24, 2007
His views on, among other topics, his department’s disaster-response missions, capabilities, and accomplishment; the PHS’s team-orientation approach; IRCTs and the HHS “deployable force”; resiliency & prepositioning; and tsunamis & other natural disasters
The Highway Watch Program: Homeland Security on the Open Road!
Joseph DiRenzo III and Christopher Doane
January 17, 2007
The innovative DHS/ATA “Highway Watch” program enlists tens of thousands of professional drivers as “Irregulars” in the homeland-security volunteer community and, as a bonus, makes the nation’s highways and byways safer for all Americans.
The EMS Community Looks to the Future
Joseph Cahill
January 10, 2007
The era of “us versus them” is over. In times of disasters affecting the entire local population, all private-sector as well as public agencies must pool their resources in a common effort.
Pandemic Flu Vaccine – Still No Silver Bullet
Jerry Mothershead
December 20, 2006
Several years have passed since the first H5N1 outbreak and there have been speeches, studies, and statistics galore – but few if any nations are even half-prepared to deal with the consequences of a major pandemic.
Imperatives for the Training of Medical Staff
Michael Allswede
December 13, 2006
The U.S. private-sector health care system is probably the best in the world. But it is not prepared to deal with mass-casualty incidents, lacks the funding needed to expand beyond current capacity, and suffers from certain shortages.
Behind the Mask: EMS, Influenza, and Respiratory Protection
James Mason
December 6, 2006
A high-efficiency mask, a procedure mask, an SCBA, or a PAPR – which shall it be? The correct answer determines whether the wearer is part of the solution, or becomes another part of the problem.
Dr. Michael G. Kurilla, Director of the Office of BioDefense Research Affairs and Associate Director for BioDefense Product Development, NIAID
John F. Morton and Michael G. Kurilla
November 8, 2006
Podcast DomesticPreparedness met with Dr. Michael G. Kurilla, Director of the Office of BioDefense Research Affairs and Associate Director for BioDefense Product Development, NIAID. The NIH director for biodefense research and associate director for biodefense product development at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) discusses NIAID’s biodefense
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