Most recently published
Homeland Defense Begins at Home!
James D. Hessman
July 13, 2005
The Department of Homeland Defense and American Red Cross are leading the way, but true national preparedness requires an all-hands effort starting with teachers and students, parents, first responders, businessmen and factory workers, the media and the m
Electro-Muscular Disruption Technology and How it Works
Jay Kehoe
June 29, 2005
Shockingly enough, Tasers are becoming the most humane working tool available to law-enforcement personnel and correctional officers who have no choice but to use force in dealing with aggressive and/or demented individuals who are threatening the peace
Ludwig Benner: The Father of Modern HAZMAT Thinking?
Rob Schnepp
June 29, 2005
In the late 1960’s, far too many firefighters were dying in the line of duty when the fires were fighting involved hazardous materials. One man, Ludwig Benner, realized that changes were needed, both in the way firefighters were being trained and in the
Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin
Anthony Lanzillotti
June 15, 2005
Virginia Develops free emergency resources for businesses, but imposes security fees on incoming oceanborne cargoA new online resource – the Virginia Business Emergency Survival Toolkit (available at www.vaemergency.com/business) – has been developed by a group of emergency organizations in Virginia that includes information and other resources that the state’s businesses can use
Asymmetric Warfare: Redefining Standard Terms
Ashley Moore
June 14, 2005
Chaos and confusion reign not just on the battlefield but also, particularly in recent times, in policy pronouncements, position papers, and the public consciousness. Principal problem is a proliferation of acronyms meaning almost the same thing – but not
CERFPs: A New Resource for Emergency Response
Christopher M. Schnaubelt
June 14, 2005
The National Guard creates new units to deal with mass disasters. After the first responders come the WMD-CST teams, and behind them, providing a second protective shield for the American people, come the twelve CEFRP units, stationed in FEMA regions thro
John Thomasian, Director, National Governors Association Center For Best Practices
John F. Morton
June 14, 2005
Director of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices reports on the proceedings of last week’s National Executive Forum for State Homeland Security Directors. Also included is a discussion of the so-called intelligence fusion centers.
Michigan, New York, Washington, and Florida
Anthony Lanzillotti
June 1, 2005
Michigan plays a perfect game before defending the Great Lakes; New York considers the purchase of an advanced helicopter for firefighting, rescue operations; the state of Washington conducts its first bioterrorism exercise; and Florida sets aside a speci
Workloads and Respiratory Rates: The Key Factors in Respiratory Protection
Rob Schnepp
June 1, 2005
Breathing is not easy for anyone involved in the responses to and cleanup of hazardous materials. The task is much more difficult, though, when the equipment provided to first responders is less than adequate, and deficient in many other ways.
Coming Soon: A National EMS Administration?
Joseph Cahill
June 1, 2005
Today’s EMS community is a full partner on the nation’s homeland-security first-responder team, but gets short shrift in funding, in representation at the White House and on Capitol Hill, and in media attention. One way to even out the playing field might be to establish a national office representing city,
Guest Commentary: Resolving
Buck Somes
June 1, 2005
GenPrime V.P. suggests a new paradigm for the handling of emergency calls – many of them hoaxes – reporting the presence of anthrax-like substances that might be cornstarch, baby powder, or coffee creamer. Or anthrax. The use of on-site broad-spectrum screen can be used to determine a “threat/no threat” result
Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, and Kansas
Anthony Lanzillotti
May 18, 2005
Oklahoma continues to provide more resources for first responders and counterterrorism personnel; new partnerships in homeland security and emergency preparedness formed in Texas; Indiana agencies address suspicious activity and fraud; Kansas responders.
Governor James S. Gilmore, III, A Focus on Border Protection, Medical Surge Capacity
John F. Morton
July 13, 2005
Former Virginia Governor James S. Gilmore III shares his views, as chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Commission appointed to assess U.S. domestic-response capabilities, on such major issues as vulnerability assessments, risk management, border prot
Homeland Defense Begins at Home!
James D. Hessman
July 13, 2005
The Department of Homeland Defense and American Red Cross are leading the way, but true national preparedness requires an all-hands effort starting with teachers and students, parents, first responders, businessmen and factory workers, the media and the m
Electro-Muscular Disruption Technology and How it Works
Jay Kehoe
June 29, 2005
Shockingly enough, Tasers are becoming the most humane working tool available to law-enforcement personnel and correctional officers who have no choice but to use force in dealing with aggressive and/or demented individuals who are threatening the peace
Ludwig Benner: The Father of Modern HAZMAT Thinking?
Rob Schnepp
June 29, 2005
In the late 1960’s, far too many firefighters were dying in the line of duty when the fires were fighting involved hazardous materials. One man, Ludwig Benner, realized that changes were needed, both in the way firefighters were being trained and in the
Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin
Anthony Lanzillotti
June 15, 2005
Virginia Develops free emergency resources for businesses, but imposes security fees on incoming oceanborne cargoA new online resource – the Virginia Business Emergency Survival Toolkit (available at www.vaemergency.com/business) – has been developed by a group of emergency organizations in Virginia that includes information and other resources that the state’s businesses can use
Asymmetric Warfare: Redefining Standard Terms
Ashley Moore
June 14, 2005
Chaos and confusion reign not just on the battlefield but also, particularly in recent times, in policy pronouncements, position papers, and the public consciousness. Principal problem is a proliferation of acronyms meaning almost the same thing – but not
CERFPs: A New Resource for Emergency Response
Christopher M. Schnaubelt
June 14, 2005
The National Guard creates new units to deal with mass disasters. After the first responders come the WMD-CST teams, and behind them, providing a second protective shield for the American people, come the twelve CEFRP units, stationed in FEMA regions thro
John Thomasian, Director, National Governors Association Center For Best Practices
John F. Morton
June 14, 2005
Director of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices reports on the proceedings of last week’s National Executive Forum for State Homeland Security Directors. Also included is a discussion of the so-called intelligence fusion centers.
Michigan, New York, Washington, and Florida
Anthony Lanzillotti
June 1, 2005
Michigan plays a perfect game before defending the Great Lakes; New York considers the purchase of an advanced helicopter for firefighting, rescue operations; the state of Washington conducts its first bioterrorism exercise; and Florida sets aside a speci
Workloads and Respiratory Rates: The Key Factors in Respiratory Protection
Rob Schnepp
June 1, 2005
Breathing is not easy for anyone involved in the responses to and cleanup of hazardous materials. The task is much more difficult, though, when the equipment provided to first responders is less than adequate, and deficient in many other ways.
Coming Soon: A National EMS Administration?
Joseph Cahill
June 1, 2005
Today’s EMS community is a full partner on the nation’s homeland-security first-responder team, but gets short shrift in funding, in representation at the White House and on Capitol Hill, and in media attention. One way to even out the playing field might be to establish a national office representing city,
Guest Commentary: Resolving
Buck Somes
June 1, 2005
GenPrime V.P. suggests a new paradigm for the handling of emergency calls – many of them hoaxes – reporting the presence of anthrax-like substances that might be cornstarch, baby powder, or coffee creamer. Or anthrax. The use of on-site broad-spectrum screen can be used to determine a “threat/no threat” result
A Long Tradition of Voluntary National Service
Brent Bankus
May 18, 2005
The recent spate of articles and commentaries about the “Minuteman” group that, without invitation, helped the U.S. Border Patrol apprehend over 300 illegal migrants is a timely reminder that other citizen groups have provided significant homeland-defense
“The Week That Was” in Washington, D.C.
James D. Hessman
May 18, 2005
Orders to “Run for your life!” were followed in short order by the announcement of new port-security grants and the Pentagon’s latest list of base closings, consolidations, and realignments. All three became major national stories, and all are related – i
SNL and Merlin: A New Way to Look at Decontamination
Rob Schnepp
May 4, 2005
The war against bioterrorism moves forward – at less than flank speed – from the water-based decon agents of the 1990s to faster and much more effective peroxide-based solutions that can be used to deactivate biological pathogens and TICs as well as the CW agents.
The What and Wherefores of Bio-Terrorism
Joseph Cahill
May 4, 2005
A complex amalgam of rules, regulations, data-collection sources and resources, and numerous other complicating factors will determine the success or failure of plans – already implemented, or still in the planning stage – to counter terrorist attacks.
Dirty Bombs: The Impossible Becomes Probable
Neil C. Livingstone
May 4, 2005
Surplus uranium, inadequate controls, and undetected smuggling are the key ingredients of a future nuclear disaster on U.S. soil. Today, almost any nation in the world is capable of building Hiroshima-sized nuclear devices, RDDs, and/or dirty bombs.
Missouri, Rhode Island, and Nevada
Anthony Lanzillotti
May 3, 2005
Missouri, Rhode Island, and Nevada By Anthony Lanzillotti Missouri Funeral Directors seek help with PPE funding Funeral home directors in Missouri have asked the state to help them obtain federal funding for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). The request came after a recent meeting of the directors to discuss
Ohio, California and Minnesota
Anthony Lanzillotti
April 20, 2005
A dirty bomb is hidden inside a vessel at a port facility somewhere on Lake Erie. SWAT teams, more than 180 first responders, and a large number of EMS student victims are among the many-splendored participants in an extended counter-terrorism exercise at Ohio Tests Lake Erie Dirty-Bomb Scenario Just two weeks
Virtual Exercises: They’re the Real Thing!
Joseph Cahill
April 20, 2005
Frequent and effective training is one of the keys to carrying out an adequate domestic-preparedness plan of any type. Such training costs money, though, and funds are scarce.
Ohio, Hawaii, California, and Minnesota
Domestic Preparedness
April 20, 2005
Ohio Just two weeks before the large “TOPOFF3” exercise tapped major resources in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the state of Ohio held a small tabletop exercise focusing on the threat of a sea borne radiological dispersal device. The scenario included a “dirty bomb” hidden within a vessel
Risks and Realities, Grants and Vulnerabilities
James D. Hessman
April 20, 2005
The mostly successful launch of the Department of Homeland Security has been followed, not surprisingly, by allegations of wasteful spending and a failure to establish priorities. The new team at DHS meets the challenge head-on, and is already working wit
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Wyoming
Anthony Lanzillotti
April 6, 2005
In this issue: Pennsylvania seeks funds for rural areas. Massachusetts updates biological-warfare defense plans. Illinois awards grants to TechAlt, Midco. Wyoming upgrades its inland-waterways capabilities.
Needed: Revisions to Maritime Response Standard
Ashley Moore
April 6, 2005
NFPA 1405 tells land-based firefighters how to respond to fires aboard ships in port. But some essential details are missing, and should be included in future (revised) editions.
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