Today's Top Picks
Enhancing Infrastructure Protection Through Special Events
In an atmosphere of limited resources, critical infrastructure (CI) protection can be difficult to prioritize with crime-fighting and disaster response. Understanding real-world lessons learned from local agencies is one way to make progress. Leveraging the urgency demanded by special events can be a particularly productive path forward. This article offers suggestions from practitioners to develop CI protection programs through special events management, at varying levels of capability and scale.
Rethinking Disaster Evacuation
No two disasters are the same. Yet it is not unusual for officials to be confronted with a common
critical public safety decision: whether to evacuate the public or advise them to shelter in place. This
crucial decision, which is normally time sensitive, can set the tone for the remainder of the response
and recovery phases.
Animals in Distress: A Community Preparedness Checklist
Recent studies have shown that pets have the ability to relieve stress, provide purpose, and give unconditional love and support to those who need them. This profound connection is referred to as the “human-animal bond.” During an emergency or disaster, this bond is exhibited with the great lengths people go to both remain with and save their pets, including putting themselves and others at risk. A new tool addresses this gap.
Disasters Are About the People
Hurricane Harvey has caused widespread destruction, and its aftermath continues to pose a
significant threat to life and safety. In this and other large-scale incidents, the exact number of
people affected is hard to determine because of the complex physical and social networks that exist
within and between jurisdictional boundaries. Knowing how to manage the lives lost and the lives
affected is a challenge. However, when preparing for a catastrophic event, it is important to remember
that even one lost life can have devastating effects on a community.
In Memoriam MG Timothy J Lowenberg (Ret.)
On 27 August 2017, DomPrep and the Preparedness Leadership Council lost a long-time friend and the
nation lost a highly revered icon of domestic preparedness and homeland security. Major General
(Ret.) Timothy J. Lowenberg (Washington National Guard) was above all a public servant who sought to
protect the lives and safety of all Americans. His knowledge and dedication were the tools that made him
an effective advocate for homeland security issues.
Trending
Emergency Management has Evolved: Why the… While initially useful, the term “all hazards” no longer accurately describes the functions or mission of the emergency management discipline.…
Imagining the U.S. Without Power: A Dual-World EMP Exercise A dual-world tabletop exercise simulating an electromagnetic pulse event in Chicopee, Massachusetts, revealed startling discrepancies in outcomes between the city’s…
Elevating Healthcare Emergency Preparedness… Overlooked until disaster strikes, many emergency management departments struggle with personnel and budgetary constraints, yet the demand placed on these…
The Forefront of Innovation in Training &… Disaster wargaming may significantly change the future of tabletop exercises in emergency management and homeland security. Long used effectively to…Trending
Elevating Healthcare Emergency Preparedness… Overlooked until disaster strikes, many emergency management departments struggle with personnel and budgetary constraints, yet the demand placed on these…The Forefront of Innovation in Training &… Disaster wargaming may significantly change the future of tabletop exercises in emergency management and homeland security. Long used effectively to…Emergency Management has Evolved: Why the… While initially useful, the term “all hazards” no longer accurately describes the functions or mission of the emergency management discipline.…Imagining the U.S. Without Power: A Dual-World EMP Exercise A dual-world tabletop exercise simulating an electromagnetic pulse event in Chicopee, Massachusetts, revealed startling discrepancies in outcomes between the city’s…Domestic Preparedness Journal
Featured in this issue: Editor’s Note: Emergency Communications—Tough Lessons From the Maui Wildfires, by Catherine L. Feinman; Emergency Alerts: The Missing Link, by Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso; Hidden Barriers to Public Safety Interoperability, by Gabe Elias; AI Software in 911 Dispatch Centers: An Innovative Solution, by Tanya M. Scherr; A Systems Thinking Approach to Improving Emergency Communications, by William Chapman; Connectivity: The Foundation of Disaster Response and Preparedness, by Cory Davis; Know the Audience: Five Keys to Effective Communication, by Marc Hill; Bridging Communication Gaps: Lessons From Hurricane Helene, by Greg Hauser; A Regional Approach to Public Safety Communications Planning, by Charles (Charley) Bryson
Articles Out Loud
Article Out Loud – Disaster Stress Management in an Emergency Operations Center
May 7, 2025
Disasters affect responders and community members, but they also bring trauma to those working inside emergency operations centers. Distance from
Article Out Loud – A Holistic Strategy for Responders’ Well-Being
May 7, 2025
This is an article by Camilo Olivieri, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, May 7, 2025. First responders and
Helping School Districts Move Forward After Tragedy