Science & Technology Archives

Beachie Creek Fire – A Practitioner’s Firsthand Account

Charles (Chuck) Perino January 4, 2023

When disaster strikes, sometimes those trained to respond find themselves and their families fleeing from the fire. Once their families are safe, they jump back in to assist wherever needed. This scenario happened to one emergency manager when the Beachie Creek wildfire engulfed surrounding Oregon communities with little warning.

Building Strength in Workforce and Structure

Catherine L. Feinman December 21, 2022

Each person plays a critical leadership role, from top leadership to frontline workers. The authors in the December edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal share various ways readers (aka leaders) can build strength and resilience within their workforces and structures.

How Technology Systems Impact Critical Infrastructure

Nathan DiPillo and Paul Galyen December 21, 2022

Operational technology systems that run many critical infrastructure functions are becoming more dependent on information technology. As these worlds converge, emergency preparedness professionals must address the related security challenges. This article shares some lessons learned and uses a foundational knowledge of the topic to inspire possible solutions.

Implementing “Stop the Bleed” for Future K-12 Educators

Will Brewer, Peggy Bergeron and Wayne Bergeron December 14, 2022

How have recent school shootings impacted future K-12 educators and what new skills will help better prepare them for potential threats? One study at the University of North Alabama combined training and research to answer this question.

Value of Enterprise Data Management in Emergency Management

Anne Marie Smith December 7, 2022

An enterprise data management program emphasizes the importance of managing information as an asset and protecting it from misuse or loss. Knowing the landscape of data and how to manage it is critical to an organization’s recovery and sustainability after a disaster. This article explains the need to coordinate data

Maintaining a Strong Volunteer Force

Kristina Hamilton December 7, 2022

Volunteers are a lifeline for many nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies during emergencies and disasters. However, recruiting and retaining good volunteers can be difficult. This article shares some simple strategies and tools for any emergency preparedness professional seeking to build and maintain a strong volunteer force.

“Moneyball” for the Wildland Fire System

Matthew Thompson and Erin Belval November 24, 2022

The wildfire management community has made great strides incorporating new decision support tools into how it plans for and responds to wildfire incidents. Despite improvements in risk assessment and management at the incident scale, increasing fire activity and critical resource shortages reveal a system under strain in need of strategies

Switch to Online Enables Active Shooter Training for All

Michael Melton November 16, 2022

Since the emergence of COVID-19, many trainings have had to adapt to an online presence. In one case, an active shooter training not only successfully transitioned to support the online delivery of these skills, but the developer embraced it and has now made it publicly available for everyone.

Power Outages, Communication Failures & Healthcare

Daniel Rector November 9, 2022

All disasters have a health aspect, and all disasters, exercises, responses, and recoveries are deeply dependent on technology and communications. Two large-scale disasters affecting much of the United States – Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Sandy (2012) – provide vast amounts of documentation on the significant technological challenges that arose. In

Training the Next Generation of Cyber Guardians

Steve Stein November 2, 2022

Despite small local governments being overrun with malware, ransomware, and myriad other threats, it is difficult to find experienced cybersecurity professionals. Meanwhile, students search for nonexistent entry-level jobs. One Washington State-based nonprofit is seeking to close this cybersecurity gap.

Nuclear Threats Against the Homeland: Impact and Preparation

Tanya M. Scherr, Dan Scherr and Richard Schoeberl November 2, 2022

How the war in Ukraine will end is unclear. However, research shows that there is the potential for devastating effects on a global scale. As such, it is important for emergency planners to reassess their all-hazards plans to ensure their communities identify the threats and ensure their planning processes include

Rationale for Structuring Pandemic Response on a War Footing

Thomas Russo October 26, 2022

Given 20 years of pandemic planning, is it not surprising when people ask, “Why were we not ready?” This question should be explored whether the time has come to put the country on a warlike footing for pandemic response with a coherent, institutionalized, and tested pandemic policy.

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