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.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six Americans suffer from food poisoning each year; most of those cases are attributed to familiar pathogens like Salmonella. However, the deadliest U.S. foodborne disease outbreak in nearly a century was caused by a lesser known, but much more fatal bacteria in 2011 – Listeria monocytogenes.
The adaptability of the Incident Command System makes it a valuable tool for a variety of agencies and organizations. During fire incidents, for example, fatality rates at healthcare facilities such as nursing and assisted living homes could be reduced if proper procedures are in place for managing the special needs of these vulnerable populations.
Despite punishing hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Florida, the 2022 season has been relatively quiet for much of the Gulf coast and Atlantic seaboard. This article describes the resources that help communities mitigate risk now before the next hurricane season.
An essential national incident management guidance document is finally available to responders nationwide. This document will significantly improve a unified response to and recovery from large-scale incidents. However, additional work is needed to create an enhanced unity of effort and fully integrated response among federal, state, and local responders.
For understandable reasons, major disasters – e.g., earthquakes and tsunamis – get most of the headlines and more of the public funds available even in economically difficult times. Local jurisdictions would be well advised, therefore, not only to focus greater attention on emergencies closer to home but also to ask for neighborly assistance if and when needed.
Globally, government agencies are at a nexus in how to plan for and address society’s dependence on infrastructure to sustain economies, support and protect people, and implement strategies to provide for an appropriate level of reinvestment. Partnerships with the private financial world would help develop an effective framework for investments and acceptance of risk.
A multi-year pandemic has resulted in organizations looking to reframe traditional workforce management practices to retain seasoned staff and prevent burnout. To address these issues, state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management offices can consider implementing workplace engagement strategies to address the mental and physical health concerns resulting from this type of work and reduce sources of psychological distress.
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.
Technology and sensor innovation must be interoperable across jurisdictions. Look how much global sensor networks for disaster warnings have evolved internationally since 2009.
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. 