PUBLIC HEALTH ARCHIVES
Tailoring an Emergency Operations Plan
Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek
March 2, 2011
The old tailor’s maxim – “Measure twice; cut once” – is also a suitable approach to the writing of an all-hazards Emergency Operations Plan for a health department. Here is a comprehensive and easy-to-follow guide to the planning, writing, reviewing, and approval processes necessary to the drafting, development, and dissemination
When High-Tech Fails: Back to Plan B
Joseph Cahill
March 2, 2011
Modern communications systems are a marvel to behold – and to use. And they keep getting better, generation after generation. The only problem, though, is that they sometimes fail, for inexplicable reasons and at the worst possible times. Which is why a backup system (pen and paper, perhaps?) is still
Public Health Emergency Resilience: The Next Challenging Step
Bruce Clements
February 23, 2011
The four keys to maintaining and improving the nation’s public health and emergency preparedness, according to HSPD-21 and other policy directives, are improved capabilities in bio-surveillance, countermeasures distribution, mass-casualty care, and community resilience. Considerable progress has been made in upgrading the first three of those essential “components” – but the
The Missing Leg of a Well Balanced Facility Security Platform
Joseph W. Trindal
February 23, 2011
The protection of high-value sites is one of the principal tasks spelled out in federal, state, local, and private-sector resilience policies and programs – most of which focus primarily on risk assessments, advance planning, and the implementation of effective security measures. A “fourth leg” – functional security testing – is
Pre-Exposure Anthrax Vaccination: A Horse & Cart Situation
Thomas K. Zink
February 9, 2011
On one side of the scale is “probably less than one gram of anthrax.” On the other side are an estimated six million doses of vaccine thrown away each year – as well as, quite possibly, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. It says here that the
Air National Guard Resumes Life-Saving CCATT Mission
Ellen Krenke
February 9, 2011
Despite facing some of the most deadly combat environments in the nation’s history, the d”saved rate” of forward-deployed U.S. military units on the frequently shifting battleground in Pakistan and Afghanistan is also at a record high – thanks in large part to the medics/corpsmen, doctors, nurses, and CCATT-enriched aerovac units
Disaster Resilience: An Emergency Manager’s Perspective
Kay C. Goss
February 9, 2011
Like the forward pass in football, “Resilience” was once a vague notion, theoretical concept, and interesting afterthought. In the past several years, though, it has become both the firm foundation for and operational imperative of a truly comprehensive preparedness plan. Here are some relevant comments from one of the nation’s
FINAL REPORT: Medical Countermeasures for Large-Scale Biological Attacks
Robert Kadlec
January 26, 2011
Not surprisingly, and despite minor differences of opinion on other questions, career homeland-security professionals and DPJ readers agree in general that there will be another terrorist attack against the United States “within the next 10 years.” What to do about it, though – particularly to be better prepared ahead of
Health/Medical Factors Critical in Pre-Planned Events
Raphael M. Barishansky
January 19, 2011
FEMA, the FBI, and the Secret Service have primary jurisdiction, appropriately, for the safety of National Special Security Events. But the literally life-or-death responsibilities of local medical and healthcare facilities and personnel mandates that they also are fully included in the long-range planning sessions preceding such events.
Using Virtual Worlds to Plan for Real World Challenges
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
January 12, 2011
The battle of Waterloo was won, Wellington said, “on the playing fields of Eton.” Today’s high-tech playing fields – simulators and training devices, primarily – are somewhat less vigorous, but arguably much more important and can be used to train veritable armies of professional responders, either as individuals or as
Should U.S. ‘Take Out’ Julian Assange
Neil C. Livingstone
January 5, 2011
If not, why not? There are good reasons, both pro and con. And is Assange the only culprit? Also, why are senior U.S. officials hiding behind reassuring comments that provide little or no comfort to U.S. allies throughout the world – and/or to the American people, either. Finally, at a
Intelligent EOC Design: Today & Tomorrow
James (Jim) Fulton
December 22, 2010
In ancient times – more specifically, the late 20th century – the emergency operations center was often whatever room at police headquarters, or in the Town Hall, happened to be vacant when the tornado struck. Today it is a well designed and properly equipped almost tailor-made space ready for use
Follow Us
Get Instant Access
Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.
