FIRE
A Regional Approach to Public Safety Communications Planning
- Charles (Charley) Bryson
Despite significant investments in public safety, critical training gaps for first responders persist. Regional planning committees, established by the FCC in the 1980s to manage public safety radio frequencies, remain key to improving interoperability. Learn about ongoing efforts—both regional and national—to close communication gaps and improve coordinated emergency response.
MOST Recent
Farm to Power: New Hazards in Rural Communities
Russ Kane
March 26, 2025
In the interest of reducing methane pollution and establishing a revenue stream for a renewable resource, dairy and livestock operators are creating mechanisms to produce compressed natural gas. This new technology reduces greenhouse gases but also introduces new hazards to rural communities.
Evolution of a Critical Emergency Response Tool
Jamie Hannan and Kristina Clark
January 8, 2025
During a derecho in May 2024, Texas agencies contacted and conducted wellness checks on residents with disabilities or with functional and access needs. One tool facilitated the process, sharing critical information about registrants to the emergency responders and planners who needed to know.
Protecting Critical Infrastructure From Weaponized Drones
David Winks, Steve Chill, Frederick Ferrer, Michael J. "Apollo" Lovell, Mike Swearingen and Mary Lasky
December 4, 2024
Electricity substations are traditionally only protected by chain link fences and signage warning of the dangers of high voltage. However, this still leaves property vulnerable, especially to weaponized drones attacking from above, a mode of terrorism being used more extensively across the world and at home.
National Laboratory Partnerships: Linking Operations and Research
Ryan Eddy and Ann Lesperance
September 25, 2024
The September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 spurred a pivotal change in the way the U.S. approaches preparedness for threats to the homeland. In recognition of National Preparedness Month, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory showcases how national laboratories address homeland security threats by developing the technology and other resources first
FIRE Archives
Dual-World Tabletop Exercises: Addressing Unmet Infrastructure Needs
Charles (Chuck) L. Manto
August 21, 2024
The U.S. critical infrastructure is vulnerable to many forms of cyber and electromagnetic threats. This article presents a new tabletop exercise concept for addressing these
Volunteers: Incident Management Assets or Liabilities?
David Wells
July 31, 2024
Responses are often only effective if volunteers and their teams are properly trained, prepared, motivated, and deployed. One faith-based organization has refined these criteria over
The Key Bridge Collapse – Through the Lens of Community Lifelines
Michael Prasad
July 17, 2024
The eight major elements of Community Lifelines use traffic-light-type color-coding to categorize the adverse impact status of a disaster. The article’s author has applied this
Five Key Domains of Incident Management
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg
July 10, 2024
Effective incident management is a set of activities, not policy box-ticking of doctrine that may or may not be followed. A new free toolkit based
The Maui Wildfires, Relief Funds, and Incident Recovery
Douglas (Doug) Stockham
July 10, 2024
Financial preplanning goes beyond savings accounts and life insurance policies. When a disaster strikes, some people do not have these protections nor the financial means
Jane Doe – Responding to Vulnerable Patients
Catherine L. Feinman
June 26, 2024
Despite the prevalence of first responders encountering human trafficking victims, they are not always aware of the signs or proper handling of the situation to
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FIRE
Most Recent
AI Software in 911 Dispatch Centers: An Innovative Solution
Tanya M. Scherr
April 2, 2025
Coupled with continued staffing challenges, mental health and work-life balance difficulties in emergency call centers are cause for concern. By
Farm to Power: New Hazards in Rural Communities
Russ Kane
March 26, 2025
In the interest of reducing methane pollution and establishing a revenue stream for a renewable resource, dairy and livestock operators
Evolution of a Critical Emergency Response Tool
Jamie Hannan and Kristina Clark
January 8, 2025
During a derecho in May 2024, Texas agencies contacted and conducted wellness checks on residents with disabilities or with functional
Protecting Critical Infrastructure From Weaponized Drones
David Winks, Steve Chill, Frederick Ferrer, Michael J. "Apollo" Lovell, Mike Swearingen and Mary Lasky
December 4, 2024
Electricity substations are traditionally only protected by chain link fences and signage warning of the dangers of high voltage. However,
Fire Archives
Mental Awareness to Enhance Preparedness
Andrew (Andy) Altizer
April 17, 2024
Emergency managers, public health officials, and first responders often stress the importance of physical fitness, but what about mental fitness? Without focused mental agility in
Dungeons and Disasters: Gamification of Public Health Responses
Michael Etzel and Michael Prasad
April 10, 2024
New technologies offer new ways to train personnel and exercise public health responses like COVID-19 and prepare response agencies for many other threats and hazards.
Interoperability During Mass Casualty Incidents
Charles J. Guddemi and Catherine L. Feinman
April 3, 2024
During a mass casualty incident, response agencies must be able to communicate in real-time. This means that interoperability plans need to include everyone involved in
Support and Planning Inside 911 Centers
Heather McGaffin
March 13, 2024
In an emergency, call 911. This simple instruction is easy to remember, but many do not know about the people, training, and technology required to
A Foreign Government, Oprah, and Fires in Maui: The Impact of Misinformation on Community Resiliency
Marek N. Posard and Jessica Jensen
February 21, 2024
A misinformation campaign spurred rumors that Oprah Winfrey caused the August 2023 wildfires in Maui. Foreign actors are drawn to spreading such rumors because social
Protecting Infrastructure – Cyber, Physical, and EMP Attacks
David Winks
February 21, 2024
Imagine 3,500 spiders, each with their own style, getting together to create a giant web. That’s how this author describes the U.S. power grid and
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