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NamUs: Narrowing the Search for Missing Persons

Joseph Cahill November 6, 2013
Law enforcement officers, medical examiners, and coroners are now able to accumulate more data more quickly in their efforts to solve missing-person cases. Moreover, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System not only provides a wealth of helpful information to public agencies but also empowers families to help locate their

When the First Down Becomes the Worst Down

Joseph Cahill October 2, 2013
Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are available in many modern venues, but are still underutilized. By building awareness and training for AED use as well as understanding the plans and procedures in place for managing such emergencies, school staff can increase the survival rates of young athletes who suffer from cardiac

Worst-Case Scenarios: Sudden & Total Isolation

Joseph Cahill September 4, 2013
The setting of national standards for the personal protective equipment worn and training received by first responders working in a hazardous-materials environment is a positive step forward.

Staple Foods, Grain Tonnages & Daring Rescues

Joseph Cahill August 7, 2013
It takes special equipment, and specially trained people, to rescue anyone trapped in a massive silo containing thousands of bushels of grain. Knowing what to do and how to do it – safely and successfully – could prevent fatalities caused by suffocation, toxic inhalation, or even an explosion.

The Island Life – Isolated But Not Alone

Joseph Cahill July 10, 2013
Public health emergencies, including infectious disease and natural disasters, are issues that every community faces. To address these threats, it is critical for all jurisdictions to understand how law can be used to enhance public health preparedness, as well as improve coordination and collaboration across jurisdictions. As sovereign entities, tribal

Protecting Water, Diluting Threats, Saving Lives

Joseph Cahill June 5, 2013
Water, water everywhere, and all of it fit to drink. Reservoirs supply drinking water to communities throughout the United States. Protecting such a large area, including the surrounding land, poses many challenges and raises red flags when unauthorized visitors come too close.

Specialized Teams Meet Unique Challenges

Joseph Cahill May 1, 2013
People, weather disasters, terrorist attacks, and other criminal activities are inherently unpredictable. Which does not mean that law-enforcement and healthcare agencies cannot prepare for them by using the “special events” calendar as a training curriculum.

The Dangerous New World of the Social/Anti-Social Media

Joseph Cahill April 3, 2013
Civilian responders have successfully acquired many skills that were originally developed by military services. Situational awareness is one such skill that would be beneficial to adapt to the civilian members of the emergency medical services. Maintaining a heightened sense of awareness would help responders stay “in the loop.”

Staying Ahead of ‘The Big One’

Joseph Cahill March 6, 2013
When the average citizen is confronted by an emergency situation beyond the routine, he or she is usually overwhelmed and forced to rely on emergency responders to take command and re-establish control. Unfortunately, the first responders themselves do not always have the same option. Their first task, usually, is to

The Timely Art of Declaring a Public Health Emergency

Joseph Cahill February 6, 2013
Swine flu, bird flu, and pandemic flu have been widely publicized by the news media over the past decade. Public health and emergency management officials walk a tight line, though, between the risk, on the one hand, of sounding an alarm prematurely and, on the other, of missing the pivotal

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Article Out Loud – Malicious and Non-Malicious Cyber Incidents: Education and Preparation

October 9, 2024
Full article by Dan Scherr and Tanya Scherr, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness. In this featured article, two university professors describe the responsibility that organizations and their employees have in preventing cyberattacks. To ensure cyber resilience, disaster planning must include stakeholders across the organization. Learn more about hackers’

Article Out Loud – Securing Cities: The Fight Against Local Level Cyberthreats

October 2, 2024
  Full article by Michael Breslin, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, October 2, 2024. In this feature article, a cyber investigations specialist with extensive law enforcement experience describes how cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. At the local level, it forms the bedrock of the collective digital safety and

Article Out Loud – Thwarting Terrorist Threats at Home

September 25, 2024
  Full article by Richard Schoeberl, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 25, 2024. In this feature article, a terrorism expert with over 30 years of law enforcement experience revisits the events leading up to the September 11 attacks. Although the U.S. has not experienced another terrorist attack

Article Out Loud – Responder Fatigue: A Growing Concern

September 18, 2024
  Full article by Dan Scherr and Tanya Scherr, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 18, 2024. In this feature article, two public policy administration experts address a growing concern about responder fatigue. Emergencies require immediate action by people trained to extinguish fires, treat injuries, protect the public,

Article Out Loud – Crisis Communications: Reaching Teens and Young Adults

September 18, 2024
  Full article by Barrett Cappetto, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 18, 2024. In this feature article, a pipeline controller responsible for coordinating control center security and operational readiness shares some crisis communications research. Generation Z and millennials encompass almost half of the world’s population, and their

Article Out Loud – AI and 911 Call Systems: A New Ally or a Hidden Risk?

September 11, 2024
  Full article by Michael Breslin, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 11, 2024. In this feature article, a retired federal law enforcement senior executive describes how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the landscape by increasing efficiencies and risks. As unexpected events can strike at any moment, the

Article Out Loud – Security in and Around D.C.: Following the Informational Dots

September 11, 2024
  Full article by Catherine L. Feinman, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 11, 2024. In this feature article, the editor-in-chief of Domestic Preparedness shares her key takeaways from a recent interoperability summit focused on Preparing for the 60th Presidential Inauguration. Public safety agencies shared their lessons learned
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Domestic Preparedness

2883 Highway 71 E
P.O. Box 285
Del Valle, TX 78617-9998

Editorial Statement

Founded in 1998, Domestic Preparedness continues to be a pioneering thought leader in the emergency preparedness, response, and recovery space. The multidisciplinary editorial focus helps professionals acquire critical information to develop collaborative, real-world solutions. With relevant, multidisciplinary, whole-community intelligence from the front lines, practitioners can learn from diverse perspectives. The authoritative, practitioner-centered, multimedia information platform disseminates intelligence the way busy management-level public- and private-sector professionals want to learn. This is the trusted source for content written by practitioners, for practitioners, with relevant, real-world best practices.

DomesticPreparedness.com, the Domestic Preparedness Journal and the Weekly Brief include facts, views, opinions, and recommendations of individuals and organizations deemed of interest. The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas A&M University System do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of, or otherwise endorse, these views, facts, opinions or recommendations.
©2025 Texas Division of Emergency Management

Domestic Preparedness

2883 Highway 71E

P.O. Box 285

Del Valle, TX 78617-9998

Editorial Statement

Founded in 1998, Domestic Preparedness continues to be a pioneering thought leader in the emergency preparedness, response, and recovery space. The multidisciplinary editorial focus helps professionals acquire critical information to develop collaborative, real-world solutions. With relevant, multidisciplinary, whole-community intelligence from the front lines, practitioners can learn from diverse perspectives. The authoritative, practitioner-centered, multimedia information platform disseminates intelligence the way busy management-level public- and private-sector professionals want to learn. This is the trusted source for content written by practitioners, for practitioners, with relevant, real-world best practices.

DomesticPreparedness.com, the Domestic Preparedness Journal and the Weekly Brief include facts, views, opinions, and recommendations of individuals and organizations deemed of interest. The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas A&M University System do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of, or otherwise endorse, these views, facts, opinions or recommendations.
©2025 Texas Division of Emergency Management
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