COMMUNICATION & INTEROPERABILITY ARCHIVES
Ready & Able – But Not Always Willing
Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek
October 9, 2013
Public health agencies play a central role in responding to many different types of manmade and natural emergency situations – including, but not limited to, outbreaks of pandemic influenza, biological attacks, radiological incidents/events, and extreme weather emergencies. Unfortunately, the increased number of multi-casualty incidents in recent years (e.g., the 9/11
Public Health Response & Emergency Management Planning
Patrick P. Rose
October 9, 2013
Most disaster responses necessarily include a public health component. Emergency managers must always be aware of that fact when dealing with emerging threats and their possible consequences. By incorporating a public health response into emergency management planning, the nation will be much better prepared for the next pandemic or biological
Operationalizing the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure Resilience
Dane Egli and John Contestabile
September 25, 2013
Defining “resilience” is one challenge; putting it into action is another one, more difficult and more complex. The Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory is addressing both challenges, and recently asked a broad spectrum of thought leaders to help strengthen the nation’s ability “to adapt, withstand, and recover.”
Building Resilience Early & Geographically
Stephen McElroy
September 11, 2013
Earthquakes have changed the course of rivers, tornadoes have uprooted and moved trees and homes, and other types of disasters have caused terrain and geographical changes that made it difficult for residents to recognize their own neighborhoods. Geographic information systems offer emergency managers and responders a valuable tool to help
A Network of Interoperability
Charles L. Werner
September 11, 2013
The Charlottesville Fire Department has been able to turn a difficult and labor-intensive task into a relatively simple daily routine. Having the right tools to communicate with other organizations, and to receive timely and accurate information, makes incident command operations easier to manage.
Mitigating Risk: Protecting & Defending Critical Infrastructure
Natalie Lehr
September 4, 2013
Many facilities and services that are particularly critical for communities to function at full capacity are also vulnerable to both physical and intellectual harm. One solution to this problem is a unified management approach to protect the capital assets and business relationships needed to continue providing all essential services and
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.
Nuclear Meltdown – The Need for Timely & Honest Information
Janette D. Sherman and Joseph J. Mangano
August 14, 2013
Similarities can be drawn between two nuclear disasters that occurred 27 years apart, in different countries. Dealing with a nuclear disaster in the United States or elsewhere still requires having accurate information – which must be delivered in time to help emergency responders deal with potentially major consequences. As long
Hackers & Federal Agencies: Broken Connections
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
July 31, 2013
Recent leaks about government surveillance programs that track U.S. and U.K. phone calls and internet communications have raised major concerns over the privacy of personal communications. There may be even greater difficulties, though, if current ties between the federal government and the U.S. “hacker” community are weakened or, perhaps, severed
A Major Step Forward: Private Sector Resilience Coordination
Joseph W. Trindal
July 24, 2013
Emergency operation centers are no longer the exclusive property of government agencies. Various states are now incorporating centers that specifically focus on the private sector stakeholders the Business Emergency Management Operations Center in Washington, D.C., is one of the latest additions to a growing trend.
Seeing National Preparedness Through the Public Health Lens
Raphael M. Barishansky
July 17, 2013
Lee caused less damage and fewer fatalities, but vigorously reinforced the lethal lessons learned from Irene less than two months ago – namely, that: (a) There is absolutely no substitute for advance planning; (b) Planning must be as totally comprehensive, in every way, as is humanly possible; and (c)That saving
A Roadmap for Improving Cyber Preparedness
Monica Giovachino and Sarah Tidman
July 10, 2013
The U.S. information security and technology communities are no longer solely responsible for protecting critical infrastructure from cyber threats – emergency managers also play an increasingly important role in that task. Increasing the overall level of cyber preparedness therefore requires closer coordination, information sharing, and effective planning, as well as
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