Most recently published

Space Aliens – Emergency Management Roles & Responsibilities
Michael Prasad
October 27, 2021
Planning for the emergency management needs of space aliens on Earth, in terms of their well-being before, during, and after disasters could be the plot of a science fiction movie script. The movie District 9 has a similar premise: the aliens that arrived on Planet Earth were not warriors, but

The Future of Emergency Management: Managing Scarcity
Robert J. (Bob) Roller
October 20, 2021
The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters coupled with the reemergence of military threats from peer and near-peer adversaries overseas will greatly reduce the ability of emergency managers to meet the needs of disaster survivors.

It Is Time to Adopt & Implement Resilient Building Codes
Dominic Sims, Pete Gaynor and Craig Fugate
October 20, 2021
As a result of the changing climate, natural hazards like hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires are expected to continue to increase in both intensity and frequency. Therefore, it is critical that communities around the globe prioritize increasing their overall resiliency.

Afghanistan – A Haven for Violent Extremism
Anthony L. Clark, Richard Schoeberl and Anthony (Tony) Mottola
October 6, 2021
The rapid collapse of Afghanistan creates uncertainty and fears around how swiftly the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaida can rebuild, mobilize, and plan attacks on the West under a Taliban-led government. As conflict breeds instability, volatility will certainly follow the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. There will likely be a reconstitution

Influence of Aum Shinrikyo on the U.S. Emergency Response
Bobby Baker Jr.
September 29, 2021
Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it is essential to not only remember that fateful day, but to highlight the events that precipitated it, examine lessons learned and policies established, and consider programs and policies needed to sustain prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities in the

Never Forget: Focusing Events & Opportunity for Change
Nim Kidd
September 22, 2021
Devastating events can open windows of opportunity. In emergency management, focusing events like 9/11 create opportunities for change. Tragedies like 9/11 or devastating hurricanes create a flurry of activity in the short period that follows. This activity typically involves conversations about how to make things better or make change. However,

September 11 – Remembrance & Recovery
Anthony S. Mangeri
September 15, 2021
It is difficult to imagine that the attacks of 9/11 occurred 20 years ago. Emergency managers build systems to mitigate the potential impacts of disasters on communities. An emergency manager’s job is to plan for the worst and prepare communities for that one moment when it is time to lead.

Security Lessons Learned – Part 2, Las Vegas Shootings
Daniel Rector
September 8, 2021
Many of the previous stories and after-action reviews conducted for the 2017 Las Vegas shootings have focused on organizers’ and public safety officials’ responses in the aftermath of the attack. In contrast, this article focuses on the events’ security strengths and weaknesses and then offers recommendations for other event planners

Security Lessons Learned – Part 1, Boston Marathon Bombings
Daniel Rector
September 1, 2021
Acts of terrorism continue to affect communities worldwide. As the public tries to retain a semblance of everyday life by attending outdoor events, emergency planners must adapt to new intelligence and learn from past attacks. A review of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings identifies the event security plans’ strengths and

Pandemic Preparedness, From A Local and State Perspective
Nim Kidd, Carol Moehrle and Judson Freed
August 31, 2021
In cooperation with the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), DomPrep is please to produce and host a ninety-minute (90) audio conversation that will discuss the pandemic and other concurrent incidents.

COVID-19: Impact on Financial Fraud
Michael Breslin
August 25, 2021
The past 16 months have been challenging. COVID-19 left a trail of destruction and a tremendous loss of life. It has had an impact on almost every aspect of daily life. The economy, supply chains, social norms, schools, and places of worship were all affected. The pandemic also led to

Emergency Management Projects in a Quasi-Pandemic World
Sarah Keally
August 18, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic put many projects on hold and stalled efforts to build the workforce and train the next generation. Now that agencies are revisiting pre-pandemic projects, the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management in Virginia offers a best practices approach for introducing internship programs and filling critical operational and

Another Opportunity to Prepare for Quarantines
Robert C. Hutchinson
November 10, 2021
An article published in 2013 discussed the considerable challenges of quarantine order implementation and enforcement during a future pandemic or other serious threats to public health. That discussion was after the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), but before the re-emergence of the

Space Aliens – Emergency Management Roles & Responsibilities
Michael Prasad
October 27, 2021
Planning for the emergency management needs of space aliens on Earth, in terms of their well-being before, during, and after disasters could be the plot of a science fiction movie script. The movie District 9 has a similar premise: the aliens that arrived on Planet Earth were not warriors, but

The Future of Emergency Management: Managing Scarcity
Robert J. (Bob) Roller
October 20, 2021
The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters coupled with the reemergence of military threats from peer and near-peer adversaries overseas will greatly reduce the ability of emergency managers to meet the needs of disaster survivors.

It Is Time to Adopt & Implement Resilient Building Codes
Dominic Sims, Pete Gaynor and Craig Fugate
October 20, 2021
As a result of the changing climate, natural hazards like hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires are expected to continue to increase in both intensity and frequency. Therefore, it is critical that communities around the globe prioritize increasing their overall resiliency.

Afghanistan – A Haven for Violent Extremism
Anthony L. Clark, Richard Schoeberl and Anthony (Tony) Mottola
October 6, 2021
The rapid collapse of Afghanistan creates uncertainty and fears around how swiftly the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaida can rebuild, mobilize, and plan attacks on the West under a Taliban-led government. As conflict breeds instability, volatility will certainly follow the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. There will likely be a reconstitution

Influence of Aum Shinrikyo on the U.S. Emergency Response
Bobby Baker Jr.
September 29, 2021
Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it is essential to not only remember that fateful day, but to highlight the events that precipitated it, examine lessons learned and policies established, and consider programs and policies needed to sustain prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities in the

Never Forget: Focusing Events & Opportunity for Change
Nim Kidd
September 22, 2021
Devastating events can open windows of opportunity. In emergency management, focusing events like 9/11 create opportunities for change. Tragedies like 9/11 or devastating hurricanes create a flurry of activity in the short period that follows. This activity typically involves conversations about how to make things better or make change. However,

September 11 – Remembrance & Recovery
Anthony S. Mangeri
September 15, 2021
It is difficult to imagine that the attacks of 9/11 occurred 20 years ago. Emergency managers build systems to mitigate the potential impacts of disasters on communities. An emergency manager’s job is to plan for the worst and prepare communities for that one moment when it is time to lead.

Security Lessons Learned – Part 2, Las Vegas Shootings
Daniel Rector
September 8, 2021
Many of the previous stories and after-action reviews conducted for the 2017 Las Vegas shootings have focused on organizers’ and public safety officials’ responses in the aftermath of the attack. In contrast, this article focuses on the events’ security strengths and weaknesses and then offers recommendations for other event planners

Security Lessons Learned – Part 1, Boston Marathon Bombings
Daniel Rector
September 1, 2021
Acts of terrorism continue to affect communities worldwide. As the public tries to retain a semblance of everyday life by attending outdoor events, emergency planners must adapt to new intelligence and learn from past attacks. A review of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings identifies the event security plans’ strengths and

Pandemic Preparedness, From A Local and State Perspective
Nim Kidd, Carol Moehrle and Judson Freed
August 31, 2021
In cooperation with the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), DomPrep is please to produce and host a ninety-minute (90) audio conversation that will discuss the pandemic and other concurrent incidents.

COVID-19: Impact on Financial Fraud
Michael Breslin
August 25, 2021
The past 16 months have been challenging. COVID-19 left a trail of destruction and a tremendous loss of life. It has had an impact on almost every aspect of daily life. The economy, supply chains, social norms, schools, and places of worship were all affected. The pandemic also led to
Psychological Effects of COVID-19 on Frontline Workers
Hannah Bennett
August 4, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the lives of healthcare workers and first responders – impacts they are still feeling. As workers on the frontlines, these people took a harder hit than the rest of the American population when COVID-19 swept across the nation. Several studies have shown that the pandemic
Red Teaming for Disaster Preparedness
Kole (KC) Campbell
July 28, 2021
Many companies and government offices were unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic and sustained lockdowns, despite years of warnings and guidance from experts and the federal government. This lack of preparedness cost companies dearly, from delays in setting up work from home software to supply chain disruptions that could have been
Telecommunication Overload – The 2021 Edition
Erik Westgard
July 21, 2021
“Telecommunication overload” is a commonly used term that is a regular feature of various emergency scenarios. However, one fact needs to be remembered. Although some copper carrier network pieces are still in place in the United States, nearly all new investment is going into fiber backbones and updated wireless services.
Start or Restart VOADs/COADs During the Preparedness Phase
Michael Prasad
July 14, 2021
Volunteer and community organizations active in disaster (VOADs/COADs) operate best by using their four C’s: cooperation, coordination, collaboration, and communication. Emergency managers can build or strengthen this whole community capability in their own jurisdictions through public-private partnerships (PPPs), by performing the four E’s – empower, endow, educate, and entrust.
Situational Awareness for Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
Akshay Birla
July 7, 2021
In an emergency response, multiple groups of stakeholders such as city, county, state, and federal agencies are brought together to solve a crisis or execute a mission. While groups of individuals from within an agency may have a shared understanding of their mission, organization, hierarchy, and norms of engagement, proper
The Other Life of Command Trucks
Erik Westgard
June 23, 2021
For many years, large outdoor sporting events have requested government and nongovernment organization mobile command and communications trucks to support races. Although traditionally used by incident commanders, volunteer amateur radio groups have found various ways to collaborate during special events and use these resources in Minneapolis, Minnesota to support medical
Online & Social Media Risks – Protecting Children, Part 2
Michael Breslin and Robert Lowery Jr.
June 16, 2021
The nation has experienced unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic given the requisite need for social distancing and isolation experienced from stay-at-home orders. Daily lives were transformed. For homebound children, this was disruptive and changed daily routines. While at home, children engaged in a variety of safe and supervised
Online & Social Media Risks – Protecting Children, Part 1
Michael Breslin and Robert Lowery Jr.
June 9, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic brought child predators into people’s homes. In the critical areas of human trafficking and child exploitation, the risks to children increased due to criminals shifting their methods and techniques to online streaming services. Increased virtual learning and stay-home mandates forced children to transition from a classroom environment
Fixing America’s Healthcare Supply Chain
James M. Rush Sr.
June 2, 2021
The buildup to World War II illustrated the negative effect that huge wartime demand for medical supplies, equipment, and pharmaceuticals had on public and private healthcare systems in the United States. After the war, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) began building and pre-positioning federally owned medical materiel in storage depots
Impact of Critical Biosecurity Reports – Uncertainty Remains
Robert C. Hutchinson
May 26, 2021
Domestic Preparedness published an article in 2016 discussing the uncertain impact of several biosecurity reports on national planning and preparedness for biosecurity and pandemic threats. The article focused on the consistent and repeated warnings of the consequences for failing to plan and prepare for a multitude of biosecurity threats. The
Revisiting Face Masks Near the End of a Long Journey
David Mayfield
May 19, 2021
On 11 March 2021, the world reached a dubious milestone – one year since the World Health Organization (WHO) first declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Soon after that declaration, a large portion of the world shut down. In the 12 months that followed, community stakeholders have become relatively well-versed in
Post-Hazard Event Airport Recovery
Jaskanwal P. S. Chhabra, Greg Brunelle, Youngsuk Kim, Junichi Sakai and Deepak Pant
May 12, 2021
The role airports play in the world is critical. Even a minor disruption to their operations has immediate cascading impacts, which can be familiar to anyone who has experienced a delayed departure and the dreaded “Will I make my connection?” stress that follows. However, airport disruptions create far greater economic
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