SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ARCHIVES
Public Health Preparedness Realities
Raphael M. Barishansky and Seth Komansky
February 17, 2016
The term “situational awareness” typically conjures images of emergency responders on the scene of a complex incident with many emergency vehicles and various levels of activity, both command and operationally oriented. Public health normally does not enter into the equation, but perhaps it is time to change that thinking.
State of Preparedness 2016: Children & Child Care
Andrew R. Roszak
February 10, 2016
By 30 September 2016, all states will be required to create child care disaster plans under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, which include procedures for facilities to: evacuate; relocate; shelter-in-place; lock-down; communicate; reunify families; continue operations; and accommodate infants, toddlers, and children with additional physical, mental, or
Status of Preparedness: Emergency Medical Services
Seth Komansky
February 10, 2016
Responders in the pre-hospital emergency medical field must be in a state of readiness at all times. Working on the front lines of an emergency incident requires the ability to leverage external resources, the determination to harden operations, and the skillfulness to manage patient surge.
Fire Department Preparedness Made Simple
Michael E. Cox Jr.
February 9, 2016
In the fire service, it is time for leaders to think strategically, challenge long-held assumptions, and move beyond the “norm,” to ensure that their communities are fully prepared for any emergency or incident they may encounter. This can be achieved through careful planning, effective communication, and extensive training.
Development of Metrics for Personal Preparedness
Shannan Saunders, Jeff Hayes, Daniel Ellis, Dolph Diemont, Megan Chamberlain, Bruce Lockwood, Randy Robertson and Meloyde Batten-Mickens
January 27, 2016
Many emergency management agencies provide valuable information to assist individuals within their communities to prepare for a variety of disasters. However, a method for measuring the success of such programs is needed to determine their effectiveness and to develop new programs to ensure community resilience.
What the ‘Whole Community’ Means to the Whole Community
Richard Serino and Jennifer Grimes
January 27, 2016
Disaster response involves the whole community. To support a united effort, leaders must build a network of trust, establish a history and habit of cooperation, and learn the goals and vulnerabilities of stakeholders. By asking a few key questions, leaders can expand the sphere of their preparedness, response, and recovery
Whole Community – A Five-Year Look Back
Catherine L. Feinman
January 27, 2016
Over the past five years, the term “Whole Community” has become a common catch phrase. However, the question is, “How well is this concept being implemented?” On 16 November 2015, DomPrep hosted a roundtable discussion with subject matter experts to answer this question and share key takeaways and suggestions for
Four Steps to Improve Whole Community
Vincent B. Davis
January 20, 2016
The whole community concept has come a long way over the past five years, but it is time for the mission focus and community outreach to change with the changing needs of the target populations. To effectively make these changes, the effort will require establishing measurable benchmarks and creatively collaborating
Bleeding Control – The Next Step in Active Shooter Guidance
Birch X. Barron
January 20, 2016
Military methods used for bleeding control on the battlefield can be just as effective on the scene of an active shooter, terrorist attack, or other mass casualty incident. It is time to teach these methods to anyone who may someday find himself or herself in a position to save a
Innovations in Healthcare Disaster Management for Veterans
Jessica Wambach Brown
January 12, 2016
Although fewer than 40 percent of U.S. veterans receive care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the agency strives to have broad access to reliable medical care during a disaster. The Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center and its partners are exploring ways to improve healthcare resilience both inside
Uncertain Impact of Critical Biosecurity Reports
Robert C. Hutchinson
January 6, 2016
Although many lessons have been learned from Ebola and other infectious diseases, planning needs are quickly diverted when the previous threat is overshadowed by another emerging or re-emerging disease, or other homeland security threat. However, without adequate prioritization, planning, and preparedness, the nation may be set for failure when the
Overcoming Notification Systems Challenges
William (Bill) Betcher
December 23, 2015
Emergency response, information technology, and healthcare communications are three scenarios in which notification systems play a critical role. Recent disasters have demonstrated the benefits of crowdsourcing during response efforts, so notification systems are leveraging this responsiveness through two-way communication technology that can both disseminate and receive information.
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