SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ARCHIVES
Healthcare Emergency Preparedness: An Improved Game Plan for 2011
Mitch Saruwatari
December 15, 2010
The names of the players, the weekly practices, and the physical skills required may be different, but the principles are the same: Teamwork, advance preparation, proper coaching, and dedication are essential to final victory – whether the battle is on the football field, at the scene of a mass-casualty incident,
Lessons Learned: Mass Casualties and Communication Gaps
Sophia Paros
December 8, 2010
Emergency communications is key to incident management – and critical, both during and following, mass-casualty incidents (MCIs). On 7 July 2005, four suicide bombers detonated bombs between 8:50 a.m. and 9:47 a.m. on three underground commuter trains and a street bus in central London. Those bombings broke down the below-ground
Leadership at the Scene of a Mass-Casualty Incident
Joseph Cahill
December 1, 2010
Not surprisingly, almost all media coverage of MCI situations focuses on the incident itself, the innocent victims, and the heroism shown by EMS techs and other responders. Little if any attention is paid, though, to the mundane organizational and administrative tasks involved in establishing an effective, well trained, and exceptionally
Bringing Greater Life-Saving Capabilities to the Incident Scene
Brad Stobb
December 1, 2010
Coming soon: New and highly capable CERFPs and better- trained and -equipped WMD CSTs. The acronyms are daunting and impossible to pronounce, but they represent another quantum leap in U.S. homeland-preparedness capabilities, with special significance at the state, local, and community levels of government.
The Limits of Detection: A New Horizon Beckons
Chris Weber
November 24, 2010
To enter, or not to enter? That is the first and most important question facing first responders arriving at the scene of a major incident where there is reason to believe the area may be contaminated by biological agents. Lives are at stake, though, so quick decisions are mandatory, and
Hospital Emergency Departments – Infectious Diseases: The First Line of Defense
Theodore Tully
November 24, 2010
Very few Emergency Departments in U.S. hospitals can cope with a major outbreak of infectious diseases. But there is much that could & should be done before an outbreak occurs. Improved communications between and among all major medical facilities in the same geographic area should be the first priority, along
Biodetection: Today, Tomorrow & Years Later
Glen Rudner
November 17, 2010
Most U.S. counterterrorism experts and senior DHS and DOD officials agree that the greatest danger now facing the nation is not a nuclear attack but a biological warfare agent – which would be extremely difficult to detect, much less counter. There has been some limited progress in U.S. detection capabilities,
Swabs and Samples; Assays and Analytes
Patti Riggs
November 17, 2010
The collection of “samples” at the scene of a crime – or a toxic release or other possible mass-casualty incident – calls for extremely detailed planning, precise execution, and constant vigilance. Here is a short list of some of the numerous dangers and difficulties involved – some of them terminal
UTMB: From Disaster Planning to Long-Term Recovery
Cameron W, Slocum and James Lee Witt
November 10, 2010
Established in 1891 as the Medical Department of the University of Texas and housed in a single building with a class of 23 students, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) today is a sprawling and modern health science center with an annual budget of $1.5 billion. Home to
‘Pathogens for Knuckleheads’: The Enemy Within – Invisible & Infectious
Christina M. Flowers
November 10, 2010
A possible nuclear attack against the U.S. homeland gets more attention, but homeland-security experts say an attack involving biological weapons could be much more devastating in its consequences. The warhead of such weapons would be pathogens – which, as this primer “for Knuckleheads” points out, are low in cost, easy
‘My Loved One Was in That Accident – Can You Help Me?’
Craig DeAtley
October 27, 2010
A plane crash, a toxic-chemical spill, and other “mass-casualty” incidents all represent just the beginning of an extremely complicated response and recovery process. One of the most important “collateral duties” will be the dissemination of timely information to the media, the general public, and the worried families of those dead,
Reducing the H1N1 Risk: Public-Private Social Media Partnerships
Timothy Tinker and Marko Bourne
October 27, 2010
In business, in politics, and in sports, one of the oldest human truths is that, “If you can’t beat them, join them!” That seemingly eternal verity is being tested again, very effectively, by CDC and the nation’s healthcare communities are using widgets, tweets, and Whyville to persuade the public at
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