Advancing Resilience – Building Codes & Benchmarking | Domestic Preparedness Photo: ANCR, 2019
Resilience

Advancing Resilience – Building Codes & Benchmarking

by Ryan Colker -

Communities are facing a wide variety of shocks and stresses. Whether it is a natural disaster threat (hurricane, earthquake, flood, wildfire), socioeconomic stressor (homelessness, poverty), or loss of a major employer, communities are looking for strategies to protect their citizens, tax base, and infrastructure (including buildings) from disaster. New tools and benchmarks provide the basis for developing these strategies.

 
Preparedness

More Floods, More Effective Flood-Fighting Technology

by John Dames -

As floods become more severe and more frequent, government authorities must invest in advanced technology platforms that take the guesswork out of crisis management. Since the consequences of flood events vary dramatically, the tools used to fight them – such as surveillance, connectivity, and situational awareness technologies – must be able to adapt to each unique situation.

Commentary

Emerging Homeland Security Issues – A 2018 Panel Review

by CDR Joseph J. Leonard, Jr. -

DomPrep hosted the 2018 Emerging Homeland Security Issues Panel in conjunction with the Clean Gulf Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 13 November 2018. The active discussion among panel members and more than 50 attendees focused on hybrid warfare and the current threat environment, strategic and operational preparedness, emerging technology to meet these threats, and sustainment of interagency relationships.

Commentary

Hybrid Warfare – Impact on Preparedness & Resilience

by Martin (Marty) D. Masiuk -

During the first two decades of the 21st century, the nation’s security and defense focus was primarily on terrorism by non-state actors and lone wolves. During that same period, advances in digital and information technology were rapidly adopted by government and industry. Often, technology’s implementation was quick and cheap with little regard to being secure, which created security gaps and vulnerabilities. Threats include the weaponization of information by utilizing social media and sponsorship of “news-media” programs.

Resilience

School Active Shooter Drills – From Anxiety to Apathy

by Robert C. Hutchinson -

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act (MSDHSPSA) was approved by the Florida governor on 9 March 2018. The act implemented numerous new, and at times controversial, laws and requirements for schools, law enforcement, mental health officials, and others. Included in the law was the new requirement for schools to conduct active shooter drills as often as other emergency drills. Since fire drills are usually conducted once a month, the new requirement greatly expanded the number of active shooter (or code red) drills from approximately one to ten per school year in Florida schools.

Commentary

Hybrid Warfare – Merging Old & New Age Threats

by Catherine L. Feinman -

Since the end of the Second World War, nations around the globe have seen the evolution of computers and the internet. The subsequent informational “melting pot” known as the World Wide Web has created a fertile environment for sharing both critical intelligence and fictitious narratives. When state actors leverage their existing conventional military tactics and combine them with ever-evolving cyber technology, this new hybrid warfare tactic introduces numerous new and increasingly challenging political, psychological, and economic threats.

Updates

Smarter Research & Development to Tackle Global Health Priorities

The World Health Organization’s new Science Division launched an online resource to guide the development of new health products for which there are limited markets or incentives for research and development. The Health Product Profile Directory aims to promote research and development for products to combat neglected diseases and threats to global health, including antimicrobial resistance and diseases with pandemic potential.

DoD Develops Secure 5G Mobile Telecommunication Network Strategy

The Defense Department is developing a secure 5G mobile telecommunication network strategy, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment said during a Pentagon news conference. A 5G network would be 100 times faster than current networks, would be more resilient and less susceptible to attacks, and would dramatically improve military communication and situational awareness.

FEMA Release of the Senior Leaders Toolkit

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Integration Center has released a Senior Leader Toolkit, a resource that both emergency management and senior leaders can use to understand their roles and responsibilities during incidents. The toolkit includes Elected Officials/Senior Executives Quick Reference Guide, a Department Head Quick Reference Guide, and a NIMS [National Incident Management System] Senior Leader Briefing Template.

The Intersection of Hurricane Response and Opioid Use Disorder

After a hurricane, flood, or other disaster, responders, emergency healthcare professionals, and disaster relief service providers face the challenge of considering the specific vulnerabilities of people struggling to manage opioid use disorder treatment and recovery while meeting the increased needs of the community at large.

Public Health Emergency Law Online Training

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Law Program now offers a Public Health Emergency Law (PHEL) course, which prepares state, tribal, local, and territorial practitioners to make informed legal decisions related to emergency preparedness and response activities. PHEL consists of three competency-based units and covers legal issues to consider before, during, and after public health emergencies.