CBRNE Archives

Workloads and Respiratory Rates: The Key Factors in Respiratory Protection

Rob Schnepp June 1, 2005

Breathing is not easy for anyone involved in the responses to and cleanup of hazardous materials. The task is much more difficult, though, when the equipment provided to first responders is less than adequate, and deficient in many other ways.

Capt. John Delaney, Arlington County (VA) Fire Department

John F. Morton June 1, 2005

The leader of a cutting-edge team created to develop a new manual spelling out recommended fire-department responses to radiological incidents describes the team’s modus operandi, which put particular focus on the establishment of exposure limits.

Guest Commentary: Resolving

Buck Somes June 1, 2005

GenPrime V.P. suggests a new paradigm for the handling of emergency calls – many of them hoaxes – reporting the presence of anthrax-like substances that might be cornstarch, baby powder, or coffee creamer. Or anthrax. The use of on-site broad-spectrum screen can be used to determine a “threat/no threat” result

The Detection and Prevention of Suicide Bombings

Neil C. Livingstone May 18, 2005

The suicide bomber – low-cost, easy to train, and totally expendable – has become Al Qaeda’s weapon of choice in its Global War on Capitalism. He (or sometimes she) is impossible to stop, and usually not easy to detect. There are, though, some telltale signs.

“The Week That Was” in Washington, D.C.

James D. Hessman May 18, 2005

Orders to “Run for your life!” were followed in short order by the announcement of new port-security grants and the Pentagon’s latest list of base closings, consolidations, and realignments. All three became major national stories, and all are related – i

SNL and Merlin: A New Way to Look at Decontamination

Rob Schnepp May 4, 2005

The war against bioterrorism moves forward – at less than flank speed – from the water-based decon agents of the 1990s to faster and much more effective peroxide-based solutions that can be used to deactivate biological pathogens and TICs as well as the CW agents.

Dirty Bombs: The Impossible Becomes Probable

Neil C. Livingstone May 4, 2005

Surplus uranium, inadequate controls, and undetected smuggling are the key ingredients of a future nuclear disaster on U.S. soil. Today, almost any nation in the world is capable of building Hiroshima-sized nuclear devices, RDDs, and/or dirty bombs.

Missouri, Rhode Island, and Nevada

Anthony Lanzillotti May 3, 2005

Missouri, Rhode Island, and Nevada By Anthony Lanzillotti Missouri Funeral Directors seek help with PPE funding Funeral home directors in Missouri have asked the state to help them obtain federal funding for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). The request came after a recent meeting of the directors to discuss

Ohio, California and Minnesota

Anthony Lanzillotti April 20, 2005

A dirty bomb is hidden inside a vessel at a port facility somewhere on Lake Erie. SWAT teams, more than 180 first responders, and a large number of EMS student victims are among the many-splendored participants in an extended counter-terrorism exercise at Ohio Tests Lake Erie Dirty-Bomb Scenario Just two weeks

Ohio, Hawaii, California, and Minnesota

Domestic Preparedness April 20, 2005

Ohio Just two weeks before the large “TOPOFF3” exercise tapped major resources in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the state of Ohio held a small tabletop exercise focusing on the threat of a sea borne radiological dispersal device. The scenario included a “dirty bomb” hidden within a vessel

Risks and Realities, Grants and Vulnerabilities

James D. Hessman April 20, 2005

The mostly successful launch of the Department of Homeland Security has been followed, not surprisingly, by allegations of wasteful spending and a failure to establish priorities. The new team at DHS meets the challenge head-on, and is already working wit

Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Wyoming

Anthony Lanzillotti April 6, 2005

In this issue: Pennsylvania seeks funds for rural areas. Massachusetts updates biological-warfare defense plans. Illinois awards grants to TechAlt, Midco. Wyoming upgrades its inland-waterways capabilities.

TWITTER

Get Instant Access

Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.

Sign up for Updates!