Critical Infrastructure Archives

Enterprising Solutions: Buying/Building New State & Local Preparedness Capabilities

Dennis R. Schrader and John F. Morton April 17, 2012

For more than a century, the United States has followed a “forward defense” strategy – in other words, fighting the nation’s battles overseas rather than in the United States itself. The 9/11 terrorist attacks led to the realization that homeland security must now begin at home. The federal government has

An Exercise in Utility: The Role of Public Health

Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek April 11, 2012

The federal funding streams that improved U.S. preparedness capabilities, at all levels of government, so significantly in the first decade after the 9/11 attacks have already declined, and additional reductions are just over the horizon. But a lack of funds can be overcome, at least in part, by careful planning,

Foodborne Outbreaks in Minnesota: Training and Performance

Kimberley Wetherille and Evan Henke April 11, 2012

There are almost 50 million foodborne illnesses “of various types” in the United States, and over 3,000 deaths annually. Those are the grim statistics that persuaded the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the FDA, and NACCHO to expand and upgrade programs already in place to detect, control, and

Food Fight – Bioterrorism & Emergency Response Capabilities

Joseph Cahill April 11, 2012

Infected salad bars and the “improved” technological capabilities of modern-day terrorist groups have combined to make U.S. responders, and the American people, much more cautious about what they eat. Fortunately, that heightened awareness has led to a much closer scrutiny of restaurants, super markets, food-processing plants, and the super-rich diet

First Responder HazMat/CBRN Training SURVEY

Domestic Preparedness April 5, 2012

Your Opinion Matters! DomPrep wants to know your opinion on preparedness and training efforts related to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) warfare and hazardous material incidents. In today’s environment of reduced funding, maintaining these efforts can be even more challenging than in the past. How prepared is your jurisdiction?

Dual-Use Disasters: Lessons for Preparedness Professionals

Earl Stoddard April 4, 2012

Actions have consequences – not all of which are intended, or desired. Some military actions, for example, are intended to intimidate another nation – but instead lead to an outright war. The same is true in the fields of medicine and biological research that, while expanding the range of knowledge

Hi-Tech Food Banks & the Safety of Food Supply Chains

Scott McCallum April 4, 2012

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, more than one-third of adults across the United States are part of the “obesity epidemic.” The most important “nutritional” problem facing American consumers, though, might not be calories but contamination. This is particularly true of the billions of pounds of food

Protecting Subway Riders from a Chemical Attack

Joselito S. Ignacio March 28, 2012

The numbers are staggering – U.S. subway systems carry literally billions of passengers every year, while all of the nation’s airlines combined carry less than one billion! Today, airline passenger screening is routine, and reasonably thorough. However, there is little if any screening of subway passengers, making subways an easier

A Helping Hand from the Defense CBRN Response Force

Jamie Stowe March 28, 2012

The recent upgrading of the Defense Department’s former CBRN Consequence Management Response Force means that states, cities, and smaller communities throughout the country will have much greater medical response capabilities – personnel as well as equipment – than was ever before possible.

Libya’s Missing Chemical Caches: The Weapons of Armageddon?

Richard Schoeberl March 27, 2012

There are several “known” unknowns – namely, how to develop, produce, and deploy chemical and biological weapons that are more toxic than ever before possible. There also are some “unknown” unknowns, the most important of which is this: Where are the tons of chemical weapons that disappeared from Libya’s reported

Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI) Roundtable

W. Ross Ashley March 27, 2012

In the 21st century, combatting terrorism could be as simple as seeing something and saying something. Suspicious activity may signify terrorist activity, but that can only be determined if the right information gets into the right hands. Listen to W. Ross Ashley’s audio roundtable discussion on the Nationwide Suspicious Activity

Hospital Preparedness for ‘Chemical/Detergent’ Suicides

Craig DeAtley March 7, 2012

The Hospital Accreditation Standards established by The Joint Commission, and followed by almost all of the nation’s healthcare facilities, mandate that U.S. hospitals should be prepared to decontaminate patients who have been exposed to hazardous materials. However, although thousands of incidents involving hazardous materials occur annually in the United

TWITTER

Get Instant Access

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

Sign up for Updates!