EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARCHIVES
Public Health and Medical Interoperability Challenges
Bruce Clements
June 29, 2011
Rapid advances in telemedicine and in the computerization of medical records are now the norm, but are made extremely complicated by – well, by other rapid advances in telemedicine and in the computerization of medical records. Additional breakthroughs are still possible, and highly desired. The pace of progress should perhaps
Man-Caused Incidents – New Challenges & Systems
Stephen Grainer
June 22, 2011
“Man-caused incidents” – the politically correct term used to describe terrorist attacks – have increased in frequency and severity in recent years and are likely to continue to do so far into the future. Which is one of many good reasons why U.S. emergency managers are focusing more attention on
Manmade Disasters: The Need for Interoperable Communications
Omar Alkhalaf
June 22, 2011
The mounting of a successful response to a major disaster requires the combined skills of firefighters, emergency managers, policemen, and other experienced professionals. It helps considerably, though, if they can talk to one another – ask anyone who lived through the London subway bombings, the Rhode Island nightclub fire, or
Before Disaster Strikes: Five Preparedness Measures Every Community Should Know
Andrew Sachs
June 22, 2011
This common-sense Viewpoint analysis takes a close look at how most U.S. communities prepare, both economically and operationally, for sudden disasters. Five quick answers: 1. Many, perhaps most, do not. 2. Those that do, do not do it very well. 3. Outside help is usually needed. 4. Ahead of time.
NLE 2011: Successful Learning, Plus Partnership Building
Kay C. Goss
June 15, 2011
Question: What do Boston’s church bells and the Mississippi River have in common? Answer: Both survived the greatest earthquake in U.S. history (the San Francisco quake pales in comparison). The 200th anniversary of the New Madrid disaster was remembered, appropriately, earlier this year by FEMA, NEMA, CUSEC and an estimated
The New PLAN: Government Alerts Enter the 21st Century
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
June 15, 2011
The old saying that, “No matter where you go, there you are,” has become the new Golden Rule for emergency-alert notifications, thanks to the combined efforts of the FCC, FEMA, and the commercial U.S. cellular industry. That is the PLAN, anyway. But it works better if IPAWS is OPEN to
45 Seconds of Danger, a Lifetime of Lessons
Craig DeAtley
June 8, 2011
The EF5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, during the evening of 22 May 2011 was among the deadliest in U.S. history. More than 140 persons died, over 1,000 were injured, and thousands of others were left homeless. In addition, it has been estimated that the cost to “rebuild” Joplin could
The Public Health Role During Mass-Fatality Incidents
Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek
June 8, 2011
Many major disasters start without warning, continue for periods ranging from mere seconds to weeks or months, and leave behind a chaotic mass of useless rubble and ruined lives. The work of public health agencies necessarily starts well before the first tremor, continues through the entire response/recovery/resilience process, and ends
Antidotes: The Care and Cure for ‘What Ails You’
Joseph Cahill
June 1, 2011
The twin goals – total security, and immediate accessibility – prescribed for the perfect medical antidote program are not only mutually exclusive but also theoretically impossible to achieve. Almost. But there are some effective compromise measures that can bridge the differences, lower the loss rate, and significantly improve on-scene operational
RAD Operations Training Improves Radiological Response
Domestic Preparedness
June 1, 2011
The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in coordination with the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REPP) office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), offers five courses focusing on radiological preparedness in communities across the United States. The radiological courses prepare first responders to deal with all types of radiological incidents,
Medical Surge Management: Public-Private Healthcare Coalitions
Chad Priest and Bobby Courtney
May 25, 2011
Thanks (sort of) to the ravages caused by Hurricane Katrina, and a number of other disasters – including terrorist attacks – there is a growing awareness that U.S. healthcare facilities must focus much greater attention on building, and/or improving, their individual and collective “surge” capabilities. Here is a brief report
Mass Evacuation of Medical and Functional Needs Populations
Bruce Clements
May 25, 2011
It is reasonable to expect that, when the population of a community – or nation – grows, the need for a mass evacuation of some type will grow at the same pace. That need increases exponentially, though: (a) when catastrophic weather events occur with greater frequency; and/or (b) in the
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