Fire Archives

Chemical Sector Perspectives

Patrick Coyle October 5, 2022

The Chemical Sector is one of 16 sectors identified as critical infrastructure under the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. Domestic Preparedness invited one subject matter expert to answer important questions about this sector and how the sector and its interdependencies can affect any community.

Taking Flight – Creating a Robust Aviation Response, Part 1

James Origliosso and Sky Terry September 28, 2022

General aviation pilots have been finding ways to assist their communities during emergencies and disasters for many years. However, over the past two years, significant advances in disaster preparedness have been made as emergency response plans were created and exercised to integrate volunteer aviation response into other community response efforts.

Uvalde Shooting – A Predictable Surprise

William H. Austin September 14, 2022

When intentional acts of violence occur, people often wonder if the incident was preventable. For example, after a mass shooting killed 19 students and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, many were questioning the predictability of the gunman’s actions and the decision-making process of the responders. This

Credentialing a Nation’s Volunteer Responder Network

Patty Ridings September 7, 2022

Catastrophic earthquakes and a desire for residents to help their neighbors inspired the creation of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). Since its creation in 1986, CERT has become a nationwide program that continues to evolve. This article describes how a new digital solution is closing the credentialing gap between citizen

The Expanding Role of Tactical Medicine

Ian Pleet August 10, 2022

Effective trainings are ones where the participants remember and later implement what they learned into their daily operations. Not everyone knows how they would respond in a true emergency. However, some trainings provide a more realistic glimpse into disaster scenarios than others. This first-hand account describes what it was like

Wanted: Mental Health Support for Disaster Trauma

Mary McNaughton-Cassill, Mary Schoenfeldt and Ruth Baugher Palmer August 3, 2022

Disaster response organizations have become increasingly adept at meeting the basic needs of survivors, including shelter, food, water, and medical treatment. However, traumatic disaster-related experiences – including threats to life, exposure to death and injury, and the destruction of homes and communities – also take a psychological toll on survivors. Common responses to

Responding Respectfully to People With Disabilities

James Martin August 3, 2022

Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, doctors, nurses, and others in emergency response roles are regularly tasked with responding to emergencies and disaster sites and communicating with various people who have been involved in or witnessed an incident. However, some research has shown that there is “a gap in first responders’

Creating a Common Operating Picture for Wildfire Season

Akshay Birla July 27, 2022

Life is beginning to return to normal following the past two years of the pandemic, but the world is still as unpredictable as ever. When it seems as though one catastrophic situation is coming to an end, another tends to emerge as the newest public safety issue. One set of

Societal Violence & Its Impact on Critical Infrastructure

Nathan DiPillo and Tim Scarrott July 27, 2022

The “new normal” following the COVID-19 outbreak is still evolving. Although some people have welcomed the relief from many years of commuting and focused on personal growth and time with family, others have become disenfranchised, isolated, depressed, or lack purpose and empathy. As the United States reels from the recent

Discovering Another New Normal

Catherine L. Feinman July 27, 2022

Because of the interconnectedness of so many aspects of society, the authors in this July edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal help readers better understand what is needed in the new normal: a common operating picture, predictable lifelines, new or repurposed technological tools, and more. The new normal after COVID

Four Takeaways From the Nashville Christmas Bombing

Robert F. Kelly and Dean C. Alexander July 20, 2022

The Nashville Christmas bombing provides valuable lessons about targeted violence incidents. This research on pre-attack indicators shares four key takeaways for law enforcement and other preparedness professionals to understand regarding lone wolf and leaderless resistance attacks. Knowing other pre-attack indicators may help thwart a future attack even when the motive

Teleforensic Tools – From Telemedicine to Law Enforcement

Michael Melton July 20, 2022

Telemedicine capabilities have become valuable medical tools to provide life-saving treatment to patients where and when needed. Similarly, off-site skills and knowledge can be transferred to on-site law enforcement personnel through teleforensics to identify and thwart threats, while increasing crime clearances. This article describes how expanding capabilities, identifying needs, delivering

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