Friends and Neighbors, Duties and Responsibilities
MaryAnn Warren
October 24, 2007
A timely first-person report from Susquehanna County (Pa.) on the unforeseen (and to some extent
unforeseeable) difficulties in coping, personally as well as professionally, with torrential rain,
widespread floods, and other disasters.
Glenn Cannon, Assistant Administrator for Disaster Operations, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Glenn Cannon
October 24, 2007
His views on the post-Katrina reorganization mandated by Congress, his directorate’s working
relationships with other FEMA branches, and the challenge of coping with both “notice” and “no-notice”
disasters and emergencies.
The 2006 All-Hazards Report: Yesterday's Warnings to Meet Today's Disasters
John F. Morton
October 24, 2007
The states of the Mid-Atlantic region provide a helpful all-hazards primer that their sister states
throughout the rest of the country should read and heed. Eight new “pillars of wisdom” are discussed in
meaningful detail, and numerous lessons learned.
The Sorting - Life-or-Death Decisions on the Scene
Joseph Cahill
October 17, 2007
When requests for aid overwhelm the resources available, whether the medical situation occurs in a small town or a big city, life-or-death decisions must be made – immediately, in many cases – about which patient receives immediate help and who waits. During day-to-day operations triage is largely a function assigned to the 9-1-1 call center. The alternative to prioritization is to answer calls sequentially.
Healthcare Reform and the Building of Additional Medical Response Capacity
Michael Allswede
October 17, 2007
Healthcare reform could be a major sleeper issue in next year’s elections, and deservedly so. But reforms that make matters worse would be counterproductive. Here are some suggestions that the winning candidates might consider.
The Hospital Incident Command System - No Longer HEICS
Craig DeAtley
October 10, 2007
The professional guidelines developed to help the nation’s hospitals cope with a broad spectrum of emergencies have been so successful and so well-received that they have been expanded, revised, and refined to encompass non-emergency situations as well.
EMS Professionals and the CERTification of Volunteers
Joseph Cahill
October 10, 2007
The willingness of so many citizen volunteers to serve on Community Emergency Response Teams adds an extra dimension of capability to already overworked (and sometimes overwhelmed) EMS staffs. There are a few precautions also worth noting, though.
Protecting Our Protectors: Defending America's First Responders
Barbara Mikulski
October 3, 2007
It is unconscionable that the “American heroes” who protect “our homes, our businesses, and our
communities” have not been given the tools they need to carry out their dangerous jobs. Now they will
be, thanks to the initiatives pushed by this legislator.
