Preparedness

Tornadoes – Adapting Plans for a Changing Environment

by Cameron Gonteski -

Common terms like “Tornado Alley” should not get in the way of planning for evolving environmental threats. Meteorologists look at trends and recognize that tornadoes are one natural hazard that is shifting eastward. Make sure state and local hazard mitigation plans are updated and ready for this shift.

Fostering Public Buy-In to Support Public Safety

by Taylor Bonsall-Winn -

Emergency managers often go unnoticed until a disaster occurs. However, disaster response efforts are much more effective when communities work together and trust their local responding agencies. Learn how one county has changed its mindset to develop stronger community partnerships and buy-in before the next disaster.

Protests: Balancing First Amendment Rights and Public Safety

by Matthew Loeslie -

Peaceful protests can occasionally escalate into civil disobedience or unlawful rioting, with those in and around the gathering exhibiting varying behaviors. By working with law enforcement agencies, public safety planners and responders are better equipped to plan and train for events and effectively respond if conditions change. Communication and collaboration are critical.

Trends in Political Violence and Mass Demonstrations

by Richard Schoeberl -

Examining the trends in political violence, civil unrest, and mass demonstrations, some law enforcement officers are considering new soft-skill approaches like de-escalation and peer intervention and using multiagency exercises to foster a mutual understanding between the agencies throughout the community. This article includes a variety of resources and studies to aid in this effort.

Threat Assessment and Management: Practices Across the World

by Carl Amritt, Eliot Bradshaw & Alyssa Schulenberg -

In 2021, the number of terrorist attacks increased 17% from the previous year. As actors adapt and change their tactics and techniques, cities must develop new capabilities to counter these threats. This article explores notable global practices to help cities develop or enhance their threat assessment and management programs.

Virtual Reality Training Revolution Is Here

by Peter Johnson -

Training is often a check-the-box task. However, it can be difficult to know how much training was learned. Virtual reality and its related analytics provide a way to heighten participation and monitor learning levels for numerous threat scenarios.

Benefits of Industrial Liaisons – A Harris County Example

by Jamie Hannan -

Planners in the Harris County, Texas, area are successful specifically because of the relationships they have built over many years. For example, the county’s Industrial Liaisons Program provides many positive takeaways and best practices practitioners can implement throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Applying Environmental Design to Prevent Active Shooters

by Rodney Andreasen -

Active shooter trainings can help prevent some injuries and deaths. However, additional measures should also be taken to prevent the attack from occurring. This article describes how to apply environmental design to thwart attackers.

Value of Enterprise Data Management in Emergency Management

by Anne Marie Smith -

An enterprise data management program emphasizes the importance of managing information as an asset and protecting it from misuse or loss. Knowing the landscape of data and how to manage it is critical to an organization’s recovery and sustainability after a disaster. This article explains the need to coordinate data management with emergency planning.

PPD-44: Implications for Domestic Incident Management

by Robert J. (Bob) Roller -

An essential national incident management guidance document is finally available to responders nationwide. This document will significantly improve a unified response to and recovery from large-scale incidents. However, additional work is needed to create an enhanced unity of effort and fully integrated response among federal, state, and local responders.