Domestic Preparedness And Homeland Security Audio Interviews

by CHANDLER LOFLAND & RAYMOND WALKER, An Article Out Loud from the Domestic Preparedness Journal.  A cyberattack on water treatment plant in Florida significantly elevated sodium hydroxide levels for a brief period of time. A ransomware attack in May 2021 temporarily shut down the Colonial Pipeline. The Texas power grid is currently facing cybersecurity threats from Russia. These are just a few recent examples of critical infrastructure vulnerabilities that emphasize the need to secure and protect the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure. This article explains how. Narrated by Bonnie Weidler

By JORDAN SCOTT , An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal,  January 11, 2012. News travels fast, especially on social media. In 2012, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) was embracing social media to better prepare its state for earthquakes. Since then, CalOES has continued to advance its efforts to provide early warning notifications to its residents through social media, mobile applications, and wireless alerts. Narrated by Randy Vivian. 

By BARBARA REYNOLDS  , An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, March 28, 2007. Crises and catastrophes are and will continue to be among the eternal verities of human life. Coping with them successfully requires effective communications – clear, concise, confident, and comforting. Leaders in Sacramento were recently challenged with this task as they consoled the public following a mass shooting that killed 6 and wounded 12 others. Narrated by Bonnie Weidler. 

by SAMBAVI JANI, An Article Out Loud from the Domestic Preparedness Journal.  Experience required. Many jobs require wide-ranging qualifications and expertise to be able to apply and interview. However, people often ask, “How can I get the experience if I cannot get a job?” A great way to get “a foot in the door” is through internships, which can be vital in the emergency management field. Multifaceted and sometimes fast-paced, this is the type of profession where one must have the drive and passion for helping others and serving the community. Despite some public misconceptions that emergency management is only active during an event (which is often the only time an agency receives media attention), it is a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year profession. Therefore, exposure to what happens in the field on “blue sky days” and during an emergency or disaster is paramount for someone new to the profession to experience.   Narrated by Bonnie Weidler. 

By RESEARCH GROUP AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, October 12, 2016.   Recent active shooter events in multiple cities across the United States have raised concern in other communities with people wondering if their city is next. However, the phrase “It’s not if, but when” may distort how certain people perceive emergency preparedness, especially in cases such as active shooter threats. This common expression leads to inaccurate threat perceptions and can result in leaders becoming complacent. This 2016 article explains this odd pairing of a sense of inevitability with complacency, and the importance of being prepared to counter not only the threat, but also the perceptions of threat. Narrated by Randy Vivian.

By NATIONAL TRIBAL AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION, An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, February 14, 2018.  In September 2017, the National Tribal Amateur Radio Association (NTARA) – in conjunction with the Fresno Amateur Radio Emergency Services Group and Tulare County Amateur Radio Club – set up and operated Amateur Radio Special Event Station W7NTV during the National Tribal Emergency Management Council (NTEMC) annual conference. Since 2017, the NTARA and the NTEMC have continued to expand their operations to reach communities across the United States and Canada.  Narrated by Randy Vivian 

by BRIAN MCGINLEY, An Article Out Loud from the Domestic Preparedness Journal. There are moments during a disaster that something needs to be purchased. Depending on the nature of the purchase, it could be something small, perhaps something that can be purchased with a company credit card. On the other hand, it could be a purchase for millions of dollars and, not only do procurement laws come into play, but so could federal procurement laws if the organization is going to seek Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement after the disaster closes. In the moments of needing to spend large dollar amounts, the procurement office should be consulted, not because all purchases need to go through that office, but because they work year-round to establish relationships, contracts, and price lists with suppliers that could save time, money, and allow focus to be on the disaster at hand. Narrated by MacGregor Stephenson.

by RON CAIN, An Article Out Loud from the Domestic Preparedness Journal. It seems that every day over the past two years there are plenty of news stories covering the strain hospitals are facing in staffing shortages and the impacts from a global pandemic. Emergency medical services (EMS) are also dealing with their own similar issues across the nation. Many of these critical facilities and services are located in the proximity of nuclear power plants in which previous agreements were established to provide treatment, patient transportation, radiation monitoring, and decontamination in the event of a patient-generating event within a nuclear power plant’s emergency planning zones.  Narrated by MacGregor Stephenson

By RICHARD SCHOEBERL, An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, September 19, 2012.   As events of the past week have shown, the 18-month upheaval that has devastated Syria continues to present a major risk that the Syrian government’s caches of CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive) materials might fall into the hands of looters, defectors, opposition groups, and/or terrorist organizations. Moreover, as governments throughout the world continue to combat terrorism, groups with weapons-making capabilities, combined with clear intentions to acquire and use CBRNE materials, particularly nuclear, pose a threat of unprecedented magnitude. Narrated by Bonnie Weidler

By STEPHEN GRAINER , An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, October 14, 2009.  The Department of Homeland Security  resumed the “next” series of its NIMS Incident Command System (ICS) training in August with the delivery of eight ICS position-specific Train-the-Trainer (T-t-T) programs in College Station, Texas, where the Texas Forest Service is headquartered – on the Texas A&M campus. Over a three-week period all eight command and general staff T-t-T courses were delivered. Narrated by Bonnie Weidler.   

by NATHAN DIPILLO, An Article Out Loud from the Domestic Preparedness Journal. Several national critical functions and all 16 critical infrastructure sectors rely either directly or indirectly on functional and consistent position, navigation, and timing (PNT) signals. As such, fragility of weak and easily imitated global positioning system (GPS) signals could lead to catastrophic impacts on dependent and interdependent critical infrastructure systems. Designating PNT-signal-emanating assets as a standalone national critical function would bring resources, awareness, research, additional risk mitigation measures, and new solutions to help keep consistent and resilient PNT signals operational if threatened by natural and human-caused threats. Narrated by MacGregor Stephenson

By OMAR BOURNE, An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, May 23, 2018.  New York City has various disaster preparedness teams that are specially equipped to manage many types of threats. One such team involves canines trained to perform search and rescue tasks. Canines have helped save lives at critical times following disasters such as 9/11, when finding survivors among rubble and debris is especially challenging. A Dutch Shepherd named Diesel is one responder who currently works with New York City Police Department to prepare for the next disaster. Narrated by Randy Vivian. 

By ROB SCHNEPP , An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, August 10, 2005.   For the last several years, fire agencies across the country have been actively preparing to handle incidents involving weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The need for solid and reliable information traditionally accompanies those preparations – and, with the large number of credible and varied attack scenarios to consider, including radiation incidents, most of the nation’s fire departments have found it difficult if not impossible to stay ahead of the equipment, information, and training curve. Narrated by Randy Vivian 

By ASHA M. GEORGE & JOHN T. O' BRIEN , An Article Out Loud from the Domestic Preparedness Journal. On 17 February 2022, Dr. Asha M. George, executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at a hearing on addressing the gaps in the nation’s biodefense and level of preparedness to respond to biological threats. In 2015, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense released its first report, A National Blueprint for Biodefense, to warn that the biological threat was rising and to inform the government that the nation was insufficiently prepared to handle a large-scale biological event. When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020, many of those findings proved to be true.

By GORDON HUNTER, an Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, August 12, 2015. Currently, in Kentucky communities hard hit by severe storms and tornados, Home Depot and Walmart have teamed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offer workshops on home improvement tips, methods for preventing future damage, and techniques for rebuilding homes to be hazard resistant. As described in this 2015 article, the ongoing public-private partnership efforts in Kentucky can help to shorten the recovery period and increase community preparedness for future threats.

By ANTHONY S. MANGERI SR., an Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, July 27, 2011 The city of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, recently received $1.4 million for hazard mitigation projects. The guiding principle in emergency preparedness is virtually identical to one of the Golden Rules of good health: Prevention is much better, and almost always lower in cost, than recovery and rehabilitation. This 2011 grant article provides a snapshot of the grants that were available along with how to find FEMA grants that are currently being offered, like the HMGP grant provided to Reedsburg.

by  RICK SHAW, An Article Out Loud from the Domestic Preparedness Journal. Shootings, acts of violence, crimes, abuse, suicides, overdoses, and other incidents and tragedies are increasing nationwide. Cities across the nation saw a surge of homicides in 2020 and many cities were at or near record levels for homicides in 2021. Cities also saw spikes in 2020 and 2021 with crimes, abuse, suicides, overdoses, and other incidents. Organizations, schools, and communities have continued to add more security solutions as well as more hotlines, safety/threat assessment teams, policies, trainings, and laws. However, violence and crime statistics do not reflect better safety.

by TANIA GLENN, An Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, May 21, 2014. In the aftermath of 9/11, aviation and other transportation incidents have become the focus of much national and international attention. Commercial aviation incidents like U.S. Airways Flight 1549 making an emergency landing on the Hudson River in January 2009, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 making a crash landing onto the San Francisco runway in July 2013, and Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappearing in midair in March 2014 raise legitimate concerns over aviation safety, standardization, and security. However, regardless of the type of incident, the personal resilience levels of those affected may vary greatly.

by ANN LESPERANCE, an Article Out Loud Flashback from the Domestic Preparedness Journal, October 10, 2012.  During a major disaster, saving lives and protecting the environment while ensuring public safety are all-encompassing priorities. As a catastrophe unfolds, decision makers at all levels of government are faced with a myriad of questions and/or issues that must be quickly addressed and resolved to return a sense of normalcy to the devastated region. Additional challenges would be presented if the catastrophe was the result of a terrorist attack using a weapon of mass destruction (WMD).

When time permits, in-depth quantitative research offers valuable information for disaster preparedness and response. However, the foundation of preparedness is rooted in the day-to-day activities that prevent small events from becoming big crises and help manage large events that cannot be avoided. As such, the following little habits can have big effects both operationally and administratively for any emergency or disaster.