Natural disasters can have devastating consequences, as seen following Superstorm Sandy. DomPrep interviewed three distinguished guests to learn more about this topic from the local, regional, and federal perspectives and to provide insights on current mitigation efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from future threats.
Since 1998, the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Alabama, has been offering interdisciplinary training to emergency responders. In April 2014, the Baltimore regional incident management team (IMT) traveled to Anniston for a pilot program developed for IMTs. Listen to Captain Michael Pfaltzgraff of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department describe his experience at CDP.
Part 4 of 5: Baltimore City takes the whole-community approach to a regional level. By integrating the business community into the city's operations and planning process and working with regional partners to plan for and respond to incidents and special events, the city is able to use these many relationships as force multipliers.
Part 3 of 5: In any large city, there are many agencies and organizations that must learn to work together for the benefit of the city as a whole. In Baltimore, these groups come together through local emergency planning committee meetings, trainings, exercises, special events, and other interagency preparedness efforts. As plans change, the key to success is adaptability.
Part 2 of 5: Planning and response efforts for any city emergency management agency can be challenging, especially when working with diverse populations, neighborhoods living in poverty, and drug-infested communities. The Baltimore Mayor's Office of Emergency Management (MOEM) along with many partner agencies and organizations are going into vulnerable neighborhoods and tackling problems head on.
Part 1 of 5: This exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Baltimore Mayor's Office of Emergency Management (MOEM) highlights the multidiscipline planning efforts required for day-to-day operations as well as for natural and human-caused disasters. While wearing multiple "hats," the men and women of MOEM cultivate valuable interagency relationships to prepare the communities they serve.
Critical infrastructure, sustainability, and resilience are terms that are commonly used by emergency planners, responders, and receivers in various disciplines and jurisdictions. However, questions surround who needs to understand and implement these concepts, how the terms are defined and used, and how the concepts contribute to resilient communities.
Since 9/11, critical infrastructure has evolved from a basic awareness of security into robust discussions on how to sustain entire communities. Each natural and manmade disaster emphasizes the need for greater sustainability and resilience. In this podcast, subject matter experts discuss some of these lessons learned, as well as development of career fields and bodies of knowledge.
The terms critical infrastructure, sustainability, and resilience are common in the preparedness fields, but these concepts are not consistent across disciplines. To test novel ideas, develop program consistency, and establish a long-term effort, some issues must be addressed: separate fields vs. crosscutting concepts; entry-level vs. advanced topics; and "bodies of knowledge."
The Ebola outbreak, droughts, and the Elk River chemical spill are just a few of the environmental health concerns that have occurred in 2014. With many societal and cultural changes, such broad topics can be difficult to effectively address, but this podcast brings together subject matter experts to do just that.
