Like the forward pass in football, "Resilience" was once a vague notion, theoretical concept, and interesting afterthought. In the past several years, though, it has become both the firm foundation for and operational imperative of a truly comprehensive preparedness plan. Here are some relevant comments from one of the nation's most knowledgeable experts on the subject.
In today's violent world, no nation is ever fully prepared for a terrorist attack - and, therefore, never "fully safe." The creation and deployment of highly capable National Guard Civil Support Teams, though - Florida's 48th CST is a good example - is helping to bring the nation much closer to realization of that impossible dream.
The responder teams assigned to protect the public at major sports events can (and should) learn a valuable lesson from the college or pro teams actually on the field: Individual skills and effort are needed to play the game - but teamwork, particularly the "team" part of that word, is and will always be the real key to victory.
The battle of Waterloo was won, Wellington said, "on the playing fields of Eton." Today's high-tech playing fields - simulators and training devices, primarily - are somewhat less vigorous, but arguably much more important and can be used to train veritable armies of professional responders, either as individuals or as members of a well coordinated team.
During and since World War II, those serving in the National Guard and Reserve components have more than lived up to their Churchillian designation as "twice the citizen." Their long list of missions will increase significantly in the months and years ahead, though - particularly in the field of homeland security.
To enter, or not to enter? That is the first and most important question facing first responders arriving at the scene of a major incident where there is reason to believe the area may be contaminated by biological agents. Lives are at stake, though, so quick decisions are mandatory, and there is no time to wait for the production and distribution of Gen 3.0 detection systems.
Most U.S. counterterrorism experts and senior DHS and DOD officials agree that the greatest danger now facing the nation is not a nuclear attack but a biological warfare agent - which would be extremely difficult to detect, much less counter. There has been some limited progress in U.S. detection capabilities, but a much greater effort is needed. Immediately, if not sooner.
by Patti Riggs, Principal Chemist, QuickSilver Analytics -
The collection of "samples" at the scene of a crime - or a toxic release or other possible mass-casualty incident - calls for extremely detailed planning, precise execution, and constant vigilance. Here is a short list of some of the numerous dangers and difficulties involved - some of them terminal in nature.
Two world-class experts provide an authoritative report on how the University of Texas Medical Branch used the terrifying lessons learned from Hurricanes Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008 to develop an effective response & rebuilding plan that not only will be used by UTMB itself to cope with future disasters but also provides a Gold Standard recovery blueprint for other organizations and institutions of all types.
A smart leader recruits the most capable assistants he/she can find - and uses them wisely. But some topics in today's dangerous world are of such transcendent importance - bio-preparedness, for example - that decisions cannot be relegated to subordinates. And neither can the drills, training sessions, and tabletop exercises required to understand those topics both in depth and in person.
