One of the nation's foremost experts in the still emerging field of emergency management provides her insider's point of view of the guiding principles - including both a vision and a mission statement - on which this important new field was founded.
Just in Time! A well-crafted piece of legislation passed two years ago provides the blueprint needed to ensure the full and uninterrupted use of the U.S. port system that is the key to the nation's continued economic prosperity.
In times of crisis, the communications between neighboring U.S. jurisdictions is still, all too often, a virtual "tower of babble." Advanced technology can solve some of the problems and confusion - but create some costly new problems at the same time.
Despite its heavy commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. National Guard has been quietly but steadily building up its homeland-defense and domestic-operations capabilities as well - at minimum cost to U.S. taxpayers.
Improvised explosive devices are harmful to children and other living things. Carried in a truck or other vehicle they become mobile bombs - which, combined with toxic chemicals, can kill not only the bodies but also the minds of an entire population.
Emergency medical services units are of life-or-death importance at the scene of large-scale incidents producing numerous casualties. But those units are overcommitted and frequently understaffed. Here is how local fire departments can help close the gap.
The Coast Guard's Captains of the Port have the primary responsibility for developing effective port-security plans for their jurisdictions, but it has to be an all-hands effort or there will be, in nautical terms, a bitter end.
During the past three decades the introduction of a broad and varied spectrum of mobile data-access systems has revolutionized the communications capabilities of law-enforcement agencies at all levels of government.
The federal government has several ways for state and local jurisdictions to repair and/or restore their communications systems in times of disaster. But many jurisdictions either don't know how, or don't have the money; neither excuse is acceptable.
Quietly and without much fanfare, the National Guard's multi-mission CERFPs have become key units in federal as well as state plans to deal with mass-casualty incidents on the U.S. homeland.
