Ebola outbreak and response: it’s time to learn the real lessons
The reaction to the Ebola outbreak reminds me of the response to HIV when it first presented. In my early days of working on the ambulance, blood was not viewed [...]
The only thing harder than planning for a disaster is explaining why you didn’t.
Viruses are feared because of high case-fatality rates, no treatment, and communicability from person to person. Infectious doses are often very small. While we have experience with outbreaks, it does [...]
Are Hericanes more deadly than Himicanes? It’s time to improve naming conventions.
A recently published paper claims that the gender of the name given to individual hurricanes is linked to the public's perception of the risk posed by that storm. In short, [...]
Ants know how to plan. Why don’t we?
I once thought that a disturbed ants nest was a great example of high entropy. It's not. Don't believe me? Go kick a fire ant nest and stand there. A [...]
Consensus Standards for Tolerable Loss
A mud slide in Washington State kills 30. A plane disappears with 239 people on board. At Fort Hood, a disturbed man kills 3 people and injures 16 before taking [...]
Week of March 23rd: Emergency News You Can Use
A weekly round-up of news, articles and surveys to make your next emergency better. Have a suggestion for the round-up? Contact me at abetteremergency@gmail.com. March 27th is the 50th anniversary [...]
Week of March 16th: Emergency News You Can Use
A weekly round-up of news, articles and surveys to make your next emergency better. Have a suggestion for the round-up? Contact me at abetteremergency@gmail.com. This week marks the third anniversary of [...]
Week of March 9th: Emergency News You Can Use
A weekly round-up of news, articles and surveys to make your next emergency better. Have a suggestion for the round-up? Contact me at abetteremergency@gmail.com. I think what our region has [...]
Week of February 23rd: Emergency News You Can Use
A weekly round-up of news, articles and surveys to make your next emergency better. Have a suggestion for the round-up? Contact me at abetteremergency@gmail.com. The U.K. has had a very [...]
Week of February 16th: Emergency News You Can Use
A weekly round-up of news, articles and surveys to make your next emergency better. Have a suggestion for the round-up? Contact me at abetteremergency@gmail.com. I am not the king of [...]