Could Current Shelter Requirements Keep People Out in the Cold?
I've helped a number of jurisdictions develop sheltering plans and exercise them so I understand current regulations in the United States. If you and your family are going to be [...]
NIMS Implementation for Healthcare Organizations Guidance – January 2015
NIMS compliance means more than just referencing NIMS in documents. Organizations should review the latest publication NIMS Implementation for Healthcare Organizations Guidance January 2015 put out by ASPR and HPP. Organizations can [...]
New Threats or Déjà Vu?
I expect there are a few gray around the edge readers like myself who are starting to wonder why people are looking at ISIL threats as something new. This is [...]
Current Needs vs. Future Disasters: Building in Tsunami Inundation Zones
My first thought after I saw Why Would You Build a Hospital in a Tsunami Zone was "who would knowingly build a critical facility in a inundation zone?" As I [...]
2015 Training Programs
When people are put under stress they fall back on one of two things; experience or training. Make 2015 the year that your organization offers current, relevant and engaging training [...]
Saving Lives at Active Shooter Events is in the Public’s Hands
In a perfect world police are there to handle criminal acts, fire fighters available to perform rescues, and EMS personnel close at hand to apply life-saving interventions. Unfortunately, that is [...]
What do the HICS and an MI have in common?
Both the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) and a Myocardial Infarction (MI) are managed by addressing key objectives. In fact I think they use the same prioritize activities identically. Read [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]