By Timothy Hardiman
Unfortunately, tragedies like Hurricane Sandy bring out the worst as well as the best in people. People want to help those in need, but they want their donations to go to the victims – not predators taking advantage of a bad situation. Read what alert the FBI just put out to make sure your donations are going to a legitimate charity.
Read about the Cold War Conversations IV Conference at George Mason University (GMU), commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sessions included elite panel members who provided perspective on the nuclear arms race and revealed just how close we came to World War III, even closer than either Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev or President Kennedy realized.
By Leischen Stelter
I have to admit, the first day of the International Association of Emergency Managers here in Orlando has been a strange one. People are attempting to go about business as usual, preparing for the largest conference of emergency managers, but it’s obvious our collective minds are with those who can’t be here because of Hurricane Sandy.
By Leischen Stelter
Like it or not, social media is here to stay. It’s a tool fire departments can use to build goodwill within their communities and improve how they communicate with the people they serve, however, it’s also something that fire departments should enter into cautiously. Read more as two fire experts weigh-in on social media best practices in the fire services.
By Leischen Stelter
What have we learned from the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which consisted of 11 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across India’s largest city? How can law enforcement agencies, first responders and cities be better prepared to respond to an incident of this scale?
Read more about how these questions were addressed by an esteemed panel during the 2012 International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in San Diego.
By Tee Morris
Today marks the home theatre release of this summer’s highly anticipated and top grossing superhero epic, The Avengers. Following the runaway success of this ambitious film from Marvel Studios, experts put their heads together and seriously looked at the collateral damage and recovery costs from such a showdown between beings from another dimension and Earth’s mightiest superheroes. Experts estimate the property damage, economic recovery and cleanup totaling $160 billion when the dust finally settled. In light of this report, what steps could be taken to prepare for an attack of this magnitude?
By Leischen Stelter
As many of you probably know, FEMA has designated September as National Preparedness Month. It’s the time when the government asks citizens to prepare themselves for an emergency. I often run scenarios through my head about what I would do if I had to evacuate right now. What would I take with me? I’ve run the list through my mind, but one night last week it occurred to me that I would likely not have time (or a clear mind) to actually put together what I would need if I had to evacuate. So, I did it, I put together an emergency bag. Read more about what it took to get me to actually do it.
By Leischen Stelter
One of those closely monitoring Hurricane Isaac is Dr. Christopher Reynolds, interim Program Director for Emergency & Disaster Management at American Public University System. Reynolds is currently on active duty with the U.S. Air Force as an Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer (EPLO) assigned to the National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate (NSEP) at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida. Read what his team has done to prepare for Hurricane Isaac and how emergency preparedness has changed dramatically since Hurricane Katrina.
By Leischen Stelter
Today wraps up the final day of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International conference in Minneapolis, Minn. Read about the Department of Homeland Security’s annoucement at this conference that could change the way first responders communicate.