Domestic Preparedness

This is an article by Charles (Charley) Bryson, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 16, 2025.  Despite significant investments in public safety, critical training gaps for first responders persist. Regional planning committees, established by the FCC in the 1980s to manage public safety radio frequencies, remain key to improving interoperability. Learn about ongoing efforts—both...

This is an article by William Chapman, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 16, 2025.  “PACE” planning helps organizations fail gracefully, but systems thinking reduces the likelihood of failure altogether. Learn how combining both approaches helps organizations build resilience, regardless of threat or hazard.  Now to the featured article. 

This is an article by Marc Hill, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 9, 2025.  Effective communication starts with understanding your audience—who they are, what they know, why they’re listening, and what they need to hear. Learn how this awareness can help you deliver a message your audience will understand, connect with, and remember.  Now to the featured article. 

This is an article by Tanya Scherr, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 2, 2025.  Coupled with continued staffing challenges, mental health and work-life balance difficulties in emergency call centers are cause for concern. Learn how AI can take some of the burden from existing staff and leadership, so focus can be returned to where it is most needed within each center.  Now to t...

This is an article by Joshua Dise and Adrian Self, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 26, 2025.  As economies and populations grow, the food and agricultural security is of increasing concern. Learn how proactive investment in risk management and security measures can ensure the sustainability of the global food supply.  Now to the featured article. 

This is an article by Russ Kane, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 26, 2025. In the interest of reducing methane pollution and establishing a revenue stream for a renewable resource, dairy and livestock operators are creating mechanisms to produce compressed natural gas. This new technology reduces greenhouse gases but also introduces new hazards to rural communities. Learn how...

This is an article by Michael Sharon and Randy Treadwell, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 19, 2025.  The agricultural supply chain’s global interdependency introduces considerable vulnerability. The failure or weakening of even one of the supply chain links has cascading effects.   Learn how awareness of potential catastrophe across sectors is crucial to emergency preparednes...

Domestic Preparedness Journal Advisor Anthony Mangeri is an educator and seasoned leader in emergency management. He is the chief operating officer of the Mangeri Group and the immediate past president of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Region 2. Learn about Anthony’s passion for his field and for the Domestic Preparedness Journal.

This is an article by Dan Scherr and Tanya Scherr, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 19, 2025.  Agroterrorism is not new. Considered a subset of bioterrorism, it has become an increasing concern to the U.S.   Learn statement how preparedness leaders must take extra steps to engage stakeholders and incorporate them into planning efforts.  Now to the featured article. 

This is an article by Michael (Mike) Nicholls, an Article OutLoud from Domestic Preparedness, March 12, 2025. While Ireland’s potato blight was destructive to the Irish population, modern agroterror attacks could be designed to hurt a nation’s economy rather than to kill its people. However, positively identifying agroterrorists would be a formidable task. Learn how intelligence agencies can prote...

This is an article by the Foundation for Infrastructure Resilience, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 12, 2025.  Because modern societies are increasingly reliant on electronics, they are more vulnerable to the effects of an electromagnetic pulse event.   Learn how cascading effects of a power grid disruption increase nations’ vulnerability, as they move to electrify their crit...

This is an article by Joshua Dise, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 5, 2025.  Hazards and risks associated with state and local fairs mirror those of other high-attendance events—medical emergencies, mass casualty incidents, and other public safety risks. However, within the food and agriculture sector lies an additional risk: the spread of animal diseases, which can have cata...

This is an article by Dan Scherr and Tanya Scherr, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 5, 2025.  When considering cyberattack risk, understanding the primacy of the human factor is central in developing plans for continuity of operations and incident response. With the increasing cost of data breaches, it is all the more important to educate users on best practices and to employ...

This is an article by Chas Eby, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 26, 2025.  While initially useful, the term “all hazards” no longer accurately describes the functions or mission of the emergency management discipline. The current generation of emergency management has moved beyond all hazards to become “hazard agnostic.”  Learn how this new model prepares emergency manager...

This is an article by Richard Schoeberl and Anthony “Tony” Mottola, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 26, 2025.  Training standards ensure that all law enforcement officers receive a consistent level of knowledge and skills to perform their jobs safely and effectively. One training model implements the use of “pracademic” professionals and garners trust from practitioners as...

Domestic Preparedness Journal Advisor Sadie Martinez develops inclusive, whole-community emergency operations plans that fully account for individuals with access and functional needs. Learn about her unique journey and insights in this discussion.

This is an article by Kathryn Romanchuk and Ben Kobliner, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 19, 2025.  Overlooked until disaster strikes, many emergency management departments struggle with personnel and budgetary constraints, yet the demand placed on these departments continues to increase.   Learn how hospitals and health systems can use full-scale exercises as a comprehen...

This is an article by Andrew Pence, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 19, 2025.  From historic catastrophes to today’s challenges, crises pose significant public threats. Learn how organizational leaders can build greater resilience, enhance performance, and lead effectively when it matters most, by returning to the basics and prioritizing deliberate preparation.  Now to the...

This is an article by Arthur J. Simental, an Article Out Loudfrom Domestic Preparedness, February 12, 2025. Disaster wargaming may significantly change the future oftabletop exercises in emergency management and homeland security. Long used effectively to win and prevent wars throughout history, wargaming offers more realistic and engaging scenarios for emergency managers to prepare for real-world...

This is an article by Tanya M . Scherr, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 12, 2025.  As the U.S. contemplates withdrawing its membership from the World Health Organization, there are potential impacts to both local and global emergency preparedness and response to consider.   Learn how emergency managers should evaluate their current programs to determine ramifications in th...

This is an article by Charles (Chuck) L. Manto, K. Luke Reiner,and Dave Hunt, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 12, 2025. A dual-world tabletop exercise simulating an electromagnetic pulse event in Chicopee, Massachusetts, revealed startling discrepancies in outcomes between the city’s current preparedness and a moderate-preparedness simulation. Learn how one community turne...

This is an article by Kole (KC) Campbell, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 5, 2025.  High-profile business leaders like UnitedHealthcare’s murdered CEO have been at an elevated risk of targeted violence in the past several years. Although such attacks on corporate executives and other public figures are rare, they are targeted. In response, many corporations have increased...

This is an article by Justin Kates and Emily Martuscello, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 5, 2025.  The emergence of powerful artificial intelligence tools generates excitement and apprehension, raising profound questions about the future of emergency response. By adopting the joint cognitive systems paradigm, emergency managers are offered a new way of thinking about thei...

This is an article by Jarod Rosson, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 29, 2025. As part of the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Hurricane Helene Incident Support Task Force, Emergency Management Coordinator Jarod Rosson experienced firsthand what it is like to respond to a disaster when all ground-based forms of communication are offline. Learn how Jarod’s experience...

This is an article by Tucker Berry, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 29, 2025. As demonstrated by hurricanes Helene and Milton, many jurisdictions are unaccustomed to compounding incidents. Learn how to bolster readiness to simultaneously respond and recover by proactively examining and preparing for unique challenges of a compounding incident. Now to the featured article.