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New RAND report: 'Initial Evaluation of the Cities Readiness Initiative'

A U.S. plan to rapidly distribute medicine following a bioterrorist attack has successfully improved the nation's readiness, the RAND Corp. says in a new report entitled, "Initial Evaluation of the Cities Readiness Initiative."

From the report's web page:

The evaluation showed that, overall, CRI awardees had benefited from the program's preparedness guidance and scenario focus and that the program had strengthened or encouraged the development of partnerships with other stakeholders. The program also encouraged a variety of changes to awardees' training plans and had spillover effects on non-CRI sites. However, this evaluation did not address questions of how the documented benefits compare to the program costs.

• Download the report.
• Download the summary.

FEMA launches Continuity of Operations Portal (COOP)

Hosted by the U.S. Fire Administration, the website is designed to improve the ability of a business to survive in the aftermath of a wide range of extreme events, including pandemics, floods and cyber attacks.

It offers brief, online video training in essential functions, alternate operating facilities, maintaining records, providing leadership, developing a COOP plan, and more.

View the site.

This week: Google maps benefits, new national strategy, anthrax vaccine, medical readiness, prepared response, and Texas wildfires

Tuesday, November 20, 7 p.m. CST (KAMU 90.9 FM, College Station)

Listen to this show

1. News Media, Take One

Erica Chickowski, writer for the Washington Post, discusses the ability of programs like Google Maps to help organizations in times of crisis.

2. Inside the Beltway

Michael O’Hanlon, from the Brookings Institution specializes in U.S. national security policy and is a senior fellow on foreign policy. He talks about the changes in the new national strategy from the Bush administration.

3. News Media, Take Two

Renae Merle, staff writer for the Washington Post, talks about our quest for an Anthrax vaccine. In specific, Merle discusses what's being done with excess doses and how these doses are being wasted away due to non-use.

4. Outside the Beltway

Dr. Eric Toner, senior associate with the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), discusses his role in maintaining public health and medical readiness. Toner also discusses ways in which to get the private sector involved.

5. Wild Card

Chris Doyle, director of infrastructure in the geophysical division at DHS,  discusses the importance of prepared response to critical infrastructure. Doyle talks about what he does to ensure that our response is both efficient and effective in dealing with major problems.

6. Perspectives

Randy Larsen and Dave McIntyre offer their insight to the show. They review the new U.S. strategies and offer thoughts on how to attack new problems within homeland security.

7. HLS at Home

Mark Stanford, chief of fire operations with Texas Forest Service, talks about coordinating Texas wildfires and maintaining proper communications throughout all of Texas.

DHS releases the National Preparedness Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced this week publication of two important tools to organize and synchronize national efforts to strengthen preparedness:

• The National Preparedness Guidelines, which establish a vision for national preparedness and provide a systematic approach for prioritizing preparedness efforts across the nation.
• The Target Capabilities List (included in the Guidelines), which describes the collective national capabilities required to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies.

Publication of the guidelines and the Target Capabilities List fulfills a major component of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, "National Preparedness," and establishes a framework for understanding what it means for the nation to be prepared for all hazards.

For the Guidelines, see http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/National_Preparedness_Guidelines.pdf

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: DHS Ready Campaign issues demo videos for seniors, the disabled and pet owners

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign (www.ready.gov) has released three new demonstration videos designed to highlight the specific steps older Americans, individuals with disabilities and special needs, and pet owners should take to prepare for emergencies.

DHS worked with AARP, National Organization on Disability and The Humane Society of the United States to develop these new emergency preparedness resources.

The collection of videos is found here: http://www.ready.gov/america/about/instructional.html

An information page devoted to seniors (including a downloadable brochure and an emergency kit list) is here: http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/seniors.html

One for the disabled is here: http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/disabled.html

And one for pet owners is here: http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/pets.html

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: The draft of the revised National Incident Management System is now online for review; comments are due Friday.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is coordinating a comprehensive review of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to assess its effectiveness and identify improvements. The review process, which includes participation from all levels of stakeholders, ends June 1, 2007.

Comments are due Friday, April 6.

According to DHS:

"The NIMS is a key element in the national framework for domestic incident management. It provides a nationwide template that enables Federal, State, local and tribal governments, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to work together efficiently and effectively to manage the consequences of domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property."

Learn more about the review.
Read the plan for the review.
Download the new draft.