Copyright (c) 2010 Berkeley Electronic Press All rights reserved. http://www.bepress.com/jhsem Recent documents in Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management en-us Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:22:47 PST 3600 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/9 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/9 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:11:34 PST Kelly Phelan Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/8 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/8 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:14:09 PST Robert Lloyd Ditch Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/7 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/7 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:12:33 PST Thomas E. Poulin Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/6 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/6 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:09:22 PST This article utilizes the State of Colorado as a case study in how individual states are adapting and applying federal capabilities-based planning models to their homeland security programs. The article reviews the corrective change in direction taken by Colorado in implementation of homeland security organizational strategies, structures, policies and procedures. The authors' findings lead to conclusions about Colorado's beginning phase of transforming deficient homeland security strategy, incoherent organization, and fragmented planning processes into sound strategy, focused structure, and organized methods. In November 2008, the Center for Homeland Security (CHS) at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs began a research and mutual support effort with the Colorado Governor's Office of Homeland Security for the purpose of immersing in the state's revitalized homeland security planning cycle. The intent was to gain insight into the state's creation of a new homeland security organization, the application of a new homeland security strategy, and the efficacy of implementing federal capabilities-based planning processes from a strategic and operational perspective, rather than a federal grant application focus. Colorado's shift to a capabilities-based planning process was largely in response to criticism from both the Department of Homeland Security and Colorado state auditors on the use of federal homeland security funds. Audits described the state's strategy as disorganized and its homeland security structure as fractured with poor accountability and little meaningful oversight. This article examines the initial findings of the CHS immersion experience. Kurt A. Johnson Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/5 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/5 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:31:31 PST David Munro Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/4 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/4 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:57:34 PST Nick Deshpande Public Policy/SocietalIssues http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/3 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/3 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:18:08 PST Thomas L. Smith Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/2 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/2 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:33:14 PST Over the course of the past several years, numerous disasters in the outdoors have received widespread attention by the media and the American public. Search and rescue (SAR) services in the U.S. generally have been provided free of charge to outdoor enthusiasts who need them. In light of the excessive costs associated with some rescues, the fact that many rescues are either the result of perceived stupidity or unwarranted, and other factors, there has been a shift toward charging individuals who necessitate their own rescues. This paper examines the legal basis for free SAR services in the U.S., the rationale behind the shift toward charging for these services, and the implications of holding individuals liable for the cost of SAR activities. It reviews the formal shift toward individual liability for SAR services, looking specifically at state legislation and local policies, as well as some case law. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of charge-for-rescue policies. Sheila M. Huss http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/1 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol7/iss1/1 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:37:51 PST Charlotte Franklin Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/89 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/89 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:20:02 PST Kathy Anne Wood Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/88 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/88 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:39:10 PST Timely detection of a bioterrorist attack is of profound significance for efficient emergency public health management. Various systems currently exist which are capable of detecting the biologic agents prior to (e.g. biosensors) and after exposure (syndromic surveillance) but suffer from limitations like high cost and false positives (Stoto et al., Williams). In this paper, we use novel dynamic graph matching and gravity models to formulate a more precise and efficient methodology for detection. The problem is complicated by the similarity of anthrax and small pox symptoms to common diseases like influenza, chickenpox, airborne characteristics of these agents (that increases the risk of infection spreading to proximal regions), and non uniform distribution of terrorism risk among areas belonging to the same region. Our methodology will analyze patient symptom data available at hospitals using dynamic graph matching algorithms. We propose a heuristic that dynamically updates the template graphs based on patient data before applying matching algorithms, a unique feature of this study. Successful matches will be used to update counters that generate alerts once the counters surpass the threshold values. We develop a heuristic that uses a gravity model to group hospitals in a region into clusters based on the population they serve. Hospitals grouped together as a cluster affect counters that are local to the population they serve and generate alarms to the Public Health Department when they surpass the set threshold values. In addition, we use the fact that some symptoms are unique to these agents to make our algorithms more robust. These models could be used to develop practical applications for agencies such as DHS due to its ability to increase not just the likelihood of detection of a bioterrorism attack but also to identify with greater precision the location(s) of the attack. With minor modification they could also be used to plan for other disasters/epidemics such as SARS, and bird flu. Jomon Aliyas Paul Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/87 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/87 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:39:08 PST Eugene Smith Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/86 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/86 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:59:25 PST The development of effective and reliable methods to defend the nation against biological terrorism remains an urgent challenge to researchers in the areas of risk, bio-defense, public health, and emergency medicine. The emerging threat of the avian flu pandemic also highlights the unpreparedness of our nation's health care system to meet a highly contagious and infectious disease outbreak. The implementation of a rapid sensor technology for early detection of influenza-like-illness provides possible opportunities, as well as problems. Bounding and defining such a complex problem is one of the first challenges this research addresses. Approaching this problem from various perspectives such as risk management, critical infrastructures and emergency medicine proves to be a valid strategy for an efficient solution. After defining the problem and laying out a strategy, discussions on possible tools and techniques for the solution of the problem is presented in this paper, together with the compounding sources of and issues with complexity. C. Ariel Pinto Systems Engineering http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/85 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/85 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:52:40 PST This study deals with the relationship between organizational flexibility, crisis response and learning. As a point of departure we use previous research from the field of crisis management which tells us that experience can shape crisis responses in two ways: as a way of repeating former routines or as a precondition for improvisation. Based on an abductive study we argue that the mandates of top-managerial teams, where we differentiate between centralized and decentralized, are closely connected to the way organizations learn - in behavioral or cognitive modes. Our findings from two case studies show how the decentralized managerial group learned in a behavioral fashion by creating new formal policies and structures, while organizational members in the centralized managerial group relied on individual cognitive structures as a way of 'storing' lessons learned. The study ends by discussing the findings from a crisis management perspective, where we propose that the two modes of learning profoundly affect the crucial issue of flexibility in organizational crisis response. Edward Deverell Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/84 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/84 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:10:38 PST Access to evidence-based literature in a timely and efficient manner is critical in a situation involving a terrorism incident. The purpose of this project was to develop a method that provides rapid access to key biological, chemical, and radiological terrorism literature for poison information specialists, working in either the poison center or as remote agents, during a terrorism incident.Various electronic document management systems were evaluated and compared based on the cost of implementation and maintenance, ease of use, capabilities, and efficiency. After a thorough evaluation of these systems, it was determined that Adobe Acrobat Professional software met the needs of the center, with minimal expense. The implementation process involved scanning selected biological, chemical, and radiological terrorism literature via an HP Digital Sender 9250c scanner. The Adobe Acrobat Professional software was used to enter the author, title, and assigned keywords for searching.Total cost of implementation was approximately $4,500. The full software version was necessary for a minimal number of users, while the searching component for specialists in poison information was available through Adobe Acrobat Reader. A majority of the staff was satisfied with the new system and felt it was user friendly. The described system allows specialists rapid access to key papers, whether they are working in the center or remotely. This improves efficiency when surge capacity is compromised, which can occur during a terrorism incident. Tara L. Pummer Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/83 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/83 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:54:23 PST There is growing interest in the subject of resilience on the part of President Obama's Administration, as well as lively discussion regarding this issue in academic, business, and governmental circles. This article offers an operational framework that can prove useful to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and stakeholders at all levels, both public and private, as a basis for incorporating resilience into our infrastructure and society in order to make the nation safer. Three interrelated, mutually reinforcing objectives or end-states shape the approach to resilience: resistance, absorption, and restoration. If these objectives are realized as part of applying practical programs to critical systems and key functions, then these systems and functions will reflect resilience features appropriate to their individual needs. Resilience needs to be planned in advance--before systems are damaged and undesired consequences occur. Such planning can be challenging, given the different interpretations currently attached to "resilience," and the complexity inherent in the concept. Planners need to account for the fact that resilience is both broad and deep. It encompasses "hard" systems (such as infrastructure and assets) as well as "soft" systems (such as communities and individuals). A visually direct technique for assisting resilience planners is to establish a "resilience profile" for key functions within critical systems. Such a profile is delimited by three design parameters: function, latency limit, and minimum performance boundary. Investment strategies can be developed using these profiles to identify cost-effective ways and means to incorporate resilience capabilities across the homeland security mission spectrum for the system in question. Solutions need to be practiced and tested. Operationalizing the resilience framework presented in this article will not be easy. The potential payoff, however, in terms of the enhanced economic, individual, and societal security that such resilience provides can be immense. Jerome H. Kahan Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/82 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/82 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:39:46 PST The article explores the use of analogical reasoning to understand homeland defense and security issues. Analogical reasoning relies on the analysis of historical precedents. While much value can be inferred from examining historical precedents, accelerated change in contemporary societies decrease its relevance for understanding future events. This article considers whether complexity theory can complement the analogical approach. We formulate a theory of global violence and instability based on analogical reasoning and complexity theory to explicate why violent events persist despite countermeasures taken to contain them. This theory elucidates the phenomenon of escalating violence and explains why movements that perpetrate violence do not quickly mellow. We conclude with testable propositions and suggestions about the practical relevance of the theoretical framework for containing contemporary violence. Alfred A. Marcus Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/81 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/81 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:31:42 PST This paper proposes the "spider-web approach" as a new principle to draw implications on emergency management in Korea. The approach includes: 1) four overlapping phases of emergency management lifecycle, 2) horizontal and vertical networking, and 3) functional and hazard-specific approaches in the field of emergency management. Korea has only partially used these three factors in its three major programs, such as the Basic Plan on National Safety Management (BPNSM), the Guide on How to Set Up Emergency Operations Plans (GHSUEOPR), and the National Infrastructure Protection System (NIPS). Thus, the major tenet of this paper is the need for Korea to adopt the spider-web approach and then use it to the full extent for emergency management. Kyoo-Man Ha Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/80 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/80 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:07:42 PST Philip Palin Homeland Security http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/79 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/79 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:27:05 PST In May 2009, the Obama administration released its, Cyberspace Policy Review: Assuring a Trusted and Resilient Information and Communications Infrastructure, which it expected would lay the groundwork for a new national cybersecurity strategy. Staking out separate policy development space, Congressional leaders began hearings and introduced legislation. The most significant - the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 - proposed major changes in current federal government approaches. The common starting point of all of these reform efforts is that current federal organization and current national cybersecurity policy is inadequate for the task of securing cyberspace. This article analyzes past federal reorganization efforts in response to the last technological revolution with serious national security implications - nuclear technology -- and the more recent response to homeland security. While much of the current cybersecurity debate leans toward radical reforming, we counsel an incremental approach to reorganization that builds on the hard work of the last decade combined with a genuine reconceptualization of the threat solution set. Borrowing from the language of the nuclear era, we call for cybersecurity to rest on a balanced triad of intergovernmental relations, private corporate involvement, and active cyber citizenship as a resilient model that can manage this new and challenging security environment. In particular, we introduce the third leg as a critical new concept that has been absent from standard policy debate. The road to cybersecurity is destined to be long, circuitous, and difficult. Extensive negotiations between federal, state, local, and private sector leaders loom. No truly significant federal policy reform can be achieved without considering the intergovernmental policy dimensions combined with the overall threat perception driving those reforms. Success will remain elusive if government to private business relations do not improve and much will be undermined if the general public remains inactive in contributing to national cybersecurity. Richard J. Harknett Homeland Security