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In May 2011, as tornado sirens sounded, hospital workers at St. John's Regional Medical Center rushed to pull 183 patients to safety as one of the largest tornadoes on record bared down on their southwestern Missouri city. Breaking glass and the roar of the powerful storm deafened the dark hospital as power was lost.

The threats against America and its citizens has become real, and the need for ready responders is ever more critical. Response personnel must remain vigilant, and skilled with the preparedness knowledge to protect the citizens and cities they serve.

My Name is Nathan Paddock. I work for the Unity Health System Emergency Center in Rochester, N.Y. In 2009 I attended the Hospital Emergency Response Training for Mass Casualty Incidents (HERT) course, Hands-On Training for CBRNE Incidents (HOT) course, and most recently graduated from the Hazard Assessment and Response Management for CBRNE Incidents (HARM) course. In February 2010, I had the oppor...

The recent earthquakes and subsequent radiological impacts in Japan have increased the awareness and interest in how communities respond to radioactive incidents. Despite the recent increased attention on radiological hazards, training for such a potential incident has been happening at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) for the past four years.

The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), located in Anniston, Ala., recently teamed with the Alabama Fire College (AFC) to offer Pro Board certifications to eligible first responders attending the Emergency Responder Hazardous Materials Technician for CBRNE (ERHM) incidents course. The Pro Board accreditation for the CDP curriculum under the umbrella of the AFC program provides an opportunity f...

As Bill Brown received flood condition updates in June 2011, city officials were preparing for the worst overflow in more than 130 years. Brown, a retired captain with the Minot Police Department and now the Southwest Regional Emergency Response Coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, was making arrangements to staff the city's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and coord...

Colorado Responder Bill Mayfield has attended eight specialized training courses at FEMA's Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) and has an impressive multi-disciplinary background in healthcare, fire fighting, emergency management, and hazardous materials.

The severe tornadoes that swept through Alabama on April 27, 2011 destroyed more than 6,000 square miles and claimed 248 lives. With power out and water systems and other public infrastructure destroyed following the storms, environmental health specialists were left with the significant challenge of keeping diseases from spreading as citizens dealt with unrefrigerated foods, waste, unfiltered wat...

The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Ala. is known for its realistic, emergency response exercises. Responders attending the Hands-On Training for CBRNE Incidents (HOT-I) course will now have an added level of realism thanks to a school bus the CDP recently added to the simulated mass casualty exercise for each class.

Evidence collection processes have sometimes determined the outcome of criminal proceedings. However, the crime scenes of today are making the process more difficult with the potential recovery of chemicals, explosives, biological or radiological materials. These aspects make it even more paramount to follow procedures to ensure safety of on-scene personnel and successful prosecution of criminals.