Comment: Darwinian terrorism               

Dr Dave Sloggett suggests we are seeing the advent of a new type of terrorism, a form that has evolved to survive in the face of changes to its operational environment, but does it follow the Darwinian model, or are we looking at adaptation rather than evolution?

Analysis: How text messages are changing a country              

A mobile phone or solar powered radio might not seem the most obvious lifesaver in a large-scale disaster but, used in the right way, this technology is becoming one of the most effective ways to help communities caught in a crisis, says Alexandra Murdoch, describing a project that the Red Cross has set up in Sierra Leone.

Focus on Azeri response        

Emily Hough reports on a recent event organised by the International Civil Defence Organisation  and the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Azerbaijan, which culminated in an impressive display of response equipment and capabilities on land, at sea and in the air.

Super-typhoon Bopha             

Tom Kinderman, a member of a response team dispatched to help deal with the aftermath of Typhoon Bopha (or Pablo), describes the devastation that this storm caused, and the ongoing reconstruction efforts to alleviate some of the suffering

Fatal blast lays town to waste  

The explosion at the West Fertilizer Company shook this farming community in Texas. The blast killed 15 people, 12 of them emergency first responders, and injured more than 260 others. Many buildings were also destroyed and  injuring more than 260 others and destroyed numerous buildings, reports Bill Peterson, who looks at the emergency response

Boston Marathon bombing response      

Herman B ‘Dutch’ Leonard and Arnold M Howitt say some 12 to 15 years ago, Boston would not have handled the Marathon bombings as effectively as it did in April. Today, institutional preparedness and the ability to integrate with other agencies are far superior, say the authors, who analyse the initial response. However, they sound a note of warning, saying: “As terrible as this attack was, we need to recognize that it was, nonetheless small-scale – by no means the largest mass casualty event that we may be called upon to address.”

Attacks and the police in Pakistan           

The number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan has risen dramatically in the last few years and though several attempts have been thwarted, thousands of law enforcement personnel have died while undertaking counter-terror opportunities, reports Luavut Zahid in this focus on terrorist response from a police perspective.

Police training in East Africa   

Thirty senior police leaders from 12 African states gathered in Rwanda this April to study leadership, strategy and the management of serious crime. Huw Gosling describes how the course, set against a historical backdrop of horrendous genocide, is helping to set standards of excellence in policing throughout the region

Simple steps to combat cyber crime        

Spammers, phishers, hacktivists... Barely a day goes by without news of another organisation falling pretty to cyber attack, security breach or hacking incident. Emily Hough talks to John Weigelt of Microsoft Canada, and Vicki Gavin of the Economist Group, to discover how the individual – often quoted as being the weakest link in an organisation – can also be its greatest defence

CBRN planning in the urban environment               

Brigadier General Ioannis Galatas (rtd) looks at four selected issues related to CBRN threats in the urban environment, saying that a large part of winning the battle lies in changing human attitudes

CBRN scenarios in action       

Major Christophe Libeau provides a short overview of the training vignettes during a recent CBRN symposium, saying that the event provided the opportunity for many European agencies and forces to discuss or showcase their capabilities

Learning from the commercial sector      

Afshin Mansouri and Ali Torabi describe how bringing logistics and supply chain management from the private sector has helped to model relief distribution points in Tehran, helping to provide greater resilience in the event of an earthquake

Addressing airport vulnerabilities           

Colonel Ratindra Khatri (rtd) says that Nepal’s only international airport would be a critical hub for the reception and distribution of incoming aid in the event of a major disaster in Kathmandu, a city vulnerable to seismic and other extreme hazards

Resilience and the urban environment    

Christo Motz speaks to Nicholas You, a veteran urban and intergovernmental expert, architect, planner and organiser of international city activities, who advises governments and local authorities in public policy, strategic planning and best practice in order to support sustainability and resilience

Food, cities and disasters        

Recent experience shows the need for better planning and policy tools for disaster risk reduction in terms of food and nutrition security, write Emily Dowding-Smith and Thomas Forster

Media and sensitisation          

Mohammed Hoseini and Mostafa Mohaghegh discuss whether the media can help to maintain levels of interest and awareness in disaster prevention and response among the public and decision-makers, asking whether we should reconsider the communication aspects of disaster management...

Cross-border emergency management    

What are the legal ramifications of emergency medical treatment for patients or casualties in cross-border transit? Hilary Phillips speaks to Kurt Worral-Clare, a South African legal counsel who specialises in this thorny area

Military disaster relief                             

Arno Umfahrer, Chief Instructing Officer for Disaster Relief at Austria’s NBC Defence School, describes the external classification process that the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief has successfully completed in order to become classified as an official INSARAG Heavy USAR Team

Training defence forces for civil support

Lieutenant Colonel Jon Guns outlines the arrangements for the UK military support to civil authorities and emergency services during major incidents and describes how training for this contribution is undertaken to make sure that they support emergency response efforts effectively

Response and resilience          

When terrorists strike, operational procedures can become stretched very quickly. Dr Dave Sloggett explores how aviation support can help emergency services to develop greater flexibility when responding to extraordinary events

Environmental value of the Fire Service 

Mike Hall concludes this series by examining how best to determine the environmental value that Fire and Rescue Services provide, and looking at what this value tells us about future direction and funding

Chinese emergency management             

Xiaoli Lu and Kaibin Zhong provide a short overview of how the Chinese emergency management system has developed and has been moving towards a more integrated model in the last decade

Hurricanes: An urban public health emergency       

Continuing this series examining the effects of major adverse climate events upon urban environments, Ian Portelli PhD, MSC, Silas Smith, MD, FACEP, and their co-authors focus upon urban response to hurricanes and floods, using November 2012’s Hurricane Sandy as an example

Books     

Jay Levinson reviews a Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters by George Bibel and CRJ looks at A Supply Chain Management Guide to Business Continuity by Betty A Kildow.

Worshipful Company of Firefighters - working with young people

We report on an innovative and effective programme to combat antisocial behaviour among young people

EU Civil Protection 

Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, describes how the Emergency Response Centre, which will open its doors on May 15, will benefit European citizens and all those affected by disasters worldwide by a providing better co-ordinated, faster and more efficient response

From the frontline – Antarctic emergency response

Martin Boyle, Field Support and Emergency Management Co-ordinator at the Australian Antarctic Division, describes his unique working environment and tells Emily Hough how the size and remoteness of the stations present unique challenges