Volume 5: Issue 3 - June 2009
Volume 5: Issue 3 – June 2009
The June issue of Crisis Response Journal covers a wide range of international disasters and incidents, written by leading authorities in their fields of expertise
Comment
The economy as a risk When is a risk not a risk? Andy Marshall takes a brief look at both sides of the debate on the current economic situation and considers a pragmatic way forward
Now that the flames are out In anticipation of CRJ’s more detailed coverage of the February wildfires in Australia, Christine Jessup explores some of the societal and emergency management issues that these tragic blazes have raised
Incident reports
CBRN emergency in Spain Dr Fernando Prados Roa and Juan José Giménez Mediavilla describe the response to a letter containing suspicious white powder sent to the US Embassy in Madrid
Italian earthquake Alessandro Paola reports on the rescues following a devastating quake in the Abruzzo Region
Conflict
Israeli Fire and Rescue Adi Moncaz explains how fire and rescue services adjusted their operations during Israel’s recent military actions in the Gaza Strip
Gaza assessment Two experts from the ICDO report on their mission to assess damage to the Palestinian Civil Defence System and estimate reconstruction costs
Response to South Ossetia Alexander Kuvshinov looks at emergency humanitarian operations after Georgian forces attacked the South Ossetian capital
Profile
Russian and Europe working together Vladimir Kuvshinov explores prevention and response co-operation between Russia and the EU
Flooding
Testing co-operation Peter Glerum describes planning for a major European flood response exercise
Should things go wrong... Bas Kolen and Ira Helsloot outline research into evacuation triggered by extreme flooding in the Netherlands, saying that coping with uncertainties must be embedded into emergency plans
Features
Exercise evaluation Training multidisciplinary crisis management teams is becoming more common, but the value of this training and these exercises is questionable without expert evaluation, says Piet Schneider
Time for an EU disaster relief force? The swine fever outbreak has led to renewed discussions in the EU on the subject brought up in 2006 by the Barnier Report. Lina Kolesnikova reports
Protecting CNI via satellite Hilary Phillips reports on how Hein Vosloo and Philip Frost re-thought fire detection of South Africa’s power transmission grid and took it to another level
Robots to the rescue Rescuers are one step closer to being able to use robots to help in disasters, says Elena Messina and, despite still having limitations, they can play a significant role in operations, particularly search and rescue
In depth
Robotic senses for hostile sites Hans De Smet, Carlos Pinzon and Jan Leyson outline a European project looking at how robots can gather data for rescue workers in dangerous, hostile or toxic environments
Complex emergencies in New York City Ian Portelli and Mollie Marr look at the City’s system of emergency preparedness and disaster planning
Looking backwards The lack of a unanimous medium for victim identification can often lead to confusion, misidentification and a lack of confidence in experts, as Jay Levinson explains
Wildland fires: Mediterranean Gavriil Xanthopoulos reports on recent developments in this region
Emergency evacuation Arnold Howitt, Andrew Velasquez III, Mike Montgomery and Ellis Stanley discuss notifying the public in the path of danger
Chemical attacks in transit Mass transit and passenger rail systems are vulnerable to terrorist attacks for a number of reasons, says Andy Oppenheimer
Leadership: Avoiding the traps Dr Isaac Ashkenazi, Dr Leonard Marcus and Dr Barry Dorn describe further pitfalls in the midst of a mass casualty event and discuss the qualities needed for meta-leadership
Regular sections
Events Crucial diary dates for the next few months, along with previews and reviews
From the unknown: Public self-preparedness Lieutenant General Russel L Honoré says that communities can no longer rely on the government to protect them fully during times of disaster
European civil protection By collating a central database of European disasters, Thomas de Lannoy says the European Commission can help responders raise awareness and improve disaster management
Lessons learned JL Smither looks at the lessons gleaned from the London bombings of 7/7, four years on, and asserts that had it not been for such a brave emergency response more casualties would have been likely