Volume 4: Issue 2 - March 2008
The March issue of Crisis Response Journal covers a wide range of international disasters and incidents, written by leading authorities in their fields of expertise
Incident reports
Jokela school shooting When a student opened fire in the hallways it took a while before the response services got to grips with the situation. Vesa Toikka looks at what happened
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Strait and narrow: The Kerch Strait oil spill Toni Jokinen analyses local and international response to the disaster which cost the lives of 23 sailors and thousands of seabirds
Wildfires in CaliforniaEffective co-operation and communication led to the success of dealing with the devastating fires that swept the state of California last year, says Henry R Renteria
After the floodThe emergency response to the 2007 Sindh/Balochistan floods was one of the most complex and challenging the Pakistan Red Crescent Society has ever faced, writes John Tulloch
From the horse’s mouth: exercise Pegasus Dr Andy Robertson and Hazel Harley saddle up for the disaster surge exercise which tested Perth’s hospitals in a mass casualty incident
The Ikeja bomb blast and other disasters More than 750 people lost their lives in Nigeria in 2002 as they fled a munitions factory explosion. Maj. Gen. Martin Chukudi Osahor (Rtd.) gives a personal view of what happened, and what has been learned, from this, and other, horrific incidents
What has the private sector learned from 9/11? Emily Walker looks at the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in relation to the private sector, delving into the collaborative efforts of the financial markets which mitigated the effects of the disaster
Rapid Reflection Forces put to the reality test Pierre Béroux, Xavier Guilhou and Patrick Lagadec outline how the Rapid Reflection Force concept has proved itself as a pivotal tool for senior management at electricity company EDF, when confronted with risks and crises
Features
Expecting the unexpected: terrorism CRJ Editor Emily Hough speaks to terrorism analyst and consultant Hagai Segal, who warns of assuming today’s Al-Qaeda-inspired plots will be similar to that which we have seen before
Monitoring international SAR response teams The UN’s monitoring body INSARAG was created to regulate international SAR and prevent rogue teams from being deployed. Yet those with no experience, little equipment and poor training can still become INSARAG-registered, says a worried John Holland
Does the interim Pitt Review go far enough? David Lane takes a closer look at the findings of Sir Pitt’s interim report on last year’s UK flood responses and calls for a single agency to be given primacy in managing inland water rescue operations
EU flooding project update The EU’s FloodCommand project to improve pan-European emergency co-operation is now moving towards its final phase, writes Stephen Predergast
Gore’s 50 years of innovation CRJ takes a peek at the company founded in a family basement – now a renowned global enterprise celebrated for unique working culture and product innovation
In depth
Flood resilience part 1: Facing an uncertain future Peter Borrows looks at the changing face of flood risk management in increasingly urban and populated societies
Campus and workplace shootings: Part I Hollis Stambaugh starts the first of several articles that will offer an inside view of the lessons learned from the tragedy that befell the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) – the worst mass murder with a gun in the history of the USA
Crisis management part III: Families in disasters As part of CRJ’s series on helping crisis management leaders understand their responsibilities, Salvador Velasco and Nick Haig look at what happens when loved ones are involved in a mass fatality incident
Trauma support for emergency services: Part I In the first of a two-part series, Noreen Tehrani looks at how the British Transport Police Support Programme helped bolster its officers after the July 7 London bombings.
Good governance part II: Delivering public value Irwin Turbitt takes a closer look at Mark Moore’s ‘strategic triangle’ and how it can be used to create more value in the public sector
A question of communication part II: Sound This issue, Andy Clark lends an ear to good vibrations – sound being the third element in our communication system
Major events and the emergency services: Part III In the concluding part of this series, Fire Chief Klaus Maurer addresses risk analysis and how to calculate the necessary numbers of emergency staff
Wildland fires part III: Regional focus on north-east Asia Dr Leonid Kondrashov introduces the Regional North-east Asia Wildland Fire Network and its main activities in an area where fires are on the increase due to changes in society and climate
Looking backwards part III: Disaster and the sea When planning for response to a maritime disaster, it’s important to avoid the idea of stereotyped incidents, such as the Titanic, says Jay Levinson
Profiles
Specialist mobility in mountain rescue: SA’s Gauteng team This issue, Hilary Philips speaks to Rob Thomas about his team’s volunteer activities, including six-hour walks to get a doctor to a patient
Focus on the RAF’s fire service Mark Almond pays tribute to the Royal Air Force’s FRS – a mobile, professional fire service deployed in areas of conflict round the world
Facing Qatar’s future One of the most extensive reviews seen by any Fire and Rescue Service was started in 2004 by the Qatar Civil Defence Department, in response to potential future demand, says Abdulla bin Mohd Al-Sowaidi
The need for speed: Jerez Grand Prix Alvaro Pemartin takes a cruise around emergency management involved in the busy motorcycle event
Regular sections
Events Crucial diary dates for the next few months, along with previews and reviews
Europe civil protectionCRJ reports on proceedings at last year’s Brussels conference, where experts from the EU met to discuss the way ahead in civil protection and preparedness
Lessons learned In this continuation of a series by the US Department of Homeland Security, Thomas Kenny looks at terrorist attacks using a radiological dispersal device (RDD)
Comment Kathy Sinnott says it’s time to properly back the European 112 telephone emergency number and highlights the Verona Charter, which emphasises the need for people with disabilities to be taken in to account in disaster planning