Homeland Security Affairs Journal, Volume X - January-July 2014

Homeland Security Affairs is the peer-reviewed online journal of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), providing a forum to propose and debate strategies, policies, and organizational arrangements to strengthen U.S. homeland security. The instructors, participants, alumni, and partners of CHDS represent the leading subject matter experts and practitioners in the field of homeland security.June 2014. Two essays publishing this month expand the debate over the emergency response aspect of homeland security. Mac Kemp argues that emergency medical services are a vital component of homeland security and as such the role of EMS needs to be expanded. In “EMS and Homeland Security” he recommends five ways in which EMS personnel can make a greater contribution by (1) gathering on-scene intelligence, (2) providing medical intelligence within fusion centers, (3) disseminating medical intelligence briefs, (4) acting as the lead in developing multi-disciplinary mass casualty response plans, and (5) contributing data to current syndromic surveillance systems to provide earlier warning of a pandemic or terrorist incident. In “Leveraging Emergency Notification Alerts” Michael Leiva suggests the efficacy of emergency services could be improved with either the creation of a new alert system or by changing the criteria of the current Emergency Alert System. Leveraging the existing Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) depends on the willingness of government officials and emergency managers to become more proactive, seek IPAWS accreditation for their organizations or agencies, and establish a standard definition of what constitutes an emergency disaster. Also in June, we are pleased to offer two book reviews. Robert J. Bunker reviews Border Security by James Phelps, Jeff Dailey and Monica Koenigsberg (Carolina Academic Press, 2014) and Matthew Magolan reviews The Siege of Mecca by Yaroslav Trofimov (Doubleday, 2007).Sponsored by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA, CHDS is part of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)