The Cycle of Preparedness: Establishing a Framework to Prepare for Terrorist Threats
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William V. Pelfrey
First responders, emergency managers, “first preventers” and everyone responsible for Homeland Security are all challenged to “prepare” for the terrorist threats that have become more prominent since September 11, 2001. Preparedness was begun before that date and has continued since, but a consensus strategic process of disaggregating preparedness into phases or elements to organize the preparedness process has not been articulated. Prevention, the “first priority” of Homeland Security, according the National Strategy for Homeland Security, has drifted into the background. The Cycle of Preparedness, as described here, provides a framework to better accomplish an “auto-adaptive” capacity in organizations tasked with preventing, responding to, and recovering from attacks. This framework begins with Prevention, accomplished through Collaboration and Information Sharing as primary elements and Threat Recognition, Risk Management, and Intervention as additional elements; followed by Awareness that an event is occurring; and Response next, best characterized as emergency response activities; and finally Consequence Management and Recovery to revitalize the jurisdictions. This framework will be operationalized in different ways in different jurisdictions but the framework is durable in pursuing the illusive goal of preparedness.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Special Article
- When Stakeholders Perceive Threats and Risks Differently: the Use of Group Support Systems to Develop a Common Understanding and a Shared Response
- Believe in the Model: Mishandle the Emergency
- Impacts of User Interface Complexity on User Acceptance and Performance in Safety-Critical Systems
- Performance Information Systems for Emergency Response: Field Examination and Simulation of End-To-End Rural Response Systems
- Research Article
- The Cycle of Preparedness: Establishing a Framework to Prepare for Terrorist Threats
- Realtime Testing of a Regional Poison Information Center's Disaster Plan
- Communication/News
- Modernizing Homeland Defense and Security
- Alert Status Red: Awareness, Knowledge and Reaction to the Threat Advisory System
- Related Research Article
- Integrating Disaster Reduction Into Development
- Book Review
- World of Risk: A New Approach to Global Strategy and Leadership
- Homeland Security: A Documentary History
- Book Review: A Dangerous Place: California's Unsettling Fate
- Letter to the Editor
- Preface to the Special Edition of JHSEM
Articles in the same Issue
- Special Article
- When Stakeholders Perceive Threats and Risks Differently: the Use of Group Support Systems to Develop a Common Understanding and a Shared Response
- Believe in the Model: Mishandle the Emergency
- Impacts of User Interface Complexity on User Acceptance and Performance in Safety-Critical Systems
- Performance Information Systems for Emergency Response: Field Examination and Simulation of End-To-End Rural Response Systems
- Research Article
- The Cycle of Preparedness: Establishing a Framework to Prepare for Terrorist Threats
- Realtime Testing of a Regional Poison Information Center's Disaster Plan
- Communication/News
- Modernizing Homeland Defense and Security
- Alert Status Red: Awareness, Knowledge and Reaction to the Threat Advisory System
- Related Research Article
- Integrating Disaster Reduction Into Development
- Book Review
- World of Risk: A New Approach to Global Strategy and Leadership
- Homeland Security: A Documentary History
- Book Review: A Dangerous Place: California's Unsettling Fate
- Letter to the Editor
- Preface to the Special Edition of JHSEM
