Communications Systems for Black Sky Events
Communications Systems for Black Sky Events Utility grid resilience never seemed more important than during the active hurricane season the nation faces in 2020. These black sky events reach across state lines, challenging federal, state and local emergency response and the communications systems that support it. For critical infrastructure, resilient operational communications systems are essential for restoration and recovery. Last fall, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted research to evaluate communications systems' ability to...
Thinking Outside the Box Cliché – We understand it but do not practice it
Thinking Outside the Box Cliché We understand it, but do not practice it By Mark Anderko – Business Development Executive – Federal Government Services for Mutualink Among the most well-worn phrases in the Public or Private Sectors is “thinking outside the box”. It is intended to mean thinking creatively, freely, and off the beaten path. This concept has become cliché, especially today. We now operate in a pandemic environment where every day is considered the...
Incident Command & Mutualink – ICS Management
Incident Command & Mutualink The Incident Command System (ICS) was developed by the fire service in the 1970s, after a series of California wildfires. The fire service and emergency management organizations refined ICS over the years into an "all risks" or "all hazards" system. It is now used for managing emergencies of any type. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS utilizes ICS and provides a...
School Violence Prevention Program Grant
The COPS Office STOP School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) NOW EXTENDED: The COPS Office has extended the application deadline for the FY20 School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) from April 8, 2020 to April 29, 2020 at 7:59 p.m. EDT due to the potential impact of jurisdictional emergency responses to COVID-19 that may cause reasonable delays for applicants. SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM (SVPP) • Purpose - Provide funding to improve security at schools and on school grounds through the...
Communication Gaps in Emergency Response
Communication Gaps in the Emergency Response Community This blog contains excerpts from Gap Assessment in the Emergency Response Community published in September 2010 by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory prepared for the Department of Homeland Security, along with the viewpoint of the writer of this blog. To read the full report, please visit: https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-19782.pdf Why do emergency response agencies regularly encounter operational communication gaps? This question consistently plagues and challenges today's preparedness and response organizations in ...
Interoperable Communications Essential for COVID-19 Response
Confronting Paper Thin Realities: Toilet Paper & Luca’s Dead Sister How Interoperable Communications Is Essential but Overlooked in the COVID-19 Pandemic According to media reports[1] in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, Luca Franzese’s sister, Teresa, died from a coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Naples, Italy. Under house quarantine, he called the city for help, but nobody knew what to do. The funeral home wasn’t cooperating and didn’t know what to do either. Her decaying...
Count on Us During the Coronavirus Response
Count on Us During the Coronavirus Response As our nation deals with the unfolding COVID-19 outbreak, you can count on us to be at your side. We serve those who are on the frontlines helping those in need, including emergency management, public safety and healthcare providers. Mutualink stands ready, willing and able to assist you at any time, day or night. You are connected to the largest network of government, public safety and private security organizations...
Lessons Learned from Tragedy
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Final Report Given the recent publication of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission’s final report, it is clear that school administrators and law enforcement officials continue to grapple with achieving levels of communication that enable them to respond to threats to the health and welfare of their faculty and student community. In the wake of the grave communication breakdowns described in the MSDPSC final report, a comprehensive all-hazards approach...
Did You Say Operationalization?
By Mark Anderko – Sr. Director of Program Operations for Mutualink Operationalization by definition is the process of making something functional by putting something into effect. To further understand this definition, we must understand what the word effect means in this context. Effect – A change which is the result or consequence of an action or other cause. The process of operationalization takes a fuzzy concept and redefines it in a way that allows solutions...
Gap Analysis Breaking the Paradigm
Gap Analysis – The Insanity Breaking the Paradigm By Mark Anderko Have you ever taken a moment to reflect and critically look at programs and projects from a global perspective? If you have, then you have engaged in a review and assessment process of how people, policy and technology come together to deliver a desired outcome. Agencies perform this function to identify the effectiveness of their plans. It also help to identify challenges, called gaps,...
Technology and Human Behavior Operational Success Blog
On the corner of technology and human behavior Technology and human behavior definitions: Behavior: The way in which a person acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus Intersection: A point at which two or more things come together Technology: The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes Adoption: The action of fact of choosing to take up, follow or use something Technology and human behavior have been intersecting for years. This intersection is...
Operational Success Blog 3
The Leadership Effect Editor's Note: For readability we will use "leader" to refer to an individual leader or leadership group. By Mark Anderko “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the leader adjusts the sails" - John Maxwell A leader in an organization has tremendous effect on the outcome of any project. A leader identifies operational gaps within the organization...