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Letters & CommentsMichael Petrie
Michael Petrie is the director of the Emergency Management Sciences Program at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Infectious Diseases and Emergency Readiness. He previously served for eight years as the emergency medical services administrator for the City and County of San Francisco. Mr. Petrie has worked in a variety of homeland security areas, including intelligence collection and fusion center operation, strategic planning, capability assessments, and planning for WMD incident response. A licensed paramedic for twenty-six years, Mr. Petrie is a recipient of the State of California EMS Authority’s Meritorious Service Medal. He is a contributing author for Jane’s publications, and has published numerous articles for peer-reviewed and professional journals. Mr. Petrie served on the faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), where he continues to serve as a thesis advisor. He holds an MBA and a master’s degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School. Mr. Petrie may be contacted at mgpetrie@nps.edu.
The Use of EMS Personnel as Intelligence Sensors: Critical Issues and Recommended Practices
ABSTRACT:
The use of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel as information collectors to support Terrorism Early Warning Groups (TEWGs)
and other intelligence fusion centers is advocated by academic papers, professional journals, and best-practice documents.
However, intelligence fusion centers are not integrating EMS personnel into their information collection systems,
due to strategic concerns about medical confidentiality, EMS professional issues, and society’s expectations of medical personnel.
This article analyses these issues, describes the development of an EMS information collection program,
and presents a model EMS information collection protocol.
EMS participation in information collection programs is not without risk or consequences,
and may be contrary to society’s expectations of EMS professionals.
When considering such a program, sponsoring organizations should secure a legal review and follow a methodical implementation process.
For the long term, the EMS, intelligence, homeland security, law enforcement, and medical communities
must maintain a dialogue and develop consensus on the strategic consequences of this practice.
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SUGGESTED CITATION:
Petrie, Michael. “The Use of EMS Personnel as Intelligence Sensors: Critical Issues and Recommended Practices.” Homeland Security Affairs III, no. 3 (September 2007)http://www.hsaj.org/?article=3.3.6