1/ If you are worried about market panic, then place protective stops as soon as you take a position. Even for long term trades, stops are a must.
2/ When choosing a broker, you always have to make sure, and then test and check regularly to have alternative means of communications: phone, fax, e-mail, a walk-in shop, anything.
For the above reasons, for long term, e-trade and ameritrade are good enough choices. Also, fidelity, scottrade, schwab, noble trading, mb trading. IB is not a good choice for reason 2. If you want forex, consider oanda.