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Hello Lucien,
Welcome to the October edition of Emergency Management Solutions.
I have done my best over the years to avoid political commentary in my writings, particularly over the past few years when I have seen political comments end friendships and cause hard feelings. I value you all as professional colleagues and respect your right to hold your own opinions. However, as we in the United States are facing the most important election of our lifetime, I would like to ask my US colleagues to consider the following questions as professional emergency managers as you consider the candidates in this race:
- Were you satisfied with the lack of a coherent national policy during the COVID pandemic that resulted in the US having the highest number of deaths per capita in the world?
- Do you believe it is acceptable to withhold disaster assistance funding based on whether it provides a political advantage?
- Is it okay to override subject matter experts and redraw prediction maps on which emergency managers are making crucial decisions about preparedness and evacuations because of your earlier misstatements?
- Is it acceptable to spread misinformation that puts disaster victims and emergency workers at risk to discredit political opponents?
Please consider these questions as you cast your ballot.
Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.
John Stuart Mill
In this month's featured articles Tim Riecker discusses integrating the Intel and Investigations function into the Incident Command System and Erik Bernstein offers thoughts on the importance of crisis planning. My own contribution discusses recent calls for reforming national emergency management policy.
Be well!
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Canton on Emergency Management
By Lucien G. Canton, CEM
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Is It Time to Rethink Disaster Legislation?
In a recent opinion piece for The Hill titled Why America needs disaster reform Now former FEMA Administrator Brock Long makes the case that our emergency management system in the United States has become bogged down in bureaucracy and that there is an urgent need for reform. Brock notes that we have close to 90 recovery programs administered by thirty federal agencies, requiring the submission of multiple applications for assistance. The consequence is a confusing bureaucratic maze that creates confusion and duplication and causes delays in the provision of relief funding.
This is not confusing when one considers the haphazard in which the system developed. Significant change to disaster relief has always been reactive, the result of legislative action in response to focusing events, disasters with high national impact. This reactive approach means that there has never really been a unified emergency management policy or strategy. Indeed, it wasn’t until passage of the Stafford act in 1974 that preparedness and disaster relief were combined in a single piece of legislation and until 1979 before disaster relief programs were combined in a single agency with the creation of FEMA.
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© 2024 - Lucien G. Canton
Lucien Canton is a management consultant specializing in helping managers lead better in a crisis. He is the former Director of Emergency Services for San Francisco and the author of the best-selling Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs used as a textbook in many higher education courses.
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The Contrarian Emergency Manager
By Timothy "Tim" Riecker
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NIMS Intel and Investigations Function – A Dose of Reality
Background
Soon after the initiation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as a result of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 in 2003, the Intelligence and Investigation (I/I) function was developed and introduced to NIMS, specifically to the Incident Command System (ICS). While we traditionally view I/I as a law enforcement function, there are other activities which guidance indicates may fall within I/I, such as epidemiology (personally, I’d designate epidemiology as a specific function, as we saw done by many during the COVID-19 response), various cause and origin investigations, and others. Integration of these activities into the response structure has clear advantages.
The initial guidance for the I/I function was largely developed by command personnel with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). This guidance offered several possible locations for the I/I function within the ICS structure, based on anticipated level of activity, needed support, and restrictions of I/I related information. These four possible ways of organizing the I/I function per this guidance are depicted here, and include:
- Placement as a Command Staff position
- Organized within the Operations Section (i.e. at a Branch level)
- Developed as its own section
- Included as a distinct unit within the Planning Section
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© 2024 - Timothy Riecker, CEDP
Used with Permission
Tim Riecker is a founding member, partner and principal consultant with Emergency Preparedness Solutions, LLC, a private consulting firm serving government, businesses, and not for profit organizations in various aspects of emergency and disaster preparedness.
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Bernstein Crisis Management
by Erik Bernstein
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Crisis Planning: A Foundation For Crisis Management Success
The ability to anticipate and safely navigate through crises has long been a cornerstone of organizational resilience. Since at least 1982, when Johnson & Johnson’s response to incidents of Tylenol being deliberately contaminated with cyanide set the bar for modern crisis management, smart brands have taken precautions to safeguard against threats to reputation, operations, and the financial bottom line. Crisis planning, an integral component of broader crisis management and communication efforts, empowers brands to better withstand these threats, coming out on the other side perhaps a bit bruised and battered, but largely intact and ready to return to business as usual. Let’s look at the pivotal role planning plays within comprehensive crisis management frameworks, along with some best practices suggested by our firm’s expert consultants.
The Vital Role of Crisis Planning
Crisis planning is not merely about preparing for the worst; it’s about envisioning various crisis scenarios and developing actionable strategies to mitigate potential impacts. While not every incident is a crisis, having comprehensive plans can help prevent trouble from escalating to the point of attracting public attention. At its core, effective crisis planning encompasses the identification of potential threats, the assessment of their implications, the establishment of clear, actionable response strategies, and a reliable way to ensure the people executing your plans are prepared to fulfill their roles.
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© 2024 - Erik Bernstein
Used with permission
Erik Bernstein is President of Bernstein Crisis Management, a specialized firm dedicated to providing holistic strategies for managing crisis situations.
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Loma Prieta Earthquake, 30 Years Later
The Bay Area marks the 30th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17th. If you were in the Bay Area on that day in 1989, you knew where you were and what you were doing at 5:04 p.m. when the 6.9 quake rocked the region. In this installment of our award-winning documentary series Bay Area Revelations, we’ll take a look at how the earthquake forever changed the Bay Area and what’s being done to prepare for the next big one.
Hear untold stories from the survivors, first responders and unsung heroes from that day. Our interviewees share memories from Candlestick Park, San Francisco's Marina District, the Cypress Freeway in Oakland and downtown Santa Cruz. They include sportscaster Al Michaels, former Giants star Will Clark, along with former San Francisco mayor Art Agnos and former police chief Frank Jordan. Also, hear from the Oakland surgeon who amputated a young boy's leg, saving his life and the former firefighter who nearly died when the Cypress freeway collapsed. And, the "miracle survival" story of a family-run bookshop in Santa Cruz.
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FEMA Releases Engaging Faith-Based and Community Organizations: Planning Considerations for Emergency Managers
FEMA and the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships are releasing, “Engaging Faith-Based and Community Organizations: Planning Considerations for Emergency Managers.” This document, originally released in 2018, outlines best practices for engaging faith-based and community organizations before, during and after disasters to help residents in these areas improve their resilience and emergency management capabilities.
Once engaged, these organizations become an influential force, particularly in reaching high-risk and historically underserved community members. Lessons learned from real-world events and updates to FEMA programs have resulted in additional considerations and resources for faith-based and community organizations.
FEMA will host several 60-minute webinar sessions to provide an overview of the guide. Ongoing outreach efforts from the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will also be highlighted. To access the guide and register for a webinar, visit the FEMA webpage, https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/plan.
RELEASE FOR NATIONAL ENGAGEMENT:
NIMS Intelligence/Investigations Function Guidance
FEMA’s National Integration Center is seeking public feedback on the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Intelligence/Investigations Function Guidance. This National Engagement period will conclude November 1, 2024.
NIMS is a key component of the national incident management capabilities and enables organizations from across the nation to work together during incidents of all kinds and sizes. Implementing NIMS nationwide is a fundamental part of building our national preparedness.
The NIMS Intelligence/Investigations Function Guidance is used to support emergency response and recovery operations by providing procedures for gathering, analyzing, and sharing information.
National Engagement provides an opportunity for interested parties to comment on the draft document, to ensure that it is relevant for all implementing partners.
To provide comments on the draft, complete the feedback form and submit the form to fema-nims@fema.dhs.gov.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Call for Quick Response Research – SUBMIT NOW
With the support of the National Science Foundation, the Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Research Award Program provides funds and training for eligible researchers to collect data in the aftermath of extreme events to document disaster before memories fade and physical evidence is erased. The Natural Hazards Center is currently accepting proposals for a Special Call for Health Outcomes and Climate-Related Disaster Research. Funds will support awards in the amount of $10,000 to $50,00 each. Proposals for this special call will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Apply now! More information can be found at https://hazards.colorado.edu/research/quick-response
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Professional Development Opportunities
IAEM Annual Conference and EMEX
November 15-21, 2024
Colorado Springs, CO
The goal of the IAEM Annual Conference is to improve your knowledge, competency level and collaborative skills. IAEM accomplishes this by attracting relevant high-profile speakers to address current topics and practical solutions. Convening in tandem to this annual event, EMEX, IAEM’s Emergency Management & Homeland Security Expo, draws a myriad of exhibitors who are the top suppliers to the fields of disaster preparedness and homeland security.
National Hurricane Conference
April 14-17, 2025
New Orleans, Louisiana
The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference is to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save lives and property in the United States and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific.
27th Annual FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Symposium
June 2-4, 2025
Emmitsburg, MD
The mission of the FEMA Higher Education Program’s Symposium is to cultivate a collaborative space for Emergency Management academia, professional organizations, and practitioners that promotes a culture of continuous learning and innovation. There is no registration fee, and lodging is free. Details will be posted online no later than November 2024.
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We Rocked... We Rolled... and We Opened: Marriott Meets the 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta Earthquake
by Alain Piallat
On October 17, 1989, the San Francisco Marriott, a 1500 room, 39-story hotel officially opened to the public. Coincidentally, it happened to be the day of the 6.9 on the Richter scale, Loma Prieta earthquake and of the third game of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's.
Alain Piallat, the opening general manager at the time, recounts what happened that day and has interspersed actual events with a number of fictional situations as it relates to the life of a general manager living in a hotel, alternating the strategic, the serious and the lighthearted. Some of the names of persons involved have been omitted, some have been changed, and some have been kept.
It is an interesting and fun book to read if one is intrigued by the life of a hotel manager and if one recalls where he or she was on that dramatic day of 1989.
About The Author
Alain Piallat is a retired executive of Marriott International where he spent thirty years climbing the corporate ladder. At the time of the Loma Prieta San Francisco earthquake, he was the general manager of the then-named San Francisco Marriott, now renamed the San Francisco Marriott Marquis.
Prior to retiring from Marriott International in 2005, Piallat was President of Marriott Hotels of Canada and Senior Vice President of Marriott Lodging in the midwestern part of the US. In these capacities, he was responsible for the management of some 350 hotels under different brand names. He guided the development of Revenue, Sales & Marketing strategies required to maximize sales and profits in these various businesses.
During his career, Piallat served as Chairman of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. He was on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement International, served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Hotel School of Management at Michigan State University and was a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Hospitality at Guelph University in Ontario, Canada.
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Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs
Second Edition
by Lucien G. Canton
This book looks at the larger context within which emergency management response occurs, and stresses the development of a program to address a wide range of issues. Not limited to traditional emergency response to natural disasters, it addresses a conceptual model capable of integrating multiple disciplines and dealing with unexpected emergencies.
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Looking for a speaker for your conference? I offer keynotes, seminars, workshops, and webinars, either in person or virtually. You can find more details and sample videos on my website. | | | |
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©Lucien G. Canton 2024. All rights reserved.
You may reprint and excerpt this newsletter provided that you include my copyright, the source,
the author, and "reprinted with permission."
ISSN: 2334-590X
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