WFTND Blog Information

An emergency manager trying to make a difference.

The name of the blog comes from a conversation with my daughter, where she told me that I was always looking to help people be prepared for the inevitable emergencies in life.

I started this blog as a place to assemble all the information that I was getting every day and to share my thoughts and ideas on emergency management.

I had no idea how much of the blog would wind up being what's in the news. While it does not take a lot to add a blog entry, I just did not realize how much of my day was involved with simply keeping up with what's going on. All of the posts, whether what's in the news or comments or just a piece of information, have a purpose; to get us thinking, to get us talking, and to make things better - in other words, to make a difference.

Hopefully this blog will save you some time and energy, or help you in some other way. If you would like to see something, please let me know.

Posting an article does not imply that I agree with the comments in the article. In fact, in many case, I do not agree, but feel that the comments should be part of the discussion. All opinions are welcome. I only ask that you remain considerate and professional of other opinions.

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Favorite Quotes for the Emergency Manager

  • “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • “Failing to plan is planning to fail”
  • “Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.” Denis Waitley
  • "Station 51, KMG365."
  • “One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” Arnold H. Glasgow
  • “An ostrich with its head in the sand is just as blind to opportunity as to disaster”
  • “The powers in charge keep us in a perpetual state of fear keep us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor with the cry of grave national emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it by furnishing the exorbitant sums demanded. Yet, in retrospect, these disasters seem never to have happened, seem never to have been quite real.” Douglas MacArthur
  • “My ideas have undergone a process of emergence by emergency. When they are needed badly enough, they are accepted.” Buckminster Fuller
  • “Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”
  • "If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, ..." Rudyard Kipling
  • "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Aldous Huxley

Thursday, November 13, 2008

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Cutting edge can bleed you to death

Emergency management needs to be on the forefront of technology, the so-called cutting edge. There is a danger, however, that you can be too far in front. Knowing the pros and cons of new technology will not only keep your agency out front, but will also ensure that you can still operate under emergency conditions.

When considering new technology, you should consider several points:

  1. Do we really need this technology, or is it just really cool?
  2. Will this technology improve emergency capabilities?
  3. If this technology fails, will this reduce my capabilities?
  4. Is this technology proven reliable?
  5. How much will this technology cost now vs. the future?
  6. How much upkeep/maintenance is required for this technology?

For example, almost all emergency agencies have cell phones. Many are using the standard cell phone and service to do the basics, i.e. make a phone call. Adding services (email, internet, maps, etc.) and upgrading phones (PDA, smart phone, iPhone) will probably improve emergency capabilities. However, if you can not make a simple phone call because the additional services or equipment is having problems or does not work, then capability is affected. Make sure that you the new technology actually helps, not just that it is the hot new thing.

Cell phones are constantly improving, but like all technology, it takes a while to sort out the bugs. Problems with new equipment or service that may be acceptable when you are trying to find the restaurant for dinner tonight are probably not acceptable when you are trying to save lives. Consider keeping the older technology during a specified transition period.

Almost all new technology costs more in the beginning. Cell phones that cost hundreds of dollars now could be free in the near future. New cell service features that are expensive now almost always go down in price as more users come on line and improvements are made to the service. Just because technology came out last year does not mean that it is obsolete.

Finally, your basic cell phone requires a lot less upkeep than the more advanced technology. Adding data service, internet access, organizational email connectivity and the like requires personnel and time to keep the advanced stuff working. Make sure you know the support needed for the new technology.

Good emergency managers always want to be out in front of the technology curve. We always want to improve emergency management technology - ultimately it may save lives. Just make sure when you go cutting edge, you know the pros and cons, and keep the band-aids handy.
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