ADVOCATE-MESSENGER: Lincoln fires emergency manager

STANFORD - Lincoln County Emergency Manager Winford Todd was asked to resign Tuesday after magistrates met with him in executive session, but Todd emerged defiant, refusing to resign and having to be escorted from the courthouse by Sheriff Curt Folger. He was subsequently fired.

Todd and the county have faced strong criticism over their response to the recent ice storm emergency, and the Fiscal Court is under pressure to improve on its preparedness.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Getting the new technologies approved

In a recent blog on Eric Holdeman's Disaster Zone, Eric quoted Pascal Schuback on using technology for EM. I agree with Pascal's and Eric's comments, but think there is another layer to consider. What about the Emergency Manager who is on top of technology, who wants to move forward, but the "mastadons" are the bean counters and the senior approvers? We all know people who have the authority to approve these projects who can not spell VOIP, let alone understand it.

This is just another example of the widely diversified talents required of emergency managers. Not only do you have to understand the technology, you have to be able to explain it to the non-techies and justify it to the approvers. The tip for today is building your support structure to get these things moved forward. Most of the technology can benefit everyone at some level. Make sure you take advantage of that fact to garner support for the project.

MIDDLETOWN JOURNAL: Butler County leaders seek to replace EMA director

HAMILTON — In a pair of scathing letters, Butler County leaders and police chiefs across the county expressed a lack of confidence in the county's emergency management chief after his response to September's historic windstorm.

In a letter to the Butler County Emergency Management Agency governing board today, Dec. 8, two county commissioners said EMA Director William Turner's "service has become a divisive force instead of a unifying force in Butler County."

Commissioners Donald Dixon and Gregory Jolivette called for "a change in management of the EMA."

USA TODAY: Nuclear weapons decision awaits Obama

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — One of the most important national security decision facing President-elect Barack Obama will unfold in this remote valley of aging factories, where workers enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb of World War II.

Where did it go wrong?

In doing research for a future article, the issue arose about why an emergency manager is not successful. It seems that there is a lot of information about how to do it right, but not a lot of lessons learned when it goes wrong.

We all know the characteristics of a successful emergency manager. We also know emergency managers who seem to have those characteristics but things still seem to go wrong. Why is that? Is it the emergency manager, the organization, the profession? What do you think?