For many decades the U.S. Coast Guard was the nation's "forgotten service" - except in time of war. In an era when international terrorism is the greatest threat to the U.S. homeland, though, the multi-mission service has moved front and center to a starring role. But it needs help from the private sector.
Eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks U.S. planners say that the nation is now "better" prepared than it was in 2001 - but not yet totally prepared. What they do not say is that total preparedness is a philosophical as well as financial impossibility. Continued improvements are the second best option, therefore, and definitely worth the cost involved.
Something like an earthquake - not as loud or as immediately terrifying, but longer lasting and immensely more lethal. That is more or less how the leaders of California's Marin County viewed the approach of the H1N1 pandemic, and why they were so determined to take whatever measures were needed to limit its impact.
The old saying that the job "isn't done until the paperwork has been completed" is particularly true if the "paperwork" data - vital signs, indications of internal bleeding, etc., collected at the scene of a car accident or other incident - is somehow lost before, during or after the patient's arrival at the hospital.
The U.S. government, and most major American cities, have worked diligently, and with considerable success, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks to upgrade their homeland-defense capabilities. But "better" is not the same as "enough" - and probably never will be.
Today's homeland-security and emergency-management professionals are highly skilled and exceptionally well motivated. Their second most important goal, though - after keeping the nation safe - is to ensure that their second- and third-generation successors are even more competent and capable than the first-generation leaders now setting the pace.
The best educational curriculum is one that leads to a sudden realization that even more education is needed - in what should be a continuing upward spiral. Which is exactly what the educational overseers of the federally governed NIMS & ICS policy mandates are hoping for as they develop an open-ended series of "next-level" training courses.
The new breed of Geographic Information Systems - combined with improved communications and well trained, experienced firefighters - may not magically stop California's costly and now seemingly annual wildfires, but they are making serious inroads on the flames and proving to be one of the best procurement decisions the Golden State has ever made.
FEMA's Center for Domestic Preparedness has become a world-class model for all-hazards training in a steadily increasing and widely heralded number of courses covering the entire spectrum of the new and still emerging threats in the Brave New World of the 21st century.
Introduction to an innovative PowerPoint presentation on the how-to fundamentals of developing a united approach for a broad spectrum of agencies pooling their resources to deal with community emergencies faster and more effectively.
