Sunday, May 2, 2010

2001-A FEMA Space Odyessy

The swearing in of a new President of another party from the one departing is always a milestone. What is of interest is that FEMA had reached agreement and almost five (5) years as to its role as Consequence Manager lead as alternative the Department of Justice and FBI were as to crisis management. Some talked about a law enforcement phase in an incident/event transmutting at some point to a response phase. Thus publication in January 2001 of a CONCEPT of OPERATIONS PLAN for Domestic Terrorism by both FEMA and DOJ/FBI! Recently I identified that that effort and document had been specifically labeled for incorporation into a National Response Plan by the Homeland Security Strategy published in July 2002 and several other statutes and mandating documents. Surprise surprise apparently never formally superseded many still think it is the essential guidance document resolving the differences first erected all the way back in Presidential Directive 39 issued after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Well it just goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished and wondering if those training up for an actual terrorist event are aware of the failure of any document to specifically supersede the conop-plan. Is it important? Absolutely since although we trust the cop on the beat to not shoot into a crowd to wound or kill a fleeing perp we should also trust the law enforcement community to perhaps consider just for a brief moment how many may be injured or die while they worry about catching the perps. Food for thought as the oil crashes ashore in the Gulf. Should response and recovery overshadow liability issues--absolutely in my opinion although there is always time for the latter. Again, an EMERGENCY DECLARATION by the President for this spill should already have been issued. That would allow funding of STATE and FEDERAL efforts because the $5M limit on emergency declarations is not an absolute limit, nor a report and wait clause, but merely a notification to the Congress.