Another top ten list of organizations that have enough clout in Washington to significantly impact HS/EM over the next decade but probably will not do so for a variety of reasons. A study of their relative impact on policy would be of significant interest in identifying organizational success and failures since 9/11/01!
1. US House of Representatives.
2. US Senate.
3. GAO.
4. National Guard.
5. Fire Service.
6. DHS.
7. FEMA.
8. RED STATE Governors.
9. BLUE STATE Governors.
10. HS/EM Lobbying Organizations.
In the near future will be giving out information on the top ten in influence with some reasons why! And of course the listing above does not mean no impact at all. Just that these are the big ones that could positively impact HSEM!
The single most likely factor to influence HS/EM policy the next decade is that which influenced it most heavily since WWII. ACTUAL REAL WORLD INCIDENTS AND EVENTS!
Professor Thomas Birkland, PhD, and his focusing events theorem seems to have been proven correct in his published analysis in books and articles. See Claire Rubin's various charts on her website. I refer to these charts as the DEAD SEA SCROLLS of HS/EM!
Showing posts with label HS/EM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HS/EM. Show all posts
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Top Ten Thinkers in HS/EM
Okay not trying to popularize the blog but having some fun on the weekend.
Here are my top ten thinkers currently working in HS/EM! These people are not poseurs like me. And of course does not mean I agree with them all the time.
1. Stephen Flynn.
2. Juliette Kayem.
3. Rand Beers.
4. Richard Clark.
5. Dan Prieto.
6. Keith Bea.
7. Lee Hamiliton.
8. Rand Beers.
9. Christian Beckner.
10. Paul Stockton.
Okay more than a few buried somewhere in the administration. But always hoping that brains will out so to speak. Have fun developing your own list.
Here are my top ten thinkers currently working in HS/EM! These people are not poseurs like me. And of course does not mean I agree with them all the time.
1. Stephen Flynn.
2. Juliette Kayem.
3. Rand Beers.
4. Richard Clark.
5. Dan Prieto.
6. Keith Bea.
7. Lee Hamiliton.
8. Rand Beers.
9. Christian Beckner.
10. Paul Stockton.
Okay more than a few buried somewhere in the administration. But always hoping that brains will out so to speak. Have fun developing your own list.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
HS/EM Generally
Okay a new group of Governors takes over by the middle of January, 26 to be precise. Post 9/11/01 many STATES decided to create another bureacratic organization when they created Homeland Security offices or some such. Always remember that in 26 states the head of EM is in fact the STATES National Guard Adjutant General, or STARC! Well time for confusion to end. Just as I have advocated that the Vice President of the US become the key crisis management official I now advocate that all STATES should standardize and make their LT. Governors a key official. Oddly in some states like the US originally, the LT. Governors don't have to be the same party as the Governor. This creates farce and mischief and problems for both COG [Continuity of Government] but even delegation and operational problems. A reform would be to have the Governor, LT. Governor, and STATE Attorney General all the same political affiliation. Why the STATES don't take more serious organizational constructs is amazing to me but perhaps the fact that they are at an almost all-time low in competence and actual capability makes one wonder why these "laboratories of democracy" will linger much longer other than as vestiges of a Constitutional construct that no one takes seriously any longer.
That stated NEMA (National Emergency Management Association) has put out a new EM/HS handbook for the new governors. Will try and make it available when I can access it. I am not a member of NEMA for various reasons and note for the record they welcome new members, as does IAEM (International Association of Emergency Managers)!
To my mind it is looking more and more likely that the new Governors will soon be screaming for direct revenue sharing as it now appears that civil servants in some states are starting to relocate just for the reason that salaries will be cut, staffing will be cut, and the prospects of actually recieving a promised pension is becoming almost non-existing. Well perhaps NEMA and IEMA could produce a guide to the officialdom of each state, with current salaries and other benefits including pensions. Then of course could rank them based on job prospects. Or even more important on capability.
By the way GAO has finally caught on to the notion that FEMA has not and will not develop and administer assessment tools on state capabilities. Thus, you could argue that relying on STATE self-assessment, meant the FEMA got what it deserved when it was blamed in part for the failings of the STATE of Louisiana in Hurricane Katrina ops.
I informally assess the entirety of the EM cadre in the US at less than 10,000 and hoping some academic studies this component of governance more closely. The members of this profession are definitely part of the "resilience" of our federal system so they should be given more dignity at least by comparison and analysis.
Eric Holderman in a recent post on Disaster Zone points out that even before the elections a majority of EM STATE Directors had less than 3 years experience. I pointed out in a comment that this was precisely why Public Law 920 of the 81st Congress created in 1950 for the federal civil defense program the requirement that either the STATE Director or Deputy Director of Civil Defense be a civil servant.
Well to the victor goes the spoils! The problem of course is that the victor in EM is often MOTHER NATURE.
That stated NEMA (National Emergency Management Association) has put out a new EM/HS handbook for the new governors. Will try and make it available when I can access it. I am not a member of NEMA for various reasons and note for the record they welcome new members, as does IAEM (International Association of Emergency Managers)!
To my mind it is looking more and more likely that the new Governors will soon be screaming for direct revenue sharing as it now appears that civil servants in some states are starting to relocate just for the reason that salaries will be cut, staffing will be cut, and the prospects of actually recieving a promised pension is becoming almost non-existing. Well perhaps NEMA and IEMA could produce a guide to the officialdom of each state, with current salaries and other benefits including pensions. Then of course could rank them based on job prospects. Or even more important on capability.
By the way GAO has finally caught on to the notion that FEMA has not and will not develop and administer assessment tools on state capabilities. Thus, you could argue that relying on STATE self-assessment, meant the FEMA got what it deserved when it was blamed in part for the failings of the STATE of Louisiana in Hurricane Katrina ops.
I informally assess the entirety of the EM cadre in the US at less than 10,000 and hoping some academic studies this component of governance more closely. The members of this profession are definitely part of the "resilience" of our federal system so they should be given more dignity at least by comparison and analysis.
Eric Holderman in a recent post on Disaster Zone points out that even before the elections a majority of EM STATE Directors had less than 3 years experience. I pointed out in a comment that this was precisely why Public Law 920 of the 81st Congress created in 1950 for the federal civil defense program the requirement that either the STATE Director or Deputy Director of Civil Defense be a civil servant.
Well to the victor goes the spoils! The problem of course is that the victor in EM is often MOTHER NATURE.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Top Ten Legal Issues Facing HS/EM
1. What are the inherently governmental functions of HS/EM programs, functions and activities? See for background OMB proposed guidance letter in the March 10, 2010 Federal Register.
2. What is the cultural that should be encouraged in HS/EM ranging from militarized top down command and control or colaborative and cooperative administration grounded in a bottom up approach? This includes issues from use of uniformed personnel to utilization of guns and badging!
3. Should DHS/FEMA be given more or in some cases any regulatory/standard setting authority?
4. Should the legal authorities of DHS/FEMA be made all-hazards?
5. How should DHS/FEMA operate its programs, functions, and activities in the face of public health concerns?
6. Should DHS/FEMA authority on Nuclear Power Plant offsite safety including its exercise program be expanded to all critical infrastructure that could cause disruption short or long term to the public health and safety or environment long term--beyond 90 days out from incident or envent--for a wide-scale regional area?
7. Should DHS/FEMA planning for catastrophic incidents/events include specific planning for riots and civil disorders?
8. Should DHS/FEMA preparedness include legal authority to mandate stockpiles of emergency supplies including those listed in DMO-4, 44 CFR Part 323, in any large-scale catastrophic incident or event? Note that the National Defense Stockpile and the National Medical Stockpile do not currently reflect DMO-4!
9. Should DHS/FEMA have collocated staff in each STATE EOC and what should authority and responsibility should they have vis a vis STATE operations and FEDERAL Operations?
10. Should DHS/FEMA focus their programs on all 90,000 local units of government or limit their efforts based on actual HS/EM existing capabilities? Meaning should DHS/FEMA concentrate on only those geographic areas and units that have existing or potential capability to respond to issues within their jurisdictional reach caused by any large-scale catastrophic incident or event?
2. What is the cultural that should be encouraged in HS/EM ranging from militarized top down command and control or colaborative and cooperative administration grounded in a bottom up approach? This includes issues from use of uniformed personnel to utilization of guns and badging!
3. Should DHS/FEMA be given more or in some cases any regulatory/standard setting authority?
4. Should the legal authorities of DHS/FEMA be made all-hazards?
5. How should DHS/FEMA operate its programs, functions, and activities in the face of public health concerns?
6. Should DHS/FEMA authority on Nuclear Power Plant offsite safety including its exercise program be expanded to all critical infrastructure that could cause disruption short or long term to the public health and safety or environment long term--beyond 90 days out from incident or envent--for a wide-scale regional area?
7. Should DHS/FEMA planning for catastrophic incidents/events include specific planning for riots and civil disorders?
8. Should DHS/FEMA preparedness include legal authority to mandate stockpiles of emergency supplies including those listed in DMO-4, 44 CFR Part 323, in any large-scale catastrophic incident or event? Note that the National Defense Stockpile and the National Medical Stockpile do not currently reflect DMO-4!
9. Should DHS/FEMA have collocated staff in each STATE EOC and what should authority and responsibility should they have vis a vis STATE operations and FEDERAL Operations?
10. Should DHS/FEMA focus their programs on all 90,000 local units of government or limit their efforts based on actual HS/EM existing capabilities? Meaning should DHS/FEMA concentrate on only those geographic areas and units that have existing or potential capability to respond to issues within their jurisdictional reach caused by any large-scale catastrophic incident or event?
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