Charles

Just this morning I finished a research paper, and I was proud of my results. As I read through the paper one last time, I thought to myself “I need to share the results with my friends and family!” I thought it was important to warn others about the deficiencies I found and the importance in preparing. While trying to figure out how, it hit me and I had my “Duh” moment.

How many friends and family do you have on Facebook? I know I have over 700 friends on Facebook, and that grows daily. If I want to share the results, why not list the Abstract on Facebook? What about Twitter? Twitter is another popular social networking site. I then began to wonder how many other social networking sites do we all belong too?

It was then I realized that social networking should be one of the tools in our public safety toolbox. From now on, when we want to warn someone about a possible pandemic, why not post a link to the story on Facebook with instructions of what to do? If a blog on Public Safety Signals catches your fancy, why not send a link to your friends on Facebook so they can grow with you or be enlightened by the blog?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the implications. If I socially network with my 700 people, and 200 of them share it, and 200 of their friends share it again, we are looking at 1,100 people who got the message from one person being socially responsible. If Dr. Mosser or Dr. Tiffin speaks about something important in a blog, and you follow the same lead of sharing it with others, we could potentially reach 10,000 people from one blog in a reasonably short amount of time! If you are in law enforcement and you have a network of citizens in your area, how quickly could the word get out about a lost or stolen child just by social networking? If you are a firefighter in an area and you need an evacuation, it could possibly be sped up by the use of social networking.

We are in a new era, and the field of public safety is constantly changing. We need to be innovative and change with it, or we will be left behind. By using new technology and by socially networking we can change the landscape of preparedness and mitigation.

As always, your ideas and comments are welcome. What do you think about social networking as a whole? Is it something we should be using to prepare others?

Mark S. Warnick
Capella Learner
Retired Asst Chief

This ASCE report also gives strategies for how the country can raise this score card. This will not come without significant investment in our infrastructure. For me this highlights the very important role of our public safety professionals (homeland security, law enforcement, fire services and emergency management) dealing with the identification and protection of our country’s vital systems, i.e. critical infrastructure. Preventive maintenance of our critical infrastructure is essential and so is preparedness, protection and prevention around those sites.

Fire service organizations such as the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI) asked President-Elect Obama to keep FEMA under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security. Another prominent organization, the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) has sent a letter to President-Elect requesting that FEMA be restored to independent status.

In some cases, emotions have run high on this issue, and both sides of the issue provide compelling arguments. Who should President Obama take advice from? I look forward to your responses.

As always, take care and stay safe, … Mark
Mark S Warnick

The report accurately and thoughtfully addresses equipment and planning needed in order to be prepared. Issues addressed include safety, mutual aid, shift management, resource identification, logistics, and many other topics. There are numerous examples from case studies of fire departments that have learned from experience what problems might occur, and what they have done to cure those problems. One issue that took me by surprise was having a designated safe area for the firefighter’s family members and their pets. The report also suggested using a liaison officer that keeps in contact with families and regularly updates firefighters on how their family is fairing during a disaster so the firefighter can worry less during a disaster. The report provides substantial information that fire departments and their chief officers should use to substantially improve their level of preparedness.
As I read this report I also thought of how these principles could apply to all members of public safety. When it hits the fan, we are all in the same boat as other public safety workers! It doesn’t matter if we are firefighters, police officers, emergency management or some other facet of public safety, it can and most likely will affect us all the same, and we will have many of the same issues. You owe it to your fellow workers and to yourself to share this report with those in command before it is needed! What other suggestion can you, the reader of this blog provide beyond what is listed in this report? I am hoping you will share your ideas so others can benefit.

As always, stay safe and take care,
Mark S. Warnick

            Following those events, President Bush began a new arm of the federal government called the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS presented a framework that assists us to better prepare our country, a road map if you will. With this roadmap, we all have a specific part of which we must take responsibility to ensure we get to the correct destination.

            On October 9, 2007, the President issued an updated National Strategy for
Homeland Security.  This strategy serves to guide, organize, and unify our nation’s
homeland security efforts. As I read through this strategy, I realized it was a true working strategy. I encourage each and every person involved (or wanting to be involved) in public safety to read and understand every bit of this strategy. This is a wonderful basis to help make a great nation even stronger.

Often times those of us in public safety forget that there are others involved in different disciplines of Homeland Security. We become so focused on our own jobs that we begin to think that our specific area is the only one that makes a difference. We couldn’t be more wrong!

Homeland Security is more like a spider web rather than a few cobwebs. We must remember that law enforcement, both international and national will never be able to catch every terrorist and we must prepare for those incidents. We must also realize that in response there is no way for fire, emergency management and EMS to be completely prepared for every scenario. Anything can happen at anytime. We need to remember we are all part of that web, and the strength of that web is increased by better integration with other facets of public safety.

The most important thing we need to remember is a spirit of cooperation. I encourage each of you to always reach out in cooperation as you move forward in your public safety career, long before a disaster dictates that cooperation. Look beyond what your assigned job is and reach out to those that have those other public safety jobs. The real winner will be the public! After all, isn’t that what we got into this game for?

As always, stay safe,

Mark S. Warnick