I have noticed that EOC’s and emergency managers are always asking for money and anyone who reads the comments sections of online news articles can see that the public always thinks it’s unnecessary. I completely understand. You buy these beautiful, technoligically advanced, and outrageously expensive rooms to be used a few times a year (if your lucky, or unlucky depending on your point of view). I think it’s time we evaluate the use of emergency managers and emergency management agencies. Preparation is key but we have shrinking budgets and agencies are losing their best people to retirement out of fear of not having the option. I think that EOC’s and emergency manager should get more active. Respond to calls that aren’t normally part of your scope but require multi-agency response. Firefighters, police, and EMS become better at what they do because they are active. An agency that activates a couple times a year is not going to have their stuff together when the big one hits. I am always amazed at the requirements to activate an EOC when looking at emergency operations plans. Some places require the town to essentially be wiped off the face of the earth before it’s a situation that warrants an EOC/EM activation. As a volunteer who is always looking for a chance to participate in an activation, I find that there are many situations that would have been helped by an EOC activation but the EOC sits dormant. All the fancy equipment laid out with nothing to do. Just my opinion though, perhaps I am just bored and looking for some excitement (I don’t wish anything bad on anyone, I really don’t).
Related articles
- EOC Project Progresses (chiefmoody55.wordpress.com)
- 10 Ways for Emergency Managers to Boost Facebook Content (idisaster.wordpress.com)
- Benton County needs more volunteers after devastating storms (thegazette.com)
- Some Useful Government Training, by David N. From Tennessee (survivalblog.com)