IN THE NEWS
Following the blogging breadcrumbs today, I found this interesting proposal for "militarizing" FEMA. The author of the post argues for a military command structure, a la the Coast Guard, while keeping FEMA out of the military's chain of command.
Although I'm bit worried that Americans see the military as omnicapable (it's not), I do see the logic for a "militarized" FEMA. Like police and fire departments, which echo the military model, FEMA needs to mobilize quickly to handle emergencies. Military organizations are usually good at "wargaming" scenarios they'll likely face, identifying flaws, and correcting them. The result, a set of contingency plans that are always sitting on the shelf, ensure a quick response to a crisis.
However, FEMA hs some significant differences from military, police, and fire organizations that might undercut this proposal. First of all, FEMA doesn't have daily operational responsibilities that train their personnel on a daily basis to better handle the bigger emergencies that may arise. Police departments patrol neighborhoods and arrest suspects. Fire departments regularly handle small- to medium-sized fires and accidents involving toxic materials. Military organizations drill their "rank and file" in both general and specialized tasks, provide a highly structured system of training and advancement, and cultivate officers and NCOs through advanced forms of education. FEMA can't reproduce fully these real and simulated experiences that ensure quick and effective responses.
The biggest problem, however, is that FEMA never builds the level of shared experiences that a single regiment, squadron, police department, or fire department does. They can strategize and train to a limited extent with their state, county, and local counterparts, but they'll always be in the same position as the FBI, swooping into a town or city where the locals don't know them.
In other words, FEMA may need to sharpen its collaborative skills, something that a military command structure may not help (and, depending how it's implemented, could definitely hinder). Instead of the kind of master plan FEMA had pre-Katrina, the agency may need to develop smller plns dealing with particular facets of a disaster (flooding, blocked roads, lack of drinking water, alligators, etc.). In that case, FEMA officials will need to be able to assemble the right mosaic of mini-plans, and then move immediately to work with local emergency responders. I'm not sure a "militarization" of FEMA would help achieve that result.
FEMA will never be "militarized" to improve its efficiency. There's two (at least) major reasons why - first is the inherently political nature of how their leadership is chosen. I don't mean FEMA HQ, I mean the FEMA regions. There are ten FEMA regional directors that really don't care what the FEMA HQ tells them to do - they are princes of their independent fiefdoms. FEMA HQ has guidance documents and handles the money flow, but the Regions do what they want, when they want. Interesting that no one in the media has picked up on the responsibility of region VI (Tex/LA) and region IV (AL/MS)in coordinating the response. I work with FEMA HQ on time to time, and they told me that (as an example) FEMA Region VIII doesn't "allow" FEMA HQ action officers to come into any state within their region unless they call ahead and coordinate with the region. There was discussion that the FEMA regions would be abolished and replaced by DHS regions (aligning the Coast Guard, EPA, and FEMA regions all together - what a concept) but I think that must have died a political death.
Second reason is FEMA HQ - it's a collection of programs, a bunch of eaches corralled into distinct groups. They aren't executors, they're implementors - their jobs exist to give money to the states and cities, and to validate that the money is (mostly) spent on legitimate (or at least auditable) projects. Although a lot of the FEMA HQ people I know are prior military or emergency responders, they don't have the mindset, leadership, or structure to be an executing agent like the military. Sad state but true. Just be glad we don't have more national emergencies.
Posted by: J. | 09/13/2005 at 05:06
I should have added, FEMA was at the forefront of developing the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which uses something they call the Incident Command System (ICS). Every local emergency responder knows about ICS, which outlines how to set up your command post and react to an incident. It's more of a firefighter thing than a cop thing, though. Interesting point is that ICS came from the firefighters studying the military's command and control system. NIMS is attempting to standardize ICS and incident response across the nation and for local, state, and federal response. That's a good thing, not the same as "militarizing" FEMA, but perhaps better.
Posted by: J. | 09/13/2005 at 07:57
Very interesting information...which is why I wrote today's post. You need to explain more about FEMA than people are getting through the mainstream press.
Posted by: Kingdaddy | 09/13/2005 at 16:40
Subject:FEMA RE-INVENTION
Reader: Perhaps you can help to to stimulate the gov. to action.
Mr. Marian Z. Augustyniak, Architect
77 Cooper Street
New York, NY 10034
[email protected]
October 3, 2005
The President of the United States
Mr. George W. Bush
The White House
Dear Mr. President Bush:
This is An Employment Application.
I hereby apply for the job of the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration.
INTRODUCTION
At present the United States has no comprehensive, countrywide plan to meet and deal with the occurring at any time, of any kind, large scale emergencies that may affect any part of the country and people.
Hereby, I propose a concept for the creation and organization of an effective system that will provide for the actions to counteract and prevent the harm that may be suffered in the occurrence of a catastrophic event.
CONCEPT
The underlying principle is to create a country-wide functional network by a division of the US into areas and zones and allocate the resources to each. The allocations will be such that in an emergency any affected zone would receive a full support within a shortest possible time. Each network segment will be interacting within and with other networks. The goal is an action within no more than 24 hours, but the initial action begins within one hour.
Such formation within the existing organization of self-contained teams will be capable of being rapidly moved to any part of the country, as well as outside of it and act independently. There are at present various organizations, whether governmental, public or private that will be incorporated into an overall scheme. They will consist of varied sizes local, and regional that will be able to act independently. Any thus created entity, if need be, will be built upon and augmented to be fully functional. The objective is to form an integrated, coordinated entity responsive to a massive, country size, as well as to the state and local events.
To do so, there will be three levels of actions:
THE FIRST RESPONSE organizational elements will be composed basically from the various civilian and governmental functional entities of a local character, existent in all communities, such as the Fire Departments, Police, Sanitation, Health Services, Hospitals, local doctors and clinics, and civic organizations.
.
THE SECOND RESPONSE will consist of neighboring the event areas units, which will be alerted and readied to take an active part in the event.
THE THIRD RESPONSE will be the state and national entities, of which their pertinent elements are alerted and readied to take an active part in the event.
Each area and level will have a person with advisors knowledgeable of the nature of the events and activities, who will decide on particular actions.
ADMINISTRATION
The initial actions toward the creation of the Network System will be the establishment of an administrative structure, and a selection of the personnel based on the tests, experience and expertise in the pertinent fields. It may be so whether creation will be from the scratch, or an incorporation of adaptable existing administrative elements.
Present political systems will be a guide for the network, with the ability for each part of the network to be able to assist and engage in actions, as required by circumstances, in any given area.
DIVISIONS & ANTICIPATED EVENTS
The characteristics of the divisions will vary in accordance with the degree of the probability of:
A. Natural catastrophic event occurrence in the hurricane areas, tornadoes, snow, frost, and cold, floods, fires, earthquakes, earth slides, volcano eruptions, tides, heat and high temperatures, droughts, rains, and:
B. Man-made events: chemical, biological, including infectious diseases, gas, nuclear, radioactive, construction, transportation, social upheavals.
C. Some other events will be attended to by the processes similar to these for the above listed events.
ORGANIZATIONAL ELEMENTS
The administration functions will be:
A. Gathering and evaluation of a pertinent data related to and used in the creation of the Network System.
B. Creation of the Network System.
C. Establishment of procedures, priorities, functions, and responsibilities.
D. Creation of the coordination and communication systems.
E. Recording and keeping updated records of the resources and facilities. The inventory of the entities will encompass all local, state and federal agencies and organizations, military, civic and social organizations, industrial enterprises, and factories.
F. Preparation, dissemination of instructions for the personnel and population regarding the actions and undertakings in an occurring event.
G. Training and continued updating of the skills of the personnel, resources and processes.
RESOURCES AVAILABILITY & ALLOCATION
Although each type of event in the efforts to contain and terminate the emergency requires a specific remedy and equipment, there are some elements that are common to some or all events. They are:
A. The locations and distributions of the online coordination centers for a full control over the affected areas.
B. Immediate and continuous access to the resources, material, equipment and personnel designated and available in these efforts.
C. An adequate provision of medical assistance, food and water supplies, clothing and other body protection.
D. Transportation facilities and rolling stock for the evacuation from the endangered areas,
E. Designation of assembly places, holding areas for the evacuees, and their redistribution
F. Maintenance of peace and order in the affected area,
G. Communication and evacuation redundancy at the disposal of the coordination centers.
INVENTORY OF RESOURCES & PLANS OF ACTIONS
A. Identify, create methods, and provide physical remedies such as construction, barriers, outlets, re-channeled paths, and processes to prevent from harm and protect the people, property and environment from the foreseeable events.
B. Establish criteria and scale for identification and evaluation of the magnitude, localization, anticipated duration, and prognoses of the consequences of the ongoing event and its aftermath, including the effects on the adjacent areas.
C. Determine priorities, procedures and areas of authority and precedence.
D. Establish and test procedures within several scenarios.
E. Establish and designate centers for evacuation assembly, food distribution, and medical aid.
F. Select and designate with alternates evacuation roads, means and coordination. Assign in accordance with the available accessibility and capacity of the particular means.
The military personnel and organizations may be utilized in a limited capacity, within their normal military training. However, all the resources at the military disposal should be directed without dilution for the readiness to defend the Country.
G. Conduct research and studies on anticipation, projection, prevention, amelioration and, re-channeling of an event.
Various facilities will be designated as shelters, including capacity, accessibility, and exact locations. The shelters will be interspersed within the population centers. They will be structures able to withstand the event and will be prepared to take in local residents, and these that can reach it for safety within a short time. The likely candidates are the schools, hospitals, military establishments like armories, barracks, and camps, available spaces within the corporate and governmental buildings like warehousing and offices. It is advisable that in the planning of large buildings their ability to survive a catastrophic event should be considered and provided for (www.ponderon.com).
FINANCES AND FIDUCIARY CONTROLS
A apart from the standard and normal financial and fiduciary systems there should be funds immediately available for the emergencies, and other related arrangements to enable and facilitate immediate acquisition of needed services and materials.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE JOB
This application for a job is based on the following qualifications and facts:
I witnessed the tragedy of the Jewish population (in 1942 I gave a rifle to the Ghetto fighters), and then, as a member of the Armia Krajowa in 1944 Uprising, the destruction of entire Warsaw.
Later, as a prisoner of war, I saw the German cities ruined.
Drafted September 1950 into the US Army, on the way to join the US Second Infantry Division in Korea I saw the City of Hiroshima, still unchanged after its destruction.
In Korea I witnessed the plight of the civilian population, well known to me from Europe.
Returned to combat after the healing of the April 23, 1951 wound, I took part in the battles for the Heartbreak Ridge and Punch Bowl.
Using in part the GI Bill I studied at the University of Hartford (Hillyer College), at the Carnegie-Mellon University Architecture, and the Columbia University Urban and Regional Planning.
I suffered the imprisonment for a criticism of an administration, tried without my knowledge, and defamed by the head of it. USSC Case # 85-6052.
On September 11th 2001, 10 30AM, I called 911 and alerted of a presence of asbestos at the WTC and recommended wearing of the masks. Then I prepared and submitted to various authorities and personages a program of rescue and operations plan which included four hour shifts and an approach from several directions, including the PATH tunnels.
In October 2001 I submitted to the Office of Homeland Security an analysis of "The World Trade Center Towers Collapse Architectural and Structural Concepts and Consequences", with the recommendations for future safety procedures. It may be viewed on www.ponderon.com.
At present I await the responses from the New York City mayoral candidates to my proposal to create a public cultural, recreational, and sports center on the grounds of the now derelict Brooklyn Navy Yard. (See www.satanslaundromat.com). Apart from some residues of war injuries in which the Veterans Administration is reviewing my 1998 request for dental assistance, I am in a good health.
I have no political party affiliations.
I am available immediately.
Respectfully submitted,
Marian Z. Augustyniak
Encl. Stalag 344, DD214
Cc
Senator Susan Collins,
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Posted by: Augustyniak | 10/21/2005 at 12:37
Subj: FEMA RE-INVENTION
Reader: Perhaps you can help to to stimulate the gov. to action.
Mr. Marian Z. Augustyniak, Architect
77 Cooper Street
New York, NY 10034
[email protected]
October 3, 2005
The President of the United States
Mr. George W. Bush
The White House
Dear Mr. President Bush:
This is An Employment Application.
I hereby apply for the job of the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration.
INTRODUCTION
At present the United States has no comprehensive, countrywide plan to meet and deal with the occurring at any time, of any kind, large scale emergencies that may affect any part of the country and people.
Hereby, I propose a concept for the creation and organization of an effective system that will provide for the actions to counteract and prevent the harm that may be suffered in the occurrence of a catastrophic event.
CONCEPT
The underlying principle is to create a country-wide functional network by a division of the US into areas and zones and allocate the resources to each. The allocations will be such that in an emergency any affected zone would receive a full support within a shortest possible time. Each network segment will be interacting within and with other networks. The goal is an action within no more than 24 hours, but the initial action begins within one hour.
Such formation within the existing organization of self-contained teams will be capable of being rapidly moved to any part of the country, as well as outside of it and act independently. There are at present various organizations, whether governmental, public or private that will be incorporated into an overall scheme. They will consist of varied sizes local, and regional that will be able to act independently. Any thus created entity, if need be, will be built upon and augmented to be fully functional. The objective is to form an integrated, coordinated entity responsive to a massive, country size, as well as to the state and local events.
To do so, there will be three levels of actions:
THE FIRST RESPONSE organizational elements will be composed basically from the various civilian and governmental functional entities of a local character, existent in all communities, such as the Fire Departments, Police, Sanitation, Health Services, Hospitals, local doctors and clinics, and civic organizations.
.
THE SECOND RESPONSE will consist of neighboring the event areas units, which will be alerted and readied to take an active part in the event.
THE THIRD RESPONSE will be the state and national entities, of which their pertinent elements are alerted and readied to take an active part in the event.
Each area and level will have a person with advisors knowledgeable of the nature of the events and activities, who will decide on particular actions.
ADMINISTRATION
The initial actions toward the creation of the Network System will be the establishment of an administrative structure, and a selection of the personnel based on the tests, experience and expertise in the pertinent fields. It may be so whether creation will be from the scratch, or an incorporation of adaptable existing administrative elements.
Present political systems will be a guide for the network, with the ability for each part of the network to be able to assist and engage in actions, as required by circumstances, in any given area.
DIVISIONS & ANTICIPATED EVENTS
The characteristics of the divisions will vary in accordance with the degree of the probability of:
A. Natural catastrophic event occurrence in the hurricane areas, tornadoes, snow, frost, and cold, floods, fires, earthquakes, earth slides, volcano eruptions, tides, heat and high temperatures, droughts, rains, and:
B. Man-made events: chemical, biological, including infectious diseases, gas, nuclear, radioactive, construction, transportation, social upheavals.
C. Some other events will be attended to by the processes similar to these for the above listed events.
ORGANIZATIONAL ELEMENTS
The administration functions will be:
A. Gathering and evaluation of a pertinent data related to and used in the creation of the Network System.
B. Creation of the Network System.
C. Establishment of procedures, priorities, functions, and responsibilities.
D. Creation of the coordination and communication systems.
E. Recording and keeping updated records of the resources and facilities. The inventory of the entities will encompass all local, state and federal agencies and organizations, military, civic and social organizations, industrial enterprises, and factories.
F. Preparation, dissemination of instructions for the personnel and population regarding the actions and undertakings in an occurring event.
G. Training and continued updating of the skills of the personnel, resources and processes.
RESOURCES AVAILABILITY & ALLOCATION
Although each type of event in the efforts to contain and terminate the emergency requires a specific remedy and equipment, there are some elements that are common to some or all events. They are:
A. The locations and distributions of the online coordination centers for a full control over the affected areas.
B. Immediate and continuous access to the resources, material, equipment and personnel designated and available in these efforts.
C. An adequate provision of medical assistance, food and water supplies, clothing and other body protection.
D. Transportation facilities and rolling stock for the evacuation from the endangered areas,
E. Designation of assembly places, holding areas for the evacuees, and their redistribution
F. Maintenance of peace and order in the affected area,
G. Communication and evacuation redundancy at the disposal of the coordination centers.
INVENTORY OF RESOURCES & PLANS OF ACTIONS
A. Identify, create methods, and provide physical remedies such as construction, barriers, outlets, re-channeled paths, and processes to prevent from harm and protect the people, property and environment from the foreseeable events.
B. Establish criteria and scale for identification and evaluation of the magnitude, localization, anticipated duration, and prognoses of the consequences of the ongoing event and its aftermath, including the effects on the adjacent areas.
C. Determine priorities, procedures and areas of authority and precedence.
D. Establish and test procedures within several scenarios.
E. Establish and designate centers for evacuation assembly, food distribution, and medical aid.
F. Select and designate with alternates evacuation roads, means and coordination. Assign in accordance with the available accessibility and capacity of the particular means.
The military personnel and organizations may be utilized in a limited capacity, within their normal military training. However, all the resources at the military disposal should be directed without dilution for the readiness to defend the Country.
G. Conduct research and studies on anticipation, projection, prevention, amelioration and, re-channeling of an event.
Various facilities will be designated as shelters, including capacity, accessibility, and exact locations. The shelters will be interspersed within the population centers. They will be structures able to withstand the event and will be prepared to take in local residents, and these that can reach it for safety within a short time. The likely candidates are the schools, hospitals, military establishments like armories, barracks, and camps, available spaces within the corporate and governmental buildings like warehousing and offices. It is advisable that in the planning of large buildings their ability to survive a catastrophic event should be considered and provided for (www.ponderon.com).
FINANCES AND FIDUCIARY CONTROLS
A apart from the standard and normal financial and fiduciary systems there should be funds immediately available for the emergencies, and other related arrangements to enable and facilitate immediate acquisition of needed services and materials.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE JOB
This application for a job is based on the following qualifications and facts:
I witnessed the tragedy of the Jewish population (in 1942 I gave a rifle to the Ghetto fighters), and then, as a member of the Armia Krajowa in 1944 Uprising, the destruction of entire Warsaw.
Later, as a prisoner of war, I saw the German cities ruined.
Drafted September 1950 into the US Army, on the way to join the US Second Infantry Division in Korea I saw the City of Hiroshima, still unchanged after its destruction.
In Korea I witnessed the plight of the civilian population, well known to me from Europe.
Returned to combat after the healing of the April 23, 1951 wound, I took part in the battles for the Heartbreak Ridge and Punch Bowl.
Using in part the GI Bill I studied at the University of Hartford (Hillyer College), at the Carnegie-Mellon University Architecture, and the Columbia University Urban and Regional Planning.
I suffered the imprisonment for a criticism of an administration, tried without my knowledge, and defamed by the head of it. USSC Case # 85-6052.
On September 11th 2001, 10 30AM, I called 911 and alerted of a presence of asbestos at the WTC and recommended wearing of the masks. Then I prepared and submitted to various authorities and personages a program of rescue and operations plan which included four hour shifts and an approach from several directions, including the PATH tunnels.
In October 2001 I submitted to the Office of Homeland Security an analysis of "The World Trade Center Towers Collapse Architectural and Structural Concepts and Consequences", with the recommendations for future safety procedures. It may be viewed on www.ponderon.com.
At present I await the responses from the New York City mayoral candidates to my proposal to create a public cultural, recreational, and sports center on the grounds of the now derelict Brooklyn Navy Yard. (See www.satanslaundromat.com). Apart from some residues of war injuries in which the Veterans Administration is reviewing my 1998 request for dental assistance, I am in a good health.
I have no political party affiliations.
I am available immediately.
Respectfully submitted,
Marian Z. Augustyniak
Encl. Stalag 344, DD214
Cc
Senator Susan Collins,
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Posted by: Augustyniak | 10/21/2005 at 12:39