Not all disasters or emergencies – even big ones – wind up getting a Presidential Stafford Act disaster declaration. With 25 years of experience in disaster management and External Affairs, Ed Conley of FEMA’s Region VIII office offered five observations about non-Stafford Act events to the RISC group. His key point overall: be ready when the phone rings.
Observation #1: “It Happens All the Time.” Non-Stafford Act cases are not rare. Examples include the Columbine School Shooting, Y2K, airplane crashes, oil spills, wildfires, and special events such as the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the Democratic National Convention. These events are so frequent, local officials, emergency managers and individual businesses and agencies should be prepared and have a strategic plan for disasters that are not covered by the Stafford Act.
Observation #2: “Emergency Management Is Often Engaged, Not Always in Charge.” Conley said emergency management typically plays one of three roles in a Non-Stafford Act event: leader, team player, or problem solver. As leader, they are the coordinating agency – which, he emphasizes, means “a coordinating role, not a commanding role.” As team player, the most common role in a Non-Stafford Act event, emergency management provides tactical or technical help such as planning, logistics, and support for the Joint Information Center. As provider, emergency management’s job is to “connect the requestor for help to a provider.”
Observation #3: “Lack of Resources Is Rarely the Problem – It’s Timely Coordination of the Resources.” Conley said during a a disaster, requests for help typically fall into one of four categories: commodities; grants and loans; technical assistance; and tactical resources. He believes it is the coordination of these resources, not the resources themselves, that is often the bigger challenge.
Observation #4: “Best Practices.” Watch for, learn from, and implement practices that other emergency managers have learned already. Conley mentioned the Emergency Services Public Information Officers of Colorado and the Utah Public Information Officer Association as two organizations that provide excellent public information support, especially during a Non-Stafford Act incident. Both groups of public information officers come from a variety of emergency service organizations throughout each of those states. They provide points of contact among local agencies, state agencies and nonprofit groups that are particular helpful in non-Stafford Act events that have occurred in Colorado and Utah.
Observation #5: “Five Opportunities.” In his last observation, Conley stressed the opportunities available to get resources and be better prepared by building relationships now. He suggested, from a federal perspective, his focus is on the emergency management capabilities of five areas in particular:
- Law Enforcement
- Public Health
- Academia
- Schools
- Weather Experts
Depending on particular threats or opportunities identified at the state, tribal and local level, this list could vary based the needs or interest of the particular emergency management entity. The key is working ahead of time to identify non-traditional organizations that could provide resources or technical capacities in the event of incident.
Building an organization grounded in a broader commitment to relationship building means saved lives and property in a disaster, Conley is convinced. Start with the tactical needs, develop a framework to assemble resources quickly, and constantly build relationships with local, state, tribal and federal partners. Do that, and you will “Be Ready When the Phone Rings!”