Extreme Temperatures: Does your plan really work?
Download Extreme Temperatures May2013
Is San Francisco’s New Fireboat a Political Football?
SFFD Proposed Fireboat (SF Chronicle photo) According to an article in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle the San Francisco Fire Department has just lost out on a Federal grant for $7.8 million for a new fireboat because of "procedural delays." This is a big deal to us here in San Francisco. While others around the […]
Emergency kits – do we need them?
One of the heroes of my teenage years was Doc Savage, a character from the age of pulp fiction who became popular through a re-release in paper backs. What was so great about Doc was that he was not a superhero but a man who had been trained to peak efficiency in all his faculties […]
The Power of the Tweet: Why do we believe this stuff anyway?
Download The Power of the Tweet April 2013
Does FEMA really believe in higher education?
What's the difference between education and training? A lot of us tend to flounder a bit on this one. Someone once facetiously suggested to me that you can understand the difference if you ask the question, "Do I want my daughter to have sex training or sex education?" Joking aside, we generally see training as […]
Thoughts on the Boston bombing: don’t let the bad guys win.
The twin explosions in Boston yesterday serve to remind us of the vulnerability of an open society. Despite the best intentions of our government, we can never completely prevent attacks such as this. The initiative is always with the enemy. They choose the time, the place, the method, and the target. We can't stop all […]
Bicycles can play a role in recovery
Portland's Neighborhood Emergency Teams use cargo bikes Photo: Ethan Jewett Two things are always apparent in disasters. First, people are incredibly creative in dealing with crisis. Second, simple solutions work best. Case in point is the use of bicycles in disaster. I recently came across a blog by Hamzat Sani on the League of American […]
Perspective: A Tail from the Dog Park
Kona surveys her world from the top of The Mound Occasionally the Recreation and Parks folks drop a mound of dirt in the middle of the dog park where my dog, Kona, and I spend most mornings. Nobody really knows why they do it but does create a certain variation in an otherwise flat landscape. […]
Three Mile Island Anniversary: Lessons from the past
Few people will remember that today is the 34th anniversary of the disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Nevertheless, this was a focusing event that solidified resistance towards nuclear power in the United States and remains an example of how poor decision making and crisis communication can turn an emergency into a […]
Return to the “Hotel California” – Five tips for dealing with the crisis
Last week I wrote about the case of the hotel in Los Angeles where a decomposing body was found in the water cistern. I asked how you would craft your initial crisis communications. Since no one has stepped up to the challenge, I'll offer my own thoughts on the subject. Here's what I would advise […]