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On Compromise Versus Being Compromised By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed A willingness to compromise is an essential component of our democracy, and such “deals” often facilitate mutual understanding and respect for the other side’s point of view. Present day ideological politics reflects the belief that “compromise” is a sign of moral deficiency. Anyone meeting someone who is equally principled on the “other” side of an issue somewhere in the middle is viewed as a “sellout”. Words like “unforgivable” are used like political whips to chastise the supposed “weakness” of the compromisers’ commitment to the “cause” - whatever that [...]

Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later… By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed My late father used to have a saying in my youth, often invoked on my way out the door for a date: “If you want to dance, you have to pay the fiddler!” I knew exactly what he was conveying. That reminder applies as well to national emergency management in specific, and our national discourse in general with respect to preparedness, mitigation and recovery planning. Elected officials would do well to face the music concerning investing in proactive emergency management. For example, this state’s emergency management [...]

Thoughts on Harvey, Irma, Maria and, YES, Cascadia! - By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Disasters bring consequences, both immediate and long term. Yet they also provide opportunities to address obvious hazards, so that they do not repeat themselves time and again. And such events can provide reminders to policy and decision makers even when their jurisdictions are far removed from the location of the disaster. The recent hurricane disasters have created consequences for many years that may or may not be effectively confronted as the long recovery cycle gets underway. The challenge for Texas will be how much [...]

Things To Come? By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed The Governor of Louisiana recently declared coastal land loss as an emergency, calling for the federal government to assist in restoration efforts. The update I read suggested his intent in declaring an emergency was in part to “pressure” the President and Congress to reexamine the possibility of increasing investment in and attention to coastal restoration. If that declaration of emergency prompted any action, or even a notable reaction by the Administration and Congress, I certainly missed it. What struck me as an interesting topic was the pretty undeniable fact that [...]

The Passing of Terry Egan on July 3, 2017 By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed The passing of Terry Egan on July 3, 2017 merits special attention. Too often great emergency managers at all levels are relatively unnoticed in life, their contributions to the safety of the public seemingly taken for granted. Terry served under me as Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Unit Manager at the Washington State’s Emergency Management Division. I’m in Terry’s debt for a number of reasons. I gave him some tough assignments, and he delivered. I probably gave him a lot of anxiety and frustration [...]

Government Ain’t Easy By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Most public sector employees are accustomed to hearing that government workers have it easy, compared to their counterparts in the private sector. For example, even casual conversations with parents of your children’s soccer teammates can provide a glimpse into the perceptions held by many who share in the fantasy that government is unresponsive and uncaring. Working successfully at various levels of government is much easier to contemplate and pontificate from the outside looking in. Now, to suggest that we in government are somehow a superior class is beyond ridiculous, but [...]

About Brock Long: An Unsolicited Endorsement By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Brock Long, the new FEMA Administrator, has a tremendous reservoir of experience in areas like school safety, as a state director of emergency management and a successful stint in the private sector as an executive with Hagerty & Associates. He will be an asset to emergency managers and the nation. First, let me say Brock Long is a friend. I met Brock when he was Alabama State Director of Emergency Management. He was identified early on by my colleagues and me as a potential leader in the [...]

Maybe We Should Take Our Issues To Jared? By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed It’s sometimes difficult to see too far into the future, particularly when we seem locked perpetually into an uncertain present. While we await the direction the Trump Administration will take in homeland security and emergency management, there are questions and concerns that like it or not, are “out there.” Worse yet (see title) we are not certain whom to ask. Will the primary DHS budget emphasis be on adding more agents to augment “deportation” forces? Will efforts to redirect federal spending priorities to border security [...]

Notes from NEMA Mid-Year By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed The National Emergency Management Association held its midyear forum in Alexandria, Virginia March 20-24. As a past president, I serve on standing committees to which past presidents are assigned as liaisons (mine are Response and Recovery, Mitigation and Private Sector, and of course, Past Presidents’). With a new administration, these are interesting times. Very capable, but largely un-empowered career personnel were able to provide progress reports within their current, narrow areas of responsibility, but cannot provide a clear sense of the direction for issues like the Emergency Management Performance [...]