In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

As I mentioned in the previous post, the blog has been temporarily on hiatus since October when completely out of the blue I was diagnosed with leukemia. I am now in the midst of treatment but am feeling very well and hopefully am on the mend. (I very much appreciate the kind notes I have received over the past couple months.) I will be adding to the blog intermittently in the next few weeks around my treatment schedule. 

As a new year and a new Administration begins, I wanted to post a list of suggestions on how I think we as a nation can increase citizen preparedness. These come in large part from discussions I have had with many folks involved in all aspects of public preparedness over the past several years as well as from the input I have received from readers since the inception of this blog.

If you have any feedback, please get in touch with me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com. And again, thank you for your support of and contributions to this blog. 

CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW YEAR/NEW ADMINISTRATION

* CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS TASK FORCE — CREATE A “CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS OUTREACH TASK FORCE” EARLY ON AT THE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT OR THE WHITE HOUSE COMPRISED OF RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS FROM VARIOUS AREAS OF THE PREPAREDNESS COMMUNITY. THE GROUP WOULD ASSESS THE CURRENT STATE OF CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS AND WORK ON DEVELOPING NEW APPROACHES, MESSAGING AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS FOR THE PUBLIC.

* COMMIT TO & EMPHASIZE CITIZEN ROLE — MAKE A STRONG EARLY COMMITMENT TO EDUCATING AND ENGAGING THE CITIZENRY ON PREPAREDNESS IN A STRAIGHT-FORWARD, OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE MANNER AND UNDERSCORE THAT THE CITIZEN ROLE IS CRUCIAL TO THE NATION’S HOMELAND SECURITY.

*PRO-AM PREPAREDNESS — EMBRACE A PRO-AM APPROACH TO EMERGENCY READINESS, WHICH INTEGRATES THE EFFORTS OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONDERS AND AMATEUR CITIZENS. FOLLOW A ‘DO TELL, DO ASK’ PHILOSOPHY ON CIVILIAN PREPAREDNESS – BOTH TELLING THE PUBLIC MORE & ASKING THEM TO DO MORE. REBRAND AND REPOSITION PREPAREDNESS FROM ‘DUCK AND COVER’ AND DUCT TAPE TO MAKE IT A PART OF 21st CENTURY CITIZENSHIP. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A NEED TO BETTER DEFINE FOR THE PUBLIC WHAT IT MEANS FOR THEM TO BE “PREPARED”.

* OFFER AN EXPANDED DEFINITION OF ‘ALL HAZARDS’ –- DEVELOP AN UPDATED DEFINITION OF ‘ALL HAZARDS’ READINESS WHICH HIGHLIGHTS COMMONALITIES IN PREPARING FOR DISASTERS BUT ALSO PRO-ACTIVELY EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ON THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF NEW TERROR AND PUBLIC HEALTH THREATS. ALSO, THERE IS A NEED TO BETTER DEFINE FOR THE PUBLIC WHAT IT MEANS FOR THEM TO BE “PREPARED”. THE IDEA IS NOT TO OVERWHELM THE CITIZENRY WITH TOO MUCH NEW INFORMATION BUT MAKE SURE THEY ARE AT LEAST FAMILIAR WITH SOME BASICS (IE. THAT THE FIRST TIME CITIZENS HEAR ABOUT A ‘DIRTY BOMB’ FROM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IS NOT IN THE MOMENTS AFTER ONE HAS BEEN EXPLODED).  

* ENLIST PUBLIC’S HELP IN ANSWERING TOUGH QUESTIONS — ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN A DIALOGUE ON CHALLENGING HOMELAND SECURITY QUESTIONS FACING GOVERNMENT (FOR EXAMPLE, THE PROPER BALANCE BETWEEN SECURITY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES; THE ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES AND RISK IN PROTECTING THE NATION; THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRIORITIES AND PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS FOR — AS WELL AS THE DEFINITION OF — HOMELAND SECURITY.) CREATING A NEW LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION, TRUST AND TEAMWORK BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNED IS CRUCIAL IF WE WILL BE ABLE TO PREPARE AND RESPOND TO TERRORISM AND OTHER MAJOR EMERGENCIES IN A BALANCED, SUSTAINED AND RESILIENT MANNER.

* BOTTOM/UP & TOP/DOWN — EMPLOY BOTH BOTTOM/UP AND TOP/DOWN APPROACHES TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS COMBINING COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP WITH FEDERAL COMMITMENT. BETTER HIGHLIGHT AND SPREAD PREPAREDNESS MODELS FROM AROUND U.S. AND DRAW, WHERE APPLICABLE, FROM BRITISH AND ISRAELI EXPERIENCES IN PREPARING AMERICANS.

* SUPPORT & REPORT ON LOCAL PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS — PROVIDE ADEQUATE SEED MONEY FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO BOLSTER CIVILIAN PREPAREDNESS PROGRAMS AND LINK THE GRANTS TO PERFORMANCE. ENCOURAGE AUTHORITIES TO REPORT PUBLICLY ON THEIR LEVEL OF CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS AND CREATE METRICS FOR BETTER MEASURE CIVILIAN READINESS. IN ADDITION, DO A BETTER JOB OF ALLEVIATING EXISTING OBSTACLES TO PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS (IE. WORK WITH HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY TO ALLOW FOR EXTRA PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE IN ADVANCE OF A DISASTER).

* OFFER A CARROT – CREATE TAX-FREE PERIODS FOR CONSUMERS TO PURCHASE PREPAREDNESS SUPPLIES. PROVIDE A TAX WRITEOFF TO CITIZENS TO PURCHASE PREPAREDNESS-RELATED PRODUCTS AS A WAY TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION AND TO SIGNAL GOVERNMENTAL COMMITMENT. ALSO CONSIDER TARGETING ASSISTANCE TO CITIZENS WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO PREPARE. 

* BRING IN BUSINESS TO HELP SELL PREPAREDNESS – DESIGN AND ROLL OUT A FULL SERVICE PUBLIC PREPAREDNESS MARKETING CAMPAIGN WITH HELP FROM PRIVATE SECTOR. GALVANIZE BUSINESS TO TAKE ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS IN THE SAME WAY THEY HAVE WITH DISASTER RESPONSE, MOST NOTABLY IN AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE KATRINA.

* COMMUNITY AND PERSONAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY & RESPONSIBILITY — ENSURE THAT GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES CAN COMPETENTLY RESPOND TO DISASTERS BUT ALSO MORE STRONGLY EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR THE PUBLIC AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO BE PREPARED AND SELF-RELIANT, PARTICULARLY IN THE FIRST 72 HOURS AFTERWARDS. UNDERSCORE POINT, PROVEN OVER AND OVER BY HISTORY, THAT WHEN IT COMES TO DISASTERS, ‘WE ARE ALL FIRST RESPONDERS’.

* WE CAN (& SHOULD) TELL THE CHILDREN — PUT MORE EMPHASIS ON EDUCATING KIDS ON PREPAREDNESS IN PART BY PIGGYBACKING ON OTHER RELATED (AND MORE POPULAR) SCHOOL-BASED SOCIAL EDUCATION EFFORTS SUCH AS FIRE SAFETY AND GLOBAL WARMING.

* SPREAD PREPAREDNESS 2.0 — BETTER INFORM THE PUBLIC ON THE POTENTIAL OF 21^ST CENTURY PERSONAL TECH TO PREPARE FOR AND RESPOND TO 21^ST CENTURY EMERGENCIES. WE NEED TO MAKE AMERICANS MORE AWARE OF THE CAPABILITIES OF THE TECHNOLOGY AT THEIR FINGERTIPS (IE. WIRELESS DEVICES, SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES) AND INTEGRATE IT BETTER INTO DISASTER PLANNING. AS A START, EVERY GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION PREPAREDNESS WEB SITE SHOULD ADD A CELLPHONE AND EXTRA BATTERY (OR OTHER POWER SOURCE) TO THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF THEIR RECOMMENDED DISASTER SUPPLY KIT.

* MEDIA ATTENTION — FIND WAYS TO GET THE PRESS & HOLLYWOOD MORE INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECT OF PREPAREDNESS WHICH HAS BEEN SUCH A KEY FACTOR IN THE GLOBAL WARMING PUBLIC EDUCATION EFFORT.

* PREPAREDNESS ADVOCATE FOR PUBLIC — WORK WITH AMERICAN RED CROSS TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE FOR GENERAL PUBLIC ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN SAME WAY DISABLED AND PET GROUPS HAVE DONE IN FOR THE DISASTER NEEDS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES OVER PAST SEVERAL YEARS. 

* MORE PUBLIC DISASTER VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES — EXPAND COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS (CERT) & OTHER CITIZEN VOLUNTEER DISASTER PROGRAMS WHICH SERVE AS CATALYSTS FOR ORGANIZING LOCAL EFFORTS.

* SEEING AND SAYING SOME MORE – BUILD UPON THE INITIAL SUCCESS OF THE ‘SAY SOMETHING, SEE SOMETHING”-TYPE CITIZEN INFO CAMPAIGNS BY PROVIDING PUBLIC WITH MORE SPECIFIC GUIDANCE ON HOW TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OFFERING MORE FEEDBACK ON THE INFORMATION THEY HAVE PROVIDED.

* EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN THE DRILL – INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CITIZENS TO PARTICIPATE IN DISASTER DRILLS WHICH WOULD HELP PEOPLE FOCUS ON THE ISSUE AND WORK THROUGH THE KEY QUESTIONS EVERYONE SHOULD ASK BEFORE A DISASTER (SUCH AS HOW WILL YOU GET INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR FAMILY? DO YOU KNOW THE EMERGENCY PLAN OF YOUR CHILDREN’S SCHOOL?).

* OFFICIAL PREPAREDNESS DAY — ESTABLISH A NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS DAY TO FOCUS PUBLIC ATTENTION BEFORE DISASTERS, INCLUDING BRIEFING CITIZENS, CONDUCTING DRILLS AND FILLING EMERGENCY KITS. A HELPFUL MODEL IS JAPAN’S DISASTER PREVENTION DAY, HELD ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CATASTROPHIC 1923 TOKYO EARTHQUAKE.

* CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS OFFICE/SPOKESPERSON — ESTABLISH A NATIONAL CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS OFFICE WITH A HIGH PROFILE SPOKESPERSON IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OR WHITE HOUSE TO HIGHLIGHT AND HELP COORDINATE EFFORTS AROUND THE U.S. AND ENSURE CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS REMAINS A PRIORITY.

Clearly, there are many other policy priorities for the nation at this time, but I do feel there is a great opportunity and need to bolster citizen emergency preparedness. A new commitment to public readiness and engagement would offer the country a unique, non-partisan and substantive way of re-tapping the reservoir of post-9/11 good will and Americans’ desire to ‘pitch in’. Such an effort would have ancillary societal benefit of strengthening our communities (without a huge allotment of financial resources) even in the very unlikely event we never face another catastrophic emergency.