[
Lists Home |
Date Index |
Thread Index
]
While glad to see the individuals pulling the online
resources together in response to Katrina, I reiterate
Rex Brook's post that getting more professional and informed
resources into the specification processes for the public
safety and justice systems is a very positive response.
Had CAP and EDXL been online, the response effort could
have been better. Work on open interoperable asset
cataloging and management was not advanced enough but
can be accelerated. While large scale sensor systems
are vital to homeland security, we are seeing in Katrina
the results of overfocusing on one source of hazards to
the neglect of more probable ones.
"Fear is the mindkiller." Frank Herbert. We have to face
this squarely. From 9/11 forward we have been operating in
a climate of fear and distraction, somewhat normal given
the enormity of that event, but ever since being played as
a card in the game of political distraction. This stops.
Officials using the destruction of the Gulf Coast by Katrina
as the means to push agendas for left or right political
causes are not doing their jobs to serve the people. Turn
them off for now and remember them later at the ballot box.
The media is not excused either. We all failed. Too many
people are dead, dieing, homeless or grieving to believe otherwise.
Beware the blame game. It doesn't helo people off of roofs.
From my desk, it is clear that the call list systems were
inadequate. Call lists are part of the major incident
response protocols that enable resources to be brought on
line quickly and efficiently. It is likely that inadequate
provisions were made for rapid mandatory evacuations, and
just as obvious that some people don't heed warnings even
when the evidence is in and time is short. It is obvious
that some people even with adequate warning do not have
the resources to evacuate. That is a very tough problem
to solve logistically. When the danger is fast coming,
there are no magic helicopters or fleets of ships. It
comes down to school buses, flat beds, tractor-trailers,
Wal-Marts and Lowes. Remember that. Think hard about
what is on their shelves and which parts you want on
the street the morning after. Pass laws.
A top-down response is always combined with a bottom-up
response. Political hay notwithstanding, there will be
plenty of lessons learned for everyone involved. It is
obvious that we must step up the pressure to implement a
well-thought through and fearless National Response Plan.
It is obvious that State and Local protocols must be
adjusted quickly to cope with the need to interoperate
at a national level. Note that while local and State
control of resources remain standard procedure, requests
from these officials are not required to mobilize national
assets under the NRP. Old habits can be bad habits.
What do you know about your location and what is near you?
If you see a Cat 2 or 3 enter the Gulf in August, you don't
need much analysis to know time is wasting. Are there
large chemical plants or nuclear reactors near your
home? Do you know about plumes and prevailing winds?
Do you have a plan to find family members fast?
As a member of the public safety industry watching my
company stock climb even as I know public safety systems
were inadequate in the face of a Cat 4/5 hurricane, I have
that same sick feeling I had on 9/11: making money on misery
is something we attribute to the weapons systems vendors
but it is just as true of the first responder industry. All
I can ask for is help doing a better job. Pay attention
to your local procurements for public safety systems as
only those of you with backgrounds in computer science,
XML, network systems and logistics can. You know what
works and what doesn't. Don't make it a fight over SOA
vs REST for pity's sake: do make it a fight over formats.
The amount of senseless local deviation in your dispatch
and records management systems to keep your local response
officials nice-to-your-mayor or unions will get you killed.
Kick their heads until they implement GJXML, NIMS, CAP,
EDXL and other document protocols that work Just-In-Time
when regions outweigh townships. Train your cops and
firemen on computers. There is NO excuse for a computer
illiterate in a cruiser or any other first responder vehicle.
There is no excuse for software that is so hard to operate
that a college degree is required. There is no excuse
for turning this into a cause celebre in the paper unless
the vendor refuses to work with local officials but obvious
reasons to do so if either side can't work to fix the problems,
BUT bloody well know what the real problems are and don't
let your public safety systems become political footballs
to help an elected official or to cover up a bad procurement
or to fix union problems.
Networks don't fight floods, fires, or CBRNE but they can
place a lot of the right calls to the right people at the
right time. Buy wisely. Pay attention. Act.
len (speaking only for myself and not my employer)
|
