Emergency Management Challenges

Over the next decade South Florida, and indeed the world, will face crises on an almost unimaginable scale.  If even a few of the following trends continue at current rates, future public works leaders will be living in a far more challenging environment.

• Climate change will result in rising ocean levels affecting coastal areas
• Climate change will also result in rising sea temperatures, which produce more intense meteorological events with stronger winds and storm surges
• Water pollution
• Droughts
  
• Air pollution
  
• Emergence of drug resistant bacterial and viral strains
  
• Persistence of major worldwide epidemics like HIV
  
• Water shortages
  
• Increase in terrorist activities

These are only some of the challenges that Public Works personnel will need to be aware of and respond to.  The mission of emergency management personnel today is much broader than the mission given the predecessor “civil defense” agencies of the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Today, Public Works personnel respond to almost all types of disasters and emergencies that may occur.  These include natural disasters such as flooding, fires, wind, and disease, as well as man-made and “homeland security” type incidents.

An all-hazards approach to emergency management ensures effective and consistent response to any disaster or emergency that threatens the community.  The foundation of the all hazards approach is the concept of Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM).  All hazards within a jurisdiction must be considered as part of a risk assessment and prioritized on the basis of impact and likelihood of occurrence.  Traditional responsibilities of the Public Works department will need to be expanded to include items identified in the jurisdiction’s risk assessment report. 

Emergencies and disasters cut across a broad spectrum in terms of impact on infrastructure, human services, and the economy.  Just as all hazards need to be considered in developing plans and protocols, all impacts and predictable consequences relating to those hazards must also be analyzed and addressed.

There are several more challenges that South Florida Public Works agencies will be facing in the next decade.  Three of the most common challenges for municipal Public Works Departments are:  communication, coordination, and funding.

Communication

The value of effective crisis communication cannot be underestimated.  Public Works departments can influence this effort by utilizing the same type of radio equipment and frequency
utilized by other first responders.  Critical response minutes can be saved when Public Works employees are able to communicate with emergency response personnel.  Many local municipalities operate separate communication systems for each department, e.g. Code Compliance, Building, Police, and Public Works.  With the advancement of radio technology, municipal departments may be able to communicate through a channel that is activated at the local Emergency Operations Center by the Incident Commander.  One of the prerequisites for all personnel using the emergency response channel will be completion of extensive training in the National Incident Management System (NIMS).  The NIMS training will allow Public Works personnel to be on the same page as emergency managers when dealing with operational structure within the organization.

Coordination 

Although Public Works personnel deal with mini-disasters such as water main breaks, sewer main breaks, and debris clearing everyday, Public Works personnel are seldom in a position to direct the activities of the many agencies and organizations involved in the emergency management programs.  In most cases, the personnel in charge of these organizations are senior to the public works personnel, have direct line authority from the senior official, or are autonomous.  Each stakeholder brings to the planning process their own authorities, culture, and operating missions.  The principal of coordination requires that the Public Works personnel gain agreement among other agencies as to a common purpose and then ensure that their coordinated independent activities help achieve this common purpose. 

Funding

Funding allocations are a critical component to each department’s readiness.  Due to recent tax relief legislation, municipalities have cut operating budgets across all of the departments.  The Public Works departments were asked again to do more with less funding.  The funding cuts have eliminated unfilled positions, thereby reducing the number of disaster recovery personnel available to respond to any local disaster.  Municipalities are more dependent on private contractors to perform many of the traditional functions associated with disaster response, recovery, and restoration efforts.   Key personnel will need to receive ongoing training on the latest documentation needed for reimbursement from FEMA and approval from municipal auditors.