Fostering a Culture of Disaster Preparedness in the Workplace
Disasters can strike unexpectedly. Yet, more than 20% percent of small business owners don't have a disaster plan because they don't consider it a priority.
From Predictive to Proactive: Adopting Strategic Foresight to Combat Climate Change
Climate change is a complex and far-reaching threat that impacts far more than the environment.
Collaboration Is a Two-Way Street
Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) increase face-to-face collaboration and put all relevant partners in a room together by design. As large-scale emergencies continue to happen, this collaboration is essential. But how can we create a similar environment with virtual tools and processes? Virtual EOCs and teleconferences can replicate the physical space, but it is incumbent on all government levels, especially the federal government, to actively use these tools and create an environment of honest information sharing.
Connecting Through Volunteering: Improving Disaster Response
Arc Aspicio’s culture prioritizes serving the Metro DC community, and we are involved in more pro bono consulting projects than ever before. Through volunteering, our teams advance the mission areas we support, including homeland security, emergency management, and law enforcement.
To Build a Culture of Preparedness, Design a Journey that People Want to Follow
When a hurricane hits, people think about disaster planning. But most of the time, hurricanes or natural disasters feel like they apply to other people.
Readying While Recovering: Atlantic Hurricane Season 2018
The unprecedented hurricane response by state, local, and Federal agencies in 2017 is only months in the rearview mirror. Ready or not, June 1st marked the beginning of the 2018 Hurricane season.
How Can Communities Ready Themselves for a Major Power Grid Event?
Communities are often the foundation for an expedited recovery following major events. But how can communities strengthen their response to, for example, a major cyber-attack or natural event, such as an Electronic Magnetic Pulse solar flare? A United States electrical grid failure could destroy a number of the nation’s high voltage transformers causing widespread outages for several weeks, even months. A public health emergency could quickly ensue particularly among the vulnerable as the ripple effects cause significant societal disruption. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) strategic plan encourages and empowers communities to prepare for the inevitable impacts of future disasters. How can communities prime for major events?
Towards Preparedness and an Emergency Management Workforce of the Future
Grit and determination. This is what the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workforce is known for. After what is arguably the most challenging year in its history, the FEMA leadership called on the agency to enable the workforce through four elements: build, empower, sustain, and train. A key factor in creating a scalable, sustainable disaster response workforce is to foster a proactive culture, one focused on preparedness. A proactive mindset can create an environment that asks the “what if” questions that lead to more prepared response efforts.
The Resilience Spectrum for Emergency Management
The modern world is mired in uncertainty. When is the next terrorist attack? The next hurricane? The next nuclear threat? There are numerous complex risks that face the United States daily, and it is the job of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to choose the best way to counter them. To do this, it’s best to focus on resilience. However, rigid resilience practices such as implementing a “one-size-fits-all” response to threats are not effective, as they can sustain undesirable systems, oppose change, and disregard power relationships such as the benefit of authorizing tribal, local, and state authorities to tackle security challenges.
Crowdsourcing to Improve Security
Many of us are familiar with the idea of crowdsourcing. Corporations and the Government both use crowdsourcing to generate data, raise awareness campaigns, and produce ideas. So, what if we used crowdsourcing to enhance our security and bridge communication gaps between the Government and American citizens at the same time?
Firefighters Show You Can Develop a Strategy While Fighting Fires
“Employees at all levels are too busy ‘doing their jobs’ and ‘fighting fires’ to devote time or pay heed to strategic initiatives.” It’s a common complaint. Academic literature has confirmed that ‘firefighting’ takes up much of the manager’s job and offers extensive advice on how to stop fighting fires – and even how to suppress the urge to do so.