What Keeps Me Up at Night???

I was in the office tonight working on my thesis, and as I was reviewing one of my source articles , I noticed something that I had previously overlooked.  It was an issue a California Hospital faced when evacuating following the Northridge Earthquake.

I finished up my review and then went to the evacuation portion of our Emergency Operations Plan to make sure that our plan would be able to address this issue….. it does.  Our plan is very comprehensive and has a great deal of flexibility built into it to address the unknown.

Several weeks ago I was doing an interview and I was asked what is my nightmare or what keeps me up at night.  Aside from an issue with my family, the above situation is it.  What if I missed something?

This is not me second guessing myself, I have a high level of confidence in my abilities, but every once in a while the thought still crosses my mind. It does for everyone in my line of work. Have we covered all the bases? Are our assumptions realistic and accurate? Now granted that we do conduct most of planning by committee, but I  am still the primary source of input and reference.

The longer I have been in the emergency management field the less this has happened, but its still my greatest fear.  I have learned to trust my abilities and realized the limits of my capabilities.  However, in my field, I am entrusted with the responsibility of developing protective emergency plans and procedures for the unknown without knowing when it will occur or how bad it will be.  The consequences of mistakes in my line of work, can be among the most severe imaginable.

So here I am at the hospital at 10 PM making sure I didn’t miss anything and scheduling a  meeting on a completely different issue I am a little concerned with.

There, that’s  my nightmare, this is what keeps me up at night?

Whats yours?

“Business Etiquette”

Imagine you are sitting in a budget meeting at your place of business.  As the meeting progresses a proposal you are presenting is denied funding. This is proposal you have been working  on for quite some time.  What would your reaction be?

Most people would probably briefly try and convince the “powers that be” of  their case and the validity of their argument in a very respectful and tactful manner.  Eventually when that fails, you accept the decision like an adult and you move on to the next item or order of business.

Now imagine what would happen if when your proposal was denied you blurted out an obscenity and tossed your paperwork up in the air and mashed your coffee cup against the wall.  I can’t speak for everyone, but I am fairly certain I would be fired and most likely receive a less than cordial visit from UNC Public Safety’s  Finest.

I pose this scenario because of an incident I observed several nights ago….

During a professional baseball game I witnessed a player, whom I will not name, strike out on a pitch he did not agree with.  Yet rather than accept the call and go about the next order of business, he proceeds to through a mini tantrum as he walks to his position in the field, flinging his various pieces of equipment on the infield as he walks.  The umpire, as I would have done, tosses him out.  It was actually humorous, at first, because it reminded me of the reaction of small child who does not get his way, minus the rolling on the ground crying.

Another similar event involved another baseball player being ejected for yelling and arguing over balls and strikes.  When the player reached the dugout he started throwing things and practically destroyed a water cooler.  Once again images of a small child throwing a tantrum came to mind.

I find it interesting that some players make the point, at nausea, that professional baseball is not a game/entertainment but a business, yet they do not conduct themselves as businessmen do while they are “working”.  As a former student-athlete I understand the role of emotion in sports as well as in the work place.  At times I have let my emotions get the better of me in both arenas, but it doesn’t happen often, especially not in the later.

Let me close by saying that while the behavior exhibited during the games I was watching is, in my opinion, typical of these players, some players do conduct themselves as professionals and handle the game of baseball as mature adults. Not surprisingly,  these players tend to be some of the best players and have long, prosperous careers. When they do act out is usually the exception rather than the rule.  This same trend holds true in the business world.

I am not arguing that professional baseball is not a business, rather that some of it’s players only seem to act like its a business when it comes time to get paid.

Emergency Planning for the Medically Fragile

During an emergency or disaster, Home Health and Primary Health services can be disrupted for extended periods of time. If you have special medical needs or require powered medical equipment in your daily life, it is essential that you, your support network, and your caregivers pre-plan now!

Pre-Planning For Emergencies

Establish a support network. This network can be family, friends, or neighbors that you can rely on to help you during a disaster or emergency. It is important to keep the contact information for your support network readily available.

Make a disaster or emergency plan. This plan should include:

• Where you will go if services or utilities are disrupted
• A complete list of your essential medical supplies and medications (over-the-counter and prescriptions)
• A list of your pharmacies, Home Health or Primaq Health providers, medical equip­ment suppliers. Include their primaq and emergency contact information numbers.
• Emergency contact information for at least two members of your support network

Share your plan. Ensure that your Primary or Home Health provider has a copy of your emergency plan. Also consider sharing your plan with your support network.

Sign up on a special needs registry. Contact your local Emergency Management Office, Health Department, Social Services Office, or Sheriffs Office to find out if your County has a special needs registry. Also contact your utility company to fmd out if they have a priority reg­istry for individuals with special medical needs.

Developing your Emergency Supply Kit

Following a major emergency or disaster, medi­cal supplies and medications are often initially unavailable. It is essential that individuals de­velop Emergency Medical Supply Kits to ad­dress this shortage.

This kit, like any emergency kit should be kept in a accessible area and items should be re­placed as necessary.

Items to include in your Emergency Medical Supply Kit include:

• 5-7 day supply of medications; prescription and over-the-counter
• 5-7 day supply of medical supplies; dress­ings, bandages, testing strips / supplies, sy­ringes, etc.
  • Back-up batteries for any medical devices that are used on a regular basis
• Batterry powered radio with extra batteries
• A telephone that plugs directly into the wall, and does not require electricity. These phones will often work even if the power is out
  • 3-5 day supply of food that meets any spe­cial dietary needs you may have
• 3-5 days supply of water for personal and medical purpose

Local Resources

When developing you plans and  kit, it maybe helpful to reach out to some local resources in your community for further assistance and guidance.  Local Health Departments, Red Cross Chapters, Social Services Offices, and the Councils on Aging can all provide some valuable insight to the process.

Additional resources can be found at Ready.Gov and the National Organization on Disability.