Darrell Darnell is perhaps feeling the pain of a recent media interview that ran under the title, "D.C. Homeland Security Chief Predicts Chaos in Event of Nuke Attack." This is a good example of why many Emergency Managers fear engaging with the media.
The topic was appropriate given there had been a recent incident in D.C. Darrell was trying to explain "who's in charge" to someone who doesn't understand the emergency management system. And, in D.C. figuring out "who's in charge" can be a daunting task, given the mixture of local and federal agencies that can become involved in an incident. [If you missed it, I wrote an article on "Who's in Charge?" for the current edition of Emergency Management Magazine.}
Disasters are complex events. In the article they really didn't get into the nitty gritty of a radiation incident with radiological monitoring. Establishment of a perimeter, etc.
The back and forth on the value of a tabletop exercise versus a full scale was interesting to read.
I still recommend engaging with the media and trying to take the time to better educate them about disasters and how government and others respond to events. Don't let one bad experience taint your willingness to engage with the media.
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The topic was appropriate given there had been a recent incident in D.C. Darrell was trying to explain "who's in charge" to someone who doesn't understand the emergency management system. And, in D.C. figuring out "who's in charge" can be a daunting task, given the mixture of local and federal agencies that can become involved in an incident. [If you missed it, I wrote an article on "Who's in Charge?" for the current edition of Emergency Management Magazine.}
Disasters are complex events. In the article they really didn't get into the nitty gritty of a radiation incident with radiological monitoring. Establishment of a perimeter, etc.
The back and forth on the value of a tabletop exercise versus a full scale was interesting to read.
I still recommend engaging with the media and trying to take the time to better educate them about disasters and how government and others respond to events. Don't let one bad experience taint your willingness to engage with the media.
