I suppose some saw this title and were thinking, well the finger pointing was predictable--which of course is probably true.
What I'm talking about though is the need for multiple bad things to happen in sequences never expected and to combine those with human error that leads to catastrophe. That then is predictable.
Generally emergencies happen when bad things happen, but then someone or something intervenes to stop the event from escalating. From the sound of it, that sequence did not occur with the Deep Water Horizon. Multiple cascading events compounded by system failures and human error. This then is predictable.
Look at the attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust the United States into WWII. There were multiple opportunities to detect the attack--that did not do so. There were strategies like parking planes close to one another to deter sabotage, but made them easy targets for aerial attack. Yes, that was a human caused event, but some of the negative aspects of the attack could have been avoided except for the combination of system failures and human error.
As emergency managers we can't always be the point of prevention for an event. But, detecting what is happening and doing everything in our power to mitigate the event is something we do have control of. Lets pledge to not be part of the problem or part of the after action report that details our failures in the future.
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What I'm talking about though is the need for multiple bad things to happen in sequences never expected and to combine those with human error that leads to catastrophe. That then is predictable.
Generally emergencies happen when bad things happen, but then someone or something intervenes to stop the event from escalating. From the sound of it, that sequence did not occur with the Deep Water Horizon. Multiple cascading events compounded by system failures and human error. This then is predictable.
Look at the attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust the United States into WWII. There were multiple opportunities to detect the attack--that did not do so. There were strategies like parking planes close to one another to deter sabotage, but made them easy targets for aerial attack. Yes, that was a human caused event, but some of the negative aspects of the attack could have been avoided except for the combination of system failures and human error.
As emergency managers we can't always be the point of prevention for an event. But, detecting what is happening and doing everything in our power to mitigate the event is something we do have control of. Lets pledge to not be part of the problem or part of the after action report that details our failures in the future.
