responding to a disaster
Bob Calkins is one of the most experienced Public Information Officers (PIO) that I worked with in my professional career as an emergency manager. We interacted in numerous settings over the years. He was at SeaTac Airport as the PIO there and then spent time with the Washington State Patrol (Chief Batiste mentioned below was the Chief of the Patrol).
There are several things to note. Bob is retired and living the dream out in the country somewhere. But he is still serving with his dog.
His comments about the Oso Mudslide are on the money. I went to an after-action review of that incident, just looking at the public information aspects of the response. There were three different “command posts” which included the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Rotating teams of PIOs from many public agencies rotated through the incident because it went on for a long time. The right hand did not know what the left hand was doing and confusion reigned!
One last comment about that incident that will always stick with me. The “professionals” search and rescue types in uniforms learned the benefits of working with the volunteer loggers who showed up with equipment. They were originally turned away…but, in the end the professionals were out their doing pre-op maintenance on the specialize logger equipment in the mornings to make sure that the maximum of daylight hours could be used. Learn to work with volunteers when they have specialized experience and equipment!
Bob Calkin’s Posting that prompted this blog post:
Ever wonder about the healing power of dogs?
It was 12 years ago today that the SR 530 landslide took 43 lives near Oso, Washington. I didn't initially respond with my dog. I responded as a Public Information Officer.
I had actually BEEN at dog training and we all staged to respond. The scene was considered unsafe to enter so we all went home. When I got there my wife said "you're gonna get a call. I just watched a horrible press conference. Chief Batiste was in the background and he looked unhappy. You're gonna get a call."
I did. I was asked to work in Darrington, on the other side of the slide from the command post in Arlington. I went for three days and it was the most screwed up Incident Command I could imagine. After the emergency management director for Snohomish County told an outright lie in a news conference I asked to be relieved. I didn't want my agency wearing his lack of credibility.
I had a lot of anger and sadness, mostly from the horrible loss that community suffered. I loved the people of Darrington, and the mayor was a gem. But I was also seriously steamed about how poorly the incident was being run.
A couple weeks later I got a call. Can you come up with your dog for a one-day shift? There's an area that's been recently de-watered and we need it searched. I was happy to go.
It was only one day, but I was able to contribute something I couldn't as a PIO. I'm still objectively steamed at how poorly the incident was run, but getting in there with Magnum was the best therapy I could have received. Lots of others did way more, but at least I didn't do "nothing." At the end of the shift, I was amazed at how much of the internal ache was relieved.
The healing power of dogs.
