EThompson_CoE

"JIM'S "FINAL WARNING""   By Jim Mullen Comedian Alan King punctuated his career with a televised comedy special called “ A Final Warning!” In that spirit, since this could well be my final blog entry, I offer the following admonitions to Emergency Management Directors/Supervisors: 1) Emergency management is a profession, not by dint of its credentialing efforts (worthy though those are) but because of your selfless commitment to your fellow human beings: their worst day is often your finest hour. 2) The hardest part of managing day-to-day operations of an emergency management office is knowing no matter how well trained you and [...]

"A Full Circle"   By Jim Mullen A Full Circle NOTE: An excerpt from my September 25, 2004, speech to the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) as a new state director: a different yet eerily similar time, it seems applicable once again as FEMA endures an overhaul of its mission with little regard for the consequences to public safety.  “Two movies I have seen recently suggest a couple of directions federal emergency management might be headed - I hope I am wrong. In OFFICE SPACE, a character named Milton’s work station keeps getting moved to obscure sections of the office, [...]

"A Note to Readers of Emergency Management Once Removed:"   By Jim Mullen The Center of Excellence for Homeland Security and Emergency Management , host of “Emergency Management Once Removed” for nearly a decade, faces an uncertain future. I must thank the Center’s Linda Crerar, Kelli Hale, Jasmine May and Nancy Aird for their patience with me over these 10  years. I ‘d also be remiss if I did not acknowledge the men and women of Seattle OEM and WA EMD whose talent and dedication made me better than I otherwise would have been. And I am indebted to Trina [...]