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Jim has spent 3 decades in emergency management, including 12 years at the local level as director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management and 8 and a half years as Washington State’s Emergency Management Division Director. Jim retired from state service in March 2013. Jim also served as President of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) from January 2011 to October 2012. He is currently sole proprietor of “EM Northwest Consulting” based in Seattle.
Disclaimer
Information on this Blog is provided with the understanding that the authors and publishers are not engaged in rendering professional advice or services. As such, it should not be used as a substitute for consultation with an professional adviser. Opinions expressed here represent the viewpoints of individuals authoring the blog and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the Center of Excellence.
WTO riots and Y2K (1999) Podcast
Wishin’ and Hopin’ – January 2019
Wishin’ and Hopin' By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Local and state elected officials searching for 2019 New Year’s resolutions to commit to might consider this modest list: Imagine: If elected officials and senior leaders chose to ask, at least annually and without a staff filter, their emergency management directors to list areas [...]
You Can Observe A Lot By Watching – December 2018
You Can Observe a lot by Watching By Jim Mullen "You can observe a lot by watching" (Yogi Berra - former NY Yankee catcher, manager, philosopher) When one retires, or in my case, semi- retires, Yogi's comment begins to make a lot more sense. When you work in a particularly stressful or responsible job, [...]
“Us” and “Them” – November 2018
“Us” and “Them” By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed It’s not uncommon for individuals or organizations to attempt to elevate their own standing by demeaning the contributions of others. In the long run it’s a losing game. Those that employ "us" vs "them" as a tactic can only inflate their own capabilities so [...]
Lucky Me – 2018
Lucky Me By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Sometimes big problems start with smaller, seemingly manageable problems that, through inattention, or a failure to take immediate protective measures, morph into serious issues. Emergency managers’ usefulness to society at large accrues for their ability to quickly address problems before they get worse, recognizing that [...]
Which Is More Important? – 2018
Emergency Management and Homeland Security: Which Is More Important? By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Natural hazards, perhaps because they come and go and soon slip from public view, does not have the “sizzle” terrorism provides for politicians and public safety interest groups. Emergency management’s methodical approach to prepare for, mitigate, respond to [...]
Why Recovery Exercises Fall Short – August 2018
Why Recovery Exercises Fall Short By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Recently I attended an Initial Planning Meeting for the Central United States Earthquake Consortium 2019 exercise ominously entitled "Shaken Fury". The discussion as it related to the acknowledgment of challenges that proposed scenario poses for recovery officials caused me to ponder why [...]
Recovery Redux – July 2018
Recovery Redux Plus a Footnote from June By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed We all know when a disaster begins: the earth moves, or the winds blow, waters rise or flames burst out of control. What continues to frustrate me is that we seldom grasp as a nation when a disaster is over. [...]
To Stay or Go? – June 2018
To Stay or Go? By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Emergency managers are not strangers to the "stay or go" dilemma. In my career, during but also before entering emergency management, I myself sometimes felt like, well, a lot of federal Administration employees may currently feel these days. For 26 ½ of my [...]
Hey, What About Us? – May 2018
Hey, What About Us? By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed With the current federal government seemingly in perpetual crisis, how can emergency management compete for attention to its’ needs? Let’s be honest: the current spate of investigations, accusations, counter-accusations, all against the backdrop of midterm Congressional elections could stifle productive debate and decision [...]
Observations from NEMA – April 2018
Observations from the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) 2018 Mid – Year Forum By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed The current FEMA headquarters team seems intent on making a positive difference. FEMA leadership describes itself as building on what was already in place and adapting to new situations and opportunities. FEMA continues to [...]
The Changing Face of Emergency Management Education – March 2018
The Changing Face of Emergency Management Education By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Whenever the subject of preparing emergency managers for the future a couple of familiar refrains are sounded. Here are some of them: Who is teaching? What is being learned? Recently more actual emergency managers are becoming adjunct faculty, in some [...]
Earmarks: Love Them, Hate Them – February 2018
Earmarks: Love ‘Them, Hate ‘Them By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed The President recently raised the prospect of "bringing back earmarks" as a legitimate negotiating tool. Reform-minded persons in both parties view earmarks as "deals" that often undermine the allocation of resources based on merit and importance to the common good. Once an [...]
A Point of Personal Privilege – January 2018
A Point of Personal Privilege By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed Blogs are not supposed to be of great length, but this topic merits a suspension of the “rules”. The treatment of women in government service, and in other professional settings, is receiving long overdue national attention. So, when I reflect about the [...]
On Compromise Versus Being Compromised – November 2017
On Compromise Versus Being Compromised By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed A willingness to compromise is an essential component of our democracy, and such “deals” often facilitate mutual understanding and respect for the other side’s point of view. Present day ideological politics reflects the belief that “compromise” is a sign of moral deficiency. [...]
Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later – November 2017
Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later… By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed My late father used to have a saying in my youth, often invoked on my way out the door for a date: “If you want to dance, you have to pay the fiddler!” I knew exactly what he was conveying. [...]