iThank Steve Jobs

“You’ve got to find what you love…Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”  Steve Jobs, 2005

Steve Jobs lost his battle against cancer at the young age of 56. His loss is not only tragic because another bright star has been dimmed by the scourge of cancer, but because the world has lost a legendary technology leader who combined the wide-eyed vision of Walt Disney with the innovative genius of Thomas Edison.

Many people aspire to make a difference in the world and leave it a better place for posterity, but Steve Jobs did more – he changed the world.

Steve Jobs never let adversity slow him down. He never finished college and got fired from the company he co-founded (Apple), but didn’t hide in a corner and feel sorry for himself. He picked himself up, adjusted his turtleneck and pushed forward. He went on to launch NeXT and Pixar before going back to lead Apple. From 1998 on, Steve Jobs enabled this generation beyond our wildest dreams with devices that are uncomplicated, ubiquitous and indespensable.

As the tributes monopolize the airways, we hear Steve Jobs described as a visionary, genius, innovator, pioneer and inspirational leader. He was all of that and more. There have been few like him in the past, and we can only hope that there will be more coming in the future. He made our lives easier, fun and connected.

iThank Steve Jobs for my many iPods, two iPhones, iPad and for the many Pixar films that people of all ages marvel at (Monsters, Inc. is a personal favorite).

iThank him for who he was, what he did and for what he has left behind.

To infinity and beyond!

 

 

See also

10 Things to Thank Steve Jobs For

That day. That horrific day. Remembering September 11, 2001.

Remembering September 11th

That day. That horrific day.

September 11, 2001 was a day like many others where we all got up and went about our business on a beautiful sunny fall day. We were completely unaware of the sickening plot that 19 homicidal maniacs were about to unleash upon our nation.

On that beautiful morning, our friends, colleagues and family members boarded planes to go to work, see family, go on vacation:

0759: AA 11 took off from Logan Airport en route to LAX with 92 passengers and crew

0801: UAL 93 took off from Newark en route to San Francisco with 44 passengers and crew.

0814: UAL 175 took off from Logan Airport – also en route to LAX with 65 passengers and crew.

0820: AA 77 took off from Washington Dulles en route to LAX with 64 passengers and crew.

That beautiful morning, tens of thousands of people went about their business in NYC at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Virginia. Then, the unthinkable started. That beautiful morning turned into one of the most horrific and sad days in our country’s history:

0846: AA 11 is flown into WTC 1 (North Tower). All passengers and many people in WTC 1 are instantly murdered

0903: UAL 175 is flown into WTC 2 (South Tower). All passengers and many people in WTC 2 are also instantly murdered.

0937: AA 77 is flown into the side of the Pentagon. All passengers and 125 people in the Pentagon are instantly murdered.

0959: WTC 2 collapses. Instantly killing hundreds of people.

1003: UAL 93 is crashed into a field in Shanksville, PA after a heroic effort by passengers to take back control of the plane. Forty people are instantly murdered.

1028: WTC 1 collapses. Instantly killing hundreds more people.

That day. That horrific day 343 firefighters, 23 NYPD officers and 37 Port Authority Police rushed in to do their job and go where others were fleeing. They all died.

That day. That horrific day 2819 innocent souls were lost and barely 10% of their bodies were found intact.

That day. That profoundly sad day over 3000 children lost a parent and over 1600 lost a spouse or partner.

That day. We, America the beautiful, wiped away our tears, grabbed each other’s hands and came together to heal the emotional and physical wounds.

That day, America showed that you can break our hearts, but you can’t break our spirit. We will come back, and we’ll come back stronger than ever.

That day, America vowed to NEVER let this happen again!

That day. Our flag flew proudly all around the country. We were the UNITED States of America. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were not going to be destroyed.

Since that day, we will also NEVER forget the over 6000 brave men and women who gave their lives fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan or the over 45000 wounded in action.

Let us give thanks to all who we lost and all who sacrificed to defend our freedom and liberty!

That day. That horrific day. We will NEVER EVER forget!

Links:

• CNN Memorial to 9/11 Victims
• Honor the Fallen

This was a blog I wrote last year. I thought it might be appropriate to repost as a 10th year remembrance.

The State of Homeland Security Since 9/11: Looking Back, Looking Forward

The US Chamber National Security Task Force met 17 August in DC and discussed the state of Homeland Security. The speakers and panelists provided a candid assessment of where we’ve been and where we need to go. 

Overall, the consensus is that much has been done, but much more needs to be done. It was suggested that the government needs to think big to address gaps in homeland security. I’d suggest they need to think big and act smart (i.e. setting specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goals). Too often, government thinks too big, but does nothing because of budget, politics and other barriers. It’s time to make progress by taking bite sized chunks, optimizing and then expanding. Moreover, it would help to institutionalize a six sigma program throughout government to help employees work smarter and increase productivity.

Governor Tom Ridge, chairman of the National Security Task Force and first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, offered his unique perspective and shared his frustration that many recommendations from the 9/11 Commission have yet to be implemented (see Gov Ridge’s remarks here). 

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano followed Governor Ridge and reinforced that we need to work together to make our nation more secure and resilient in a fiscally constrained environment (see Secretary Napolitano’s remarks here).

Secretary Napolitano also announced the following new Public Service Announcement (PSA) for the See Something, Say Something campaign: 

The 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th are fast approaching. While the public shouldn’t be scared, we should be extra vigilant and report anything suspicious. 

After Secretary Napolitano’s remarks, a panel of experts talked about the past and future of homeland security. The panelists included Ralph Basham (former CBP Commissioner), Jim Caverly, former (DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection director), Al Martinez-Fonts (former DHS Asst Secretary for Private Sector), Greg Garcia (former DHS Asst Secretary for Cybersecurity), MG Timothy Lowenberg (the Adjutant General and Homeland Security Advisory for State of Washington), Randy Mullett (Con-Way trucking VP), Lora Ries (former Immigration policy director) and Dan Stoneking (FEMA Private Sector Office director). 

The panels are in two videos: Part I. Part II.  

Public/Private Sector partnerships are necessary for this nation to be better prepared for 21st Century threats, but the public-at-large has to be better prepared as well.  Our biggest challenge is to compel millions of Americans to be prepared for catastrophic incidents before they’re standing in front of a pile of rubble that used to be their house.

Be Ready!

Thanks to the Chamber, and especially Ann Beauchesne, for assembling another outstanding event and providing us a forum to interact with Homeland Security leaders, past and present. Well done again!

A Path of Destruction – Sendai, Japan

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I was going to take a tour of the area impacted by the Tsunami after our workshop ended. A large group went by bus to Suzuki Kogyo, a waste management company that was essential to the community. Suzuki Kogyo was able to recover their operations and begin waste management in half the time predicted. A great story about how an effective business continuity program will help your business survive.

I, along with a new friend who was also an American speaking at the workshop, had to get to the airport to catch one of the two flights out of Sendai. We opted to take a cab and drive through the affected areas. Since it was going to be difficult for us to communicate with the Japanese speaking cab driver, the multi-talented Candice (from FEMA) worked with the Embassy to get a cab and instruct the driver where to take us.

After about 10 minutes driving, we began to see signs of the damage. We saw some mangled cars and some piles of debris, then we got closer to the port and the sights, sounds and smell gave us the full effect of reality. Just look at the video below to imagine what the wave left behind.

We drove for over an hour. We saw nothing but devastation. There were no signs of community life, just the workers who were trying to clean up the mess. Groups of people and tractors in the middle of empty lots who seemed to be randomly clearing debris. It didn’t appear there was an overall plan with prioritized recovery/restoration, but given the magnitude, it’s hard to imagine where you would start.

They say pictures tell a thousand words, but in this case, pictures tell a very short story. I took a lot of pictures and they’re here for you to view. What you’ll see are mangled cars, piles of debris, boats, destroyed homes and displaced trees. Some buildings are gone, some are empty frames and some are filled with assorted debris from miles away. That’s all there is for as far as you can see.

What you don’t get from the pictures is the smell, the panoramic view of the damage and the emotion. Whether it’s an empty foundation, a destroyed house, or a twisted pile of metal that used to be a car, there were over 25,000 human beings in those buildings and vehicles that were wiped out in a most horrific and terrifying way.

The workshop in Sendai was to talk about ways to get Asia-Pacific economies more resilient. This starts with getting people better prepared. While nothing was going to stop a 30 foot wall of water from its path of destruction, better warning systems and prepared citizens would minimize the human consequences. The Tsunami hit about 20 minutes after the earthquake. If the warning system was accessible by anyone, anywhere, and there was a clear evacuation path to seek shelter inland, perhaps the death toll could be cut dramatically.

I’m an evangelist for preparedness. I often preach about how people and businesses need to be prepared for catastrophic incidents. I’ve done this for a decade driven by the haunting memories of the September 11th attacks. Now I’m even more convinced and more committed to get the message out. I’ve witnessed firsthand, the aftermath of a catastrophic event. I’ve seen what can happen and know that brick, mortar, wood and metal may not withstand the destructive forces of a natural (or intentional) disaster, but if people are better prepared, they’ll are more likely to survive and help rebuild their communities.

My heart goes out to the families, friends and colleagues of those lost in this disaster. I pray for the thousands of souls who died that day. I also hope that the world will continue to help Japan rebuild. They are so appreciative of the help they’ve received so far, but need much more. Look at the pictures again, there’s an incredible amount of recovery and reconstruction that still needs to be done!

ame futte ji katamaru – after the rain, the earth hardens (i.e. adversity builds character)

 

Kishi Kaisei, Sendai

Kishi kaisei

to come out of a desperate situation and make a comeback

On Friday, March 11, 2011, a catastrophic magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan. The earthquake was so powerful, it’s said to have moved the main island some 8′ to the east.

An hour after the earthquake struck, a major Tsunami with waves reportedly as high as 130 feet impacted an area of over 200 sq miles. In Sendai, Tsunami waves were measured at 39′ and were captured in a video at Sendai Airport. The wall of water obliterated everything in its path – houses, businesses, cars, boats, planes and people.

In the wake of the earthquake and Tsunami, over 27,000 people were dead or missing, thousands were injured and damage likely exceeds $34B. The Japanese people are recovering and are showing the world what an amazing and resilient nation they are. We can learn a lot from them and also share a lot with them.

Nearly five months after the disaster, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG) worked with the US Dept of State, FEMA and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to host a workshop on Private Sector Emergency Preparedness. I’m excited to participate in this workshop and deeply honored they asked me to be on a panel. It’s humbling to be in the company of all these amazing people from so many different countries. All dedicated to making the world more resilient.  

Disasters are unpredictable, indiscriminate, unrelenting and merciless. There are countless people who had been impacted by a catastrophic incident that didn’t take preparedness seriously because – they didn’t think it would happen to them. Even worse, some people who had experienced a disaster previouslyassumed that once you’ve seen one, they’ll always act the same.  This is one of the reasons so many people died in Katrina. Many Katrina casualties rode out hurricanes before, so they thought Katrina was being hyped and chose to ride out the storm. A deadly mistake made over and over in every disaster.

This will be my first trip to an area totally devastated by a disaster of this magnitude. In the spirit of sharing, I hope to write about the experience and not only compel readers to continue support of the Japanese relief funds, but also to take preparedness seriously and help us make this nation more resilient.

So now the long journey starts. In addition to sharing what I experience in Sendai, I thought I’d share some travel tips as well (travelers need to be crisis ready!)

Junbi suru (prepare):

• Passport (keep it on you at all times)
• Verify Visa/entry requirements
• Register with State Department Smart Traveler and keep checking travel warnings
• Know where the closest Embassy is and record contact numbers
• Download some common phrases in the local language (google language common phrases)
• International Preparedness kit from my employer (little bag of goodies from our global health folks)
• Assure Blackberry and cellphone will work globally (may have to change service plan)
• Update all emergency contact info at work (if it’s a business trip) and with State Dept
• Check airline power options and get adapters if necessary (I got the Kensington)
• Bring plenty of entertainment (my iPad is loaded with movies and Kindle books), but see previous bullet. Don’t forget chargers!
• Choose your seats early. A middle seat in coach on a >6 hour flight is torture. I got an exit row with no seat in front of me and no one next to me. It was next to the bathroom, but being able to stretch out was worth the traffic.
• Pack any prescription meds and have them in your carry-on!
• Currency exchange – I got 74 yen/dollar in Tokyo when I arrived and got 67 yen/dollar on the way back

Wheels Up:

It was an uneventful, but extraordinarily long flight to Tokyo (13 hours). Unfortunately, for all the comforts the Boeing 777 had, it didn’t have power outlets and all my batteries depleted a few hours into the flight. So much for the crash course in Japanese I had on my iPhone.

Off I went with 250 strangers to travel 7000 miles at 560 mph. Start the movies!

Arrival in Sendai:

After arriving in Tokyo and clearing Customs (very simple process), we took a turboprop from Tokyo to Sendai. I was disappointed it was dusk when we arrived for I couldn’t see much on approach; however, there were some scars from the Tsunami that were visible even in the dark. The airport, given the damage I’ve seen in pictures, was in good condition. There wasn’t any obvious Tsunami damage, which shocked me.

Once I turned my blackberry on, I saw that an aftershock hit off the coast. We also had a 6.2 last night that felt like a large truck driving on a bridge above you. There have been over 600 “aftershocks” since the Great East Japan Earthquake (as it’s now known), and many of these aftershocks would be noteworthy earthquakes at any other time. No one seemed too concerned. This seems to be the new norm.

From the airport, we took a bus to Sendai Station. The same gentleman that sat next to me on the “puddle jumper”, was across from me on the bus. He was a Sendai native probably in his sixties. He struck up a conversation by asking if it was my first time in Sendai and then…began to share his experience.

He’s a professor at the university in Sendai. He travels frequently to lecture and on that day, March 11, 2011, he was traveling from the university to Sendai Airport. He felt the earthquake and had to pull over. After the shaking and rolling stopped, he went back into his car and turned on the radio. He thought he heard the area wasn’t at risk for Tsunami, so he started driving toward the airport again. After 15-20 minutes, he saw a terrifying sight - a wall of black water 10 meters’ high heading right toward him. He tried to turn around and head away from it, but a red car came out of the wall of water and crashed into the side of his car. The impact caused multiple trauma and while feeling his car tumbling in the water, he passed out. He woke up in an ambulance. His right leg, ribs and shoulder were broken and he couldn’t hear out of his right ear or see out of his right eye. That was five months ago. He’s walking with a cane, still has trouble hearing and he’s been reliving the horror in nightmares every night, but he still goes down that same path and goes about his normal routine (sans the car). That’s indomitable spirit!

This wasn’t a fable. This was a real story right from a survivor’s own mouth. It’s a mircale that he lived to tell about it, but he shared freely and then helped us find our way through the Sendai Station. A remarkable man who I’m thankful I got to meet.

There’s a Japanese proverb “Aizu Okiagari-koboushi” – translated “to fall down seven times, get up eight.” This is what Tsunami survivors like the professor have been doing. It’s something we all should remember when times get tough.

I have several friends who are masterful writers. They write about their experiences so well that you can see, smell and feel what they are describing. I envy them because I possess no such talent (as I’m sure you’ve noticed) and they write all the time with skill and ease. After I visit the coast tomorrow, I’ll be challenged to find the right words and composition to describe the indescribable.  I hope I can live up to the challenge. Maybe another professor will share the story and write it for me…

See also:

Washington Post -Earthquake in Japan: A wave of destruction

NY Times Images: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/11/world/asia/maps-of-earthquake-and-tsunami-damage-in-japan.html#panel/2

Disaster Preparedness Secures APEC’s Growth

A Day in the Life of DHS

September is National Preparedness Month!

This is a section from the Department of Homeland Security Bottoms Up Review (BUR) that was just released. Thought it was very interesting and provides readers with an appreciation of what these patriotic Americans do each day within DHS.

 

A Day in the Life of the Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security uses many tools and areas of expertise to accomplish our goal of securing the homeland. On any given day, we perform a variety of different tasks and functions to make America safer and our citizens more secure. Although our responsibilities are varied, we are united in a common purpose – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Below is a sampling of what the men and women of DHS do in a typical day. (All numbers are approximate averages.)

Transportation Security Administration will:

• Screen 2 million passengers and their 1.8 million pieces of checked baggage before they board commercial aircraft
• Intercept 2,000 prohibited items from people and carry-on baggage including 1,200 knives, blades or other sharp objects and 2 firearms
• Operate the National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program, which has 705 explosive detection canine teams deployed across the country
• Deploy thousands of Federal Air Marshals to protect flights in the United States and around the world
• Oversee screening of approximately seven million pounds per day of air cargo on domestic planes
• Conduct 4-5 Visible Intermodal Protection and Reponses operations per day in passenger rail and mass transit systems somewhere in the United States

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will:

• Process over 1 million passengers and pedestrians
• Inspect nearly 60,000 truck, rail and sea containers
• Process $88 million in fees, duties and tariffs
• Make 2,200 apprehensions between ports for illegal entry
• Seize 6,600 pounds of narcotics  Seize 4,300 prohibited agricultural items
• Make 5,400 pre-departure seizures of prohibited agricultural items

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will:

• Naturalize 2,900 new immigrants  Conduct 135,000 national security background checks
• Process 27,400 applications for immigrant benefits
• Issue 7,200 permanent resident cards (green cards)
• Capture 8,700 sets of fingerprints at 130 Application Support Centers
• Welcome 3,200 new citizens and 3,300 new permanent residents
• Adjudicate nearly 200 refugee applications from around the world
• Grant asylum to 40 individuals already in the United States

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will:

• Make 63 administrative arrests and 89 criminal arrests
• Make 11 currency seizures totaling $1.1 million 
• Participate in 26 drug seizures each day, totaling 7,200 lbs. of marijuana, 7 lbs. of heroin, and 960 lbs. of cocaine
• ICE attorneys litigate 1,500 cases in immigration court and obtain 740 final orders of removal; 90 of those final orders of removal are for criminal aliens
• Screen 3,800 VISA applications
• House 29,800 illegal aliens in facilities nationwide

United States Secret Service will:

• Protect dozens of high profile government officials including the President, the Vice President, visiting heads of state, and former Presidents
• Seize $319,000 in counterfeit currency and suppress a counterfeit operation
• Open 30 new financial crimes and counterfeit investigations and conduct 26 computer forensic examinations
• Seize $300,000 in assets
• Arrest 25 individuals
• Conduct 8 public education seminars on counterfeit recognition and financial fraud schemes

Federal Emergency Management Agency will:

• Obligate $39 million for disaster response, recovery, and mitigation activities
• Help save $2.7 million in damages from flooding across the country through FEMA’s Flood Plain Management
• Help protect an additional 104 homes from the devastating effects of flooding through flood insurance policies issued by the National Flood Insurance Program
• Provide $181,000 for Fire Management Assistance grants, which aid state and local efforts in the suppression of wildfires  
• Provide 11,300 publications through FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration to educate citizens about how to stay safe from fire and help America’s fire service to safely respond to fires and other emergency incidents  
• Arrange for translation services for disaster victims in up to 173 different languages through the National Processing Service Centers in Maryland, Puerto Rico, Texas and Virginia

 

United States Coast Guard will:

• Save 13 lives, respond to 64 search and rescue cases and prevent loss of $260,000 in property damage
• Seize or remove 1,100 pounds of illegal drugs, with a street value of $19 million  Interdict 10 migrants attempting to illegally enter the United States via maritime routes
• Conduct 135 armed waterborne patrols projecting presence near maritime critical infrastructure and key resources
• Conduct 57 inspections of U.S. Flagged Vessels and safety exams on commercial fishing vessels
• Conduct 67 container inspections, and investigate and respond to 10 pollution incidents
• Issue 200 credentials to qualified merchant mariners to ensure the safety, security and efficiency of the maritime supply chain   
• Perform 47 safety, security and environmental protection inspections at maritime facilities
• Ensure compliance with U.S. and foreign ships with international and U.S. shipboard air emission standards by conducting 32 exams  
• Manage 3,500 commercial vessel transits through the Marine Transportation System to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of goods and people
• Provide reliable visual aids to navigation throughout the United States and its territories
• Conduct 14 fisheries boardings to ensure compliance with fisheries and marine protected species regulations
• Provide forces and capabilities to the Department of Defense to carry out U.S. national security objectives

National Protection and Programs Directorate will:

• Protect U.S. information systems through the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) by monitoring Federal Executive Branch civilian networks to identify emerging threats, ongoing trends, and intrusions; US-CERT detects and responds to an average of 64 incidents and 3,750 alert events daily
• Disrupt potential terrorist planning activities by conducting 5 Buffer Zone Protection assessments with local law enforcement at critical infrastructure and key resources in every sector across the Nation
• Analyze biometrics data on 100,000 foreign visitors and compare to the Federal watch list of 3.2 million known or suspected terrorists, criminals and immigration violators
• Identify 40 criminal migrants illegally attempting to enter the United States from the sea with biometric data and, through a partnership with the FBI, provide that information to state and local law enforcement agencies
• Use computer modeling and risk analysis to support critical decisions across the Department and to help the Nation prevent, protect, respond, and recover from all hazards
• Prevent 2,100 prohibited items from entering Federal facilities

Science and Technology Directorate will:

• Lead 200 projects to provide solutions to protect us from chemical, biological, and explosive attacks, provide security for our borders and shores, protect key parts of our infrastructure, and mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
• Assess 22 technology companies for product applicability to first responder customers, develop standards for first responder technologies to ensure high quality transitions, and provide test and evaluation services for DHS.

Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS) will:  

• Integrate department and interagency strategic level planning and operations coordination across the spectrum of prevent, protect, respond and recover
• Provide DHS with a joint operations coordination and planning capability at the strategic level to support internal DHS operational decision-making and Department leadership and participation in interagency operations
• Provide situational awareness and a common operating picture for the entire Federal government, and for State, local, and tribal governments as appropriate, in the event of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster  
• Ensure that critical terrorism and disaster-related information reaches government decision-makers

 

Management Directorate will:

• Hire and process 100 new employees through its human capital office
• Obligate $142 million through its finance office
• Issue 300 contracts through its procurement operations

Office of Intelligence and Analysis will:

• Review all-source intelligence information and produce analysis to distribute to Federal, State, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners regarding current and developing threats and vulnerabilities, as well as providing recommendations for potential protective measures

Domestic Nuclear Detection Office will:

• Provide radiation detection equipment to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to scan 70,000 cargo containers for radiological/nuclear material
• Train 12 State and local law enforcement officials on how to use preventive radiological/nuclear detection equipment

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center will:

• Train 3,500 Federal officers and agents from more than 80 different Federal agencies, as well as state, local, tribal and international officers and agents, in one or more of the 400 basic and advanced training programs available

Office of Health Affairs will:

• Retrieve samples from hundreds of BioWatch collectors that have been testing the air in our major metropolitan areas for evidence of biological pathogens
• Screen 350 sources of information from across multiple agencies and venues and assess them for significance and early recognition of a potential bio-event of national significance through the 24 hour watch of the National Biosurveillance Integration Center

Office of Policy will:

• Develop DHS-wide policies, programs, and planning to promote and ensure quality, consistency, and integration across all homeland security missions
• Provide thought leadership and analysis to the Secretary and other Departmental leaders to facilitate decision-making
• Represent the consolidated DHS position at White House interagency policy committee meetings
• Develop and articulate the long-term strategic view of the Department and translate the Secretary’s strategic priorities into capstone planning products that drive increased operational effectiveness through integration, prioritization, and resource allocation
• Lead departmental international engagement
• Serve as a single point of contact for experts in academia, the private sector, and other external stakeholders to allow for streamlined policy development and management across the Department

 

Preparing for PS-Prep – Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Certification

“…private sector preparedness is a necessity, not a luxury”

The 9/11 Commission found that the Private Sector wasn’t adequately prepared to respond to or recover from a catastrophic disaster. The commission Vice Chair Lee Hamilton stated “Now is the time for serious consideration of a national [private sector] preparedness standard” and the Commission accepted a recommendation by the ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel to endorse NFPA 1600 as the National Preparedness Standard. The recommendation was included in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 - Title VII, Subtitle C, Sect 7305:

“It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Homeland Security should promote, where appropriate, the adoption of voluntary national preparedness standards such as the private sector preparedness standard developed by the American National Standards Institute and based on the National Fire Protection Association 1600 Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs.”

A few years later, Congress felt many of the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission weren’t (fully) implemented; thus, in 2007, they passed the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. In Title IX of this act, the DHS is required to “establish and implement the voluntary private sector preparedness accreditation and certification program.” It states no later than 210 days after enactment of this law (~Feb, 2008), the DHS would start rolling this program out.

DHS officially launched the Private Sector Preparedness Program (PS-Prep) in December, 2008 as outlined in the federal register. One of the first priorities for the program was to establish the accreditation and certification process, so DHS selected the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to develop and manage this part of the program.

The next priority was to select the standard or standards that would be approved for PS-Prep. In October, 2009 DHS announced three standards would be proposed for the program; NFPA 1600 - Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs, BS25999 - Business Continuity Management and ASIS SPC.1.2009 (see the Institute for Business & Home Safety for a helpful crosswalk of the three standards). Once these standards were announced, the DHS had a request for comments period and received scores of comments, which were reviewed and adjudicated by DHS.

As the first half of 2010 comes to a close, Sen. Joe Lieberman and Rep. Benny Thompson, chairmen of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee and House Committee on Homeland Security respectively, issued a joint memo citing their concern with the state of PS-Prep and calling on DHS/FEMA to “act promptly to implement this program and vigorously promote it within the private sector.” This is a warning shot that PS-Prep is coming, and coming soon.

Unfortunately, this was a reaction to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and PS-Prep will not and is not intended to prevent a disaster like that. There’s a risk management element to PS-Prep that will address risk assessment and mitigation strategies, but don’t be fooled into thinking it could/would have prevented what’s happening in the Gulf. PS-Prep will enable businesses to be prepared to respond to and recover from a disaster and resume normal business operations effectively and efficiently.

There are many opinions about whether a voluntary private sector preparedness certification (i.e., PS-Prep) is necessary. The thought of business continuity/crisis management (private sector preparedness) being “regulated” through standards makes practitioners shudder…standard is a dirty word to many people and the thought of applying standards to preparedness is like applying standards to safety…oh wait, we do that (via OSHA). I mean, like applying standards to security…oh, guess we do that too (via ASIS, DSS, NIPP and others). Opponents argue that the private sector already has preparedness programs in place and manages the process effectively. Others argue many industries (i.e., the financial sector) already have regulations and those requirements meet or exceed anything PS-Prep would prescribe. Finally, there are those who hold that certification won’t lead to the ultimate goal – resiliency – it’ll just be another unfunded mandate like Sarbanes/Oxley.

These are valid concerns and I share them as well as a few more; however, it’s been my experience that many companies believe they have adequate preparedness programs in place, but truly aren’t ready for a significant incident (and may not even know it). One issue is the lack of standards for planning, and another is that exercises to identify gaps in the planning aren’t very effective. Businesses exercise their plans for likely scenarios and identify gaps/lessons learned, but the exercises are often scripted to an extent the outcome is predictable complete with a check in the box and a slap on the back. The result is a false sense of security that the business is prepared for a disaster.  

It’s no secret that I’ve been a proponent for private sector preparedness certification since the start and I’ve discussed and debated my position in many different public forums. In fact, my presentation theme this year is “the 3 P’s of 21^st Century Resiliency – People, Partnerships and PS-Prep” (more on that in another blog). If businesses (or public agencies for that matter) aren’t measured against a standard, how can we be sure if they are adequately prepared to respond to and/or recover from (catastrophic) incidents?  If we are to become more resilient as a nation, how can we achieve that if we don’t have a way to evaluate or measure preparedness?  

“Private organizations across the country—from businesses to universities to non-profit organizations—have a vital role to play in bolstering our disaster preparedness and response capabilities. These new standards will provide our private sector partners with the tools they need to enhance the readiness and resiliency of our nation.”  – Secretary Janet Napolitano

If we’re going to be serious about resiliency, we need to embrace standards to some extent. If we do it right, it will be less painful and frustrating than trying to figure out whether a company or agency you are dealing with is as resilient as they say they are.  

There are a few requirements that I believe will be key to PS-Prep’s success that include, but aren’t limited to:

1. Allow for the professionals (i.e., those of us who do this for a living not lawyers or policy people) to review and comment on the proposed standards. * Sincere thanks to Jim Caverly and his team at the DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection. They’ve gone above and beyond to engage all the stakeholders and listen to our feedback. This has been a very open and collaborative process and much appreciated!
2. Allow for a maturity model certification process. This will allow businesses to build a business case for a higher level of maturity (if necessary) and small-medium sized businesses don’t have to be held to the same levels as larger companies (e.g., CMMI for services might be a starting point).
3. Allow for self-assessments so small-medium sized businesses can benefit. The Institute for Business and Home Safety “Open for Business” and American Red Cross “Ready Rating” programs provide an existing framework that may be leveraged to handle small-medium sized businesses.
4. Allow businesses/industries who have regulatory requirements that meet/exceed the proposed standards to use that evidence to achieve certification instead of going through a different process.
5. Provide incentives and info to help build a business case for certification  
6. • SAFETY Act type liability protections if a company gets certified
   • A Malcolm Baldrige type award
   • Insurance companies should provide incentives for certification

The International Center for Emergency Preparedness (INTERCEP) at New York University has been engaged in this effort since the 9/11 Commission was established and they’re facilitating discussions around some of these “requirements”. Bill Raisch et. al. have done an exceptional job pulling subject matter experts together to frame the requirements and allow our collective voices to be heard. Through the INTERCEP website, you can review some of the research that ranges from the business incentives to legal issues that are being analyzed.

It’s time to get knowledgeable about PS-Prep and position your business to achieve certification of compliance for one of the approved standards. The 21^st Century incidents are increasing in frequency, scale, and consequence and the private sector needs to be prepared to bounce back and help our nation recover.

If that’s not compelling enough, consider that we may be one crisis away from this voluntary program becoming mandatory.  

PS-Prep Fact Sheet: http://www.fema.gov/media/fact_sheets/vpsp.shtm

Deepwater Horizon – A Crisis Management Disaster

The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig not only caused the tragic loss of 11 lives, but is now the most catastrophic environmental disaster in history. It’s appalling to think that the initial explosion occurred on 20 April and there’s still an estimated 20,000 barrels/day pouring into the Gulf of Mexico (see BP’s live feed) with no end in sight. To-date, oil/tar balls have been discovered in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana even though the USG has recovered over 338,000 barrels of oily water and continues to conduct booming and skimming operations to protect the coast (click here for a map of the impacted area).

In the world of crisis management/contingency planning/risk management, this catastrophe was a foreseeable event. At some point, BP should have asked the question “what if we have a catastrophic break one mile down?” The next question is “what are our options for the worst case scenario and what’s the timeline for each of those options to avoid/minimize environmental/human impact?”

Unfortunately, because of the lack of good planning, we are seeing ad-hoc crisis management play out and it’s not going very well. Not only is BP failing at crisis communications (click here for more), but they’ve now been pushed into a defensive posture by the growing stable of lawyers from the Justice Department; thus, are less likely to take necessary risks to stop the spill for fear of further liability.

It’s hard to believe that with all the amazing technological advances and the brilliant minds we have around the globe, there wasn’t a prioritized list of options within 24 hours of the explosion and we still haven’t come up with a good fix over a month later. We’ve heard “top kill”, “top cap”, “relief wells” and “blow out preventers”, but nothing is working and most of these options are being developed in the heat of the moment (not a good plan). Now we see the growing slick extending from Louisiana to the Florida Keys.

So where do we go from here? We learn – hopefully. Some of the lessons learned from this crisis:

• Understand your risks: if you say “it will never happen”…it will. An oil rig that’s connected to a mile long pipe going into the floor of the ocean (and down another couple miles) can break and may break in the worst place possible. Know what the worst case scenario is and at least talk about it!
• Establish the Incident Action Plan: start with the immediate damage assessment and quick reaction clean-up (e.g., booms and skimmers) to the off-the-wall course of last resort (a Massive Ordnance Penetrator, MOP, bomb or nuclear weapon).

* If you communicate the options early, especially the least desirable/most controversial, you’ll have less resistance if you have to employ the most controversial option.

• Communicate: don’t hide the facts – they will come out and your company will lose in the court of public opinion or worse. Open, honest communication with the press/public is critical. Empathize!

* An executive saying “I want my life back” when people died and many lost their livelihood is not only terribly insensitive, but creates another PR crisis for the company.

• Collaborate: consider engaging experts from various disciplines. Nobel prize winners and scientists may not have the practical experience or ability to “expand the box” to actually come up with the right fix.
• Analysis: no mitigation plan can be too outrageous. Have a process to analyze and disposition ideas so good ideas can be harvested quickly.

*If people/companies offer ideas and they feel they are being ignored, they’ll go to the press and make it look like the company isn’t doing everything possible to resolve the crisis.

Two appropriate quotes to close from Benjamin Franklin and Elbert Hubbard:

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” and “A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience”

Prepare and learn from mistakes…excelsior

Remembering PFC Jesse James

PFC Jesse Edward James

1 SIG BN 1 MAR DIV

10.24.27 – 09.20.50

No, this isn’t a story about the infamous outlaw Jesse James or the one who couldn’t be faithful to Sandra Bullock.

This is about our family’s hero – a 23 year old Marine who took a patrol to allow his buddy some time to rest and saved his life.  We’ll never forget you!

My Dad, one of the survivors of the battle at the “Frozen Chosin”, would have done this himself if he were still alive; so today, I honor his memory by remembering a Marine that Dad NEVER forgot and asked us to never forget. The following is from a note my Dad sent to us during the 50th Anniversary of Korea:

On Sept 16th 24 hours after the Inchon Invasion at 5pm my team of 4 was told to go out on a mission.I gathered up my ammo and went to jump on the weasel, a very noisey amtrack used to transport us, and headed out. Cpl Cruckshank was my leader. He asked for a fill in for me as I had not had a rest period since we landed.

Pvt Jesse James jumped up immediately and took my place. Neither he, nor any of the team ever came back.

We are now 50 years from that day. I will never know why I was spared from that and several other similiar circumstances but Jesse was a friend of mine as were the others. I feel the least I can do on the anniversary is to offer prayers for my team and the other’s who gave their lives. I would be most appreciative if you would remember them…

…say a prayer for Jesse, who gave you your father, and the other’s who gave you the freedom we have.

A little more info from another letter:

The wire team I am speaking of was made up of 5 guys. Cpl. Crukshank [sp] was the team leader. Troubleshooting teams were somewhat made up as the occasion required so we tended to grab one to maybe 6 guys and head out. When at night we always had a couple of guys riding shot gun.

We all hated the weasel because they were so noisy. I never again went out in one after that night. It was a common trick for the North Koreans to cut our lines to the front and wait, knowing we would have to send a team out to repair the break.

About 5pm that evening our Sgt called for a team to head out to check a break. I was really a bit of an outsider because I came from the 2nd Mar Div and most of the guys at that time in the Shore Party were from the 1st. We landed in Inchon with the Sig Bn Shore Party and the first day we just ended up, 5 or 6 of us, going out on a couple of missions and so kind of hung together. When they called for Crukshank to get his team, we all jumped and loaded the weasel to head out. Sad I can’t remember the names of the other 2 guys…

One of the memories that will never leave me is that of my friend Jesse James running to the weasel and saying ” I haven’t been out yet I’ll take your spot.” The Cpl. said “Yeah. Connors you’re overdue for a break. Let Jesse take this one. You get the next one….”

It was getting dark by the time they shipped out. We expected they would be out maybe 3 to 4 hours. By midnight or so I woke and asked if the guys had come back. I knew what the answer was. The Sgt told me they had sent a search team out in a jeep but they returned with no findings. At daybreak I asked to go out with the search team but was told there were some riflemen already out in an amtrack. About 9am they returned to tell us they had found all of them. they were ambushed and all killed.

The only one I really personally knew was Jesse and the Cpl. I obviously have never forgotten Jesse and I make sure my kids know they only have a dad because he cared for me…I do remember all the guys I landed with were really a fantastic bunch. We had lots of concern for each other I think because we were so young and scared. I have tried over the years to find relatives of Jesse’s with no success.

There are countless stories of sacrifice by our men and women in uniform. In war and peace, they go above and beyond and are our true heroes. Memorial Day is the time to honor them and we should never forget that the reason we get to breathe the sweet air of liberty every day is because they had our collective backs. They ask for nothing, but we owe them everything. Lest we never forget!

For Safety Sake – Be Patient and Use Common Sense

I’ll admit, patience is not one of my virtues and anyone who knows me will likely say that I’m one of the most impatient people they know. However, when it comes to safety, even I realize that haste can lead to poor decisions and being impatient can get you injured or killed. 

At the end of February, we had a storm that brought extraordinary (and unexpected) winds that gusted to over 90 mph. The storm resulted in significant damage that rivals the damage from the ice storm of 2009.

 

The reason for this blog entry isn’t to talk about the storm, we have storms all the time, but rather to share what I witnessed this a.m. Impatience, ignorance, and blatant stupidity that could have got some people hurt or killed.

 

I saw some cruiser lights down near my friends’ house at about 06:00 and was concerned that a tree might have fallen on their house or another friend’s house who lives next to them. I tried calling them and didn’t get an answer on cell or home phone, so I jumped in my truck and went down the road to check on them. There were trees and wires down everywhere and it looked like a tornado came through the area. Neither friend’s house was damaged, but the road was impassable and dangerous. The cruisers that were there previously put some yellow ”caution” tape up across the road, but an impatient, ignorant or blatantly stupid driver drove right through it and after they turned around, didn’t bother to fix the tape!

 

After I checked on my friends, I witnessed at least 4 cars go past the caution tape on the ground and drive over the power lines that were across the street (and clearly visible in the pic to the left) only to get to the part of the road 20 yards further that was littered with debris and impassable, then turn around. I tied the tape back up across the road and no sooner did I get it back up when a car came ready to break through it again. I explained to them that the trees and wires were down and the guy started arguing with me and told me he had to get through. Grrrrr…good luck Pal…

 

Wait…it gets better… 

 

There’s probably a 1/4 mile between my house and where the road was blocked. Since people were still heading down there and turning around in my friends’ driveways, one of my friends brought some cones up to block the road to prevent people from coming down there. To the left of the cones was a lake sized puddle (to the right in this picture) and to the right was a curb and grass. It didn’t take long before a car came down and a woman got out and started to move the cones. I yelled out and told her the road was blocked with trees and wires and she yelled back at me (wasn’t to tell me how nice my hair looked this a.m.), got in her car and headed down the blocked road. About 5 minutes later, she came back and gave me that “you were right, but I’m not going to admit it” stare. Over the next 30 minutes, about 30 cars went over, around, and moved the cones (see how the cones have been moved in the picture so they could get through). People were even willing to take the risk of driving through the lake sized puddle! Even more troubling, 90% of the cars that went through the cones didn’t bother to tell any of the other cars going through the cones that the road was blocked! Everyone was in too much of a rush to use common sense or even have common courtesy toward each other.

 

One more before I get to the real point, one nice guy got out of his truck and fixed the cones that someone ran over. He stayed for a few minutes to advise drivers who still insisted on going through or around the cones that the road was closed. Within minutes, a woman in an SUV came back from the debris field, got out in a huff and moved all 4 cones and started yelling at the guy. After some colorful language, she stormed off and almost hit another car in the process. 

 

Why am I sharing this? My intent is to compell people to exercise patience and common sense when these kinds of storms hit (or any disaster for that matter). For your safety, your family’s and others, please don’t make assumptions about why a barrier is up or whether a wire across the road is live or dead or whether a tree leaning on wires is going to fall. Is a detour that inconvienent that you are willing to take on such great risk? For many people this a.m., it apparently was. Ironically, their pause to ponder whether to go past the cones, then their insistence to head down the impassable road ended up costing them more time than if they turned around and took the detour.

 

Some common sense tips that sometimes we (the impatient) forget: 

 

• If you see a barrier across a road, don’t go through or around it – even if you see others doing it!
• If you see wires across a road, don’t drive over them – even if you see others doing it!  
• If you see a tree leaning (like in the pic below), don’t assume you can get by it before it falls – even if you see others doing it!
• If you see a large puddle, don’t go through it unless you are absolutely sure it’s shallow enough to get through and not stall your car.  
• If in doubt – don’t!!! We have a 6th sense that warns us of danger and we need to listen to it! 

 

Be well. Be safe. Be prepared. 

 

p.s. I’ve included a couple pictures from my neighborhood below. The first one is about a 40 foot pine that got uprooted and fell on the wires (take note of the telephone pole bending). This isn’t the section of the road I mention above, but will surely be in the same boat sometime today when that tree takes the telephone poll and wires down. I was just advised that the city finally closed the road so they can fix this before it hurts someone.

 

I’ll post some videos I tool of the people I mention above as well. You have to see it to believe it.