There's no question that, as emergency managers, we have a stressful job. Interestingly, the most stress I have felt in my career has not been when I was dealing with a crisis. Those were the times when I felt I was doing what I was trained to do and helping others. No, the real stressor was dealing with the bureacracy generated by my own agency or by the system under which I worked. There was never enough time or enough resources to do the job right. The worst part of it was that I never realized how much stress I was under until I switched to a new position.

 

But somebody did. My wife and family could always tell when I was getting close to the edge. They paid a higher price for my dedication than I did.

 

As emergency managers, we always see the glass as half empty - there's always more to do. We can't just walk away. Actually, you can. Here are some ideas to consider:

 Above all, never forget that your job, important as it is, is the support system to the rest of your life and not the reverse.

 

Of all the factors that determine the success or failure of a response operation, logistics is one of the most critical. Disaster response is ultimately about resources: determining need, obtaining resources, prioritizing limited resources. But surprisingly, it's one of the areas that I find most problematical when I'm working with a client. The problem is that we often confuse the purchasing function with logistics. Purchasing buys resources but logistics is really a cradle-to-grave function. It starts with resource identification and ends either when the item is in the hands of the end user or when that item is returned to inventory. It covers everything in between including transporting, warehousing, staging and distribution.

 

So as part of your preparedness planning, check your logistics plan. If you're only looking at purchasing, you're setting yourself up for failure.