As I mentioned in the introduction, we’ll
take on this large topic in three core chunks
starting with the Civil Authority side by
focusing on the national perspective of domestic
incidents. So what the hell does that big
title mean? Well, it’s simple. We’ll discuss
the civil structure that the DoD supports
during incidents at our home. The objective
of this lesson is for you to comprehend the
essential terminology, know the players and
of course their roles, and gain an awareness
of the overarching national guidance.
Think of this lesson as a crash course in
the civilian side of the government that we
as DoD logisticians rarely get the opportunity
to see. This sounds simple, but there is nothing
simple about Domestic Incident Response. The
scale of these incidents, the politics at
all levels, and the expectations of our neighbors
make these incidents some of the most challenging
for logisticians from all levels.
Who cares? Let’s get this question out of
the way. It’s a fair question because it’s
true that as Air Force Logisticians we are
often in the reactive response side of this
process; as shown in this video where the
Air Force Reservists and National Guardsmen
from Southern California answer the President’s
call to lean forward with Hurricane Sandy
relief efforts in 2012.
My answer is simple. You should care because
understanding the type of threat, appropriate
guidance, and the players involved drives
the level of engagement on our part. As experienced
logisticians, we all know that our job is
often ill-defined. We can end up serving in
roles we’ve not been trained to handle;
that we’d not think was even possible. And,
somehow we make it happen.
This course and the entire DCoL short-course
catalog are designed to fill the last minute
“I have to do what?” type of situations.
By providing a small amount of advanced knowledge
in areas you may see in your career. Do not
overlook the intricate side of incident response.
The more you know, the less reactive we, as
logisticians, can be.
Ok, back to the terms. I know, I know, the
term national should be understood. But, I
want to ensure you understand this first term
because it’s critical to our upcoming discussions.
As you can see, the definition in the response
framework shows all the levels involved. So
when I say “Look at the incident from a
national perspective,” I mean let’s look
at how governments and guidance at all levels
within the US engage as a single entity in
incident response.
Why? Well, that’s again, good question;
a question we will ask many times in this
course. The image you’re seeing is of the
members of the New York Task Force I; New
York City’s, FEMA sponsored, Urban Search
and Rescue team. Now they're boarding a C-17
to catch a ride to the incident and it’s
the perfect example of national level response
and the great capability it brings.
Another overarching term is incident. Incident
is used 75 times in the first five pages of
the National Incident Management System. So
I guess it is an important term in this topic.
FEMA defines incident as an occurrence or
event, natural or man-made that requires a
response to protect life or property. For
example, in this image, you’ll see Tech
Sergeant Timothy Cattrell, an Air National
Guard Emergency Manager, decontaminating after
attempting to identify biological contaminants
in a simulated lab during training for a potential
man-made chemical, biological, radiological,
or nuclear incident. Yes, we’re going to
focus mostly on humanitarian type responses
in this course, but CBRNE is another major
part of the Emergency Response System.
A subset of incident that are relative to
this discussion are threat and hazard. A threat
or hazard is something that is potentially
dangerous or harmful; often the root cause
of an unwanted outcome.
Threats and hazards come in three forms: Technological
hazards, natural hazards, and human-caused
incidents, like the simulated satellite communications
electronic attack that Master Sergeant Champagne
from the 263rd Combat Communication Squadron
is trying to counter in this image. Human-caused threats are where the DoD tends to focus
our efforts. But, each of these threats and
hazards can create an incident that may draw
you as a DoD logistician into the response.
You may have the same question that I had.
If a human causes a natural disaster like
a wildfire, is it still a natural hazard?
Interestingly, Professor Stephen Nelson from
Tulane, notes that there would be no natural
disasters if it were not for humans. Without
humans, these are only natural events. These
processes have been operating throughout earth’s
history, but the processes have become hazardous
only because they negatively impact us as
human beings.
For example, the Colorado Black Forest Wildfire,
if started by lightning or human accident,
would be considered a natural threat or hazard,
which created an incident that had to be responded
to to protect life or property in El Paso
County, Colorado.
You’re going to hear these terms over and
over throughout the course, protect life or
property. These are essential terms for us
to keep in mind as we bring all of our assets
to bear in emergency response.
Let’s continue with the term response. Take
a look at the definition. That’s one hell
of a definition for a single word, isn’t
it? I’ll give you a minute to read it. The
key elements of this definition are the immediate
actions to save lives, protect property, and
meet human needs.
For example, in the Colorado Black Forest
Wildfire, there was a local, state, and federal
response focused on protecting the lives of
those in the direct line of the fire. Taking
preventive action to try and mitigate the
destruction of personal and public property
and the initiation of support to those who
were impacted.
There are many more terms, but we’ll discuss
them as we meet the players and review the
guidance. Get used to hearing about the Colorado
Wildfire. We will use this incident as an
example throughout this first portion of the
course.
