Who Are We?
By Pete Gaynor
Who Are We? We are not police officers, firefighters, public health workers or soldiers. We aren’t sailors, emergency medical technicians, park rangers, dispatchers, or sanitation workers. We don’t rescue cats, slap the cuffs on you or plow the snow.
Leaders cringe when we walk into their office unannounced because we don’t deal in good news. Chaos, complexity, and crisis is our stock-in-trade. Give us blue skies, rainbows, and butterflies and we won’t know what you’re talking about. Some call us a secret society—one only called to service when the chips are down.
Looking for a talented team of people willing to work long hours for low pay and no recognition? Sign us up! Have an intractable problem no one can solve? We’re already on it. If the power is out, we have generators. Did a hurricane just blow the roof off your house? We will put a blue roof on it and get you in a hotel. When there is a pile of storm debris on your front lawn, give us a call to have it hauled away. Wondering how your phone gets those annoying emergency alerts in the middle of the night? That’s just us.
When you heard about the shortage of N95 masks, — we already had planes on the way to Shanghai to pick up more. A hospital must be built in twenty-three days? We are the guys and gals for the job. You need unemployment insurance? Give us five days, a pot of coffee, some Red Bull and we can get a few billion dollars headed your way. There is an international problem like the resettlement of refugees? Just give us an extra day or two to work out the details. Unaccompanied minors showing up at the southern border? We’ve been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt.
Did you say someone needs a shot in the arm? We’ve administered hundreds of millions of them. Need ventilators to save lives? We’ll build you over one hundred and fifty thousand in record time. Ready to build a home? We can point you to the latest building codes, standards and building science best practices… for free. Did I hear you are tired of paying out-of-pocket for those expensive repairs after your home floods? We do insurance! Crazy, right?
Any guesses who we are yet?
Did I mention we have a brand problem? Sometimes we look in the mirror and even we are confused. We don’t have snappy slogans or cool advertising commercials; do you know how much that costs? But you’re right—they might help. We are a young profession that is still maturing but that doesn’t hold us back. We have some standards and certifications, of course, but our get-it-done mindset allows us to overcome any obstacle. By the way, when you join our team, you don’t need to worry about costly dry-cleaning bills. We don’t have uniforms; we have snappy 5-11 polos with patches. Badges? No, we don’t need no stinking badges.
Are you are wondering how do we do it all?
We are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and decision-makers. We are expert communicators, especially when lives are at risk. Did I mention our extreme organizational skills? We love being organized. If we had extra time (we don’t, so please don’t ask) we could reorganize your walk-in closet better than the pros. We can write a plan and more importantly, we can execute that plan. If the plan doesn’t fully meet the need? Our most amazing skill is our ability to adapt and flex to new conditions. Our secret sauce is our ability to act.
Any idea who I’m talking about yet?
Let me tell you about a group of real American heroes—people you might pass on the street and not recognize their contribution. They won’t be in uniform like other public servants, though they are just as talented and dedicated to their work. Over the past few years, this group of heroes handled a little bit of everything. Standing in the middle of chaos with constantly changing information and demanding unrelenting conditions—they left nothing on the table. During the pandemic they had to think of new ways to rise to meet their humbling mission: helping people before, during, and after disasters.
Still trying to figure out who I’m talking about?
Do you want to know why we do what we do? We do it because we want to make a positive difference in our community. We want to change the trajectory of chaos. We are warriors and chaos is our enemy. We thrive facing challenges most people want no part of. We have unwavering faith that no matter how bad the conditions are, we will prevail.
When most people are having the worst day of their lives, we step up to ensure we have our best day.
One last question? Sure. Why do we need you? That’s a simple answer. No one else does what we do, nobody.
Any guesses yet?
Okay, I’ll tell you.
But before I do, remember what I said earlier: it’s a secret society, so don’t let anyone in on our secret.
We are the nation’s emergency managers.
