The Fourmile wildfire just outside of Boulder, Colorado is thankfully mostly contained as of this writing. However, discussions surrounding a partial failure of the county's emergency notification system may remain heated for some time. Just over 2600 residents did not receive emergency notification evacuation notices during the height of the wildfires.
The situation highlights a reality for emergency managers. No doubt, ENS technology is an indispensable technology for public safety. However, technologies fail and people make mistakes. So how should emergency officials respond when things don't go as planned with a notification? Here are a few tips to consider.
Have a backup plan.
Experienced emergency managers know you have to be prepared for any contingency. This holds true for notification as well. Consider the actions required if the ENS is not operational and develop response plans accordingly.
Preventing is better than fixing.
Some problems can be addressed before they arise through operator education and exercising. Consistent training and simulation is critical to keeping problems away before they start (or at least identifying problematic issues when there is no ongoing crisis with which to contend).
Don't forget to test.
Along these lines, make sure you frequently and regularly test both your systems and your procedures. We have seen agencies faithfully perform system tests, but forget to regularly evaluate internal procedures.
Keep citizens informed of problem causes and improvements.
It's never fun to be in the media cross hairs after a problem has occurred. However, it's important to be open and honest with what really happened. Accurately describing failures and communicating commitments about problem corrections will go a long way towards rebuilding trust.
From our perspective, officials in Colorado dealt with a difficult situation as well as one could hope. Everyone in the industry can learn from this event and prepare themselves should emergency notification events fail to meet expectations.
Best regards,
Lorin
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