Opinion: Keep political hacks away from FEMA
Soon after Donald Trump was sworn into his second term as president he declared that FEMA must go away This was echoed by his Secretary of Homeland Shield who oversees FEMA who noted We are going to eliminate FEMA But in the aftermath of the catastrophic and deadly floods in Texas the White House is now backtracking by hinting that the federal crisis management agency should be overhauled All of this adds to the confusion and chaos within this federal agency where key leaders with extensive experience in urgency management have either been pushed out or left which several attribute to the slow response to the flood mishap It is essential that any effort to improve FEMA s operational and strategic effectiveness be guided by experienced non-partisan crisis management experts not political appointees with limited or no background in calamity response This includes the acting director of FEMA who has zero experience in urgency management FEMA s mission is rooted in protecting communities during their the majority vulnerable moments and its success relies on deep expertise coordination across authorities levels and trust from the masses During a full-scale tragedy FEMA coordinates the federal response to endorsement local and state crisis efforts It provides search and rescue teams delivers critical supplies like food and water and biological aid sets up urgency shelters and helps restore power and infrastructure It also provides financial assistance to individuals and communities recovering from the damage A while back I was petitioned by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review their mishap and communications plan that responds to a nuclear attack on America FEMA s full-scale response was imperative which illustrates the vital role this agency is expected to play Having a politically appointed Secretary of Homeland Measure and an Acting Administrator of FEMA who have zero experience in exigency management lead a top-down overhaul greatly risks turning a life-saving and humanitarian agency into a bureaucratic and ideological experiment Instead the President should appoint a Task Force of distinguished seasoned professionals including current and former FEMA executives state exigency managers citizens robustness experts and mishap response leaders to assess FEMA s current structure and recommend practical evidence-based reforms One local resident who should be included on this Task Force is Richard Serino the former Chief of Boston EMS who was appointed by President Obama as Deputy Administrator of FEMA where he responded to more than national disasters and who now serves as a special advisor to former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis s consulting group FEMA s mission demands experts not amateurs with a political agenda Political meddling will cost lives Exigency response is not a political battleground nor should it be It requires steady non-partisan and informed leadership rooted in real-world experiences Any serious attempt to strengthen and streamline FEMA must start with listening to the people who have dedicated their careers to saving lives before during and after disasters There is no room for political hacks in this process Billerica resident Rick Pozniak has been accredited in family reunification critical development management mass casualty response and constituents information by the National Tragedy and Emergency Management University He has employed this training during mass casualty events and a total hospital evacuation
