Emergency Manager Interview AnalysisInstructions:Make up outstanding interview questions for “Emergency Manager”. The questions must be between 18 and 20 reasonable questions regarding the emergen
Emergency Manager Interview Analysis
Emergency Manager Interview Analysis
Course Title
Student Name
Date
Instructor
Introduction
I conducted my interview via email with Mr. Joe Theobald who currently holds the position of Emergency Manager for Ocean City, Maryland. The interview was conducted via email as Mr. Theobald is currently deployed to Florida for recovery operations from Hurricane Irma. I provided Mr. Theobald with 20 questions regarding his specific responsibilities, leadership challenges, beliefs and visions. I was delightfully surprised by some of the responses provided as they open my eyes to some issues I was not familiar with. Overwhelmingly Mr. Theobald expressed how important the LEADER is not necessarily the position.
He went into detail, that regardless of the disaster or responsibility those charged with leading must be strong in every aspect of the word. A thought shared in our course by Ms. Bell “Leadership is, however, a personal action or behavior that is exhibited by individuals or organizations performing in such a manner that demonstrates their ability to positively engage with others and improve their collective position or results” (Bell, 2008). She was discussing leadership but specifically analyzing the Department of Homeland Security. The application is clear and applies to Mr. Theobald and his functions as an emergency manager.
Background
Some of the highlights regarding leadership and their role in the emergency management realm include putting political agendas aside when life altering decisions need to be made. As a leader, he has made it clear that political implications will not override critical decisions he has or will make as the Emergency Manager for Ocean City, MD. He discussed how vital regardless the size of the incident, that all disciplines work together to mitigate the problem. Working as individual agencies has and will never work when responding to an incident. A constant in any emergency response is understanding that “crises not only require an inter-organizational response but also require traits unusual in networks: rapid and decisive coordinated action” (Moynihan, 2008). The consistent unknown present in the emergency management field is the unknown that will separate effective leaders from those who simply carry a title.
Experience in Emergency Management
When discussing personal experience with disaster management and deployments from his career Mr. Theobald is a well-rounded leader. He discussed the dynamics of each response along with daily responsibilities encompasses the requirements for any emergency manager. His daily responsibilities include “redesigning planning strategies, assigning staff work, ensuring federal and state compliance standards, and constant daily prioritization of tasks” (Theobald, 2017). These tasks have a purpose and assist in the ability to effectively respond to disasters.
I inquired as to the political influence of his specific position in which he responded “the “majority of those who enter politics are inept and incapable of making sound decisions as it effects public safety” (Theobald, 2017). He discussed further how important it is for an effective and trained emergency manager to make decisions. Most importantly when asked political implications of his position he responded it “is not affected by local politics in the decisions I must make (I’m not a politician, and my mayor and council members know this because they have been told so by me that I will not let politics to play into the decisions I must make to protect life and property)” (Theobald, 2017). His ability and awareness to make this clear to all those involved in the decision-making process is beneficial to all stakeholders.
Leadership Factors
A few of the challenges he identified are ensuring someone with authority is in charge to ensure effective coordination and overall management of an incident. Another challenge mentioned is getting past titles to the actual individual in any incident. Understanding and utilizing the Incident Command System (NIMS ICS) is a key for any position in an incident. Another thought discussed, is implementing cross training of all government personal from all agencies in emergency management operations. This would increase capabilities and awareness when responding to a catastrophic incident. If we train “for, "engage" in and review our responses to all risks, we're more likely to respond effectively to the unforeseen hazards we haven't planned for” (Thomson, 2013). It has never been more apparent that an all-hazards approach is the only way to effectively train regardless of geographic location.
Ms. Bell discussed leadership challenges for the Department of Homeland Security but easily applies to any emergency management agency as “the organization must plan, rehearse, and wait for a potential threat that might engage the nation from some unknown person, place, or thing anywhere in the world—and at any time” (Bell, 2008). Leadership positions must be adequately filled with trained, effective and strong emergency management officials to ensure a productive response to any hazard.
NIMS and ICS
The future holds many opportunities as Mr. Theobald sees emergency management evolving into the principle public safety and response agency to ensure a collaborative approach. He also discussed a belief that emergency management and homeland security will become a joint effort. The increased use of developing technology continues to thrive on even the most current incidents as the use of drones is becoming very popular. Money and polices will drive all the potential changes but are viable in field of emergency management.
When asked about the incident management system (ICS) and the functionality of the system, he believes in the process. As described “ICS is ‘a management system designed to enable effective and efficient domestic incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure” (Jensen & Waugh, 2014). Using this system for any emergency response ensures application is understood and all procedures are followed. The multitude of resources presence and pre-planning will only assist emergency management officials with the response functions they need.
Challenges of Leadership in Emergencies
Any leader will face challenges in their careers, how they adapt to these challenges defines who they are. Both good and bad decisions equally dictate the leader’s image to those who work for them. How the adapt to the bad decisions and overcome similar challenges can truly define them. Emergency management “systems encompass management and care processes inherent in three critical events: emergencies, disasters and catastrophes” (Caro, 2015). Addressing issues based on the impact on the mission and risk involved can assist in overcoming such challenges. Avoidance or failed communications can lead to bigger problems in an already disastrous situation. It is important to consider that “denial of red flags of smoldering crises continues to be one of the greatest challenges in emergency management and they remain political and psychological by nature” (Caro, 2015). Overcoming these crises effectively and quickly is key to staying on track.
All emergency management officials and leaders need to “maintain equanimity and decisiveness in the exercise of their responsibilities to save lives, reduce physical and psychological injuries and maintain organizational and communal integrity” (Caro, 2015). Sometimes these decisions can deviate from set policy and procedures but through good judgement must be made. Most importantly and discussed at great length in my research is the impact of political influence. As Mr. Theobald stated in the interview “politics must be removed during the decision-making process at the local level in order to improve the overall emergency management process to be successful” (Theobald, 2017). If a emergency manager has the support at local level during normal operations, that relationship and support will carry over during a disaster.
Positions and People
It is important to align yourself as a leader with the right team along with support from elected officials. In most cases these officials are making decisions that impact the direction of any emergency agency or organizations. They as elected officials must remember that they “play a strategic role during and in the immediate aftermath of crises and disasters” (Jong, Dückers, & Velden, 2016). Awareness and acceptance of this responsibility with the guided support of an emergency management leader will ensure coordinated support overall. Open communications amongst all stakeholders with a true understanding of threats faced will enhance capabilities for all parties. And untimely ensure the most effective and efficient response to the community that is served.
Emergency Management Challenges
When discussing the different challenges faced by emergency management leadership you must look at levels of responders. On an organizational level, “failure to pay attention to warning signals leads to systemic paralysis, reactive responses, chaos and undue delays that often prove disastrous for individuals, organizations and communities” (Caro, 2015). Identifying and mitigating issues at the lowest level is a key to mission success. Utilization of team members knowledge along with available resources should be a primary mitigating factor for any leader.
With the understanding that “crises can differ significantly, it is hard to know if a lesson from one crisis applies to another” (Moynihan, 2008). Finding the similarities in all phases of emergency management as it relates to operations and not the cause is a key. While a flood and wildfires are two separate incidents with varying challenges. There may be commonality in the way certain functions took place in response to either incident. Any effective leader faces challenges in their careers that can sometimes define who they are as a leader. A challenge for leaders in emergency management is that “decision making under crisis circumstances does not only require the prioritization of interventions, but also an ability to manage (not just cope) in the face of scarce public resources” (Jong, Dückers, & Velden, 2016). The responsibility to make life altering decisions during a crisis when lives are on the line is stressful to say the least. Ensuring effective measures are taken to alleviate these factors while still completing mission objectives is a challenge that will always be present. The ability to adapt to this challenge will ultimately determine the outcome of most events.
Recommendations for Improvement
There is always room for improvement and as discussed in my interview with Mr. Theobald capturing the needs is vital. Clear and concise goals must be addressed to ensure the steps taken lead to a positive outcome. There is no need to reinvent the wheel but we must always consider funding to be one of the primary barriers to improvement. A close second to the financial barriers are the barriers of those who cannot adapt to change. Emergency management in all phases is dynamic and constantly changing. Post disaster agencies should conduct an “analysis of actual incident resourcing outcomes (response times, alarm assignment deployment time, network analysis of distances travelled and frequency of out-of borough assignment of resources) should take place by incident type” (Thomson, 2013). Such an analysis was discussed following Hurricane Sandy to determine needs for the FDNY.
Future ideas and plans must be clear in their specific objectives for all affected parties. Any agency or organization can compile plans for different events but ensuring they function is the true test. It is known that “when planning documents take on a life all their own, separate from the ongoing work of the organization, they often fail” (Compton, 2005). Organized, coordinated and objective driven plans must be in place for the activation of such plans to ensure mission success. Strategic planning as a whole can benefit emergency agencies and leadership if conducted with the input of all stakeholders. Ensuring viable and realistic input is provided when compiling such a document will deliver a more effective project.
Future of Emergency Management
The future of emergency management is unfolding in front of our very eyes on a weekly basis. Bigger, more destructive and uncharted disasters are occurring worldwide on a frequent basis. The lessons learned from these responses are helping to better prepare other responders and agencies with a different perspective. It was discussed that “learning is the fifth form of public leadership, which consists of evaluating the crisis on a political and/or organizational level and digesting the lessons learned for the future” (Jong, Dückers, & Velden, 2016). The ability to do such will ensure mistakes or faulty objectives are not repeated. However, someone chooses to evaluate a response or a specific leader, one thing must never be forgotten. People, property and communities were destroyed so that responsible agencies can determine how to effective respond to similar situation.
Mr. Theobald referenced as does much of literature on emergency management trends that the ability to expand responsibilities and knowledge is key. Informing all persons who take part in some aspect of a response is vital to functionality in the bigger picture. Some ideas discussed include improving technology along with cross training “personnel in other public safety disciplines and general government roles to provide a better understanding of emergency management and the ability to provide direct assistance during any catastrophic incident” (Theobald, 2017). If people are informed and given the opportunity to understand their role during an emergency, their performance when it counts will more likely to prevail. Regardless of daily job assignments, awareness and training is key to overall functionality.
Conclusion
In closing, the information Mr. Theobald was kind enough to share highlighted the importance of a strong, credentialed and informed leader during emergencies. He sees the opportunity for growth both externally and internally for emergency management. His experience, recommendations and thoughts on leadership provide great insight on so many levels. His belief that emergency management will continue to grow and adapt to changing times provides insight to his view of public safety. The capabilities of an effective emergency manager can ensure a coordinated and mission oriented response to any disaster
Mr. Theobald expressed throughout his paper that “titles mean nothing in life. Leadership qualities are key, as well as the ability in life to get along with people” (Theobald, 2017). This simple belief and thought is a key factor to effective leadership. When mixed in to an environment that is expericing or has experienced a major crisis, true leaders flourish. The ability to respond, direct and mitigate effectively takes a talented person. Doing so with the respect and assistance of fellow responders defines an effective emergency manager. Adaptability and no loss of reality to the current situation will ensure any incident commander or emergency manager is on the path to meeting mission objectives.
References
Bell, C. (2008). The state of leadership in DHS-is there a model for leading?. NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA.
CARO, D. H. (2015). STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. Optimum Online, 45(2), 3.
Compton, D. (2005). EFFECTIVE PLANNING TAKES PLANNING. Fire Chief, 49(1), 78.
Goldfarb, T. (1997). Putting the incident command system in perspective. Fire Engineering, 150(1), 64.
Jensen, J., & Waugh, W. L. (2014). The United States' Experience with the Incident Command System: What We Think We Know and What We Need to Know More About. Journal Of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 22(1), 5-17. doi:10.1111/1468-5973.12034
Jong, W., Dückers, M. A., & Velden, P. G. (2016). Leadership of Mayors and Governors during Crises: A Systematic Review on Tasks and Effectiveness. Journal Of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 24(1), 46-58. doi:10.1111/1468-5973.12091
MOYNIHAN, D. P. (2008). Combining Structural Forms in the Search for Policy Tools: Incident Command Systems in U.S. Crisis Management. Governance, 21(2), 205-229. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0491.2008.00395.x
Siarnicki, R. J. (2002). A STRATEGIC PLANNING MODEL FOR FIRE DEPARTMENTS. Fire Engineering, 155(2), 107.
Thomson, K. S. (2013). When a Hurricane Becomes a Wildfire. Wildfire, 22(4), 14-18.
Appendix A
Emergency Manager Interview Questions
Outside of the general job description can you provide an overview of daily responsibilities and job tasks? The job description speaks for itself. Daily responsibilities include redesigning planning strategies, assigning staff work, ensuring federal and state compliance standards, and constant daily prioritization of tasks.
How big of a geographic area are your responsible for? Ocean City, Maryland is ten miles long and approximately one mile wide at its maximum width. We are surrounded by water on three sides, and are considered a peninsula. The maximum population is 300,000 plus during the summer season, and we are the State’s second largest city during this time period. Do you directly assist any surrounding jurisdictions with emergency management operations? Ocean City is a stand-alone, recognized emergency management jurisdiction by the federal and state government. We are not under the umbrella of the county. We work closely with all lower eastern shore counties, however, we provide direct assistance to Worcester County (the county Ocean City is located in) on just about a daily basis.
How long have you been in your current position? How long have you been involved in emergency management operations in your career? I was appointed the Emergency Manager by the Mayor of Ocean City, and the Governor of Maryland in 2005. Therefore, over 12 years. Prior to my employment with Ocean City, I resided and worked in New Jersey. I retired from law enforcement, and have over 40 years in the fire service and many years as Chief of the department. As the fire chief, my position was considered “unofficially” the emergency manager for the community.
Is your position politically driven or impacted? How do leadership changes at the local/state/federal level impact your position? Individual political agenda impacts every aspect of government. The majority of those who enter politics are inept and incapable of making sound decisions as it effects public safety. However, my position is not affected by local politics in the decisions I must make (I’m not a politician, and my mayor and council members know this because they have been told so by me that I will not let politics to play into the decisions I must make to protect life and property). However, the constant changes at the state and federal level does impact the decisions I must make at the local level (most times negatively), since most of those appointed to such positions are also inept and lack the necessary leadership qualities necessary for such positions.
How is your department structured in terms of responsibilities/positions? Emergency Management is one of four divisions of the Department of Emergency Services for which I am responsible for as the Director of Emergency Services. How many people do you supervise or oversee? Within the department my authority governs approximately 250 people during the summer season. However, within the division of Emergency Management I oversee a total of five full and part-time employees.
What is the hardest aspect of your job? Keeping individual political agendas out of my decision making to protect life. However, I control such issues. And how do you overcome these challenges? By showing strong leadership and decisive decision making.
What is the largest disaster/event you have responded to? Had command of in your career? I usually deploy personnel to assist in response and recovery and remain behind to run the department. Ocean City has deployed personnel in the past to New York for 911, as well as the states of North Carolina, New Orleans, LA and now Florida. I am presently deployed to Florida and acting as the IC for a logistical staging area for FEMA erected on a former military air base, as well as a base camp to billet and feed up to 1500 recovery workers; stage vehicles, equipment and commodities for the response and recovery efforts of Hurricane Irma.
What is the most interesting dynamic of the area/municipality you are responsible for in all phases of emergency management? The most dynamic responsibility involving emergency management is the necessary planning involved to coordinate responsibilities for a response to any catastrophic incident, and the fact all public safety disciplines must work together and not independently to mitigate the problem.
What is the most challenging aspect of emergency management in your opinion? Any specifics to leadership in general both in daily operations and in regards to disaster phases? The most challenging aspect is someone must be in charge with appropriate authority to coordinate and oversee management of an incident. Within the structure of Ocean City government, the roll falls to me. This is not an easy task since there are many individuals placed in key positions who should never be in charge on a day to day basis. Titles mean nothing in life. Leadership qualities are key, as well as the ability in life to get along with people.
In terms of emergency management, where do you see areas that can be improved at the local level? I am fortunate in my position. However, politics must be removed during the decision making process at the local level in order to improve the overall emergency management process to be successful.
Do you believe NIMS (ICS) is beneficial from a command/leadership role? Do you believe the layers are troublesome or overwhelming? (both large and small scale responses) The emergency manager must understand NIMS and the scalability of ICS to respond to incidents. Such understanding is necessary to coordinate others who do not work together daily. In theory, such concepts ensure everyone across this nation perform the same way in response/recovery efforts. However, it’s still about the leadership qualities of the individual to manage people. Remember, the structure and paperwork are only part of the process. It’s still all about the people.
With no budget restrictions, what tools or resources do you wish you had open access to for daily operations, planning, response, recovery and mitigation? Additional personnel assigned formally to emergency management. Improve technology, cross train personnel in other public safety disciplines and general government roles to provide a better understanding of emergency management and the ability to provide direct assistance during any catastrophic incident.
How do you see emergency management evolving in the next 10 years? I believe emergency management will continue to evolve as the principle public safety planning and response agency to enhance coordination and the effort of groups of people to mitigate problems natural or manmade. I also believe there will more of a merging between emergency management and homeland security department efforts.
Do you believe the overwhelming number of recent natural and manmade disasters will generally help the public understand the realities of response and recovery operations? For the near future yes, however, we humans are not like elephants and have a short attention span and quickly forget. The best we can hope is the public absorbs some of what has taken place to better prepare themselves in the future and listens to government when something does happen.
What technological advance do you feel has been the most beneficial in the emergency management realm? Also, beneficial to your department specifically? Any simple recommendations on how to better use technology in any phase? Technological advances changes so quickly, emergency management slowly absorbs such changes mostly due to costs. However, the one change catching on is the use of drone technology. The use of such technology for photographs or intelligence is instrumental to allow emergency management to move forward to mitigate crisis incidents. Moreover, the cost of such technology is relatively cheap and certainly advances the emergency management function. I am presently in the process of starting a drone program for the Ocean City public safety departments.
Are there any books or articles that you reference or believe are the blueprint for emergency management? Recommendations for other emergency managers? The Unthinkable: Who survives when disaster strikes and why? By Amanda Ripley as well as The Black Swan: The impact of the highly improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
What do you believe to be the most vital character trait of a strong emergency manager? What do you see as your strongest character trait that has helped you succeed as an emergency management director? One must possess strong leadership skills, and have the requisite education and field experience to be successful as an emergency management director. You must understand the dynamics of human behavior; be honest to your word, and treat people as you would want to be treated. Even though the position is one of final authority, always treat those who work for you as equals and stress a team concept. You must keep political agendas in check. Even though ever decision in government has a political overtone in some fashion, you must remove politics regarding decisions of public safety. Not an easy task for an emergency manager. Unfortunately, there are many emergency managers who are strictly political in nature and do not possess the character and traits necessary for the position. They usually do something to cause their own demise. Hopefully, I have proven that I possess the traits necessary to be successful in the position.
Do you think multi-agency response present in much of emergency management effects the abilities of the command function? Absolutely, the issue during any multiagency response is the individual discipline responders usually know how to respond day-to-day during a single agency response. However, they rarely respond in a multiple discipline setting and do not consider the fact they can impact in the negative the overall response effort if they don’t work closely in group effort to mitigate the incident. Moreover, the individual discipline’s managers usually don’t know how to work together and make a coordinated decision in a multi-agency response unless you have someone in authority to coordinate the overall response effort.
If you could add a position to the command chart on any emergency operation, what would it be? I would add a coordination position as a staff position directly below incident commander and prior to safety or PIO for large scale responses. This would help formalize and improve the overall response structure.
Do you believe the donation/volunteer component of disaster response could be revised in any way? I’m satisfied at this time that the VOAD structure within the emergency support functional breakdown has been formalized to control volunteer response to disasters. This will only continue to improve as the volunteer component becomes even more formalized.
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