Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part series on the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina and lessons learned.
If you haven’t read the official report assessing the federal response to Katrina, “Lessons Learned: Federal Response Report for Hurricane Katrina,” which was presented to President George Bush in February 2006, it’s worth the effort. The 217-page report, which can be accessed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/, contains some interesting and insightful reflections on the chaotic aftermath of Katrina.
There are three sections of the document that should be of particular interest to all of us in the fire rescue community: Chapter 5 — Lessons Learned; Appendix A — 125 Recommendations; and Appendix B — What Went Right.
What struck me most after reading “What Went Right” was how we as the fire and rescue service had been marginalized. What also concerned me were some of the recommendations based upon those lessons learned, specifically those regarding the proposed integration of the Department of Defense (DOD).
Before I go any further, I have to give credit to our brothers and sisters in the DOD — without their aircraft, helicopters and support, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish many of the positive things that happened during this event. We owe those folks for what they are doing around the world every day in service to our country, and for their response to Hurricane Katrina.
Equally, I will sing the praises of the United Coast Guard (USCG) until the day I drop dead. They deserve every bit of credit they have gotten, are still getting, and will forever get…despite the fact that I think they juiced their numbers up to 33,000 rescues.
In a document titled, “The United States Coast Guard at Its Best — Hurricane Katrina,” there is a foreword written by Admiral Thomas H. Collins, the U.S. Coast Guard commandant. It reads, “They (Coast Guard personnel) don’t wait to be told what to do — they just do it.” You have to love a guy like that!
What the Federal Response Report for Hurricane Katrina missed was that there were a lot of folks “doing it” during Katrina, and many of them were fire rescue folks — both local and national — who responded in partnership with FEMA or EMAC to the Gulf region.
It was nice to see FDNY and NYPD get some credit on page 127, specifically because of what happened on Sept. 11 and in memory of our fallen brothers. But where is the credit for the New Orleans Fire Department personnel who stuck it out against all odds — holding on during the hurricane, rescuing people immediately afterward, fighting fires in the midst of a flood and even arming themselves to ensure their own safety?
I spent all of my time in New Orleans following Katrina, but most everyone I spoke to who was somewhere else “doing it” talked about working with the local fire or police chief in the affected communities. Bottom line, many of the locals stood tall.
Most of us in the fire rescue business have a hard time taking credit for all of the good things that we do daily, let alone for our efforts during the “big ones.” Humility is a positive attribute, and a cornerstone of the Maltese cross. But we’re playing with the big dogs here, folks, and we had better understand both the end game and the politics associated with what may be coming down the pike — for better or worse — both in terms of funding and system-wide changes.
Click here to read Part 2
