May 182016
 

I took a minute to think about the impact of the FEMA Incident Response Training, and how it could apply to a business. It reminded me a lot of how my job at Chipotle was ran, with different managers for different employees to respond to, and a type of horizontal and precise lineage of command. During the busiest dinner hours, we had to remain at our stations, no exception, and those who were prepping had to do so according to the most recent shortage.

Though this is not and identical concept to using ICS for disasters, it did help me put in to context how FEMA is so efficient. If everyone reports to their job and their manager, then things will move much more smoothly and there will not be as many accidents as people know their specific job and how to do it. And often when people are faced with disaster they can be freaked out or may not function as well without a specific plan or chain of command to follow.

For Athens’ Own, this could mean responding to local incidents or product issues quickly by having a commander give distinct directions. If thinking about Resilience, this could be even more useful because sometimes the actions put forward to promote sustainability are not executed to their full ability because no one has a distinct job or goal.

If there were to be more direct actions and committees that were working to create a more resilient community, like how Athens’ Own is, and they were to use the leadership patterns described in FEMA, there would be much more progress. Community leaders would be able to designate assistance to certain areas of need, and there wouldn’t be efforts lost in translation. In order for there to be real change or progress there needs to be clear goals and there needs to be people working towards that goal. I think that FEMA’s ICS training could be an invaluable asset for organizations and businesses.

Con and I spent the day driving from business to business collecting payments as well. Aside from having the opportunity to get a full tour of the Jackie O’s Brewery, Con also gave me some insight to how he keeps track of sales invoices and how he keeps record of Accounts Receivable. Though we have spent plenty of time in Accounting class talking about accounts receivable, it was interesting to see the documentation at work for an actual business. It was also great to meet the people and businesses that are affected positively by Athens’ Own, and in general meet some of the lovely people in Athens.

  3 Responses to “May 18th and FEMA Refections”

  1. Great write up Halley!! Looks like you’re getting some great experience!

    • Hi Sean!
      Thank you for your participation in this collaborative co-learning conversation!
      Welcome!

  2. Thank you Halley!
    Kathy Jacobson, collaborative partner, liaison, mentor here.
    I am in the process of reviewing your wonderful log entries.
    I am mostly geared toward manifestation of the internship log instructions, linkages, concepts.
    I am not specifically focused on proofreading or editorial comments.
    But, so far nothing major has jumped out at me!
    I have created a Broadwell HIll page and am posting a running review of your logs there.
    Sorry I can’t include a hot link but not hard to find, I can provide guidance if needed.
    But, I want to emphasize how much I appreciate your writing, your contributions to the co-learning community and the development of collaborative systems!

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