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WHY PLANS FAIL

WHY PLANS FAIL. SASKATCHEWAN EMERGENCY PLANNERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE MARCH 2012 DON BRENNAN INTERNATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS. “THE PROBLEM IS ALWAYS IN THE EXECUTION , NOT THE IDEA” Napoleon Bonaparte. Audience Check. Elected Officials CAO/Administrators

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WHY PLANS FAIL

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  1. WHY PLANS FAIL SASKATCHEWAN EMERGENCY PLANNERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE MARCH 2012 DON BRENNAN INTERNATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

  2. “THE PROBLEM IS ALWAYS IN THE EXECUTION , NOT THE IDEA” Napoleon Bonaparte

  3. Audience Check • Elected Officials • CAO/Administrators • Emergency Coordinators • First Responders • Volunteers / NGO’s • Roughrider Fans • Others

  4. Is your plan infallible? Some do’s and don’ts • Try not to alienate the agencies and people that need to have confidence in you.You will lose your credibility

  5. Obvious reasons • Have not started the plan • Have not completed the plan • Have not exercised the plan • Have not circulated the plan • Have not updated the plan • Have not validated the plan

  6. TUNNEL VISION • Focusing on singular elements and not what else is going on • Limiting the scope of what we do to a manageable size. This makes us over confident and catches us by surprise. • Manage our planning to an “all hazards approach” • Plan for the worst and hope for the best Expect something in between • Identify priorities – immediate issues - impacts

  7. Look at the whole picture – a global view • Without a clear picture decision makers often fail to make decisions or they make knee jerk reactions • They become overwhelmed by an overabundance of facts,rumors and conjecture. • Some base their decisions on costs

  8. Misinformation caused by Tunnel Vision To prevent this we should follow these steps: • Collect and validate information • Look at the credibility of who provides that information • Understand the issues • Seek the necessary expertise to make the correct decision • Open your EOC early

  9. Flexibility You achieve flexibility in the plan by having a diverse group of people on your planning committee – Often the same players are in your EOC. • Some plan with the Big picture in mind • Some carry out the mission • There are those who gather the information and limit the distribution • Accurate information allows for flexibility when conditions make it necessary

  10. Team planning is better • Always ensure plans are compatible with other stakeholders and partners • Working in isolation defeats all planning • Build plans that are flexible enough to deal with underlying issues rather than just specifics • Understand the issue of “Cultures” • Accommodate thinking – outside the box

  11. CULTURES • ADMINISTRATIVE or political culture.They have no time for this until it happens • RESPONDER cultures, often traditional • PROFESSIONAL cultures, too many grey areas in response, they need black and white • PLANNER cultures ,outside the box thinkers • NGO/VOLUNTEER cultures,faith based • REAL cultures –ethnic or new Canadians often have communication issues, evacuation and food issues

  12. The Unknown Plan • Having a well thought out emergency plan is irrelevant if all parties are not thoroughly familiar with it • Plans need to be shared at every level within your own agency.The plan needs to be explained and understood (training-table tops) • Know the expectations of other agencies • Updates need to be passed on

  13. All members of your agency need to know their roles and responsibilities,especially those named in the plan • They need trained back ups • Outside agencies named in your plan need to be aware as soon as the plan is implemented • Regular joint meetings assist agencies in being aware of any changes within any other agency.This allows them to sync those changes to their plan

  14. FAILURE to activate • Plans are not activated when events begin slowly • Senior management are often unaware of smaller incidents • Nobody is concentrating on an escalation of events and progressive impacts • Again- Tunnel Vision

  15. Activation requires thought • Ensure your plan has pre-approved triggers and clear levels of activating authority • Every level needs to know when the plan is activated • Activating only portions of the plan is counterproductive.Things can quickly be overlooked.Seen as working in isolation • Get Big Quick!

  16. Miscommunication • We express ideas from our own point of view • We need to think about how the message is received through filters of gender,culture,workplace bureaucracy or the bias of each person relaying the message • When responders talk to each other information can be misunderstood because of: • Use of different terminologies • Lack of common standards • Not keeping in sync under rapidly changing conditions • Inter agency rivalries • Incompatible communications

  17. Failure to activate your public information component is problematic • Decide on a course of action and communicate it to the front line. Creates trust and helps to prevent panic • Lack of information to civilian volunteers and NGOs • There is often a disconnect between the “experts”, the public and the media • Never exaggerate or understate to the media.Facts are absolutely essential. No time for political agendas

  18. Communication between the expert and Senior management / Elected officials • As the expert we are not likely to be the ultimate decision maker in a major crisis • Sooner than later we must communicate with someone senior who will make those decisions • Experts usually find they have about five minutes to explain and compartmentalize complex situation(s) to someone with no background and who may not know you. • To gain trust and involvement-exercise in their backyard to gain attention and trust

  19. Decisions- require trust • This presents the most risk to a plan in a major event when the decision maker and the expert have not established trust • The decision maker may make incorrect decisions and take the opposite view because of a lack of trust.The results can be disastrous and create unnecessary problems to be dealt with by overtaxed agencies • Agencies need to trust in one another by understanding their respective roles and why they do the the things they do • The public needs to trust in collective decision making by the experts and decision makers

  20. Not having the tools or not knowing how to use them • Not having communication prior to or in the early stages of an event can create chaos • If you plan to use a tool in a crisis – use it daily • Having to explain how something works to large numbers of individuals usually indicates they shouldn’t be part of the Incident Management Team • Be aware of where all equipment is stored and the procedure necessary to obtain it ( sandbags, flood barriers, heavy equipment, etc.) • Be aware of how to commandeer or find people with unusual expertise ( interpreters, sign language)

  21. Scale of the response to the incident • Prepare for the worst – Hope for the best ( Murphy’s Law) • There is danger in over – reaction. Better than too little too late • Emergencies are not evenly distributed • Consider all the impacts • Make clear distinctions betweens an alert, an advisory, and an emergency

  22. Resources • The mapping of your resources is necessary within your plan • Mutual aid and cross training • Each community plan needs to list it’s resources and file in a central depository for the province • Procedures need to be established to obtain resources from others • Training and exercise is required to know how to use resources

  23. Unhealthy competition • We do not need competition when managing a crisis During the World Trade bombing police and fire did not work well together because they did not work well together prior to the incident • Thinking and performing as a team does not come naturally • Breakdown barriers and develop true teamwork prior to a disaster • Individuals look good when the team looks good

  24. Lack of Emergency Management Knowledge in Leaders • The conductor needs a clear vision and knowledge of every musician in order to conduct a symphony • Those with limited knowledge need to trust in experience • This holds true at every level • The public and the media can sense very quickly when someone is not competent • Lack of knowledge leads to delegation. Most senior management send a delegate to exercises and then do not know what to do during the real thing • Yet, they feel obliged to take charge • Most do not have the time nor the inclination to learn the details of emergency management. Especially outside their organization

  25. Who is in charge • The Incident Commander at the scene? • The CAO • The municipal emergency coordinator before,during an after? • The politician? • The Provincial government? • The Federal government? This is why authority need to be clearly spelled out in an emergency plan

  26. The Guardian of the plan Lets deal with municipalities • Always the Emergency Coordinator • The EC must maintain and update the plan • The EC must share the updates • The EC is responsible for the training of everyone named in the plan • The EC is responsible for exercising the plan • The EC is the “expert” link to management • The EC should be responsible for archiving and lessons learned The same holds true for other agencies who need to appoint a person as their EC

  27. The Emergency Coordinator • The EC must take overall responsibility and be capable • Must be a knowledgeable leader • Must be a great communicator • Must earn trust • Must be credible • Must be able to see the big picture • Must know front line staff and protocols • Must be trained • Must be experienced • Must be flexible • Must be diplomatic • Must be fair but firm

  28. Exercises • Paper exercise – can be effective – usually not • Table top – effective and less costly than a simulation • Simulation – the most effective, and most costly • Communities tend to exercise what they know they are good at and shy away from what they are not • Usually followed by back slaps all around and the failures are seldom are addressed • Sometimes they are over complicated • Responders are forced to use a skeleton crew.This limits who learns from the exercise • Same exercise conducted over and over again.

  29. Conclusion We have discussed just some of the reasons why emergency plans fail • People make plans work • Communication makes plans work • Front line staff are the key to make it work • Knowledge makes plans work • Resource management makes plans work • Capable leadership makes plans work • Trust makes plans work • Management / elected officials who get their hands dirty make plans work • Everyone taking an active role in exercising makes plans work • Proper support makes plans work

  30. THANK YOU

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