Impact of Response on Long-Term Management Capability

¶ … Long-Term Management Capability

The government of the United States has a critical incident response group, with is part of the FBI. That group is designed to respond to CBRNE incidents that take place anywhere in the country, and the team must remain trained, ready, and capable of responding on virtually a moment's notice (Eldridge, 2006). However, there are other response teams at the state and local government levels, and there are other federal agencies and teams that will also respond if there is a critical incident such as a terrorist attack. These critical incident responses became far more significant after 9/11, because any problems with critical incident response were glaringly apparent in the face of all the damage and devastation that took place on that particular day (Bolton, 2006). Not only did it change America forever, it also adjusted the response that the government has to critical incidents in the future. This was a good thing, because many of the planned responses to this kind of incident did not work as well as expected. It was clear that more would need to be done in the future.

Each time the government (at any level) responds to and manages a critical incident such as a nuclear accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack, it affects how the government will manage these incidents in the future (Bolton, 2006). Both the onset of the incident and the aftermath of it are generally never the same, but that does not mean there are no similarities from which the government can learn. In other words, practice makes perfect. Government agencies can get involved in all kinds of drills and practice runs for a critical incident, but none of them will be the same as another one, and none of them will be the same as the "real thing," should it come to pass. Still, each time there is a practice run or a true incident, the government learns more about its ability to respond to these kinds of incidents. That allows agencies and individuals to be more aware of what they did correctly and what they should do differently so that they can be more helpful in the future (Eldridge, 2006). That can save hundreds or even thousands of lives, protect property, and help the American people feel more secure as they go about their daily lives.

From a learning standpoint, each critical incident is an opportunity (Bolton, 2006). Naturally, the government wants to be as prepared as possible for any kind of CBRNE incident, so the damage to lives and property can be minimized. Despite that desire for preparedness, the government is only able to get ready for so much by practicing. Eventually, that same government will be at a loss as to exactly how something will play out because there are only so many scenarios which can be created, and there is a limit to what can be done for practice. Additionally, if the government does very well in response to and management of a particular incident, there is always the concern that will lead to complacency (Eldridge, 2006). That is a very real concern, and not something to be taken lightly, but it is also something over which it is not necessary to obsess.