5-Step Evaluation of your Disaster Manager

I speak routinely at conferences around the country on disaster planning and training, and one of the questions I inevitably get is, “How do I know who is qualified to do the disaster program?”

It is an excellent question; because there are a lot of people out there who claim they know how to write a disaster plan and administer a disaster program effectively. Frankly, most of those claims fall very short, either because they don’t have the training, the experience, the education or the professional maturity.

Here is a 5-step process to effectively evaluate that person’s credentials:

1. Experience

This one is easy.  Make sure the person you plan to hire has direct, on-point experience with businesses of your size and type. Now, if you run a lampshade and glazing factory, don’t expect to find very many planners with "lampshade and glazing" experience. However, find someone with solid experience in business continuity and emergency management (in other words, someone who knows how to plan for the immediate effects, and the long term recovery of business operations).  

The number of years they have is important, but what is more important is their direct experience. If you had heart trouble, would you rather have a general practitioner with 25 years of experience, or a cardiologist who has direct experience treating patients with your condition, but with only 10 years?

They must have experience in:

·   Constructing a disaster plan from scratch (not from templates);

·   Training diverse workforces on a disaster plan;

·   Running exercises, conducting after-action reviews, and implementing lessons-learned in a business setting;

·   Maintaining a program’s readiness, including monthly updates and conducting annual audits.

But, here are some other things to think about:

·  Hazardous Materials – If you have HAZMAT in your facility, make sure the planner has HAZMAT licenses and experience (those licenses are beyond the scope of this entry, but HAZWOPER and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager are minimums).  

·  Healthcare/Convalescent Facility – If you are a healthcare facility, your planner should have experience working with the Joint Commission, Medicare and other federal requirements, and specific state laws such as California’s Title 22. They should preferably be a licensed care provider as well, so they understand patient dynamics and transport realities (such as an EMT, Paramedic, or Stage Nurse).

·  Information Technology – This one is pretty obvious, especially if you have on-site databases or servers.  The planner should have IT experience, or have a technologist who works on IT continuity. If they don’t, you can’t expect them to understand the sophistication of a network dynamic.

Just as a final note:  I have nothing against firemen or other former emergency responders (I am one myself), but don’t be dazzled by “25 years as a Battalion Chief and Captain in the ABC City Fire Department” or “Assistant Chief of Police of Big City USA”. They may be good at what they do, but being in the fire department or law enforcement doesn’t necessarily mean you have the skills necessary to administer a complete program. Put them through the same rigorous process you would for anyone you are hiring as a consultant.

2. References

This one is so easy. Ask the planner what they did for every facility. You don’t have to call each one, just make sure they have worked on facilities like yours, and can handle your requirements.

3. Education

Education is an important part of the person’s overall qualifications, but don’t be overhyped about the “alphabet soup” education degrees. I was once competing for a consulting contract with a Ph.D. from a major university, and I remember the managers being very impressed when he recited his educational background. Then he said something I will never forget: “Writing an emergency plan is exactly the same as writing a doctoral dissertation.” I remember being completely incredulous, because those are NOT the same at all. In fact, the skill sets for each are so different they barely compare to one another.

Here are some things to look for:

·  Undergraduate Degree – They should have at least an undergraduate degree. The reason for that is simple: they need to have the versatility to write technical and non-technical papers in a clear, straight-forward manner. They don’t have to have a B.A. from Harvard, but they do need to have a sophisticated vocabulary, and have the research skills to interpret and synthesize the newest best practices from research.

·  Master’s Degree in Emergency Planning – Just because they have a master’s degree in Emergency Planning or “Homeland Security Studies”, doesn’t mean they know how to write your plan or administer your program. These programs focus on public policy, terrorism, or studying the effects of disasters on populations from a “global” perspective.  They may be familiar with government responses to disasters and lessons-learned, but might not understand the dynamic details of a complete disaster program.

4. Training

Since September 11, 2001, the US has placed additional emphasis on training, particularly on natural disasters and terrorism. Any professional you hire needs to have training that complements any combination of education and experience.

Some of the training to look for on a CV includes:

·  Incident Command System (ICS) – Ask them if they have taken ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800. These are baseline trainings in how the government will organize itself in a disaster, and should be something you should require in your disaster planner. If they haven’t, don’t waste your time in hiring them.

·  1^st Responder Training and Red Cross Training;

·  Federal Anti-Terrorism Training offered by FEMA and DHS (particularly if you have a brick and mortar facility or are a highly visible facility);

·  Health and Safety Training

·  Insurance and Risk Management Training.

5. Certifications

While certification does not guarantee that the person is competent, it does mean that person has been qualified by other peers, and therefore more likely they have the experience, training, expertise, and professionalism to construct your disaster program. You can use certification as a short cut when scrutinizing candidates. The industry now has a variety of certifications with varying degrees of acceptance, but these two are the gold standard:

• Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP)/Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) – These are granted to business continuity professionals who have passed a rigorous test and have years of experience. Continuity professionals with these certifications are qualified as some of the best in the world.

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•  Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) – This is the emergency management equivalent of the CBCP, and requires the passing of a difficult test, hundreds of hours of training, six major contributions (teaching, speaking, etc.) to the discipline, many years of experience, an essay, and disaster experience in a significant role. Needless to say, those with the CEM are considered highly skilled professionals.
  

Conclusion

Your disaster plan should be the best it can be. Therefore, don’t hire people who don’t have the qualifications, experience or training to write a plan. Don't just pawn it off to just anyone. Get a top professional; they will ensure that your program is optimally ready to Reverse Disaster. 

Patrick Hardy

phardy@hytropy.com

Twitter: @hytropy

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