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34 Law Enforcement Technology May 2014 www.officer.com TALKING POINTS F rom Oklahoma tornadoes to polar vortex winter storms hitting multiple states, to the Boston marathon, the United States has faced a number of disasters both natural and man-made in just the last year. One fact is clear—disasters can happen anywhere without any way to predict exactly when one might occur. What we can do is learn from each disaster to be more informed, more collaborative and better equipped for the next. We learned a key lesson this past year. That is, different planning and response needs are required when responding to a natural or man-made disaster in order to ensure police departments are prepared for the unexpected. When facing natural disasters, it is crucial to estimate first responder supplies, especially when several days may pass before additional supplies can be delivered to the devastated area. During the course of man-made disas- ters, real-time data capture has proven to be a critical technological advantage to help police departments respond and address the disaster at-hand. Regardless of the type of disaster, we as a nation have embraced the understanding that it is truly the collective effort and respon- sibility of all parties when we do face these emergency situations. Natural disasters: Estimating energy supply needs While police departments will never be able to fully estimate the impact of a tornado, snow storm or hurricane, they do have the small advantage of weather reports that provide advanced warning detailing when potentially devastating weather phenomena will impact an area. Whether it's 24 hours or even a few days, this advanced warning can mean a world of difference in preparations. When evaluating equipment and energy supplies, accurate estimation is essential sim- ply due to the unknown breadth and impact of the disaster, length of power outages and number of personnel involved. After Super Storm Sandy, it was clear responders needed a comprehensive plan to address the supplies required to power and maintain operation of their network and equipment. Any inter- ruption in first responders' communications equipment could mean a lack of coordina- tion for rescue efforts or delayed responses to emergency calls. As a result, new proto- cols have been instilled by communications companies to ensure police departments are adequately prepared with the right type and amount of energy supplies to power the tools they use to do their job. Today, generators and antennas that power a city's communications network are Mind the (supply) details Do you have the right power supply, communication equipment to get through natural and man-made disasters? A D V A N C E M E N T S I N T E C H N O L O G Y David Paulison David Paulison is the for- mer director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), former director of FEMAÕs Disaster Preparedness Division, and past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and former fire chief of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. When evaluating equipment and energy supplies, accurate estimation is essential simply due to the unknown breadth and impact of the disaster, length of power outages, and number of personnel involved. LET_34-36_TalkingPoints0514.indd 34 4/18/14 2:12 PM