"LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Today the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Rich Serino, announced a new online initiative to generate creative ideas for strengthening the emergency management field and improving our nation’s capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Serino unveiled the initiative while speaking to a group of state and local managers from around the country at the 59th annual conference of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM).
“All disasters are local and more often than not, the best ways for addressing the challenges that we face every day in emergencies are found with you at the local level,” Serino said. “You are on the front lines. You know the problems. And more importantly, you know the solutions to these problems. We want to hear your creative ideas and suggestions for how, as a team, we can continue to strengthen our work as emergency managers and best serve our communities.”
As Serino explained, this new initiative, “The FEMA Think Tank,” will help engage our partners, promote innovation, and facilitate discussions on solutions in the field of emergency management. The Think Tank will include two main components: an online forum where stakeholders can submit their ideas and participate in conversations about innovative solutions; and monthly discussions with stakeholders to talk about real-life solutions and ideas generated by the online forum."
This will be an interesting endeavor to follow and see where it leads. If you have the "next great idea" this will be a place to send the idea and perhaps get some reaction to what you are proposing. I look forward to listening in on the phone calls to see what is out there and perhaps offering my own thoughts on a topic or two.
Stay tuned for more information on when this will kick-off! The FEMA Think Tank is probably the best place to bookmark for more information as it becomes available.
