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A Great Example of an Emergency Management Agency Report

This is the type of annual report we need to all be doing.

Have you ever done a report to meet a grant requirement — knowing no one would ever read it? How about an annual report that was a requirement that summarized your activities for the year with a great deal of written text, but few illustrations?

I would like propose that this format that follows for an annual report is the type of document we should all be producing that contains in it the glimmer of hope that someone might actually pick it up and read it. See the city of Calgary's The Status of Emergency Preparedness in Calgary.

Note that I get the definite feel of an infographic that is presenting meaningful information. I know such a report will never meet the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); BUT WHO CARES! Give up meeting some meaningless requirement in order to become much more effective!

Hats off to the Calgary Emergency Management Agency!

P.S. I noted that on their website they are asking for feedback on the effectiveness of the way they present information there. Another great idea.

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.