- New York Towers Truck Bombing
- Oklahoma City Bombing
- Hurricane Andrew
- The Fall of the Soviet Union
- The death of civil defense programs
- 9/11 Attacks
- Anthrax Attacks
- The rise of terrorism, bio terrorism
- The advent of the Internet
- Billions of dollars in Homeland Security Grants
- The development of university courses and degrees in emergency management
- The explosion of technology solutions for emergency management, software, and systems
- More hurricanes
- Super Storm Sandy
- An emphasis on disaster mitigation
- Humongous wildfires
- Global warming and climate change
- The advent of social media
- The list goes on and on...
So, when the Mayor of New York makes a new appointment, Mayor Adams picks rival-turned-campaign donor Zach Iscol as NYC emergency management chief I smell Joe Albaugh much closer to being a political hack than being Deanne Criswell, a very competent emergency manager who left NYC to become the current Federal Emergency Management Administrator (FEMA).
The Mayor went on to add, “Zach knows how to lead a team, we need to be clear on that. He has done that in the most difficult moments, and actually, that may be an understatement,” Adams said, referencing Iscol’s time commanding U.S. troops during the Iraq War as a Marine Corps office [I'm betting as a platoon leader]. “He is so ready to lead this new platoon — a platoon of New Yorkers — to ensure that we are prepared,” Hizzoner added.
A couple of comments on the Mayor's remarks. The New York City Emergency Management agency has over 300 staff, so it is not a "platoon" which would be maybe a maximum 36, and I always tell military people getting out of the military "to ditch the military lingo!" Civilians don't understand it. The 300 plus number would be closer to a battalion, than a platoon.
Then there is this quote, “Mayor Adams is choosing the best people for the best jobs in the best city in the world, and he knows that Zach Iscol is the best person to lead NYCEM at this critical time for New York,” the spokesman said. “The mayor has made and will continue to make all personnel and policy decisions based solely on their merits.”
Ah huh, that is why you "did a national search for the best and the brightest in the profession of emergency management." Really! I mean, really!
As for Zach, please, someone,give him a list of emergency management acronyms. He is going to need it!
