In defense of the Federal Government and their usage of Social Media...

First, the required disclaimer: I am a government employee (yes, an evil drain on the economy) and have been ever since I turned 18. I first enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, then moved on to a GS civilian career as a government firefighter. Yes, I am proud to be a government employee. No, I do not speak for all government employees, nor the government, nor President Obama, Speaker Boehner, Administrator Fugate, or Rep. Adam Smith. I have, however, spent 13 plus years in and around the government, and have seen quite the paradigm shift in their acceptance of the internet and social media.

When I first joined the Air Force in 1999, email was already drastically changing the military machine ran. The Air Force was transitioning to an email dominated communications style, and other agencies were right behind. I still remember having to go find my supervisor to ask him a question, and then walk back to work station to complete my task. Now, if something is not in an email, providing a paper trail, than it simply “did not happen.” Certainly there were push backs of massive proportions, the older generation did not like the email system, and instead opted for face-to-face or over the phone communications. These folks, though, just like the social media haters of toady, were quickly either weeded out, or converted albeit begrudgingly.

Shortly thereafter, came the onslaught of internet computer based training, it seemed that every training evolution you had to accomplish you had to complete through the Air Force Portal (or AKO in the Army or ESAMS/NKO in the Navy, so on and so forth). The computer and the internet, it appeared, where here to stay. From my first duty station I was sent over to South Korea where the internet was all the rage, and I began to truly understand the power of email. You see, at the time, I was seeing a girl back in Wyoming, and well, let’s just say that had my Yahoo™ account been hacked, there would have been some pictures leaked that would still embarrass me to this day…but I digress!

A quick Bing™, yes I am a Bing™ nerd not a Google™ guy, reveals this exhaustive list (http://listorious.com/GOVworld/u-s-federal-government) of official government agencies on Twitter, right now. Everyone from President Obama to the U.S. Embassy in Canada; and this list isn’t even that current!! I recently read an article posted by another SMEM junkie, Mr. Woods, in which 100 senior level IT professionals were polled on the usefulness of social media, and a whopping 12% said that Social Media had “no value at all.” (http://www.govtech.com/policy-management/Social-Media-Skeptics-Government.html) A whole 12% folks!! I bet that there is 12% of the non-government population that feels that Social Media has no value at all, as well. The fact is, the government has quickly realized the power of social media, so much so, that the DHS and NSA routinely monitor social networking sites looking for terror related activity. If you say that you are going to blow up a plane, or something of the like, you better believe that some super computer in Maryland is going to key in on your conversation and record it for future use.

Certainly there are those who feel that the government is not open enough with their social media, but honestly, folks have been saying the government wasn’t open enough in the days of the 5 o’clock news, not this 24 hour continuous non-stop news cycle that we have become accustomed to. Have I made a compelling argument for the governments’ adaptation of social media? No of course I haven’t. Why? Perhaps there isn’t one. Perhaps it slowly evolving. But when I hear folks say that the government isn’t engaged in social media, or that they don’t care about social media, I would point them to this years Presidential campaign, in which all candidates have hired social media gurus who sit in front of a heat map watching trending Twitter topics all day. The government has adapted to social media, but like most things in the government, it has been a slow arduous process with little fan fare. The government is too large to shift on a dime, and too worried about INFOSEC, OPSEC, HUMIT, FOUA, etc., etc., to fully adapt to this new media. But, to their credit, they are trying.

Real world experience... Does it mean anything?

            So it is written somewhere, upon high, that for one to move into the Emergency Management career field, one must obtain an accredited degree, from an actual accredited university. While they may be some exceptions, such as experience “in lieu” of degree, I have found that more often than not (cough always cough), employers are looking for someone with a degree. As such, I embarked on my journey to gain said degree in Emergency Management some time ago. As a late bloomer, it took me a while to decide on what degree I wanted to pursue. As I work full time as a quasi-firefighter, a full time brick and mortar college would not work for me, which limited my options. I wanted to become a doctor (big EMS fan), no online degree for that, I wanted to become a chemist (big HazMat fan) but again, no online degree. So I got to thinking, what career could I pursue that would allow me to chase my dreams of helping citizens in a crisis, and utilize my past experiences to better society: Emergency Management.

            I knew that I wanted to pursue a degree in Emergency Management as soon as I found out what the job entailed: Helping the responders, who help the citizens. I can think of no greater honor than getting the right pieces in place at the right time for stricken citizens and wanton first responders. Having been on the “business end” of poor emergency management, it is my hope that I will never lose that sense of frustration as you are waiting around for a portable heater, or a canteen unit, or some other vital resource that for whatever reason cannot be tracked down. As an aside, I have also been that helpless dispatcher who is desperately trying to call the standby plumber/election/alarm maintenance, etc, but since the EAP has been checked since 1982, cannot contact that person because their number is now a dry cleaners…and they’re closed at 0 dark thirty in the morning. So that being said, I decided that the life of an Emergency Manager was for me, and set off about finding a reputable online college that would allow me to major in Emergency Management.

            Now, please, don’t get me wrong, I believe that online colleges have progressed so much in the past 5 or so years, that going to them isn’t as taboo as it once was. A few years ago, you would get laughed at if you told folks that you were “going” to an online college, they would sneer and say “any idiot can get an online degree.” Times, however, have changed (thanks to big names colleges like University of Phoenix, etc.) and obtaining an online degree is deemed to be on par with going to a brick and mortar school…well, for the most part at least. So I decided upon a college that “matters” and set forth upon my marry way. Now, this college is fine, and I enjoy taking classes there. Most of the instructors are extremely knowledgeable, and understand the demands of the work/life/school balance that can, at times, be tricky to juggle. For example, I took an introduction to astronomy class, and the professor was an astrophysicist working for NASA. Needless to say, he fully understood the subject, and could speak on it at some length. Most of the other instructors posses some real world experience in the field in which they teach; police chiefs, emergency managers, risk management professionals, etc. That isn’t to say, however that the school is without its flaws.

            As most everyone who is in the first responder field knows, the IC does not reside in the EOC. He/she is out, surveying the troops, sizing up the scene, and getting real time feedback for the troops on the ground. It has been said that one cannot lead from behind, and such is the case with emergency response. It is impossible for an engine company officer to properly size up a house fire from the station, and so too is it impossible for a SWAT officer to analyze a hostage standoff stationed thirty miles away. This, fact, however, does not seem to resonate with all that study in the emergency management career field, and I find that time after time, folks say that they would “IC” from the EOC. When folks write this in the discussion question, I always expect the instructor to come back and state that you cannot IC from the EOC, and even though the EOC may have its own internal IC, they are not the same, they never do. Now, this is clearly not a problem for them, but it is a problem for those of use who are looking to break into the career field. If someone is interviewing for a job, and has the same education that I do, it is not a stretch to believe that we were both taught the same way. Therefore, if one suggests that as the IC, they would do “x and y” it makes the rest of us that graduated from the college look bad.

            While I don’t have the answer as to how to negate this falsehood, I would just like to offer a word of caution up to those that are in position to hire the next generation of emergency managers. Certainly there are those folks who, unlike me, did well in high school, didn’t join the military, and went straight into college, and come out 5 year later with a B.S. in Emergency Management and a MPA. Awesome for those folks, and I’m sure that most are true winners that understand the subtleties of the IC and EOC/EM distinction. There are those, of course, who do not, and that is okay as well, as they can be molded into great emergency mangers. That being said, experience still counts for something, and even though two candidates may have gone to the same school, and even though one may have a Masters degree, each should be tested on their knowledge and experience, not simply how many papers they can present.

            As I embark on my mid-life journey, trying to bridge the gap between the fire service and emergency management, it is my sincere hope that when I do apply, I get a fair shake. I am not saying that I will be the most qualified, and certainly if not shouldn’t be offered the job, but in the age of “fast track” Masters programs, the man or woman who understands what it is like to stand around waiting for alarm maintenance at 0213, because a person’s house alarm will not go off, can surely bring something to the table that a 22 year old with a Masters and no experience, has yet to fully understand.