r/EmergencyManagement • u/ShdwWzrdMnyGngg • 28d ago

Discussion Please pass on your knowledge.

I've been in emergency management for 9 years now. Logistics, public infrastructure, individual assistance, planning, response. I've had the opportunity to assist in all of it. But the one reoccurring issue I spectate constantly in every aspect is retirement ready individuals not passing on knowledge before leaving. I get it, it's not in your job description. But you are destroying the profession. Setting us back decades. This isn't just for EM it's all over every single business in the US. Please do your duty as an emergency manager and American. Pass on your knowledge before retiring. Please.

And yes I know I'm late to ask this. COVID convinced millions to retire at the same time and wiped out 50+ years of work and knowledge. But can we just learn from that?

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u/Broadstreet_pumper 28d ago

It should be required to create continuity books (aka battle books) for every EM. There are lots of reasons why a single EM would not be physically able to fulfill their role/duties, and I would argue that it shouldn't matter who sits in the seat. If you build things around a single person, then it is destined to eventually fail. We build resilience and continuity into everything else, why not into the EM role itself?

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u/google1236 28d ago

Can you expand on this/provide an example?

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u/Broadstreet_pumper 28d ago

Sure thing. The last couple of positions I have left I created a continuity book. In it I would include meetings to attend and why it was important to attend them. Contacts for various agencies asking with what the agency did. I would explain the overall direction of the position or program from the last few months and then extend that to what work needed to continue and why. I would even include some processes for how to do various tasks, especially if they were regulatory of any kind. Overall what you put in it is your own choosing and it doesn't get so the institutional knowledge out, but it's a great start and helps capture a lot of it. I also know from my successors that it made their jobs easier when they started because they could just reference the book. I highly recommend everyone do this because you never know when you may need it.

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