LIAISON

PARTNERS
By Kenneth Tingman, Retired Federal
Coordinating Officer, Pacific Area Office,
Federal Emergency Management Agency
C. S. Lewis, the great British author once wrote, “True friendship
begins when one person says to another, `What, you
too? I thought I was the only one.’” Around the world,
when personnel involved in disaster and emergency management
domestically share experiences with others who work internationally,
they may experience this sentiment. I write this based on a spirit
of friendship and partnership borne from experiencing a common
problem, which transcends unique circumstances.
Emergency management personnel domestically and abroad experience
many of the same challenges as they prepare and respond to
disasters. In a practical sense, individuals performing disaster response
activities speak the same language, regardless of country, program,
agency, funding source or type of disaster. In the profession
of disaster and emergency management, domestic and international
humanitarian disaster responses are frequently viewed as distinctly
separate, however, this article postulates that there are more critical
similarities than differences and it behooves all of us to learn and
share information, build and foster relationships with international
partners, and recognize we may be able to improve outcomes for
disaster relief victims and responders.
In recent months, two events have reinforced my belief that
domestic and international disaster work are similar, have applicability
to each other and are not mutually exclusive. The first was a
presentation I attended at the Civil-Military Interaction Workshop,
organized by the Australian Civil-Military Centre and hosted by the
31 LIAISON Volume VII | Fall 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 32