FEMA Needs Some HR Experts

I came across an article that is kind of disturbing. It goes something like this: 1,400 firefighters from across the United States were dispatched to Atlanta at the behest of FEMA. But instead of being deployed as emergency workers in the hurricane-affected areas, they came to Atlanta to be trained as "community relations officers" for FEMA. These brave men and women, who would willingly trudge through the disease-infested waters of New Orleans to save lives, spent Sunday in an Atlanta hotel being trained on sexual harassment and other issues so that they would be qualified to distribute fliers and a phone number to hurricane victims.

This is absolutely outrageous. At this moment there are still fires burning in New Orleans, people are still isolated in some areas, and the New Orleans fire department has been working for nine straight days without relief. 1,400 highly trained specialists are made available, at great expense to their local fire departments, and they are called upon to hand out pieces of paper. Here is yet another example of the generosity and noble spirit of the American people being squandered by the incompetence of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. While I'm no big fan of Walmart, they stepped up big and tried to deliver trucks full of water to the New Orleans area, and were turned away by FEMA. This is an agency that needs to get a clue in a hurry.

Maybe the biggest outrage of all is at the end of the article. Fifty of the firefighters were indeed dispatched on Monday to Louisiana. "The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas." Some of the best and bravest in the country - the ones not working as couriers - were used as Bush's photo-op props. With all due respect to the President, these fifty people would best be used to save lives rather than save his image.