An alcoholic must first admit that he has a problem before he can start to cure it. Communicators and other Emergency Responders must also recognize they have problems before they can cure them. After every disaster exercise or real emergency a critique should be held to discuss what worked well and what didn't. Don't take offense when you hear that something didn't work too well. Accept the comments as constructive criticism and work on correcting them. Don't defend the mistakes or problems that you've been told about. Look for ways to correct the problems and make sure they are correct the next time. The reason we have drills and exercises is to find the problems so they won't be there when the real thing happens. So the next time someone tells you what your problems are, listen to what they have to say, maybe there is a better, easier, and correct way of doing the same thing.
(This is a reprint, with modifications of, Wood County ARES Bulletin NR 97.43)
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV;
ARES Assistant Section Coordinator WV
ARES District Emergency Coordinator WV DISTRICT 3