Author: kg4vma

Without using the text, one should be able to guess that a “normal” temperature would refer to an average temperature. The text, tells us that normal temperatures are in fact an average—an average mean temperature based on thirty years worth of recorded temperature data (Ahrens, 2008, p.69). In the example provided in the text, we are shown a table displaying the recorded data from 1970-2000 (Ahrens, p.69, figure 2). Averaging that dataset reveals a “normal” or mean average temperature of 68°F for the community. A more common, or mode, temperature for the dataset is 60°F. Though, as explained in the text, it could be possible to call a temperature falling within the temperature range given from the lowest to the highest record within that thirty years worth of data “normal”, though it would be even more misleading as it would be taking the definition very loosely.

Frequently, especially after the viewers have expressed negative opinions on the television meteorologists giving misleading information, I have seen the “weatherman” go back and explain that the “normal” temps are averages over a period of time, and that what the more common temperature lies elsewhere. On rare occasions I have seen the weatherman go so far as to explain how an odd event in our history affected the dataset by either raising or lowering the “normal” by a degree or two.

References

Ahrens, C. Donald (2008). Essentials of Meteorology, An Invitation to the Atmosphere, Fifth Edition. Belmont, CA. Brooks/Cole, Thomson Learning, Inc.

Mirrored from Being Jeremiah Palmer.

Incident of Choice:

Harrison County SAR Search for Possible Drowning Victim

Jeremiah Palmer (4145412)

American Public University

EDMG230 – Spring 2011

George J. Munkenbeck

05/04/2011

On May 12, 2010, a person on Snakelick Road in Harrison county dialed 911 to report a possible drowning. The person reported that they had seen what appeared to be a body with black hair lashing about in the swollen Richland Creek. Harrison County 911 dispatchers notified the local fire, emergency management, and police agencies of the incident. Harrison County Fire unit 403 arrived on scene first and established Incident Command (HCEMA, 2010). Shortly thereafter, other units en route responded.

Once on scene, SAR coordinator, unit 807 took IC and dispatched responding SAR & Fire units to the last point where the unknown body was seen and a bridge downstream. SO unit 374 took report from the witness for submission to the Sherriff’s Office records, and to brief the IC. (M. Palmer, personal communication, May 13, 2010). Search efforts continued for approximately two hours until a decision was made that the area was unsafe due to the continuing rain and ever-rising waters (HCEMA, 2010). EMA unit 806 and SAR unit 807 requested that 374 and dispatch keep them notified of any further related reports and possible missing persons reports. All units left the scene to report back the following morning.

On May 13, 2010, SAR teams arrived back to the scene and continued search efforts. Approximately two and a half hours into the continued search a witness came forward to say that they had seen the remains of a cow floating downstream matching the vague description given by the initial witness. As no reports of a missing person had been filed, decision was made by 807 to discontinue the search and close the incident. (HCSAR, 2010)

Throughout the search operations, an Incident Command System had been in place. Beginning with arrival of 403, a point of operations and central command was established. Upon arrival of senior/more qualified units IC was turned over. Unit 807 acted as incident command at the top of the chain, EMA unit 806 as logistics. Units 403 and 374 acted as liaisons for their respective agencies; additionally, EMA/SAR unit 812 assumed the role of PIO liaison. All other units were general staff performing the necessary footwork on scene.

This incident was small and did not require all of the possible functions mapped out in larger ICS structures. Though it may seem that in smaller incidents like this there is some ease in operations, there can be found even more confusion. Who, exactly, would a straggling SAR/Fire unit report to upon arrival to the scene? In Harrison County, many of our SAR members are volunteer fireman, understandably. Our EMA director and SAR coordinator are also volunteer fireman. Our SAR coordinator is also an EMA deputy (this stems from local SARs being under guidance of EM). A green fireman could easily become lost in trying to find where they should report.

Naturally, law enforcement on scene took report from the initial witness, so it would be safe to assume that he would fill a role in gathering information on the incident. But who, then, is to continue gathering information? Units 806, 807, and 403 continued to gather information, which is beneficial in the respect to having multiple accounts being taken; however having multiple accounts being gathered from such a small number of involved individuals is seemingly wasteful.

Assigning the role of PIO/liaison to unit 812 is a smart move in many situations as she is more comfortable with the public and fills the administrative positions for the SAR most of the time. In this incident she could have easily been assigned the duties of gathering information as well since the incident was small. Doing so could have enabled her to give a quicker report of the situation to the public.

In this instance, ICS failed overall due to the small scale of the incident. The incident, however, was still managed well and as quickly as possible without any grand complications. To improve this situation, more meetings and table-top exercise need to be conducted in order to iron out these wrinkles and emphasize who acts in which capacity when they are members of multiple agencies.

References

Harrison County Emergency Management Agency. (2010, May 13). 2010 Situation Report File. Incident # 2010-00007809. Cynthiana, KY

Harrison County Search & Rescue. (2010, May 12). SAR team was called.. [Online Forum Comment]. Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/hcsar/posts/121758231182521

Mirrored from Being Jeremiah Palmer.

This writing was originally submitted as an assignment for one of my classes.

In the foyer of Eastside Elementary in Cynthiana, KY, above the trophy/presentation cases hung a black & white photograph of a tornado in the sky, overlooking the Harrison County Bus Garage. I noticed this picture when I was in the first or second grade, and it has held a special place in my mind for some time.

I believe that I had asked my mother one afternoon if she had ever noticed it, and knew when the picture was taken. She proceeded to tell me of a day in when she was eleven, going on twelve, back in 1974 that seemed to be fairly uneventful. She had noticed what time it was getting to be—that her favorite show was about to come on the air—so she dashed to the kitchen, grabbed and empty Pepsi bottle, ran out the front door and around the corner to the neighboring convenient store. Like a whirlwind she ran into the store, placing her bottle on the counter, ran to the back to retrieve a new one, ran back to the counter, dropping some change on it as she flew past. Exiting the door, rounding the corner back to her home, she was stopped by a gust of wind carrying dirt and leaves into her face. Shaking her head, and brushing her hair from her brow, she looked up and saw a huge black cloud in the distance. Puzzled, confused and scared, she was frozen. Her jaw dropped, and her hand lost it’s grip on her soft drink. She could hear police sirens wailing and the civil defense siren begin to spin up. Her mother bolted out the door of their apartment, scooped her up off the sidewalk, ran inside with her and took her to the bedroom to hurdle on the floor with her siblings under the mattress.

Mom then began to tell me that from what she had heard from my father and what she had read in the paper, that roughly the same time, just a few miles away near the community of Connersville, my dad was hiding in the basement with his parents and sister, listening to the wind screaming outside before it ripped the roof off their home.

She then went on to tell me how there had been an outbreak of tornadic storms that day, and that several cities and towns were hit pretty hard. She told me of a small place called Xenia, OH, over 100 miles away that was destroyed, and how those of us here, in Cynthiana and other places in Kentucky and other states faired better.

It was then that I began to have an interest in weather.

I’ve not experienced an event in my lifetime that sticks out as well as the one that I was told. I’ve experienced some nice flooding, snow, and ice events. I’ve had my home become surrounded by water up to four feet deep in the front lawn from rains that flooded area streams. I’ve dug my way through three feet snows, slid around on inches of ice, even helped clean up buildings that were completely filled with water in 1997. None of these have compared to hearing about the Super Outbreak.

I hope to learn as much as I can from this class, particularly what goes on there in Norman and how the SPC comes to figuring out probabilities for phenomena. I want to know more about the GFS, NAM, etc. I want to know everything! (I probably want to know more than what this course was designed to handle!)

NOTE: I am not affiliated with or responsible for any of the images linked within this message. Images were obtained via an Internet search and were included for educational purposes. Click images to enlarge–you will be leaving the APU/AMU servers. Yes, I did embed a Wikipedia link, and we all know that the educational system “hates” Wikipedia; but you can use Wikipedia as a good springboard to further develop your research–that’s what the referenced footnotes in the Wikipedia article are for! 😉

Mirrored from Being Jeremiah Palmer.

This writing was originally submitted as an assignment in one of my classes.

Good [INSERT APPROPRIATE TIME OF DAY] everyone.

As you can see by the message details above (and subject line), my name is Jeremiah. I hail from a small town named Cynthiana in central Kentucky. I’m currently unemployed (and have been for some time–for the most-part I am a homemaker). I volunteer a great deal of my spare time to the local emergency management agency, performing random tasks as needed; primarily, I maintain the agency’s site and social networking profiles.

I’m a husband to one–I don’t think I could handle more even if it were legal ;)–and father of three.

I can’t really think of much more to say about myself, so feel free to google me:

• http://lmgtfy.com/?q=kg4vma
• http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Jeremiah+Hall+Palmer
• http://lmgtfy.com/?q=HarrisonEMA

Mirrored from Being Jeremiah Palmer.