Florida Panthers strength is in its unity and a sense of community involvement. The Florida Panthers strives to unite the territory and help the people in need. The Panthers are first responders in case of an incident that require assistance. They do not just stand by and watch their fellow citizens suffer. The Panthers encourages its staff, partners and fans to volunteer and work together as one in helping the affected individuals (Florida Panthers, n.d.). The Florida Panthers practices what FEMA calls “Ready Campaign.” This is a campaign meant to prepare the American citizens to be ready for unknown disasters and equips them with skills necessary for responding to all sorts of disasters (DHS, 2021).
The expertise and capability of Florida Panthers was proved when hurricane Irma struck South Florida. The Florida Panthers were among the first responders in helping the affected and destabilized residents with basic items like food and drinks. The Panthers employees, fans and sponsors came out as one people to help the South Florida residents. The Panthers players were on the frontline serving foods and helping the affected (Florida Panthers, n.d.).
Recommendation of Implementing Similar Recovery Strategy
The first thing that entities that are mandated to respond to disasters should learn from Florida Panthers response is that first responders are not the well trained response experts, but, the people around the incidence. The Panthers were able to respond and offer help to the victims before Federal entities like FEMA came to the scene. This means the entities like DHS that ensures the American and their properties are safe, need to build capacity and equip the local communities with response skills. This includes offering training to state, local and ethnic governments, religious and faith based organizations, private entities and individuals on how to respond to respond to man-made and natural disasters (National Academies Press, 2017).
The next lesson from Florida Panthers is working together as a team. The unity displayed by the employees, fans, and other Panthers stakeholders is something to learn from. The Panthers team did not delay in helping the victims. This played a great role in ensuring life and properties were not destroyed in large numbers. What makes disaster response team not to be efficient and effective is inability to work together as a team. For example, can FBI, CIA, DHS, Coastal guards and other security agencies work together as a team? In most cases these agencies are not able to blend and work together as one (FEMA, 2017).
Challenges and Solutions
The challenge number one of implementing lessons from Florida Panthers is lack of knowledge required to respond to a disaster. For instance, what would happen if the disaster was man-made and involved weapons of mass destruction? Will first responders be able to know the causing agent and respond without more harm? This is an area that can be addressed by DHS providing necessary training on how to assess the situation before starting to offer help. This is because first responders may find themselves in trouble in the processes of helping others (DHS, 2021).
The second challenge is lack of an efficient culture of preparedness. Florida Panthers are always prepared to offer help when it is needed. This is something that lacks in many communities and in private entities. It is sad to note that even Federal agencies are at times caught unprepared. That was the case with 9/11 attack and in numerous attacks carried out by lone wolfs. This challenge can be addressed to creating a culture where local communities are prepared to respond to a disaster within their vicinity (FEMA, 2019). This demands trust, respecting diversity, cross-cultural communications and supporting local community successes in handling disasters.
The expertise and capability of Florida Panthers was proved when hurricane Irma struck South Florida. The Florida Panthers were among the first responders in helping the affected and destabilized residents with basic items like food and drinks. The Panthers employees, fans and sponsors came out as one people to help the South Florida residents. The Panthers players were on the frontline serving foods and helping the affected (Florida Panthers, n.d.).
Recommendation of Implementing Similar Recovery Strategy
The first thing that entities that are mandated to respond to disasters should learn from Florida Panthers response is that first responders are not the well trained response experts, but, the people around the incidence. The Panthers were able to respond and offer help to the victims before Federal entities like FEMA came to the scene. This means the entities like DHS that ensures the American and their properties are safe, need to build capacity and equip the local communities with response skills. This includes offering training to state, local and ethnic governments, religious and faith based organizations, private entities and individuals on how to respond to respond to man-made and natural disasters (National Academies Press, 2017).
The next lesson from Florida Panthers is working together as a team. The unity displayed by the employees, fans, and other Panthers stakeholders is something to learn from. The Panthers team did not delay in helping the victims. This played a great role in ensuring life and properties were not destroyed in large numbers. What makes disaster response team not to be efficient and effective is inability to work together as a team. For example, can FBI, CIA, DHS, Coastal guards and other security agencies work together as a team? In most cases these agencies are not able to blend and work together as one (FEMA, 2017).
Challenges and Solutions
The challenge number one of implementing lessons from Florida Panthers is lack of knowledge required to respond to a disaster. For instance, what would happen if the disaster was man-made and involved weapons of mass destruction? Will first responders be able to know the causing agent and respond without more harm? This is an area that can be addressed by DHS providing necessary training on how to assess the situation before starting to offer help. This is because first responders may find themselves in trouble in the processes of helping others (DHS, 2021).
The second challenge is lack of an efficient culture of preparedness. Florida Panthers are always prepared to offer help when it is needed. This is something that lacks in many communities and in private entities. It is sad to note that even Federal agencies are at times caught unprepared. That was the case with 9/11 attack and in numerous attacks carried out by lone wolfs. This challenge can be addressed to creating a culture where local communities are prepared to respond to a disaster within their vicinity (FEMA, 2019). This demands trust, respecting diversity, cross-cultural communications and supporting local community successes in handling disasters.
