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Marine Link
The FBI is not taking appropriate steps to review and assess potential maritime terrorism risks facing U.S. sea ports, the Justice Department's internal watchdog has found. The audit, released recently by Inspector General Michael Horowitz, found that while top FBI officials believe the country faces a low maritime terrorism threat, that view is actually based on "incomplete and potentially inaccurate information." Moreover, the audit found that the FBI had not conducted its own formal assessment of the matter.
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NMLEA
Yes, I agree a pointed opening line. But the fact is, we are killing each other. Literally and figuratively.
A close friend was killed in a SWAT training exercise inside his department. Another professional was killed in a SWAT bus assault training. A civilian role player was killed when a .38 caliber wad cutter round was used instead of a blank. I could go on and on with more examples.
We all say we want it to stop. The question is, are we willing to do what is needed? We need to look at training in a whole new light. We need to think outside the box we've been in for the last few decades. We need to stop doing the same thing over and over again, and wondering why we are getting the same results: Increase in accidents, mishaps, accidental discharges, injuries, etc. etc. Training "the way we used to do it," or the way "we've always done it" does not work. (This was explored in a number of NMLEA White Papers and Webinars, including "Navigating the Changing Seascape of Maritime Public Safety", if you want to look deeper into the issue and causes.)
To do this, to get outside the box, we need to understand a few things from the start; Safety, accuracy and proficiently must be reintroduced and strongly integrated. Lip service will not suffice.
Let’s explore each of those three areas a little more closely.
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NMLEA
In 2017, and again in late 2018, Boeing rehired its retired workers to fill a critical gap in their production lines. (See Reuters story here.) The reason that this step was necessary, is the same for organizations all across the country... and for maritime public safety departments and agencies in particular (as previously reported in the White Paper: Navigating the Changing Seascape of Maritime Public Safety,) as well as maritime manufacturers (as discussed in the IBEX Webinar, Training the Maritime Workforce: How to Keep Up with the Changing Tide.)
Just like Elvis, institutional knowledge has "left the building," as retirements in this sector has accelerated, and therefore, you need to find a way to tap into that valuable resource and bring them back.
As reported in the January 2019 issue of TD Magazine published by the Association for Talent Development, this should be no surprise. People are living longer now than ever before, according to the World Bank. The average life expectancy across the world has risen from 53 years in 1960 to 72 years in 2015—and it will continue to increase by 1.5 years per decade. (A detailed report by the UN can be found here.) Combine that with declining birth rates, and the reality is clear: the workforce is getting considerably older as the pool of young new workers is shrinking.
So what do you do? How should leaders of public safety agencies and manufacturers, especially in the maritime domain, look at this and react? It's already happening, and you need to pay attention to what is going on all around you. According to a Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies report, Baby Boomer Workers Are Revolutionizing Retirement: Are They and Their Employers Ready?, more than 80 percent of U.S. employers believe that workers ages 50 and older are "a valuable resource for training and mentoring," "an important source of institutional knowledge," and offer "more knowledge, wisdom, and life experience." That should all sound very familiar, given the white papers and webinars we've released and talked about at the National Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (NMLEA).
Put very simply, the retired workforce could provide critical and essential help to maritime patrol departments, natural resource agencies and boat manufacturers of all shapes and sizes. Especially those organizations that have a relatively "new" staff that lack the depth of knowledge and experience to perform certain tasks and in critical areas of responsibility.
As an example of ways to tap into this extensive and far reaching pool of resources, the NMLEA's FLEATS Program now provides agencies with retired and experienced professionals to help leaders manage things like Fleet Life Cycle Management; Equipment Design; Product Evaluation, Acquisition, Assessment, and Testing; Operational Training and Performance Sustainment Services. This allows agencies to get that institutional knowledge and guidance at a fraction of the cost and time it would take otherwise.
All of our partners, inside and outside the maritime domain, should be looking at the makeup of the new workforce, and develop ways to minimize the risk while enhancing the impacts on the future. Using the retired workforce as part of the new workforce for training, mentoring and consultation can make an immediate impact, and help face the challenges of the future.
To discuss this in greater detail, contact us at info@nmlea.org.
NMLEA
FEMA is scheduled to release the 2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2019 Port Security Grant Program on or about 12 April. Expectations are that there will very few variations from last year’s procedures. And usually, FEMA allows for roughly 6 weeks for the actual application period length. But that of course can be shortened as demonstrated in 2017.
Therefore, as we have said before, it is in your best interest to start building your application package now.
Some things to consider, and areas the NMLEA can assist you are:
- Grant preparation and award administration
- Training Programs to enhance your readiness and response capabilities
- Procurement Assistance in the recommendation, identification, acquisition and implementation of specific equipment
- Exercise planning, development, execution and reporting to meet specific planning
- Online MTSA required training resources
- Cybersecurity Risk Management assessment and implementation
If you want to review some key points of the process, take a look at the Webinar we put on last year to discuss some of things to be aware of, by going to our website resource page or by clicking on this link.
And if you want assistance in any of the areas discussed above, contact us directly by clicking here.
Seatrade Maritime News
The first few months of 2019 has already seen three major container ship fires. The most recent fire, on board the Grande America, has resulted in the sinking of the roll-on/roll-off containership in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France, the loss of her cargo and oil pollution from the 2,200 metric tons of fuel on board. Why are fires on containerships like the Grande America so frequent and devastating? Firstly, cargo is packed into containers before it reaches the ship owner or carrier who are reliant on the shipper’s declaration regarding the container’s contents. Most container ship fires are cargo (rather than engine room) fires and many occur as a result of the misdeclaration or inadequate packing of hazardous cargo. Secondly, it can be difficult for crew to contain a fire which starts in one of several thousand containers in a stack in a vessel’s hold.
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Trade Only Today
LRC Solutions in Kelowna, British Columbia, has been awarded $447,000 (C$595,000) in federal funding to develop a marine safety mobile app. GlobalNews.ca reported that the Sailing Plan app is a mobile sailing plan that provides details about the vessel, planned routes and the people on board. The app is in its development stages and should be ready sometime next year. Ralph Goodale, Canada’s minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, made the announcement at the Kelowna Yacht Club. Goodale said the two-year grant came from the Government of Canada’s Search and Rescue New Innovation Fundm, which “supports the development of modern tools” like the Sailing Plan app.
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Boating Industry
The International Marine Electronics Alliance (IMEA), which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation affiliated with the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA), is actively seeking board members, donors and partners to further their mission of marine electronics safety and education. IMEA collaborates with other nonprofit associations and government agencies worldwide to advance relevant education, scientific knowledge and testing of marine electronics.
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Work Boat
The Coast Guard released a bulletin directing each sector, Marine Safety Unit and other units that exercise officer in charge, marine inspection authority to conduct a third-party organization oversight stand down within 30 days. The objective of the stand down is to ensure unit members understand and properly execute the new Mission Management System work instructions and procedures regarding domestic vessel inspections and Coast Guard oversight responsibilities.
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Help Net Security
The clock starts ticking immediately following a cybersecurity incident with the first 24 hours vital in terms of incident response. The majority (59 percent) of companies are not confident they could resume ‘business as usual’ after the first 24 hours, although 41 percent say they are, according to a new social media poll by NTT Security. Asked about their number one focus in the first 24 hours after a security incident, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents say mitigating the threat is the main priority, while 36 percent say it is about identifying the cause.
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The Deerfield Valley News
It may not feel like boating season yet, but the Vermont State Police, along with boating safety advocates nationwide, are urging boaters to #KeepYourEdge by enrolling in a boating education course this spring. The Vermont State Police are participating in the national “Spring Aboard-Take A Boating Education Course” campaign. The campaign encourages boaters to get educated prior to the boating season so they can make the most out of their time on the water. A boating safety course provides critical boating knowledge that anyone who plans to get out on the water should have, and better prepares them for the risks they might face while boating.
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The Washington Post
As disastrous as the flood season has already been in the Plains and Midwest, it is likely to expand and worsen, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned in its spring outlook. The historic flooding that has ravaged eastern Nebraska and other parts of the Midwest over the past week is just “a preview” of what may come next, officials told reporters. “We expect the flooding to get worse and become more widespread,” said Mary Erikson, deputy director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “The stage is set for record flooding now through May.” Erikson said the flooding “could be worse than anything we have seen in recent years,” including the devastating floods in 1993 and 2011, considered among the worst in U.S. history.
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Government Executive
An employee group representing federal law enforcement officers filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of a 2016 Office of Personnel Management decision to change how it calculates a pension supplement for retirees under the age of 62. Under the Federal Employees Retirement System, workers who retire before they are 62 receive a supplement until they are eligible for Social Security. Many retirees who benefit from the supplement served in law enforcement jobs, which often require people to retire at age 57.
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Navy Times
The head of the Coast Guard said that his fleet is at a readiness “tipping point,” waiting for new vessels to replace an aging fleet. Increasingly, personnel are being asked to do more around the world with aging platforms and infrastructure, Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said during the 2019 State of the Coast Guard address from Base Los Angeles-Long Beach. “Our people answer the call, every single day,” he said. Like his fellow military service chiefs, Schultz indicated in his roughly 45-minute speech that the key to modernizing the Coast Guard is a steady level of funding.
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