Re: [californiadisasters] San Bruno's Fire Chief Was in Dark About Pipeline

It is definitely true that hindsight is always 20/20. It's also true that
there are communications and documentation breakdowns. It's also true that
sometimes things just still happen.

However, it's also true that part of the duty of those who are charged with
protecting us (emergency services, military, etc.) need to be aware of as
many risks as possible (and of course of all the obvious ones), and EXPECT
the worst. As Rick said, be prepared for when it happens, not if.

It's my belief, as far as fire service is concerned, that every time there's
a fire, that's a failure. Fires can and should be prevented: Construction
methods, safety of contents, safe procedures, avoidance or elimination of
hazards. Our hospitals and schools show us what's possible (even though even
they're not perfect).

To some extent, this same principle is now considered true in healthcare;
all the major players are pushing hard on prevention (partly because they
believe it's possible and partly because they know it's cheaper).

But nobody is going to be safe, or try to be safe, unless s/he has a real
belief in the risks. And you're not going to get the resident to be careful
with the kitchen appliance or the outdoor grill if the "professionals"
aren't continually preaching about the risks.

Which takes us back to this: Our emergency service managers must look for,
plan for, and expect the absolute worst, or they're not really doing their
jobs.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Waterhouse" <gydanw@cvip.net>
To: <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 7:49 PM
Subject: Re: [californiadisasters] San Bruno's Fire Chief Was in Dark About
Pipeline

I think Michael's point about 20/20 hindsight is well-taken.

From personal experience, I can safely say that the size and scope of many
utilities such as pipelines, fiberoptic lines, and telephone lines are
totally unknown to present-day personnel because the construction records no
longer exist. Here in the Central Valley, Caltrans engineering staff were
surprised to find a hundreds-of-miles long fiberoptic line buried in the
shoulder of Route 99 a few years ago. Why? There were no records extant of
its installation. Because I had typed (in 1985!) the permit authorizing 200
miles of the line's construction, I was able to confirm it had been legally
constructed. Everyone else connected with the utility's project had retired
or left Caltrans.

--dan waterhouse

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