BLOG: Life Lessons for Law Enforcement from Hurricane Ian.
Hurricane Ian devasted South Florida when it made landfall last week. Despite all the best planning, guessing, and consulting, weather events do as they will and can often leave a wake of destruction. We cannot control the weather, regardless of falsehoods peddled as science in this modern era. By their very definition, acts of God are the act of one over whom you have no control. Understanding our place in the emergency leaves us with the reality that what we can actually control is ourselves. We can control our preparation for the potential event and our reactions after the event.
These principles parallel the realities of our lives. We often face challenges and events in our personal lives that we cannot control any more than we can control the wind or the rain, which are wholly out of our hands. However, there are lessons that we can draw from catastrophic events that can help us in our lives.
The first lesson that I think we can glean that I often see missed is to be prepared but also be prepared to change. Life is fluid and dynamic, and it is a changing environment. What is the old cliché? “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans?” We often have a preconceived notion of how things should work out; when it doesn’t, we don’t know what to do. This moment when things go awry can lead to confusion, frustration, and in some cases, depression. The reality is things are going to change. Just like we cannot predict the absolute path of a hurricane, we don’t know our future, only that it will be different than we think.
As law enforcement, we often try to control things because it is a fundamental part of our daily jobs. However, when we, as law enforcement, are away from the job, we have to understand there are some things we can never control. Instead, we should prepare the best we can but be ready to pivot when the time comes.
“We often face challenges and events in our personal lives that we cannot control any more than we can control the wind or the rain, which are wholly out of our hands. However, there are lessons that we can draw from catastrophic events that can help us in our lives.”
The second principle is responses should be in order. When things inevitably fall apart, and the bad news comes, the plan falls through, or catastrophe strikes. Our response should be deliberate and methodical. In the law enforcement academy and when you joined the force, whether at a police department, sheriff’s office, or state or federal agency, you were likely told, “smooth is fast.” When new law enforcement officers start, they will try to rush through chaotic training segments, leading to compounding failures and setbacks. The lesson is to take a second, breathe, and move decisively.
After a tragic event occurs, like the damage from Hurricane Ian, there is an order to the response from first responders. First, you prioritize life and work on simplified infrastructure to get resources where they are needed. Then move on to the next step until somewhere down the line, you are removing debris and beginning to build again. It should be no different for us in our lives. If we start rebuilding before we have even cleared the debris, we are only compounding the disaster, and in the end, it will never work.
The last lesson that came to me as I sat in my car on the windy and rainy day that Hurricane Ian blew through was the thought that emergencies have the opportunity to bring out the worst and the best in people. It is both. At the same time, looters, fraudsters, and criminals swarm a hard-hit area. Police officers, fire rescue, medical personnel, first responders, electrical and utility contractors, and many others begin to flood the same place and provide heroic efforts to the community.
“During this tragedy, I realized the real power of the human spirit. It is to have a plan that no matter what happens in my life, I will be prepared, respond calmly and decisively, and make choices that will bring out the best in me.”
The same is true in our personal lives. When we face difficult situations, the same can be true for us, they can strengthen, refine, and sharpen us to be our best selves, or they can cause us to sink into depression, despair, and apathy. We all know this to be true. We know people who have faced incredible difficulty but are optimistic, positive people, and we know others who fall apart when faced with a setback. The good news is that the choice is ultimately ours.
My heart goes out to those affected by hurricane Ian. The residents have a long road ahead as they try to rebuild what was lost. I am heartbroken for the families who lost loved ones and continue to pray for their comfort and resilience.
During this tragedy, I realized the real power of the human spirit. It is to have a plan that no matter what happens in my life, I will be prepared, respond calmly and decisively, and make choices that will bring out the best in me.
This Blog Post Appeared first at OnTheBlueLine.com. All Rights Reserved. October 2022
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Wayne Mulder is a law enforcement officer, speaker, writer and the host of the On The Blue Line podcast. Wayne is an advocate for law enforcement officer total health programs and a believer in empowering law enforcement officers in their personal lives. For more on his mission visit OnTheBlueLine.com.