We know it really has to frost so many of these civil servants to have to post stuff like what is below upon the Internet where mentalitians such as we may chance upon it, but we have no mercy on them anyway. Nope. Even though it’s an obvious low-blow, we’re sharing this one with you because it’s so quaintly composed it may be a candidate for “national treasures of Govlish” awards. We the people have made enough headway in our mental revolution in Amerika so as to share the pleasure of having forced at least minimal levels of disclosure on a spectrum of governmental activity…. that we feel entitled to, whilst we yet can, smirk in old fedgov’s face over shit like what’s below. Jeez, people. Which government speechwriting think-tank can spin this into something the average citizen can swallow? Here is a candid intra-agency snapshot in words by this dude ….
Remarks for James L. Witt, Director
Federal Emergency Management Agency
F E M A !
Director’s Awards Ceremony
Celebrating 20 Years of Public Service
February 25, 2000 Washington, DC
Hello to all of you here at Headquarters, and all of you tuning in from the Regions, at Mt. Weather and in Emmitsburg!
I want to start today by thanking each of you, from my heart, for making FEMA the best agency in the federal government.
Today, I want to talk with you about responsibility-responsibility in many forms.
You are responsible for what FEMA has achieved. We did it by taking responsibility for ourselves, our customers and our actions. And today I will challenge you to take more responsibility for FEMA’s future-and to help Americans take more responsibility for their futures.
Not long ago, I received a phone call from President Carter. It was 20 years to the day since he signed the executive order creating FEMA. I told him he should be proud of what he did. He told me he was. FEMA, he explained, has finally become the agency he envisioned on that day 20 years ago.
President Carter is one of many people who should be proud of what FEMA has become.
Each of you should be proud-because you are responsible for what FEMA is today. Be proud of that-and grateful. Be grateful because we entered public service for a simple reason-to help people. And today we have the privilege of working in an agency whose daily work, whose enduring mission, is exactly that: helping others and helping each other.
We see the best of people in the worst of times. We share others’ pain in their moments of worst despair. We celebrate at their side as they reach for new possibilities together. Whether the moment is the aftermath of disaster-as a family finds a home destroyed-or the beginning of opportunity-as a community joins Project Impact-we make a difference in people’s lives. Whether you work in the field, or behind a desk, you make the difference.
When we offer a helping hand, that hand is yours.
I’d like to invite everyone here today and those of you who are tuning in from around the country. Please stand up. Turn to the person next to you. Thank them for everything they have done to make FEMA such a special place.
We’ve come a long way together. Seven years ago, some people wanted to abolish FEMA.
Today, with the help of President Clinton, Vice President Gore and our friends in Congress, we are a model of government success. The renewal of FEMA is studied in universities, emulated in other agencies-imitated and admired literally across the globe.
Seven years ago, many of our customers were unhappy and our partners were frustrated. Today, our customer satisfaction ratings have climbed steadily. Our partners are reaching out to us-and we are reaching out to them-in a nationwide network of people working to strengthen America.
Seven years ago, communities across the nation were locked in a deadly cycle-caught by disasters unprepared, too often
rebuilding where they were almost certain to be struck again. Today, Project Impact has placed prevention at the center of emergency management in the United States.
We have saved lives-enhanced communities-and prevented needless pain. We came this far together by being responsible-responsible to our customers, partners and taxpayers. Today, we must become more responsible to each other. This year I’ll challenge managers to become more responsible for their employees-to ask employees for their best, give them the tools to succeed, and treat them with the courtesy they deserve.
The National Performance Review recently completed a survey of Federal employees – including FEMA. Many of you here today participated. The overall results reveal that on most indicators FEMA is scoring above the average Federal Agency score. The survey indicates an overall increase in employee satisfaction, primarily in the day to day management and operation of our programs. Some of the employee satisfaction indicators are down compared to last year’s score – but only by a marginal degree. FEMA employees report slight declines in the Agency’s ability to communicate our mission, vision and values and our ability to reinvent our programs to maximize the performance of all staff.
Reinvention indicators are moderately down while communication and operations indicators have made solid improvement. Respondents were also allowed to write in comments on their survey form. Of the 299 survey comments returned from FEMA, about half contained written comments. These comments focused on internal Agency communication, the effects of downsizing, and customer service. There were also comments regarding union management relations, EEO policy, training and leadership.
As a result of this survey, I am asking the Labor-Management Partnership Council to review the results of the survey and
provide me with recommendations on how we can address the areas where employees expressed concerns.
We also want to help employees take more responsibility for themselves.
This year we will let a contract for a private company to send counselors to FEMA and provide individual advice on how to advance your career. They’ll help you decide what kind of training to take, and more. Telecommuting will move from just a pilot program, into an Agency-wide program for all who qualify. We won’t just ask you to take more responsibility.
We’ll reward you for doing it. Employees have been asking for on-the-spot financial awards. In the next year, this will become practice either through checks or through savings bonds. The CFO is working on this now.
One of the areas that the NPR employee survey was concerned about was rewards and recognition systems. As you know, we are evaluating our current system. I expect to receive the report and act on their recommendations in the near future because the quality of life for our employees is so important. We begin this important year as we should: united as a team. We closed our union contract in record time. We worked together to increase our transit subsidies. We can make the year 2000-the beginning of a new millennium-a time of historic progress at FEMA.
I’ll be proud to work by your side as we face the challenges of a new year. Today, I want to focus on a few in particular.
We must renew our emphasis on the core value where we began our work together seven years ago: customer service.
Customer service must remain the driving force at FEMA.
This year, I will challenge you to reconnect-to re-emphasize customer service in everything we do. We will work together to ensure passage of the Stafford Act-and to make sure it gives you the support you need. Passage of the Stafford Act will grant us the formal authority to press forward with Project Impact. It will give us more flexibility to work with our partners at the state and local levels. And it will empower state and local governments to take more responsibility for planning for and responding to disasters.
We’ll seek a nationwide investment in prevention because it saves lives, it saves memories – and it saves money too.
We will help homeowners take more responsibility for themselves-and we will be more responsible to taxpayers-by working for reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. Reauthorization will give us more authority to use the flood insurance program to correct the human and financial tragedy of repetitive looses. And it will help us make the program itself actuarially sound.
We will create new partnerships and expand those already in place-reaching out to other agencies in government, more allies in the private sector and new friends from across public service. We will develop new technologies for identifying natural hazards and for preventing damage when disasters strike. Isn’t it time for us to enter into “e-commerce” and sell flood insurance on the Web?
Concepts such as the safe room initiative must be expanded more broadly into the private sector, and also into schools and hospitals. We will complete the renewal of the United States Fire Administration. Twenty-five years ago, USFA was created in the aftermath of a report called “America Burning.” That landmark study found America was losing too much from fires that could be prevented.
We have commissioned an updated “America Burning” study, and we will complete it this year.
We will reinvigorate USFA — making it once again an engine of innovation in fire prevention technology.
And we’ll prepare the National Fire Academy to be a leader in the 21st Century.
Finally we will enhance our use of technology. In particular, we will improve the National Emergency Information Management System and the Integrated Financial Management Information System.
When we look at the awards we will be presenting today – our work to increase our partners has reaped rewards.
Partnerships with Fannie Mae, VISA, and thousands of other businesses are making a difference everyday. They are presenting opportunities for people and communities to act responsibly. I’m excited about these initiatives, and I’m looking forward to working with you this year. These are tall hurdles to clear-lofty goals to reach-but I am confident we can reach them together. I know it-because I’ve already seen what you can do.
I’ve been fortunate in my career. I’ve met interesting people and traveled to fascinating places. I’ve had the privilege to serve a great President who is also a great friend. But the greatest privilege I’ve had-the highest honor I’ve enjoyed-has been working with each of you. There is no finer group of public servants-no finer group of people-than the team at FEMA.
Today, to each of you, I offer a simple message from my heart: Thank you.
This is a time for gratitude-and congratulation-and, most important, for looking ahead.
It’s a time to celebrate responsibility.
Thank you.
Updated: February 25, 2000
