Teachable Moments: Ready for Disaster

  Government   Lessons Learned   Risk Management  

The 2013 bombing of the Boston Marathon instantly created a catastrophe of unknown scope and immeasurable complexity. Battling on the frontlines alongside other first responders, the U.S. Coast Guard activated its Incident Management Team (IMT), focused on preventing attacks on waterside public areas and on denying a potential escape route to the bombers.

The team made a substantial difference: armed vessels conducted patrols in the harbor, officers and canines screened mass-transit ferries and passengers, the latest intelligence flowed between agencies, the commercial maritime community was engaged to address specific risks, and waterside security was provided to the President of the United States during an internationally televised visit.[i]

The maritime response to the bombing tragedy was a teachable moment that solidified a response structure devised only recently by Coast Guard Incident Command System experts. In the year leading up to the tragic events, Coast Guard Sector Boston created a response structure designed to effectively react to environmental or manmade maritime incidents that exceed the capacity of its normal operational command structure.

The final structure was built on decades of best practices and lessons learned from responding to the devastation of natural disasters. Five key developmental steps were critical to their success:

1. …

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