The other day I had an encouraging conversation over the phone (who knew that cell phones could still function as telephones?) with one of our regional leaders. She shared how even when she dedicates in excess of 40 hours a week to Team Rubicon, there is still more work to be done. She bragged about how squared away her regional team is and how if the TR rocket surgeon and I could just make all these magical technology systems work together in harmonious unity, her region could produce even more results, engage more communities in a time of desperate need, and reach more selfless citizens wanting to join the team of disaster professionals.
Later that week, I was losing an epic battle with technology and after a barbaric rant cursing everything with wires, keys, and buttons, my ever calm and occasionally cool boss, David Burke said:
Hey, what’s the problem? Even when everything goes wrong here, out in the field, the Team is helping people. It’s a great day.
While his unceasing optimism is completely foreign to me, I begrudgingly admit he is correct.
We are aggressively utilizing and implementing technology with the gracious support of our partners. Our attack is so aggressive, I’m sure we each have a mandatory password reset every day. These technology systems grant our organization unprecedented and instantaneous access to actionable information.
Leaders can instantly alert our members of an operation with Everbridge and can now focus their response efforts with precision, thanks to Palantir. Leaders from around the country can seamlessly brief operations orders with Blue Jeans Technologies. Google and Skybox shift satellites to snap imagery of the disaster zone so we can plan properly. We request donated flights from Airlink and Southwest within hours with the information held in Roll Call. The list of technologies that crush confusion into a thing of the past continues to grow.
While most of us much prefer chainsaws over computers, our leaders and volunteers throughout the nation find a way to maximize our technological advantage so we can continue to be the fastest and most effective response team on the ground. We’ve mastered the human element of disaster relief. We’ve recruited an all-star team from coast to coast, and every day, more answer the call. Mother Nature has given us a small window, let’s get after it.
Click here to reset your Roll Call password.
