No Leadership! Tell us something we don't know!

Kia Ora,

Well big drive by the Christchurch 'Press' to try to pin down where the earthquake recovery is going. The fact it seems leaderless.

It is this passing the buck, lack of action that is frustrating people & causing anger to rise.

I see also that EQC are going to review the assessments of chattels as private insurance has been giving small payments saying the house is going to be demolished from what they can see yet EQC are saying it can be fixed(from descriptions I have had Mickey Mouse style). Results in huge difference in assessments, more frustration & anger.

Normally you would say it was private insurance trying to pay as little as possible, but having been in some properties where EQC has said they can be fixed I think not. Slapping some concrete out of a bucket with a paint brush to even out the bumps in the floor I have seen done in Asia & might be acceptable in Australia(as it was recommened by an Australian I take it, it is)but it is not here & not when more large earthquakes are overdue.

Even the Mayor of Christchurch has lost his zip & fallen into line with the status quo saying different leaders are needed for different areas. But there is a need for an overall leader. Not a new one but an existing one to step up.

Now the Mayor of Christchurch & two structural engineers said quite early on in interviews that the building code had done its job & saved lives it was not there to save a building.

Straight away to me that implies like any saftey equipment such as body armour, cycle or motorcycle helmets that once used for the purpose for which they were designed they have to be replaced. So this is a rebuild not a recovery.
Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Handbook
Instead of like Auckland or Wellington where recently Heritage buildings have been ordered demolished in hours when required Christchurch is still arguing over their merits five months later. Probably why someone asking for suggestions to get CBD going again didn't like my suggestion of bulldozing the whole lot & starting again.

By having so many 'leaders' who are as far as anyone can see showing no leadership nothing is getting done. With expected shocks to continue & even the predicted potential big shake around the 20th March 2011 (not to mention the earlier shake up around the 19th February 2011 based on the moon in Perigee) damage is worsening & showing how poor assessments are that have been done.

When green stickered(All OK) builidings have walls collapse it just tells people good shake from different direction or location can wreck anything or the initial assessments were not good enough.
Earthquake Engineering for Structural Design
All the theory in the world is great but it is the actual effect on the ground that matters.

The Minister for Earthquake Recovery is no better. He might officially live here, though for some reason wasn't here at time of the wee shake & never seems to be here except for visits as far as anyone can tell. People in his electorate are not happy. His efforts have been pitiful.

Now the Mayor of Christchurch in the aftermath of the earthquake & led up to the local body elections made a statement "I'm over democracy" or words to that effect. I would of though the current situation was right up his alley to prove his point.
Earthquake Engineering
When immediately after the main quake he had special powers & was able to get things done, but now it is committee after committee or commission & the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Commission(CERC)has no power it just recommends.

Of course a Camel is a horse designed by a committee or as one businessman I think it was said "a commitee is a place where good ideas go to die" or words to that effect.

We don't need committee's or commissions we need action.

It has got so ridiculous that one business contracted into assist with the recovery went to set up in the location recommended by the council but is now waiting on resource consent from the council to set up. The earthquake recovery act was supposed to deal with issues like that quickly, efficiently as was the minister. Both have failed!
Earthquake Damage: Inspection, Evaluation and Repair
The media are only scratching the surface of what is been passed on by concerned structural engineers as to information that is been hidden from people. It gives the impression that they are been hard on those who represent us but in reality it appears to be "you scratch my back & I will scratch your back".

So say this predicted potential big quake does hit around 20th March 2011 & this time people are killed. What then to these bureaucrats & politicians who do nothing?

I would say the anger & frustration will definitely boil over. About that time to add to the stress people's payments to cover rent(for temporary accomodation) from insurance companies is due to run out. With no word on what these people, who are paying both mortgage & rent, will get to cover this shortfall as yet many are moving back into their condemmed houses. The worsening financial crisis is making things just more difficult.
Advances in Earthquake Engineering for Urban Risk Reduction
I have said it before New Zealand has become a Risk Adverse country.

People would say to me but you are always on about Health & Saftey & Risk Assessment.

There is a difference.

In a very early blog someone criticized me for not naming the system of Risk Assessment I use. Those systems are designed to give people an excuse not to do anything.

Where as the other day I saw an editors comment about how the person whom the movie 127 hours is about is one of those persons who just ignores the risks or words to that effect.
Earthquake-resistant Concrete Structures
Actually that is the New Zealand perception been wrong again.

In business, life, the military & working in places like Iraq. It is not about ignoring the risk, it is about assessing it, mitgating it whilst still carrying on & I suspect without seeing the movie that is what this person has done. New Zealand used to be like that but not anymore. It just seems risky because people lack the knowledge or haven't weighed up the Risks.

Actually as I was typing that it reminded me of Charles Upham VC & Bar when standing on top of a truck to direct fire duirng the battle of Minqar Qaim. It looked dangerous & foolhardy to those around him, but his assessment was all the German shots were going low, so he was safer up high.

That is why people don't like my risk assessments as they see them as it will be used as a reason not to do something.

In fact I am looking at it the other way. Here is the risk, mitigate it so we can have a good event or safe society. But people here do not want to know & even when something does happen, within hours people are acting like it never happened. If you asked many of those people they would tell you it never happens in New Zealand or where they are.

I know it happened the other day within 24 hours of an armed robbery where people allowed others to enter in a manner that could very well be another armed robbery at the same location. A non New Zealand citizen did their nut at the staff for allowing it.
Risk Assessment Methods: Approaches for Assessing Health and Environmental Risks
New Zealand has become like the US Military when I first went to Iraq to work. Hint of issues or a suicide bomber they would lock down the Green Zone for sometimes days which gave the initiative back to the terrorists & insurgents(I well remember one Irishman during such a time saying he was going to pushbike to the Baghdad airport to get his plane out).

Compare that to the British reaction(& the Iraqis did) which was to flood an area after a shooting or bombing with troops on foot asking questions "What did we do wrong? Who was it?" etc. Then play a game of soccer with the kids.

Risks of been shot or blown up hadn't changed but their reaction was to try to get things moving. The British themselves observed in the end they stayed too long & lost that goodwill.
Earthquake Risk Reduction
Seems to me we are retreating inside our fortress, doing a lot of talking but nothing is getting done. New Zealanders tend not to say a lot even when things are wrong as they don't want to stand out. So if a lot of people are now talking it is time to take note & take action. Get things done!

As former Mayor Gary Moore said when questioned in one of the articles "Do I still have a sense of hope? No" & I would say that is a sentiment shared by many in Christchurch at present because there is no action & there is no leadership.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Potential Crime turned to good!

Kia Ora,

There has been a lot of good come out of the earthquake & one concerns a group & associated event that usually results in criminal activity.

That Event is the infamous Undie 500 & the group that organizes it ENSOC.
A Primmer for Diaster Recovery Planning in an It Environment (Praeger Series in Political Communication)
Instead of going ahead with the event, this year to a undisclosed Canterbury location, ENSOC have decided to use the money set aside for it to provide food & fuel to those helping in the recovery.

Their members have decided to lend their hand to the clean up during their down time from University studies.

The sergeant in charge of the police alcohol enforcement team has just come on the radio as I write this to praise ENSOC & I concur. Considering all the bad publicity due to crime the event has generated, this was a good decision much appreciated by those badly hit.

In the meantime a comment has come in from Justin who is working in the NZ Security industry here in Christchurch & he highlights an issue.

Do you call the police when they have so much else on? I would record then report. Even if the police can not make it, they have a record for follow up.

Another point Justin makes is how little the media has made of the contribution of the private security industry.

Justin is right. There are some very long hours been done by the industry at times in very dangerous areas. Being injured prior to the quake myself it has been frustrating not been able to assist. When I did to give someone some relief as they had not had sleep in over 40 hours I got a bollocking from the bureaucrats. There are times for rules & time to bend them especially as in this case there was little threat to re injure. As all those in private security will be aware there are a lot of very tired people in the industry right now & if someone like me can give them a rest then all the good.

But as usual private security or the security guard on the ground is an invisable person. There when you want them, but ignored the rest of the time.
Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology
In the mean time with all the good going on there are others still committing crime. One that has just been notified is allegedly there are bogus insurance assessors going around using it as a cover to do later burglaries. Now at this stage that is not confirmed but similar activities have happened in the past. There is no reason to think it won't happen here unfortunately.

Just keep your wits about you.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

How to improve the Security Industry!

Kia Ora,

Being thinking about this for a while. The ways we can improve the NZ security industry. In fact being thinking about it since I entered the industry on leaving the army as the standards are so low & the people of NZ don't deserve such low standards.

Well the first way is of course is by government legislation, but the attitude of the select committee & politicians in general to this means the proposed legislation, which is a bit of a joke anyway, & any regulations will not be sufficient.

In fact they are likely to take the industry backwards judging on what was in the proposed bill.

Next is the Industry itself, lead by the associations. Again not likely as they can grab work if someone else is sticking to their standards, so why stick to something that is not legislated for.

At least one association actually requires you to drop your standards to be part of their grouping.

Then comes the insurance industry who could make it quite easy to raise standards, lower costs to clients in the long run & lower their own risk in financial terms by insisting on compliance with international standards.

But you need to look at how the insurance industry in NZ works & it does none of the above.

First you have liability insurance. Over the last few years, I have noticed the amount rise & the cover drop.

Like the insuarnce you get for being directors or in a governance role when you look at it, it actually doesn't cover you for anything. As the directors of the failed finance companies are finding out.

Recent reading about Warren Buffett made me think more about this. Here is one of the richest men in the world, who actually owns insurance companies that specialize in this type of insurance, yet he will not have his directors insured.

Why? Because he says it makes them lazy. True when one of your directors is Bill Gates, he might be able to cover any issues arising. By not insuring them, Buffett reckons he makes the directors (including himself) do their homework & make responsible decisions.

So what does that have to do with NZ security. The industry is lazy & the insurance industry allows them to be so. If it sat down & looked at it properly then OSH would require more staff.
The Insurance industry can insist on this as part of their coverage. In fact they often say there has to be security for certain events. But they don't ensure it is OSH compliant. 

It usually isn't because only one guard is put on duty when the minimum if you do an assessment is two. That is also an international standard.

Who watches the property or person when the guard needs to go to the toilet?

Where is the toilet? That is the question guards often ask to be told hold on, in breach of OSH. Sixteen hours without a toilet break is not accepted anywhere else.

Each year when you renew your liability insurance you get a form to tick, but it never requires a company to show that it has being compliant with OSH or any other releveant laws. So it adds no value to the business.

Apart from everyone saying you have to have liability insurance, in particular government contracts, it is actually of no value.

For example what is known as Cash in Transit or armoured vans to everyone else there is no requirement to have a standard.

People will argue they do, but you only have to watch the crews in action to see there are no real drills or training. With the world's economy in melt down (despite the smoke, mirrors & manipulation of figures that is what is happening right now) more robberies are likely, almost on a daily basis.

Another question I have asked some Cash in Transit crews is the subject of body armour, many think they need it, one told me they didn't. As pointed out, if a proper risk assessment is done then not only should they have body armour, but also a riot helmet & if allowed firearms. As well as proper training, not just wandering to the van & back as happens most times now.

On the question of body armour also the insurance industry can have an effect on.

For example in Iraq, you could supply your own bodyarmour if you wished, but because so many people were running around trying to buy this or that & the lightest going, a standard had to be set.

So as the threat increased the minimum you could use of your personal issue had to be level IV or greater. It also had to be properly rated & current. Other wise you were not covered by insurance.

Ironically you still got your insurance payment (or your family did) if you had no bodyarmour available.

But like OSH it recognized that at times there would be none available (unless you had your own) that it is an expensive item & procedures needed to be in place to ensure safety was paramount.

Right now in the security industry there are very few if any SOP's used & if they are there no one knows how to use them, as they are only ever a guideline as they can not cover every situation.
There are also many in the industry running around with stab vests & armour whose ratings are out of date or are of an unknown quality.

In the four years since returning from Iraq, I have not once being asked to produce my SOP's or certify my bodyarmour or show why I think it is needed.

If my company is liable, I don't need insurance to ensure I protect a person or property. But even when it hasn't being my company that military duty of service kicks in & you are determined as possible to not let it happen on your watch.

But more than once I have worked with guards who show up with a sleeping mat.

So the industry can be brought into line with the world standards & is going to need to be as crime threatens to get more out of control with worsening economic conditions.

In the meantime with a small company I am endeavouring to do my bit to raise the standards.

www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz