Broderick’s job was in charge of the clearing house for information about domestic events of high significance such as terrorist alerts and major natural disasters. His job was the gatekeeper of the information which would give the signal to pull the trigger to deploy the full resources of the federal government in disaster situations. He reported directly to Secretary Chertoff, head of Homeland SecurityIt was also Broderick’s responsibility to alert Secretary Chertoff of the need to “stand-up” the Interagency Incident Management Group, a mechanism for coordinating a proactive Federal response to disasters Very experienced and apparently well qualified for the job. He had 300 staff, representatives from 45 federal, state and local agencies and a budget of $40 million. He was also well suited to the job. He had 30 years experience running operations centers for the Marine Corps, including such tasks as the evacuations from Saigon and Phnom Penh.
It is possible to examine a problem that is coming up for decision and decide whether red flags exist. For example, do any of the important people in the decision process lack relevant experience. If so there is a risk of bias. Because we use patterns drawn from memory to assess the situation, to consider action alternatives and to assess the likely outcome of any choice, we may use inappropriate patterns if we do not have relevant experience.
