Soon after Donald Trump was sworn into his second term as president, he declared that “FEMA must go away.” This was echoed by his Secretary of Homeland Security, who oversees FEMA, who said, “We are going to eliminate FEMA.”
But in the aftermath of the catastrophic and deadly floods in Texas, the White House is now backtracking by hinting that the federal emergency management agency should be overhauled. All of this adds to the confusion and chaos within this federal agency, where key leaders with extensive experience in emergency management have either been pushed out or left, which many attribute to the slow response to the flood disaster.
It is essential that any effort to improve FEMA’s operational and strategic effectiveness be guided by experienced, non-partisan emergency management experts, not political appointees with limited or no background in disaster response.
This includes the acting director of FEMA, who has zero experience in emergency management. FEMA’s mission is rooted in protecting communities during their most vulnerable moments, and its success relies on deep expertise, coordination across government levels and trust from the public.
During a full-scale disaster, FEMA coordinates the federal response to support local and state emergency efforts. It provides search and rescue teams, delivers critical supplies like food and water, and medical aid, sets up emergency shelters and helps restore power and infrastructure.
It also provides financial assistance to individuals and communities recovering from the damage. A while back I was asked by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review their disaster and communications plan that responds to a nuclear attack on America. FEMA’s full-scale response was imperative, which illustrates the vital role this agency is expected to play.
Having a politically appointed Secretary of Homeland Security and an Acting Administrator of FEMA, who have zero experience in emergency management, lead a top-down overhaul greatly risks turning a life-saving and humanitarian agency into a bureaucratic and ideological experiment.
Instead, the President should appoint a Task Force of distinguished, seasoned professionals, including current and former FEMA executives, state emergency managers, public health experts and disaster response leaders, to assess FEMA’s current structure and recommend practical, evidence-based reforms.
One local resident who should be included on this Task Force is Richard Serino, the former Chief of Boston EMS, who was appointed by President Obama as Deputy Administrator of FEMA where he responded to more than 60 national disasters and who now serves as a special advisor to former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis’s consulting group.
FEMA’s mission demands experts, not amateurs, with a political agenda. Political meddling will cost lives. Emergency response is not a political battleground, nor should it be. It requires steady, non-partisan, and informed leadership rooted in real-world experiences. Any serious attempt to strengthen and streamline FEMA must start with listening to the people who have dedicated their careers to saving lives before, during, and after disasters. There is no room for political hacks in this process.
Billerica resident Rick Pozniak has been accredited in family reunification, critical incident management, mass casualty response and public information by the National Disaster and Emergency Management University. He has employed this training during mass casualty events and a total hospital evacuation.