Less than three weeks into his new job, Interim Director of Florida Emergency Management David Halstead faced a make or break situation.
Hundreds of victims of the Haiti earthquake had to be flown to Florida hospitals facing life-threatening injuries. Four counties -- Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Hillsborough -- saw more than 450 people suddenly inundate local emergency rooms. Within 10 days of the quake, state officials didn't know how many victims they were going to deal with. All they knew was their facilities were already straining to the maximum.
"I knew that the federal government had to come up with a plan for the transportation and care of the people needing treatment. The lack of coordination is contrary to good emergency management principals," Halstead said.
Acting at the behest of Gov. Charlie Crist, he sent a letter to the White House expressing concerns. The letter said Florida was bearing the brunt of the airlift and would need assistance if it continued. It triggered the suspension of the airlift.
During the suspension, while the issue was being sorted out, the national spotlight fell on Halstead.
In the end, federal officials listened to Halstead and more than 50,000 survivors were evacuated to the United States with many of them being treated in Florida.
"The three areas of greatest concern in my job are relief and recovery, natural disasters and homeland security," Halstead said.
Every effort is being made, according to Halstead, to keep the public safe from terrorists, but it's a daily endeavor in which he says we must all be "vigilant."
Halstead is single, an avid Minnesota Vikings fan, loves to watch old movies and has been known to tweet on occasion. His mentor was Craig Fugate, who was tapped by the Obama administration to take over the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
A Central Florida volunteer firefighter for Fern Park from 1970 to 1973, Halstead rose through the ranks before retiring as an assistant chief in 1998. He served as the chairman of the Florida Fire Chiefs Association Statewide Disaster Response Committee from 1995 until 1998.
In March 1999, he became a member of the National Wildlife Urban Interface Working Team that developed a national wildlife mitigation concept. "The wildfires in 1998 were some of the worst in the history of the state, but they also presented us the opportunity to develop concepts and teams that can be sent anywhere in the country to control and contain wildfires," he said.
In 2004, he served as the operations chief for the state response to Mississippi and Hurricane Katrina.
"We as Floridians can never be prepared enough for hurricanes. Each family should have supplies on hand that they will need in case a hurricane strikes," Halstead said. "They should also have a plan as to where they can go if they have to leave their homes and what they should take with them."
In April 2006, he was appointed by the director of the Division of Emergency Management to serve as the state emergency response team chief. In that role, he ran the State Emergency Operations Center.
Crist appointed him interim deputy director for the Division of Emergency Management in May of 2009, and in that role, he oversees five bureaus and 136 full-time employees and 125 other professional service positions.
Finally, in January, he was appointed interim director for the division.
John Hinds can be reached at JHinds1949@aol.com
