In 2011, I co-founded what would become one of the largest school-based positive behavior summits in the Midwest. As my partners and I crafted legal contracts with the conference center, vendors and presenters, we were introduced to the term “Force Majeure” which is very significant in Wisconsin in February. Ever since, I’ve considered force majeure as it relates to school safety – and that inevitably leads into chaos theory. WHAT IS FORCE MAJEURE? Force Majeure is French for “superior force”. Force majeure refers to a clause that is included in contracts to remove liability for natural and unavoidable catastrophes that interrupt the expected course of events and restrict participants from fulfilling obligations. In other words, if solar flare fried our electrical grid, we wouldn’t be on the hook to pay conference presenters their speaking fees as Tuesday’s conference wasn’t going happen as the communication, power and transportation structures largely left people with few options other than to stay in their homes or hoof it to the nearest supply depot. WAS 9/11 FORCE MAJEURE? Yes. New York, for example, hadn’t encountered a terrorist attack via commercial aircraft – ever! And, nobody had experienced all commercial planes grounded across the nation for days. If you couldn’t fly your shipment of XYZ from Boston to LA in 24 hours, as promised, then the force majeure clause would have been activated and you wouldn’t be held at fault for not fulfilling the contract. CAN FEMA DECLARE FORCE MAJEURE? I don’t think so. And, if FEMA has this ability, it hasn’t exercised it. But, it would be helpful for strengthening rescue forces during sentinel events, such as flooding. For example, in 2017, the nonprofit Cajun Navy Relief volunteered boats, trucks, food, manpower and other resources to rescue people from flooded areas. FEMA was largely a passive partner in this process – not overtly assisting Cajun Navy Relief in most instances, but also not a barrier to their interface into the government rescue system. This changed with Hurricane Florence in 2018 as FEMA was significantly less cooperative with nonprofits such as Triton Relief Group. If FEMA declared a state of force majeure, however, that act might clear the way for nonprofit rescue forces to play bigger roles, and in expedited fashion, with large scale rescues. WHAT DOES FORCE MAJEURE MEAN FOR SCHOOL SAFETY? This is a slippery interface. First, a declaration of force majeure might convey to some that the situation if insurmountable and they will simply surrender. On the other hand, force majeure can acknowledge that the state of similarity has officially transitioned into chaos – and actually embracing chaos can help people narrow down and make decisions that might save lives. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com This is Episode #100. LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com
Top Ten Questions About Working At The School For The Blind | SDP162
Life Pivot After Traumatic Brain Injury | Behind The Media Curtain | Guest Sassed1 2Many | SDP161
Why Words Matter | The Lexicon of Crisis Communication | Lost Lives and Crashes | SDP160
Entropy of Structures and Systems | The New Fire Engine Effect | SDP159
Teacher Burnout Crisis | Short-Staffed Schools Closing | 5 Ways to Solve It Right Now | SDP158
COVID Chaos | Update on Parents Suing School Districts | Special Guest Attorney Lisa Linney | SDP157
JIT Manufacturing Ceding To 3D Printing | Supply Chain Experiencing Disruptive Transition | SDP156
FBI Planning To Investigate Parents | NASB and AG Garland Memo | What You Need to Know | SDP155
School Mask Mandates and Parents Filing Lawsuits Against Schools | What You Need To Know | SDP154 | Livestream 10-12-2021
Intellectual Property for the Everyday Internet User | Lee Jarvis | SDP153 | Livestream 12-27-2020
Carl Hopf: EHS in the time of COVID | Bluetooth, PPE, and Biological Best Practices | SDP152 | Livestream 11-24-2020
New First Amendment Playbook | The Rules Have Changed | Big Tech Censorship | Livestream 11-12-2020
Rogue Birthday Episode | Election Impact on Chaos | De-Platforming Survivalists | LIvestream 11-7-2020
Failure to Regress to the Mean | Why Things Aren't Returning to Normal | Livestream 10-29-2020
Matthew Hoover | Four Waves of Chaos | Where is All the Ammunition? LIVESTREAM 9-3-2020
SDP147 | CPA Chad Elkins | Finance in Chaos | Money Behaviors of Panicked People | Livestream 8-13-2020
SDP146: Survival Expert Morgan Rogue | Subtle Signs of Chaos | Livestream 8-7-2020
SDP145: The Most Dangerous Job in the World: Alaskan Crab Boater Robert Travis | Livestream 8-3-20
Untold Stories From Former Soviet Cyclist Nikolai Razouvaev
Clay Martin | Author of Concrete Jungle: A Green Beret’s Guide to Urban Survival | LIVESTREAM 7-18-2020
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