Shrink the Pink Slice – Volcanic Ash
(December 1, 2022) The recent volcanic eruptions at Mauna Loa in Hawai’i – after 40 years of staying quiet – got me thinking about "The Pink Slice": what we don't know we don't know.
The recent volcanic eruptions at Mauna Loa in Hawai’i – after 40 years of staying quiet – got me thinking about a blog topic category I have in my consulting firm about “The Pink Slice.” If you are unfamiliar with the term “Pink Slice,” – it’s what you don’t know, you don’t know. It’s another way of describing a “Johari Window” – a social science model created by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955 (Johari is a combination of their first names: Joseph and Harry).
In a nutshell, for Emergency Managers (and pretty much everyone else) – there are things you know you know. Then, there are things you know you don’t know (or maybe things you know you really should know). There are also things you don’t know, but others might know (and may be used against you or disrupt what you know). Finally, there are just things you don’t know you don’t know. These are “aha” moments or factoids which will influence you forever… once you get to know them (and they move away from being part of the Pink Slice for you).
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I know I can’t play National Football League (NFL) football (too old, way out of shape, lack of any football skills, etc.). I know I do not know the age of the oldest active NFL player, and I don’t know if any of my skills could apply to an NFL team in any role. I will bet you did not know that the NFL is (still) classified as a non-profit organization under Section 501(C)6 of the Internal Revenue Code. And up until two days ago, I didn’t know that the NFL voluntarily gave up its tax-exempt status back in 2015 and has filed returns as taxable entities since then, ending more than 70 years of not filing tax returns. Through a quick Google search for this post, I shrunk the Pink Slice for myself on this subject.
What does this have to do with Emergency Management? Well, in 2014, the Super Bowl® came to New Jersey. It’s a long story about all of the EM planning - I was one of the planners - that goes into a Super Bowl®, maybe for another time. And it’s another story as to why this was deemed the NY Super Bowl® when it was held in New Jersey. Nonetheless, there were major costs involved in preparedness/protection/prevention, which were not fully reimbursed by the NFL to the State (and subdivisions) – yet there was significant revenue gained by League. Their status – and that of the ad hoc Super Bowl® Host Committee - as non-profits were introduced as one reason for the state having to bear a significant amount of costs (supposedly economic development/revenue from all of the events before, during and after would offset these costs). By the way, this one was nicknamed the “Security Bowl” for the many protective measures put in place. Again, that’s a tale for another time.
Back to the Volcanic Ash
So, I knew that when volcanos erupted, they produced volcanic ash, which goes everywhere (ash fall). I also knew there are significant health risks from ash falls, but I do not know what they are (nor do I know what I need to know for my and my family’s health should we encounter ash fall). I thought about cars being damaged by ash fall and figured buildings would also be significantly adversely impacted. Still, its really about the health risks to the people who live/work in buildings that get hit with ash fall – and both the short-term and long-term effects of ash fall have not yet been significantly researched nor published. Here’s the Pink Slice for me: Volcanic ash fall can conduct electricity. There can be lightning storms inside of an ash fall. Ash fall can adversely impact the electrical grid. From an Emergency Management perspective, Emergency Management Intelligence (EMINT) is needed, as it relates to ash falls for all 15 federal Emergency Support Functions (ESFs).
You can learn more about Shrinking the Pink Slice at https://blog.bartondunant.com/what-is-the-pink-slice/ - and we encourage you to add your own “Shrink the Pink Slice” Emergency Management-related stories in the comments on that blog or here below (if you are an EMN subscriber). And if anyone from Hawai'i wants to sponsor an in-person visit from me to discuss this further, drop me a line!
Shrink the Pink Slice – Volcanic Ash
See more "Shrink the Pink Slice" examples, at https://blog.bartondunant.com/what-is-the-pink-slice/