When what can go wrong, does go wrong: Fire department operations during cascading events.

Abstract

In 2021, Texas experienced a historic winter storm that paralysed the state. In particular, the city of San Antonio experienced a weather system which, over the span of seven days, created a pattern of cascading issues. This paper describes how the situation forced the San Antonio Fire Department to adapt its policies and procedures to respond to issues and circumstances that were never even thought possible for the area. The paper shows how critical thinking and innovation provided the department the ability to respond to the needs of the residents of San Antonio.