Two unrelated, related stories about emergency response times.

First, there was an attempted robbery at Pepe’s Grocery in Dallas, TX the other day.  The store manager shot one of the robbers with his handgun and called 911.  The police did not arrive until 75 minutes after the call was made.

Second, the Emergency Manager for Detroit delivered a report to the Michigan Treasurer that stated the City of Detroit was insolvent and unable to borrow money.  Pension costs, debt service, and lower tax revenues combined with decades of fiscal mismanagement have brought the problem to a head.  Police and fire response times in Motown are also comparatively long.

These stories are related because they show that government services may not be there when you need them.  In the case of Joe Cho, a pistol was all that kept him from being robbed since the police would not arrive for over an hour after he made his 911 call.  For Detroit, residents can expect even fewer services (police, fire, public works) as the city deals with insolvency.  As I have written about here and here, increasing municipal financial problems will have an impact on citizens lives.

Part of the solution to this is to become better prepared to handle emergencies yourself.  Police, fire, and rescue personnel may not be as available or responsive as they have been in the past.  Individuals will have to rely upon themselves and non-governmental entities to provide services previously performed by governments.  Some example include:

• Firearms ownership and training
• Private policing and armed security
• Physical security upgrades (hardened entrances, video surveillance, increased lighting)
• Emergency electrical power generation
• Community patrols by trained citizens

Becoming better prepared means greater resiliency and independence in an increasingly unstable world where the government is not always there to protect you…