I teach in the land of acronyms – emergency management (which has its own acronym – EM). We have so many acronyms in EM that we have to have a book that lists them all. The book, titled FEMA Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Terms, features 4,200 acronyms on 160 pages. You gotta’ love that they have already inserted an acronym into the publication’s title – namely FEMA (which stands for the Federal Emergency Management Agency), but even better is the fact that they created an acronym for the acronym book (FAAT) – oh yes, these are your government dollars at work.
To add to the marvel of the FAAT book (which really is a fat book), is the fact that many acronyms have more than one meaning. There is nothing in emergency management that cannot be converted to an acronym. You doubt me – check it out: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/plan/prepare/faatlist03_05.pdf . Amazingly FEMA encourages the submission of new acronyms…as if there are not enough already.
One of my favorite acronyms of all time – that I learned many, many moons ago in high school – is BFD. You may be familiar with that one – in my high school acronym book it stands for Big Flippin’ Deal (yes a purposeful edit occurred here mid-acronym). But not so in EM land…oh no…BFD stands for Base Flood Depth in acronym world which kind of deflates the power I expect to get out of such a great acronym.
Perhaps you recall the oft used acronym TMI (Too Much Information) – well, they have sullied that one as well – it is Three Mile Island in EM land– other than both denoting a potentially disastrous situation – they aren’t exactly similar. And did you ever utter the acronym PMS? Well, I doubt you were trying to convey Payments Management System or Programs Management System. Ever called someone an SOB? In EM that has a more somber meaning – Souls on Board.
You may have gone through life believing double or triple Ds related to bra cup sizes…sorry…that would be Damaged Dwelling and Direct Distance Dialing…how is that for a buzz kill gentlemen? And did your parents ever tell you to be nice? Well, try B-NICE which stands for Biological, Nuclear, Incendiary, Chemical, or Explosive…pretty sure that wasn’t what mom and dad were going for with that admonition.
I could go on like this for hours (really – hours) – but suffice to say OMG – WTF! These are two acronyms that FEMA has not claimed as their own – yet.
A couple of semesters ago two of my students (Patrick W. and Patrick P.) came up with what I believe to be the quintessential acronym for the acronym-loving EM community – IIAAII. That stands for – If It’s An Acronym It’s Important. I immediately had magnets made up and gave them out to all my EM friends. They are all the rage.
Perhaps I’ll submit IIAAII to the FAAT book and suggest they get it added ASAP! I wonder what acronym they will use in their reply to me – could be interesting.
Day fourteen of the new forty – obla di obla da
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