Constant Choas: The Daily Battle to Protect the Environment [B0410]

2022 PB. From Ron Holcomb, a retired spill-response specialist at the WA State Department of Ecology. Constant Chaos explodes the myth of the pencil-pushing government worker. Spill responders are on call for all of us 24/7, mitigating environmental emergencies and natural disasters. Sometimes at great risk to themselves, they muster know-how and resources when: ships and tankers spill fuel, trains crash, catastrophic floods and other natural disasters occur, unexplained strange blobs fall from the sky, and meth labs and toxic chemicals threaten neighborhoods and people. Ron Holcomb's collection of true stories of triumph and human tragedy during his decades with the Washington State Department of Ecology surprise and amaze. They're shot through with the human emotions and concerns we all share as citizens of planet Earth. The many riveting stories give readers an antidote to societal divisions. They highlight an array of colorful characters and showcase the caring, dedication, cooperation, and determination of career public servants. Ron Holcomb, like spill responders who work around the clock handling emergencies in every state and many nations, gives us something to cheer about amid Constant Chaos.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Reads like a novel but is in fact factual. I was immersed in the world of a first responder and was spellbound. It opened my eyes to the tedious and never ending nature of their work. Everyone should read it to understand the effects of pollution on the environment and on us."; "I found every chapter riveting and very informative. Ron tells 'what it was like' for highly skilled teams from The Department of Ecology, as well as responders from other federal, state, local agencies and the private sector to deal with the 'Constant Chaos' of environmental HAZMAT spill response. I also appreciated his empathy and understanding when confronted with human tragedy and occasional loss of life at both large and small events. In sum, this is a great read about Washington State's environmental spill history, from the time a report is made, through the initial response and on to eventual remediation and protection of precious land and water resources."