Climate change is bringing heat, drought, and wildfires as significant hazards across the globe. In this podcast, Dr. Paula Scalingi, Executive Director of the Institute for Innovating Security and Resilience is interviewed about the increasing risks of climate fueled wildfires and their impact. Additionally, in the second half of the podcast we discuss how government and other organizations can work together to reduce the impacts of wildfires. There are several references mentioned during the podcast. One is Firewise which gives great tips for protecting individual homes. And, when someone does suffer a fire loss, there is The Red Guide to Recovery that is a great resource for individuals and families who have lost property from a wildfire. The Blue Cell is a by-design crisis and consequence management consulting firm with a primary focus on education and training for government at all levels, non governmental agencies and private sector entities engaged in incident and emergency management activities.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

Social media is a relatively new communications tool. However, today it dominates many aspects for how people communicate in their personal lives and is of increasing importance in business and government. In this podcast we will be exploring how social media is being used, or not used, by emergency managers, before, during and after a disaster. My guest today is Dr. Claire Connolly Knox with the University of Central Florida where she is an Associate Professor of Public Administration. As part of our discussions, we’ll be learning about the challenges and opportunities for emergency management to use social media. Here is link to an article on a study she worked on relating to disasters and social media When Hurricanes Strike, Social Media Can Save Lives  And, since I mentioned it when the topic of Hurricane Katrina came up, here is a link to the Washington Post Op-ed I had published at the time the levees failed in New Orleans, Destroying FEMA.This episode is sponsored by Bent Ear Solutions which offers comprehensive capabilities and deep industry knowledge necessary to help you solve the most complex issues of your organization. We advise public and private organizations on an all-inclusive approach to disaster preparedness that addresses governance, planning, operational procedures, technology implementation, training, and exercises in order to achieve a successful and sustainable program.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

It is unfortunate that mass shootings continue to occur and that schools remain a target for unhinged gunmen. In this podcast Meg Cuttino is the guest. She was a former law enforcement officer and School Resource Officer (SRO), until she became the emergency management coordinator for the University of South Carolina’s regional campuses. Today she is an emergency management consultant with Hagerty Consulting. In this podcast we discuss what has changed about responding to school shootings since the 1999 Columbine High School Shooting and what can be done to prevent school shootings from physical security at schools to having more school counselors. The terrible tragedy that happened at Uvalde Texas is also discussed.  Dynamis, a leading provider of information management software and security solutions, is a sponsor of this podcast.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

Oregon Emergency Management is undergoing a major transition from being a division of the Oregon National Guard to now being a Department of Emergency Management reporting directly to the Governor of Oregon. Andrew Phelps, Director of Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management is the guest for this podcast.  In it he details some of the key factors that made that transition happen and how the move will impact their ability to more effectively provide emergency management services. It should be noted that they have doubled the size of their workforce! This change in organizational placement happened on July 1, 2022. For a brief summary of that move see this Disaster Zone Blog Post: Oregon Emergency Management Moves Under the Governor We also discuss the relationship between Andrew Phelps and Mike Harryman, the Oregon State Resilience Officer. To learn more about that position see a previous Disaster Zone Podcast, Oregon State Resilience Officer where he was interviewed. This episode is sponsored by Unearth. Unearth’s emergency response software connects field responders and the command center, equipping teams with mobile tools for rapid damage assessments, real-time incident tracking, and seamless information sharing. Empower field teams where their work actually happens - reducing response times, optimizing resource management, and simplifying reporting with a dynamic, map-based field operations platform.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

Dr. Jeff Stern is the Superintendent of the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), located at Emmitsburg Maryland. EMI is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) center for the development and delivery of emergency management instructional curriculum that is delivered both in-person and remotely via technology. In this podcast we discuss the history of EMI and how it and the curriculum is constantly changing, just as our national threats have evolved over the years. Dr. Stern discusses the development of emergency management as a profession and how the training and education of the current and future workforce are his top priorities. The Blue Cell is a by-design crisis and consequence management consulting firm with a primary focus on education and training for government at all levels, non governmental agencies and private sector entities engaged in incident and emergency management activities.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

One of the aspects of our environment that impacts us on a daily basis is the weather. When it comes to disasters, the weather can be the cause of the disaster and even if it isn’t, weather conditions are something we need to always concern ourselves with. In this podcast the guest is Reid Wolcott, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NWS) Seattle In the podcast we have a wide-ranging discussion about how the NWS is organized and the weather products that they provide. In the second half we discuss the issuance of warnings, changes come to warning terminology and all the different electronic means used to issue warnings.This episode is sponsored by Bent Ear Solutions which offers comprehensive capabilities and deep industry knowledge necessary to help you solve the most complex issues of your organization. We advise public and private organizations on an all-inclusive approach to disaster preparedness that addresses governance, planning, operational procedures, technology implementation, training, and exercises in order to achieve a successful and sustainable program.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

When asked, emergency managers will unfailingly say that the first critical infrastructure that needs to be restored after a disaster is communications. In this podcast I interview two T-Mobile subject matter experts, Rodney Cooper and Casey Muilenburg who, along with others, are responsible for the T-Mobile Emergency Response Team (ERT). We discuss all the components that make up an ERT, both equipment and personnel. T-Mobile now has a robust ERT capability that can be deployed for both planned events and for the wide range of disasters that communities might experience. Listening to this podcast will give you a good basis for understanding their capabilities and how to request their assistance. This podcast is sponsored by T-Mobile for Government, providing innovative connectivity solutions that help government better serve citizens by enabling agencies to work more intelligently, efficiently, and securely. Their mobile device management solutions help safeguard sensitive data and their network is ideal for unlocking game-changing loT technology.  T-Mobile provides 24x7x365 support, so they are ready to help you when communications are critical. T-Mobile is America’s largest, fastest, and most reliable 5G network.Capable device required for 5G; coverage not available in some areas. Some uses may require certain plan or feature; see T-Mobile.com. Fastest: Based on median, overall combined 5G speeds according to analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 5G download speeds for Q1 2022. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission. Most Reliable: According to an audit report conducted by independent third party umlaut containing crowdsourced data for user experience including task completion collected from November 2021 to May 2022. Full details can be found on: www.umlaut.com/en/benchmarking/USA. umlaut containing crowdsourced data for user experience including task completion collected from November 2021 to May 2022. Full details can be found on: www.umlaut.com/en/benchmarking/USA.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

Melanie Spring has over 18 years of experience in engineering, operations, continuous improvement, organizational change management, and business transformation, primarily in power and utilities.  Having just moved to consulting, her focus is now on helping organizations grow and transform by adopting improved business processes and finding new ways of working, enabled by technology investments.  In her time at a large public utility, Melanie held a number of storm positions in addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, including leading damage assessment, crew management, restoration strategy, and resource logistics.  Melanie served as the Louisiana Incident Response Logistics Chief for her utility for several years, including the historic 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season in which five storms made landfall in Louisiana.This episode is sponsored by Unearth. Unearth’s emergency response software connects field responders and the command center, equipping teams with mobile tools for rapid damage assessments, real-time incident tracking, and seamless information sharing. Empower field teams where their work actually happens - reducing response times, optimizing resource management, and simplifying reporting with a dynamic, map-based field operations platform.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

One of the things that the COVID Pandemic has highlighted is the growing shortage of healthcare workers. This is especially true in rural areas of the United States.  Erin J. McLaughlin  An employment attorney discusses the causes and impacts of this labor shortage and what is being done to address it. See a previous Disaster Zone Blog post directly related to this subject about an initiative by the National Governor’s Association (NGA) to work in concert with one another, Health Worker Shortage. Dynamis, a leading provider of information management software and security solutions, is a sponsor of this podcast.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

Experts Chris Mcintosh, Carrie Tropasso, and Sheena Connelly discuss using MS Teams and ArcGIS for crisis management. They explore remote work benefits, collaboration, file storage advantages, integration challenges, and strategies for implementing new technology. They also highlight the importance of mapping integration in incident management software for effective disaster management.