Disaster Zone

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.

Emergency management specialist Brad Milliken discusses the concept of using playbooks instead of lengthy plans in emergency management. He shares his career journey and experiences with planning. The podcast explores the art of improvisation in emergency management and the importance of having a comprehensive set of plays to choose from. It differentiates between playbooks and basic plans, highlighting the need for clear guidelines and involving others in the planning process. The podcast emphasizes the usefulness of playbooks in providing structured understanding and facilitating conversations in disaster response.

Ever since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 there has been a much stronger relationship between law enforcement and emergency management. In this podcast we explore that relationship with Paul Pastor, the former Pierce County, Washington State Sheriff. It is a wide-ranging discussion of challenges being faced by both professions. One of the topics covered included how we need to become prepared for much longer duration events, like that which we have endured with the COVID pandemic. We also covered climate change, the political climate, and how we need to work towards more transparency. 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.

Morgan Wright is the Chief Security Advisor at SentinelOne and an internationally recognized expert on cybersecurity strategy, cyber terrorism, and advanced technology. His landmark testimony before Congress on Healthcare.gov changed how the government collected personally identifiable information. He has made hundreds of appearances on national news, radio, and print. In this podcast Morgan highlights how Russia is playing the long game when it comes to cybersecurity. He also contrasts their goals with those of China. 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.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 10 has a new Regional Administrator, Willie Nunn. Nunn had previously been a Federal Coordination Officer (FCO) for a number of years. In this podcast we explore how his past experiences, personal and professional have shaped his approach to his new position. We also delve into what makes FEMA Region 10 unique in its own way, from the people, hazards and approaches to emergency management. Logistics for instance, will be a huge challenge following a subduction earthquake that impacts all the states in his territory.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.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.