Disaster Zone

One of the outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic is the need to maintain social distancing. An innovation borne out of this is organizations have begun using technology to conduct virtual exercises. My guest for this podcast is Kyle McPhee, Director of Preparedness for Hagerty Consulting. Topics discussed include what technology solutions work and what the benefits and challenges are for doing virtual exercises. I also ask Kyle about career opportunities for new college graduates with emergency management degrees getting into the consulting industry.This episode is sponsored by The Blue Cell, 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.

No matter who you are and what you do, there is an element of salesmanship to how you interact with other people and organizations. This podcast is an interview with Jeff Kirchick, author of the book Authentic Selling, How to use the Principles of Sales in Everyday Life. In this podcast we discuss what it takes to be authentic and how incorporating listening and being empathetic can help you interact more effectively with others. 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.

Mike Byrne, the podcast guest has been at the center of emergency management and homeland security for decades, both in responding and recovering from major disasters while holding senior positions responsible for orchestrating assistance from a government and private sector perspective. In this podcast he speaks about his personal learning points from four major disasters that he was intimately involved with in either the disaster response or recovery phases. This episode is sponsored by The Blue Cell, 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.

The need to achieve communications interoperability has haunted public agencies for years. The terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 highlighted the need to improve the ability for public agencies from different jurisdictions to communicate with one another. Now today, Verizon has initiated an outreach to other companies, carriers, device makers, etc. to come together to jointly work on the issue of communications interoperability. The guest on this podcast is the individual leading those efforts. Andrés Irlando. He is a senior vice president at Verizon and the president of its public sector business and Verizon Connect. In this position he is responsible for its Federal -- both Department of Defense and civilian agencies -- state, local, education and public safety customers.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.

People are often called on to deliver public presentations. Yet, the very thought of speaking in public makes many people panic. We know the power of speakers who can convey messages that are clear and convincing, whether delivered in person or online. This episode is an interview with Michael Buschmohle, President of Applause Associates who has trained thousands of speakers worldwide, including many emergency managers. He will share his shortcuts for preparing and delivering persuasive and action-oriented presentations. You can contact Michael at 425-392-1155. This episode is sponsored by The Blue Cell, 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.

As people and organizations in the public and private sector work to prepared disaster plans, trainings and exercises they need to remember to include a focus on people with disabilities in all facets of their emergency management and business continuity program. The guest for this podcast is Linda Mastandrea, Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. In the podcast we dive into different aspects of building a program that is inclusive and addresses every segment of our society. Linda provides a list of things ‘to do’ and include in your program. 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.

Technologies are available now that can help with many facets of emergencymanagement and business continuity programs. This is an interview with Matt Bradley, Vice President, with OnSolve a company that specializes in providing a variety technological solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the newest tool being added to help organizations obtain situational awareness very early in an event. Future trends are another topic discussed, along with how moving to a virtual worker environment has complicated operations and notification protocols.This episode is sponsored by The Blue Cell, 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.

In this podcast Deanne Criswell, New York City’s Emergency Management Commissioner discusses how the city uses a variety of legacy warning systems along with new technologies to warn the public. New York City has a significant challenge with the level of diversity in spoken languages in the city and those issues are also addressed in the podcast.This episode is sponsored by The Blue Cell, 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.

As the Covid pandemic continues raging and businesses are being cut back, many people are working from home. Besides working online with Zoom, people are doing more and more writing. But most people are not professional writers and many find writing challenging. This episode is an interview with Michael Buschmohle, an author, book editor, and international writing instructor. He will share his proven tips for writing short, clear email and persuasive documents. Plus, how to respond tactfully to complaints. You can contact Michael at 425-392-1155.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.

Eventually everyone in government or business will likely need to engage a consultant to assist their organization with an element of work that they need help with. This podcast is an interview with Brian Murphy, a Principal with BERK Consulting. We discuss a number of issues related to obtaining a consultant to perform work for you. What should you expect from a consultant? When do you use a RFP, RFI or RFQ to solicit proposals? Additionally, we discuss the working relationship the consultant and the customer should have during an engagement.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.