All Hazards

By CalOES/Shawn Boyd

What's All Hazards about?

Interviews with California and national emergency response leaders who talk about what they've learned from the most challenging moments of their careers.

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All Hazards episodes:

07.28.2023
Cal OES Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Marshall Details Preparations for Fire Season
In this episode (#97) we talk with Cal OES Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Marshall. With an impressive 30 plus year background in emergency management, Chief Marshall has been serving with Cal OES since 2019. With California heading into its peak...
08.09.2022
Cal OES Chief Counsel Jennifer Bollinger’s Pleasantly Relentless Demeanor Helps Gets Things Done
This episode (#96) of All Hazards gives us a view of Cal OES’s mission through a legal lens. We sit down with Cal OES Chief Counsel Jennifer Bollinger. She covers everything from how she became an attorney, and how she...
05.12.2022
Massive Wildfire Recovery Operation in Greenville, California, is Nearing the Finish Line
This episode (#95) takes us to Greenville, California, where efforts to recover from the Dixie and Beckwourth Complex fires are accelerating as the finish lines comes into view. We talk with Cole Glenwright, Cal OES Recovery Operations Section Chief, who...
03.24.2022
EPISODE 94: New Cal OES Law Chief Don O’Keefe Settles-in after Changes in Cop Culture, Capture of Bay Area Arsonist and with Plans for Growth
In this episode (#94) we talk with the new Cal OES Law Branch chief Donald O’Keefe. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed O’Keefe in December 2021, building on a distinguished career in law enforcement at both the local and federal level. In 2012,...
02.17.2022
PODCAST (#92): Alex Cabassa and Dr. Lawrence Heiskell discuss the California Specialized Training Institute and the impact it has made for California
California experiences numerous unique disasters that first responders and emergency managers must be ready to respond to at any moment. Training is a critical part of that process in which the California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) builds confidence in their...
12.16.2021
Roseville 911
La Oficina de Servicios de Emergencia, o Cal OES por sus siglas en inglés, ha implementado cambios en la tecnología, transformando el sistema 9-1-1 de análogo a digital, y permitiendo con ello, un mejor proceso de comunicación y asistencia a...
12.07.2021
Cal OES, PSC Lead Nation to Go Live with NextGen 911 in Tuolumne County, California
This episode (#90) brings us up to speed on Next Generation 911 in California. 911.gov explains: “Because most 911 systems were originally built using analog rather than digital technologies, public safety answering points (PSAPs) across the country need to be upgraded...
10.22.2021
PODCAST #89: Teams Race Rain to Mitigate Toxic Debris Flows, Advance Dixie Fire Recovery
In this episode (#89) we talk with Jerry Sipe, recovery manger for Dixie and Beckwourth Complex Fires in Plumas County. He talks about how the utter devastation in Greenville, a town of about 1,100 in Plumas County, has left a debris...
10.12.2021
A Phoenix Rising in Greenville After the Dixie Fire Destroys Town, Fire Station, Truck
The Dixie Fire was a tough one. It started on July 13, 2021, and is still burning (as of this post on Oct. 12) on the Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and in five counties:...
09.16.2021
California and Japan Share a History of Natural Disaster Assistance, Research Collaboration to Save Lives
In this episode (#87) we talk with an expert on disaster mitigation. He is Professor Satoru Nishikawa, Disaster Mitigation Research Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. We had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Nishikawa about the topics that connect Japan and...
06.18.2021
Come Along with Us on Our Walking Tour of Damage and Recovery of Big Basin Redwoods State Park
This episode of All Hazards (#86) takes you on a walking tour of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The CZU Complex fire burned nearly all of the 18,000-acre park beginning in August, 2020, a significant portion of the 86,000 acres...
04.20.2021
Cal OES Leads Covid19-Safe Radiological Exercise Sentinel Response 2021
In the words of our guest for this episode, “Table top is one thing. Getting your knuckles dirty is another.” Cal OES Assistant Fire Joe Gear takes a few minutes to sit down and talk with us about his role...
03.09.2021
Covid-19 Vaccinations on a Mega Scale: Figuring Out What Right Looks Like
This episode of All Hazards (#84) takes us to the front lines of the fight against Covid-19, the vaccination super site located at Cal State Los Angeles. We sit down with some of the top leadership there: David Stone, Cal OES...
02.23.2021
Meteorologist Michelle Mead Faces Wildest Weather of Career in California, Godzilla Storms and Atmospheric Rivers Among Them
In this episode (#83) we talk with Michelle Mead, Meteorologist In Charge - at the National Weather Service in Sacramento. We talk about the role the meteorologist plays during the response and recovery efforts for a disaster. Ms. Mead graduated in...
01.20.2021
San Francisco FD Drafts Rookie PIO Who Starts Career in Super Bowl 50
Be sure to visit OES News for more images and podcast information. In this episode of All Hazards, he’s THE public information officer for his fire department. No, not a small hamlet in rural California. San Francisco, California. Can you believe...
12.16.2020
Supply, Demand and Other Logistical Challenges During the Cal OES Covid19 Pandemic Response
In this episode (#81) we talk with Grady Joseph, Cal OES Assistant Director for the Covid19 Logistics Task Force. Learn about the complexity inherent in the logistical response to this pandemic in California. He talks about the early challenges of...
11.10.2020
Rebuilding Communities, Lives After Disaster with Cal OES Recovery's Ryan Buras
In this episode we sit down with Cal OES Deputy Director, Recovery, Ryan Buras. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Mr. Buras in June, 2019 (just in time for the year of disasters, 2020) to head our Recovery directorate due, in part,...
10.27.2020
PODCAST: Lifetime of Emergencies Nearly Sent California Fire Chief Past the Point of No Return
In episode #79 we are grateful to have CALFIRE Battalion Chief Mike Mohler as our guest. Reaching us via Zoom during this pandemic, he speaks candidly about his “implosion” on the job, which led him to seek professional help. Chief...
10.07.2020
CZU Torches Big Basin Redwoods, We Will Make Memories Here Again
In this episode (#78) we talk with Chris Spohrer, District Superintendent, California State Parks, Santa Cruz District. He talks to us about the devastation to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park done by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire when it...
09.22.2020
Health Concerns with the Toxic Soup that is Wildfire Smoke
In this episode (#77) we talk with two experts on the dangers of exposure to wildfire smoke. Our guests are: Sumi Hoshiko is an environmental epidemiologist with the Environmental Health Investigations Branch, Center for Healthy Communities, in the California Department of Public...
08.04.2020
California Contact Tracing: On the Job with Brittani Peterson
This is part-2 of our conversation with contact tracer Brittani Peterson. In part-1, episode #75, Brittani was just wrapping up her training and was about to begin her work reaching out to people who had recently tested positive for coronavirus. Now,...
06.26.2020
Contact Tracing to Help Stop the Spread of the Coronavirus Pandemic
In this episode of All Hazards we take a look at “contact tracing.” We began hearing about this in earnest shortly after the coronavirus hit. Health officials are trying to find out who’s had it, where they might have gotten...
05.26.2020
Legislative and External Affairs and Their Own Challenges During Emergencies
This is the return of All Hazards after a Covid19 Hiatus. We hope you’re all safe and well. We sat down with members of the Cal OES Office of Legislative and External Affairs in January 2020 with the intention of posting...
02.18.2020
Mitch Medigovich: "Athleticism" is a Self-Imposed Requirement for Success in Disaster Logistics
In this episode (#73) we talk with Cal OES Deputy Director Mitch Medigovich, who oversees the Logistics Management Directorate. We concentrate on some of the more recent incidents Logistics have been challenged by including the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS),...
01.21.2020
Helen Lopez Leads Cal OES Behind and Beyond the California Borders Via International Affairs
This episode takes a closer look at how the International Affairs Office, at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, is the central hub for matters of international policy and guidelines, working relationships and special international projects. As the focal point...
12.24.2019
Cal OES Legal Chief Alex Pal Sets High Bar to Ensure a Resilient California
In this episode, Cal OES Chief Counsel Alex Pal sits down with Shawn Boyd at headquarters to talk about the role he and his office played during a few recent California emergencies, and the importance legal affairs plays as a...
12.14.2019
Tribal Affairs Before, During and After Disasters with Denise Shemenski
Denise Shemenski is the tribal advisor for Cal OES. The purpose of the Office of Tribal Coordination is to improve and maintain communication and collaboration between California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and all Native American Tribes in California....
11.13.2019
Access and Functional Needs Concerns Met During Recent California Emergencies
In this episode of All Hazards (#69) we talk with Vance Taylor; he’s the chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at Cal OES. Topics of conversation include the importance of partnerships, issues and concerns related to AFN...
10.24.2019
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea Talks Camp Fire One Year Later
We caught up with Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea just about one year after the Camp Fire broke out, and about 11 months after we first sat down with him. In this episode, Sheriff Honea talks about how the recovery...
09.17.2019
Mona Pasquil Rogers and What She's Learned from Children, Governors and President Clinton
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Mona Pasquil Rogers as senior advisor at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in June, 2019. Pasquil Rogers has served as appointments secretary in the Office of the Governor since 2011. • Chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor...
09.03.2019
Brian Ferguson Takes Helm as Deputy Director of Communications at Cal OES
In this episode (#66) we talk with Brian Ferguson, deputy director of communications at Cal OES. We’ll talk about his transition from working in the governor’s office to the world of emergency management and why he’s OK with not knowing...
07.18.2019
Podcast: Grocers Considered 'Initial Responders' Following Ridgecrest Earthquakes, Disasters
In this episode of All Hazards, we talk about the important relationship between Cal OES and the private sector. We sit down with two people who have forged a working relationship that exemplifies the symbiotic nature of disaster response and...
06.14.2019
CERT Members from Around US Gather in San Diego for Notable Preparedness Milestone
California Volunteers, together with the Office of the Governor, announced on May 30, 2019, they kicked off the California For All CERT and Listos Preparedness Conference during an opening ceremony in San Diego, CA on Thursday, May 30, according to their own...
05.22.2019
Australian Delegation of Top Emergency Managers Visit Cal OES to Share Best Practices and More
In this episode of All Hazards we chat with three members of a delegation from a high level of Australia’s emergency management leadership. They are visiting Cal OES for strategic discussions on how both California and Australian representatives coordinate and respond...
05.02.2019
Dirty Bomb Exercise Ultimate Test for Urban Search and Rescue Teams
In this episode (#62) of All Hazards we talk with Orange County Fire Captain Richard Ventura. He’s a member of the California Urban Search & Rescue Task Force 5 and is the director of the Southern Wind RDD US&R Full...
04.23.2019
Podcast Episode 61: Be You Nehru
In this episode we talk with our new Cal OES Deputy Coastal Region Administrator Nehru Harper. Nehru has always led a life of service--from being a Brownie, to becoming one the first of many women to serve onboard a Pentagon sanctioned vessel...
04.02.2019
Podcast #60: ¿Está Listo? Consejos y Pasos Para Estar Más Preparados Ante Una Emergencia o Desastre
Podcast #60: En este podcast, vamos a hablar sobre la importancia de estar listos para un desastre o emergencia. Viviendo en California, no somos extraños a las emergencias. Hablamos con Jovanna Garcia de la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de...
03.05.2019
On-Scene with Woolsey and Hill Fires Incident Commander Kendra Bowyer; Debris Removal Progress
Kendra Bowyer is the Incident Commander for the Woolsey and Hill Fire debris removal operations in Southern California. She has served in many other capacities in nearly a dozen previous debris Removal operations for the state of California since 2015. Kendra...
02.19.2019
Podcast #58: First Chat with New Cal OES Fire Chief Brian Marshall
February 4, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Director Mark Ghilarducci officially swore in Brian Marshall as the new Fire and Rescue Chief. He was appointed to his new position in December. Chief Marshall spent the previous six years...
01.29.2019
CALFIRE's Mike Mohler Indicates Paradigm Shift in the Wind for Wildland Fires in California Following Historical Disasters
In this episode (# 57) we talk with Mike Mohler, Deputy Director of Communications for CALFIRE. In his current role, as well as his prior position as Battalion Chief at Southern Region, Mike has worked many of California’s biggest wildfire...
11.29.2018
Episode 56: Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea Talks Candidly About the Camp Fire
Sheriff Kory L. Honea In this episode (#56) we sit down with the sheriff of Butte County, California, Kory Honea. His county, of course, was ravaged by the Camp Fire which broke out on November 8, 2018. The Town of Paradise,...
11.06.2018
Episode 55: Tim Walton Documents Disasters While Looking Through a Viewfinder, a Unique Perspective
In this episode (55) we talk with veteran news photojournalist Tim Walton. He gives us a unique perspective on working with first responders during disasters, especially wildfires. Tim has also works with Cal OES, donating much of his dramatic fire...
10.23.2018
Podcast Episode 54: From the Water in Flint to the Water in Puerto Rico with FEMA's David Samaniego
FEMA Region IX David Samaniego In this episode of All Hazards we sit down with the current Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) for the California Wildfires Disaster Response David Samaniego. Large portions of the counties of Shasta and Lake in the north...
10.09.2018
Podcast Episode 53: Cal OES Team Returns from Hurricane Florence Assistance and Shares Experiences, Part-2
Front Row, L-R: Andy Langolf, Drew Hammond, Carly Landry, Megan Pappas Back Row, L-R: Anthony Zimmer, Mike Warren, Ron Williams, Mark Ackerman On September 12, 2018, Cal OES deployed emergency and incident management specialists to assist with emergency response efforts for Hurricane...
10.03.2018
Podcast Episode 52: Cal OES Team Returns from Hurricane Florence Assistance and Shares Experiences
Front Row, L-R: Mike Warren, Ron Williams, Anthony Zimmer Back Row, L-R: Andy Langolf, Mark Ackerman, Megan Pappas On September 12, 2018, Cal OES deployed emergency and incident management specialists to assist with emergency response efforts for Hurricane Florence. The team arrived...
10.01.2018
Podcast Episode 51: Yosemite National Park After the Ferguson Fire
Yosemite National Park Rangers Scott Gediman and Jamie Richards According to the national Park Service, Yosemite National Park was first protected in 1864 and is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep...
08.28.2018
International Mutual Aid to California: New Zealand Shows It's a "Kiwi Thing to Do"
Chief Craig Cottrill: Wellington/Chatham Islands Fire and Emergency At the height of the wildfire siege across California, when 15 major fires burned, there were more than 13,000 firefighters from 18 states and two other countries battling the blazes. Those countries included...
08.28.2018
International Mutual Aid to California: New Zealand Shows It’s a “Kiwi Thing to Do”
Chief Craig Cottrill: Wellington/Chatham Islands Fire and Emergency At the height of the wildfire siege across California, when 15 major fires burned, there were more than 13,000 firefighters from 18 states and two other countries battling the blazes. Those countries included...
07.24.2018
Heat Wave is Coming to California - How Bad is It? Where at the Hottest Spots? What Can You Do?
EPISIDE 49 of Cal OES All Hazards Podcast July 24, 2018 California will be blasted with heat advisories and excessive heat warnings as temperatures will be between 10 to 15 degrees above normal Tuesday through Thursday. Why is that so dangerous, and...
07.03.2018
State Fire Chief Reflects on 40-Year Career as he Prepares to Ride Code-3 into the Sunset
Kim Zagaris, or Chief Z as some call him, is the State Fire and Rescue Chief for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES); he was appointed on April 1, 2001. He admits his appointment rattled cages, nerves...

What's All Hazards about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

All Hazards episodes:

Cal OES Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Marshall Details Preparations for Fire Season

Cal OES Chief Counsel Jennifer Bollinger’s Pleasantly Relentless Demeanor Helps Gets Things Done

Massive Wildfire Recovery Operation in Greenville, California, is Nearing the Finish Line

EPISODE 94: New Cal OES Law Chief Don O’Keefe Settles-in after Changes in Cop Culture, Capture of Bay Area Arsonist and with Plans for Growth

PODCAST (#92): Alex Cabassa and Dr. Lawrence Heiskell discuss the California Specialized Training Institute and the impact it has made for California

Roseville 911

Cal OES, PSC Lead Nation to Go Live with NextGen 911 in Tuolumne County, California

PODCAST #89: Teams Race Rain to Mitigate Toxic Debris Flows, Advance Dixie Fire Recovery

A Phoenix Rising in Greenville After the Dixie Fire Destroys Town, Fire Station, Truck

California and Japan Share a History of Natural Disaster Assistance, Research Collaboration to Save Lives

Come Along with Us on Our Walking Tour of Damage and Recovery of Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Cal OES Leads Covid19-Safe Radiological Exercise Sentinel Response 2021

Covid-19 Vaccinations on a Mega Scale: Figuring Out What Right Looks Like

Meteorologist Michelle Mead Faces Wildest Weather of Career in California, Godzilla Storms and Atmospheric Rivers Among Them

San Francisco FD Drafts Rookie PIO Who Starts Career in Super Bowl 50

Supply, Demand and Other Logistical Challenges During the Cal OES Covid19 Pandemic Response

Rebuilding Communities, Lives After Disaster with Cal OES Recovery's Ryan Buras

PODCAST: Lifetime of Emergencies Nearly Sent California Fire Chief Past the Point of No Return

CZU Torches Big Basin Redwoods, We Will Make Memories Here Again

Health Concerns with the Toxic Soup that is Wildfire Smoke

California Contact Tracing: On the Job with Brittani Peterson

Contact Tracing to Help Stop the Spread of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Legislative and External Affairs and Their Own Challenges During Emergencies

Mitch Medigovich: "Athleticism" is a Self-Imposed Requirement for Success in Disaster Logistics

Helen Lopez Leads Cal OES Behind and Beyond the California Borders Via International Affairs

Cal OES Legal Chief Alex Pal Sets High Bar to Ensure a Resilient California

Tribal Affairs Before, During and After Disasters with Denise Shemenski

Access and Functional Needs Concerns Met During Recent California Emergencies

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea Talks Camp Fire One Year Later

Mona Pasquil Rogers and What She's Learned from Children, Governors and President Clinton

Brian Ferguson Takes Helm as Deputy Director of Communications at Cal OES

Podcast: Grocers Considered 'Initial Responders' Following Ridgecrest Earthquakes, Disasters

CERT Members from Around US Gather in San Diego for Notable Preparedness Milestone

Australian Delegation of Top Emergency Managers Visit Cal OES to Share Best Practices and More

Dirty Bomb Exercise Ultimate Test for Urban Search and Rescue Teams

Podcast Episode 61: Be You Nehru

Podcast #60: ¿Está Listo? Consejos y Pasos Para Estar Más Preparados Ante Una Emergencia o Desastre

On-Scene with Woolsey and Hill Fires Incident Commander Kendra Bowyer; Debris Removal Progress

Podcast #58: First Chat with New Cal OES Fire Chief Brian Marshall

CALFIRE's Mike Mohler Indicates Paradigm Shift in the Wind for Wildland Fires in California Following Historical Disasters

Episode 56: Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea Talks Candidly About the Camp Fire

Episode 55: Tim Walton Documents Disasters While Looking Through a Viewfinder, a Unique Perspective

Podcast Episode 54: From the Water in Flint to the Water in Puerto Rico with FEMA's David Samaniego

Podcast Episode 53: Cal OES Team Returns from Hurricane Florence Assistance and Shares Experiences, Part-2

Podcast Episode 52: Cal OES Team Returns from Hurricane Florence Assistance and Shares Experiences

Podcast Episode 51: Yosemite National Park After the Ferguson Fire

International Mutual Aid to California: New Zealand Shows It's a "Kiwi Thing to Do"

International Mutual Aid to California: New Zealand Shows It’s a “Kiwi Thing to Do”

Heat Wave is Coming to California - How Bad is It? Where at the Hottest Spots? What Can You Do?

State Fire Chief Reflects on 40-Year Career as he Prepares to Ride Code-3 into the Sunset