Bridging the Gap

In this special IAEM Conference Series episode of Bridging the Gap, SummitET experts discuss the Community Lifeline Status System Project with Hal Grieb of G&H International Services. This software reporting tool is developed for the DHS to operationalize FEMA’s Community Lifelines construct and provides a data-driven framework to help emergency managers assess and report on critical services during disasters, ensuring effective resource allocation. It has been developed with input from over 220 agencies to cater to the specific needs of different communities, and it is set to be released for free to all state, local tribes, and territories in April 2025. 

Listen and learn more about how to gain access to the Community Lifelines Status System tool. 

Episode Host: 

Adam Montella: Executive VP, SummitET; Former GM of Emergency Mgmt for the NY & NJ Port Authority; Disaster Management SME 

Special Guests: 

Hal Grieb: Director of Delivery & Project Management, G&H International; Former Emergency Management Director, Jefferson County, CO 

Ron Crane: Associate VP, SummitET; Firefighter; HAZMAT Technician; Emergency Management SME 

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This presentation is for information and advertising purposes only. The opinions expressed during this presentation are based on certain facts, assumptions and conditions and should not be used or relied upon for any purpose. This presentation is based on publicly available information and contains no confidential government information. The views expressed in this presentation are solely those of speakers, and may not represent the views of any U.S. government department or agency or private sector company.  

© 2025 Summit Exercises and Training LLC – All Rights Reserved 

In this episode of “Bridging the Gap,” disaster preparedness experts discuss business continuity planning for natural disasters, emphasizing the importance of including all stakeholders, from employees to the CEO, as well as local and federal government.

Business continuity helps businesses maintain operations during disruptions like natural disasters, cyber attacks, or power outages. It ensures minimal downtime and continued service delivery. Business continuity planning (BCP) is crucial and should cover all processes, assets, and personnel, with plans developed in advance involving key stakeholders. 

Episode Host:
Kevin Quigley, CBRNE Subject Matter Expert and Retired Marine Corps CBRNE Defense Officer 

Special Guests:
Dan Noah, Former Chief Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, retired after 35 years of service; Florida Professional Emergency Manager; Member of the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference Program Committee

Adam Montella – Disaster Management Subject Matter Expert; 38 years in Disaster Preparedness, including Red Cross State Disaster Director of Florida, ESF 6 Lead for FEMA, and Former GM of Emergency Management for the NY & NJ Port Authority 

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This presentation is for information and advertising purposes only. The opinions expressed during this presentation are based on certain facts, assumptions and conditions and should not be used or relied upon for any purpose. This presentation is based on publicly available information and contains no confidential government information. The views expressed in this presentation are solely those of speakers, and may not represent the views of any U.S. government department or agency or private sector company.  

© 2025 Summit Exercises and Training LLC – All Rights Reserved 

This is the second part of a series focused on strategic communication for higher education: sensitive and controversial issues.

In this episode, special guests and internationally recognized scholars of risk and crisis communication Deanna Sellnow, Ph.D. and Tim Sellnow, Ph.D. discuss how effective and simple strategic communication is central to reducing harm and saving lives in the face of a crisis. They also address how communicators and decision-makers at higher education institutions can apply the IDEA Model for Effective Instructional Risk and Crisis Communication to their communication strategy to ensure the plan is easy to understand, remember, and employ, particularly in advance of, during, and after a crisis. 

Episode Hosts:
Holly Hardin, Former Comms Analyst for DOE/ NNSA Enterprise & Emergency Management Lead at ORISE

Ron Edmond, Ed.D., Former Acting Director of ORISE Emergency Management Lab & Crisis Communication Subject Matter Expert

Special Guests:

Dr. Deanna Sellnow and Dr. Tim Sellnow are internationally recognized scholars of risk and crisis communication. They have worked with agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Homeland Security, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and others to build theory and best practices for effective crisis and crisis planning, response, and recovery. They have published many articles and books that contribute to theory building and instruction for effective risk and crisis communication.

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This presentation is for information and advertising purposes only. The opinions expressed during this presentation are based on certain facts, assumptions and conditions and should not be used or relied upon for any purpose. This presentation is based on publicly available information and contains no confidential government information. The views expressed in this presentation are solely those of speakers, and may not represent the views of any U.S. government department or agency or private sector company.  

© 2025 Summit Exercises and Training LLC – All Rights Reserved 

In Episode 4 of Bridging the Gap, Host Adam Montella speaks with SummitET's team of Strategic Communications experts about crisis communications fundamentals that higher education institutions can incorporate when addressing controversial and sensitive issues with their stakeholders.

This episode features the following SummitET subject matter experts:

Mark Basnight, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Incident Response
Mark is Former Co-Director and Communications Analyst for the Public Affairs Science and Technology (PAST) Fusion Cell at Argonne National Laboratory. He is also a retired Master Public Information Officer (MPIO) for the Charlotte Fire Department and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office.

Holly Hardin, Director of Strategic Communications
Holly holds an M.S. in Adult Education and served as a former Communications Analyst for the DOE/NNSA Enterprise, Emergency Management Team Lead for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), and former Co-Director of the Public Affairs Science and Technology (PAST) Fusion Cell at Argonne National Laboratory.  

Ron Edmond, Ed.D., Crisis Communication SME
Ron is former Acting Director for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Emergency Management Laboratory and is a former guest lecturer at Rutgers University Leadership Academy and Crisis Communication instructor at Lee University.

Adam Montella, Senior Vice President
Adam is the Former General Manager of Emergency Management for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and ESF-6 Lead for the FEMA Emergency Support Team - National. He was also the On-Camera Disaster and Crisis Management SME on the Discovery Channel series, THE COLONY. Adam is on the Public Safety Curriculum Review Board for the American Public University System and the Program Advisory Panel for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  

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This presentation is for information and advertising purposes only. The opinions expressed during this presentation are based on certain facts, assumptions and conditions and should not be used or relied upon for any purpose. This presentation is based on publicly available information and contains no confidential government information. The views expressed in this presentation are solely those of speakers, and may not represent the views of any U.S. government department or agency or private sector company.  

© 2025 Summit Exercises and Training LLC – All Rights Reserved 

Is your organization better prepared today after completing a tabletop exercise or training? How did the experience better position you to face a threat or hazard? 

If it is difficult to answer these questions, how do you know the exercise was an effective use of time and resources? 

In Part 1 of Episode 3 of Bridging the Gap, preparedness experts introduce you to the XF ScoreTM; a rubric for analyzing the effectiveness of tabletop exercises and trainings for crises. 

The creators of the XF ScoreTM speak with Pete Gaynor, former DHS Acting Secretary and former FEMA Administrator, about how this new evaluation tool allows for a better outcome than the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, or HSEEP. Created by FEMA, HSEEP provides a set of principles for evaluating exercise programs. The XF ScoreTM helps to prove whether your agency is more prepared because of the training and allows you to address weaknesses in a revised training plan. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this podcast episode: once you’ve collected data from your training or exercise evaluation, how do you interpret and utilize it to strengthen future plans? 

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This presentation is for information and advertising purposes only. The opinions expressed during this presentation are based on certain facts, assumptions and conditions and should not be used or relied upon for any purpose. This presentation is based on publicly available information and contains no confidential government information. The views expressed in this presentation are solely those of speakers, and may not represent the views of any U.S. government department or agency or private sector company.  

© 2025 Summit Exercises and Training LLC – All Rights Reserved