Disaster Tough Podcast

Gavan Hebner may be "Midwestern Nice", but his approach to readiness has the Emergency Management Department in Clark County, Indiana ahead of the curve instead of finishing last.

Gavan is Clark County's Director of Emergency Management. As such, he oversees readiness efforts for large events such as the Annual Aviation Heritage Air Show, collaborates with and offers support for neighboring agencies such as those involved with Emergency Management efforts connected to the annual Kentucky Derby just across the border, and keeps his department ready for whatever day to day events may occur locally such as flooding, tornadoes, and other incidents.

In this episode, Gavan talks about some of the things he and his colleagues are doing to stay ahead of the curve such as drone implementation and continued high-level training, along with what they are doing to build and maintain cohesion with their various partner agencies such as Police, Firefighters, and other first responders.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

Sawyer Products offers the best, most technologically advanced solutions for protection against sun, bugs, water & injuries–everything from water filtration systems to insect repellents. So, if you’re at work, at home, or at play- make sure you check out Sawyer at sawyer.com

“Rising Again” is the motto for the City of Atlanta. That motto definitely applies to the level of readiness at the city's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

This week’s guest, Michael Rega is one of the many people responsible for making sure the airport not only remains at such a high level of readiness, but also continues to improve.

Michael has been an Emergency Planner at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport for the past couple of years. Along with that, he has worked as a paramedic in Atlanta for more than a decade.

In this episode, Michael discusses what he and his staff do to continue their heightened level of readiness at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport and the effect on the world of travel that a disaster on site would have.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

Sawyer Products offers the best, most technologically advanced solutions for protection against sun, bugs, water & injuries–everything from water filtration systems to insect repellents. So, if you’re at work, at home, or at play- make sure you check out Sawyer at sawyer.com

In this episode, John shares insights into becoming and remaining a highly accomplished emergency manager. He breaks down five key areas that emergency managers can do in order to achieve greatness. His experience as a Chief Executive Officer at Doberman Emergency Management Group, along with his leadership experiences in the public and private sectors has provided him with experiences to analyze how people can achieve more in their careers.

The Disaster Tough Podcast supports National Preparedness Month by helping emergency managers prepare for the good - in their careers. Below are the five (5) key areas that John focuses on during the show.

The five areas that will help you as an emergency manager accomplish more in your career are:

1.) Prepare for opportunities through acquiring knowledge
2.) Identify and focus on your talents
3.) Be a team player
4.) Be a risk taker
5.) Evaluation process: intelligence, high personal moral code, and ambition

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

Sawyer Products offers the best, most technologically advanced solutions for protection against sun, bugs, water & injuries–everything from water filtration systems to insect repellents. So, if you’re at work, at home, or at play- make sure you check out Sawyer at sawyer.com

Having both deployed to Hurricane Harvey and leading the geospatial efforts for this record breaking event, John Scardena and James Dewer talk about their experiences responding to catastrophic disasters. Utilizing the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey to set the stage, we talk about Hurricane Laura, Super Storm Sandy, innovation in emergency management, and lessons learned for other emergency managers.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

In February 2018, the term "Philly Special" went down in history for football fans everywhere as the now iconic trick play caught the New England Patriots completely unprepared and helped propel the Philadelphia Eagles to their first World Championship.

That same month, Dominick Mireles was promoted to Deputy Director of Operations in the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management. Now as Director, Dominick is working every day to make sure that the approach to readiness and emergency response is truly special in the City of Philadelphia.

Dominick was recently involved in a full scale exercise with Task Force 46 which gave Military personnel, Emergency Managers, and First Responders a chance to work together and collaborate on response efforts.

In this episode, Dominick talks about the exercise, while also emphasizing the importance of first hand experience in Emergency Management and response, while not dismissing the opportunity for those new to the field to learn on the job and thus improve their abilities in times of crisis.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

The key components of an After Action Review include analyzing the following: What happened, why did it happen, and how can it be done better going forward.

Experienced Emergency Manager, Zack Borst, along with Orlando District Fire Chief Walt Lewis are no strangers to this concept.

As two of the major contributors to The Readiness Lab’s recent certification, The Readiness Lab’s recent training and certification, “Emergency Management Response for Dynamic Populations” in Atlanta, Zack and Chief Lewis join this week’s episode to recap what many students and instructors have described as a memorable week for the future of Emergency Management exercises.

In this episode, Zack and Chief Lewis share stories from “Attack at the Stadium” and describe how they and others involved in the various fields of disaster response will be able to benefit going forward from what they learned.

The next certification for Emergency Management for Response for Dynamic Populations begins November 29th, 2022.

Sign up now at: www.thereadinesslab.com/dynamic-populations

Overview:
This course was created by field proven, emergency management subject matter experts. It was designed to push you into innovation, broaden your understanding, and test your ability to lead in a disaster.

Emergency Management Response for Dynamic Populations dives deep into organizational style emergency management, also referred to as ‘civilian military operations’ by the Department of Defense. As such, you are responsible for coordinating strategic actions during the most complex style of emergency management response.

You will address the protection of life, property, and continuity of operations as an organizational representative, rather than a government representative with the legal authorities to act. This course will induce the stress of decision making and coordination. You will return to your organization as an enhanced, ’Next Level,” emergency manager.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

The slogan on a popular restaurant chain says that the better the ingredients, the better their food tastes.

According to this week’s guest on the Disaster Tough Podcast, Rachell Laucevicius, the same can be true for Emergency Management. For example, the better the coordination, collaboration and communication, the better your response to a disaster turns out to be.

Rachell is currently a Crisis Manager at L3 Harris Technologies. She also has experience working in Emergency Management with the Florida Department of Public Health, along with many years of work with the military and veterans.

In this episode, not only does Rachell break down the recipe for quality emergency management and response, but also throws in some bonus ingredients to explain what makes a quality Emergency Manager.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

Summer may be winding down, but Hurricane Season is still in full swing.

With more storms being named each year than ever before, it is important to make sure we are able to identify when it is important to be worried, and when not to be.

Director Ken Graham of the National Weather Service joins the Disaster Tough Podcast this week to talk about just that using a method he calls, “Little Wiggles”.

Director Graham believes having the most recent and advanced data possible helps professionals like himself and his colleagues better track and predict what storms are going to do. As such, they can better distinguish between movements or “little wiggles” in a storm that are cause for concern, versus movements that are just part of its natural progression.

In this episode, Director Graham dives further into this concept, and shares experiences of how it is effectively applied in disaster readiness and emergency management.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

Multiple points of view can be helpful in many walks of life. Especially when you have two of of the country's foremost experts in Emergency Management on the same show together!

This week's episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast brings back Steven Kuhr and Kelly McKinney for a double-shot of Emergency Management wisdom.

Steven Kuhr is an experienced Emergency Manager with more than 25 years’ experience in New York and Colorado. From the 1993 World Trade Center Bombings to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, to the devastating 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs, Steven has worked side by side with the frontline workers of almost every major type of disaster.

Meanwhile, Kelly McKinney is a longtime Emergency Manager and professional engineer who currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Emergency Management + Enterprise Resilience for NYU Langone Health. He has also led Emergency Management teams for the American Red Cross and the New York Office of Emergency Management working in the aftermath of such disasters as 9/11, Super Storm Sandy, among others.

Recorded in late June, this episode featuring the "EM Kings of New York" gives us a look at how both of these renowned experts in the field use their breadth of knowledge to be prepared for whatever might happen during the summer season when more people are out and about.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

The Readiness Lab is trailblazing disaster readiness. Early access for the highly anticipated course emergency management response for dynamic populations is currently live. Think you have what it takes? Join us in Atlanta for an immersive experience. Space is limited to 40. Go to thereadinesslab.com/training to learn more.

A philosopher once said, “The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.”

There are few places where this statement is more true than at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

This week’s guest, Dr. Jeff Stern is the Superintendent of FEMA EMI.

Dr. Stern brings more than 3 decades of experience in the Emergency Management and response fields to this position, having previously served in leadership roles at the local, state and federal levels including presidential appointments as a White House Fellow at the Department of the Interior and the White House Homeland Security Council.

In this episode, Dr. Stern discusses the value of continued education and training in Emergency Management and how the FEMA EMI is working to create systems, programs and curriculum that keeps students at the forefront of how the field is growing and evolving.

Doberman Emergency Management owns and operates the Disaster Tough Podcast. Contact us here at: www.dobermanemg.com or email us at: [email protected].

We are proud to endorse L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport.

The Readiness Lab is trailblazing disaster readiness. Early access for the highly anticipated course emergency management response for dynamic populations is currently live. Think you have what it takes? Join us in Atlanta for an immersive experience. Space is limited to 40. Go to thereadinesslab.com/training to learn more.