In this podcast episode of Domestic Preparedness: The Podcast, host Nicolette Casey Phillips has a conversation with Kali Dawkins, principal manager solutions architect at Verizon, who shares how public/private collaboration can keep responders connected before, during, and after disaster. From hurricane recovery to planning for FIFA 2026, discover how Dawkins feels technology and trust build stronger, safer communities.

This is an article by Keith Mumaw, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 17, 2025.

Driven by a sense of humanity, volunteers are invaluable to emergency efforts. But they are essential to emergency management in more ways than one. Learn how the hours they donate and the costs they absorb by covering their own expenses positively affect the bottom line of budget-strapped emergency management departments.

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This is an article by Bridgett Clark, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 17, 2025.

Public safety professionals—including emergency communications specialists—face daily exposure to trauma, often without acknowledgment. However, the very systems built to safeguard the larger community frequently fail to safeguard their own.

Through the example of telecommunicators, learn about mental health care needs across the public safety community and about a free training resource to help address these needs.

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This is an article by Stephen Kastensmidt, Scott C. Lanham, and John T. “Tim” Briery, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 10, 2025.

Core to homeland security are institutions such as active-duty military, the National Guard, FEMA, and local first responders. Complementing these core institutions, however, are three often underrecognized forces that provide consistent, often uncompensated support: the Civil Air Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and State Guard units.

Learn more about statutory roles, operational responsibilities, and vital resources that these forces offer from the perspective of three senior leaders actively engaged in their operations.

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This is an article by Mitchel Reed, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 10, 2025.

Formed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the United Cajun Navy unites boat owners and other volunteers to aid during floods, hurricanes, and other disasters, bridging gaps in official response and recovery. A volunteer “technical industry liaison” partners with businesses to add technical capabilities and strengthen its efforts.

Learn how this model shows how collaboration with such liaisons enhances volunteer effectiveness.

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In this podcast episode of Domestic Preparedness: The Podcast, hosts Nicolette Casey Phillips and Teresa Farfan have an informative conversation with Eric McNulty, Associate Director for the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at the Harvard School of Public Health. In this podcast, Professor McNulty shares his expertise, research, and teachings about leadership during high-stakes, high-pressure situations.  He emphasizes the importance of integrating public health and emergency management by utilizing the evidence-based “meta-leadership” framework that incorporates decades of research and real-world experience.

This is an article by Judy Kruger, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 3, 2025.

Flooding is the main cause of hurricane deaths in the U.S., and evacuation planning is critical to life safety. For maximum community buy-in, emergency managers should educate the public on optimum evacuation procedures and account for supply chain disruptions.

Learn how emergency managers can create a population less resistant to evacuation.

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This is an article by David Formentini, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, September 3, 2025.

Emergency management in Indigenous communities carries a unique spirit, one not always captured in the structured blueprints of conventional emergency operation centers. Learn how emergency managers can examine culturally appropriate emergency support and communication strategies to improve crisis response.

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In this podcast episode of Domestic Preparedness: The Podcast, host Nicolette Casey Phillips speaks with John Gantt, a longtime emergency management volunteer and CERT leader dedicated to turning everyday neighbors into trusted partners for first responders. They discuss volunteerism and the critical roles volunteers play in disaster preparedness and response. This conversation was recorded live on May 28, 2025, at the Texas Emergency Management Conference.

This is an article by George M. Schwartz, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, August 27, 2025. 

Comprehensive emergency management in the U.S. evolved from World War II and Cold War-era civil defense, but today, civil defense plays little to no role in emergency management policy. With most Americans expecting a major conflict within the next decade, it is time for a sixth framework. 

Learn more about this perspective. 

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