The Emergency Management Network Podcast

Whether or not emergency management is considered a profession has been discussed and debated for several years. There are all sorts of implications including recognition as professionals, education versus training, classroom instruction versus on-the-job experience, and respect for the work emergency managers do both when responding to a disaster and when doing other things to preserve life, property, and the environment. In addition to performing the duties of an emergency manager, there are political and policy-making issues requiring the emergency manager’s attention. Dr. Carol Cwiak, Associate Professor of Emergency Management at North Dakota State University has been leading the transformation of emergency management from a job to a profession. Dr. Cwiak has lectured around the world on the importance of the code of ethics and core competencies for emergency management.

Links:
https://www.ndsu.edu/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-cwiak-20652410/

If you would like to learn more about the Natural Disaster & Emergency Management (NDEM) Expo please visit us on the web - https://www.ndemevent.com

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When you think about great leaders, who comes to mind?

Impactful figures like George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr., or perhaps Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy, might come to mind.

But defining what truly marks these historic icons as good leaders proves a bit more challenging. Was it simply their position that made them good leaders, or was it something more?

While we’ve all experienced leadership in our lives, we are rarely asked to define “what is a leader.” Answers vary from organizations, individuals, and situations, making leadership qualities even more elusive to pinpoint.

What do you think about the next step in your career? This conversation explores the definition and qualities of leadership, how it differs from management, and tips for becoming a better leader.

I had the privilege of sitting with Jacki Koci Tamayo, an emerging leader in the emergency management space, and Brian Colburn, a leading podcast producer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

With roughly 100 million viewers each year, The Super Bowl is the most iconic event in American sports. The live broadcast dominates television ratings, and the in-person event brings thousands of visitors to regional hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and retail businesses, potentially impacting the local economy.

Last year, Super Bowl LVI was hosted by the City of Inglewood in Los Angeles County at the new, state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium. There will be several additional activities and attractions in addition to the Big Game, drawing visitors from near and far. But how much planning do you think you'll need to do for one football game?

Todd DeVoe
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/ToddTDeVoe
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddtdevoe/
Substack: https://emnetwork.substack.com/
Website: https://toddtdevoe.com/

Jeffery Keith Snoddy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreysnoddy/
Website: https://www.cityofinglewood.org/1651/Office-of-Emergency-Services

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

Marcus Haynes is a Firefighter Paramedic working in the fire service for fifteen-plus years. Currently, he is assigned to the Safety and Prevention Section of the Phoenix Fire Department. In this role, Marcus is part of a team that oversees health, safety, and prevention strategies for the department's 2,000 plus sworn and civilian personnel.

In addition to his public safety service, Marcus has demonstrated the ability to work in the areas of global intelligence, policy, and diplomacy. He has a background in organizational security and risk management, analyzing global strategic and emerging trends to enhance public policy options and mitigate risk to vulnerable populations.

Marcus Haynes:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-marcushaynes/

Daniel Scott Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-scott-m-a-cem%C2%AE-empp-3-59a8a86a/
https://www.instagram.com/d_scott_overdeliver/
https://www.facebook.com/D.Scott.and.Associates/
https://twitter.com/Haven1981

Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEMPS)
https://macem.org/Home.aspx
https://twitter.com/MACEMatFCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3AMACEMatFCC%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c1
https://www.linkedin.com/company/macemps/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

What is Leadership? This may seem like a silly question. There are many books, podcasts, and classes on leadership, and that question must have been answered. However, the question, What is a leader keeps coming to the four.

Some think of leadership as a formal role given to an individual with a title such as "manager" or "director." For others, a leader is a charismatic individual who can work the room and charm their team to do what they want. 

Then there is the old debate of "are leaders born?" or can leaders be "made?"  

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

Studies have shown that women disproportionately suffer the impacts of disasters, severe weather events, and climate change because of cultural norms and the inequitable distribution of roles, resources, and power, especially in developing countries. Women make up the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent than men on natural resources for their livelihoods and survival. Women tend to have lower incomes and are more likely to be economically dependent than men. When drought or unseasonable rain, for example, threatens agricultural production, men can use their savings and economic independence to invest in alternative income sources or otherwise adapt.

Join Todd and Dr. Samantha Montano as they explore the problems and solutions that face disaster survivors and their impacts on women and children.

Links
Todd DeVoe
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/ToddTDeVoe
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddtdevoe/
Substack: https://emnetwork.substack.com/
Website: https://toddtdevoe.com/

Dr. Samantha Montano
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/SamLMontano
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-montano-7b1453239/
Website: http://www.disaster-ology.com/
SpeaknSpark: https://www.speaknspark.com/speakers/309-dr-samantha-montano-

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

This Episode of Theory-N2-Practice is brought to you by the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEMPS)!!!

In this episode of Theory-N2-Practice we talk about leadership through service and personal development with, Ms. Kathy L. Francis currently serves as the Frederick Community College Executive Director of Emergency Management Programs, as adjunct faculty, and as leader of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEM&PS).

Ms. Francis directs the MACEM&PS to develop and deliver specialty courseware in emergency management and serves as the Postsecondary Affiliate for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the Maryland State Department of Education Career and Technology Programs. In May 2012, she earned a Master of Science (MS) in Management with the Johns Hopkins University Police Executive Leadership program, and in March 2016, she earned a Certificate of Completion in Crisis Leadership in Higher Education from the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Kathy Francis Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-francis-ms-cem-mdpemp-514ab718/

Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEMPS)
https://macem.org/Home.aspx
https://twitter.com/MACEMatFCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3AMACEMatFCC%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c1
https://www.linkedin.com/company/macemps/

Daniel Scott Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-scott-m-a-cem%C2%AE-empp-3-59a8a86a/
https://www.instagram.com/d_scott_overdeliver/
https://www.facebook.com/D.Scott.and.Associates/
https://twitter.com/Haven1981

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

Cyberattacks are an ever-growing threat to critical infrastructures such as power, gas, water stations, and transportation control systems. Cybersecurity breaches can potentially have devastating physical and economic effects.

Failing to plan for cyber threats as part of emergency management procedures is detrimental to national security and has become the focus of emergency management over the last 15 years.

Prachee Kale, Founding Executive Fellow At CyberTheory Institute, co-founded Think.Design.Cyber to pioneer critical systems and design thinking in the cybersecurity discipline. Prachee is also the co-author of the award-winning research article “Cybersecurity: The End Game” published in Taylor and Francis’s EDPACs Journal.

Cyber Theory - https://cybertheory.io/

If you would like to learn more about the Natural Disaster & Emergency Management (NDEM) Expo please visit us on the web - https://www.ndemevent.com

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

I am the child of the cold war. Our movies were Red Dawn, War Games, Spies Like Us, and Stripes, just to name a few.  We practiced duck and cover, and we had fallout shelters in the basements of our schools. The threat of nuclear war was always there, and the fear was real. 

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, nuclear war has become a conversation only old people talked about.  Russia and China became friends with the United States, and we worked together to end the talk of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). 

At a White House Press Conference this week, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre nonchalantly said, “we continue to call out Putin with what he is doing with the nuclear strikes”  She then moved to other questions without a second thought. 

NATO defense ministers will gather this week. One topic of discussion is the risk that Russian President Vladimir Putin might use nuclear weapons in Europe. Putin and the Russian military launched missile attacks against Ukraine's civilian population center in response to the truck bombing of the Kerch Bridge, reinforcing the notion that the Kremlin remains unpredictable.

The world is starting to forget the realities of nuclear weapons.

Since the Russian takeover of the Crimean peninsula in  2014, the region has seen an exodus of ethnic Ukrainians and Tatars and an influx of Russians, including a military buildup.

Putin perceives Crimea as closer to the core of Russian vital interests than the Kharkiv region, which was recently liberated by Ukrainian forces. If and when Ukrainian conventional military forces approach Crimea in hopes of liberating it, According to military pundits and foreign affairs experts Putin may feel more tempted to use a nuclear weapon.

In North America, the threat may not be direct. However, The potential Russian use of nuclear weapons demands at least thinking through possible responses. The American military began to study this threat shortly after Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine. Now is the time to discuss the impacts on the civilian population rather than waiting until a crisis moment.

The other consideration we need to explore is how a Russian Nuclear strike would push NATO into war. Although the current US administration has been vague on how they would react, it is likely to bring the full force of the Alliance down upon the beleaguered Russian military.  This could prompt the involvement of China, Iran, and Syria into action, with support from Venezuela and Cuba. 

What Are the Next Steps? 

What might the menu of the next steps include? This summer New York City’s Office of Emergency Management produced a public service announcement advising residents how to survive a nuclear attack. And after some questioned the advisory's timing, The City administration defended its action. According to OEM officials, the campaign's goal is to inform the public on ways to stay safe if nuclear weapons were pointed in New York's direction. 

This harkened to the Duck and Cover days of the 1950s Civil Defense Burt the Turtle campaign. I must admit that I wondered what the Adams administration knew that the rest of the United States did not. I don’t think they were wrong to produce such a PSA today.  

FEMA’s Ready.gov site does have a page dedicated to a nuclear explosion, offering solid advice on what to do if you’re in the vicinity of one. This is not an archive page or old information and has been updated, and it notes the pandemic could cause some problems when finding shelter. The page suggests bringing items to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19, such as masks and hand sanitizer if you are evacuated.

As of the writing of this piece, only New York City has taken any measures to prepare its population for a nuclear strike. We are a profession that has come from Civil Defense, and I wrote a piece about “Should We Revisit Civil Defense?” I was asking if we should use programs that the CD used for community preparedness. Maybe I was on to something bigger? 

Podcasts

The Todd DeVoe Show

Steps You Need To Create a Process for Crisis Management

When a natural or human-caused disaster occurs, the process of how the situation is handled sets the tone of response and recovery.

The goal of crisis/disaster management is to respond quickly and effectively to minimize damage and position your organization or jurisdiction for recovery once the crisis has passed.

A successful process is proactive. It aims to reduce the delay in response and recovery by anticipating potential problems, such as natural disasters or safety concerns. It creates procedures for how you will react if something goes wrong.

Crisis/disaster management is crucial for high-profile businesses that can be subject to serious damage to their reputation, whatever the size or scale of the crisis.

Business Continuity Today

Sharping The Saw, Why You Need to Continue to Learn

When you sharpen your mental saw, the best way to rejuvenate your dulled-down mind is not to turn it off but to give it something different to think about than what it usually grinds through at work. Not only will this fresh mental fare stimulate unused parts of your brain, but it can also give you insights and ideas that can loop back into your professional success. 

Prepare Respond Recover

Why Public-Private Partnerships Are Critical

Public-Private Partnership is an agreement between a public agency and a private sector entity. Through this agreement, the skills and assets of each sector are shared in delivering a service or facility for the use of the general public. As governments seek to upgrade infrastructure and address the challenges of climate change, among other objectives, the need for private-sector involvement has grown. When considering pricing risk in a comprehensive and transparent way, governments can tap into the true expertise of private players. Brian Barnier, Head of Decision Science and Analytics, is focused on growing companies, investments, and countries, bringing practical insight to investors, boards, and management to help them bridge from strategy to execution. He accelerates improvement in business results through a "risk lens" that incorporates both growth and turnaround lessons learned across industries, professional disciplines, and countries.

What To Read

How the costs of disasters like Hurricane Ian are calculated – and why it takes so long to add them up

By Adam Rose, University of Southern California

Preliminary property damage estimates for Ian so far range from $42 billion to as much as $258 billion, with some landing in the middle.

If the higher end of the estimates proves more accurate, that alone would make Ian the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

However, property damage is only one aspect of disaster costs.

Another, which is often neglected, is a business interruption – the decrease in economic activity measured either in terms of lost revenue or a combination of lost wages and profits.

Business interruption begins when the disaster strikes and continues until the economy has recovered. In this case, it is likely to take several years, as happened after Katrina destroyed Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi in 2005.

Of course, these costs do not count lives lost or human misery, such as the number of people left without power or clean water….

Law Enforcement and the Incident Command System: Consider Cultural Bias Issues

By: Dr. Randal A. Collins, CEM

It is well known that of the public safety services, law enforcement has arguably been the service to most resist the implementation of the Incident Command System. I do believe, though, even as one of the staunchest ICS advocates, that perhaps other services might consider giving law enforcement a bit of a pass and stop unrealistic changes. Perhaps we should look at ICS and ask, “why is ICS not working for law enforcement,” instead of looking at law enforcement and asking, “why is law enforcement not utilizing ICS?”  

First, let’s eliminate two basic assumptions that many people make. ICS is not perfect. While I believe that we should embrace ICS and use it as the tool it is, it was created by humans, which means it is fallible, and we should always seek to change and improve it to create a better process. It was created by firefighters for firefighters, which leads me to my second assumption. The fire service and law enforcement are not the same because they are both public safety and work closely together on emergencies. They are often lumped together within jurisdictions and our biased minds because of their commonalities…

Sponsors

Disaster Tech

Titan HST

Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Expo

Disaster Lan (DLAN) by Buffalo Computer Graphics

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

When a natural or human-caused disaster occurs, the process of how the situation is handled sets the tone of response and recovery.

The goal of crisis/disaster management is to respond quickly and effectively to minimize damage and position your organization or jurisdiction for recovery once the crisis has passed.

A successful process is proactive. It aims to reduce the delay in response and recovery by anticipating potential problems, such as natural disasters or safety concerns. It creates procedures for how you will react if something goes wrong.

Crisis/disaster management is crucial for high-profile businesses that can be subject to serious damage to their reputation, whatever the size or scale of the crisis.

**Todd DeVoe**

Twitter handle: [https://twitter.com/ToddTDeVoe
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddtdevoe/
Substack: https://emnetwork.substack.com/
Website: https://toddtdevoe.com/

Brian Head
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/BCGENG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloComputerGraphics/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buffalo-computer-graphics/
Website: https://www.buffalocomputergraphics.com/IM/DLAN

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe