Utility Emergency Response with Isaac Alatorre and Jim Wollbrinck

In this episode of the Utility Emergency Response Podcast, Isaac reflects on the year 2023 and discusses the state of conferences and cybersecurity in the utilities industry.

He highlights the positive growth in his business and the overall improvement in the industry compared to the past few years. Isaac emphasizes the increasing importance of cybersecurity in water utilities and mentions the abandonment of a cybersecurity rule by the EPA due to implementation challenges. He recommends Dr. Kevin Morley as an expert in the field and discusses the prevalence of cybersecurity threats.

Isaac also shares his experiences attending conferences such as Con Expo, ACE 23, and Root Control, and provides insights into the upcoming conferences in 2024, including ACE in Anaheim and Tristate in Las Vegas.

Also in this episode:

• The year 2023 saw positive growth in the utilities industry, with increased confidence and investment in advertising and conferences.
• Cybersecurity is becoming a major concern for water utilities, with the EPA abandoning a cybersecurity rule due to implementation challenges.
• Dr. Kevin Morley is a valuable resource for water utilities seeking expertise in cybersecurity.

Learn more about Dr. Kevin Morley and the AWWA: https://www.awwa.org/

Isaac reviews the recent Disaster Expo California held at the Anaheim Convention Center and shares his first-hand insights into the event, its standout speakers, and unique highlights.

Isaac applauds speakers like Forrest Lanning from FEMA, who discussed earthquake resilience and the Ring of Fire, along with experts focusing on California disasters and local emergency management efforts. While he appreciates the Expo's focus on disaster management, Isaac also highlights some challenges, such as an array of unrelated vendors and distracting breakout sessions within the exhibit hall. Ultimately, he recognizes the Expo's potential and looks forward to future improvements. If you're in the field of disaster management or emergency response, this episode offers valuable insights to help you decide if this event is for you.

Also in this episode:

• Some notable speakers mentioned include Forrest Lanning from FEMA, who discussed earthquake-resilient building codes and the Ring of Fire, and Laurie Mazin Azura from the California Office of Emergency Services, who talked about California disasters and wildfires.
• The lack of focus in breakout sessions, distractions in the exhibit hall, and a mix of vendors that weren't always directly related to disaster management.
• They could improve by attracting more prominent speakers, creating specialized tracks for breakout sessions, and offering convenience and attractions for attendees.

Isaac is joined by Alix Stayton, the Emergency Management Coordinator for California's Public Water Agencies Group (PWAG), to discuss the unique challenges faced by California's diverse water utilities, emphasizing the need for tailored emergency plans and training.

Discover her journey from consultant to emergency manager, driven by experiences during Hurricane Katrina. She highlights the role of coordination and mutual aid among utilities, regardless of size, especially in tackling issues like wildfires and cybersecurity threats. Alix discusses the California Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (CalWARN) and its contribution to statewide assistance efforts. Gain valuable insights into the world of emergency management within the water sector and the ongoing quest to enhance preparedness and resilience.

Also in this episode:

• Importance Of Training And Preparation: Understanding how disaster response and relief mechanisms work, along with proper training, helps individuals and organizations align with established structures for more effective assistance.
• Versatility In Emergency Management: The versatility of emergency management and its applicability in various contexts.
• Critical Infrastructure Focus: Utilities play a critical role in disaster response, as they provide essential resources like water and power to first responders during emergencies.
• Collaboration Among Water Districts: Sharing resources, information, and expertise among these districts to enhance their collective preparedness.
• Mutual Aid And Support: Mutual aid and coordination with consultants to provide support functions during emergencies ensures that even smaller districts can receive assistance when needed.

About Alix Stayton:

With more than 15 years in emergency management, Alix Stayton provides full-cycle emergency management services. As both a consultant and a staff member in the course of that time, she has worked on plans for public, private and nonprofit sector organizations and clients. Alix develops, delivers and evaluates training and exercises aligned with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program. She has contributed to public health and emergency preparedness, response and recovery projects with cities, counties, higher education institutions, and various committees, working groups and coalitions.

A regular contributor to the field, Alix has spoken at the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters conference, the California Emergency Services Association conference, the Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership Forum and others. She has led the LA City Business Operations Center during wildfire response and the Irvine Ranch Water District virtual EOC during the 2020 COVID-19 activation. She has been published in the American Journal of Public Health and Cambridge University Press. Ms. Stayton serves on the IAEM Children in Disasters Caucus and the Women in Homeland Security programs committee.

She is currently the Emergency Management Coordinator for Public Water Agencies Group (PWAG), providing support to 18 public (non-city) wholesale and retail water agencies in Los Angeles County. She focuses on preparedness, response and recovery as well as mutual aid and coordination with city, county and state-level response partners.

Connect With Alix Stayton:

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Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies, Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a West Coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

On today's Utility Emergency Response Podcast episode, Isaac Alatorre chats with Gary Sturdivan, an esteemed emergency management consultant with extensive experience as a former emergency manager for water utilities, about the vital realm of grant-seeking funding for water utilities.

Isaac and Gary dissect the intricacies of grants and hazard mitigation plans, shedding light on the distinctions between InstaGrants and Regular Grants, the grant application process, and the compelling reasons water utilities should actively seek such opportunities. They unravel the mechanics of how grants function and emphasize the substantial benefits they offer challenged water utilities. The importance of detailed hazard mitigation plans takes center stage as they navigate their significance in securing grants. Issac and Gary discuss grants for small water utilities and consulting fees. Gary shared his experience in the business, and they talked about the importance of FEMA ICS training for emergency management. Issac and Gary highlighted the need for tabletop training and shared exercise anecdotes.

Also in this episode:

• The process of applying for grants.
• The benefits of challenged water utilities.
• Calexico Problems.
• CalWarn past and future.

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Connect With The Show: Facebook | Linkedin | Website

Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies. Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a west coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

On today's episode of Utility Emergency Response Podcast, Issac Alatorre recaps his experience at the recent ACE23 AWWA Conference for water and wastewater professionals in Toronto, ON, Canada.

Isaac had the privilege of participating in the ACE23 AWWA Conference, which he found to be exceedingly advantageous for individuals in the water and wastewater sector. Isaac characterizes it as one of the most distinguished worldwide water conferences he has ever attended based on his own experiences. Isaac highlights the conference's significant perspectives, varied global viewpoints, and prospects for networking. He strongly endorses the ACE conference to other specialists and believes it is a valuable investment for obtaining knowledge and industry contacts.

Also in this episode:

• It's harder to buy beer in Toronto than in the USA.
• Why ACE23 is one of the top global water conferences.
• The issue regarding the shipment of the booth equipment.
• Isaac's trip to Montreal to see the Formula 1 race.

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Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies. Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a west coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

On today's Utility Emergency Response Podcast, Issac Alatorre explores the different lay flat hoses for water and wastewater.

Issac discusses three categories: rubber, PVC, and PU (polyurethane) hoses. Rubber hoses are not very popular because they are heavy. On the other hand, PVC hoses are lightweight and cost-effective, but they are only suitable for low-pressure applications. The best choice of hose is PU hoses because they are durable, resistant to chemicals, algae, and fungus, and they recover their full diameter. They have also been tested for longer lengths, which makes them ideal for water and wastewater bypassing.

Also in this episode:

• The importance of safety and proactive planning.
• Ozone resistant vs. ozone resistant hoses.
• The three types of PVC hoses: heavy-duty, medium-duty, and light-duty
• The pros and cons of PVC vs. polyvinyl chloride
• PVC and what it is good for.

Subscribe To The Podcast Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify

Connect With The Show: Facebook | Linkedin | Website

Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies. Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a west coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

On today's episode of Utility Emergency Response Podcast, Issac Alatorre recaps his experience at the recent ConExpo 2023.

Isaac had the opportunity to attend ConExpo, the largest trade show for the construction industry, and took advantage of the event to highlight its numerous benefits for professionals. Issac shares the value he found for those working in the water and wastewater utility sector. As an attendee, Isaac was able to gain valuable insights into the latest technologies and trends shaping the industry, connect with other like-minded professionals, and explore potential business opportunities. Overall, attending ConExpo proved to be a worthwhile investment of time and resources for Isaac, and he highly recommends it to others in his field.

Also in this episode:

• The biggest problems facing the construction industry.
• The lack of younger people working in the construction industry.
• The lack of immigrants to fill positions
• Renting vs. buying equipment
• The Tesla Loop at the Las Vegas Convention Center

Subscribe To The Podcast Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify

Connect With The Show: Facebook | Linkedin | Website

Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies. Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a west coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

On today's episode of Utility Emergency Response, Issac Alatorre welcomes Jim Wlbrnick to discuss the latest trends in emergency management for water utilities.

Jim Wollbrinck has worked in the water distribution industry for over 25 years as a San Jose Water Company security and is an emergency management expert. Jim's contributions to the water distribution industry have been significant and he has been awarded The "Lifetime Achievement Fuller Award" by the California-Nevada Section, American Water Works Association.

Also in this episode:

• How the housing crisis and rise of unhoused individuals have created a new problem for water utilities
• Latest innovation trends in emergency management
• The importance of coordinating emergency management issues with other utilities such as electrical and gas
• Jim's experience with CalWarn and why any state WARN is important

Subscribe To The Podcast Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify

Connect With The Show: Facebook | Linkedin | Website

Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies. Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a west coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

We value preparation, trust, and integrity with our clients. We provide systems and solutions, not price-only products. We encourage our clients to prepare in advance for the worst, be it an earthquake, floods, fires, or just an aging infrastructure.

At PPS we do not claim to have every solution for every disaster, we encourage clients to be open about their solutions and include all possible vendors. When in a disaster situation, a city, county, state, or government must consider all options.

On today's episode of Utility Emergency Response, host Issac Allotre chats with Joe Blackman, founder of Vitendo Training Solutions, about creating custom video training videos for municipal and utility workforces.

Joe has a passion for video and big machines; after working in the utility industry for the past five years, when Joe noticed an ad disconnect between content creation and the utility workforce Vitendo Training Solutions was born.

Also in this episode:

• Why we need more training videos in the Utility industry
• How Joe fell in love with the heavy equipment industry
• The institutional knowledge that is not being passed down from the older workers in the Utility Industry
• How training videos are saving time and money on training

Watch the full video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/AjvLFy3V6DE

Stay Connected with Joe:

Email Vitendo.us | [email protected] | Linkedin |Text: 925.628.7646

Stay connected with Issac:

Connect With The Show: Facebook | Linkedin | Website

Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies. Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a west coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

We value preparation, trust, and integrity with our clients. We provide systems and solutions, not price-only products. We encourage our clients to prepare in advance for the worst, be it an earthquake, floods, fires, or just an aging infrastructure.

At PPS we do not claim to have every solution for every disaster, we encourage clients to be open about their solutions and include all possible vendors. When in a disaster situation, a city, county, state, or government must consider all options.

The recent flooding in California has made national headlines. While many of us have read about the flooding and the damage it has caused, now California finds its priorities shifting to not only clean up, but to physically remove the floodwater from the affected areas. In this episode, I dive deep into the different ways a layflat hose emergency trailer can help manage floods like in California, but also how they are at their best during the removal process.

Also in this episode:

• Why flood pumps need to be more heavy duty
• The benefits and drawbacks of a pump engine
• How a host wheel or emergency trailer can help you with the flood

Connect With The Show: Facebook | Linkedin | Website

Chairman & Emergency Pipeline Advisor for Water, Wastewater, and Flood Management.

A UC Irvine graduate and beginning his career in safety and emergency supplies. Isaac was trained by David Jackson on all things related to PPS. With the help of his predecessor, he has updated PPS in regard to technology and processes. He believes that PPS has just started to make an impact.

PPS has usually been a west coast company, but now Isaac believes that PPS can help utilities across the globe with PPS many applications. Not only with pipelines but with emergency response awareness as a whole. He enjoys sports, whiskey, and food.

We value preparation, trust, and integrity with our clients. We provide systems and solutions, not price-only products. We encourage our clients to prepare in advance for the worst, be it an earthquake, floods, fires, or just an aging infrastructure.

At PPS we do not claim to have every solution for every disaster, we encourage clients to be open about their solutions and include all possible vendors. When in a disaster situation, a city, county, state, or government must consider all options.