Disaster Zone

Logistics is a challenging function, be it just shipping Christmas gifts from one end of the country to another. Add the challenge of logistics during and following a disaster, and the difficulties mount. In this podcast Gerardo Castillo, President of AshBritt Management and Logistics is interviewed about his experience, the challenge of logistics and some history and solutions for the problem of...

Karen Kaiser is a currently serving Washington State Senator. She recently had a book published, Getting Elected is the Easy Part: Work and Winning in the State Legislature In this podcast we learn about her personal experiences and then also dive more deeply into her advice for people aspiring to be elected officials.  Here is a description of her book: Across the nation every two years, first-ti...

Small, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) drones — classified as Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) by the FAA — are proving to be an increasing threat to the homeland. As evidenced by Hamas terrorist strikes against Israel, tactical use in the Ukrainian conflict, and even UAS operations by Mexican cartels along the U.S. Southern border, small drones have demonstrated the ability to compromise security...

Crisis management and crisis communications have become a critical skill, and not just for emergency managers. Politicians, rock stars and companies have all faced situations where they are in the hot seat. The guest for this podcast is Edward Segal a Leadership Strategy Senior Contributor for Forbes, author of the award-winning and bestselling book “Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways To Prepare for and Bounc...

In this podcast we examine the current status of policies and best practices associated with non-military drone operations here in the United States. The podcast guest is Dr. Gloria Totoricaguena, a former university professor at Stanford University and University of Nevada, Reno, and now a policy consultant in Idaho. Her clients and projects in Idaho have included the ID Office of Emergency Manag...

Cybersecurity training could seem as exciting as watching paint dry. However, the Idaho National Lab has found a way to make such training much more interesting. In this podcast I interview Jeff Hahn who is the project manager and Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). He leads the Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) training aligned w...

Each state emergency management agency has many commonalities and also differences. In this podcast, Brad Richy the Director of the Idaho Office of Emergency Management is interviewed. As the Director, he is responsible for Idaho’s emergency preparedness and response planning in support of the Idaho Homeland Security and Emergency Management Strategies. He serves as the Homeland Security Advisor a...

 The best person to manage your career is yourself. No one else is going to do it for you. The podcast guest for this episode of Disaster Zone is Laurie Holien, Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Programs at Idaho State University. Laurie Holien is an Associate Professor and Director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management degree progr...

The challenges around sharing information with the public about emergencies and disasters has never been more difficult.  With me today is Brad Huffines, a passionate instructor and thought leader in the world of emergency public messaging. His deep passions draw from his years of weather risk management, emergency management instruction and broadcast meteorology on a local and national stage. He...

Emergency management as a profession is constantly evolving. The evolution of federal programs and major disaster events have a way of swaying the priorities of state and local jurisdictions based on new programs and the funding that comes with those programs. In this podcast we explore a number of topics about how emergency management might evolve in the future and the relationship of disaster re...

Many an emergency manager aspires to become a local emergency management director for a city or county. One such individual who has only recently become a local director is Kyle Bustad, Manager for the Thurston County Emergency Management .In this podcast we discuss his approach to taking over the reins of an agency and what he sees as the challenges and hopes for moving forward as a local directo...

One of the additional duties for emergency managers at the local level is to make and maintain connections with local and state elected officials. This is not everyone’s “cup of tea” but it can be a vital aspect of having a disaster management program that enjoys the support of legislators. Scott McDougall, is the Director of the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency . Pacific county is basic...

At this stage, Eric Holdeman is one of the “old dogs” in the room. Today we have a host of new emergency management leaders who have risen through the ranks and are assuming leadership positions across local, state and federal agencies. It is heartening to know that as one generation of emergency managers fades away, there is this new, competent, and energized group of leaders on their way up. One...

 Alaska is a huge state with many different hazards and challenges. It is very remote and on the Arctic Circle. It is also on the forefront of climate change impacts to its land and its people. In this podcast I interview the Alaska Emergency Management Director.  Bryan began his career in emergency management in 1995 with the Alaska Division of Emergency Services. Since that time, he has served i...

P ete Simi , a professor of sociology at Chapman University, is overseeing a research team of the university’s students and graduates who are diving into court records about federal cases of death threats sent to public officials, including officials elected or appointed in health care, education and law enforcement. Their findings will help alleviate the rising numbers of threats against public o...

Unfortunately, we do live in a litigious environment. When disasters strike, we expect that our property insurance provider will cover our losses. Sometimes, the insurance company and the insured person(s) don’t agree on the settlement amounts being offered by the insurance company. What do you do next? This and other topics about the current disaster environment and its impacts on the property in...

Emergency management has traditionally been dealing with natural disasters and sometimes human caused disasters like hazardous materials. In recent years the issue of cybersecurity has become much more prominent as an issue. The podcast guest this week is Chris D. Volmer who is currently serving as the cyber & infrastructure security manager for the Idaho Office of Emergency Management, respon...

The wildfire destruction in Maui has been difficult to watch. So many homes and businesses were destroyed, and lives lost. In order to respond to this event, here on this podcast I invited Sean Scott to come and share his expertise with disaster recovery. Sean is a second-generation restoration contractor and disaster recovery consultant who has spent over 44 years in the construction and fire res...

Sometimes it is good to look back at how far we have come and then forward, to where we might be headed in the future. My guest today is Claire Rubin blogs at Recovery Diva , but has a much more extensive connection to all phases of the broader topic of emergency management. We talk in this podcast about a wide variety of topics, to include how professional emergency managers can continue to contr...

Typically, the Disaster Zone Podcast has had guests and topics about the positive uses of drone technology and how it can be used to advance the capabilities of first responder agencies, emergency managers and others like search and rescue groups. In this podcast we turn to look at the challenges of preventing either accidental and deliberate uses of drones that can harm operations or people. The...

Climate change is beginning to have significant impacts on our world. This means that emergency managers everywhere will need to step up to the plate and respond to an increasing series of disasters of all types. This commentary speaks to these challenges that the profession of emergency management is about to face. Merit is a first-of-its-kind, all-hazards, digital credentialing platform that equ...

One of the personal and organizational constraining factors that limit our aspirations is the lack of funding. To accomplish anything requires money. Emergency management as a profession has become overly dependent on grant funding. However, there are other sources of funding that can be tapped. In this podcast we talk with an expert fundraiser. We discuss the challenges that come from even just t...

If you think you know all about the capabilities of drones, you don’t know the half of it. In this podcast we explore the capabilities of drones to fly “inside of buildings” and not using GPS. My guest is Blake Resnick a technology star if there ever was one. We talk about the future of drone technology and the expected revisions to FAA rules and regulations which will open up the use of drones in...

Washington State is one of the most high hazard states here in the United States. The emergency management leader there is Robert Ezelle who is the fifth senior state emergency management director in the nation. He serves as Director of the Washington Military Department’s Emergency Management Division (EMD), which is responsible for leading and coordinating mitigation, preparedness, response and...

If you don’t know it, we are headed for a significant energy challenge in the near future. Too much demand for electricity, an outdated and aging electrical grid, and an imbalance for where the energy needs are and where energy is being generated. Which brings us to the topic of today’s podcast. How energy storage using batteries is a good choice for a number of applications, be it for a home, bus...