DisasterClass Podcast | Your Masterclass in Disaster Preparedness.

What if your emergency plan looks impressive—but has never really been tested? Alicia Johnson calls them “painted rocks”: plans, programs, and preparedness efforts that look complete on the surface but may not have the capability behind them to perform when they're actually needed. In this episode of DisasterClass, Wesley Long sits down with Alicia Johnson, founder of Two Lynchpin Road, for a conv...

On September 11, 2001, thousands of Morgan Stanley employees escaped from the World Trade Center. Their response was supported by years of planning, recurring evacuation drills, and determined leadership from security director Rick Rescorla. In this special 25th-anniversary episode, Jason Perez examines what Rescorla and Morgan Stanley did before the emergency, why training mattered during the rou...

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, more than half of Procter & Gamble's coffee production was concentrated in the region. P&G had hurricane plans. It had shutdown procedures. It had generators, crisis teams, backup systems, and decades of experience preparing for storms. And then Katrina exceeded the plan. Communications collapsed. Employees were scattered across multiple s...

In this episode of DisasterClass, Jason Martin—Pappy—speaks with Brad Newbury and Kiera Newbury about The Saved Effect: True Stories of Lives Reclaimed by People Who Were Willing to Act. Brad and Kiera share the stories behind people who survived because someone stepped forward—first responders, bystanders, family members, and ordinary people who chose to act in the moment. But the episode is real...

When disaster strikes, emergency leaders need to answer three urgent questions: What happened? Where did it happen? And how severe is it? In this episode of DisasterClass, Jason Perez and Jason “Pappy” Martin speak with David Tobias, Chief Product Officer at Nearmap, about how high-resolution aerial imagery, property intelligence, and artificial intelligence can support emergency preparedness, dis...

Preparedness should make you more capable — not more paranoid. In this episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, Jason Perez and Pappy sit down with Jim Cobb, a nationally recognized authority on disaster readiness and the Editor in Chief of Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Jim has spent roughly 40 years involved in preparedness, survival, self-reliance, and disaster readiness. He has written numero...

Emergency preparedness has a problem. Not because people do not care. Not because they are lazy. Not because they are ignoring risk on purpose. For many people, preparedness has become overwhelming. Wildfires. Floods. Extreme weather. Mass shootings. Infrastructure failures. Disease outbreaks. Alerts keep coming, but most people are still trying to figure out where to start. In this documentary-st...

You’ve seen Star Wars. But you’ve probably never looked at it like this. In this special May 4th episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, we break down Star Wars as a case study in emergency management, risk mindset, and real-world preparedness. From the Death Star’s catastrophic design flaw to the Rebel Alliance’s ability to operate under extreme constraints, every major moment in Star Wars reveals...

They got the alert. They heard the warning. They had time to leave. And they stayed anyway. In this episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, we break down one of the most dangerous patterns in emergency response: why people ignore warnings—even when the risk is real. From wildfires to hurricanes, tornadoes to floods, history shows that delayed decisions cost lives. But this isn’t about ignorance—it’s...

What would you do if someone collapsed right in front of you? In this solo episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, Pappy explores a hard truth about emergencies: you do not rise to the occasion—you fall back on your training. When stress hits, good intentions are not enough. In those first critical moments, people often freeze, hesitate, or wait for someone else to act. That is why training matters....

When someone collapses from cardiac arrest, brain injury begins in 4–6 minutes. In many communities, EMS arrival can take 10 minutes or more. So what exists in that gap? In this episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, we sit down with firefighter-paramedic and AED Empire co-founder Dustin Talacko to discuss the dangerous space between emergency and response — and why access to life-saving equipment...

Every day, thousands of Americans board international flights thinking about beaches, business meetings, and bucket lists. Very few think about embassy locations. Very few think about hospital systems. And almost no one thinks about what they would do if they were told to shelter in place in a country that isn’t theirs. Recently, tourists in parts of Mexico were advised to remain inside their hote...

In Part 1, we asked a difficult question: Why does preparedness fail so many people after disasters? In Part 2, we go deeper. This episode explores what changes when risk becomes visible — not as a checklist, not as a warning, but as something that can actually be understood, measured, and acted on before disaster strikes. As insurance companies, real estate markets, and governments increasingly p...

Across the country, people are doing what they’ve been told. They build emergency kits. They follow alerts. They evacuate when ordered. And still — they lose everything. Not during the disaster. After it. In Part 1 of this documentary-style episode, DisasterClass examines a hard truth most preparedness conversations avoid: survival is not the same as recovery. Homes may survive storms but become u...

What should kids actually know how to do during an emergency? In this episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, Jason Perez and Pappy break down emergency preparedness for kids by age, using real-world case studies, child development science, and practical experience to show what children are truly capable of when they’ve been prepared calmly and intentionally. This isn’t about scaring kids — it’s abo...

Preparedness isn’t about disasters — it’s about the systems you rely on every day. When people think about preparedness, they often focus on hazards: storms, outages, emergencies. But real-world outcomes aren’t determined by the event itself — they’re shaped by how that event disrupts essential systems and how those disruptions interact with household vulnerabilities. In this episode of the Disast...

2025 flew by — and in this Season 3 Year-in-Review episode, Jason Perez and Pappy (Jason Martin) look back at what made this year memorable: major disasters and real-time event breakdowns, standout guests and episodes, and the key preparedness lessons that kept showing up again and again. We also shift into winter weather preparedness with practical reminders for travel, vehicle readiness, power o...

In Part 2 of our interview with Chris Grollnek, one of the nation’s leading experts in active shooter prevention and response, we transition from mindset to real-world action. This episode breaks down the practical, proven steps schools, workplaces, and communities can take right now to build a true culture of preparedness. Chris shares decades of insight from law enforcement, consulting, and high...

🚨 “It’ll never happen here.” That mindset could cost lives. In this powerful episode, active-shooter prevention expert Chris Grollnek joins hosts Jason Perez and Wesley Long to break down what real readiness looks like—far beyond “run, hide, fight.” Chris shares how his on-duty experience changed his life and how schools, businesses, and families can prepare for the unthinkable without fear-monge...

In this episode of DisasterClass, hosts Jason Perez and Jason Martin (aka Pappy) welcome back Arthur Simental, founder of EM Disaster Gaming, and first-time guest Todd Manns, CEO of The Blue Cell Group. Together, they discuss Complex Coordinated Attack, a groundbreaking new disaster war game designed to push the limits of training, preparedness, and decision-making for emergency managers and first...

What if the biggest threat to your disaster readiness isn’t your gear… but your lack of sleep? In this episode of Disaster Class, Jason Perez and Wesley Long talk with Lori Oliver and Jill MacRae, co-founders of The Inactive Company, about why rest is one of the most overlooked tools in emergency preparedness. You’ll learn: Why sleep deprivation can impair judgment like alcohol 🚨 The Sleep 7 Play...

Wildfires are burning hotter, faster, and in more places than ever before. In this episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, IBHS Senior Director Steve Hawks shares how post-fire research, Wildfire Prepared Home, and Wildfire Prepared Neighborhoods are helping families and communities build resilience against a growing national threat. 📌 Learn more: www.wildfireprepared.org | IBHS: https://ibhs.org F...

Wildfires are spreading faster, burning hotter, and threatening communities across the U.S. — not just in California. But here’s the surprising truth: most homes don’t burn from flames… they burn from embers. In this debut episode of DisasterClass, we sit down with Steve Hawks, Senior Director for Wildfire at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and former CAL FIRE leader...

What does it really mean to be hurricane ready? 🌀 In this episode of the DisasterClass Podcast, we sit down with meteorologist Rachael Gauthier from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) to uncover the science-backed strategies that protect homes against hurricane damage. Rachael explains: ✅Why your roof is your home’s first line of defense ✅How wind-rated garage doors p...

In this episode of the DisasterClass Podcast by Instinct Ready, hosts Jason Perez and Wesley Long are joined by Anthony Escoto of Disaster Operations Group to take a deep dive into the Parks and Recreation Season 5 episode “Emergency Response.” You know—the one where Leslie Knope faces an avian flu outbreak drill on the exact same day as her big gala fundraiser. With Anthony’s real-world disaster...