Hometown Ready Emergency Management

The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management has been busy the past few weeks planning two special events which occur annually. The Ozark Empire Fair and the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival draw thousands of people and require a collaborative effort among public safety partners and non-governmental organizations in order to provide a safe environment for attendees.  In this episode...

The answer is no, but . . . there was a time when a drone pilot had to explain why their drone did not have one.  Listen to our host, Aubrey Johnson, discuss this and many other drone-related issues with Jason Preston of 417 Drone Imaging and Kenneth Norris, OEM Logistics Specialist, during this month’s HometownREADY podcast. Don’t forget to click the subscribe button.  Also, you can stay in touch...

This month, 3 subject matter experts from the community met with our host to discuss Operation Chem Loco, a hazardous materials table-top exercise recently conducted by OEM.  Ralph Siccama with Greene County LEPC, Larry Woods as the Director of Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management, and Christopher Roush EMS & Special Operations with Springfield Fire Department.  With railwa...

On April 18, 2023 Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management hosted a functional exercise at Praise Assembly in north Springfield. An unusual disaster exercise with no visual damage or responders, the focus of this exercise was purely on recovery efforts. Many from throughout the state had never experienced an exercise like this and OEM staff had at least no recollection of such an e...

In this episode, the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management staff discuss the coming season of Special Events. The current OEM staff brings to the table many different walks of life, viewpoints, and education. Most of the group has however participated in the planning process for special events, as well as the working of said events. The OEM crew discusses an entry level understa...

In this episode we talk with Keely Leeper and Brody Harrison from Mercy Springfield Burn Unit. The focus of the conversation is the burn unit itself and management of moderate to serious burns sustained by the community. The Level 1 Burn Center in Springfield at Mercy is the only burn center in at minimum at 150 miles radius. This brings many other communities into Springfield for burn related eme...

In this episode we talk about winter weather safety for pets with Michele Rehkop from Rescue One , a foster-based animal rescue in Springfield, MO. Focusing mainly on family cats and dogs, Michele gives some insight into the organization and some pro tips to understand what winter may be like for your best friend. From shoes for your pet, to how to adopt, we dive into a variety of topics that ofte...

In this episode, we discuss trends in the world of volunteering with our partners Debi Meeds from American Red Cross and Michelle Garand from Community Partnership of the Ozarks. Over the past 20 years, several studies have been completed on volunteering in our society. In the preparedness and disaster management community, volunteerism accounts for a significant amount of the work that is accompl...

In this episode, we speak with Larry Woods & Darren White from Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management, as well as Steve Runnels & Kyle Perez from The National Weather Service of Springfield. Over 75 years of experience and expertise in the field between the 4 individuals from first response, emergency management, and weather prediction meteorology.  Larry and Steve start...

In this episode, we speak with our OEM Director, Larry Woods, and our Deputy Director, Darren White, about emergency management’s history in civil defense. In its most basic form, civil defense is the organization and training of civilians to be prepared for attacks in wartime. Civil defense efforts in the 20th Century began during World War I and World War II and reached an apex during the Cold W...

In this episode, we speak with our OEM Training and Exercise Specialist, Aubrey Johnson. Aubrey joined OEM in early 2022 and he brings years of experience as a firefighter, a flight paramedic, and as a trainer for a variety of public safety subjects. We discuss how OEM plans and conducts emergency management training and exercises, and how they fit into the larger picture of community preparedness...

In this episode, we speak with our newest OEM planner, Katie Kovach. She came to our team from the Assemblies of God, where she conducted emergency planning work across the church’s international organization. Katie took a winding road to get to Springfield and OEM. She graduated university in Europe, spoke in front of European Parliament, and participated in missionary work to help victims and su...

On this episode, OEM staff speak with Elizabeth Robertson from the City Utilities Water Quality Laboratory in Springfield, Missouri. We learn about all things drinking water in this episode. Topics discussed include drought, the differences between purification and treatment, the risk posed by algal blooms, the sources of Springfield and Greene County’s drinking water, and how City Utilities Citie...

On this episode, OEM staff discuss public, early warning systems with Sergeant Mike McClure of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The episode touches on an incident in January 2022 when a Batman-themed test was sent out across Missouri. The hosts and guest then expand the discussion, covering how early warning readiness tests are conducted and the role of emergency warning systems both within the...

Welcome to the HometownREADY podcast brought to you by the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management (OEM).  For our inaugural episode, we will speak to current OEM Director Larry Woods and former OEM Directors Chet Hunter and Ryan Nicholls. We discuss what it means to be an emergency manager, the history of our office, and what the future of the profession holds.  Don’t forget to c...