The Emergency Management Network Podcast

Occupational stress in first responders is associated with an increased risk in mental health problems, while the emotional toll first responders endure on the job has caused suicide rates to skyrocket amongst the industry. Today, prepare.respod.recover. host Todd DeVoe speaks with Brice Long, COO of O2X, an organization that provides customized wellness programs for public safety departments, the...

It is 2 AM, and the phone rings. It is never good when the phone rings at 2 AM. Your heart is racing, and dispatch tells you that a major fire has ripped through a senior housing development. The watch commander is requesting resources and the EOC to be activated.  Decisions are being made, and you need to get into your OODA Loop fast, or you will be behind the eight ball.  When making decisions u...

With the spotlight on leadership, it’s worth stepping back and understanding the role that Consultants play in helping drive organizational performance. Leaders face a host of challenges, from setting the strategic direction to ensuring the organization is reaching its full potential, and engaging internal and external stakeholders effectively Today we are taking a look at how consultants can prov...

When building teams it is critical to assess the performance and effectiveness of your team at every level. To gain a deeper understanding of your organization’s strengths sometimes you need to hire a team that builds teams. Anthony E. Coletta Jr. specializes in leadership development, performance management, strategic planning, and emergency planning and training. Todd DeVoe Twitter handle: https...

Bayes’ Theorem Applying It To Emergency Management  Mental models help us with making decisions under stress. They give us a starting point, think of how we teach triage, “start where you stand”. This applies to decision-making as well during a disaster or crisis, start with information that you have. We can make the adjustments as more or better information is obtained.  This brings me to the con...

The K-12 School Shooting Database research project is a widely inclusive database that documents each and every instance a gun is brandished is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, or day of the week. The School Shooting Database Project is conducted as part of the Advanced Thinking in Homeland Security (HSx) program at the Naval Postgr...

Due to the uptick of mass shootings over the years, many professions outside of law enforcement are now being trained in active shooter response programs. But have you ever thought about who teaches the law enforcement officers themselves? Join prepare.respond.recover. host Todd DeVoe as he talks with Erik Franco, the CEO of "High Speed Tac Med", one of the nation’s most sought-after active shoote...

During a round table, I asked Craig Fugate if we could take politics out of Disaster response. His answer was simple, no. It is that all disaster responses have political consequences. Fema has a training called The Politics of Disaster. Here they state, "Disasters have Political Consequences: One widely observed but not fully understood principle of the disaster/politics relationship is that disa...

Join Todd and Toni as they discuss developing and mentoring the next generation of emergency managers. It is up to the current emergency management profession to ensure that the next generation is ready to take the helm. Todd DeVoe Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/ToddTDeVoe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddtdevoe/ Substack: https://emnetwork.substack.com/ Website: https://toddtdevoe.c...

Last week, I started this piece on what it is to be a humanitarian. This came from a great interview I did with Kerri Murray, the President of ShelterBox for NDEM's Prepare, Respond, Recover podcast. Since then, the National Geographic Society released a documentary on Chef Jose Andres and the nonprofit he created World Central Kitchen. That coincidence confirmed to me that I had to do this piece....

Join Josh Bowen and Todd De Voe as they discuss ways you can make your community antifragile. Today Communities are facing complex challenges, natural and human-caused disasters, political division, supply chain issues, globalization, urbanization, homelessness, and land-use problems. To help strengthen our communities, we must address these threats, and a call for action that combines disaster pr...

A humanitarian crisis arises when an event affects vulnerable populations who are unable to withstand the negative consequences by themselves, and unfortunately, poor populations are likely to be more vulnerable to man-made or natural disasters. As other organizations fill the need for food and medical supplies, ShelterBox is providing the basic need for shelter. Listen in to this week’s episode o...

Disaster Economics, Do We Have The Will To Change?  I was writing a piece for this week on the efforts of humanitarians in the world. (This is because I had a great interview published on June 7 on Prepare. Response. Recover.) I could not shake the need to talk about disaster economics. As the hurricane season is upon us, Alex is heading to Flordia with an early-season storm as I read these words....

Have you ever thought about what happens with the personal effects from the disaster zone? Robert A. Jensen has written an up-close and personal look at the difficult work behind the yellow tape. He has chronicled the grim job of sorting through the personal effects and what the personal tool the repeated exposure to mass death brings. Todd DeVoe Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/ToddTDeVoe Link...

Commander’s Intent: Why Emergency Management Should Embrace It Extreme Ownership is one of those books that emergency managers have been recommending to each other since Jocko Willink and Leif Babin published it. It is a best-selling leadership book. Frankly, I was not a fan of the book, primarily because of the war stories. As a Greenside Navy veteran, I guess it should have gotten all moto readi...

In any field, you need to make decisions, and in public safety, the decisions you make can be life and death. This month we talk with Brad Borkan, the author of When Your Life Depends On It Extreme Decision-Making Lessons from the Antarctic. We will explore how to make better decisions and how When Your Life Depends on It is action-packed and fast-paced. Historically accurate, complete with jaw-dr...

Do You know You Are In The Water?  I have only recently learned of a great thinker named David Foster Wallace. He was a writer and college professor and challenged the way people look at life. Although he left this world way too young, David made a lasting mark with his writings and thoughts. When I think of the people I have come in contact with, both good and bad, I try to learn from them.  Davi...

Emergency Management is a highly diverse career field with a favorably projected future job growth. There is no clearly defined pathway for becoming an emergency manager and why are people moving to emergency management? Because there are opportunities in public service at all levels of government and a variety of sectors, including education, healthcare, and private business. Today, we explore em...

Today prepare.respond.recover. speaks with Lead Research Meteorologist and Senior Director for Standards and Analytics Dr. Ian Giammanco from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) as he talks about the crazy experiments IBHS conducts to save lives and property as a result of severe weather. Why does IBHS do what they do? As we unfortunately know, severe weather disrupts lives,...

The Infant Formula Problem and Emergency Management I have talked about supply chain issues on The Todd DeVoe Show and Business Continuity Today. And When we discussed this issue, it was more about how the cost of items across the spectrum are increasing.  The other day, I was grocery shopping with my 9-year-old daughter, and she noticed that when we checked out, the baby formula was behind a lock...

Todd DeVoe shares his perspective on the questions that we all have asked ourselves. The only thing I know is that I know nothing This statement is known as the Socratic Paradox. True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.⁣ So let's dive into the questions and have a great conversation. The EM Network - https://emnetwork....

A Mother's Day Message Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the world. Our team wants you to know that we appreciate you. So when I was looking for a topic for this week, I felt that it was essential to address how disasters worldwide impact women.  Asako Okai, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP Crisis Bureau, stated in her piece, "Women are hit hardest in disasters, so why ar...

EMI is announcing a new program, the Planning Practitioner Program. The Planning Practitioner Program (PPP) is a series of two (2) resident courses in Emmitsburg, MD, and an online Capstone. The PPP will have two (2) cohorts in FY23, beginning October 17th and January 9th. you can Apply at training.fema.gov Todd DeVoe Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/ToddTDeVoe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.co...

According to NOAA, severe weather issues (such as more frequent and intense heat waves and hurricanes dumping more than the usual rainfall) are an increasing liability to the economy, with 10 weather and climate disasters costing more than $1 billion each so far this year! In addition, western wildfires have also cost more than $40 billion during the past two years alone. Today, prepare.respond.re...

What is The Intersection of Emergency Management and Climate Adaptation? As Earth (Day) Week comes to a close, I am left with the question, how do we see the intersection of emergency management and climate adaptation?  Holly ManieOskoii’s piece Climate Resilience Can Elevate The Emergency Management Field explores the idea that the knowledge of basic climate science is a critical area of study fo...