This show walks through recent examples of emergency management network and the results. The scope of emergency management is protecting life, property, and continuity of operations.
This week provides an update on emergency management actions in Doberman, from the perspective of networking and disaster response coordination. If you want examples of who to network in emergency management, this is the show for you! We also want to thank all of those emergency managers who collaborate with us to help others in crisis. Emergency managers who coordinate and collaborate get the job done!
This Podcast has moved to the Readiness Lab.
Host: John Scardena (0s):
You've just entered the Disaster Tough Podcast, the place for emergency managers, first responders and humanitarians who want to get the job done. Stories, lessons and tips are provided by field experts. This show is owned and operated by professional emergency managers at Doberman Emergency Management. We apply disaster tough logic by protecting life, property, and business continuity through planning, mitigation, and training. Check us out at dobermanemg.com or click on the show notes.
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Host: John Scardena (1m 46s):
Welcome back to the show, everybody it’s your host, John Scardena, man. Oh my gosh, so much has been happening in the last, I don't know, three, four months. Afghanistan and now we have to think about more in depth, at least terrorist activity. Of course, that's a whole other story, but in the world of emergency management and really the natural disasters and manmade accidental disasters, there's just been so much happening.
So each year we kind of like to do like an update of what we've been doing here, Doberman Emergency Management, and helping out the field. Of course, we do these interviews every single week with experts around the field to be able to get their perspective on emergency management. The question keeps on coming up, whether we're on screen or off the screen of what is emergency management, the way I like to phrase some emergency management, is emergency management is the protection of life, property, and continuity of operations. That's the scope. So if you're doing anything within that scope, you're doing an emergency managers work, right, or emergency services work.
Host: John Scardena (2m 57s):
There's a tactical level, which has the first responders. Our counterparts and fire, USR, urban search and rescue fire, police. I said fire, right? So like we have all these tacticians that are doing things. We also have the humanitarians at the local level working, and that's a salvation army. We've had Patrick Mangan on here. We're going to be talking about LDS charities, big shout out to them for their help recently with the USR teams in Haiti. We can talk about that in a second. There's also the strategic stuff, FEMA, you know, other organizations that look at that strategic level and say, hey, where do we get these moving pieces. State operations centers, we've had Lee Dorey on here from Cal OES this year we've had a lot of major hitters. We have a lot of major hitters coming up and the next couple of weeks. So we're really excited to have them.
We have a new studio. It's not like this super dark studio anymore. So there's this, there's just a lot going on and we've had great things happening, but how do we operate in that? So today I just want to share a couple stories that have happened since May. Some of it we've highlighted on the show and some of it we haven't, but if you're an emergency management and you're like wondering if you're effective or if you're doing the right thing, or if your pieces of emergency management likely it is, if you're within that scope, right? Protecting life, property, and continuity of operations, sometimes that's mitigation, right?
Host: John Scardena (4m 22s):
Sometimes that's figuring out what their problem is, working with Army Corps of engineers to fix that levy or fix that damn, do those assessments. Sometimes it's getting tense to be able to sustain life, right? That's protecting life by sustaining it. Sometimes it's, you know, going through a rebel pile in Surfside, which we're definitely going to talk about today and highlight. Just with this conversation, or at least, you know, this conversation between me and you, there's so much that has been impactful recently to me and also this company, Doberman Emergency Management. I think it touches a lot of other groups.
Some we've had on the show, some we've haven't had on the show, like I highlighted LDS charities a while they really came through. But yeah, there's a whole community out there and it really is about networking. So let me start with this idea of what emergency management is about protection of life, property, and continuity operations. Can't say that enough, but it's also about collaboration, cooperation, getting the job done, emergency managers, get the job done, right. If you're really good at anything within that scope that we just talked about four or five times already in five minutes, and you're able to get the job done, you're doing a good job, right?
Host: John Scardena (5m 46s):
So let's talk about May, actually let's back up. Last October, I reached out to a company that I'm really pressed with their 360 camera. In fact, I want them to be a sponsor. So I keep on asking them, they keep on liking our stuff. We know you're listening, but we liked their camera a lot and really what it is, it's like this hardened camera that can go into rubble piles and look around 360 and give really good feedback for first responders. You know, obviously they passed, because they're not, but you should be a sponsor. You should be a sponsor. But you know, I said, hey, we would love to be able to connect with USR counterparts in the field because you guys work with USR so much. Can you turn us to somebody right now? We're networking. We're using that emergency management tool of collaboration with other people, you know, keeping that line of communication out. So they connected me with Joe Hernandez who has been on the show, I think three or four times now. I've been blown away by his capability, his competency, everything he's able to do in the field and what he has done. If you've listened to the shows. I mean, he was at Oklahoma city bombing. He was at the twin towers.
Host: John Scardena (7m 8s):
In fact, he was lead medical. They're the expert for urban search and rescue. He went to Haiti in 2010, found a girl eight days after in a rebel pile and pulled her out. You should see the imagery. I mean, nobody really has that trained eye to be able to see, you know, in a one foot pancaked space, you know, this and laying there covered in dust. Like I saw the images and myself with everybody else, you know, we're trying to pass by, you know, was hey that's where she was. That's all we saw on the camera is I was at well-trained and it shows that he's a true expert and he's had all that time to look at that. Right. So Joe came onto the show and you know, outside of the show, we talk and we talked about emergency management, how it relates to the tacticians, the tactical level.
I talked about how I didn't know this at the time, but during Hurricane Harvey, I helped deploy those USR teams and give them data, the data that they need in the field. He was actually there, so it's really fascinating to think about, that network that you don't even, you have sometimes. But as we develop this relationship, he goes, hey, I'm teaching the medical urban search and rescue class, I would love for you to come be able to want to talk about your podcast because I've been on the show and really to observe and to instruct on emergency management, that's strategic level for the technicians. So they know who's appointing them and how that process goes.
Host: John Scardena (8m 37s):
So, yeah, sure. That week was phenomenal, one of the best trainings I've ever seen. I noted that on the show, a big shout out to Joe's M sock and all the work that they're doing over there. I came home from that thinking like, oh, that was a great learning experience. I saw the tacticians, I got to meet with a lot of these counterparts in the field, including we just moved to St. Louis. I happened to be one of the St Louis teams was there. So I was able to connect with them and get to know them again now working but not networking. People think of it as like going to conferences and like awkwardly talking to people, right? No, what it is is befriending people, seeing the capabilities you have, the capabilities that they have and see if you can gain more right from each other, from experience or whatever.
So fast forward we ended up having two other people. Well, another one of the instructors that came on the show, district chief and from Orlando. I dare you to find that show because it's a great show, great feedback to him. Then he connected us with the fire chief that responded, the incident commander for the pulse nightclub shooting, which says another episode you should look at. So we're starting to make all these connections, right. Of like experts in the field, just by basically talking to people and we don't pay them. We don't get really anything out of it besides the advice.
Host: John Scardena (10m 8s):
The advice is so huge that it's like, hey, it's worth it. Like let’s make sure that we help out where we can. Well, you fast forward another couple of weeks, which again, now the dots are starting to maybe connect for ya. Surfside building collapse happens and Joe flies down there, he's a consultant for CNN. So he's on CNN every day. He mentioned disaster Tough’s, a big shout out to Joe for that. But he was also on the ground meeting with the responders. Guess what, like five or six of the instructors, including the fire chief who was on the show, he was at there as the incident commander for a Florida task force for search and rescue. So they were doing the night shift and they were essentially doing that mission. So now he's an SME, not only for CNN, but he's actually on the ground coordinating resources. So I get involved and so again, this is not really a Doberman thing, but because of Doberman and because this podcast I'm able to help him. So I started volunteering my time and resources to be able to see where we could to be able to support or provide care where we could, especially for the responders. So now you're watching this thing happen where a strategic level of emergency managers who typically, traditionally, you're like, oh, did they really interact with first responders will absolutely.
Host: John Scardena (11m 40s):
Right. Absolutely. That's what we're doing. So you fast forward, another couple of weeks, I get called out by a client who we love helping Kashia Band of Pomo Indians out of the stewards point trench area. They're really great people, but like a lot of other groups in California, they're having this drought issue. So they called me up and say, hey, we have this major drought issue. We don't know what to do. I'm like, you know what? This seems really important. So I'm going to head out there. We're also going to talk about public safety, power shutoffs because they're our client for that. So this is completely separate. So we did the out-brief on the PSPS plan. We talked to them with the drought issues, we invited Patrick McGuinn with the salvation army to provide help.
We invited Cal OES to come to provide support to. So now we're all talking about resources and what to do and how can we help? You know, again, this is just because we want to help each other out. This is our community emergency managers help out people. It turned out to be a great trip. While I was out there, I got to meet with Lee Dorey with Cal OES, he heard that we were coming out there and said with the Dixie fire, can you provide guidance? Or can you come out here and check out? So I went out there and looked at their operation and provided some feedback. Again, this is not even the work. This is just about helping out other people.
Host: John Scardena (13m 6s):
I just was just overwhelmed by that experience. Well, when we got called out there, Joe Hernandez texted me and said, can LDS help? Well, I'm a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. I'm like, well, there's 16 million members of this church and so let me see what I could do, but I kind of fed it up the food chain. In fact, I went through this isn't, this is amazing. I remember the I'm LDS, right? But Patrick McGuinn Salvation Army has a connection with LDS charities. So I texted him or I call him and said, hey, can you give me the contact information?
So fed it all the way up to the head of the program. Her name is Sharon Eubank and we're now talking about a four hour period. She connected me with the people who are involved with the Haiti response is what Joe was texting me about. Joe had, again, volunteered both his time and resources to collect pallets of supplies for medical supplies, for their first responders over there who were helping out with th Haitian response all while a tropical storm was heading that way. So just, just incredible. But in that four hour period, we got connected with her LDS church said they were going to help, LDS charities.
Host: John Scardena (14m 29s):
Now we're connecting so many different things and Joe's volunteering his time, the LDS church volunteer time, Patrick, McGuinn volunteering some of his time. Just this big crowd of people helping each other out. So my heart is just full of gratitude for good people who want to help. Of course there's work to be done. Of course, we do contract work. We don't call ourselves contractors essentially because we're basically emergency managers who just happened to do it privately. We get to choose the projects. We work on some, we get paid and some we get to volunteer and that, I think that's really what it's all about. In the midst of all of this, we see what's happening in Afghanistan. I think it's, I think pretty much everyone's on the same page that what's happening is disgusting. Both from the Taliban perspective and the egregious risk response or lack of response, lack of leadership that has caused a horrible issue. We just had a terrorist attack at Kabul airport. I think 16 service members died and 95 Afghans died and why? For what?
Host: John Scardena (15m 54s):
So it's enraging. You look at the news, you look at this, you look at the lack of leadership, you look at the incompetency, and you look at all these things and your frustration builds so much, but there are good people out there who are doing good things behind the scenes. I just mentioned several good people who volunteer their time and resources to be able to help out in the things that I cared about. Hopefully I was able to help them out as well. You know, the work continues. That's what getting the job done is all about. That's what networking is. So there's a big update there, right?
Host: John Scardena (16m 36s):
Emergency management essentially is all about networking and coordinating and collaborating and helping each other, putting people first, right? Putting people first, especially people in this field because they're good people. I'm assuming they're good people. I've been incredibly grateful that, you know, as an emergency manager, who's doing it privately now who didn't want to travel 50 weeks a year anymore. Who said, hey, I want to do this privately, that I've had friends and new friends in the field who don't treat me like, you know some consultant, like that does just makes me feel gross inside to think about that, right.
Because that's not what I'm about clearly and I'm in grateful for that. So it's kind of a gratitude episode, but let's move on to the next topic. Other big things have been happening with Doberman. So in the midst of all of that, our company, our headquarters moved to St. Louis, hence the new studio. I love this industrial look that we added here kept the original side, which is awesome. Love that time. But I get to showcase some other stuff, things that really care about obviously, geez, where I’m at not doing the mirror screen, you know, the family. Obviously you guys I've talked a lot about my family, how much I care about them, but showcasing some of the most recent challenge coins that have been given.
Host: John Scardena (18m 1s):
I really grateful for that, including one from Joe, Joe’s the man, seriously, you know, Patrick McGuinn, you owe me a challenge point of giving like two now. I've brought up social vulnerability, like so many times on this show. You guys have to read that book. Gosh I could talk about stories, about all those coins, and you know, that award, that female award, but yeah, it's just like a cool setup and our company's expanding, we're doing great things. We brought on Todd Devoe with EM weekly. We brought up brought in Franzie economy. EM student, both of those podcasts.
Host: John Scardena (18m 43s):
We brought on Ashley Lauria golden, who was on here a year ago. If you remember, she was the deputy director of Forsyth county, Georgia. She is phenomenal, she has this great background in both mitigation and as a paramedic, so, especially as a trainer. She was able to bring all these different skill sets to our organization, she just joined. We're starting to build out this team even greater than what it was because we had this core group that essentially most of it was planning and teaching state agencies, how to use drones and that kind of stuff. Now we're adding hazard mitigation.
We've launched the Readiness Lab, with Todd Devoe and his podcast, Joe Hernandez is launching his podcast, which is really exciting for us, i's called solid responder. His first episode is going to air on September 11th, 20 years after 9/11, and talk about his experience there. He's going to interview some of the other guys that he served with during that response. They're going to be talking about the 20 years since then. I'm sure they're going to be talking about some of the emotional and physical impacts of that because he has been a really big advocate of helping out responders getting the help they need.
Host: John Scardena (20m 7s):
So if you know, somebody who could use a first responder perspective on getting that kind of help, that'd be a great episode to turn into. Again, that's solid responder. We're launching the EM morning brief. So we're doing all these different things with the Readiness Lab, but it's also, we're going to start doing trainings. So pairing up with search and rescue and start doing cross collaboration, cross sector, emergency services, emergency management, disaster services, what do we want to call it? Where we get to learn what our counterparts are doing? So the firefighter doesn't say like, oh, the emergency manager just gets the water. Right, which is like egregious and offensive.
But we also don't, we're also on there the management side, like, oh, most of the time you just do medical, right? So we don't really know what each other's doing and how they're doing it. We have a lot of respect hopefully for each other, but that cross sector training will be really important. Then doing a lot of more hands-on training for emergency managers. I don't know how many FEMA and or other trainings I went to and they were crunching to out of there early, just to check the box. You know, you walk out of this training, like, okay, I could have done this like 30 minutes timeline, but we're changing that model pretty fast.
Host: John Scardena (21m 28s):
So what we're going to be providing is a couple day training and exclusive training, where people come out and they get certified from us and from experts on how to do different functions in emergency management. So it's going to be like this really great thing we're talking to new partners with, that are trying to talk, or we're not trying. We're talking to a new groups who've approached us to get our perspective of that. Especially with all the disasters we've been to and, and helped out and both former lives and current support. So there's just like so much going on. This really all stems from, again, networking, helping out other people, not being selfish in that support, but truly giving of our time and help for the purpose of protecting life, property and continuity of operations.
When you do that, great things happen. So Todd Devoe is also an instructor, a professor at a university, and his students provided their final presentations. So he invited me to go, so I can listen into see where they're at in their journey and answer some questions. One of the students asked, well how do I get a job in emergency management? Like I've taken all these courses. I have some of the background, blah, blah, blah. I hear that question quite a bit. You got to think of, you got to stop thinking networking as showing up at a conference and awkwardly talking to people, you know at dinner table that works for some. What a great networking is, unselfishly, helping other people, cool period.
Host: John Scardena (23m 12s):
You'll be blown away if they never get back to you, then who cares? Because you did something great on selfishly, you're able to help bother people when you can lay your head down at night and you can know you did a good job, you got the job done. But what I've seen more often than not is because our community is so small is when an issue does arise or when something comes up down the road or you can approach them and say, hey, now that we're friends, I would love to be able to get some advice on this or perspective, or can you connect me with whoever. And that's how the dots start getting connected. It's about unselfishly, helping other people, and they will return the favor.
Host: John Scardena (23m 56s):
There's good people in the world. There's a lot more good in the world than bad. The bad makes the news because thankfully it is rare. I think about that for a second one. The horrible side of it is like, oh, they're just trying to make money off of like horrible things happening for sure. But there's also like the, well, if it was so common, then it wouldn't be newsworthy hopefully. Like national news, doesn't usually focus on heavy traffic, right? Local news does, but nationally, internationally, they're not gonna be like well, there was another traffic jam on the 95. We were like, well that’s not newsworthy because it's common.
Host: John Scardena (24m 37s):
I would hope that people will just remember that sometimes the newsworthy stuff is because it's rare sometimes it's because there's some horrible people pushing it, but there is good in the world. So I guess that would be my message today just catching up. This is like the EM update, I guess, our yearly update for what's happening. Again, heartful gratitude for all the people who've been helping us out and the opportunity to be able to help other people expand that scope of understanding and getting to work with amazing people. I hope that if you're in search and rescue and listening to this podcast, there's another training by Joe's organization that's coming up for medical, USR, to be get certified November 30th.
So we'll make sure he's back on the show, but you could probably just listen to his podcast and hear him talk about it again. That's called Solid Responder, we're huge fans of it. Check out the Readiness Lab. It has a lot of other podcasts that we both own and operate, but we also are just blown away and think are really great shows in themselves. So there's also fun stuff too, like movie AAR’s, our movie after action review. It's like our fun show where we kind of make fun of all the disasters that happened in some movies and talk about what real responders would do in that situation.
Host: John Scardena (26m 4s):
I think it's going to be pretty great. So check back with us next week. We have a really great guests coming to the show. You'll see that announcement on Facebook, Twitter, not Twitter. We don't ever use Twitter. We should, hey, send us a note. Let us know if you're on Twitter and you want us to be on Twitter. How about that? If we get enough people to, to send us a thing saying, hey, I'm on Twitter. I hope you're on Twitter. Also, it lets me know that you've listened into 26 minutes of the show. Now, if you're on Twitter, let us know. Maybe we can start posting there, but we're really heavy on LinkedIn government, emergency management posts, all the Disaster Tough podcast episodes there.
Host: John Scardena (26m 47s):
We also have obviously that Instagram channel disaster tough podcast and the Facebook Disaster Tough podcast, as well as both for government EMG. So you can get caught up there, but two each week. We'd love to hear your feedback, like to know what you think about my updates. If you think my scope of emergency management is correct. If it's not incorrect, let me know. I'm not going to be like in the comments below because it's a podcast. But if you can send us an email at info@Dobermanemg.com or go to one of those social media platforms that I just talked about, provide that feedback. That'd be awesome. We'll see you next week.