After action reports (AAR) are critical in the emergency management pursuit to achieve excellence in disaster response. Using the 2020 Pandemic Wildfire Response as a framework, Patrick McGinn discusses personal, professional, and team after actions to help emergency managers learn and improve in the field.
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 Wildfires provided unique challenges to response organizations. During these fires, Patrick McGinn oversaw the feeding program to survivors in behalf of The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is a critical VOAD member that works with the CalOES during large-scale disasters. Working with several partners, Patrick coordinated food delivery to 160 hotels. This provided him with great insight into the complexity of disaster response and will be able apply these lessons learned for the future. In this after action report (AAR) style episode, Patrick and our host, John Scardena, talk about individual and career growth, strengthening emergency management organizations, and the importance of coordination between all response groups.