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For this second of two episodes focused on Federal emergency management and homeland security funding, we hear from another veteran of such matters. Josh Filler was a legislative affairs director and office chief of staff in the NYC Mayor Giuliani administration before becoming the Director of State and Local Programs at the brand new Department of Homeland Security under President Bush. He continues to monitor and assess federal fiscal policy changes and their programatic impacts as he works with a number of states and UASIs. For us, he shares his assessment of the FY17 and FY18 budgets.
"Traditional normal" and "the new up is flat" are examples of terms and sayings used to express what's been happening to the U.S. Federal Government budget... stuff that's been far from normal for some time. With so much local and state success in emergency management riding on grants like EMPG, HSGP, PDM and others, we brought back old friend and former FEMA Deputy Administrator to discuss federal funding vehicles, processes and outcomes.
Patrol officers putting on turn-outs, SCBAs and performing hose lays? Firefighters being held-over to secure perimeters and look for suspects? Qualifying at the range behind the fire apparatus bay? It's all part of consolidated fire and law operations at the Sunnyvale, California, Public Safety Department. In this episode, we learn how this happened and why it remains 60 years later.
The phrase "drinking from a fire hose" is often used to describe the tasks of establishing and maintaining situational awareness and common operating picture (SA/COP). In this episode, we dive deep into what work, processes, tools and people are needed to achieve this important and inherently complex operational objective.
Tommy Lee Jones's character in the movie Men in Black said "There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray, or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet..." Be that as it may, in this episode, we discuss vector control with an important local partner we need to see more of in our planning, training, exercising and EOCs - your friendly neighborhood mosquito and vector control district. 
If there was an award to give to the person who has done more to share information each week with emergency managers, that award would probably go to Steve Detwiler. For over 17 years, he's been collecting, organizing and sharing a wide range of information and publishing it as the EM Weekly Report at http://bit.ly/2pBYF6Q. In this episode, we find out what drives Steve to do this each week, how he determines what is newsworthy and how the presentation and consumption of news has changed in emergency management over the last two decades.
How does a previous career leading U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers (Green Berets) prepare one for the job of county emergency manager? You'll be surprised to hear the similarities one such officer sees in strategy, tactics, tools and day-to-day work after having served in both roles.
Or should we have introduced them as Pete and Suzanne? The answer is: it just depends on the cultural context. In this episode we explore the power of culture, its ability to make or break outcomes, and what emergency managers can do to, well, better manage it.
Preparing to support people with access and functional needs (AFN) during disaster does not necessarily require hiring specialists or developing elaborate plans and procedures. In this episode, Los Angeles County's DAFN program manager describes how fostering inclusion during all phases of emerency management efforts can not only enhance traditional preparedness programs, but also create opportunities for many new and valuable partnerships in the AFN community.
Many kids grow up wanting to be cops, firefighters and medics. And now that the profession is becoming established, some are even looking forward to careers as emergency managers. Careers within public safety, however, are still full of both risk and reward. In this episode we explore how the two factors interact and sometimes dramatically change the lives of both rescuees and rescuers.
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