This is an article by Joshua Dise, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 5, 2025.
Hazards and risks associated with state and local fairs mirror those of other high-attendance events—medical emergencies, mass casualty incidents, and other public safety risks. However, within the food and agriculture sector lies an additional risk: the spread of animal diseases, which can have catastrophic consequences.
Learn about the ever-present risk and threat of animal disease transmission.
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Joshua Dise
Joshua Dise is an interdisciplinary national security and emergency management professional with experience in a variety of operational and analytical roles. His work spans risk and hazard landscapes, addressing areas such as hazardous materials, wildland fire, plant and animal diseases, cybersecurity, and other risks to critical infrastructure. Currently, he is a systems analyst at Sandia National Laboratories, where he provides decision support on ill-defined and complex, multi-domain national security challenges, using a diverse set of technical skills and expertise. Prior to this, he served as the lead technical analyst and emergency planner at Sandia, responsible for hazards analysis and consequence assessment deliverables. His research interests include environmental hazard response, global plant and animal health risks, agricultural emergency preparedness, natural resource management, wildland fire response, public health preparedness, and the intersection of cybersecurity and critical infrastructure. Joshua holds advanced degrees in emergency management and natural resources and is currently a Ph.D. student at Oklahoma State University, studying fire and emergency management administration. He is also an alumnus of the National Preparedness and Leadership Initiative at Harvard University.
