Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to
fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic
problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than
simply being experts in one subject. The seven and a half traits discussed here describe the ultimate
emergency manager.
Drones are having a dramatic impact on public safety and emergency management operations. While some form of public safety drone has been in place for a while, drones did not begin to see wider adoption until 2016 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented 14 CFR Part 107 (Part 107) commercial flight authorization and later with Certificate of Authorizations (COA). These FAA regulatory changes made it easier for public safety and emergency management agencies to meet regulatory requirements.
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised many discussions on the topic of acceptable losses. For community decision makers, this is a difficult yet necessary issue to consider before making decisions that may have life-threatening consequences. Spurred by two articles and followed up with a nationwide survey and report, this podcast was presented at theĀ National Homeland Security Association’s virtual conference in July and is now available as a rebroadcast of commentary by leading healthcare experts.
British statistician, George Box, famously stated that āall models are wrong, but some are useful.ā The nationās experience with COVID-19 has highlighted this fact as policy makers have struggled to calibrate their actions based on imperfect data and modeling. Yet, modeling is useful and will continue to be an important aspect of emergency management.
While much of the news media has been focused on the coronavirus pandemic, violent incidents
continue to occur throughout the United States. The shutdown of sporting events, schools, concerts, and
other large events has led to an overall decrease in active shooter incidents. In fact, March 2020 was
the first March without a school shooting since 2002.
Effective disaster response and recovery involves identifying and establishing an organization that serves the needs of vulnerable populations utilizing pre-disaster risk assessments and crisis management communication, with planned and tested tools and robust resources. Disaster Case Management is one such tool.
An important aspect of emergency preparedness is a robust exercise program designed with the vital
purpose of identifying gaps, updating plans, and strengthening emergency response. Exercises bring
together key stakeholders to help build collaborative relationships that pay huge dividends when the
real emergency arises. Simply understanding other agency protocols and operational capabilities are
valuable lessons learned from most exercises. However, exercises go beyond the checklists, plans, and
policies. They offer the opportunity to get to know other people and solidify teams.
Many professions are steeped in tradition, including those in emergency preparedness and response
organizations. In these well-established environments, when asked to make a change to traditional
practices, the response is sometimes simply, āNo, this is how weāve always done it.ā Such thinking can
leave communities underprepared for new, emerging, or evolving threats. What worked well 5, 10, or 20
years ago may have lost its effectiveness as times and conditions have changed or there may simply be
more options available that have not been considered because of tradition.
With the inevitability of earthquakes in California, disaster preparedness and evacuation focused
on the safety of lives is of utmost importance. The health, welfare, and safety of children are of
paramount importance, as children are left in the protection of school district officials. In 2005,
California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 103 requiring that each school district have a safety
disaster plan in place and charged the U.S. Department of Education to coordinate with Office of
Emergency Preparedness to keep these materials current and updated (AB 103, Section 1).
āA lifeline enables the continuous operation of critical government and business functions and is essential to human health and safety or economic security.ā The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed the Community Lifelines construct after the 2017 and 2018 hurricane seasons. The framework of Community Lifelines allows the whole community to assess the status of and impact to each of the seven lifelines so that the optimal and correct essential action can be executed to support those lifelines not operating at full capacity during a disaster or emergency event.
Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to
fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic
problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than
simply being experts in one subject. The seven and a half traits discussed here describe the ultimate
emergency manager. 
Drones are having a dramatic impact on public safety and emergency management operations. While some form of public safety drone has been in place for a while, drones did not begin to see wider adoption until 2016 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented 14 CFR Part 107 (Part 107) commercial flight authorization and later with Certificate of Authorizations (COA). These FAA regulatory changes made it easier for public safety and emergency management agencies to meet regulatory requirements. 
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised many discussions on the topic of acceptable losses. For community decision makers, this is a difficult yet necessary issue to consider before making decisions that may have life-threatening consequences. Spurred by two articles and followed up with a nationwide survey and report, this podcast was presented at theĀ National Homeland Security Association’s virtual conference in July and is now available as a rebroadcast of commentary by leading healthcare experts. 
British statistician, George Box, famously stated that āall models are wrong, but some are useful.ā The nationās experience with COVID-19 has highlighted this fact as policy makers have struggled to calibrate their actions based on imperfect data and modeling. Yet, modeling is useful and will continue to be an important aspect of emergency management. 
Effective disaster response and recovery involves identifying and establishing an organization that serves the needs of vulnerable populations utilizing pre-disaster risk assessments and crisis management communication, with planned and tested tools and robust resources. Disaster Case Management is one such tool. 
An important aspect of emergency preparedness is a robust exercise program designed with the vital
purpose of identifying gaps, updating plans, and strengthening emergency response. Exercises bring
together key stakeholders to help build collaborative relationships that pay huge dividends when the
real emergency arises. Simply understanding other agency protocols and operational capabilities are
valuable lessons learned from most exercises. However, exercises go beyond the checklists, plans, and
policies. They offer the opportunity to get to know other people and solidify teams. 
With the inevitability of earthquakes in California, disaster preparedness and evacuation focused
on the safety of lives is of utmost importance. The health, welfare, and safety of children are of
paramount importance, as children are left in the protection of school district officials. In 2005,
California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 103 requiring that each school district have a safety
disaster plan in place and charged the U.S. Department of Education to coordinate with Office of
Emergency Preparedness to keep these materials current and updated (AB 103, Section 1). 
āA lifeline enables the continuous operation of critical government and business functions and is essential to human health and safety or economic security.ā The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed the Community Lifelines construct after the 2017 and 2018 hurricane seasons. The framework of Community Lifelines allows the whole community to assess the status of and impact to each of the seven lifelines so that the optimal and correct essential action can be executed to support those lifelines not operating at full capacity during a disaster or emergency event. 