Domestic Preparedness And Homeland Security Audio Interviews

In this podcast, DomPrep Advisor Andrew Roszak talks with NDPC Chairman Colonel Alphonse Davis, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), and Jeffrey Mayne, ​director of ​Louisiana State University’s NCBRT, to learn more about the Consortium, its partners, the trainings offered, and its ability to adapt to the nation’s constantly changing training needs. For example, recent shooting incidents have increased the demand for campus emergency active shooter programs. The NDPC has created a standardized training model that is applicable to all emergency management disciplines. The training courses are offered at no cost to local, state, and tribal agencies. As of 31 December 2017, the NDPC has trained more than 2.7 million participants.

On 22 March 2018, DomPrep Advisor Andrew Roszak spoke with Dr. David Dyjack, director of the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), about the field of environmental health as it relates to disaster response and mitigation as well as overall community resilience. Unlike public health, which specializes in the social and policy realms, the field of environmental health is scientific and technically oriented to ensure that communities are safe from various environmental contaminants and allergens.

With so many graduate degrees available, it can sometimes be confusing to know which to pursue when entering the world of emergency and disaster preparedness and response. DomPrep Advisor Andrew Roszak addressed one broad-based degree that covers many areas critical for managing disasters. In this podcast, Dr. Randolf Burnside of Southern Illinois University’s Political Science Department and Dr. Anirudh Ruhil of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs share their insight about the Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree and how it can help prepare professionals for jobs in both the public and private sectors.

On 2 February 2018, DomPrep Advisor Andrew Roszak held an exclusive interview with J. Matthew Massoud, case manager for Monroe County Social Services. In this podcast, Massoud shares his experience from the Florida Keys as his community continues to recover from Hurricane Irma. He offers tips for others who may someday find themselves in a similar situation, and provides possible approaches for filling the gaps when federal assistance is no longer available.

Launched by Methodist minister William Booth and the East London Christian Mission in 1865, The Salvation Army provides services during both daily operations and times of disaster. More than just thrift stores and bell ringers, The Salvation Army provides small- and large-scale disaster relief – from house fires to major hurricanes. This “Army of Good” includes about 5,000 officers, 60,000 employees, and more than 1 million volunteers located in 26 countries and across the United States.

On 16 May 2017, DomPrep hosted a podcast recording with a panel of subject matter experts to discuss the topic of federal grant funding. The discussion was moderated by Andrew Roszak, senior director for emergency preparedness at Child Care Aware® of America.

On 18 April 2017, DomPrep hosted a podcast recording with a panel of subject matter experts to discuss the topic of children in disasters. The discussion was moderated by Andrew Roszak, senior director for emergency preparedness at Child Care Aware® of America. This 40-minute discussion addresses key topics for building community resilience and response, explaining the roles that healthcare coalitions and child care providers can play, emphasizing the value of block grants and legislation, and providing unique ways to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

The recent assassination of North Korea’s Kim Jong Nam raises questions about the VX nerve agent, which could affect emergency responders who have not been recently trained or have not come in direct contact with this deadly chemical. On Thursday, 2 March 2017, DomPrep hosted a 30-minute audio podcast with four subject matter experts. This 30-minute discussion addresses:  The approximate amount of lethal material available worldwide, the reasons that chemical weapon agents are a clear and present threat to local and state officials, the difficulty in detecting them, the need for prompt awareness and response, and the ways in which chemical weapons have become the new norm.

On 18 January 2017, DomPrep’s publisher Martin Masiuk met with Joseph Trindal, president and chief operating officer at Coastal International Security, to discuss the challenge of retaining personnel in law enforcement and possible solutions for addressing this problem. As long-term personnel retire, so too does their knowledge. Challenges by external forces, escalation of violence toward officers, and technological challenges each can have adverse effects on recruiting and retaining personnel. Possible solutions involve maintaining high standards and vetting procedures for new officers, beginning efforts at the grade-school level, improving public opinion, building community support, leveraging best practices, and training officers on new technologies and community-centric practices.

At the International Association of Emergency Managers annual conference in October 2016, DomPrep Advisor Anthony Mangeri sat down with Richard Serino, distinguished visiting fellow at Harvard’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, to discuss leadership as it relates to crisis communications. An audio of the full interview is now available.

DomPrep’s Editor-in-Chief Catherine Feinman interviewed the following subject matter experts from various disciplines to find out their suggestions for improving the “Whole Community” effort in jurisdictions across the country.

Public health encompasses pandemics and bioterrorism incidents as much as injury and illness threats following other types of disasters. This podcast interview brings together subject matter experts to discuss the challenges, roles, and responsibilities of state, local, and federal agencies when dealing with a public health disaster.

DomesticPreparedness met with Dennis R. Schrader, Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness, FEMA. Schrader, the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) deputy administrator for national preparedness – accompanied by Glenn Cannon, FEMA assistant director for disaster operations – discusses the soon-to-be-released final version of the National Response Framework (NRF).

DomesticPreparedness met with Ellen P. Embrey, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. The Pentagon’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness outlines the military’s role in national disaster support and medical readiness under Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF 8 –Medical and Health Services), and lists the medical support capabilities her department brings to bear.

DomesticPreparedness met with Glenn Cannon, Assistant Administrator for Disaster Operations, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA's assistant administrator for disaster operations discusses the “New” FEMA, reorganized in accordance with the 2006 Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, and the reconfigured agency’s operational, pro-active, and situationally-aware orientation.

DomesticPreparedness met with Sir Ken Knight, Commissioner for the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. London’s – and soon the United Kingdom’s – senior first responder discusses his approach to multi-agency incident-management and response operations in light of the 7/7 2005 terrorist attack, the United Kingdom’s approach to resilience, and the several ways in which the U.K. response operations differ from those mandated by the U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS).

DomesticPreparedness met with Joseph Becker, Senior Vice President of Disaster Services, American Red Cross to discuss the American Red Cross (ARC) concept of operations for disaster preparedness and response under the new National Response Framework, Red Cross support activities in line with ESF 6 (mass care, emergency assistance, housing, and human services) and ESF 8 (public health and medical services), and take-aways from this year’s National Preparedness Month.

DomesticPreparedness met with Dr. Robert P. Kadlec, Director, Biodefense and Public Health Practice, PTRM Management Consultants. The key architect of the 2006 Pandemic and All-Hazard Preparedness Act, which established the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provides his insights on homeland-security medical countermeasures implementation, procurement, and organization for advanced research and development.

DomesticPreparedness met with Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau. The Chief of the National Guard Bureau provides an update on how Guard units are supporting states in their domestic missions, while also serving as forward-deployed assets for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) in responding to a national incident or event. Also: An in-depth discussion on Vigilant Guard, last month’s series of exercises at the Indiana Guard’s interagency Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC), which simulated the multi-agency response to a 10-kiloton nuclear detonation.