Kevin T. Sur is the Emergency Management Officer for Argonne National Laboratory with the US Department of Energy as well as an Instructor for the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC).

Previously, he has served as the Director of Communications / Public Information Officer (PIO) for the State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS). Kevin also served for years as the Public Information Officer/Joint Information Center Manager in External Affairs at the DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, DC. 

During Kevin’s leadership, the State of Illinois received four Presidential Disaster Declarations for severe weather where Kevin served as the lead PIO/External Affairs Officer for Illinois. Kevin also responded to several complex high-visibility disasters in Illinois including the Highland Park Shooting, Apollo Theatre collapse, and Asylum Seeker mission. In 2024, Kevin was assigned by the US Secret Service to lead the Democratic National Convention’s Joint Information Center (JIC) in Chicago.

Kevin was appointed to lead the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA)  National Public Information Subcommittee representing all state/tribal/territory PIOs in the US. In 2024, Kevin led the national FEMA PIO Symposium with FEMA leadership at the National Disaster Emergency Management University/Emergency Management Institute (NDEMU/EMI).

Prior, Kevin served as an Emergency Manager for the DuPage County (Illinois) Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OHSEM).In Ohio, Kevin served as an Instructor for the State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency, a Program Officer-4 for the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management overseeing all Training/Outreach/Exercises for Public Safety & Justice Services, and Deputy Fire Chief at North Randall Fire and Bazetta Fire.

Kevin was awarded the Ohio American College of Emergency Physicians’ EMS Star of Life Award for his deployment with the Ohio Task Force to Louisiana’s Lower 9^th ward during Hurricane Katrina/Rita in St. Bernard Parish. Kevin served in the Joint Information Center/PIO and the Emergency Operations Center during Hurricane Sandy, 2016 World Series, 2017/2018 NBA Finals, and 2016 Republican National Convention.

In September to December 2017, Kevin was deployed with FEMA for the Hurricane Irma response as the PIO responsible for the entire Florida Keys leading FEMA’s External Affairs for Branch 5 and then Hurricane Maria response/recovery as the FEMA PIO responsible for the US Virgin Islands Branch 1.

In 2019, Kevin was deployed as the primary FEMA PIO and acting FEMA External Affairs Officer covering the State of Nebraska for the flooding response and statewide recovery operations.

In 2020-2021, Kevin was deployed as the FEMA PIO and Joint Information Center Manager to FEMA Region-1 covering Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont for all COVID Operations and Federal COVID vaccination efforts. And again in 2021 as the Joint Information Center Manager for the response/recovery for New York for Hurricane Ida. 

Kevin was invited to the White House for the 2014 Innovation for Disaster Response and Recovery Initiative and has been named Cleveland’s Top 10 Most Interesting Tweeps on Twitter from WKYC / MetroMix (NBC affiliate). Additionally, he has received numerous awards including Fire Officer of the Year and a Unit Citation award for Excellence in EMS care.

Kevin frequent lectures include Incident Command, DHS/FEMA All-Hazards IMT Operations/Plans/Logistics Section Chief, Fire/Rescue, Public Information, #SocialMedia, SOCMINT, Disaster Response, and Emergency Services Leadership.

 Read testimonials from partners in public safety on Kevin Sur here