Happy Halloween all!
Yeah yeah yeah, no masks at the press conference. I know.
Happy Halloween! #PIO
Reply
Author Archives: rusnivek
I’m all ears
In the spirit of Halloween, maybe I can grade all ICS-300 tests today with these on..
And yes, the answer might be C…
Quick chat with FEMA Deputy Administrator Dan Kaniewski
I was fortunate this week to sit down this week with FEMA Deputy Administrator for Resilience Dan Kaniewski at FEMA HQ.
Dan’s efforts across the country has helped pushed the importance of preparedness and strength for any community. With regular talks on flood insurance and hazard mitigation, his ability to bring pre-disaster planning to the forefront has been solid as we continue to help many communities better prepare for any disaster or emergency.
Dan’s hard fought efforts is not only with government agencies, but various partners in the public and private sector too. The importance of their efforts will only help better their community when disaster strikes.
Glad to see our top brass pushing for more preparedness every single day too.
Reporting live from FEMA HQ…Happy Aloha Friday peeps!
OOTD this week at FEMA HQ
Day-2 COOP/COG Pilot course with a special guest
Wednesday in our COOP pilot class and look who walks in…
Hello FEMA Dan!
A quick hello from FEMA Deputy Administrator Dan Kaniewski on the importance of Continuity.
Glad to see senior administration seeing the importance of the COOP/COG efforts with the national continuity division.
So more COOP/COG stuff right?
COOP kinda day with a unicorn, ARC, and the big DHS IG Pro
Tuesday morning and we’re talking about national continuity!
To some, it may not be exciting. BUT Continuity of Operations (COOP) is so critical to any organization esp to the resilience of any community post-disaster. So I was STOKED to see that I was invited by the National Continuity Division to be a part of the new FEMA COOP class.
And I was even more stoked to be sitting next to the class unicorn.
You see, if we as educators look outside our normal circles and lean on others from various agencies, there is much to learn. We had fine representation from numerous agencies from across the country.
For my lunch meeting I opted for a mini SMEM meetup with the American Red Cross Keith Robertory (@krobertory). We have been following for YEARS but have never met in real life.
Amazing these social media relationships because in our discussion, we have lots and lots in common. Friends, disasters, the list goes on and on…
Speaking of disasters, look who I found….
Streeeeeeeeeeeeeter! Yeah, we kinda twinsies today.
OK, I better get back to class. COOP/COG time!
Reporting live from C Street….
Monday morning with FEMA HQ staff
Solid Monday morning here at FEMA HQ.
Catching up to a few friends in External Affairs because preparedness doesn’t stop! I knew Jana starting back in the day as we were (and still are) huge advocates for the Ready.Gov Program.
For more details behind the FEMA Ready.Gov program, check out www.ready.gov
And since we are talking about External Affairs, I got a chance to take a deep dive with FEMA External Affairs Director Jessica Nalepa.
Lots of discussion on the complexities of External Affairs and how our actions are so critical in a disaster and of course the public perception. Also lots of discussion on dedication to career and service.
Looking forward to having more discussion with her on how to improve our response and elevate External Affairs for FEMA and the nation.
Suit up because I’m reporting live from Washington DC….
Sunday switching cards and revisiting history
Sunday change as I go from my ventra card to my SmarTrip card.
Hello Washington DC!
I guess I could just read it on the online, but it’s kinda nice to read it with Abe.
Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers…
Reporting live from Washington DC…
You can read? Yep, my quarterly reading
People often ask what I read to supplement my profession. I read four books per year. (Hilariously, I also have the same amount of people who also ask me “HOW THE HELL DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO READ?!?!?”)
While I am sure I can read more, if I inundate my little brain with too much stuff, I would never implement the things I glean from reading.
As we close out 3Q, and since we are teaching the FEMA COOP Manager TtT course, I am finishing up Reading Raven Rock.
Interesting perspective to historical processes and def a fun government read esp when it comes to continuity operations.
As we start 4Q, I have opted to switch to a more specific book. Since I already follow Nada, I am looking forward to reading some of her thoughts on Targeters.
You know I love to hunt.
What are you reading this quarter?
(Gimme some ideas on what you are reading for my 1Q 2020 time.)
FSE with decreased staffing?
Not all emergencies or disasters happen in broad daylight…or even better yet, M-F 8A-5p. That’s why it’s imperative that your staff trains for situations that come up during weird hours.
Our staff attended the DuPage County Airport exercise that simulated an aircraft w/ mechanical issues then crashing.
Obviously a tough situation, but definitely plausible/realistic (few years ago).
We had many all-hazards providers from across the area to respond and are thankful for their participation in the full-scale exercise.
Now, interesting to hear that there were several real world calls that occurred during the exercise that decreased the response effort.
Lemme be straight: THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS IRL!
So as a planner or leader, don’t be discouraged with this variance because this is exactly why we train for these types of situation. Rarely, will we have a day that everyone is working wIth 100% capacity.
Look at it this way, being able to provide the same capability with decreased staffing Is a win for your department.
If you fudge your exercises to showcase you are perfect 100% of the time, real Emergency Managers now you are a fraud.
Be real. Make your training real and best serve your partners.
Where is @rusnivek? 