Don’t gatekeep these tips

Don’t gatekeep our best safety tips – share them with your whole family! All month long, we hope you share these preparedness tips with everyone! #NatlPrep #Ready Americans Stand Ready!

We hope you are widely sharing all these preparedness/safety tips. In fact, not only sharing, but also ASKING your communities to share within their communities too.

Our collective information is bee-hiving it a collaborating with way that is beneficial for all. Abd sharing information is good for any audience that we regularly engage with and perhaps reach a few that we don’t engage regularly with.

Additionally, weird that people think that a big city will thwart a tornado.

Truth be told, Mother Nature doesn’t care about size as she will send a tornado anywhere.

So keep this in mind as you educate others on the possible hazards.

Although they hear it from me all the time, my family gets regular weather updates from me all the time that I share from the NWS-Chicago and NWS-Honolulu teams. This way, they know they are getting the info from the foremost authority, not some self-proclaimed “expert/guru”.

So be consistent in sharing sourced information and regularly address concerns when there is severe weather inbound to your area.

Keep them informed and be one of the trusted sources of information for your family and friends.

@rusnivek

Being informed on the sich #NatlPrep

Day-2 of National preparedness month!

Being informed of the dangers and knowing what to do in an emergency is critical to the safety for you and your family. #NatlPrep #Ready Americans Stand Ready!

The hardest part of any emergency or disaster…is actually knowing what to do.

The theme of knowing the dangers and being informed is always an easy sell because the nature of our business is always changing. Compounding the problem even more is that every disaster/emergency is NOT the same.

One more time for the people in the back – no two disasters are alike.

This makes it challenging for Emergency Managers to urgently inform and educate their communities because the variability of preparedness will always be changing.

So take a few minutes more to appropriately educate your audiences on how to find the right info. I would suggest you start with severe weather in your locality…this way, you have a wide dearth of topics to cover.

Then, as they get more comfortable with the weather preparedness, then move them on to bigger sandwiches (like cyber threats, HAZMAT, or even active shooters etc…)

I see bright things for your preparedness efforts this year.

Go forth and do good stuff.

@rusnivek

Six seven…

Dad Math tonight. Then this addition problem almost derailed the entire sesh.

If they only knew how rad stuff was.

Kids…

But a good lesson for PIOs as we are constantly trying to keep up with the latest lingo on social media.

I’m definitely not an expert by any stretch, but happy that my aura is well respected by the kids.

Let me cook yo!

@rusnivek

Severe weather awareness week in Illinois #PIO

Another interview as we talk about preparedness. This week is severe weather awareness week in Illinois.

PIO here….working with the Springfield news to feature IEMA-OHS Deputy Director Clayton Kuetemeyer.

Making sure everyone is prepared is key to safety.

Illinois has had some severe weather lately so I am glad that our media partners are in it to win it too.

Just glad to hang with the crew from WICS today in Springfield.

Reporting live from the SEOC…

@rusnivek

Hanging with the aF1 today

2025 Big City Emergency Managers in Chicago this week!

Along with all these pros from all over, I got a chance to meet the FEMA acting Administrator Tony Robinson

Nice guy!

Tony normally plays the role of the FEMA Region 6 Regional Administrator that covers Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 68 federally recognized tribal nations.

Welcome to Chicago!

Reporting live from the Chicago OEMC’s EOC….

@rusnivek

Your 2024 Democratic National Convention Joint Information Center team!

I am honored to lead this Joint Information Center (JIC) with the US Secret Service.

I am incredibly thankful for everyone who participated with us from local, county, state, and Federal partners. Welcome to Illinois and the City of Chicago!

2024 Democratic National Convention Joint Information Center

Lots of dangers with these types of National Special Security Events (NSSEs), but through a well coordinated system with highly trained individuals,

Trust me, it took many months of introductions, planning, networking, scheduling, coordinating, and of course collaborating with our most trusted partners from across the country.

I’ve said it before, but it takes a certain skillset to be the agency’s PIO. No day is ever alike.

And no incident or event will ever be the same. Nothing is ever the same.

Proud of the work that was done this week to keep everyone safe.

Reporting live from the 2024 DNC’s Joint Information Center…

@rusnivek

Live hit on AccuWeather for the heat wave in the Midwest

It’s hot! But we’re tracking it.

Your favorite PIO is popping the national hit.

Live spot with AccuWeather on the HeatWave here in the Midwest.

IEMA-OHS Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau on the update on weather safety.

Doing live interviews is tougher than it seems…esp having to do with the heat in the Midwest.

Here’ are a few tips that you can use.

Wear loose, lightweight, and light-colored clothing

Stay in the shade as much as possible.

Keep shades/blinds drawn.

Avoid using the oven.

Take frequent showers to stay cool.

Use cool/wet towels to cool off

Visit public cooling centers.

Use your local public pool.

Visit an indoor mall.

Take in a new movie at the movie theater.

Stay cool my friends!

@Rusnivek

The BEAST in Chicago

Some days, I get to see cool things….

Because of the work we will be doing with the US Secret Service, got to be up close and personal with the Beast.

This is the US Presidential limo that takes POTUS around.

As you can probably tell, it’s a bit more fortified than other limos….and protected from stuff.

Additionally, they brought a few support vehicles too. All the prep for the upcoming National Special Security Event (NSSE) with the 2024 Democratic National Convention here in Chicago.

Proud to work close with the US Secret Service in these upcoming events.

@rusnivek