Disaster Zone

Melanie Spring has over 18 years of experience in engineering, operations, continuous improvement, organizational change management, and business transformation, primarily in power and utilities. Having just moved to consulting, her focus is now on helping organizations grow and transform by adopting improved business processes and finding new ways of working, enabled by technology investments. In her time at a large public utility, Melanie held a number of storm positions in addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, including leading damage assessment, crew management, restoration strategy, and resource logistics. Melanie served as the Louisiana Incident Response Logistics Chief for her utility for several years, including the historic 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season in which five storms made landfall in Louisiana.
This episode is sponsored by Unearth. Unearth’s emergency response software connects field responders and the command center, equipping teams with mobile tools for rapid damage assessments, real-time incident tracking, and seamless information sharing. Empower field teams where their work actually happens - reducing response times, optimizing resource management, and simplifying reporting with a dynamic, map-based field operations platform.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

The United States’ blood supply has reach a dangerously low level of inventory. It has come via the impact of COVID and recent winter weather that has impacted much of the nation. In this short podcast we hear from Craig Cooper, an American Red Cross Spokesperson who explains the crisis and also how people can identify locations where they can go and give blood. It is a very safe and painless procedure. Blood cannot be stored for any length of time, thus it is another example of our “just in time” system. Blood in all its components is lifesaving. Consider becoming a donor today!
The Blue Cell is a by-design crisis and consequence management consulting firm with a primary focus on education and training for government at all levels, non governmental agencies and private sector entities engaged in incident and emergency management activities.
Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

What does leadership look like in the 21st Century? To find out, I went to Steve Metruck, the Executive Director for the Port of Seattle. The port has both maritime and airport operations with billions of dollars in capital investments being made. Steve had a very successful United States Coast Guard career, retiring as a two star admiral. In a series of responses to a number of questions he reflects on what makes for a good leader. What does a high performing organization look like, how to hire good people and what to do when you find yourself working for a boss who is perhaps not a good leader? You will find his responses straight forward and reflective of what a great leader is thinking about today. You are sure to learn something new about being a better leader.
This episode is sponsored by two key Disaster Zone partners:
The Blue Cell is a by-design crisis and consequence management consulting firm with a primary focus on education and training for government at all levels, non governmental agencies and private sector entities engaged in incident and emergency management activities.
Bent Ear Solutions offers comprehensive capabilities and deep industry knowledge necessary to help you solve the most complex issues of your organization. We advise public and private organizations on an all-inclusive approach to disaster preparedness that addresses governance, planning, operational procedures, technology implementation, training, and exercises in order to achieve a successful and sustainable program.
Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

In this podcast we learn about the mission and functions of our nation’s most recently established Federal office. We also achieve a better understanding of the challenges that came with starting from scratch, hiring staff and supporting states and local jurisdictions on the subject areas of cybersecurity and critical infrastructure security. Pat Massey is the guest.
Mr. Massey has served as the Regional Director of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Region 10 office in Seattle since 2016. Region 10 encompasses the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Prior to joining CISA, Mr. Massey served for twenty years with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 10 office, including eight years as the Director, National Preparedness Division. He also served as the Regional Integration Branch Chief, Technological Hazards Branch Chief, and as a Hazard Mitigation Specialist. Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Massey served as the Assistant State Hazard Mitigation Officer with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and served as a Planner for a Regional Planning Commission in Illinois.
Merit is a first-of-its-kind, all-hazards, digital credentialing platform that equips emergency responders with innovative tools to securely manage their personnel on-site, no matter the situation. Merit's platform is relied on in mission-critical situations such as the Surfside building collapse and at secure Health and Human Service facilities and is trusted by a growing network of thousands of partners.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

Take any emergency or disaster and you will find that communications is the key ingredient that needs to be present to have a successful outcome. Communications systems are changing rapidly to become lighter with more capabilities, including linking people and organizations with satellites. This is the topic for this podcast. Note, during the recording of this podcast we had our own “communications issues” that we had to work through by using a redundant communications system.
Ivan Ruiz, the podcast guest is the Mission Operations Manager at Somewear Labs, a critical communications platform empowering the world’s most important organizations to communicate and coordinate during dynamic operations. Ivan works directly with Somewear Labs’ customers, from Special Operations Forces to first responders across the country.
Prior to Somewear Labs, Ivan spent over 26 years as a Pararescueman in the United States Air Force, retiring at the highest enlisted rank, Chief Master Sergeant. Through his extraordinary heroism, valor, and bravery in combat, Ivan was awarded the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration, and three Bronze Stars with Valor. Ivan is a graduate of Grand Canyon University where he received his Bachelors of Science in Emergency Management. Ivan also received his Masters at Arkansas State University in Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness.Merit is a first-of-its-kind, all-hazards, digital credentialing platform that equips emergency responders with innovative tools to securely manage their personnel on-site, no matter the situation. Merit's platform is relied on in mission-critical situations such as the Surfside building collapse and at secure Health and Human Service facilities and is trusted by a growing network of thousands of partners.Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.