Interviews with California and national emergency response leaders who talk about what they've learned from the most challenging moments of their careers.
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
In this episode we sit down with Cal OES Deputy Director, Recovery, Ryan Buras. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Mr. Buras in June, 2019 (just in time for the year of disasters, 2020) to head our Recovery directorate due, in part, to his experience with disaster recovery efforts in the US and American territories.
Buras has been director of the National Qualification System in the National Integration Center at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, since 2017, where he has served in several positions since 2005, including senior advisor in the Office of Recovery Public Assistance and acting executive officer of the Office of Response and Recovery.
LINKS
Wildfire Recovery
Cal OES Recovery
COVID-19 Recovery
Individual Assistance
Public Assistance
FEMA Assistance
SBA Assistance
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
In this episode of All Hazards (#69) we talk with Vance Taylor; he’s the chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at Cal OES. Topics of conversation include the importance of partnerships, issues and concerns related to AFN that come up during nearly every emergency in California, and how Taylor and his team tackle those problems before, during and after the emergency strikes.
Vance is responsible for ensuring the needs of individuals with disabilities and persons with access and functional needs are identified before, during and after a disaster. Vance is a nationally recognized public speaker and advocate for individuals with disabilities. He has a Master's degree in homeland security from the University of Connecticut and an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in communications.
Links
Our previous episode with Vance Taylor
Area Agency On Aging
California Foundation For Independent Living Centers
State Council Developmental Disabilities
American Red Cross
Partnership For Inclusive Disaster Strategies
Thursday Jul 18, 2019
Thursday Jul 18, 2019
In this episode of All Hazards, we talk about the important relationship between Cal OES and the private sector. We sit down with two people who have forged a working relationship that exemplifies the symbiotic nature of disaster response and recovery teamwork. Abby Browning is the Chief of the Office of Private Sector/ Non-Governmental Organization Coordination at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services; Tim James is Senior Manager, Local Government Relations, California Grocer's Association.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) recognizes the need for communication, coordination and cooperation among all emergency management stakeholders in California. This is underscored by our long-standing relationship with the private sector. The impact of the 2007 and 2008 California wildfires emphasized the critical need for the organized synchronous exchange of information and resources between public and private sector organizations in mitigating against, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disaster events.
Historically, information and resource sharing activities between the public and private sectors have too often taken place in an ad hoc, isolated, and reactive fashion, resulting in less than optimal assistance to individuals, families, communities, and the economy. Realizing the need for stronger public-private collaboration, legislation was enacted (Senate Bill 546) and issued, giving Cal OES greater authority to partner with private industry. The “Authorities” Section of this document provides additional information about the statue and directive. A copy of the legislation may be found in the “Appendices” Section. To further support those efforts, Cal OES signed Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with private sector and non-profit organizations creating the Business and Utility Operations Center (BUOC) comprised of the Utility Operations Center (UOC) and Business Operations Center (BOC).
Abby Browning is responsible for developing and maintaining CalOES’s relationships with business, associations, companies, and universities, as well as nonprofit, nongovernmental and philanthropic organizations. Prior to joining CalOES, Abby was the Special Advisor for International Trade in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. She was an essential member of the Brown Administration’s international team, working on trade missions to China and Mexico, as well as fostering countless other international business connections for California. Abby has also worked with the California Chamber of Commerce in the International Affairs and Corporate Relations departments, as well as the California Seismic Safety Commission. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from West Virginia University and she earned an M.A. from the School of Government at California State University, Sacramento.
Links
Cal OES
California Grocers Association
Cal OES Business and Utility Operation Center Information
Tuesday Mar 05, 2019
Tuesday Mar 05, 2019
Kendra Bowyer is the Incident Commander for the Woolsey and Hill Fire debris removal operations in Southern California. She has served in many other capacities in nearly a dozen previous debris Removal operations for the state of California since 2015.
Kendra Bower was hired as an Emergency Services Coordinator with CalOES in early 2018 following six years of emergency management in the private sector. She specializes in recovery and wildfire debris removal. Kendra loves the work she does because she feels that this is a way to truly give back to society, by helping those in need at a most crucial time in their lives. As a young adult, Kendra lost her childhood home in a tornado so, needless to say, her passion and love for this work is directly influenced by her personal experience.
Links
Nearly 120 Properties Cleared of Woolsey, Hill Fire Debris
For more information in Los Angeles County, visit lacounty.gov/LACountyRecovers or call 1-626-979-5370. For more information in Ventura County, visit www.venturacountyrecovers.org or call 1-805-504-7869.
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
Front Row, L-R: Andy Langolf, Drew Hammond, Carly Landry, Megan Pappas
Back Row, L-R: Anthony Zimmer, Mike Warren, Ron Williams, Mark Ackerman
On September 12, 2018, Cal OES deployed emergency and incident management specialists to assist with emergency response efforts for Hurricane Florence. The team arrived in South Carolina prior to the storm’s landfall and immediately began work.
The 8-person team consisted of Megan Pappas, Mike Warren, Ron Williams, Anthony Zimmer, Mark Ackerman, Andy Langolf, Carly Landry and Drew Hammond. During the two-week deployment, California personnel will use their specialized emergency management operations skills to help officials as they respond to the impacts of Hurricane Florence. The eight-person Cal OES Incident Support Team has extensive emergency operations experience and has been involved in response and recovery efforts for several major disasters in California including wildfires, flooding, winter storms, the Oroville Dam Emergency Spillway Incident, earthquakes and drought. Primary duties included the support of Logistics and Points of Distribution (POD) coordination in Columbia, S.C. at the State Emergency Operations Center.
In this episode, which is Part-1 of 2-Parts, each of these team members recount the experiences of their deployment, what worked, what didn’t, their objectives and how they met them despite the pressures from a fast-approaching hurricane, working in a strange place with unfamiliar people and methods and much more.
Links
OESNews.com All Hazards Page
EMAC
State Private Nonprofit Organizations Assistance Program
Emergency Management Assistance Compact
Press Releases
Press Release: California Deploys Emergency Management Team to South Carolina, Virginia to Assist with Hurricane Response, Recovery
Press Release: California Deploys Emergency Management Team to Puerto Rico to Assist with Hurricane Response, Recovery
Press Release: California Deploys Additional Emergency Support to East Coast States Impacted by Hurricane Florence
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Front Row, L-R: Mike Warren, Ron Williams, Anthony Zimmer
Back Row, L-R: Andy Langolf, Mark Ackerman, Megan Pappas
On September 12, 2018, Cal OES deployed emergency and incident management specialists to assist with emergency response efforts for Hurricane Florence. The team arrived in South Carolina prior to the storm’s landfall and immediately began work.
The 8-person team consisted of Megan Pappas, Mike Warren, Ron Williams, Anthony Zimmer, Mark Ackerman, Andy Langolf, Carly Landry and Drew Hammond. During the two-week deployment, California personnel will use their specialized emergency management operations skills to help officials as they respond to the impacts of Hurricane Florence. The eight-person Cal OES Incident Support Team has extensive emergency operations experience and has been involved in response and recovery efforts for several major disasters in California including wildfires, flooding, winter storms, the Oroville Dam Emergency Spillway Incident, earthquakes and drought. Primary duties included the support of Logistics and Points of Distribution (POD) coordination in Columbia, S.C. at the State Emergency Operations Center.
In this episode, which is Part-1 of 2-Parts, each of these team members recount the experiences of their deployment, what worked, what didn’t, their objectives and how they met them despite the pressures from a fast-approaching hurricane, working in a strange place with unfamiliar people and methods and much more.
OESNews.com All Hazards Page
Palmetto Software
EMAC
State Private Nonprofit Organizations Assistance Program
Emergency Management Assistance Compact
Press Releases
Press Release: California Deploys Emergency Management Team to South Carolina, Virginia to Assist with Hurricane Response, Recovery
Press Release: California Deploys Emergency Management Team to Puerto Rico to Assist with Hurricane Response, Recovery
Press Release: California Deploys Additional Emergency Support to East Coast States Impacted by Hurricane Florence
Monday Oct 01, 2018
Monday Oct 01, 2018
Yosemite National Park Rangers Scott Gediman and Jamie Richards
According to the national Park Service, Yosemite National Park was first protected in 1864 and is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias and a vast wilderness area. Recently, Yosemite is also known for its wildfires, the Rim Fire in 2013 and the Ferguson Fire in July and August of 2018.
In this episode of All Hazards, Park Rangers Scott Gediman and Jamie Richards talk about how the Ferguson Fire impacted the park, challenged them as rangers and as public affairs officers, and how they fought perceptions that the entire park was closed when in fact it was open.
Links
Experience Yosemite National Park in Virtual Reality with President Obama
NPS YouTube: YosemiteNationalPark
Mr. President Goes to Yosemite
Monday Feb 12, 2018
Monday Feb 12, 2018
The inferno unleashed on Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties, as well as several other northern California counties, left behind the kind of devastation many have only read about in the history books. Thousands of structures and homes were destroyed, entire neighborhoods left in ruins, and of course the 44 lives lost. There is one neighborhood that symbolizes the destruction and a community’s resilience to bounce back — Coffey Park in Santa Rosa.
In this episode, we hear from four leaders who were instrumental in managing the efforts to find temporary homes for the thousands displaced, removing the massive amounts of rubble and debris, and cleaning the land to modern environmental standards so residents can rebuild. They are:
Cal OES Directory Mark Ghilarducci,
FEMA Region IX Administrator Bob Fenton,
US Army Corps of Engineers Field Office Commander in Sonoma County Col. Eric McFadden, and
FEMA National Qualifications System Director and Federal Lead for the Housing Task Force Ryan Buras.
We spoke with them on-location to get them reflect shortly after the day debris removal program in Coffey Park concluded. The also talk about the fire and resulting flood and mudslides in Santa Barbara. Here they are, in their own words.
Links
Tuesday Jan 23, 2018
Tuesday Jan 23, 2018
We sit down with Amber Anderson, an 18 year veteran firefighter, and 10 year veteran of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department. She’s a member of the Santa Barbara County Type-3 Incident Management Team, a fire inspector and investigator and public information officer. In this episode Amber talks about the fire community always learns from previous disasters; this time it’s the Thomas Fire and the ensuing flood and mudslide which devastated her county and the community of Montecito. She also reflects on how Santa Barbara stood-up their incident management team just prior to the floods and just how important that decision was given the damage and deaths that resulted from the floods. And how in the world was she able to keep a smile on her face amid the long hours, demands and stress put on her during her activation and deployment to the disaster in her home town? She’ll answer that question and more in this episode. Oh, and never mind the noise. It’s a disaster recovery operation.
Links
City of Santa Barbara Fire Department
Montecito Mudslide US&R Update Video
Tuesday Dec 19, 2017
Tuesday Dec 19, 2017
With tens of thousands of homes that need rebuilding after the fire sieges in both northern California and southern California, survivors will need reputable, licensed contractors. And contractors will be looking for work; there’s plenty of that to go around. So, both homeowners and contractors will need reliable information and the warnings that go along with it; and agencies need info too. Whether it’s a community hit by wildfires, or one that’s been devastated by severe weather or man-made catastrophes, new ways of targeted communication pop-up all the time; now it’s time for you to connect. And if you’re a contractor and you’re not licensed to do business in California you could face a citation for any work you solicit. The fact that there is an emergency declaration will enhance a misdemeanor which could send you to prison.
In this episode, we talk with Rick Lopes, chief of public affairs for the Contractors State License Board in California. This is chat that will benefit state and local agencies, contractors as well anyone looking to hire a contractor, especially after the wildfires of October and December of 2017.
Links
Contractors State License Board
Cal OES Wildfire Statewide Recovery Resources