Crisis Management Insights

Read up on our emergency preparedness advice for business owners and employees alike.

Your Holiday Safety Briefing

Your Holiday Safety Briefing

1. Know Your Risks and Create Simple Action Steps

Prepare for the basics:

  • Fire: Do you know your evacuation route? When was the last time you checked your smoke alarm batteries?

  • Power Outages: What’s your backup plan if the power goes out halfway through cooking the turkey? (OR do you have a backup pre-cooked turkey somewhere? I can neither confirm nor deny doing this…)

  • Natural Hazards: My hometown occasionally experiences earthquakes. They’re rare, but when they happen, my family tends to panic like headless turkeys. To prepare, I always review “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”

Pro Tip: When my nieces and nephews were younger, they loved running through the house to find the best “safe spots” during our earthquake drills. It’s a surprisingly fun pre-dinner activity!

  • Internet Meltdowns: Slow internet can lead to big meltdowns. Break out the old board games early — it’s a lifesaver.

Read More
Critical Training for Active Assailant Response: A Personal Account and The Resiliency Initiative’s Mission

Critical Training for Active Assailant Response: A Personal Account and The Resiliency Initiative’s Mission

I've spent many years in the emergency management field, designing training programs and responding to every type of hazard imaginable—countless fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, explosions, train derailments, and even cyber hacks and ransomware attacks. Yet, there is one type of incident that cuts deep every time: an active shooter situation. For me, these are the most mentally taxing to manage, especially from the vantage point of being in an Emergency Operations Center, where I often watch the tragedy unfold from a distance, helpless to intervene. The harsh reality is that most active shooter incidents are over in less than five minutes. In those moments, all I can do is hope that the training we provided takes hold, guiding those caught in the crossfire to safety.

Read More
From Y2K to CrowdStrike: Why Business Continuity Planning is Your Secret Weapon.

From Y2K to CrowdStrike: Why Business Continuity Planning is Your Secret Weapon.

Operation disruptions and immediate revenue loss are not the only risks you need to consider. Think about the impact on your organization's brand if you do not have plans in place to respond quickly. Customers affected by a protracted business interruption are likely lost forever.

Read More
Tornado Reality Check: An Emergency Manager's Personal Experience and Preparedness Insights
Insights, Emergency Preparedness, Resiliency Andrea E. Davis Insights, Emergency Preparedness, Resiliency Andrea E. Davis

Tornado Reality Check: An Emergency Manager's Personal Experience and Preparedness Insights

I have responded to countless disasters of many different types, spent more hours than I have spent sleeping in some version of an emergency operation center or another and even had to use my life safety training, such as CPR, on more than one occasion. I would say that emergency response is part of who I am; even my initials are AED. However, though I have been in this field for half my life, I have always been the helper, NOT the one needing help.

Read More
Invest in the Right Risks
Insights, Security, Risk Andrea E. Davis Insights, Security, Risk Andrea E. Davis

Invest in the Right Risks

If a company conducts a risk assessment and then creates plans and strategies to mitigate and respond to those risks, it will see significant cost savings at the back end of the crisis. FEMA estimates that for every dollar spent reducing risk, six to seven dollars will be saved from economic losses associated with recovering from a crisis.

Read More
Generation Z and the Workforce
Insights Brianna Lentz Insights Brianna Lentz

Generation Z and the Workforce

Two weeks ago, I spoke on the Leader’s Café Podcast about the changing dynamics of the workforce with the arrival of Generation Z, the youngest cohort to enter the professional realm.

Read More
Mind Your Mental Health
Insights Andrea Davis Insights Andrea Davis

Mind Your Mental Health

Having been in the field of emergency management for nearly 25 years, my experiences both good and bad have taught me the importance of investing in my own personal mental health.

Read More