|
|  |
| |
Hello Lucien,
Welcome to the April edition of Emergency Management Solutions.
I’m asking for your help for my friend, Thomas Meade. Thomas is member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish national police. He was injured in the line of duty several years ago, which left him with bad PTSD. Despite his own issues, Thomas took on the responsibility for caring for his mother and aunt, both of whom have advanced Alzheimer’s, as there was no one else who could help. This required him to take on considerable debt to clear their overdue treatment costs. Between the debt and current expenses, he finds himself in serious financial trouble.I know it was not easy for Thomas to ask for help. He’s more comfortable giving help, not asking for it. I also know these are tough times for all of us but anything you can spare would be of help. Fundraiser by Thomas Meade : Nursing home fees and household bills
In this month's feature articles, Tim Riecker shares some thought on how reductions in government funding can have an impact on our ability to keep current on new standards and practices. In my article, I analyze the recently announced membership of the FEMA Review Council.
Be well!
| | | |
Canton on Emergency Management
By Lucien G. Canton, CEM
| | |
President Names FEMA Review Council Members: Can You Say, “Stacked Deck?”
On January 24, 2025, the President established the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency through Executive Order 14180, Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The goal of the FEMA Review Council is to advise the President, through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, on the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest.
On April 28th, the President appointed several new members to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council. Appointed Members:
| | |
© 2025 - Lucien G. Canton
Lucien Canton is a management consultant specializing in helping managers lead better in a crisis. He is the former Director of Emergency Services for San Francisco and the author of the best-selling Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs used as a textbook in many higher education courses.
| | |
The Contrarian Emergency Manager
By Timothy "Tim" Riecker
| | |
Cutting Grant Funds Cuts National Practices
As some rumors become reality for the current fiscal year and budget memos are leaked for the coming fiscal year, one thing is clear – states, local governments, tribal governments, and territories (SLTTs) will be receiving significantly less federal grant funding for preparedness. While some programs are expected to be outright eliminated, others are being reorganized and refocused with significant budget cuts. While not all change is bad, there is a significant shift in preparedness priorities that is largely politically motivated and lacking foundations in reality. I wrote last month on the Future of the US Emergency Management System, which focuses mostly on FEMA-centric topics, but we are also seeing and expecting major cuts to public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) grant funds, the elimination of certain PHEP programs, and indirect impacts to PHEP from cuts to other public health programs. Similar cuts are also expected with the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP). While I don’t think preparedness funds will be completely cut, the impacts will be significant until SLTTs are able to adjust their own budgets to address what priorities they can.
Grant funding, however, is not only to the direct advantage of the recipients. Compliance with grant rules has long supported national standards (note that I use this term loosely. See this article for more information). FEMA preparedness grants, PHEP grants, and HPP grants, among others, have required the adoption of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the use of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), national focus on certain threats or hazards, and reasonable consistency in building and sustaining defined capabilities.
| | |
© 2025 - Timothy Riecker, CEDP
Used with Permission
Tim Riecker is a founding member, partner and principal consultant with Emergency Preparedness Solutions, LLC, a private consulting firm serving government, businesses, and not for profit organizations in various aspects of emergency and disaster preparedness.
| | |
Florida official Kevin Guthrie picked for Trump's FEMA Review Council
Amid a push by President Donald Trump to downscale FEMA, the executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management has been picked for a FEMA Review Council.
| | | |
FEMA Review Council Request for Comments
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council requests information and comments from the public and other interested stakeholders to gain an understanding of their experience with FEMA during disasters. The public information and comments will ensure that the FEMA Review Council's findings and recommendations are informed by a broad spectrum of perspectives, experiences, and ideas.
While the fate of the Council is questionable, as is whether or not positive comments will have any impact on their final decision, I urge you to submit a response and encourage your constituents to do so as well. The focus of the Council is on disaster relief failures but I believe they need to hear about the pre-disaster funding that is so critical to local governments.
You can find information on the RFI at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/03/26/2025-05057/request-for-public-input-on-experiences-with-fema-disaster-responses.
Note that there is a May 15 deadline to respond.
Disaster Researchers for Justice
Currently, there is no group of disaster scholars organized for the purpose of actively engaging with practitioners and policymakers. Nor is there an established channel for disaster scholars to voice their concerns over imminent hazards and failed disaster responses and recoveries. There is no centralized effort for scholars who wish to partner in solidarity with activist groups and networks, or to speak out with a united voice against all disaster-related injustices. Disaster Researchers for Justice (DRJ) is formed to address these needs. To achieve this DRJ seeks to serve as a space for global affinity groups aligned towards disaster justice.
Emergency Management Network
Emergency Management Network is an independent media organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for the public good. We publish trustworthy and informative content in multiple media formats by emergency management experts for the profession and the general public.
| | |
Conferences and Webinars
2025 ASFPM Annual National Conference
May 18-22, 2025
New Orleans, Louisiana
Each year the Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) puts on the nation’s largest conference dedicated to every single aspect of flooding and floodplain management. The conference is hosted by ASFPM, the world’s leading voice for sound floodplain management, with 19,000+ practitioners, 10,000 CFMs, 37 chapters and 77 corporate and agency partners.
June 3-4, 2025
Virtual Conference
The Emergency Management Higher Education Colloquium is a virtual gathering for faculty, staff, and administrators in EM and HS programs to discuss curriculum, research, and best practices. It fosters collaboration and innovation to advance education and prepare future professionals for evolving challenges in the field.
50th Annual Natural Hazards Workshop
July 13-26, 2025
Broomfield, Colorado
Since 1975, the Natural Hazards Center has hosted the Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop in Colorado. Today the Workshop brings together federal, state, and local mitigation and emergency management officials and planning professionals; representatives of nonprofit, private sector, and humanitarian organizations; hazards and disaster researchers; and others dedicated to alleviating the impacts of disasters.
DRJ Fall 2025
Building Resiliency Through Innovation
September 7-10, 2025
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
DRJ’s annual spring and fall conferences are the longest-running and best-attended business continuity events in the world. DRJ can help you protect your organization from today’s disruptions and tomorrow’s threats by exposing you to insights from industry leaders and giving you an early look at new BC technologies.
Attending DRJ will give you the tools you need to secure your organization’s data, increase resiliency, reduce downtime, and protect your stakeholders. By improving your ability to prevent and respond to disruptions, DRJ can save your organization money and time.
IAEM 73rd Annual Conference
Nov. 14 – 20, 2025
Louisville, KY
The goal of the IAEM Annual Conference is to improve knowledge, competency level and collaborative skills. IAEM accomplishes this by attracting relevant high-profile speakers to address current topics and practical solutions. Convening in tandem to this annual event, EMEX, IAEM’s Emergency Management & Homeland Security Expo, draws a myriad of exhibitors who are the top suppliers to the fields of disaster preparedness and homeland security.
| | |
by David Etkin
Ethics lies at the core of emergency management.
This book is essential reading both for emergency management professionals and for students studying the discipline of emergency management. Beginning with an overview of ethical theories relevant to this field, the book then delves into an examination of a number of important issues, including moral development, ethical risk assessment, the precautionary principle, victim blaming, land-use planning, humanitarianism, lifeboat ethics, disaster financial assistance, pandemic planning, price gouging, risk communication, codes of ethics, and how eastern ethical perspectives differ from those in the west.
Engaging and visually appealing, this book will encourage the reader to examine their own moral values and explore how they play out in a variety of ethical scenarios.
About the Author
David Etkin is a Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management at York University. Previously, he worked for Environment Canada from 1977-2005. During his career, he has been a weather forecaster in Nova Scotia and Ontario, taught meteorology to new forecasters, and done applied research in the Arctic and Industrial Climatology Divisions of the Canadian Climate Centre. In 1993 he joined the Adaptation and Impacts Research Group of the Meteorological Service of Canada, specializing in the interdisciplinary study of natural hazards and disasters, and climate change. From 1996-2005 he worked at the University of Toronto with the Institute for Environmental Studies doing research on natural hazards and disasters. He has contributed to several national and international natural hazard projects including the 2nd U.S. national assessment of natural hazards, the IPCC, was Principal Investigator of the Canadian National Assessment of Natural Hazards and is Past President of the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network. His current areas of research are disaster risk assessment and disaster ethics. He has 90 publications including two textbooks and 6 edited volumes.
| | |
Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs
Second Edition
by Lucien G. Canton
This book looks at the larger context within which emergency management response occurs, and stresses the development of a program to address a wide range of issues. Not limited to traditional emergency response to natural disasters, it addresses a conceptual model capable of integrating multiple disciplines and dealing with unexpected emergencies.
| | | |
| | Looking for a speaker for your conference? I offer keynotes, seminars, workshops, and webinars, either in person or virtually. You can find more details and sample videos on my website. | | | |
|
©Lucien G. Canton 2025. All rights reserved.
You may reprint and excerpt this newsletter provided that you include my copyright, the source,
the author, and "reprinted with permission."
ISSN: 2334-590X
| | | | |
