DisasterClass Podcast | Your Masterclass in Disaster Preparedness. cover art

DisasterClass Podcast | Your Masterclass in Disaster Preparedness.

DisasterClass Podcast | Your Masterclass in Disaster Preparedness.

Written by: Jason Perez & Wesley Long | Instinct Ready Inc.
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Welcome to the DisasterClass Podcast, your trusted source for expert guidance on disaster preparedness, emergency management, and building resilience in a chaotic world. Hosted by real emergency responders, EMTs, and risk professionals, this show is dedicated to helping you educate, prepare, and equip yourself for life’s disruptions—whether personal, professional, or community-wide. Each episode features powerful insights, real-world case studies, interviews with industry leaders, and practical tips on topics like:
  • Emergency planning for families, businesses, and schools
  • Crisis leadership and decision-making under pressure
  • Bleeding control and life-saving medical interventions
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery strategies
  • Risk mindset development for everyday resilience
  • Emerging threats and real-time lessons from recent disasters
Whether you're an emergency manager, first responder, school administrator, business owner, or proactive individual, DisasterClass delivers actionable content that empowers you to face any crisis with clarity and confidence.

🔔 Subscribe now and join the class—because preparedness isn’t paranoia, it’s power.

disaster preparedness podcast, emergency management, emergency planning, bleeding control, business continuity, crisis leadership, disaster recovery, risk mindset, community resilience, emergency response podcast, family emergency planningAll Rights Reserved. Instinct Ready Inc Science Self-Help Social Sciences Success
Episodes
  • 98_Rick Rescorla and the Preparedness That Helped Thousands Survive 9/11

    98_Rick Rescorla and the Preparedness That Helped Thousands Survive 9/11
    Sep 11 2026
    On September 11, 2001, thousands of Morgan Stanley employees escaped from the World Trade Center. Their response was supported by years of planning, recurring evacuation drills, and determined leadership from security director Rick Rescorla.

    In this special 25th-anniversary episode, Jason Perez examines what Rescorla and Morgan Stanley did before the emergency, why training mattered during the roughly 16 minutes between the attacks on the North and South Towers, and what today’s organizations can learn from their experience.

    The episode also carefully separates the popular heroic narrative from the complete preparedness lesson. Rick Rescorla’s leadership mattered enormously, but survival inside the South Tower was influenced by many factors—including individual decisions, building conditions, evacuation routes, emergency response actions, timing, and chance.

    Preparedness cannot control every variable or guarantee survival. It can help people recognize danger, overcome hesitation, and act when an opportunity appears.

    Learn more about Instinct Ready Emergency Management and the Organizational Readiness Snapshot at https://instinctready.com.

    Content note: This episode discusses the September 11 attacks and loss of life.

    🔗 SPONSORS & PARTNERS
    STOP THE BLEED® Coalition
    A bleeding emergency can happen anywhere—and the person standing nearby may be the only one able to help. In just one hour, you can learn three simple steps that could save a life. Find a class near you, access bleeding-control resources, and learn how you can get involved at:https://www.stopthebleedcoalition.org

    Instinct Ready Emergency Management
    Instinct Ready educates, prepares, and equips individuals, communities, and organizations for emergencies and disasters through quality training, comprehensive planning, and premium preparedness products.
    Visit: https://www.instinctready.com
    Call: (845) 244-6360

    00:00 How preparation helped thousands survive
    01:05 Remembering September 11, 25 years later
    02:38 Who was Rick Rescorla?
    04:00 The warning provided by the 1993 bombing
    05:00 Preparedness is not predicting the future
    05:55 Building Morgan Stanley’s evacuation system
    06:42 Why employees complain about drills
    08:21 Why people hesitate during emergencies
    09:32 The morning of September 11
    10:12 Sixteen critical minutes
    11:23 Leadership amid conflicting instructions
    12:21 Morgan Stanley begins evacuating
    13:21 Rescorla leads people through the stairwells
    14:40 The South Tower is struck
    15:49 The complete story behind the survival numbers
    17:26 Rescorla’s final actions
    18:22 His legacy began years before 9/11
    20:09 Five lessons for today’s organizations
    22:34 Could your employees execute the plan?
    23:56 The Organizational Readiness Snapshot
    24:51 Preserving what September 11 taught us
    26:50 Closing
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • 97_How Folgers Reopened 22 Days After Hurricane Katrina

    97_How Folgers Reopened 22 Days After Hurricane Katrina
    Aug 20 2026
    When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, more than half of Procter & Gamble's coffee production was concentrated in the region. P&G had hurricane plans. It had shutdown procedures. It had generators, crisis teams, backup systems, and decades of experience preparing for storms. And then Katrina exceeded the plan. Communications collapsed. Employees were scattered across multiple states. Roads became inaccessible. Utilities disappeared. Some shutdown procedures weren't completed. It ultimately took P&G 21 days just to account for every employee. Yet on September 20, 2005—22 days after Katrina made Louisiana landfall—a Folgers production line in New Orleans was running again.

    In this episode of DisasterClass, Jason Perez breaks down what P&G did before, during, and after Katrina—and why this case is about much more than coffee. We explore business continuity, organizational resilience, employee recovery, critical dependencies, alternate production, emergency decision triggers, and one of the most important lessons in preparedness: Preparedness doesn't give you certainty. It gives you options.

    Learn more about DisasterClass and Instinct Ready Emergency Management at InstinctReady.com.

    Topics: Hurricane Katrina, Folgers, Procter & Gamble, business continuity, disaster recovery, emergency management, organizational resilience, preparedness, supply-chain resilience and community recovery.

    🔗 SPONSORS & PARTNERS

    🩸 STOP THE BLEED® Coalition
    Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death after injury. But in just one hour, you can learn three simple steps to save a life. The STOP THE BLEED® Coalition is a nonprofit organization formed to support and scale the national STOP THE BLEED® campaign, helping bring bleeding control training and tools to communities across the country. Find a class near you and learn how you can get involved. 🌐 Visit: https://StopTheBleedCoalition.org 🚨

    INSTINCT READY
    DisasterClass is proudly brought to you by Instinct Ready, dedicated to educating, preparing, and equipping communities for emergencies and disasters through quality training, comprehensive planning, and premium products. 🎟 Get 10% off your order with code: DISASTERCLASS 📞 Call: (845) 244-6360 🌐 Visit: https://www.instinctready.com

    00:00 The Strategic Coffee Reserve
    01:24 Why Folgers Was Vulnerable
    02:50 A Plan Is Not a Preparedness Program
    03:29 Katrina Enters the Gulf
    04:23 Preparedness Triggers
    05:36 When Katrina Exceeded the Plan
    06:54 P&G Loses Track of Its Employees
    07:50 21 Days to Account for Everyone
    08:52 The Coffee Sludge Problem
    10:47 Getting Back Into the Plant
    12:14 Replacing the Infrastructure
    13:43 The Fire Protection Problem
    15:09 The Facility Is Not the Mission
    16:50 Employees Were Disaster Survivors Too
    18:10 Helping Employees Recover
    19:15 “Of Course P&G Could Do This”
    20:44 Preparedness Scales
    21:19 Businesses Don't Recover Alone
    22:16 215,000 Jobs Lost
    23:34 22 Days After Katrina
    24:14 Why Folgers Could Reopen
    25:32 Perfect Preparedness Doesn't Exist
    26:12 Preparedness Buys Options
    26:59 The Strategic Coffee Reserve Returns
    28:15 The Final Lesson
    28:35 Outro
    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • 96_The Saved Effect: Every Moment That Came After

    96_The Saved Effect: Every Moment That Came After
    Aug 3 2026
    In this episode of DisasterClass, Jason Martin—Pappy—speaks with Brad Newbury and Kiera Newbury about The Saved Effect: True Stories of Lives Reclaimed by People Who Were Willing to Act.Brad and Kiera share the stories behind people who survived because someone stepped forward—first responders, bystanders, family members, and ordinary people who chose to act in the moment. But the episode is really about what came after: 25 more years, 27 more years, daughters walked down the aisle, grandchildren raised, goodbyes made possible, and futures that continued because someone did not stand back. This conversation explores:
• Why bystander action matters before EMS arrives
• What CPR can feel like in a real emergency
• Why training helps people act through fear
• The emotional weight emergency responders carry
• Why saved lives create ripple effects across families and communities
• Practical steps you can take before seconds matterFEATURED GUESTS & LINKSBrad Newbury, MPA, NRP is the President and CEO of the National Medical Education & Training Center (NMETC), a fire captain, paramedic, educator, and author of The Saved Effect: True Stories of Lives Reclaimed by People Who Were Willing to Act and The First Responder Advantage. With more than 40 years of experience in firefighting and prehospital medicine, Brad has dedicated his career to helping others become ready — and willing — to act when it matters most.Kiera Newbury, BA, NREMT is an emergency medical professional, Nationally Registered EMT, and emerging author of The Saved Effect. With a background in psychology, emergency medical training, and storytelling, Kiera brings a deeply human perspective to CPR readiness, emergency preparedness, healthcare education, and the lives changed when ordinary people choose to act.📘 Pre-order The Saved Effect: https://thesavedeffect.com Pre-order by August 18, 2026 to receive the available pre-order bonuses listed on the book website.Connect with Brad Newbury:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brad.newbury/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradnewbury/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-newburyConnect with Kiera Newbury:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiera-newbury/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kieranewbury/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kiera.newbury.1Follow The Saved Effect:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesavedeffectWebsite: https://thesavedeffect.comChapters:
0:00 Cold open: 25 more years after resuscitation
0:31 Pappy introduces the episode
1:04 Every emergency begins before responders arrive
1:33 Brad and Kiera Newbury and The Saved Effect
2:12 Brad’s path from engineering to EMS
3:05 Kiera wanted to become an EMT at eight
4:15 Frank’s story: 25 more years
5:50 John’s story and the power of bystander CPR
7:20 What a saved life contains
7:56 Kiera’s first time performing CPR
9:30 Training helps people act through fear
10:01 Why Brad and Kiera wrote the book
11:37 Where the title The Saved Effect came from
12:40 Brad’s father and the gift of more time
14:15 What responders rarely get to see afterward
15:20 Weddings, grandchildren, and moments that mattered
16:00 Why emergency workers need to reconnect with their “why”
17:25 Recording the audiobook and revisiting old calls
18:27 Before help arrives: ordinary people act first
19:15 Practical steps: CPR, AEDs, and family readiness
20:05 What Brad and Kiera hope people carry forward
20:36 Closing reflection: the effect keeps moving
21:14 Book and preparedness CTA
22:17 CreditsEPISODE SPONSORS & RESOURCESInstinct ReadyDisasterClass is brought to you by Instinct Ready, an emergency management and preparedness company helping organizations and communities prepare for emergencies and disasters before they happen. Instinct Ready supports emergency planning, hazard vulnerability assessments, training and exercises, First Aid/CPR/STOP THE BLEED training, disaster and bleeding control kits, 3D mapping and floor plans, CERT program consulting, and practical preparedness solutions for schools, healthcare, senior care, government, public safety, businesses, and community organizations. Learn more: https://www.instinctready.comSTOP THE BLEED® CoalitionSTOP THE BLEED® empowers ordinary people to recognize life-threatening bleeding and take action until professional help arrives. Through official bleeding-control training, participants learn basic actions that can help control severe bleeding in an emergency. Learn more, find a course, or explore STOP THE BLEED® resources: https://www.stopthebleedcoalition.orgDisclaimer: This episode is for public education and preparedness awareness. It is not a substitute for medical training, professional emergency instruction, or local emergency response guidance. In an emergency, call 911 and follow dispatcher instructions.#DisasterClass #CPR #AED #Preparedness #EMS #FirstResponders #BystanderCPR #...
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    23 mins
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