Welcome to State of Disaster, Season 3. It’s been just about a year since I published my first episode, but it feels like an entire lifetime. This show has become a staple of my life and I’m as always, so grateful for everyone I’ve gotten to know through this adventure.

This season is called Emergent States. For the last year, I have been recording interviews with some really smart people about what happens when big systems fail and what emerges when individuals, organizations, and communities self organize to solve the seemingly unsolvable. We’re going to talk about complexity science, systems thinking, and grassroots emergency management models. We’re also going to take a look at the emerging technologies, startups, and solo emergency management entrepreneurs that are shifting the paradigm of the work we do.

I’m starting this season off with Brandi Hunter, celebrating the work she’s done as the founder of Aspiring Emergency Managers Online (AEMO), a supportive community bridging the gap between education and careers in emergency management.

Brandi and the AEMO team empower students and emerging professionals with mentorship, job resources, and real-world insights. With the competitive nature of EM hiring, where experience is often a barrier, AEMO helps members navigate challenges like networking, certifications, and interview prep. Joining AEMO offers access to a network of peers and seasoned experts, including me, who are passionate about making emergency management more inclusive and accessible for all backgrounds.

Premium subscribers will be able to access Emergent States early, extended, uncensored, ad-free, and with enhanced show guides giving you more immersive resources, links, discounts, research, access to ask guests questions, and more.

We’re also reducing premium subscription costs to reduce the barrier to entry for this awesome content. An annual subscription is now $50 instead of $100 and will remain at this price through the end of the year.

This episode is part of my ongoing Disaster Discourse series where I interview the authors whose books are featured in the Disaster Discourse book club. All State of Disaster episodes can be found early, extended, with video and enhanced show guides at stateofdisaster.com. You can find this episode here.

Donald Patterson is a retired SWAT commander, FBI National Academy graduate, and nationally recognized emergency management instructor. Across a 30-year career, he led tactical operations during mass shootings, wildfires, and high-risk manhunts, gaining firsthand experience in crisis leadership and real-world strategy. Today, he trains emergency response leaders through FEMA’s National Emergency Management Advanced Academy.

Bear in the Dragon’s Shadow is Patterson’s debut thriller. It combines espionage, cyberwarfare, and military precision into a story that feels as urgent as today’s headlines. Drawing from his real-world background, Don brings unmatched authenticity and intensity to the genre.

• Read Don’s Book: Bear in the Dragon’s Shadow: Where Deception Meets Strategy
• Join the Disaster Discourse Book Club
• Check out the Disaster Discourse BookshopVisit My Partners and Friends

  Aspiring Emergency Managers Online (AEMO): Empowering and supporting the next cohort of emergency management professionals through networking, training, mentoring, other career support resources and job opportunities.

  Emergency Management External Affairs Association (EMEAA): A collaborative community serving as thought leaders in the advancement of crisis communications, external affairs outreach, and emergency management.

  PREPPR: The complete exercise platform for emergency management. Design. Deliver. Document. From scenario to AAR - one platform. Your expertise. No busywork. No overtime. **I recently joined the PREPPR team as an advisor. I think this is a fantastic tool that levels up exercise delivery. I specifically chose this platform because it empowers not replaces the emergency managers who do great work.

  HazAdapt: Helping a community get prepared is tough, especially with small teams and limited resources. The reality is that most people look for help in the moment, and that's why I recommend HazAdapt. HazAdapt is an award-winning emergency and disaster safety app that puts step-by-step preparedness, response, and recovery guidance in people’s hands. It is 100% free, works offline, and is used in all 50 states. Make it easier to adapt to hazards. I use it for myself and my family

A dive into the intersections of disability advocacy, emergency management policy, and the systemic shifts needed to protect the most vulnerable during a crisis.

Take your seat at the Roundtable.

Full video and show notes including links to books, research, references, and more can be found here.

Aspiring Emergency Managers Online (AEMO): Empowering and supporting the next cohort of emergency management professionals through networking, training, mentoring, other career support resources and job opportunities.

Emergency Management External Affairs Association (EMEAA): A collaborative community serving as thought leaders in the advancement of crisis communications, external affairs outreach, and emergency management.

Pierce College: A leading educational institution providing specialized training and degrees in Emergency Management.

Sign Language Interpretation by SpokenHere: A language services provider specializing in translation and interpretation to ensure messaging reaches every community, regardless of language barriers.

And Me! More specifically, the State of Disaster show. My thanks to friend of the show, Dr. Sarah Miller for stepping in for me as the host and doing a great job.

Brandi Hunter

Vincent Davis

Dr. Sarah Miller

Dr. Sherman Gillums Jr.

Partner Episode: State of Disaster is a media partner for the 2026 Disasters Expo Miami

As I announced last week, I am a media partner for this year’s Disasters Expo Miami. In this episode, I interview Molly Schwerdt and Evie Poole, who are representing the incredible Disasters Expo and Resilient City marketing team. Of course, we talk about the Disasters Expo and that the Resilient City Expo is coming to Miami for the first time this year.

We also talk about the immense work, logistics, and communication that it takes to put on such a complex event, and the parallels with emergency and disaster management. We also talk about the application of marketing tactics within emergency management because I can’t help myself. If you’re a premium subscriber, you can read my publication on the topic of applying marketing and sales tactics to the way we communicate with our communities. It’s in the archive at stateofdisaster.com.

You can get your free tickets, see the video, transcript, and more here.

Hello, State of Disasterinos!

This episode is a collaboration with some old friends, some new friends, our wrap up of the emergency management trends of 2025, and our thoughts about what we’ll see more of this year.

This was hosted by the fantastic Kyle King and our friends at Crisis Lab. You can find the original episode post on their site, and panelist info on my Substack. Please follow all of them! If you are a State of Disaster premium subscriber, I have pulled all the mentioned research, initiatives, people, places, and things and put them in this week's premium show notes section on stateofdisaster.com

Some Show Updates:

I am a media partner with this year’s Disasters Expo in Miami. Disaster Expo USA is the nation’s leading event, uniting government agencies, first responders, industry suppliers, and innovators dedicated to protecting communities and critical infrastructure. And it is coming up pretty quickly, March 4th and 5th. But if you’re interested in going for free, here is your link for Free Disasters Expo Miami Tickets.

Thank you as always to my partners:

Aspiring Emergency Managers Online (AEMO)

Emergency Management External Affairs Association

If you would like to be a partner or sponsor of State of Disaster or the Disaster Discourse Book Club, I have just finalized the packages for the rest of this quarter. Send an email to matt@stateofdisaster.com or click this link to book a meeting with me.

"The launch of the U.S. Emergency & Disaster Management Congress, is directly in response to the federal government’s abdication of its role leading national policy and guidance per its Executive Order: Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness."

Arthur J. Simental is a Homeland Security and Emergency Management Professor Researcher, Consultant, and Emergency Management Historian. Mr. Simental is the Founder and CEO of Simental Industries, LTD, and Disaster Gaming, an Emergency Management Consulting Firm and Disaster Research Collaborative.

Mr. Simental is also a research associate for Sam Houston State University's Institute for Homeland Security and a former public health advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mr. Simental has over 16 years of service in government, homeland security and emergency management and emergency services across all levels of government and the private and nonprofit sectors in homeland security, emergency management, healthcare, public health, space and defense, security, education, and critical infrastructure. Wow. Mr. Simental is a published author, disaster war gaming creator, and certified emergency manager with the Colorado Emergency Management Association and International Association of Emergency Managers.

In this episode, we talk about Arthur's new concept of a United States Emergency & Disaster Management Congress to advance the professionalization of emergency management through a unified national standard and shared governance.

To learn more about the Congress, you can visit the website or fill out this interest form.

You can get 50% off your subscription to State of Disaster and watch the video of this episode + read the enhanced show notes with everything we talked about in this episode by clicking this link by June 1st 2025: https://stateofdisaster.substack.com/congress. A percentage of all subscription revenue is donated directly to disaster relief. The episode's full transcript is also hosted at stateofdisaster.com. If for any reason you have difficulty accessing it, please email matt@stateofdisaster.com

Dan Stoneking is the Vice President and Founder of the Emergency Management External Affairs Association with more than 35 years of private and public external affairs and crisis communications experience. He held the position of Regional External Affairs Director at FEMA and preceding that role, he served as Director of Private Sector and Deputy and Acting Director within FEMA’s Office of Public Affairs.

Dan’s experience includes his pivotal roles during crises including the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon; serving as lead spokesperson for the National Guard in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina; establishing the first-ever international joint information center in response to the catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Haiti, as spokesperson during response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and creating a coalition with the private sector to implement the first national business emergency operations center.

Dan is the owner and principal of Dan Stoneking Strategic Communications LLC, author of Cultivate Your Garden: Crisis Communications From 30,000 Feet to Three Feet, a Columnist for Homeland Security Today, and an Adjunct Professor at West Chester University, PA.

Dan recently joined the Disaster Discourse book club where we engage emergency management authors with their readers. Click here to join the conversation with over 190 international emergency managers.

Enhanced show notes, references, and links will be sent directly to State of Disaster premium subscribers.

State of Disaster is created and produced by Matt Green and Green Emergency Management Services

Check out Our Partners:

Aspiring Emergency Managers Online (AEMO)

Emergency Management External Affairs Association

Hello and welcome to the first episode of State of Disaster. I'm your host and Friendly Neighborhood Emergency Manager, Matt Green.

My goal is to bring you to the front lines and behind the scenes of the biggest news, incidents, and innovations happening within the emergency and disaster management field. I'll also be interviewing practitioners, professors, authors, researchers, and survivors. You can find each episode at stateofdisaster.com along with articles, resources, live streams, and more as we grow this community.

This is an uncensored and unfiltered podcast, and we're going to cover some heavy topics. But at the end of the day, this is meant to be entertaining, enjoyable, and a space for you to share your story as well. So if you're an emergency manager, a researcher, a student, a volunteer, an innovator, a survivor, or all of the above, fill out the guest application!

My first guest, Eric Kant’s years of hands-on emergency response have shaped a lifelong commitment to protecting lives, advancing innovation, and leading complex operations. A former Firefighter, Paramedic, and Emergency Manager, he brings deep operational expertise to some of the world’s most challenging disaster and crisis environments.

Today, he leads 4Cast, a Decision Intelligence platform that applies artificial intelligence and systems thinking to understand and manage complex interdependencies across operations.

Mr. Kant has been recognized by the Department of Defense, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NATO, DHS Science & Technology, and others for his innovative approaches and strategic insight.

His career includes supporting real-time command and control operations during events such as the Florida Night of Tornadoes, the World Trade Center disaster in NYC, Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and numerous other nationally significant incidents.

In this episode, we introduce The Local Emergency Managers Alliance: A grassroots initiative that exists to empower local emergency managers through advocacy, innovation, and action. Their mission is to strengthen local preparedness, response, and resilience by reducing dependence on federal support, promoting regional coordination, advancing sustainable funding solutions, and accelerating the adoption of technology and best practices. They unite local leaders to lead with autonomy, act decisively, and build a safer, stronger future from the ground up. They're advocating for the ten actions that local emergency managers need to take right now to prepare for a country without FEMA:

• Build financial reserves
• Strengthen state and regional partnerships
• Prioritize hazard mitigation
• Enhance community preparedness
• Adapt emergency plans for minimal federal aid
• Deepen private sector and NGO relationships
• Track policy changes
• Advocate for your program and community
• Improve damage assessment and documentation
• Prepare for political uncertainty