Disaster_Tough_Podcast

09/08/2025

We're featured on Politico!

"I wanted to choke some people," Cameron Hamilton said in a podcast interview last week.

09/03/2025

Cameron Hamilton | Former Acting FEMA Administrator
Disaster Tough Podcast available on all major podcast networks
Listen or Watch: https://lnkd.in/g2sUPuPP

On May 7, 2025 Cameron Hamilton testified before the US Congress that abolishing FEMA would put Americans at risk. Hours later, his access was revoked, and he was effectively fired by the Trump Administration. In this episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast, Hamilton shares the inside story of that testimony, the fallout with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and why he chose survivors over politics, even though it cost him his job.

Host John Scardena calls FEMA the “IRS of disasters” because so much of the agency’s work revolves around grants, reimbursements, and auditing rather than direct disaster mitigation, response, and recovery. Hamilton explains why FEMA has become overloaded with non-core missions and why shifting responsibilities to other agencies is smarter than eliminating FEMA altogether.

Hamilton also discusses his survivor-first reforms, including the FEMA “pizza tracker” for disaster assistance, and his belief in empowering regional leaders to act quickly, even at the risk of audit scrutiny. Drawing from his background as a Navy SEAL medic and as a U.S. Department of State crisis responder, he shares hard-won lessons on leadership, risk-taking, and team building.

Listen now for Cameron Hamilton’s unfiltered perspective on FEMA reform, survivor-centric leadership, and why he risked his career to speak honestly before Congress.

07/29/2024

Join us in October!

Hot Mess expressTRAINING & CERTIFICATIONEMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RESPONSE FOR DYNAMIC POPULATIONS Register For Course Here October 22-24, 2024pueblo, co Group Scholarship Discounts are available for groups 3 or moreConnect with us for more details: email: [email protected]: 314.400.8848 S...

04/17/2024

Emergency Management in Dynamic Populations with University of Kentucky's Sarah Razor - Interview with Sarah Razor

DTP Season 5, Episode 192

Listen, Watch, & Support DTP: https://www.thereadinesslab.com/dtp-links

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L3Harris Technologies's BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: www.l3harris.com

Impulse: Bleeding Control Kits by professionals for professionals: https://www.dobermanemg.com/impulse

Doberman Emergency Management provides subject matter experts in planning and training: www.dobermanemg.com

Disaster Tough Podcast is part of The Readiness Lab Podcast Network

For sponsorship requests: [email protected]

or visit our website: www.thereadinesslab.com

09/04/2023

🌀HUGE shout out to our fan and Planning Section Chief, Michelle Cechowski, M.S. FPEM for sending us this picture! She’s tackling hurricanes in FL.

Hamilton County FL is Disaster Tough with Michelle in the EOC!

08/08/2023

A fun surprise! While attending the Army National Guard DUT Exercise in Nashville, we found out that our friends at L3Harris Technologies were also in Nashville for APCO. We stopped by and met more amazing people on the team.

日本からの新しい友達に会えてとても楽しかったです。ここアメリカで素晴らしい経験ができることを願っていますよ！

05/24/2023

Listen, Watch, & Support DTP: https://lnkd.in/g2sUPuPP



Developments in technology are usually driven by the desire to make processes and life, in general, more effective.

The efforts of today's guest in the Disaster Toug Podcast, Blake Resnick, are no exception.

Blake is the Founder and CEO of BRINC. In the short period of six years, BRINC drones have been deployed by over 250 public safety agencies around the world with the purpose of initiating contact with victims of disaster, and in doing so, saving the lives of both the victims themselves, and the emergency responders who would normally put themselves at risk in an effort to find those victims.

Some of the disasters in which BRINC Drones have been utilized for this purpose include the Surfside Building Collapse in 2021, the recent earthquake in Turkey, along with the current crisis in Ukraine, and many others.

Blake's idea to find a way to better utilize technology for emergency response dates back to the 2017 mass shooting at a concert in his hometown of Las Vegas. During that incident, there were numerous conflicting reports that hindered the effectiveness of emergency responders and potentially put them at risk.

In this episode, Blake talks about how he believes technology could improve those efforts and make them more effective. He also explains how he and his company plan to work toward overcoming the many hurdles that still stand in the way of this vision becoming a reality.

He also goes into more detail about other products that BRINC Is developing or already utilizing to improve emergency response.

For more information about BRINC and their efforts in emergency response, check out their website at www.brincdrones.com.

Major Endorsements
L3Harris Technologies's amazing BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: www.l3harris.com

Doberman Emergency Management Group provides subject matter experts in planning and training: www.dobermanemg.com

Disaster Tough Podcast is part of The Readiness Lab Podcast Network

For sponsorship requests: [email protected]
or visit our website: www.thereadinesslab.com

04/16/2023

When your kids are excited to dress up like dad!

“We teach our kids about hazards and they know what I do for work…so this fun surprise and their reaction was pure gold. And yes, coming home from work, they are truly a relief.

03/14/2023

Support our podcast, click here: https://www.thereadinesslab.com/dtp-links

DTP Season 4 #150: Slack VP Talks About Lifelines

Picking Up the “Slack” in EM Communications

A philosopher once said made the case for the importance of experience when he said, “Life can only be understood backward, but must be lived forwards.”

In this episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast, guest Mark “Whit” Whittington shares how his multiple decades of experience with the biggest technology companies in the country has led him to be on the cutting edge of emergency communications.

“Whit” is the Public Sector Vice President at Slack, North America. In that capacity, he has helped guide Slack to the forefront of emergency communications. One such step in that direction includes the recent agreement between Slack and the National Weather Service to create NWSChat 2.0.

Before joining Slack, “Whit” worked in upper management at some of the largest and most successful tech companies including among others, Oracle, Microsoft, and Amazon.

In this episode, “Whit” explains his gratitude for having a “ringside seat” to see how tech companies such as Slack can play a major role in disaster and emergency response. He has seen it firsthand over the years in situations such as “Digital Dunkirk” and the 2022 Kentucky Floods.

Major Endorsements:

L3Harris and the BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: www.L3Harris.com/ResponderSupport

Instinct Ready Everyday Readiness Kits. Learn more about Instinct Ready's incredible line of readiness products at: www.instinctready.com

Doberman Emergency Management provides subject matter experts in planning and training. Learn more here: www.dobermanemg.com

The Readiness Lab Podcast Network: Disaster Tough Podcast is part of The Readiness Lab Podcast Network


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03/07/2023

Listen, Watch, & Support DTP: www.thereadinesslab.com/dtp-links



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Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

Corporal Haley Evans of the Bella Vista Police Department in Arkansas has been putting this idea into practice since attending the Emergency Management Response for Dynamic Populations Course (DyPop) last year.

In this episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast, Haley goes into more specifics about what she learned and how she is applying it in her work in law enforcement.

Besides her six years of experience as a police officer, Haley also has a Masters Degree in Emergency Management. In her time in law enforcement, she has seen how proper coordination among police, Emergency Managers, and other first responders makes the overall response efforts more effective.
In this episode, she discusses the importance of all parties stepping back and working together. She also emphasizes how vital it is that the community is aware of what response efforts may look like to disasters and emergency situations.

Major Endorsements:

L3Harris Technologies's BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: www.l3harris.com

Instinct Ready - Everyday Readiness Kits. Learn more about Instinct Ready's incredible line of readiness products at: instinctready.com

Doberman Emergency Management provides subject matter experts in planning and training: www.dobermanemg.com

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The Readiness Lab Podcast Network:

Disaster Tough Podcast is part of The Readiness Lab Podcast Network
For sponsorship requests: [email protected]
or visit our website: www.thereadinesslab.com