Articles

Shoji Whittier

EOC Bootcamp#9: Emergency Planning: it’s not just the Government’s responsibility.

-Written by David Whittier As Emergency Management consultants, we at Ally have dedicated ourselves to helping organizations prepare for emergency situations.  We’ve worked with companies, schools, municipalities, police departments and airports, and we know they are working hard to make sure you are safe and cared for if the unthinkable happens. But it’s not just…

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EOC Bootcamp #8: Kaizen: the Key to Success

-Written by David Whittier This weekend my wife introduced me to the idea of Kaizen, and it’s fascinating, both in its etymology and how the idea is so important to success, in emergency management or any field. At its most simple, Kaizen means “continuous improvement”.  The concept came to the fore shortly after WWII, when…

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EOC Bootcamp #6: No School Like the Old School

-Written by David Whittier Technology is important in Emergency Management.  It allows us to collect and collate information, build situational awareness, share information, and can help us get things done easier and more effectively. Sometimes it’s important to remember that old school works too. I’m talking about maps. Maps with boundaries, objectives, hazardous areas, routes,…

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Meet the Team: John Perry

The story of John Perry, our Chief Design Officer, embodies one of the most critical skills emergency professionals can possess: creativity.  Born in England and raised in Canada, Perry’s story is told across three continents in an ever-shifting environment. From commanding armoured reconnaissance groups in South Africa to getting his pilot’s license in the United…

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EOC Bootcamp #5: The Command Confusion

-Written by David Whittier Anyone who has taken any ICS training or been involved in any sort of emergency management exercise has been exposed to the concept of Command.  On the surface, the idea seems straightforward.  Dictionary.com defines command as “to give an authoritative order”.  So, I command you to do something, then you do…

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Meet the Team: Paul Ursich

At Ally Emergency Management, we want to be more than just a faceless organization to our clients. So, in this series, we’re offering an in-depth look at Ally’s key personnel, not just as experienced emergency management practitioners, but as people too.  Our Founder and CEO, Paul Ursich, is a man who strives to embody everything…

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EOC Bootcamp #4: The Exercise Exigency

-Written by David Whittier Your Emergency Response Plan is finally complete.  After months of research, discussion, writing and re-writing, the document and written and ready for any contingency.  So all you do now is put it someplace safe and wait for the emergency to happen, right? Not so fast. A plan is critical to an…

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EOC Bootcamp #3: 20th Century Pandemics

-Written by David Whittier The COVID-19 situation we are facing these days is not a new occurrence in human experience.  On the contrary, history is rife with epidemics, pandemics, and plagues.  To provide a bit of context and perhaps illustrate some lessons from past events we can apply today, I share some research into influenza…

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