-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…
-Written by David Whittier Scammers are getting better. I don’t mean that they are improving in their ethics. I mean they are becoming more effective in their attempts to get money from us, and we need to be more vigilant in order to make sure our hard-earned dollars stay in our pockets. I was once…
-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,…
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…
-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…
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…
-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…
-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…
-Written by David Whittier One of the first things they teach us in ICS is we need to put together an Incident Action Plan, which should consist of objectives, strategies and tactics that are appropriate to the incident. The question remains: what is the best way to identify these objectives, strategies, and tactics? Here are…
-Written by David Whittier “The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.”-Sun Tzu In Emergency Planning, as in a great many aspects of our lives, there is an urge to get to and solve the problem, to quickly assess the situation and make sure that everything that is wrong is made right again. This…