Thank you for Subscribing to Gov Business Review Weekly Brief
In an interview with City of Clearwater, Jevon Graham, Division Chief of Emergency Management delineates the high level trends driving the government’s approach to emergency management, the advanced technologies enabling proactive emergency preparedness, the latest advancements in data driven technologies and the role of partnerships and stakeholder engagement in government emergency response efforts.
What do you think are the high-level trends that are driving government sector to think about tackling emergency situations? Unfortunately, major events are becoming the new normal. Using tropical events as an example, we are having busier seasons, with more intense incidents. Add to this the increase in natural or manmade emergencies that must be mitigated at the public sector level, also exasperate our already limited resources. Due to all of these factors, those at the government level must use all of its resources, technologies, and partnerships to delve deeper into the five phases of emergency management which are: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. Can you shed some light on the advanced technologies helping government organizations stay proactively in managing emergencies? Shifting demographics and the rate of technological innovation will challenge the way we plan and communicate with the public. At the same time, more frequent and more intense storms will present operational challenges and complexities. Risk based planning, social media use in disaster response and public private partnerships are three ways we can change the way we manage the technical, social, environmental, and political factors influencing our communities. While we constantly try to stay ahead of technology, current risk management tools and processes are already outdated. The current modeling tools used to assess and manage risks related to climate, power, transport, telecommunications, water, and population shifts need to be regularly evaluated so that we can remain in front of potential points of failure. This requires us to constantly search for advanced modeling, technology, the sharing of regional and sub-regional assets, infrastructure, and logistics capabilities which also underscores the importance of resource sharing arrangements across jurisdictions. To stay proactive in emergency management, technology will become a major factor in the successful execution of all future incidents. What are the latest advancements in the technologies that best fit in terms of data-driven approach with optimal efficiency? Geographic information systems (GIS) have been extremely beneficial for our organization. It has allowed us to map our entire critical infrastructure, redundancies and critical locations that could become catastrophic points of failure such as within our public utilities department. Along with 4 water distribution sites, we have approximately 200 lift stations that are responsible for pushing and managing the effluent flows throughout the city. A failure in one site may not be critical, but losing a grid can have catastrophic health consequences. Having all of these locations mapped out gives us a better understanding of our weak points and the resources needed to quickly fix a problem should it occur. We also have created overlays, which show response districts, push team routes for debris removal, critical resources and equipment and access points for aid should we have an event with significant impacts. GIS mapping technology helps us to understand where hazards are located, how many people could be affected and what responses are needed. “To stay proactive in emergency management, technology will become a major factor in the successful execution of all future incidents” Can you give us a brief background about your roles in the organizations you’ve worked for? How does the experience augment your role and responsibility at your current organization? I began my career in the fire service more than 25 years ago where I was training in fire, EMS, ICS, and Emergency In an interview with City of Clearwater, Jevon Graham, Division Chief of Emergency Management delineates the high level trends driving the government’s approach to emergency management, the advanced technologies enabling proactive emergency preparedness, the latest advancements in data driven technologies and the role of partnerships and stakeholder engagement in government emergency response efforts. CXO INSIGHTS October 2023 29 GOVBUSINESS REVIEW Management. In my career, I was a firefighter/EMT, a member of the Pinellas County Tech Team, Marine Response Team, and dive team. I was a promoted Driver Operator, Fire Lieutenant, Chief of Health and Safety and as of February 2017, hold the position of Division Chief of Emergency Management. My background in public safety has taught me the importance of proper planning and training and being constantly prepared for the what ifs. The events you encounter on a daily basis are not typically a concern. The concerns are those events that are infrequent, can spool up quickly, can create the loss of life or negatively impact a community. My experience has ingrained in me that to be successful; we must have plans for all emergencies, not just the common ones. We must develop partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders and be familiar with all of our resources both locally and statewide. We must also train and carry out these plans with our internal and external partners. Having a plan alone is not sufficient without testing it and working through its flaws and it does not benefit the community if your organization and its partners are not familiar with its processes. As an ending note, what is your advice for other senior leaders and CXOs working in the government space? On a final note, it is critical that we develop good partnerships with individuals, businesses, and our community stakeholders. Working with communities to understand their needs helps us to identify better ways to empower and assist them during preparation and recovery. This engagement also offers an opportunity to partner with individuals and organizations in lifesaving and life-sustaining actions to strengthen their role in emergency management. Business and community stakeholder involvement is crucial to community preparedness. Working together with the private sector, local government creates an opportunity to further enable private sector resources and capabilities to assist in recovery efforts and resilience building throughout communities.