Industry Highlights

For most people, hydroelectric dam safety is not exactly top-of-mind, but the recent Oroville Dam situation in California is a reminder of the inherent risk.  Yes, hydroelectric energy is a [...]

Finally, in February 2017, Facebook took the much-anticipated step of launching a new tool to help people communicate and seek assistance during emergency situations.  It is a fantastic idea, one [...]

Tokyo-based Toshiba, which just a decade ago placed a major bet on the U.S. nuclear power plant industry, it exiting the business.  My, how the mighty have fallen.  In 2006, Toshiba shelled out [...]

Com Ed, the Chicago-area electric utility, is one of the better examples of a company that has taken succession planning to the next level.  Com Ed employs 1,900 overhead linemen to help keep the [...]

The Wireless Emergency Alert System, first implemented by the FCC in 2012, has been an incredible advancement as it relates to emergency preparedness.  These alerts send warnings to smart phones [...]

As the founder of Emergency Preparedness Partnerships, I have a keen interest in the role of grid reliability as it relates to emergency planning.  Simply put, as reliability increases, the [...]

Emergency management at the state and local levels is similar in scope to utility disaster recovery.  In every case, poor execution can derail efforts by wasting precious time and resources.  An [...]

Flood prediction models are getting better, which is good news considering that the frequency of major weather events is on the rise.  Hurricanes in particular seem to be increasingly common and [...]

No one can dispute the fact that the composition of the utility workforce is in a state of flux.  Baby Boomers are retiring at a rapid pace, and Millennials are entering the workforce with [...]

I recently read an article on npr.com that drilled down into an investigation by the Kansas City Star which examined 20 years’ worth of firefighter deaths all around the US.  The investigation [...]