Caucus Chair:
Chayne Sparagowski

Caucus Vice Chair:
Jennifer Lazo, CEM

Board Liaison:
Sarah Miller, CEM
iaem.r10@iaem.com

Staff Liaison:
Dawn M. Shiley

IAEM members interested in participating in this committee should email the committee leadership and tell them how you can contribute to or learn from this committee’s important work. IAEM members may easily retrieve the committee leadership email addresses by downloading the complete list. Also, the ETC requests that you complete the form posted here.


Get to know the Emerging Technology Caucus and how they can help you improve your use of technology
to further your career in emergency management. Join IAEM now, and then complete the the ETC membership form.

• Conference Commitee Liaison: Jon Shear, CEM
• Digital Engagement Committee Liaison: Pascal Schuback, CEM
• Government Affairs Liaison: Mary Jo Flynn-Nevins and Robert McCord
• Marketing Liaison: Tammy Esteves
• Membership Committee Liaison: Peter Perez
• Outreach/Membership Coordinator: Chayne Sparagowski
• Professional Development & Research Coordinator: Don Fisher and Kyle Nelson
• Secretary: Anna McCann
• Strategic Planning Coordinators: Chris Tarantino and Peter Perez
• Student Caucus Liaisons: Robert McCord, Ashley Rogers

Documents & Reports | Meetings & Webinars
Members Only: Meeting Records | ETC Webinar Recordings

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the IAEM-USA Emerging Technology Caucus is to research, evaluate, and make recommendations on new and innovative technology as they pertain to emergency management processes and to disseminate best practices to the broader emergency management community.

About the Crisis Technology Center

The Crisis Technology Center is a service provided at the IAEM Annual Conference in the EMEX Exhibit Hall by members of the Emerging Technology Caucus. The Crisis Technology Center (CTC) is a networking lounge and technology lab where emergency managers can go to learn about and discuss emerging technology, new media communications, and best practices relating to technological advances in EOC management, social media, and more. The CTC is staffed by technology experts from virtually every level of government, the private sector, higher education, and not-for-profit industries; affectionately called “Techsperts,” these IAEM Emerging Technology Caucus members can provide the support, resources and information you’ve been looking for when faced with incorporating new technologies into your organization.

Crisis Tech Center Tech Talks 2017

Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, 6:45 p.m.

• Title: Welcome to the Crisis Technology Center
• Talk Description: Learn about the Crisis Tech Center, the Emerging Technologies Caucus, recent disaster deployments, and how you can learn more about the latest emergency management technology.
  Speaker: Sarah Miller, @scba
• Speaker Bio: Sarah Miller is an Emergency Manager with 26 years of public service including emergency management, 9-1-1, and search and rescue. She is a university instructor of Emergency Management and delivers FEMA certified courses on social media, whole community, and basic and advanced EM topics throughout the country. She is the Vice-Chair of IAEM Region 10, Chair of the Emerging Technology Caucus, and a member of the USA Training and Education Committee and the Global Communications Work Group.

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, 12:00 p.m.

• Title: Apps for Critical Events Management
• Talk Description: Talk demonstrating several applications that improve operational communication, situational assessment/awareness, and public information and warning.
• Speaker: Tom Crane, @Tom_Crane
• Speaker Bio: Tom is a senior consultant and technical account manager with Everbridge. In this role he provides technical advice, support, and training to help organizations better communicate and manage incidents. He formerly worked at FEMA and as a consultant to DHS S&T. He is a certified business continuity professional and holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Management with a focus in Crisis, Risk, and Emergency Management from George Washington University. He serves on FEMA’s National Advisory Council IPAWS subcommittee and is involved with a few organizations, including the Safe+Ready Institute, CERT, and Arlington County Emergency Preparedness Advisory Commission.

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, 12:30 p.m.

• Title: Innovative Solutions for Keeping Personal Devices Powered Up During a Disaster
• Talk Description: Talk on the challenge of providing temporary power for charging personal devices, as well as innovative solutions.
• Speaker: Ryan Doak, @PowerUpConnect
• Speaker Bio: Ryan is the Co-Founder of Power Up the premier charging technology company based in Baltimore, MD. Ryan has spent the last 2 decades leveraging technology to enhance lives and to enable organizations. Ryan has an extensive background in marketing and the creative arts with an entrepreneurial spirit that is always pioneering and developing.

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, 2:20 p.m.

• Title: Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning- Emerging Capabilities for Emergency Management
• Talk Description: A brief explanation of each of these key terms - that we hear often, sorta understand, but what are they exactly - and how they are coming together to support Emergency Management and what Emergency Managers should do about it!
• Speaker: Greg Brunelle, @Greg_Brunelle and @OneConcernInc
• Speaker Bio: With more than 20 years of emergency management experience, Greg Brunelle has served in senior executive positions in county and state government and the private sector. Greg served as the Jefferson County, NY Office of Fire & Emergency Management Deputy Director from 2001-2005 and Director from 2005-2007. In that capacity he held the roles of Emergency Manager, Fire Coordinator and 911 Director for the county. He developed the county's first comprehensive emergency management program and provided leadership of the HazMat Response Team, Fire Investigation Team and Water Rescue Team.
  In 2007 Greg joined the New York State Office of Emergency Management as Deputy Director of Preparedness, overseeing the office’s Training & Exercise and Planning Sections. In 2010 he was promoted to 1st Deputy Director and Deputy Director of Operations during which time he led the State Emergency Operations Center and coordinated inter-agency and multi-jurisdictional response operations to dozens of major planned events and regional emergencies as well as 13 Presidentially-declared Major Disasters. In December of 2012, in the midst of Hurricane Sandy response operations, Greg was appointed Acting Director of NYS OEM, a position he held until joining Tetra Tech the following year. As Vice President of Emergency Management and Community Resilience, he developed the Emergency Management practice and led projects across the nation. In the spring of 2017, Greg joined One Concern, an innovative start-up that brings artificial intelligence and machine learning to emergency management for the first time, enhancing community leaders' and emergency responders' ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, 5:30 p.m.

• Title: Direct View LED Video Walls- Overview of the Technology and Applications
• Talk Description: A brief overview of the technology behind direct view LED displays. We will then discuss the application and advantages of this type of display in the EOC.
• Speaker: Don Fisher, @EOC_Designer
• Speaker Bio: Don Fisher has over 20 years of experience in the Audio Visual industry. He has been involved with the programing, design and deployment of AV technologies in board rooms, conference spaces and emergency operation center, working with both private sector and government clients. He is knowledgeable in video conferencing and collaboration technology and how it can be successfully used in wide variety of environments. Prior to his current work in AV Don was involved in the sound and vibration instrumentation field where he performed architectural acoustical and machinery vibration analysis. He has given presentations to a variety of audiences on acoustical and vibration technologies. Mr. Fisher holds InfoComm International’s, Certified Technology Specialist-Design (CTS-D) in advanced AV systems design and has served on InfoComm International’s certifications appeals committee. He is a member of IAEM’s Emerging Technology Caucus. He received Bachelors of Art in Physics.

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, 10:45 a.m.

• Title: Social Media Strategies During Periods of Protest- Tales from Berkeley
• Talk Description: Social Media communications and monitoring during heated political activity is significantly challenging, and can differ from standard disaster response social media actions. This presentation will discuss strategies used in Berkeley over the past year of protests to encourage safety for all participants and keep the community informed.
• Speaker: Jennifer Lazo, @jdlazo
• Speaker Bio: Jennifer Lazo is an Emergency Services Coordinator in the City of Berkeley, and is responsible for emergency management planning and preparedness, focusing on people with disabilities and seniors. She serves as the secretary of the IAEM Emerging Technology Caucus, a Digital Volunteer Lead for the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region, an Earthquake Country Alliance Bay Area Coordinating Committee Chair, and the Co-President of the Alameda County Emergency Managers Association.

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, 12:30 p.m.

• Title: Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Mitigation Planning Process
• Talk Description: Presentation based on the recently published book with the same title.
• Speaker: Suzanne Frew, @thefrewgroup
• Speaker Bio: Suzanne Frew, president and founder of The Frew Group, helps government officials; business owners and community organizations break through communications barriers and build trust with diverse populations. She is particularly focused on how socio-cultural influences impact risk decision-making, resilience program development, and communication outreach strategies. Ms. Frew has extensive expertise working with culturally diverse communities to develop and launch holistic programs that focus on sustainability and risk resilience. Her specialties include: strategic communications; partnership development; outreach and engagement; training and exercise; planning; and organizational use of social media. She enjoys using innovative engagement approaches, such as gaming and design thinking, to facilitate conversation and identify solutions. A consultant, trainer, writer, and speaker, Ms. Frew has worked throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, Caribbean and Canada. She has served with private and public sector disaster response and recovery teams on domestic and international events. Ms. Frew is a contributing author to four books and numerous professional articles. As lead of The Frew Group, a small woman-owned company, she brings together a network of deeply-vetted colleagues to address tough client challenges in a wide range of sectors, including: health; education; transportation; homeland security; climate/environmental planning; social services; and emergency management.

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