After working six World Cup games, traveling for three weddings, and adopting one dog, I’m back in my studio and editing so much content for all of you. Here’s part one of a currently two-part series with Gregory Vigneaux with to come, I’m sure. Premium subscribers on Substack have already had access to the majority of this episode, plus a lot of show notes with references, links, and other resources from this very philosophy heavy series, which is really at the heart of Emergent States.

I’m compiling this all into an emergency management complexity resource guide that I’ll be sending to premium folks soon. I also lowered the price for premium and I’m probably going to hold that price moving forward.

I am so excited to bring you something old, and something new. The research and concepts of organizational theory, chaos, and complexity are not new to academia, but I believe they may be the disruption emergency management needs (opposed to the one it has). This Emergent States series doesn’t take anything for granted, including our most basic doctrine.

My guest, Gregory Vigneaux, is a former federal wildland firefighter who worked primarily on Hotshot Crews. He has fought fires in twelve states, from coast to coast, including Alaska, with the majority of his time spent in California. Through this experience, Gregory gained an enduring interest in operations and their environment. During his graduate studies, he was introduced to the interdisciplinary study of complex systems that would begin to offer unexpected insight into his areas of interest and much more. He has been studying complex systems for eleven years, still finding new questions and answers, which he is always excited to share. You can find his work here, and also connect with him on LinkedIn.

TLDR: I’m back from my brief summer hiatus that I now need an actual vacation from. I’m back doing what I love, which is managing emergencies and running my mouth. Enjoy this episode of State of Disaster - Emergent States.