On this Foundations Friday, How to Speak the Same Risk Language, we break down how project managers and emergency leaders can align around a shared risk language. Whether you're using a THIRA or a risk register, the goal is the same: identify what could go wrong, how bad it might be, and what to do about it. Real teamwork starts when everyone sees risk through the same lens.

Warren Buffett said it best: “Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing.”

On today’s episode, How to Combine Project Risk Tools with Emergency Planning, we’re focusing on how project managers and public safety leaders can speak the same language when it comes to risk. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, created the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment—also known as THIRA—to help communities anticipate and plan for the unknown. In the same way, project risk registers help uncover obstacles before they become blockers. Today, we’ll connect the dots between THIRA, stakeholder maps, and integrated risk matrices—so your team can prepare, prioritize, and progress, no matter the scenario.

In this Foundations Friday, Structure Before Action, we explore the importance of applying project structure to any event or initiative. Whether you're planning a community gathering, a training workshop, or a major deployment, structure is your best friend. Learn two quick strategies to lead with clarity and avoid chaos.

What You'll Learn:

• Why structure should come before action
• How to define your event like a project charter
• Two simple ways to build a planning foundation
• A reminder that leadership starts with preparation

Paired Full Episode:

Planning a public event without structure is a risk you can’t afford. In this episode, How to Treat Your Event Like a Project (And Why You Should), Kevin Pannell shares how to apply project management principles and ICS tools, like RACI matrices, project phases, SMART goals, and SitReps, to plan safer, smoother public safety events. Whether you're leading a 5K, a drill, or a community gathering, treat the event like a project—and lead with purpose.

Topics Covered: event planning, project phases, stakeholder roles, ICS, SMART goals, emergency management, public safety leadership

This week, we apply an EMT’s trauma checklist to project leadership. Using the DCAP-BTLS framework, we explore how to scan your project for failure symptoms—before they spiral.

Key focus areas:

• Spotting early signs of project breakdown

• Clarifying roles and responsibilities

• Responding with intention, not reaction

Call to Action: Identify one “injury” in your project—like burnout, misalignment, or scope creep—and treat it today.

People first. Combined process. Progress together.

Welcome to the second full episode in our All-Hazards Project Management series, What EMTs can Teach Us about Failing Projects. In this episode, we apply a trauma checklist used in emergency medicine—DCAP-BTLS—to assess and stabilize failing projects.

Strategies shared include:

• Weekly workload balancing
• Stakeholder alignment checkpoints
• RACI ownership clarifications
• Real-world triage questions for team check-ins

People first. Combined process. Progress together.

This week’s Foundations Friday, Start with One AI Use Case, is a bit of a reset and reminder. If you’re in public safety or project management, you don’t need to become a coder. But you do need to understand where AI can help you lead smarter and deliver faster.

In this episode, Can AI Revolutionize Public Safety and Project Management? We explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we plan, respond, and lead in complex environments.

Key takeaways:

• How to get your PEOPLE ready with an AI readiness assessment
• Where to fit AI into your organization's PROCESS
• When to measure PROGRESS with an AI impact dashboard

People first. Process aligned. Progress together.