Thank you to the 2015 Virginia
Emergency Management
Symposium Sponsors
BEING A BRIDGER
Finding Ways to Connect Community Partners
with Practitioners
ADAM CROWE, CEM
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Certified Emergency Manager
(CEM)
Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP)
Director – Emergency Preparedness
at Virginia Commonwealth
University (VCU)
Previous Humanity Road Board
Member
Previously Blogged for Emergency
Management Magazine
Books:
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“Disasters 2.0: Application of Social
Media in Modern Emergency
Management”
“Leadership in the Open: A New
Paradigm in Emergency
Management”
“Futurist Guide to Emergency
Management (2015)”
OVERVIEW
Learn about bridges
 Learn about partner
styles
 Philosophical
application
 Practical application
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WHAT IS EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT?
EM STAKEHOLDERS
Local Government
 State Government
 Business Community
 Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGO)
 Colleges & Universities
 Researchers
 Think Tanks
 Citizens
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DISCONNECTED STAKEHOLDERS
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding
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WHAT IS A BRIDGE?
A BRIDGE IS…
“…a structure that provides passage over
obstacles such as valleys, rough terrain or bodies
of water by spanning those obstacles with natural
or manmade materials.
BRIDGES DEFINE
COMMUNITIES
GOLDEN GATE
BROOKLYN BRIDGE
LONDON BRIDGE
COVERED BRIDGES
TYPES OF BRIDGES
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Arch
Beam
Log
Cavity Wall
Bowstring Arch
Box Girder
Cable-Stayed
Cantilever
Clapper
Covered
Girder
Continuous Span
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Moon
Moveable
Pontoon
Rigid-frame
Roving
Segmental
Suspension
Side-Spar
Stressed Ribbon
Transporter
Trestle
Truss Arch
Tubular
UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDERS
Strengths
 Weaknesses
 Mandates
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UNDERSTANDING….LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding
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UTILIZING….LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Conservative to
Progressive
 Strong Local
Association
 Local Community (no
matter how unique)
 Facilitate Government
 Locals Lead
 Taxes
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UNDERSTANDING….STATE GOVERNMENT
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding
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UTILIZE….STATE GOVERNMENT
Conservative to
Progressive
 Appeasement
 Budgetary
 Facilitate Government
 Middle Man
 Taxes
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UNDERSTANDING….FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding
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UTILIZE….FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Big Government
 Bureaucratic
 Political Power
 Facilitate Government
 Driving Force
 Taxes
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UNDERSTANDING….NON GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS (NGO)
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding
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UTILIZING….NON GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS (NGO)
Apolitical
 Humanitarian
 Humanitarian
 Support
 Targeted Support
 Private Giving
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UNDERSTANDING….INSTITUTES OF HIGHER
EDUCATION
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding
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UTILIZING ….INSTITUTES OF HIGHER
EDUCATION
Liberal & Progressive
 Open & Interested
 Do it for the Kiddos
 Education &
Economic Engine
 Give & Take
 Quasi-Business
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UNDERSTANDING….RESEARCHERS
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding
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UTILIZING….RESEARCHERS
Progressive, Fundingcentric
 Myopic
 Academic & Abstract
 Objective Analysis
 Practitioners are
ignorant
 Issue-centric
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UNDERSTANDING….THINK TANKS
Politics
 Personality
 Priority
 Purpose
 Perspective
 (P)funding

UTILIZING….THINK TANKS
Conservative or
Progressive
 Abstract
 Issue-Centric
 Shift Discussion/Focus
 Various
 Various
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BRIDGE FAILURES
BRIDGE FAILURE
Emergencies &
Disasters
 Non-Involved Parties
(think boats)
 Design Defect
 Manufacturing Defect
 Poor Maintenance
 Acts of God/Odd
Occurrences
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BEST PRACTICE - SOCIAL MEDIA
BEST PRACTICE - INTERNSHIPS
BEST PRACTICE - PROFESSIONAL
RESEARCH
BEST PRACTICE - STUDENT
RESEARCH
BEST PRACTICE - PARTNERSHIPS
BEST PRACTICE – AVOID PITFALLS
BEST PRACTICE – AWKWARD &
UNCOMFORTABLE
BEST PRACTICE – SHARE
RESPONSIBILITY
BEST PRACTICE – DEFEAT THE WHITE
NOISE
SOUND, ENGAGE, AND “TASTE”
DIFFERENT