How do we handle ourselves when life throws us a curve? Bruce Fitzgerald, Director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency, and Joshua Frances, Director of Emergency Management at Maine Medical Center, give us valuable information about emergencies, how we might be impacted and how we can best prepare. Mark Swann of the Preble Street Resource Center discusses what happens when life goes awry, and how we might help our neighbors.
Guests
Joshua Frances
Joshua C. Frances, MPH, CHEC, EMT-I is the Director of Emergency Management at Maine Medical Center, northern New England’s largest and only Level-1 trauma center. He is responsible for directing and guiding all of the planning and response activities related to disaster and emergency management and serves as one of the hospital’s Incident Commanders. Joshua sits on a number of committees and workgroups at Maine Medical Center and works hard to incorporate emergency management activities in to the day-to-day operations of the hospital. Joshua is also involved at the national level on a number of hospital disaster preparedness working groups and is the Administrative Section Chief with the US Department of Health and Human Services National Disaster Medical System Northern New England Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Similar to the National Guard, these federal teams deploy to major disasters, national security special events and acts of terrorism around the globe.
Joshua received his undergraduate degree in communications from Syracuse University and his Masters of Public Health from University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, in Biddeford Maine. He is a Certified Hospital Emergency Coordinator and maintains his EMT-Intermediate license which he has held since 1994.
Bruce Fitzgerald
Bruce Fitzgerald is the Director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). In this role, he is directly responsible for the State’s response to disasters as well as other programs including Homeland Security, training and exercise, preparedness, response, mitigation, dam safety and public awareness. He was nominated to serve as MEMA Director by Governor Paul LePage in February 2014.
Bruce has been with MEMA for nearly ten years, serving previously as Deputy Director and Homeland Security Division Director. Bruce has participated in strategic planning efforts on a number of issues including the development of Maine’s State Homeland Security Strategy (SHSS), Tactical Interoperable Communications Plan (TICP), and State Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP). He has also been a leader in the development of the Virtual Maine situational awareness tool.
Bruce has served in the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) through numerous disasters and state emergencies, most recently as an EOC Coordinator for Maine’s response to Hurricane Sandy. Bruce also deployed to New York City to assist with Hurricane Sandy response and recovery efforts as part of a multi-disciplinary EOC Support Mission under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
Bruce was selected as a 2012 Henry Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments. He was also the 2005 Maine Emergency Manager of the Year, presented by the Northeast States Emergency Consortium. He began his career in public service as a Legislative Assistant for then-Congressman John Baldacci, who served on the Agriculture Committee in the US House of Representatives. In this role, he worked closely with Federal, State, County, Local and Tribal officials in Washington DC and Maine.
Mark Swann
Mark Swann is the executive director of Preble Street, an organization that provides services to help and find solutions for those who are experiencing homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty.