In this first installment of our two-part series, "Life on the Line," we delve into the critical services provided by Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Join us as we speak with professionals from CoxHealth and Mercy to explore the wide range

S3, E3: CERT-ified Ready: How to enlist, train, and serve your community!

Mar 4th, 2024 1h 4m

Join us on the March edition of the HometownREADY Podcast to learn about an often hidden but priceless gem in the emergency services world: CERT! Dive in with us as we learn about the Community Emergency Response Team and how they can help us

S3, E2: Community Engagement

Feb 1st, 2024 27m 7s

This month’s edition is a conversation with OEM’s newest employee, Ronnie Bell, who has joined the OEM team in a brand-new position, Community Engagement Specialist. Tune in to learn what this position entails and how she can help you. Don’t

S3, E1: OEM Director on KWTO

Jan 16th, 2024 13m 39s

We’re back! On October 17, 2023, we announced that the HometownREADY podcast would be taking a break from recording due to construction inside the Public Safety Center. Our construction isn’t completely finished, but it is far enough along th

S2, E5: Under Construction

Oct 17th, 2023 1m 32s

Portions of the Public Safety Center are currently under construction, including the HometownREADY Podcast Studio. We will be taking a short hiatus from the monthly podcasts but will return as soon as reasonably possible. We apologize for the

S2, E4: Emergency Planning

Sep 13th, 2023 45m 37s

Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. The 5 main components of emergency planning. Join our host, Aubrey Johnson, as he talks to Katie Kovach (Area Municipalities Planner) and Gretchen Ruffa (City/County Planner) about

S2, E3: Special Events

Aug 13th, 2023 46m 59s

The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management has been busy the past few weeks planning two special events which occur annually. The Ozark Empire Fair and the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival draw thousands of people and require

S2, E2: My Drone Needs A Seatbelt?

Jun 29th, 2023 58m 27s

The answer is no, but . . . there was a time when a drone pilot had to explain why their drone did not have one. Listen to our host, Aubrey Johnson, discuss this and many other drone-related issues with Jason Preston of 417 Drone Imaging and K

S2, E1: Exercise Collaboration

Jun 1st, 2023 47m 59s

This month, 3 subject matter experts from the community met with our host to discuss Operation Chem Loco, a hazardous materials table-top exercise recently conducted by OEM. Ralph Siccama with Greene County LEPC, Larry Woods as the Director of

S1, E12: One-Stop-Shop

May 7th, 2023 38m 25s

On April 18, 2023 Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management hosted a functional exercise at Praise Assembly in north Springfield. An unusual disaster exercise with no visual damage or responders, the focus of this exercise was pu

S1, E11: It's Planning Time

Apr 3rd, 2023 44m 2s

In this episode, the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management staff discuss the coming season of Special Events. The current OEM staff brings to the table many different walks of life, viewpoints, and education. Most of the grou

S1, E10: Queen City Burning

Mar 1st, 2023 36m 24s

In this episode we talk with Keely Leeper and Brody Harrison from Mercy Springfield Burn Unit. The focus of the conversation is the burn unit itself and management of moderate to serious burns sustained by the community. The Level 1 Burn Center

S1, E9: Winter is Ruff

Feb 3rd, 2023 43m 37s

In this episode we talk about winter weather safety for pets with Michele Rehkop from Rescue One, a foster-based animal rescue in Springfield, MO. Focusing mainly on family cats and dogs, Michele gives some insight into the organization and som

S1, E8: Calling all Volunteers

Jan 1st, 2023 58m 1s

In this episode, we discuss trends in the world of volunteering with our partners Debi Meeds from American Red Cross and Michelle Garand from Community Partnership of the Ozarks. Over the past 20 years, several studies have been completed on vo

S1, E7: Cold as Ice in the Midwest

Dec 1st, 2022 59m 20s

In this episode, we speak with Larry Woods & Darren White from Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management, as well as Steve Runnels & Kyle Perez from The National Weather Service of Springfield. Over 75 years of experience and exp

S1, E6: Civil Defense to Emergency Management

Nov 1st, 2022 44m 25s

In this episode, we speak with our OEM Director, Larry Woods, and our Deputy Director, Darren White, about emergency management’s history in civil defense. In its most basic form, civil defense is the organization and training of civilians to b

S1, E5: Talking Training

Oct 1st, 2022 45m 27s

In this episode, we speak with our OEM Training and Exercise Specialist, Aubrey Johnson. Aubrey joined OEM in early 2022 and he brings years of experience as a firefighter, a flight paramedic, and as a trainer for a variety of public safety sub

S1, E4: Welcome to the Team

Sep 1st, 2022 43m 20s

In this episode, we speak with our newest OEM planner, Katie Kovach. She came to our team from the Assemblies of God, where she conducted emergency planning work across the church’s international organization. Katie took a winding road to get t

S1, E3: What’s in Your Water?

Aug 1st, 2022 45m 44s

On this episode, OEM staff speak with Elizabeth Robertson from the City Utilities Water Quality Laboratory in Springfield, Missouri. We learn about all things drinking water in this episode. Topics discussed include drought, the differences bet

S1, E2: Show-Me Gotham

Jul 1st, 2022 33m 42s

On this episode, OEM staff discuss public, early warning systems with Sergeant Mike McClure of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The episode touches on an incident in January 2022 when a Batman-themed test was sent out across Missouri. The hos

S1, E1: The Beginning

Jun 1st, 2022 43m 47s

Welcome to the HometownREADY podcast brought to you by the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). For our inaugural episode, we will speak to current OEM Director Larry Woods and former OEM Directors Chet Hunter and Rya

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