Hometown Ready Emergency Management
The Hometown Ready Emergency Management podcast is about all things emergency management. It is produced by the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management with the goal of giving the public a window into the diverse and exciting world of emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Topics range from severe weather to cyber security to disaster communications to community preparedness. We discuss emergency management careers, different aspects of public safety, and how community members can get involved in disaster preparedness. Tune in and let's all make our communities a little more hometown ready!
Episodes
25 episodes
S4, E1: Volunteer Conference
On February 8, 2025, Christian County Emergency Management and the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management held their inaugural Volunteer Conference. The event was designed for Community Emergency Response ...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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40:14
S3, E7: Season 3 Wrap-Up, 2025 Plans, and Ready On Alert
Join us for a special episode as we wrap up Season 3 and share exciting plans for 2025. Plus, don’t miss the debut of the brand-new OEM song, "Ready On Alert" – a perfect way to close out the season and gear up for what’s ahead!&nb...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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6:50
S3, E6: Heroes Under the Headset (The Thin Gold Line)
This podcast episode features an interview with April Ford, Director of the Springfield-Greene County Emergency Communications Center, to explore ...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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51:14
S3, E5: Life on the Line - Services Provided by EMS (Part II)
In this second 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 exp...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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28:06
S3, E4: Life on the Line - Services Provided by EMS (Part I)
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 expl...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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54:15
S3, E3: CERT-ified Ready: How to enlist, train, and serve your community!
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 ...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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1:04:35
S3, E2: Community Engagement
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 ca...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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27:07
S3, E1: OEM Director on KWTO
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 i...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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13:39
S2, E5: Under Construction
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. W...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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1:32
S2, E4: Emergency Planning
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 Plan...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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45:37
S2, E3: Special Events
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 req...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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46:59
S2, E2: My Drone Needs A Seatbelt?
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
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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58:27
S2, E1: Exercise Collaboration
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 Direct...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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47:59
S1, E12: One-Stop-Shop
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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38:25
S1, E11: It's Planning Time
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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44:02
S1, E10: Queen City Burning
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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36:24
S1, E9: Winter is Ruff
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, M...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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43:37
S1, E8: Calling all Volunteers
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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58:01
S1, E7: Cold as Ice in the Midwest
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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59:20
S1, E6: Civil Defense to Emergency Management
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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44:25
S1, E5: Talking Training
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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45:27
S1, E4: Welcome to the Team
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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43:20
S1, E3: What’s in Your Water?
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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45:44
S1, E2: Show-Me Gotham
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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33:42