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Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:06:31 GMT

In the wake of the Deer Creek Middle School shootings, CEO Harry Rhulen discusses how identifying and predicting risk is the key to responding. story and video clip>>

MyTechnologyLawyer Radio Show: Host Scott Draughon talks with Jim Satterfield

Healthcare Capabilities

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:54:12 GMT

The Firestorm Solutions Healthcare Team draws from collective resources reflecting the broad range of healthcare policy, education, and delivery in every setting and section of the nation. These resources represent leading academic institutions, former government officials, and experience within public, private, and military health delivery systems. Firestorm’s active network and Expert Council includes six former surgeons general (military and United States), three deputy and assistant surgeons general, multiple hospital CEOs, and functional experts from a variety of disciplines within healthcare. Firestorm resources include a health system compliance and quality officer who was among the first in the nation to receive a graduate certificate in health compliance from George Washington University. Click here to download the PDF Donald A. Donahue, DHEd, MBA, FACHE, CHS-III and the Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy & Preparedness at the Potomac Institute for...

Gary G. Daemer

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:15:09 GMT

InfusionPoints was founded by Gary G Daemer, a seasoned management and technology security consultant. He led multiple security consulting teams at Booz | Allen | Hamilton and American Management Systems. He also worked in industry as a Program Manager, Security Architect, and Enterprise Security Integration Engineer with BF Shaw, Radio Frequency Services, Harris Communications, ATT and Lowe’s, where he honed his leadership, management, enterprise security and privacy, identity and access management, and data protection skills.

He led enterprise security architecture assessments and development for State and Federal Agencies, aerospace, manufacturing, retail, banking, and insurance industries. His teams have implemented multiple secure enterprise business solutions, security operation centers, intrusion prevention/detection systems, security information management, public key infrastructure, smart cards, federated identity management, enterprise access, identity management self-service, automated identity synchronization, enterprise portals, flat file and database encryption, and encrypted tape backup solutions.

Gary Daemer holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, as well as a Master's degree in Systems Engineering, from Virginia Tech. <<

Expert Council Members

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:13:34 GMT

Rosemary C. Baggish, M.Ed., MPH Special Education, Public Health Administration Bob Ballagh, CPP Security Risk Mitigation S. David Bernstein, Psy.D Clinical Forensic Psychologist Peter H. Bickford Insurance/Reinsurance Counselor and Arbitrator James E. (Jim) Blair Risk management, Governance and Compliance Robert E. Boyle Former Executive Director, Port Authority of New York Stephen F. Browne, Ph.D. Strategic technological planning for local, state and federal emergency communications Wallace P. Buran Partner, KPMG, Strategic Planning, Supply Chain Transformation Robert Cox, M.D. Infectious disease, professional speaker on subject Tony L. Corwin Government relations, legislation, strategic planning Stephen O. Cunnion, M.D., Ph.D, MPH Infectious Disease and Environmental Investigation Gary G. Daemer Management and Technology Security Consultant Paul DeSanctis CBCP Business Continuity Consultant Ralph Diner, Ph.D, M.S.C.P Psychopharmacology Donald A. Donahue, Jr.,...

Firestorm Franchising In the News

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:14:33 GMT

FEBRUARY 12, 2010 ROSWELL, Ga. - As the owner of six daycare centers in Mexico, Aldo Salinas understands the critical importance of preparedness. In one of the biggest tragedies in the country’s history, 44 children were killed last year when a fire swept through a Sonora state daycare facility leased by the government. The facility was housed in a converted warehouse in an industrial area, surrounded by mechanic shops and a gas station. No fire alarm or sprinkler system went off, according to witnesses, and there was only one open exit. Click to read Salinas Press Release DECEMBER 14, 2009 ROSWELL, Ga. - With more than 25 years experience in managing risk from production, supply chain and financial standpoints, Blair Neville has seen the scope of vulnerabilities that can threaten businesses. As the latest Firestorm franchisee -- the company’s seventh awarded since launching franchising in April -- Neville’s experience and vision will now serve the company’s...

Mahdi Obeidi, CPRE, Ph.D

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:16:51 GMT

Being the only Iraqi scientist that was brought by the United States soon after the 2003 war, Dr.Obeidi has been actively involved in establishing a professional persona, with particular emphasis on research, analysis, lectures on his experience in Iraq, lectures on limiting the proliferation of nuclear technology, the development and launch of a book outlining his experiences, and finally, a good deal of research and conferences on nano-technology and its applications. An overview of the recent activities includes: · Retained by United States Civilian Research and Development (CRDF) to consult on science and technology on Middle East and North Africa, with particular emphasis on Iraq. · Retained by Abraxas to work on security matters for the Department of Homeland Security. · Retained by Sandia National Laboratory to consult on the rebuilding of Iraq with emphasis on energy, petrochemical and water engineering issues. · Lectured at the...

Gerard J. Ferri

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:35:00 GMT

Television Broadcasting Over the last 30 years, Gerard Ferri has been involved in the creation, support, and ongoing success of several broadcast, cable, and television networks, as well as marketing and communications campaigns. At one phase or another, Ferri has either worked for, or has had as a client at his video production facilities, Discovery Channel, Black Entertainment Television, The Learning Channel, Ivana Trump’s 5th Avenue Channel, Shoptropolis TV, The Osmond Family Television Network, and The Parish Video Network, for which his Church Today program received the coveted Gabriel Award, which is the equivalent of an Oscar for religious programming. In addition, Ferri has held senior management roles with Osmond Studios, Capitol Video, Five Star Productions and with Atlantic Video in Washington, D.C., which hosted a number of these successful cable television networks. Internet Broadband Television Building on his success in broadcasting, Ferri recently created...

Locate a Franchisee

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:26:35 GMT

Firestorm Franchisees bring a wealth of knowledge and business expertise to the Firestorm business continuity planning and consulting franchise group. To find a franchisee location and to read more about each franchisee, select from the following list, or click on the link below to use our zip code locator.

Each franchisee is awarded the entire United States as a territory and is protected by the franchisor regarding client development.

Harry W. Rhulen: Chairman/CEO

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:18:45 GMT

Harry also has extensive due diligence experience, having participated in over thirty M&A transactions. He has lead several public offerings raising in excess of $350 million. As an insurance industry representative, serving on the board of the American Insurance Association, he testified before Congress to expand the opportunities for financial service companies.

Harry has worked as a consultant in many industries, using his risk management, crisis management, and business management skills, public company, legal, bankruptcy, and due diligence experience to help his clients.

He has served on the boards of several profit and not-for-profit entities. He has received humanitarian awards for many of his efforts, including the “Quality of Human Life” Award from the American Red Cross. He graduated Cum Laude from the College of Insurance and has both a Juris Doctor and Masters of Business Degree from Syracuse University.

Harry is co-author of Disaster Ready People For A Disaster Ready America.With Jim Satterfield, President of Firestorm, he will publish two additional books which will be published this year: one on pandemic planning—The Pandemic Scam—Why Plan? and the second on the governance requirement for planning—Luck is Not a Strategic Plan. <<

Feature Events on Homepage

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:17:29 GMT

Public Law 110-53, Title IX
The Department of Homeland Security is implementing a certification program for the private sector that promotes preparedness, including disaster management, emergency management and business continuity programs. This program, labeled PS-Prep, is defined in Public Law 110-53, Section 524. Failure to comply with these regulations may have serious consequences for you and your company.
More about Public Law 110-53, Title IX>>

Pandemic Planning ToolKit: Fast Start for H1N1
WHAT CAN GO WRONG? Everything. Most human resource plans are designed to address occasional absenteeism, not 20 to 40 percent levels. Do you have three employees trained to perform every critical function of your business? More about the ToolKit>>

View more Firestorm events>>

Publications

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:57:06 GMT

Firestorm produces a variety of publications with contributions from specialists of various disciplines, professions and industries. It is the breadth and depth of our human capital that distinguishes Firestorm’s publications. Monitoring developing threats is an important cornerstone of any plan. Firestorm provides relevant emerging trends in a timely newsletter, Disaster Due Diligence, focusing on business continuity and disaster preparedness. Disaster Due Diligence provides a weekly report based upon ongoing monitoring of thousands of news sources. Each reported item will contain a link, short summary and an analysis by a member of the Firestorm Expert Council. Expert Council members offer unique insights on current conditions and trends to enhance your preparedness planning. It is possible that an organization’s workforce could be depleted by 40% or more at any given time during the H1N1 pandemic. The impact and recovery could last 18 to 24 months. The majority...

White Paper

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:50:18 GMT

Public Law 110-53, Title IX The Department of Homeland Security is implementing a certification program for the private sector that promotes preparedness, including disaster management, emergency management and business continuity programs. This program, labeled PS-Prep, is defined in Public Law 110-53, Section 524. Failure to comply with these regulations may have serious consequences for you and your company. PS-Prep is the next step in a complex pattern of regulations that can be compared to Sarbanes-Oxley in financial reporting. Those businesses not reaching compliance with PS-Prep face possible loss of contracts with the government or government suppliers; loss of business insurance or cost increase; loss or reduction of credit lines, and potential personal liability of senior leadership. Proper disaster planning requires that companies PREDICT the vulnerability, PLAN the response, and PERFORM when the event occurs. PREDICT Phase: Classifies the critical vulnerabilities,...

Home Page - Tagline

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:47:02 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security is implementing a certification program for the private sector. This program, labeled PS-Prep, is defined in Public Law 110-53, Section 524. Failure to comply with these regulations may have serious consequences for you and your company. Learn more about Public Law 110-53 Title IX

Expert Council in the News

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:47:09 GMT

Medical Readiness Expert to Deliver Lecture on American Disaster Management Policies at Pitt Jan. 14 The lecture will be delivered by Donald A. Donahue, a senior fellow and executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Preparedness at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va. Donahue will discuss the current contingency strategies and the factors that could make those plans inadequate in real-world situations. He will also make the argument for institutional wide policy changes in the nation’s disaster management system. Download the press release FIRESTORM SOLUTIONS HEALTHCARE TEAM The Firestorm Solutions Healthcare Team offers over five centuries of collective experience in hospital operations, healthcare delivery, public health, and emergency preparedness. Drawing from a unique combination of operational experience and thought leadership, the Firestorm Solutions Healthcare Team delivers expertise built upon a foundation of decades of proven...

DONALD A. DONAHUE, JR., DHEd, MBA, FACHE

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:22:10 GMT

Dr. Donahue is a Senior Fellow of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and serves as the Executive Director of the institute’s Center for Health Policy & Preparedness. With more than 30 years experience as a healthcare administrator in the military, government and private sectors, he is a recognized expert in healthcare operations, medical readiness, medical and dental readiness, emergency preparedness, and bioterrorism. Dr. Donahue applies an innovative approach to program development, operational analysis, and marketing solutions. Dr. Donahue is a former Vice President for Department of Defense Programs with Comprehensive Health Services, a national workforce health management firm. Prior to that, he served as a Vice President with Jefferson Consulting Group in Washington, D.C. where he advised and assisted clients on a wide range of healthcare and policy issues, focusing on operations, information technology and business development. Dr. Donahue was formerly a Senior...

Retained Services Plan

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:46:00 GMT

Firestorm provides immediate crisis management support and expertise to its client members the moment a disaster strikes. One phone call activates the Firestorm crisis response support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During that first call, a Firestorm principal will provide the client member initial crisis response support and counsel, initiate a crisis analysis, identify crisis communications messages and stakeholders, activate the deployment of the Firestorm Crisis Response Team (CRT) to be on site within 24 hours, and assist in establishing a control and logistics plan. Effective communications and consequence management procedures to support client staff and protect business are critical.

Most organizations lack the resources to build, staff, and maintain a crisis management division. In fact, even those with detailed, comprehensive business continuity plans often do not have the people, resources and training to properly manage a major crisis. But when a disaster occurs, their staff is forced to respond – in spite of the personal trauma and disruption a crisis brings. Every organization needs trained, experienced and immediately available support to insure the best outcome.

Firestorm’s Retained Services Plan provides an effective way to make sure your organization receives the assistance you need in the immediate wake of a disaster.

Scott Watkowski-Contact Us

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:47:07 GMT

Our office is conveniently located on Route 46 East, right next to Route 287 and just north of Route 80, and 30 minutes west of The Lincoln Tunnel. Newark Liberty Airport is just 30 minutes away when rapid deployment outside our area is needed.

Address: 2001 Route 46
Parsippany, NJ 07054

Telephone: 973-460-3137

Mobile: 973-405-8028

Fax: 973-402-8912

Contact: Scott Watkowski

email: swatkowski@firestorm.com

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About Us

Jill Olen

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:08:12 GMT

Jill Olen is the former Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Public Safety and Homeland Security for the City of San Diego, the eighth largest city in the nation. As the Mayor’s top public safety official, she was responsible for oversight of the City’s Police, Fire and Homeland Security Departments, Emergency Medical Services, and was also the Director of Homeland Security. Ms. Olen was instrumental in refocusing the Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grants back on San Diego after the area had been deemed “low risk.” The region was returned to the primary recipient list and received over $15M per year during Ms. Olen’s tenure. Ms. Olen currently is the CEO of The Olen Group LLC, a consulting group of elite advisors in strategic planning, homeland security, and emergency management. The Olen Group, LLC’s primary focus is on local, state, tribal and federal continuity, collaboration and integration in...

Linda Hunt King - Contact Us

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:11:46 GMT

At Firestorm, we are Preaction® advocates. Our solutions are comprehensive and actionable. We offer a one-hour, no-fee consultation to assess your organization's unique business continuity planning requirements. For more information about our services or to request a free consultation, please call or email us. Thank you! Our Regional Office is located in The Pinnacle Building, which is in the heart of Atlanta's most respected business and retail district. We are just 20 minutes from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which offers direct flights to most major cities. Our office is also easily accessible by car, taxi, shuttle and MARTA, Atlanta's public transit system. For the convenience and enjoyment of our clients, our office is adjacent to Atlanta’s Lenox Mall and across the street from Phipps Plaza, which boasts some of the best shopping in the region. A wealth of dining options and some of the finest hotels in the city are within a one-mile radius and...

Linda Hunt King - About Us

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:09:53 GMT

As the Principal in Atlanta’s Buckhead office, Dr. Linda Hunt King brings more than 25 years of commercial insurance underwriting, risk management and business experience and expertise to Firestorm. Dr. King is also the President and CEO of Hunt-King & Associates, an Atlanta-based company which specializes in Business and Risk Management Consulting. As the founder of Hunt-King & Associates, Dr. King’s vision aligns with Firestorm’s focus on the human impacts of disaster (Every Crisis is a Human Crisis) and goal of building a Culture of Preparedness in the U.S. private sector. Dr. King most recently was a Senior Underwriting Officer with Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. During her insurance career, she specialized in working with small and medium-sized businesses, national and multi-national organizations, and niches including nonprofits, museums and cultural institutions, technology, educational institutions, broadcasters, wholesalers and retailers,...