APMM Series: The Role of Emergency Management: From a Title on Paper to a Mature Agency

What does a mature emergency management program look like before a community is tested? In this 2026 APMM series episode of PCC Local Time, Nancy Hess talks with Shawn Kauffman, Fire Director for the Centre Region Council of Governments and former Emergency Management Coordinator, about the human infrastructure behind effective emergency response.

Shawn shares what he has learned over 40 years in emergency services. The conversation explores the importance of local knowledge, technical skill, regional coordination, relationships with county and state partners, and the ability to bring people together across silos before a crisis occurs. It is a practical and hopeful conversation for local government managers, elected officials, emergency service leaders, and volunteers who want to understand where this field is headed

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Introducing Shawn Kauffman and the Centre Region model

01:40 — What mature emergency management looks like

02:30 — From silos to coordination

04:00 — Building relationships before the emergency

05:20 — Local knowledge versus technical training

07:00 — Why county relationships matter in Pennsylvania

08:40 — Regionalization as a practical solution

11:00 — Volunteer capacity and looking beyond municipal borders

12:20 — No-notice events and what keeps emergency managers up at night

15:00 — The infrastructure of relationships

16:00 — What silos look like in real life

18:00 — Who makes a good emergency management coordinator?

19:30 — Falling in love with emergency management

20:20 — Who needs to be at the table?

22:10 — Lessons from major events

23:50 — Creating a “community within a community”

25:00 — Leadership, ego, and resistance

26:40 — COVID and the loss of in-person cohesion

29:00 — Working with state police and large institutions

30:30 — Large employers, institutions, and local emergency planning

32:20 — The future of emergency management

33:40 — The next emergency manager

34:40 — AI, forecasting, and the human factor

36:00 — Emergency management as a career path

37:20 — Shawn’s own path into the work

38:00 — Closing reflections