Let the Community Lead Rethinking Command and Control Systems

In his PrepTalk, Aaron Titus challenges emergency managers to acknowledge the limitations of command and control systems and to rethink how we interact with the community. He highlights how emergency management is built on the false belief that control is achieved through authority. He offers a new paradigm: to collaborate with the community by recognizing areas of stewardship and working in a non-hierarchical environment.

Aaron Titus is the president of Mountain West VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), a 12-state VOAD from Alaska to the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, and the Dakotas. He is also the Executive Director and data architect for Crisis Cleanup, an open-source work order management platform for disaster organizations. Mr. Titus is the author of How to Prepare for Everything.