13 Samantha Ford, Crisis Expert - The Activity Pod, Where We Help You Get Stuff Done

In this episode we interview Samantha Ford. Samantha Ford Samantha Ford has over 15 years' local and international experience in crisis, emergency and business continuity management working with government, banking, human services, health and industrial sectors. She works with a range of clients to develop; Incident Management Team and crisis communications capabilities; prepare emergency plans; and develop and facilitate training. Samantha runs desktop and hypothetical activities; and designs and facilitates complex functional exercises for government and corporate clients (in other words she gets to play lots of war games)! Samantha had her own successful consulting practice Adarna Consulting Pty Ltd for 5 years. She has worked with organisations such as Commonwealth Bank and Rio Tinto, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, NSW Art Gallery, NSW Public Works, Icon Water and NSW and ACT Health delivering projects and exercises in crisis communications, incident management and business continuity. She has led international aid, emergency management response and recovery initiatives, and her experience includes 5 years in the NSW State Emergency Management Committee Secretariat where she had significant emergency planning and operational responsibilities. Samantha holds a Bachelor of Science (Applied Psychology) and a Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management. In 2014, Samantha joined Tigertail Australia, a boutique consulting firm that specialises in risk, crisis, emergency and security management. She works with organisations to make them more resilient and better able to operate during emergencies, crises and disasters. You can find Samantha at www.tigertail.com.au.    You can connect with Samantha via LinkedIn. In this episode we discuss

complex functional exercises - what they are and how they help companies prepare for a crisis

preparing for an emergency

managing reputations in a crisis

tips to help small business owners prepare for an emergency or crisis

how to identify risks to your business

preparing for the worst in your business - creating a "death book"

having a supportive community to help you through a crisis

preparing for a natural disaster - flood, bushfire, cyclone

what PTSD looks like and recognising possible symptoms

teaching your kids about how to cope in an emergency

preparing your home for an emergency

Samantha's top tip to get an emergency plan for your home

what should go in your go-pack 

Resources discussed on the show

Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani

NSW SES

NSW Rural Fire Service

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

How to set up your Apple iPhone Medical ID