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 headedBe sure to check out and subscribe ro MuniSquare for more content on local government.TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Introducing Shawn Kauffman and the Centre Region model01:40 — What mature emergency management looks like02:30 — From silos to coordination04:00 — Building relationships before the emergency05:20 — Local knowledge versus technical training07:00 — Why county relationships matter in Pennsylvania08:40 — Regionalization as a practical solution11:00 — Volunteer capacity and looking beyond municipal borders12:20 — No-notice events and what keeps emergency managers up at night15:00 — The infrastructure of relationships16:00 — What silos look like in real life18:00 — Who makes a good emergency management coordinator?19:30 — Falling in love with emergency management20:20 — Who needs to be at the table?22:10 — Lessons from major events23:50 — Creating a “community within a community”25:00 — Leadership, ego, and resistance26:40 — COVID and the loss of in-person cohesion29:00 — Working with state police and large institutions30:30 — Large employers, institutions, and local emergency planning32:20 — The future of emergency management33:40 — The next emergency manager34:40 — AI, forecasting, and the human factor36:00 — Emergency management as a career path37:20 — Shawn’s own path into the work38:00 — Closing reflections