Speed Up to Slow Down: AI as a Force Multiplier EMs with Tom Sivak
Riding the Wave-Project Management for Emergency Managers · 2026-03-23 · 31 min
Episode notes
This episode features Tom Sivak, Chief Emergency Manager at EM1, where we discuss why artificial intelligence is no longer optional for the emergency management community - it's a matter of survival. We explore how underfunded, understaffed EM agencies can leverage AI as a force multiplier across strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Tom shares his vision of turning static emergency plans into living, role-based decision support tools, moving from project-based to program-based AI integration, and protecting decision-making from misinformation and AI hallucinations. The conversation underscores that while AI accelerates information synthesis and planning, humans remain firmly in control. Either we adopt and control the technology or it winds up controlling us. Time Stamps 2:20 - AI as a Force Multiplier: Why It's Survival, Not Just Innovation, for the One-Person EM Shop 9:21 - Hesitancy & Fear: "AI Will Take Our Jobs" vs.
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