National Guard, Philly OEM team up on safety

Courtesy Photo | U.S. Soldiers and civilian employees with the Army National Guard discuss safety processes and procedures with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management during a conference at the 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jan. 28, 2025. OEM plans for, responds to and recovers from emergencies, disasters and complex planned public events, often working jointly with other government agencies as well as non-government entities. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Deborah Fisher)  

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

02.10.2025

Courtesy Story

Joint Force Headquarters - Pennsylvania National Guard

(Story by Lt. Col. Deborah Fisher, safety and occupational health manager with the Pennsylvania National Guard, and Region I vice-chair)

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management hosted several National Guard safety and occupational health professionals to discuss safety processes and procedures at the 23rd Street Armory here, Jan. 28, 2025.

Michael Giardina, deputy director of operations for OEM and Scott Sladek, field division chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department met with the group and provide an overview of their operations. Giardina and Sladek shared, in detail, specific safety strategies and policies they incorporate into their mission planning and execution.

OEM plans for, responds to and recovers from emergencies, disasters and complex planned public events, often working jointly with other government agencies as well as non-government entities. Maintaining an emergency management watch center 24/7, OEM faces an extremely high operational tempo and frequently enters extremely hazardous environments - both of which present unique safety challenges.

Providing logistics to complex missions and operating with a diverse staff create other potential hazards, hazards which National Guard personnel encounter as well. To mitigate all these risks, OEM employs a robust training program and deliberately “overcommunicates” safety standards and expectations. Furthermore, supervisors hold employees accountable and encourage them not to perform beyond their capabilities or without the proper personnel protective equipment.

The safety and occupational health professionals were in Philadelphia as members of a working group drafting the National Guard safety and occupational health strategic plan.

Pennsylvania’s First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry hosted the working group at its downtown 23rd Street Armory, providing the artifact-filled museum as the setting in which the group convened. FTPCC, established in 1774 and credited with being the oldest continuously serving mounted military unit in the country, offered a location which prompted the safety and occupational health professionals to consider safety from a historical perspective.

The informative conversations with OEM leadership assisted the group’s development of specific safety goals and objectives related to Defense Support of Civil Authorities operations and other domestic operations.

• Date Taken: 02.10.2025
• Date Posted: 02.13.2025 16:31
• Story ID: 490774
• Location: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, US