Episodes

Send us Fan Mail Police services across Canada are navigating one of the most complex eras in modern history - rising targeted violence, shifting public trust, shrinking newsrooms, and a media landscape that moves faster than ever. In this episode, Tim Conrad welcomes Kiki Cloutier, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Police Association of Ontario, representing 33,000 officers across 46 member associations. Kiki brings a candid, inside look at how police communicators manage...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildfires, Floods and Chaos Communications, host Tim Conrad sits down with Gary Stronach, an evacuee from the 2008 Porters Lake wildfire in Nova Scotia. Gary shares a raw, deeply personal account of what it was like to be suddenly cut off from his home, unable to reach neighbours, and left searching for information as the fast‑moving fire surrounded Candy Mountain Road. Through Gary’s story, we explore the communication gaps that evacuees faced, the importa...

Emergency alerts are supposed to reach everyone - but they don’t. In this episode, Tim Conrad speaks with Jen McEachen, a deafblind emergency management professional who has spent years identifying the gaps that leave millions of people behind during disasters. Jen shares what daily navigation looks like with deafblindness, why current public notification systems fail, and how simple changes can dramatically improve access.

In this episode, Fire Chief Paul McCarthy of the 150 Mile Fire Department and Emergency Program Manager for the Williams Lake First Nation, joins host Tim Conrad for a deep dive into one of the most unpredictable wildfire seasons in recent memory. Knucwentwecw is a Secwepemctsin (Shuswap) word meaning "helping each other" or "working together physically and mentally.

When the 2008 Porters Lake–Lake Echo wildfire tore through the suburbs east of Halifax, more than 5,000 people were forced to flee with only minutes to decide what mattered most. In this episode, Paula Danyluk‑MacDonald - evacuee, mother, neighbour, and principal of Atlantic View Elementary - shares her firsthand account of sudden evacuation, community fear, and the remarkable resilience that followed. Paula describes the moment firefighters knocked on her door with five minu...

On February 10, 2026, the peaceful mountain town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia faced the worst school shooting in Canadian history. In minutes, eight lives were taken at the community’s only secondary school and at the shooter's home, two more were critically injured, and the town was thrust into a nightmare no one could have imagined. In this episode of the Wildfires, Floods and Chaos Communications Podcast, host Tim Conrad speaks with Trent Ernst, publisher of The Tumbler RidgeLines and a long‑time resident who found himself reporting on an unimaginable tragedy in the community he calls home. Content Warning This episode discusses a school shooting, loss of life, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

What motivates people to prepare for emergencies? Is this the best week for emergency preparedness - or are there greater opportunities lurking? Join Tim and the conversation, recorded Live on LinkedIn and YouTube. In this episode, Tim will share his thoughts on what emergency preparedness means for responders, on your property and in your community. He's going to share the knowledge he's collected over a few decades spent hanging around fire halls and during large disa...