Leading Emergency Preparedness Before Crisis Hits

Brian Kahn, Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director, City of Livonia

Brian Kahn serves as Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director for the City of Livonia, bringing more than three decades of public service experience across law enforcement, fire service and emergency management. His career has been shaped by a sustained commitment to training and professional development, particularly during the 2012 to 2019 period when emergency management evolved into a more formalized, standards-driven profession. That shift, combined with his Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, prepared Kahn to lead complex, multi-agency preparedness and response efforts under Michigan’s Public Act 390.

Through this article, Kahn emphasizes that true emergency preparedness happens before a crisis, through everyday planning, coordination and strong relationships. As risks grow more complex, success depends on people working together and having reliable backups when systems fail.

Coordination Before Crisis

My leadership approach comes from my time in law enforcement and the fire service, where emergencies require direction. When something happens, there has to be someone guiding where services need to go to get through the situation. In those moments, efficiency, timeliness, and safety matter and that requires a command structure to a certain extent. This is not for the sake of hierarchy, but to ensure decisions are made and resources move where they are needed.

As I moved into emergency management, I learned that the hardest part of the job is planning for something that has not happened and something we hope never happens. Preparedness means asking, if this did happen, how do we take the first step in the right direction with the resources we have. The goal is not to have every answer, but to avoid starting from zero when conditions are unclear.

Emergency management is fundamentally about connections. It is not just one department, one city or one agency operating on its own. Effective preparedness depends on relationships across city departments, public agencies, private organizations, hospital systems, nonprofit partners such as the Red Cross and volunteer groups. Those connections need to be built early, because when a major incident occurs, shared knowledge and capacity matter. Responsibility is shared and at times the hardship is shared as well, to get through the situation together.

That is why relationship building matters as much as planning. In emergency management, there is an old saying that you share your business cards before an event, not while it is happening. Trust, familiarity and coordination have to exist in advance. When they do, response becomes faster, safer and more effective because everyone involved already understands their role and how to work together when it matters most.

Operational Structure During Emergency Response

When people think about emergency management, they often picture large-scale disasters. In reality, most of the work happens on an ordinary day. My role is focused specifically on emergency preparedness for the City of Livonia and much of that work involves getting timely information out to city departments, partner agencies and the public.

We live in a world where information moves quickly and expectations move with it. On a day-to-day basis, I am asking practical questions. What happens during the next severe storm? How do we respond to widespread power outages? What risks exist when electrical lines are down? The goal is to move people beyond their daily routines and toward asking whether they are prepared if something does occur.

There are federal and state standards we operate under, including the National Incident Management System, which provides a common framework so everyone is working from the same playbook. Those standards exist so that when multiple departments and agencies are involved, we remain aligned and can operate under a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities and decision-making.

When a large-scale emergency occurs, the training and daily preparation set the stage for subject-matter experts to step in. Law enforcement, fire services, public works, hospital systems and other partners are able to operate within a more refined command structure through the Incident Command System.

This approach follows the principle of unity of command, which allows leadership to stay focused on the overall incident while responsibilities are delegated. No one can manage everything at once, so tasks are assigned to trained professionals, whether that means addressing infrastructure issues or making sure vulnerable populations, including senior citizens, are supported.

Managing Risk in Technology-Dependent Systems

One of the most significant challenges facing municipal emergency preparedness today is the changing nature of risk. Weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable, while communities are increasingly exposed to cyber incidents and technology-driven disruptions. At the same time, much of our critical infrastructure, including power, water and communication systems, was not built to adapt quickly. The challenge is positioning communities to respond safely and effectively when the systems that support daily life are under strain.

Cybersecurity, in particular, has become a central concern, not because technology is inherently risky, but because of how deeply we rely on it. Our financial systems, communications and daily routines are built on digital infrastructure, and that dependence changes the kinds of emergencies we have to plan for. The real question is not whether technology will fail, but what happens when it does.

A simple example is how few people carry cash anymore. Many assume they can always use an ATM or a credit card. If a power outage or cyber incident takes those systems offline, that assumption breaks down quickly. The same challenge exists at a larger scale with computer networks, radio systems and emergency communications. If the systems we rely on every day are unavailable, how do we continue operating and how do people access the resources they need?

That is where redundancy becomes critical. Preparedness is not just about adopting new technology. It is about making sure every advancement has a fallback. If cell service goes down, what is the next option? If digital communication channels are unavailable, how do we reach the public? Do we still maintain alternatives, such as radio-based communication, that allow agencies to coordinate when modern tools fail? These questions have to be answered in advance, not in the middle of an incident.

Preparedness also has to be balanced. We live in a connected world where risks exist, but awareness cannot turn into fear or isolation. The goal is not constant alarm, but resilience that allows society to function normally. Situational awareness plays an important role, strengthening security without eroding the freedoms that define our communities.

In an open society, those freedoms come with responsibility. Preparedness is not about restricting how people live. It is about ensuring the systems we depend on are resilient enough to support everyday life, even when something goes wrong. As threats continue to evolve, emergency management must focus on redundancy, awareness and balance so communities remain prepared without losing the very freedoms they are trying to protect.

Building Preparedness Through People and Community

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from leading emergency preparedness at the municipal level, it’s that leadership starts with stepping back. You have to look at the whole picture, not just what’s in front of you, because this role is about planning for situations that haven’t happened and that we hope never will. A big part of that responsibility is helping people think differently about preparedness, even when there’s no immediate reason to. There’s no shortcut for that. It takes ongoing training, learning at every opportunity and building relationships long before they’re needed.

At the end of the day, preparedness isn’t measured by what’s written in a plan. It’s measured by whether people are trained, connected and able to work together under pressure. When something breaks down on a large scale, whether natural or man-made, communities come together. Leadership means making sure those connections are already in place, so when that moment comes, the response can happen smoothly and together.

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Critical Infrastructure