County Emergency Manager Nationally Recognized
Holdeman in Top 25 for government innovators
King County Office of Emergency Management director Eric Holdeman was recently named as one of the top 25 government officials nationwide for 2006 “pushing the boundaries of government-as-usual” by Government Technology magazine. Recognized for his “willingness to challenge convention, confront entrenched bureaucracy and promote innovation”, Holdeman is a leader in his field, continually pushing for regional collaboration and looking for new technologies that can improve and advance the region’s disaster preparedness and response.
“As emergency managers, we have to stay even or ahead of developments in technology to be as effective and efficient as we can.” said Holdeman. “Advances in technology will continue to enhance our ability to prepare and respond to emergencies. But it is up to us as emergency managers to evaluate and implement these new opportunities, not only here in King County, but as a region to facilitate broader collaboration.”
Mr. Holdeman publishes a weekly ‘blog’ called Eric’s Corner on the Office of Emergency Management’s web site, covering timely emergency management issues and he posts a weekly podcast on topics such as “regional collaboration”, “disaster sheltering”, and “pandemic flu planning”. He also produces and hosts a monthly television show focusing on disaster prevention and response which airs on 31 local and state government cable channels and streamed online. Holdeman was instrumental in the design of the Regional Communications Emergency Coordination Center, one of the most technologically advanced facilities of its type in the nation. Flexibility for the use of existing technology such as WebEOC, an emergency information management tool, helicopter video downlink, and the ability to incorporate new technologies were major aspects in the facility's design criteria.
Mr. Holdeman joined King County in 1996, and is responsible for emergency management and E-911 regional support to all areas of King County and facilitating regional coordination between government and emergency management programs in the public and private sectors. In 2005, King County was given a national award by the National Association of Counties (NACo) for establishing a “Regional Approach to Homeland Security.” Additionally, the 9/11 Commission recognized the King County Regional Disaster Response Plan as a “Best Practice” for integrating the private business sector into community-wide disaster planning.