As producer and publisher here at MuniSquare on Substack, today’s post is hard to write… we have decided to bring the Generation on the Rise podcast to a close, at least for now. Dave, Brandon and Nancy start off with a little light bantor today before making their way to the core message which concerns the absence of Eden.

This will not affect PCC Local Time podcast recordings or our MuniSquare podcast stream. Please subscribe to receive full content from our site that focuses on local government and public service!

00:00 Opening banter and music talk

03:00 Brandon on ICMA, APMM and the conference season

03:53 Nancy introduces the final episode

04:20 Decision to close this chapter of Generation on the Rise

05:05 Eden’s departure and what is publicly known

06:15 Why the public testimony required a response

07:10 What we know, what we do not know

07:50 Employee voice, risk and organizational recovery

08:20 Building in public and closing this chapter

08:54 Brandon reflects on the purpose of the podcast

09:35 Conversations people need but do not get formal training for

10:30 The value of candid professional dialogue

11:20 Continuing the conversation beyond the podcast

12:01 Dave reflects on Eden, Middletown and next chapters

13:00 Dave’s leadership lesson: people need to want to follow you

14:15 Authenticity, social intelligence and emotional intelligence

15:40 The danger of trying to be someone you are not

16:50 Mistakes, public judgment and professional recovery

18:10 Learning, growth and second chances in leadership

19:10 Investing in employees, boards and communities

19:45 Looking back on the podcast’s purpose and tone

21:00 Appreciation for listeners and future collaborations

21:47 Nancy reflects on Dave and Brandon’s growth

22:45 Gratitude, community and what comes next

23:40 Final goodbye and “take care of each other”

24:05 Closing banter and authenticity of the show

25:11 Nancy’s final words

25:37 Dave and Brandon close the episode

What does a mature emergency management program look like before a community is tested? In this 2026 APMM series episode of PCC Local Time, Nancy Hess talks with Shawn Kauffman, Fire Director for the Centre Region Council of Governments and former Emergency Management Coordinator, about the human infrastructure behind effective emergency response.

Shawn shares what he has learned over 40 years in emergency services. The conversation explores the importance of local knowledge, technical skill, regional coordination, relationships with county and state partners, and the ability to bring people together across silos before a crisis occurs. It is a practical and hopeful conversation for local government managers, elected officials, emergency service leaders, and volunteers who want to understand where this field is headed

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Introducing Shawn Kauffman and the Centre Region model

01:40 — What mature emergency management looks like

02:30 — From silos to coordination

04:00 — Building relationships before the emergency

05:20 — Local knowledge versus technical training

07:00 — Why county relationships matter in Pennsylvania

08:40 — Regionalization as a practical solution

11:00 — Volunteer capacity and looking beyond municipal borders

12:20 — No-notice events and what keeps emergency managers up at night

15:00 — The infrastructure of relationships

16:00 — What silos look like in real life

18:00 — Who makes a good emergency management coordinator?

19:30 — Falling in love with emergency management

20:20 — Who needs to be at the table?

22:10 — Lessons from major events

23:50 — Creating a “community within a community”

25:00 — Leadership, ego, and resistance

26:40 — COVID and the loss of in-person cohesion

29:00 — Working with state police and large institutions

30:30 — Large employers, institutions, and local emergency planning

32:20 — The future of emergency management

33:40 — The next emergency manager

34:40 — AI, forecasting, and the human factor

36:00 — Emergency management as a career path

37:20 — Shawn’s own path into the work

38:00 — Closing reflections

"I need help."

There are conversations in local government that change how you think about leadership. This is one of them. In this episode of PCC Local Time, I sit down with Chief David Lash of Northern York County Regional Police and Chief Dave Steffen, retired chief of Northern Lancaster County Regional Police, to talk about how the idea of wellness actually converts to meaningful outcomes inside a police agency.

Link to an earlier episode with Chief David Steffen on Regional Policing

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Opening: why wellness and policing are difficult to connect

02:00 A 25-year relationship: how it began

05:30 The shift in policing culture around wellness

10:00 February 2025: the UPMC shooting

13:30 Immediate response and the role of support systems

17:30 Continuity of care and leadership perspective

19:30 September 2025: the second critical incident

22:30 “Two minutes of hell”: what happened and what followed

24:30 Leadership under pressure and the role of relationships

26:30 The three-word call: “I need help”

28:30 Reframing wellness as culture, not program

29:30 Reducing stigma and normalizing support

31:00 Moving from reactive to proactive wellness

32:30 Total wellness: beyond mental health

34:00 Building access: systems, providers, and trust

36:30 Wellness and use of force: a possible connection

38:00 Mindfulness and officer buy-in

39:00 Feeling valued as a core metric

40:30 Resistance, generational differences, and adaptation

44:30 Extending wellness into the community

46:30 Budgeting for wellness as essential, not optional

48:00 Culture shift: from external image to internal strength

49:30 Closing reflections: what can be carried forward