Suzanne Bernier, author of Disaster Heroes and President of SB Crisis Consulting, talks about the importance of 'survivor stories' and storytelling in the field of emergency management. 

'Alert Ready is almost ready' - article in Canadian Security Magazine, June 2018

No matter the level of experience a Business Continuity Management, Emergency Management or Disaster Recovery professional, there are always activities that we can leverage to increase our exposure and knowledge in the industry.

We speak with renowned author and award-winning consultant Suzanne Bernier, who will provide us many great tips and tools we can leverage to raise our careers both within our organization and on the local, national or international stage. Suzanne will draw from her own successful rise in the Emergency Management field and provide tips and insights on how we can reach the top. It's a very informative and motivating chat.

Recent events like hurricanes, hacking, active shooter and terror incidents, remind us of the need to have solid crisis management and associated crisis communications plans in place in advance of a crisis.

​

A seasoned crisis communications expert, Suzanne Bernier talks to us about the specific communications challenges during mass attacks. 

In recent mass shootings, it’s common to see a wide variety of groups on site. There may be police investigating crime scenes and apprehending suspects, medical teams treating the wounded, and counselors trying to help survivors deal with the mental health trauma they endured.

​

Crisis Management Specialist Suzanne Bernier from Canada and Dr. Liz Royle, renowned trauma pyschotherapist from the U.K., discuss what happens when deadly attacks enter the workplace, and studies lessons learned from recent case studies in North America and Europe.

​

Article in the hard copy publication of the BCI's Continuity Magazine, U.K.

Michael Mackey, 17, receives the Disaster Heroes Award on Thursday at the Jefferson Street Campus. The school presents the award each year to a student who has overcome adversity. This year, author Suzanne Bernier, who founded the award three years ago, presented it for the first time. 

Suzanne was honored to be the first guest on The Business Caring Formula's inaugural podcast!  

The Business Caring Formula is about building a leadership lifestyle. It fosters inclusivity and action-driven leadership while taking others on the journey.

During Emma Arakelyan's podcasts hosted from New York City, NY, she shares with her listeners the stories of inspirational and caring leaders who are catalysts for positive change in the world.

This is your host Todd DeVoe and I’m here with Suzanne Bernier. And she is a prolific speaker, and writer on a topic of crisis communication in emergency management, and we’re gonna talk a little bit about her current book that she has out, that I just finished reading most of, and it was really interesting, about the people that she dealt with crisis.

​

The Great Kindness Challenge. What is that, you ask?

It’s about paying it forward, bringing hope and healing to those dealing with a tragedy.

Between Jan. 22 and 26, local students had the opportunity to be Kindness Ambassadors and inspire others with words of encouragement.

​

The New Era of Crisis Communications - From Traditional to Social Media and Beyond...

​

In this timely webinar, Suzanne discusses:

​

• Essential elements of a workplace violence prevention policy
• How to respond to an active shooter in ways that can minimize risks of injury and death
• What your employee training on your workplace violence prevention policy should include
• Lessons learned from the recent shooting events, including case studies and recommendations by recent active shooter survivors from across North America 

​

Suzanne Bernier keynotes at Alertus' Emergency Preparedness Seminar in Saskatchewan on Planning for an Active Intruder Attack.

​

The 2017 Alertus Emergency Preparedness Seminar Series is underway as more than 40 protective service professionals gathered at the University of Saskatchewan for a day of learning and sharing best practices for preparing for and managing emergency situations.

​

The first part of the day included a keynote presentation from crisis management expert, Suzanne Bernier who shared her findings, lessons learned, and recommendations from her work with the 2015 San Bernadino shooting survivors and victims' family members.

​

​

During this week’s radio show you will learn about:

​

• Where Hidden Heroes Live

• What to Learn From Those Who Step Up in the Face of Disaster

• Individual Stories of Courage and Bravery from the Front Lines

• What You Can Do in the Face of Disaster

​

​

​

 Article published in IAEM Bulletin, October 2011 issue (page 9)

Back home after an incredible and unforgettable Stars of HOPE experience in Fort McMurray - 

As the official Global Ambassador of Stars of HOPE, I was thrilled to be able to be part of a small team of Stars of HOPE & Paul Davis Restoration volunteers who helped bring hope, help and healing to Fort McMurray, Alberta this past Canada Day weekend, following a devastating wildfire that forced the evacuation of all 80,000 residents and destroyed approximately 10 percent of that community just over two months ago.

French radio interview on the benefits of using social media platforms during emergencies.

Review:

We often hear and see the destruction and grief brought on by a disaster. Media outlets broadcast clips of people, homes, and even cities devastated by natural or human-caused disasters and photos of the damage fill newspapers daily. Disaster Heroes, however, shows a different side disaster.

The author, a former journalist and current emergency management consultant, conveys stories of everyday men and women who chose to take action and help survivors rebuild and, in some instances, save their lives. The stories cover the globe, from the United States to Japan to Chile to Canada.

They tell of the Pennsylvania man who helped save the lives of 33 Chilean miners trapped hundreds of feet beneath the earth, as well as the Louisiana couple managed to procure the donation of a fire truck for New York City firefighters after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Other stories relate the experiences of a Florida landscaper who worked to distribute food to survivors of the Haiti earthquake, the mother-daughter team who used the power of social media to help the residents of Joplin, Missouri, and a Japanese photographer who used his camera lens to help survivors of the 3.11 tsunami move forward with their lives.

Through these and other heroes profiled in this book, the author shows how one person can make a difference in the lives of others suffering in the wake of disaster.

When the residents of the Wood Buffalo region fled from the wildfires two months ago, they saw an outpour of help provided from people around the world. The selfless acts and monstrosity of donations restored evacuees’ faith in humanity.

​

As more and more residents come back to the region each day, their faith still remains strong from the actions of visiting volunteers from a wide variety of world organizations – the representatives of Stars of HOPE (SoH) are one of the many.

While hope had filled the Fort McMurray streets during Canada Day weekend, there was one special star painted by a young man who is battling a beast of his own.

​

The 19 year old resident from Ontario spent time on June 27 painting a wooden star using colours of his favourite hometown football team – the Hamilton Tiger Cats – with words of his lifelong motto: “Keep Fighting,” written on it.

If there's one thing Suzanne Bernier has found to be common with disasters is that ordinary people can rise to the occasion and help firefighters, police officers and other first responders. In doing so, they become heroes in their own right.

Suzanne Bernier watched the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and she saw death, devastation and destruction. When she landed on the ground in her role as a crisis management consultant, she quickly realized the reports had left something — or someone — out.

The next time you hear about a disaster, in the paper or on TV, Bernier wants you to do something that will brighten your outlook, just a little.

The recent active shooter attacks in La Loche, Saskatchewan, San Bernardino, California, and Paris, France are brutal reminders that none of us are immune to disasters. Unfortunately but realistically, domestic terrorism and active shooter incidents are just some of the new and emerging threats communities and organizations now face and must be prepared for.

​

​

Becoming a hero may be easier than you think, according to a Canadian who hopes her new book will encourage others to take the little steps that could make a big difference to the victims of disasters.

In her book "Disaster Heroes," Suzanne Bernier shares stories of people who saw a chance to help others and immediately took action.