All Hazards Approach to Emergency Management: A Q&A with Benjamin Strong

June 24, 2025

Introducing the new Chair of the EPPR Working Group, Benjamin Strong

Benjamin Strong is the new Chair of the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) Working Group. With a paramedic and Coast Guard background, Ben Strong brings with him an expertise in Arctic search and rescue and a passion for helping people. Learn about Ben Strong, his ambitions for the Working Group and key focus areas for the years ahead.

What is EPPR’s work focused on?

EPPR’s work has evolved over the years. It started with a strong focus on oil spill response in the Arctic. Over the years, search and rescue and radiological response in the Arctic also became big priorities. Disasters like wildfires and also public health preparedness have also come into focus. Now, I would say that EPPR is looking into all-hazards emergency management in the Arctic.

What is your background and how did you become involved with EPPR?

When I was a kid, I watched a TV show called Emergency with two paramedics named Johnny and Roy. I knew then, watching this 1970s television show, that this is what I was going to do for the rest of my life. And I did go on to become a paramedic. So, thank you, Johnny and Roy!

My background with EPPR started in 2010. As the U.S. Coast Guard's international search and rescue expert, I recognized that the Arctic was becoming more accessible while at the same time, search and rescue resources were limited. The U.S. Coast Guard has a program that uses commercial ships for search and rescue where traditional helicopters or national search ships are unavailable, and I wanted to share that with EPPR. I reached out to the Chair at the time, and they were interested and invited me to a meeting. From there I continued to participate in EPPR meetings.

I became involved before search and rescue was even a mandate. There was a recognition that if there's an accident in the Arctic, we need to be empowered and prepared. In 2011 the Search and Rescue agreement (Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic) was negotiated under the auspices of the Arctic Council, which really solidified the SAR mandate within EPPR.

"Emergency response is something that has to occur in minutes and hours, but the preparation takes weeks, months and years of cooperation." Benjamin Strong

What inspires you about EPPR’s work?

I'm a helper. I've always been taught that you help others before you help yourself. The Arctic is beautiful, it's remote, it's fragile and it's important, and I can't think of a better way to experience that feeling you get when you're helping and combining that with the adventure and remoteness of the Arctic. It may sound silly, but there’s a sort of romance about the Arctic. It's dark, it's sunny, and it's beautiful. There are incredible people and culture. It has a way of drawing you in and creating a drive to preserve it, so that my kids and their kids can continue to experience it.

What are your ambitions as Chair of EPPR?

My ambition is to continue to highlight the relevance of EPPR. It’s more important now than ever to reinforce the cooperation of all the Arctic States and Indigneous Permanent Participants. My aim is to ensure that at the end of my two-year Chairship, the Working Group has made the Arctic better prepared than when we started.

"It can be daunting to think of all that we need to be prepared for in the Arctic, but we have good people working with EPPR, and it demonstrates the importance of cooperation with all Arctic States." Benjamin Strong

What are some of EPPR’s projects that we should keep an eye on over the next two years?

Cruise ship rescue is a big, multifaceted topic. There are the challenges of just locating and tracking people in the case of an incident if they end up in the water. There's also the physical and mental health of the survivors and the responders.

We will also place a focus on building out a more robust radiological response. New energy sources such as small nuclear reactors are being investigated and introduced into small communities in the Arctic, and we have to be prepared to respond to potential incidents related to that.

We also recognize that the Arctic is not just a maritime domain, it's also terrestrial. There's permafrost melt and impacts to infrastructure. There are disasters such as wildfires, which require more than just extinguishing – they have other emergency and health response implications. Other disasters we could consider in the Arctic are earthquakes and volcanoes. And of course, we'll continue to work on oil spill response in the Arctic.

It can be daunting to think of all that we need to be prepared for in the Arctic, but we have good people working with EPPR, and it demonstrates the importance of cooperation with all Arctic States. Emergency response is something that has to occur in minutes and hours, but the preparation takes weeks, months and years of cooperation.

Can you share a memorable Arctic moment?

You know what? Every moment is memorable. I was in Reykjavik, Iceland, coming back from a reception with my colleague, and walking down the street we look up and see the northern lights. We put our heads down just kept walking. But then we noticed everyone around us is stopping in awe. We said to each other, we need to appreciate this more, because for those of us who work or live in the Arctic, we may experience this a lot, but for many, the Arctic can be a one-time opportunity. So, I don't have a memorable moment. I have a moment that reminded me that all of my moments are memorable.