MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALISTS
Josh Shanley Bio
Josh Shanley, a retired firefighter-paramedic and emergency management expert, brings over 25 years of experience in public safety, special operations, and disaster resilience. With a master's degree in emergency management and a deep understanding of the challenges posed by aging infrastructure and severe weather events, Josh offers unique insights into preparing for and responding to weather-related emergencies. At the event, he will draw from his extensive expertise, historical knowledge, and firsthand experience to guide attendees in understanding the evolving impact of climate change on infrastructure and how to plan effectively for future emergencies.
My Story
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Massachusetts was a thriving manufacturing hub for textiles, arms, and brass. But early in the spring of 1936, nearly two feet of rain created havoc on a massive scale, killing more than one hundred people and leaving tens of thousands homeless, unemployed and without power for weeks. Patrols were conducted in rowboats on city streets. Typhoid and other public health issues complicated recovery efforts. Adjusted for today’s standard, damage estimates exceeded $9 billion, and the flood helped launch FDR’s Flood Control Act of 1936. Dams, reservoirs and dikes were constructed to control future flooding. Much of that system now remains in place but has gone largely unmaintained, raising concerns about how it will perform during increasingly severe storm events that the system was not originally designed to withstand.
Josh Shanley: Emergency Services and Climate Resilience
Josh Shanley served as a firefighter-paramedic in Amherst and Northampton for a combined 25 years and was an integral member of several special operations teams during his career. He was also a canine handler with the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (MATF-01) from 1998 until 2002.
Since retiring in 2021, Josh has continued to contribute to public safety and emergency management as part of the Department of Fire Services and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. With a master’s degree in emergency management and extensive expertise in response strategies, he has spearheaded initiatives addressing pandemics, infrastructure failures, and mass evacuations.
Having lived and worked along the Connecticut River since 1995, Josh offers unique insight into the challenges posed by changing environmental conditions on aging infrastructure across Massachusetts. Much of this infrastructure, constructed in the 1940s and 50s in response to events like the 1936 Flood and the 1938 Hurricane, has suffered from decades of deferred maintenance—a topic he explored in detail in his book, The Connecticut River Valley Flood of 1936.
Josh has written and spoken extensively on these critical issues, including providing testimony to the Massachusetts State Legislature Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness & Management. His new book, Cold War Massachusetts, will be released early next year.