Critical Preparedness and Response
Solutions (CPARS Consulting, Inc.) has a cadre of consultants and partners that are
current or recent practicing emergency management, public safety and/or public
health, corporate security, and business continuity professionals. We
are able to surge our staffing to meet project needs and can bring a
wide range of skill sets and expertise to our clients. In an industry
often characterized by egos, CPARS is considered the down-to-earth
solution. Despite working on serious subject matter, we don't take
ourselves too seriously. Most importantly, we enjoy developing partnership-based relationships with our clients.
CPARS is wholly owned and operated by one of its original three founders, Nick Lowe, whose
biography is highlighted below. Nick also serves as the company's project manager for all efforts and is typically the lead
consultant on most projects.
 | Nick Lowe, CEM, CBCP, MEP President/Chief Executive Officer Nick Lowe is a recognized emergency management and homeland security program director with 17+ years of experience and a track record of project and managerial success and promotion. From 2010 - 2014, Nick served as the Southern Region Training and Exercise Lead for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), Southern Region Lead for the California Statewide Exercise Series (a.k.a. Golden Guardian/Capstone California), California Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) course instructor, and oversaw the team that supported all State exercise involvement in the 11-County Southern Region of California. He personally led all efforts in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino Counties. Prior to joining CalOES, Nick was a Manager with ICF International's Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division in both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Over the course of 7 years, he worked in more than 30 States and Territories, across disciplines, levels of government, and with the private sector on the full spectrum of emergency management phases (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery) and business continuity programs. He is now continuing his work of the past 17 years by
supporting federal, state, and local clients and the private sector in:
planning areas such as critical infrastructure protection, continuity of
operations/government, radiological emergency preparedness, homeland
security strategy, emergency operations, and corporate emergency protocols; Emergency Operations Center (EOC) design and functionality; the design, conduct, and
evaluation of trainings and exercises (more than 300 conducted), including advisory services and instruction in the HSEEP; and unique/specialized
efforts such as public health emergency preparedness, homeland security
grant development, risk assessment, and standards compliance (e.g.,
Emergency Management Accreditation Program [EMAP], National Incident Management System [NIMS], California's Standardized Emergency Management System [SEMS]). Nick is a California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) Outreach Instructor and offers the State's certified EOC section-/position-specific courses for Type III credentialing, the State's EOC Action Planning Course, and certified EOC exercises for Type III credentialing. Nick is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), and Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP). He earned a Graduate Certificate in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University, and has a B.A. with Honors in Business and Public Administration, a B.A. in Political Science, and a Minor in Economics from the University of Puget Sound. |