Behind The Shield

Peter Bitwinski spent a full career working for the New York Port Authority. He was present during the 1993 bombing and carried a disabled coworker from the 69th floor on 9/11. We discuss his journey into accounting, what it was like to work in the North Tower, the safety changes after the first attack, the heroism of New York's first responders and civilians, continuing their legacy through storytelling, 9/11 cancer and so much more.

"After first working in Pharmacy and in Temporary Accounting positions, I began my 42-year accounting career working for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. My first 23 ½ years were spent working at One World Trade Center 69th Floor in New York. I survived both the 2/26/93 terrorist bombing and the 9/11/01 terrorist plane attacks. Thereafter, I worked at Port Authority offices at Journal Square and Montgomery Street in Jersey City, New Jersey. My accounting specialty was Accounts Payable. I reside in Bayonne, New Jersey. My interests are British Rock’n’roll and ice hockey. If I have cared for and given more to others in my lifetime than to myself, I will have fulfilled my life’s mission."

Dr João Goulão is Portugal's Director of Addiction Intervention and one of the men who spearheaded the decriminalization of all drug use. We discuss how Portugal had one of the worst drug problems in Europe, how the people pushed the decision to make users patients instead of criminals and the incredible success they have had.

João Goulão, M.D., is the Director-General of The General-Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD) in Lisbon, Portugal. SICAD’s main responsibility is to promote the reduction of the use of licit and illicit substances and the decrease of addictions across Portugal. SICAD develops universal prevention strategies across different state institutions (including schools), supports harm reduction mechanisms and collects the latest information and statistical data for submission to the Management Board for the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

Dr. Goulao was originally a family doctor and has become a leader of Portugal’s drug policy reform movement. He was part of the expert panel who developed the initial recommendations for the decriminalization of drugs presented in 1998. He graduated from the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine in 1978, and became a general practitioner in 1983. He joined the Taipas Centre in Lisbon when it was established in 1987 by the Portuguese Ministry of Health for the treatment, recovery and social reintegration of drug addicts. In 1997, he became the national director of the network of drug treatment centers in Portugal. He was also the Chairman of EMCDDA from 2010 to 2015.

Logan Brogberg is a devoted husband, proud father, 10 year firefighter, smoke diver and the founder of Rogue Firemanship Training. We discuss his journey into the fire service, firefighter fitness, training in gear, the recruitment crisis, the importance of fitness standards, the smoke diver crucible and so much more.

https://roguefiremanship.com/

Beth Bowersox is a former firefighter and resident of Paradise CA who was on duty as a dispatcher when the Camp Fire destroyed her community. We discuss her journey into the fire service, physical fitness, sleep deprivation, guilt from the inability to save, mental heath in dispatchers and so much more.

Jon Dalton is a Chief Warrant Officer Four SEAL (Retired) and the President of the Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines.

Jon’s twenty-three-year career as a Navy Seal has been fundamentally grounded on the highest level of personal and team performance. His uniquely demanding job requirements necessitated continual learning, adaptation, and execution in one of the most elite military organizations in history. He continues this same level of high performance in the private sector.

In 1995, Jon applied to SEAL training and was one of only eight original candidates out of 220 to complete training. He began his career at SEAL Team Four conducting counterdrug missions in South America. After 9/11 he was selected for a Joint Special Operations Command Special Missions Unit.

With over eleven combat deployments, Jon has led multiple teams of over 250 personnel, synchronizing them with critical assets and conducting nightly combat missions throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Jon commanded cross-functional teams to conduct highly complex no-fail operations, achieving total success by identifying unconventional solutions to address the most sensitive national security requirements. Throughout his time, he recognized the critical requirement of adapting with foreign culture to work together for common goals.

Jon finished his career as Director for the Joint Terminal Attack Controller School at the Naval Aviation Warfare Development Center in Fallon, Nevada. During his tenure, he successfully executed a major organizational change effort requiring congressional approval while also completing his MBA.

Upon retirement Jon was recruited as Director for TierX Group; a private equity firm investing in products and services crucial to the national security establishment. Jon led business development and end market integration activities for a $50M fund, was responsible for establishing TierX’s relationship with the special operations community and advised the co-founders on portfolio growth and strategic decision making.

Jon was Chief Operating Officer for Red Dot Management, a healthcare arbitrage startup. He was assigned to create an efficient, operationally focused, and scalable structure, as well as developing an investor relations strategy to provide funding for the acquisition of over $20M in AUM.

After traveling to Mexico for a deeply healing experience with psychedelic medicine, Jon experienced their incredible potential to heal veterans and first responders. Recognizing these powerful and unconventional medicines should be accessible within the U.S., he embarked on a mission to change the course of the mental health crisis in Nevada through a legislative and cultural change effort. Jon was recruited to co-found and lead the Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines, a 501c4 with a mission to enact policy reform and advocate for the regulated legalization of psychedelic-assisted therapy in Nevada.

Jon is a founding board member of the SEAL Legacy Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit. He is a National Ski Patrol volunteer and can also be found climbing, biking, or hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains with his son, Jack.

His decorations include the Bronze Star with V device (four awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with V device (two awards), Navy Commendation Medal with V device (two awards), Combat Action Ribbons, Presidential Unit Citations (two awards) and other service awards.

Dr Ron Rufo is a 22 year veteran of Chicago PD, mental health advocate and the author of multiple books. We discuss his journey into policing at the age of forty, proactive crime prevention, drug prohibition, the recruitment crisis, first responder mental health, sexual predators and much more.

"I recently retired as a highly decorated Chicago Police Officer with over 22 years of service that include a Life Saving Award, Department Accommodation, and Unit Meritorious Award. I have 23 Honorable Mentions and over 100 letters of appreciation as a Chicago Police officer. I began my career in the 9th District, was assigned to the prestigious Ambassador program, and was eventually assigned to the Preventive Programs Unit where I have served as a crime prevention speaker for over 15 years.

For most of my career, I have been actively involved as a Peer Support Team Leader for the EAP section of the Chicago Police Department. I have specialized training in Suicide Prevention as a member of the Critical Incident Team. Currently a Fellow at the American Institute of Stress Management. A distinguished memember if IACP and ILETTA

My first book, "Sexual Predators Amongst Us" was released in 2011. I co-authored a second book, "Police and Profiling in the United States, Applying Theory to Criminal Investigation" with Dr. Lauren Barrow in 2013. In 2015, I wrote "Police Suicide: Is Police Culture Killing Our Officers?" and my upcoming book "Breaking the Barriers: Changing The Way We Support The Physical and Mental Health of Police Officers" will be available in 2021.My latest book Breaking the Barriers, Changing the Way We Support The Physical and Mental Health of Police Officers was published by AMR Publishers on June 1st, 2021."

Jason Villeggiante and Christina Dizon are career firefighters and founders of Tactical Sleep Rescue. We discuss their respective journeys into the fire service, the impact of sleep deprivation on acute and chronic health, yoga, breathwork, the firefighter work week, their programme and so much more.

Christina is the founder of Biohacked Firefighter and the developer of Tactical Sleep Rescue. She has certifications in Sleep Coaching, Health & Wellness Coaching, and is a Yoga Nidra facilitator. Her mission is to provide firefighters and first responders practical, simple, and real life tools to mitigate the negative impacts of shift work and sleep debt, and feel amazing for their personal lives.

Jason Villeggiante is a Firefighter Paramedic with the Los Angeles City Fire Department since 2015. He lives with his wonderful girlfriend, Hayley, and their dog, Dallas. In his spare time he enjoys reading books, exercising, and spending time in nature. He’s a member of the LAFD Peer Support Team, and advocates to improve his departments’ firefighter wellness program.

https://www.tacticalsleeprescue.com/

Tai Geering is a student athlete, JROTC alumn and my son. I couldn't think of a better person to commemorate this thousanth episode. I know this conversation will be of value to children and parents alike.

We discuss being part of a firefighter family, the impact of divorce, the importance of sports, lego, academics, the pressures of graduation, the impact of the pandemic, the ripple affect of an abuse of power at his middle school, the healing power of music, the love of a dog and so much more.

Joshua A. Strom is a seasoned emergency responder and Director of First Responder Lifeline, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting First Responders in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. With an extensive background in firefighting, search-and-rescue, and wilderness medicine, Joshua co-founded First Responder Lifeline with his wife, Jessica H. Strom. Together, they address the mental, physical, and spiritual needs of the first responder community. Married for nearly 15 years, they have three children, deepening their commitment to family and service.

We discuss a host of topics from his own mental health journey to responding as a chaplain to the communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.

https://www.firstresponderlifeline.com/

Joshua Rose and Dr Gerad Troutman are part of the Global Medical Response team. We discuss how to reduce EMS responses to low acuity calls, addressing ER overcrowding, proving inexpensive alternatives to EMS transport, creating a three tier 911 system, the GMR response to Hurricane Helene and so much more.

Nurse Navigation program provides quick and accurate patient assessments for life- threating conditions and then takes the caller through our proprietary nurse triage protocol to determine the most appropriate locus of care.

Benefits

• Better triage and response to exposures; including coordination with hospitals and occupational health providers
• Reduces unnecessary treatment for exposures when clinically not indicated
• Minimizes the need for extensive waits in emergency departments and facilitates evaluation and treatment

Nurse Navigation's nurses use evidence-based clinical decision software to immediately evaluate a patient’s current condition, providing a needs-matched time-appropriate resource allocation to meet the patient’s unique healthcare needs. Our five-level triage system ensures we are delivering the right resource at the right time, in the right setting to achieve the right outcome at the right cost.