Disaster Podcast

Meteorologist Kyle Nelson joins the Disaster Podcast team this week to give a preview of suspected impacts from Hurricane Ida on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. He also talked about the recent Tennessee flooding events that caused numerous deaths and millions in damage to property. All of these events point to an increase in severe weather events predicted as the volatility of climate change continues to have widespread impacts.

This week we look at the response in Haiti to the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake there. They've endured a triple threat in their disaster response as they are not only dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. They also have endured the passing Tropical Storms Fred and Grace, along with increasing COVID infections among the population.

Dr. Joe Holley kicks off the episode with a COVID update focusing on the Delta Variant and its impacts on patients across the country and around the world. He also expresses worry about healthcare professionals and hospital staff in the face increasing patient loads and lack of resources to treat them. He urges the need to get people vaccinated to lessen the load on the healthcare system.

Dr. Joe Holley returns to the podcast with another Surfside, Florida condo collapse update. He was working there as part of the Federal Incident Support Team (IST). He talks about the extremely dangerous nature of this particular rescue effort and the overall wellness of the USAR teams working there and reiterates the extremely difficult technical nature of this rescue and recovery effort.

Dr. Joe Holley joins the podcast live from Surfside, Florida where he is working on the rescue efforts as part of the Federal Incident Support Team (IST). He talks about the extremely dangerous nature of this particular rescue effort and the overall wellness of the USAR teams working there.

Former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Scott Decker joins the Disaster Podcast today to talk about his role leading the investigation into Anthrax attacks following 9/11 back in 2001. Scott led the FBI's bioterrorism investigation unit and has a lot to say about his team's investigation and the subsequent identification of a suspect.

Ellen Kirschman, a psychologist specializing in helping responders and their families deal with job stress, joins us today on the Disaster Podcast. Ellen is a member of the First Responder Support Network (FRSN.org).

Ellen talks with the podcast team about some key differences between various types of responders like police, firefighters, and EMS providers. They each enter the emergency response field for different reasons and with different expectations.

Also on the show was meteorologist Dan DePodwin, disaster preparedness and emergency management specialist Becky DePodwin, as well as co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis.

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

Today on the show we have retired Washington D.C. Metro police officer, Joseph B. Haggerty, Sr. Joe is the author of the novels: Shame: The Story of a Pimp and An Ocean in the Desert Contributor to the PSWA anthology: Felons, Flames and Ambulance Rides Award winning poet, writer and lecturer on the sexual exploitation of women and children in prostitution and pornography.

Joe shares his experiences during two prominent disasters, 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina. He also talks about his experiences investigating human trafficking and its victims in the sex trade. The team discusses the ways first responders are often important points of contact with these at-risk individuals.

Also on the show were meteorologists Becky DePodwin and Kyle Nelson, as well as co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis.

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

Retired police officers and authors Chris Berg and Paul James Smith join the Disaster Podcast Team on this week’s show. They share their experiences as police officers and how they responded to incidents and interacted with other first responders. Their books, The Night Police and The Bleeding are available at NightPolice.com.

Also on the show was Dr. Joe Holley from Paragon Medical Group, as well as co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis.

Meteorologist Becky DePodwin also joins us to give an extreme weather update after a spate of severe storms hit the central and eastern United States.

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

Dr. James Brasiel from Accredited EMS Fire Training comes back to the show to help discuss the recent active shooter incident in San Jose, California. He teaches Tactical Combat Casualty Care (“T Triple-C”) classes to combined Police/EMS/Fire teams, the military, and other groups involved in active response to these incidents.

Also on the show was Dr. Joe Holley from Paragon Medical Group. Joe just returned from training Texas Rangers SWAT teams on active shooter response. Joe also shares his expertise on the topic of best practices in handling these situations.

Meteorologist Dan DePodwin comes in at the end of the show to give an extreme weather update after a spate of severe storms hit the central and eastern United States.

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.