911 Squirrel
A fun, informative podcast about life, training, and other insights, within the careers of all first responders (Law, Fire, EMS, etc). Telling stories, sharing insights on training, diving into serious subjects, and laughing at ourselves.
911 Squirrel
Scandals and Animals
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Let's look at scandals, perpetrated by Jack Asses who call themselves First Responders, and what we should do about it!
We will also look at what we should do about pets and service animals in an emergency disaster. Very Interesting!
Got a thought? E-mail 911squirrelpodcast@gmail.com
Welcome to 911 Squirrel, a podcast for all the five men and women who serve as first responders. Stories will be told at training atom, and everyday responder life is explored, all while having a great time doing it. So grab your coffee and watch those tales. This squirrel just is about to begin. And now, a man whose mind is like a steel trap that's been left out in the rain for several years, please welcome your host, Brad.
SPEAKER_04Well, hello all you crazy, crazy first responders out there, and welcome to episode number 11. 11 of 911 Squirrel the podcast for first responders. That's right, you need more than two hands to count how many episodes are on 911 Squirrel. Unless you're the six-fingered six-fingered guy in Princess Pride who had six fingers on one hand, it could count to 11. Which makes uh Spinal Tap happy. Uh anyway, as the cool tech voice said, I am your host, Brad Mack, and this episode is called Scandals Ananimals. Woo! We are taking a good look at scandals across the U.S. that involve first responders and what we should do about it. And we will dive into something I think is a really cool idea when it comes to animals and disaster response. A lot of good information that is coming up in an interview during the in-service uh segment. Okay, now let's get to this first.
SPEAKER_03May the White Cloud Forum follow and bless you with all the fun and rewarding shifts.
SPEAKER_04Uh if the black cloud comes in, uh you can't send them home. You can't kill them, take them to the train station. No, no, no, no, no. Accept them for what they are. Do a seance. You know, do something really uh outside the box. Maybe you can get rid of the black cloud, you know. Yeah. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Sometimes the black cloud just grabs a hold of people and just wants to stay there. All right. So uh everybody just have some fun at rewarding shifts this week. Oh, next week and the week after. Um, now I'm going to get into these scandals. But before I do, uh, I'm going to preface this first. Now, we can all agree 99, 98% of first responders, well, 99% really, you you take your job seriously because you have to. There's life and property at stake. It's highly stressful, blood and guts. And if you're not doing it, nobody else will, because nobody else wants to. Let's face it, I mean, I've said this before, y'all are the superheroes. And this is a community that believes in serving with dedication to answer a higher calling, wanting to make the community safer, stronger, and full of integrity. And for over 20 years, I worked with some of the finest, most honorable human beings on the planet. I mean, let's let's face it. Um, because of this, I grew as a person. Um you can't help it. You're around some good people, you're going to grow in some form or fashion. And you should continue to keep trying to grow as your life goes on, whether you're in, whether you're in as a first responder or you're not. Keep growing. Uh, we would have interdepartment rivalries and trash talk, you know, EMS against fire, fire against law enforcement, law enforcement against EMS, uh dispatch against everybody. You know, I mean, that's just how it was. But one thing for certain, we always had each other's backs. I, for one, would fight tooth and nail for any one of you, just like you all would for any other responder. We help each other, we believe in each other. If one of us falls behind in some way, we train, we encourage. Okay? We don't just sit there and go, get them the crap out of here. No, no, no, no, no. We want them to be better at, you know, for whatever it is: a firefighter, law enforcement, whatever. Or we put them in a job that is more suited to their talents, more suited to their personality, whatever, but they still can be a first responder by doing something really, you know, in in a in a in a uh uh I can't even think it in a good role. Anyway, I can't think of the word. I don't know why. Oh. Now, when a mental issue rears its head because of the stress or whatever, the rest of us rallied to bring comfort and support. I started this podcast to bring a lighthearted look at the life and job. To make you all the stars of the show. Ladies and gentlemen, right here on our stage. Let's bring out, you know, it that's just all there is to it. You guys are the stars of the show, and and we're gonna get more and more of you on here, whether you like it or not. Anyway, and to remind you all and the general public that there is a human being wearing that uniform. I might be going on a little bit of a rant about the bad apples here in a few seconds, but remember, I know for a fact the rest of you deserve the utmost respect. There should be a special place in heaven for all of us. Now, after I'm done with my diatribe about bunghole dwellers, and I'm really trying to keep really trying hard not to include profanity here, uh, and we will get to the fun stuff. I just wanted to get this off my chest and preface this whole thing, letting you know this is about the individual that uh that committed these atrocities. That's just all there is to it. Now, let's go to these scandals. We hear about them on the news constantly, in some form or fashion. Now, obviously, you don't hear them about them every night on your local news because they happen all across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the world, blah, blah, blah. Now, here's the thing about being a first responder. You think that everybody, you know, of course, these scandals are going to be on the news. Most of the time, when a first responder is on the news, what do you see? Well, there's a structure fire going on, a bad wreck, a shooting, a stabbing, whatever it is, and all these first responders are on scene. Do they really give us credit for everything that we're doing? Nine times out of 10 or 99 times out of 100, no. They'll say, oh, first responders were on the scene. And a politician might come out and say, Well, we really appreciate these first responders that that came to came to the scene and really, you know, ran toward the danger, blah, blah, blah. That's that's great for a politician, but we don't get that kind of thing. And and do we really search for it? No. Am I going to search for it for you? You better believe it. But here's the thing idiots across the country do things that are depraved, sick, and gut-wrenching. These so-called human beings usually have some mental illness or the bravado to think they can get away with it. Now, think about this. With all the siccos that have been caught, how many haven't? That's that kind of gets me going too. Now, uh, we all know about O.J. Cosby, Epstein and the list keeps going. Um, serial killers, uh, oh my gosh. Uh, like Cosby, if it was up to me, I'm kind of an eye for an eye guy. If Cosby, when he went to prison, I hope people were roofing him every day and letting him know, hey, yeah, it's not a good idea. Epstein, there's no there's no way we could have an eye for an eye on Earth. There really isn't. Unless you get all the victims together and just everybody gets their shot with a bat or a knife or their fists or whatever the case is. Uh, you remember Susan Smith, who I think was up for parole a couple years ago, she's the one that drowned her kids in the lake. I think there were three of them, if I remember correctly. If it was up to me, I would strap her in a car, throw her in a lake just before she passes, bring her back up, revive her, get her all get her all well again, and then do it again for every kid. That's that's my idea. Uh, serial killers become infamous. They're not just famous, they're infamous. Uh, for all you three amigo fans out there, when a scandal comes to light into the light of day of a government official, sh, oh boy, not only are they wearing the proverbial A on their shirt, for all you literature literature buffs, but also their scandal is dragged on and on and on through the news, making it seem worse than the Manson family. You can tell I really love politicians and political speak. But what really grinds my gears, I can't I can't do Peter Griffin, but what really grinds my gears is when a first responder or responders gets caught in a scandal. We're supposed to be the community's most revered citizens. We are the ones that dedicate our efforts to safety and protection of our citizenry. We sacrifice time with families and friends and because we believe in the cause. And yet we're infiltrated with a few asshats that cause or participate in lawless immoral activities. That leads the rest of us to defend our profession for weeks, months, and believe you me, even a couple years. Ugh. And why? Because our residents normally can't differentiate between us as a whole and the vile little pukes that committed certain atrocities. Anyway, the reason I'm going on this rant uh now I live near Nashville. And Nashville, boy, Nashville has seemed to have had these interesting little scandals come along here in the last, gosh, I don't even know how uh it's gotta be the last five to ten years. And the recent one, which was in the last couple of weeks, was two police officers. Okay, two police officers. One, an SRO, uh school resource officer, were involved in sexual activities while on duty.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_04All right, anyway, enough of that. That's kind of funny, actually. Uh, they engaged in their amorous trists in squad cars, and even more egregious, the SRO office during school hours. I mean, children are in the school and they're in there enjoying the night sticks or whatever, you know. Now, here's the thing. Now, sexual incidents are nothing new in emergency services or anywhere for that matter. But it got me going down a rabbit hole to many, many, many, many, many, many more heinous acts. And uh to go back to the Nashville thing, look out, look up Mayor Megan Berry. A few years ago, she was caught with her security guard. They were having sex early in the morning, like five in the morning, in a cemetery after he'd pick her up, or on uh business trips or whatever, and she had to resign. He he had this whole court thing, rest they both had restitution. Well, we go on and on. But look up Megan Berry, Nashville mayor of Megan Berry. You'll see. Uh, for example, now let's go on to these more heinous acts. Uh a 29-year-old volunteer firefighter in Pennsylvania started three fires in a matter of 30 hours. Okay. Three fires. Uh, this happened in late May of this year. A couple of those fires were very close to homes. Now imagine the the disaster it could have been if it was really dry or the wind picked up. Ugh. Oh, because this dipwad was mad at his boss. Not the fire chief or anybody in the volunteer department. No, his boss, because he tr he set something on fire at his boss's house. And there's lots of these stories of volunteer firefighters, uh, even regular firefighters, starting fires so they get caught out. I mean, you're supposed to protect property, not set it on fire so you can have glory. Man, think of the profanity going through my head. Now, it gets worse. Here's the thing, it gets worse. An Indiana EMT sexually assaulted a teenage girl during a transport and in his care. What makes us what makes it worse is he was arrested. He's been arrested for similar offense before. He has also solicited teenagers, and he's 37. Castration and a rough cellmate with love in his eyes. You know, that seems quite appropriate, you know. I mean, seriously, come on. Oh gosh. Yeah, that guy, yeah. We could go on and on about that. Oh, anyway. Now we have heard about physical and sexual assaults over the years, and it's disgusting. If anybody does that, you know, I don't I don't care how bad you quote unquote need it. You know. Do something else. Man, my brain is just going crazy with ideas here of what to do with some of these people. Uh anyway, so we've heard about these physical and sexual assaults for years, but there are scandals that on the surface do not seem as deplorable, but actually are on the same level. Mostly due to the timing before a patient or citizen is involved. For instance, the LA Fire Department cheating scandal. Now, it's been alleged, uh there's no there hasn't been any proof or anything like that, but it's been alleged that there was a nefarious plot on cheating on the Captain One test. Now, when it came to light, a new test was issued quickly. Oh, okay, great. Let's make sure, blah, blah, blah. But what makes this appalling is one, no accountability. I haven't I have looked through the internet, I have looked through this story, and I can't find anybody that was held accountable for anything. Nobody got fired, nobody got suspended. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Um, and I I haven't crossed come across any. But two, trust in personnel that has been promoted to captain during this time might be kind of low. The trust. The idea of a captain making a poor decision that causes injury or death of a firefighter or citizen, uh, I can't even imagine. That's just horrific. Another one comes from 2009 in Massachusetts. Three former police officers and an EMT trainer were brought up on criminal charges after falsifying attendance records, possibly for years, for almost an entire police force. Some of you may have heard this one. A former fire chief was also part of the conspiracy. The EMT trainer also fied his own rec falsified his own records to become a paramedic. Does that is that not scary or what? This is the kind of crap that leads to poor outcomes in deaths. And if any deaths did happen because of this, they should be charged with homicide as well. Eye for night people. Um, as I said before I started as Tyroid Tyroid? What the heck is that? As I started this tiraid, do not for one second think this is a reflection of the tire the entire first responder community. This has been about the absolute stupidity of perps that have no respect for our community, the job, or hell, even themselves. To weed out these numbskulls, you must be vigilant. There is no place in the service for people like this. Lives are at stake. Yours, a citizen's, anybody's. And oh my gosh, this is ridiculous. Now, here's the thing. And I we all know the times we live in, alright? We all do. And for our law enforcement brothers and sisters, my gosh, I don't know how you do it. I really don't. I I I I don't. I could never do your job. Um because I'd get I'd get really mad and start uh putting people in jail just because they're idiots, believe it or not. I I that's just how I am. Now we are not naive to the full front of assault you all receive on a daily basis, whether from the press pundits or ignorant jerkweeds who have nothing better to do than point fingers and yell without knowing all the facts. Go through social media and you'll see, and I'm gonna take a drink because I'm getting wound up. Yes, uh iced tea, of course. Um so yeah, these oh gosh, I hate social media. Uh just like you, I will raise my hand when I see something wrong, but I will also stand with you when an allegation is made with facts that do not support it. If you want to know my real uh opinions on a lot of things, especially uh that's happened with law enforcement, email the show, I'll tell you. Um I'm not gonna put it on here just because you know, they're just my opinion. And that's what it is. They're just my opinion. But believe it or not, I I think this is, you know. But law enforcement You guys get you guys get the get the the crappiest of things. So, you know, it just makes me mad. Anyway, now uh now that this ran is kind of hard, uh kind of over. I've got there's more scandals. There was a lot of scandals I I I I almost uh I I could go on and on and on. This could be a whole list and this would last for hours upon hours upon hours. All because these idiots are out there and they're representing the first com first responder community. And it gives you a headache, man, just looking at all this. And I'm not a guy, I don't like going down rabbit holes, but I do. But now, here's what here's what the rest of us need to do. One, go do the job to the best of your ability, train hard and support each other. Those are the first three things. No matter what, you gotta do the job. You gotta train like it's real world. You gotta support each other whether you like it or not. Support each other in training, support each other on the job, support each other outside the job, support, support, support, support, support. And the other thing is when you come across people that they might be a little off or they're I've seen this. I've seen firefighters, they get on their first structure fire and they're yelling and screaming, yeah, woohoo-hoo in front of family members. That you know, their house is burning. Um I've seen that that kind of stuff, and that that doesn't belong either. But um man, just keep an eye out for people like this that just uh you know who you live with, who you work with. Just kinda keep an eye out for them and and keep an eye out on and anything that just seems off with them. And talk to them and see what happens. All right, my rant is over. Because I'm sick and tired of talking about these totally ignorant. So let's have some fun now. First a word from one of our sponsors so I can take some deep breaths. Anybody can sell an ambulance. The real test is what happens after delivery. At 108, we provide full life cycle support for brawn, demers, and crestline ambulances from specification and delivery to service parts, warranty support, and fleet replacement planning. Because when your crews need help, you shouldn't have to wonder who to call. Learn more at 108fire.com or call 878. 108 Fire and Safety. Built on integrity, driven to serve. Yeah, 108 Fire and Safety, they're a wonderful sponsor. If you were in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, or Florida, and your department is in need of an ambulance, give them a call. I mean, the federal government is allocating $420 million for two grant programs. Everyone needs to take advantage of it. In Tennessee alone, out of all the counties, I think there's 89 counties where Tennessee has allocated, oh my gosh, uh almost 100 million if I'm not if if I'm reading my notes right, which may be it. But anyway, yes, take full advantage of grants. Uh get an ambulance. Uh they do all kinds of other things too. They do fire apparatus, they do uh different equipment and so forth. But with ambulances especially, give them a call, get some new get some new ambulances. I mean, seriously. All right. Now, something else. Uh if you're a follower of 911 Squirrel, I've said this, I said this on the last episode, and uh yeah. And so uh I'm going to do this. Uh if you want uh and we want to interview you. I said we we want to make you all the stars of the stars of 911 Squirrel. We want to see how bushy your tail is.
SPEAKER_03We want to see if it is long, it is wide, and we want to see just how crazy you are.
SPEAKER_04Um if you want to be, we'd love to interview you on Zoom or FaceTime, and then we'll put it on our socials. Um I am going through the list right now, and well not at right now, but during this time, uh to get some invites going and start interviewing you all if you want to, or you can message or email us if you want to participate. You uh you email 911 squirrelpodcast at gmail.com or go to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, just say, hey Brad, I want to be interviewed. Or if you know somebody that needs to be interviewed because they went above and beyond, or they're just a lot of fun, or they played a joke on you, you want to get them back, let us know about them and give us contact information. We'll set up a time and go from there. Okay, that brings us ha ha ha to our top 10. Okay, this episode's list is the top 10 funniest entries in reports. Now, we found these with an intense search, and this ought to be good. Number 10, a woman calling 911 saying she couldn't walk home and couldn't call a cab because her phone was dead. Uh yeah. Uh, number nine. This is actually kind of disgusting, and who would have thought of this? Uh a burglar was identified via DNA after feces were found in the toilet because the burglar forgot to flush. Alright, whoever that detective is or police officer that came up with that idea, that's pretty good. Sick, but good. Uh, number eight. A woman reported her mail stolen due to her not getting any birthday cards from her friends. Maybe they're not really friends. Uh let's see, what am I on here? Number seven. Woman, a woman, called the fire department because her dog was trapped under the doghouse. She said her house was on fire because she didn't think the fire department would come. Okay. Uh number six. Oh my gosh. Responded to a truck first pedestrian. Remember that. Upon arrival, found a three-year-old girl with a bruise to her forehead because her brother threw a matchbox truck at her, hitting her in the head. Yeah, you you you try. Number five. Police responded to a home burglary in progress. Upon entering the home, one officer yelled at Marco. The suspect was found after yelling, polo. He should have been found. What an idiot. Can we say he relaxed? Of course. Uh, number four, the life alert incident. That was a false call. The button was between the husband and wife while they were do-do-do! Enjoying each other's company. Number three, patient walked to the fire department and arrived with two wires through the forehead. Patient said he couldn't get electrical signals from his brain. Believe it or not, that is true. He's uh he went to a psych ward, obviously. Um now, number two, upon making contact with the driver, it was found that he was a paraplegic using a broomstick for the gas pedal and brakes. Also found to have a suspended license. A paraplegic with a suspended license, how perfect is that? And the number one, and quite honestly the funniest one that I found, a domestic dispute stems from the husband applying icy hot on the wife's personal massage. Divorce suspending. Wow. Alright, that's your top ten top ten entries in reports. If you have a top ten list or an idea for one, let us know by sending a message to our socials or email 911scorrelopodcast at gmail.com omg. That was actually kind of a fun top 10. Good times. All right, let's go on to something else.
SPEAKER_01This is the briefing. News from around the country that affects the policies, procedures, or employment of first responders. And now, the briefing. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Here we go. So, in uh my briefing comes from this. I found this, and I found it interesting, and I know we already kind of use this. I know law enforcement uses this. I think um emergency management uses some of these, some of this idea, not some of these, but some of this idea. And it's uh AI can scan, I'm not a AI, that's but this is one good thing AI can do. It can scan vast numbers of social media posts during disasters to guide first responders. This is a great idea. So what happens is when disasters happen, such as hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, uh oh, by the way, I'm getting this from the conversation. Uh la la la la la theconversation.com. And this was uh where is the date on this? Did they not put a date on this? Of course not, because you know, I was looking at it and I'm going to use it. So when a disaster happens, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes, every second counts. Obviously. Some of us remember Katrina. We got lots of wildfires going on. You know how this goes. Emergency teams need to find people fast, send help, and stay organized. In today's world, one of the fastest ways to get information is through social media because everybody and their mother uses it. In recent years, some researchers have explored how uh artificial intelligence can use social media to help during emergencies. These programs scan millions of posts on sites such as X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, blah, blah, blah. However, the most most uh existing systems look for simple patterns like keywords or images of or uh images of damage. Now uh who is this guy? I'm I'm looking. I don't uh it doesn't say. I don't even say who wrote this. Um but this guy who's writing this, he says, in my why is this not holding on a minute. I gotta find it. Gemma Ware. That's right. Gemma it's not a guy, it's a lady. Gemma Ware. All right. She's the host of the Conversation Weekly podcast. Okay. This is who wrote this. Thank goodness I was finding this. All right, all right. She says in her research as an A AI scientist, she has developed I'm quoting here, I've developed new models that go further. They can understand the meaning and context of posts, what researchers call semantics. Uh this helps improve how accurately the system identifies people in need and classifies situational awareness information during emergencies. Dun dun dun. Oh, I need to get that sound effect. Um the results show that these tools can give rescue teams a clearer view on what's happening on the ground and where help is needed most. Uh people share billions of posts on social media every day. We're all there. I I went down the rabbit hole earlier and going down the rabbit hole social media. During disasters, they often share photos, videos, short messages, or even their location. And this creates a huge network of real-time information. Now, but with so many posts, it's hard for people to find what's important quickly. Um I'm looking at something here. Uh anyway. Now that that's where artificial intelligence helps. These systems which use machine learning. Uh welcome, Skynet. Uh can scan thousands of posts every every second, find urgent messages, spot damage shown in pictures, and tell real information from rumors. Uh let's see, during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, people sent over 20 million tweets over six days. If AI tools had been used then, it probably could have helped find people in danger even faster. Okay. There's a whole thing on training AIs. Um you can read this at the conversation. Uh addressing the challenges. Um yeah, here's a good one. Using social media to help during disasters sounds great, but it's not always easy. You think? Sometimes people post things that aren't true. No. No, it can't be. No.
unknownWelcome to the party, pal.
SPEAKER_04People are posting stuff that is not true. Oh, you gotta be kidding me. Other times the same message gets posted many times and doesn't clearly state what the problem is. Uh to fix this, uh, this Gemma is uh working on ways to check the post's credibility. Okay. She also takes privacy very seriously. And that's another thing. So AI can be used uh to go through social media and find out what's going on because you know as soon as anything happens, somebody's got their phone out and and they're posting it. Um Yeah, that's the one thing that that that gets me. Is it true or not? How many because AI is used in so many ways. I have seen some videos that you know is AI. Just because I I remember watching something and they said, Oh, this is a this is an Apache attack helicopter being being uh hit by a missile. Well, what Apache uh helicopter looks like an old Sikorsky two two-level huge big riptide helicopter with no guns and big fenders over the landing gear. Asking for a friend. Um yeah, AI is it can be used great, and it can be used and and but I like this idea of using AI to go through social media to try to find out what needs to happen on the ground in certain areas where a disaster has happened. So I like the idea. I think uh just like everything else, there's gonna be some growing pains. There's gonna be some all that kind of stuff. So I'm kind of curious. But if you go, if you want to see the full article, go to theconversation.com and you're gonna look like you're you're gonna look like this. How about it? No, it's not gonna see you. You're gonna look up the headline AI can scan vast numbers of social media posts during disasters to guide first responders. This was on, oh, this was published May 13th of oh, last year. Oh my gosh. Come on, Brad, you're better than this in researching. But her name is Gemma Ware. Gemma Ware, W-A-R-E. She's the host of the Conversation Weekly podcast. So, hey, listen to her podcast. She might talk about this. So it's it's a great idea. I like the idea. Um yeah. So we'll go from there. All right, let's go on to other things. The sun shines its glory through the window. You stretched and feel refreshed. All you need now is the perfect coffee or drink to get the day started. At Sagebrush Sunrise Coffee, get one of our signature coffees, energy infusions, or cold refreshers. Come to 109 Fairfield Road in Bethpage, Tennessee to get your day started or keep it going with an afternoon drink. And nothing says love quite like an e-gift card. Sagebrush Sunrise Coffee, the perfect beverage for that perfect day. Okay, Sagebrush. There, they they got some good coffee and some good refreshing drinks. So please go see them. They are in Bethpage, Tennessee. Um, they got a cool little building. It's you wouldn't know it's there unless I told you. Uh, so yeah, go see if you're in that area in Beth Page off of Highway 52, Tennessee 52, and Dobbins Pike, which is uh 741 in Tennessee, uh north of Nashville, north uh east of Nashville, by all means go see them. Tell them, hey, 911 Squirrel sent me, and maybe they'll give you a discount. I'm not promising anything, but it is possible. All right. Now we're gonna go into something else. Here we go.
SPEAKER_02And now everyone's favorite component of the job, the in-service, where we have a discussion on certain procedures to improve our performance and deliver better outcomes. Let this in service begin.
SPEAKER_04On this in-service, we are going to talk about animals. More to the point, we're going to talk about the response for pets and service animals during a major disaster or really even a single emergency event. To help us navigate through this subject, let's welcome the president of the Kansas State Animal Response Team, Bob Potemsky. So how are you, Bob? I'm doing well, Brett. How are you? I am good. Is everything treating you well there in Kansas?
SPEAKER_00Very nice. I'm a summer boy, and it is 90 degrees and sunny today, so I am happy, happy.
SPEAKER_04Well, um, you are the president of the Kansas State Animal Response Team. And um your organization, and uh, let me make sure I read this right before I I take people the wrong different way. Um it was established in uh 2007, is that correct?
SPEAKER_00In it's gone through various incantations and incarnations, but yes, indeed, uh it was had its origins back in 2007.
SPEAKER_04Okay. And it is in response to the Federal Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act that was passed in 2006. Okay. And what does that require um for as a as a federal law, what does that require uh either states or municipalities to do?
SPEAKER_00Well, it requires states, municipalities, localities to include companion animals in their emergency response planning and also in response. And the reason that is, is because we found out from Katrina that many people passed away, they died, they turned down uh opportunities to be rescued, or they returned into the danger zone to retrieve their pets, or they wouldn't leave their pets to begin with. So they perished, and um that was a big eye-opener for the federal government, really, I think. So they have to pass act relatively quickly in in terms of legislative time, and so now states and localities are required to make uh arrangements for pets and companion animals in their emergency planning.
SPEAKER_04Okay. Um but the the law now uh encompasses pets and service animals. Were I d I don't I don't know if you know those stories or not out of with Katrina, but were they a combination of that, or were they mostly people just didn't want to leave their pets behind, or you know what what since the passage of the ADA service animals have gotten a lot more uh respect in the emergency preparedness sector.
SPEAKER_00They um have been allowed in more places and they've been allowed to uh accompany their their handlers in in evacuations and things like that. They had legal standing based on the ADA, whereas companion animals did not, and that was the real difference.
SPEAKER_06Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00Okay, and that's part of what we do, and our mission is to help bring that to the front of mind for people, because the primary idea that I want to communicate today is that saving animals is saving people. Katrina taught us that numerous disasters since Katrina have taught us that if we don't make allowances and arrangements for animals in disaster response, people will die. So we need to we need to include that so that we save the largest number of people possible.
SPEAKER_04I totally agree with you. So um, well, let's get back to uh uh as far as what the animal response team does. Um as as I was doing the research uh uh uh you know for this interview, um, you teach pet owners how to prepare for the their pets and assist emergency management and pest pet disaster planning and all that. What are those key bullet points that they need to implement?
SPEAKER_00The key bullet points for emergency managers is as I said earlier, saving has saves people. So to give that a higher priority than perhaps it's had in your uh in your planning process to date. Now is there any awkward to have the um an NGO like the Red Cross or Salvation Army open up a shelter for people and have people show up with you know pets and say, Oh my goodness, I don't have any place to put the pets, I don't have a plan for them. So having that plan having MOUs with organizations that can help like my organization, or um including pet sheltering in the MOUs that you find with uh your your sheltering organizations, be they schools or churches or um community centers or whatever they are. Um and then to uh get some at least a small group of people in your uh jurisdiction to be trained in what's gonna happen and what that looks like, what that sheltering and responsibility looks like. Find out how long it's gonna take me and my team to get on scene and And have a plan to do in that intervening 24 to 48 to 72 hours. And uh because that's gonna be your disaster first. And uh and then I'm gonna I'm gonna come in with my team as as soon as we can, but that might be two days, depending on where you are and and the scope of the disaster and the type of disaster and and how the roads are and et cetera. So so I think those are the key takeaways for emergency managers. Okay. For the public, preparedness for pest is important. They depend on us. They can't get in the car and drive themselves to a shelter, they can't walk out the door and find their way to safety necessarily. Uh they have good instincts, but you don't want to put the the life of your of your treasured pet up, leave that up to chance that way. So having a plan is important. It's crucial, as a matter of fact. Okay to practice that plan. Practice evacuating with your dogs so that if your dog's never been in a crate, if your cat's never been in a carrier, if your bird's never been carried around, if your um snake is in a terrarium, then can you physically lift it? Is it too heavy to carry? Um, so practice that plan and have stuff ready to go in a go bag. So food, water, a a leash, a muzzle, a toy, a familiar object, like an old shirt with your scent on it that you can just grab and on the way out the door, because when the sirens are going off or when the fire is heading your way is not the time you want to be starting to gather all those materials.
SPEAKER_04Right. Oh, yeah. Kind of like um uh like if it and being in Kansas, you would know this, like a tornado warning. You don't want to wait till, oh, there it is, and then go, you know.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Exactly. I have a go bag for my dog and uh the cat's carrier and some a can of wet food with a spoon to coax him into it is is lives down in the basement. So that's where we go when it when the tornado servants go up. So I just have to grab the dog's bag, put them on his leash, and bring them downstairs and hope they don't fight.
SPEAKER_03Kids, this is not how it's supposed to go.
SPEAKER_04We're trying to keep you safe, Costarn it. Oh gosh. Well, um now you said it was any now, it could be anywhere from 24 to 48 to 72 hours on your team to get there. And obviously it's it it requires uh you know logistics and everything that you've already pre-planned, but you don't know what the disaster is and how hard it is to get to where you need to go. When you arrive on when you arrive on scene, though, what are your priorities?
SPEAKER_00My priorities are to always, number one, first of all, make sure that myself and my staff are going to be safe.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Then we make sure that we are in a place where the animals can be safe. So that might involve doing some cleaning, uh, might involve some mopping some floors, cleaning some toilets, running water till you know the rust stops coming out, um, getting everything, getting everything set up uh so that we can accept animals. So I would say with a team of five people, we could probably set up a shelter and start taking animals in, probably within an hour and a half to two hours of arrival.
SPEAKER_04Oh, nice.
SPEAKER_00Now is it a And then we'll set up cats, crates, kennels, uh plastic on the flooring to protect the floors. And um we have a small camera system that we use so we can keep 24-hour surveillance, even though we're probably gonna be in the in the shelter 24-7. Uh, set up separate areas for dogs, cats, pocket pets, birds, all of which have their own uh special needs. Birds can't be in drafty places or places where there are a lot of fumes. So, and you also don't want them by the cats. You don't want your hamsters and guinea pigs by the cats, uh, unless you want to try to cut down on pet food. Just kidding while you hamster and guinea pig owners. We're just we will keep your pets safe, I promise.
SPEAKER_03Where'd Sylvester go?
SPEAKER_00And um and then set up our record keeping system so that we can keep an accurate track of how many animals we have, to whom they belong. Because so many dogs and cats look alike, we want to make sure that they are constantly monitored and put in the right crates. Uh, if there are two that are similar that are crated, you know, one or two crates down from each other, you don't want the wrong one to go into the into the wrong crate because then if they're on a special diet or if we take medicine, the one that's one's going to be getting stuff that they don't need, and the one that needs it is not gonna be getting the stuff that they want. So we have to keep track of that. We have to make sure that at reunification they go back to the proper parents. And so that's where a lot of uh we take a lot of pictures, we have software that we have gotten from an organization called Dart C C. They have a great uh piece of software that one can use too, and it works on a phone and or on a laptop or tablet, and you can take a picture and upload it and put all the parent information in. Uh it'll it'll let you track if the tech goes in and out, if it goes to the vet and comes back. It lets you track all sorts of all sorts of movement like that. We use we use that supper from dartcc. If you want to check that out, it's at dartcc.org. And um put up sign so that people know what to expect and set up lines, intake, and questions and all that, and then put out the information through the TIO and the Institute Command Center that we are ready to accept that's all right.
SPEAKER_04Now, is that a when you go somewhere, is is the coordination between you and the local officials uh give you a spot to set up all that, or is it something in a pre-planning uh scenario that you already know where you would go when you get to a disaster?
SPEAKER_00Typically they will give it to us. Okay. There are over 100 counties in Kansas, so uh I don't have a MOU with every county. Uh so what I'll probably do is coordinate through the state division of emergency management, and the request will go into them and then come back to us through them, and they will do some of the initial legwork, make sure that we have a place to go. And then my contact at KDEM will say, call me up and say, Hey Bob, you've been your service has been requested uh in this county. Here's your uh address for your shelter. They're expecting X number of pets, and uh here's whatever other information we have. And then at that point I'll do I'll deploy my volunteers and see what we can do.
SPEAKER_04Sounds good. Um, as far as how to volunteer for the animal response team, what would anybody need to do?
SPEAKER_00Well, if you want to volunteer for my response team, I have a link on our website that will take you to an online application. You fill out that application. That application includes a place to list your skills, your interests, and has a code of conduct and that addresses things like the way you treat the animals, the use of social media, or avoiding the use of social media, uh, not talking to the press, and uh following the incident command system structure that we institute within the shelter itself. And um that gets forwarded to me through our volunteer management software.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00And then once I get those applications, I review them. If there's any question, if there's any we are getting to the point where we we will be doing background checks. We've we've not had the need to do that. But unfortunately, in this relatively small. Yeah. But but it's uh but it's growing. So I want I want to start instituting that soon. Um and then I send you a list of training requirements.
SPEAKER_04And and what would anybody want to do if uh or or what would you uh want to want to tell anybody that wants to donate or in and what would they what would you like them to donate besides just money or is there food or anything else?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we don't like to use uh or take ex take donations of consumables because we like us perishable stuff like food or stuff because that has expiration dates. If organizations have upgraded their equipment, uh if they have uh large animal response equipment that they are done with or haven't used and want to donate to us, we'd be glad to have it. And of course, the money to buy things that we need on a just-in-time basis is always welcome.
unknownOh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but I mean I think things like food and stuff, we'll we'll buy that as as we're deployed. So probably buy it on the way to the on the way to the site or something like that.
SPEAKER_03There's a Costco, stop. Yep, exactly.
SPEAKER_04Oh gosh. Um now is there anything else that uh you would want people to know about uh not only just uh the animal response team there in Kansas, but maybe how to start one in other states or localities?
SPEAKER_00That's a great question. I'm so glad you asked. I think it is crucial to have as many animal response teams, whether they're on a city basis, a county basis, or a state basis. There are many people who are interested in animal response. So I think the first thing you need to do is assess the interest. And even if you get just a team of two or three or four people who are interested in animal response, we are working on some of the classes that we offer in person now to offer them on a virtual basis. And then if we get those up and running, we'll look at offering them to other states as well, too.
SPEAKER_04Okay. And if if somebody if somebody just needed uh learn some more information from you on either how to start or anything like that, could they go? I'm assuming they could go to uh ksart.org. Uh ksart.org.
SPEAKER_00They can do that. Uh or faster would be to just in email me. And the easiest email address is info at ksart.org.
SPEAKER_06Okay.
SPEAKER_00Those all go directly to me. I read every one of them. I get a little ding on my computer when an email comes in, so I always go and look right away. And uh because that's all I do. Just sit there and wait for the computer to ding.
SPEAKER_03Okay, Bob needs to get out.
SPEAKER_00Not quite true, but but not far from the truth.
SPEAKER_04Uh is there anything else that the animal response team does besides um evacuation and taking care of pets and service animals during a disaster?
SPEAKER_00I think public education is our biggest thing. Uh I've been out at events the last, oh, I would say three out of the last four weekend days, uh just sitting at a table with preparedness information, just to get the message out about preparedness and get more people to um to think about preparedness. The the other thing that we do is we give out those stickers that you put on your front door and says, firefighters save my pets. And you know, firefighters, I know you may have mixed feelings about that, but they are wonderful for me for getting people to come to the table because everybody wants one of those. Oh, yeah. So it gives me the chance to start the conversation about preparedness. So I give them their sticker, say, what else have you done to prepare your pet? Do you have one of these sheets here? Take this. It tells you how to set up a go bag, it tells you what you need to include in that go bag. It has some information about how uh about things that you maybe haven't thought of, like having a copy of your pet's vaccination records both on your phone and in hard copy, having a picture of your pet with you so that you can be identified as the proper owner of a pet if you're ever um if you're ever separated or if your pet ever ends up at a shelter because your neighbor brought them and you didn't. Uh, and also we encourage people to get their pets microchip.
SPEAKER_07I was just about ready to ask about that.
SPEAKER_00Yes, we we think microchipping is great. Um, I know people have fears about it, so I try to allay those fears. Just briefly, microchips do not transmit all the time. It's they're not tracking devices. I can't track a dog with uh with a with a microchip or buy its microchip. Uh microchip is only activated when the scanner passes over it. And it's a what's called a passive passive transponder.
SPEAKER_04Well, one thing I now this is one thing that uh the EMS service um that I used to work for was they gave us all the all the necessary basic equipment if we came across an animal that needed some some quick medical uh attention. Like uh we had uh oxygen mass, uh if a if uh if a pet or service animal was in like a house fire and they needed oxygen uh and other different pieces of equipment that uh we would need for quick animal intervention. Now, is that something that you would look to also to implement, or is that something um or not necessarily you, but maybe uh the loc localities were to advocate for or the state or what what would what would be thought on on that?
SPEAKER_00I think that's something great for people to think about, for localities to consider. Um I'll get I'll talk more about that in a second, but before I forget, I've read recently about some localities that are putting those microchip scanners locally for people just to use.
SPEAKER_07Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00Because animal control is overloaded and they can't get to you because they're dealing with something else and they it's gonna be an hour or so. Whereas if you could scan that microchip yourself and look it up on the registry, that would allow for a quicker reunification. We require pet first aid training for all of our volunteers. I have some uh vet techs and DVMs on my board of directors, and they're working with us on constantly revising our medical SOPs.
SPEAKER_04Most of the time, like EMS services are more than willing to help share in, especially oxygen, because it it you know it's going toward you know a pet that's been involved with something and just needs, you know, that little extra. So that's something that, you know, EMS, EMS especially would be more than usually are more than willing to help out in that capacity.
SPEAKER_00That's that's good to know, and uh we'll investigate that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um Well, Bob, uh is there anything else? Uh any kind of thoughts on what you would like the public to know about pets and service animals or just anything in general?
SPEAKER_00Make a point about service animals. Emotional support animals, while they are important, they do not enjoy the same legal protections as service animals.
SPEAKER_04Okay. That's oh that's a that's an interesting tidbit.
SPEAKER_00Yes, that is an interesting thing to know. Not everybody understands that. So uh basically any public building, public entity, if they're going to uh be faced with the position of allowing someone with a service animal, first of all, the ADA says that a service animal can be a dog or in some cases a miniature horse. That's all. There are no service ferrets, there are no service armadillos, there are no service snakes, okay. They might be emotional support armadillos or snakes or ferrets, right? But they don't enjoy the same protection under the law that that the service animals do. Interesting. There are two questions that a an organization can ask regarding a service animal. Number one, is this animal required to assist with a disability that you have? And that's just a yes or no question, not what is the disability or anything like that. It's a yes or no. What and number two, what is this animal trained to do? You are not allowed to ask for a demonstration of that skill, you're not allowed to ask for a certification letter or proof of training. Just is this animal required for a disability? And what task is it trained to do?
SPEAKER_04Interesting.
SPEAKER_00That's the only thing that you can ask about service animals. And those are perfectly legitimate legal questions under the ADA for people to ask. But those are the only two. Okay. Uh emotional support animals can be denied entry because they don't enjoy the same legal protection. Uh, you hear things on the radio and TV, have your pet certified as an emotional support animal, never be separated from them again. Uh don't spend money to get a letter that from them that might not be worth anything.
SPEAKER_06Okay.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Um I I in all in all fairness, I've not checked out every single one of them, but I know for sure that the only animals that are protected under the ADA are service animals that are required for disability and are trained to do a specific task. It's up to individual businesses whether they want to allow emotional support animals. Okay.
SPEAKER_06Okay.
SPEAKER_00Number two, if you have a service animal, have a backup plan because a tornado, an earthquake, a fire might injure your animal and it will be incapacitated and unable to help you. So don't forget that possibility. I hate to think of it happening, but have a backup plan for that as well.
SPEAKER_06Okay.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Um then the other thing I want people just to know about pets and all animals, service animals, emotional support animals. Have a plan. Practice your plan. Gather the equipment that you need before you need it, because the less time you have to spend in the danger zone, the safer you are and the safer they are.
SPEAKER_04All right. I mean, that's that's that's all uh that's all in planning.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's great. Well, Bob, I appreciate it. Yeah, I appreciate this. This is this has been quite informative. Uh it really is. Yeah, I mean, this has been uh it been kind of kind of eye opening a little bit, just because this is one of the few things that you know you really don't think about unless you're in animal control or it it's too late, the disaster's already here. So yeah, this has been awfully informative. Thank you so much, Bob.
SPEAKER_00Oh, it's been my pleasure. I'm I'm glad it was informative. I hope And I'm happy to take questions at info at a s ar.org.
SPEAKER_04Great. Well, I I I encourage everybody to do that because I think I think every area in the United States, uh even Canada, Mexico, basically anybody in the world that that has you know, people have pets and they have service animals. And you know, whether whether we want to admit it or not, I mean they are just a as big a part of family as as your sons or daughters or your wives or husbands or whatever. So I mean this is this has been this has been great. Thank you so much, Bob, for joining us.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for having me. It's been my pleasure.
SPEAKER_04All right. Well, ladies and gentlemen, give a warm applause for Bob Petemsky. Ah, make sure I got this last name right. Bob Potemski, ladies and gentlemen.
SPEAKER_03Greetings and welcome to another edition of the Grand Squirrel Theater, where true stories are told, but in a theatrical style. In this episode's recital, our ill-mannered director tells a tale of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Sit back and enjoy this wonderful saga entitled The Very Last of the Red Hot Lovers.
SPEAKER_04It's a beautiful Sunday here in Miami, the kind of day in which every person has just a little more joy and that much more relaxed. For us first responders, it usually means a pretty chill shift. I'm a paramedic named Tony, and my medic partner of four years is Debbie. The morning we start a new shift, I always ask Deb or the firefighters we work with this question. What are we gonna get into today? Nobody really takes that question seriously because we all know every shift is different. Our shift on this Sunday was fairly slow. Nothing to call home about. We all started thinking about what to cook for dinner and a movie to watch. As day turned into night, with our bellies full of Derek's Jamaican ribs, that guy knows how to barbecue. We sat down to watch our movie. Just as the universal sign started orbiting the earth on the TV, the tones dropped. Possible altered mental status at an assisted living facility. So, up and at the door we went. Upon arrival, we noticed four officers, one nurse, and a tall elderly man standing in the parking lot. Deb said, Huh, I wonder which one is our patient. As we got out of our truck, we were greeted by Officer Samuel. He told us, I just wanted to check this guy out medically. He's had quite a weekend. When I asked to elaborate, he said, I'll let him tell you. So I walked up to the man. Deb and I started our consciousness assessments, which this man passed with flying colors. His name is Paul, and he's 93. He then agreed to having his vitals taken, all within normal limits. At this point, I asked, Would you like to tell me about your weekend? A wry smile suddenly appeared on this well-groomed gentleman. All started in. Well, on Friday, I went to the bank, pulled out $15,000, and then rented a hotel room for the weekend in South Beach. I ordered three escorts, they brought the cocaine, and we partied all weekend long. As a medic, I had to process this. Deb, Ever the Street Shooter, wanted to make sure she heard this story right by asking, You had hookers and cocaine all weekend? Paul's reply, I sure did. Deb followed up, How do you feel now? Paul said, just fine, ready to go to my room and go to bed. My curiosity suddenly became twofold. I wanted to hear all about Paul's weekend, but I was wondering why we were out there. So I walked up to the nurse from the facility and asked her that question. Her answer was, Well, he does this a couple times a year, so where he just leaves for a weekend without telling us. I investigated further. So in this assisted living facility, residents can't come and go as they please, even when they have their own car. The nurse said, Normally yes, but his sons get angry with him for spending his money like this. They want us to notify them when he does, and to call you to take him for psychiatric help. She went on to say that Paul has never had a psych episode or become violent. She also stated that after she got off the phone with one of Paul's sons, he has insisted we take him. At this point, I explained to her that I didn't have a medical reason to take him, and since Paul is awake alert and oriented, I have to accept Paul's refusal to go to the hospital. She then called Officer Samuel over and demanded Paul be taken into custody and transported to the hospital for a psyche bow. Samuel explained in great detail why he couldn't do that. That made this nurse even more frustrated to the point she asked this question: When am I supposed to tell the sons?
SPEAKER_03Officer Samuel said what we were all thinking.
SPEAKER_04Telling him he had a good weekend and that he's safe and sound in his room. She stormed off. The rest of us were gathered around Paul, telling us about his fun yet exhausting weekend. None of us are advocates for drugs and hookers, but after hearing all about this 93-year-old's exploits, we were in awe. Some gave Paul a pat on the back as we were getting ready to leave. Deb told him to be careful. I just looked at Paul and stated, Well done! As we pulled away, Paul waved and said, I'm sure I'll see you all again soon. Gotta love families. We got back to the station to start our movie again. Scarface, one of Deb's favorites. It's kind of ironic. As for Paul, we heard he passed away five months later at a hotel in Key West. That he shared with a female companion. Hmm. Good for you, Paul. Good for you. Yeah, good for you, Paul. I want to thank his name's not really Tony. But it does come from South Florida. For that story, uh, he emailed us and said, Hey, what do you think about this? And I was like, Interesting. But I had to change the names to Protect the Innocent. Now. Ain't this good fun, you know? I mean, really. Yeah, we uh we've had a good time today, believe it or not. And I hope you all had a wonderful time. I know I did. Um, but yeah. So we w it's it the scandals. I I I went on a rant. Hopefully I didn't uh, you know, type uh you know, bring you down or get you mad. I was the only one getting mad. You all don't need to get mad, I'll get mad for you. But yeah, scandals are just um no matter what, they're gonna they're gonna rear their ugly head sometimes, and we just have to deal with them. And uh maybe something like this will happen the next time somebody does something. I love that one. It was great. Anyway, uh so yeah, just you know, just like I said, look for looking for warning signs, look for something that's just kinda off talking to people You know, we don't need any more, and we need to wait out the people that that do this stuff. And if you say something that is just not right and i it goes against everything about being a first responder I hate it, I I hate doing this. But if it's something like this, yeah, you you gotta you gotta say something. I don't I don't want any more I don't we don't need victims because of some idiot. We really don't. So please say something. But the one thing about it is we have come to the end of this episode of 911 Squirrel. Uh hopefully you've all had some fun and also may have learned something. Uh I'd like to thank Bob Potemski for joining us. Really like the info Bob had and the work he is doing. I think service animals, pets, um, there's there's the law out there, so make sure you follow that law. Uh, because let's face it, pets are just like family, and you'd hate it if your dog or cat or hamster or snake, you know, uh died. So anyway, thank you for Bob for uh for coming on joining us, and go you know, go to ksartksart.com for if you have any inquiries or more information on if you have stories, know someone you want to spotlight, have questions, comments, please email us at 911 Squirrel Podcast at gmail.com, or go to our socials on Facebook, Instagram, all under 911 Squirrel Podcast. Hey, subscribe to our podcast and leave reviews. I mean, come on, people. We like hearing everything that we're doing, whether you like it, whether you don't like it. Give us ideas, give us recipes, tell us your hat size, all that kind of stuff. Please go do that. We want to hear from you, we want to hear your stories for crying out loud. That's what makes squirrel theater so much fun. Anyway, subscribe to our podcast, leave reviews, do all that kind of stuff. Okay, no ifs, ands, or buts. And remember, you are part of the team, help each other, stay safe. Oh, and God bless you all. And we look forward to having you on the next episode, which actually might be a good one. All right, thank you all for listening. We'll see you next time.