Episodes
Sunday Jun 23, 2019
Customer Perceived Value - Putting a Price on Safe Schools
Sunday Jun 23, 2019
Sunday Jun 23, 2019
You can’t put a price tag on keeping schools safe – or can you? The $3 billion school safety industry is on a nonstop trajectory for both number of bills proposed and bills enacted to legislate, and sometimes fund, a staggering array of new mandates and unchecked block grants for school safety. CUSTOMER PERCEIVED VALUE. Customer perceived value (CPV) is the notion that the success of a product or service your business offers hinges on whether customers believe it can satisfy their wants and needs. Most of us can relate to this when purchasing a car. The salesperson will gauge what is important to us and tailor the pitch. If we are looking for a family vehicle, then safety and space are selling points. If it’s a commuter, then it’s fuel economy and ease to maneuver in traffic. WHEN THE PARENT IS THE CUSTOMER. Let’s be honest, school boards are entry-level political positions. Superintendents last 2-3 years in the role, and a teacher with 5 years in the same school is a seasoned veteran. The stats support all of that, but there’s something else going on. School boards and school leadership were entrusted to become informed and then to make the critical decisions about school operations. Today, the CPV model has changed. The parent is the customer and the school leaders and boards are dancing to their tune. When the perceived value is increased student safety, it’s practically unthinkable to assign a price tag to “peace of mind.” This isn’t a callous statement. But, with all the grant money being hurled at schools with minimal guidance and even less accountability, the vendors swoop with amazing presentations to sell schools unproven window dressings. And, it works as we are now convinced that (1) any device might contribute to making a school safer and (2) it’s savage to put a price limit on school safety. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOLS. First, the current model of school safety spending isn’t sustainable. Just as we accept that there isn’t a price cap on school safety, couldn’t the argument be made to spend ten times what we are spending now for more bollards, armored busses, fences, guards – and, you know, the things they use at prisons? Second, school safety conferences have become overrun by fortification vendors. The list of speakers is FBI, CIA, FBI, and whatever. The scholars of the field don’t get to the stage as they know we can’t fortify our way to safety – and that message isn’t congruent with the $50,000 the conference is raking in from device-selling vendors and sponsors. The latest trend is to hand the breakout sessions over to the vendors. Instead of a breakout on learning about conducting focus groups with students, it’s now a presentation about window films to slow an intruder. What? And, once these practices are vetted, the weeds are difficult to remove and the lawn is just green and that’s fine, I suppose. ARE GOVERNMENT SAFETY GRANTS AN ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN THE SOCIAL CONTRACT? The message from the heap of safety bills and plush grant funding is that to “solve” the problem of school safety, administrators, boards, teachers, parents and students must look external to the government. It’s called the transference dynamic and it was used as a political means to justify all kinds of spending to fortify the US from Russia in the early 1980s (read School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America). To makes schools safer, we need to get the kids involved – and crack the Youth Code of Silence in which 81% of the time someone else, usually a peer, was aware ahead of time of a pending school attack. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com This is episode 101.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Paris Must Learn From Citicorp Tower's Fatal Flaw
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Tuesday May 14, 2019
In 1978, an engineering student discovered a fatal structural flaw in New York City’s just-completed Citicorp Tower. What happened next wasn’t made public for nearly 20 years! NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL FIRE LEAD CONTAMINATION. Dr. Perrodin juxtaposes the Citicorp Tower dilemma with the modern day unfolding crisis of massive lead contamination resultant of the April, 2019, Notre Dame Cathedral Fire. Per the Guardian (in an article by Angelique Chrisafis dated May 9th), “The Paris police statement on Thursday said that on the surface of pavements and gardens immediately adjoining the cathedral, lead levels were found to be very high: between 32 and 65 times the recommended limit by French health authorities. The areas closest to the cathedral are currently closed. Lead levels are also high within the cathedral itself.” Wow! Dr. Perrodin notes that similar “defiant” articles are surfacing that both bring awareness to the lead contamination and bluntly state the dire short and long term health risks associated with approximately 500,000 pounds of lead vaporized from the cathedral’s roof. Chrisafis’s article later notes, “But the French environmental campaign group Robin des Bois has warned that about 300 tonnes of lead from the cathedral’s roof and steeple had melted in the blaze. The cathedral has been reduced to the state of toxic waste,” the association said shortly after the fire, urging authorities to detoxify the tonnes of rubble, ash and wastewater produced in the disaster. WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING IN PARIS? David states that Paris officials are aware of the breadth and depth of the lead contamination issue and that there’s likely a contingency plan being assembled to deal with thousands of people impacted by lead in their bodies secondary to the Notre Dame fallout. Dr. Perrodin wasn’t surprised that areas close to the cathedral weren’t registering high levels of lead contamination as he points out that the thick plume of lead-laden smoke probably carried the highest concentrations of lead 2-3 miles from the cathedral before cooling and the particles dusted over Paris. PARIS HAS A LOT TO LOSE. Yep, admission of widespread lead contamination would destroy tourism (the economic engine of Paris) and how do you tackle lead abatement in a population dense region? Chernobyl could be isolated - you can’t do the same with Paris. Also, imagine the litigation! What happens to the $billion in donations to rebuild NDC when thousands of people rack up medical bills due to complications from lead exposure? The public health crisis would be off the charts! THE CITICORP TOWER FLAW COULD HAVE KILLED 20,000 PEOPLE. Chief structural engineer, William LeMessurier, is largely credited as the person responsible for creating the wondrous Citicorp Tower in 1977. He was a thoughtful engineer and put the design of the tower through its paces with wind test scale simulations in the world’s best lab and worked the standard battery of industry calculations. The tower was built in an innovative way to accommodate an existing church. Hence, the pillars that supported the tower were moved from the corners to the middle of each wall. A strong central pillar, like a mushroom stem, also supported the structure. WHAT WAS WRONG. LeMessurier received a call from an engineering graduate student who was puzzled at how the structure could withstand perpendicular winds. LeMessurier listened and upon further study of the building and learning of some last-minute changes that included having tension braces bolted in place rather than welded in place, he was terrified to be informed that the tower would collapse with encountering a 70 MPH wind from a certain angle. The tower had a tuned dampening system that would offset such winds, but it was electrical - and if the power went out during a storm - well, lights out! WHAT CITICORP DID RIGHT. LeMessurier the Citicorp brass, insurance folks, NYC officials and the NYC welder’s union acted in unison to quickly fortify the tower. They also hired 3 weather agencies to rigorously track weather conditions and formulated a 10-block evacuation plan in case of high winds. WHAT CITICORP DID WRONG. The workers in the tower or in proximal structures were NOT made aware that the tower could collapse. The decision to withhold this information was done to prevent panic and massive economic disruption to the city. In addition, officials believed they could evacuate the zone in time. However, Lemessurier is most strongly criticized for not sharing the wind shear information with the greater engineering community for several years. How many buildings were constructed AFTER Citicorp Tower without calculating for the peculiar wind shear factors confirmed by Lemessurier? In a recorded 1997 presentation he gave at a university, Lemessurier implies that other tall buildings existed that were susceptible to failure due to similar wind dynamics. How many of those structures might have been built differently, or retrofitted, had Lemessurier’s knowledge immediately been shared with building engineers? IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL SAFETY. Dr. Perrodin presents different scenarios that happen in schools. Each impacts the safety of the setting. How do the schools respond to each scenario if following what is unfolding in Paris or per the protocol established by the team that quietly mitigated the Citicorp flaw? FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Exempting Disabled Students from Safety Drills with Attorney James Sibley
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Attorney James Sibley is a potent advocate for special needs students and their families fighting for fair treatment. In this episode of the Safety Doc Podcast, Attorney Sibley and host David Perrodin discuss the sprawling practice of limiting or exempting students with disabilities from school safety instruction, drills and access to threat reporting systems. James and David employ authentic stories that educators and parents will relate to in this vibrant discussion that is not about assigning blame and all about a more informed way for parents, educators and students to think about how to calibrate inclusive school safety. REASONS FOR EXEMPTING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS FROM SAFETY INSTRUCTION. Attorney Sibley explains that educators think they are somehow "protecting" students with special needs by limiting their participation in safety drills. Many of these students present unique challenges during emergency situations and they shouldn't just be included in regular safety planning, there should be specialized safety plans in place for them. And, for those plans to be successful there needs to be preparation and practice. Dr. Perrodin adds that the hyper-realistic design of contemporary school intruder drills also prompts educators and parents to limit students with special needs from exposure to these types of drills. However, the question also arises of the appropriateness of these drills for all students and staff. Has the threshold of “reasonable” safety drills been crossed? LAWS FOR STUDENT SAFETY INSTRUCTION: IDEA and ADA. Attorney Sibley describes two of the primary laws that impact student safety instruction. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a piece of legislation that ensures the approximately 8 million students with a disability are provided a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. Students with disabilities that receive special education or related services have a plan developed by the school team and parents to meet the needs of the child. That plan can, and should, include specific instruction and supports to ensure the student’s safety is maintained during a crisis situation. The other significant piece of legislation addressed by Attorney Sibley is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). People commonly think of this in terms of ramped entrances and accessible bathrooms. However, he brought awareness to Chapter 7 Addendum 2: The ADA and Emergency Shelters: Access for All in Emergencies and Disasters identifies that one of the government’s (including schools) primary responsibilities is to protect people during disasters and emergencies and to provide shelter that accommodates all persons, including people with disabilities. INCORRECT APPLICATION OF THE IEP PROCESS RELATIVE TO STUDENT SAFETY. First, you can’t do something in the IEP that would violate the ADA. The IEP has a portion that includes testing accommodations and Attorney Sibley mentioned that as teams discuss this section it is sometimes incorrectly broadened to include participation in safety instruction. Ultimately, students can’t be exempted from school safety instruction or drills for any reason. ASKING QUESTIONS IS THE WAY TO LEARN ABOUT A STUDENT’S SAFETY INSTRUCTION AT SCHOOL. Attorney Sibley believes much can be learned when parents adopt an inquiry-based approach to learning about their child’s school safety instruction and participation in drills. He gave the example of the following questions a parent might pose to school staff: “Are these drills designed to increase and enhance the safety on the campus? And if the answer is yes, is there some reason that you don’t want my child to be safe – as I want them to be safe and I assume you do, too.” WE UNDER-ESTIMATE THE POTENTIAL OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES DURING CRISIS SITUATIONS. Dr. Perrodin gave accounts of educators that exempted children with special needs from drills only because they anticipated that they would not perform well during the drill. In fact, the student had never been afforded the opportunity to demonstrate competency in the drill. Attorney Sibley added a story of when he was a Scout Leader and the Scouts, including some with disabilities, needed to respond to a rapidly rising river. Although the Scouts hadn’t practiced for that specific scenario, they had practiced for unforeseen situations and also recognized a chain of command. They processed the flood without panic and, as Attorney Sibley underscores, students with special needs will surprise us with how well they can handle emergency situations. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com Learn more about ADA Chapter 7 Addendum 2 at https://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap7shelterprog.pdf
About our guest, please visit
- https://specialeducationcounsel.com/attorney/james-b-sibley-esq/
- http://survivingspecialeducation.com/ (Personal Website)
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Why the Sidelines of School Safety Are a Tragic Act of Kindness
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Schools are exempting students with disabilities from participating in safety instruction and safety drills. These misplaced pardons are enabled via an incorrect application of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process or a district-generated parent “opt-out” form. First, let’s be clear that it is illegal to exempt students from mandated fire drills. However, the practice is sprawling, unchecked and not enforced. Dr. Perrodin predicts deadly consequences from “protecting” children with special needs from receiving proper safety instruction. ANECDOTES. David kickstarts this episode by noting he is donning a beanie and insulated jacket as the basement of his North Star Studio was barely pushing the thermometer to 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Worse yet, the evening temperature would dip to minus ten degrees - a bit brisk for March. He shuffles through a few thoughts on his mind including: Why aren’t windshield’s more durable; How his home town issued a rare decree liberating residents from shoveling their sidewalks for the rest of winter; Why is it that people forget the blatant racism of Dr. Seuss’ cartoons during World War II; and looking ahead to the August 10th release of his book School of Errors - Rethinking School Safety in America. THE PROBLEM WITH EXEMPTING STUDENTS FROM SAFETY DRILLS: There are at least 10 million school-age children with disabilities in America and they aren’t receiving the same quality of safety instruction as their non-disabled peers. Per disability rights attorney James Sibley, “It is amazing how schools think that "sparing" special ed students from participation in fire drills active shooter drills and the like is showing them some sort of kindness. Many disabled students present special challenges during emergency situations and they shouldn't just be included in regular safety planning, there should be specialized safety plans in place for them. And, for those plans to be successful there needs to be preparation and practice.” Students must be provided skills that will generalize to home, stores or trips. And, these skills must be resilient and reliable as the student exits school and enters the post-secondary setting. WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US ABOUT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND SCHOOL SAFETY. Davis, Alicia & Gast, David. (1998). Social safety for young children: A review of the literature on safety skills instruction. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. 18. 222-234. “Young children in today's society may find themselves in situations that require appropriate action in order to avoid dire consequences, such as injury of death. These situations may be the result of contact with objects in the physical environment action in order to avoid dire consequences, such as injury or death. such as guns, knives, or toxins. In other cases, children may be faced with confronting dangers in the social environment, such as avoiding the lures of strangers or responding to the abuse or neglect of a caregiver. Although safety education programs are implemented frequently in school settings, few research studies have systematically evaluated the methodology for teaching safety skills to young children.” Dr. Perrodin praised this study and also noted it was perhaps the best available on school safety instruction although it was done more than 2 decades ago. He pointed out that the study urged future research not be conducted in a group style, but individualized, and that it was critical to conduct “in vivo” data gathering - or to observe the child in various natural settings including school. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com
Sunday Dec 30, 2018
Temporary Autonomous Zones, Burning Man and Slab City
Sunday Dec 30, 2018
Sunday Dec 30, 2018
Coined in 1990 by anarchist scholar Hakim Bey, the term temporary autonomous zone (T.A.Z.) seeks to preserve the creativity, energy and enthusiasm of autonomous uprisings without replicating the inevitable betrayal and violence that has been the reaction to most revolutions throughout history. The answer, according to Bey, lies in refusing to wait for a revolutionary moment, and instead create spaces of freedom in the immediate present whilst avoiding direct confrontation with the state. BURNING MAN. Once a year, tens of thousands of people gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. In this crucible of creativity, all are welcome. Burning Man is not a festival. Burning Man is a community. A temporary city. A global cultural movement that doesn’t book acts or provide entertainment. What happens here is up to you! There is no corporate sponsorship. You are entering a “decommodified” space that values who you are, not what you have. You are expected to collaborate, be inclusive, creative, connective and clean up after yourself. Participate actively as a citizen of Black Rock City (Temporary city) (NEVADA) approximately 100 north-northeast of Reno. SLAB CITY. Slab City, or The Slabs, is a free campsite and alternative living community located near an active bombing range in the desert city of Niland, California. Previously an old WWII base, Marine barracks Camp Dunlap, the campsite earns its name for the concrete slabs that remained long after the military base had been bulldozed and abandoned. The permanent residents, also known as “slabbers,” most often end up in Slab City due to poverty (many are said to subsist off government checks), though some also stay for the feeling of freedom that comes with living in an uncontrolled, off-grid area in the middle of the desert. With no electricity, fresh water, or sewage treatment, residents are forced to rely on solar panels and their own waste system. The residents share one communal shower, a concrete cistern that is fed by a hot spring 100 yards away. DAVID’S POSITION ON DECLARING TAZ’s DURING DISASTERS. Dr. Perrodin notes that pseudo-TAZ’s manifested when non-profit rescue organizations, such as Cajun Navy Relief, efficiently integrated into rapidly-scaling rescue forces following Hurricanes Irma & Harvey. Unfortunately, government emergency operations centers’ orders sidelined these same types of non-profits a year later from participating in the Hurricane Florence rescue. David argues that a national decree of “TAZ Immunity” should be issued during times of immense national distress. CHINA’S SOCIAL CREDIT SCORES. Dr. Perrodin closes this show with a primer discussion about China’s individual social credit scores that will be assigned to every citizen in 2020. “Low” scores can result in people being denied plane tickets or even having Internet speeds slowed. What might this practice look like if introduced in America? FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com
Saturday Sep 22, 2018
Raw Truth About Hurricane Florence's Rescue Systems | Katie Pechon Interview
Saturday Sep 22, 2018
Saturday Sep 22, 2018
EOC blockaded in-place 501(c)(3) rescue forces eager to collaborate with government agencies to save lives in peril due to Hurricane Florence. Dr. Perrodin interviewed Katie Pechon and Jamie Hough of Triton Relief Group to obtain true, at times horrific, accounts of rescue efforts attempting to assist the Carolinas. WHAT IS TRITON RELIEF GROUP? Triton Relief Group (TRG) is a non-profit, registered, 501(c)(3) organization committed to our goal of providing a helping hand, where it's needed, through rescue, charity, donations and support. TRG has morphed from rescue to providing relief efforts; delivering food, water, medicine and much more. It has a huge store of experience and wisdom with several members with military training and numerous special certifications. WHAT IS A 501(c)(3) AND WHY DOES THAT MATTER? Being "501(c)(3)" means that a particular nonprofit organization has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt, charitable organization. "Charitable" is broadly defined as being established for purposes that are religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering of national or international amateur sports, or prevention of cruelty to animals and children. Triton Relief Group ensures that all donations to support the organization are diligently routed to supporting the boots-on-ground efforts of the rescuers – from diesel fuel to meals for weary rescuers. As the organization skillfully uses technology, it has very little overhead and dispatchers work from their homes, not an office complex. WHAT HAS IMPROVED IN RESCUES SINCE LAST YEAR? Katie quickly noted the technology app, Zello, has sharply improved to allow for confidential communications and that TRG follows FEMA response protocols preventing an overlap of rescue dispatches with other agencies. TRG also has a more efficient ticket system and conducts background checks on all members. Despite these gains, significant barriers arose… WHAT IS WORSE THAN RESCUES LAST YEAR? Katie and Jamie, a boat captain who had conducted numerous rescues in Hurricane Harvey, agreed that government EOC, or Emergency Operation Centers, were passively refusing to cooperate with TRG – to the point where TRG had numerous boats in the Carolinas before flooding impacted communities. It's difficult to determine the root bottlenecks in EOC as state governors were openly supportive of not-for-profit rescue forces assisting local municipalities. Through his first-hand stories, Jamie expressed frustration that local governments would call for help, but then refuse to accept it and not explicitly state concerns of liability or, as Dr. Perrodin suggests, perhaps FEMA’s EOC’s stubbornness was due to the agency’s unwillingness to admit that it could not maintain the “social contract” of the government being able to protect its citizens. Dr. Perrodin believes the hesitation resides at the federal level of FEMA EOC and is manifested at sub-levels through informal directives. The 10th Amendment appears to have supported previous large-scale civilian rescues forces on 09/11/01 and again with Hurricane Harvey in 2017 - both of those with much less technical resources, expertise and scalability of Triton Relief Group. WHAT IF WE OUTLAW CIVILIAN RESCUE FORCES? David warns that if civilian rescue forces are no longer allowed to exist that our country becomes immediately weaker and less able to mobilize and scale in response to sentinel disasters. HOW CAN FEMA SURVIVE? Katie noted that her organization is not trying to work against EOCs. I argue that FEMA has become outdated and should be struck from the record and a totally new agency installed in its place to embrace the inventory of, and connecting of, all available resources. I even have a name for the new agency: National Emergency Inventory and Activation Network (NEIAN). SUPPORT TRITON RELIEF GROUP! I urge you to support TRG by visiting www.tritonrelief.org FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com.
Saturday Aug 25, 2018
Saturday Aug 25, 2018
The statute of limitations was up - so we could finally record this podcast! Why is John Steele thinking of leaving Seattle after 24 years & where is his car's headrest? GROWING UP IN NYC. After growing up in New York, John escaped to Seattle, finding the city affordable, relaxed and relatively unspoiled by rampant development. NYC had deteriorated and John noted the drug culture dominated the city he from which he was planning his escape. So he flipped coasts - and Seattle was unspoiled. Microsoft was just preparing to launch the Windows operating system and Amazon had yet to celebrate its first birthday. AND THEN SEATTLE CHANGED. I suppose all communities are always changing and John pointed out that there are many aspects of the city that he continues to enjoy such as the perk of having an Amazon order delivered to his door in an hour. However, the homeless population is burgeoning and John shares that a friend who is a police officer was directed to “stand down” if observing a person using drugs in public. PROPERTY VALUES SKYROCKETED. John’s condo value has increased from $150,000 to $600,000 in 24 years. He has considered selling it and moving an hour away from the city. As a minimalist, he is thoughtful to not have possessions that own him, through insurance or taxes, upkeep or else bringing attention to him. CAR WAS STOLEN. It wasn’t long ago that John’s car was stolen. His ride wasn’t new, but, as he states with a laugh, “It was the longest relationship I had been in!” The silver lining was that the police allowed him to keep the cache of stolen video games the thieves left in the trunk of car (although his missing headrest was never recovered). This underlined the reality that property crimes were rising and encroaching on his home. Then, a presumed homeless or mentally ill person darted out in front of him while he was driving his new car. He didn’t hit the person, but again the message was delivered that the city was less predictable that it had been 24 years ago. PRIVATE DETECTIVE. Want to know a few borderline techniques for obtaining sensitive information? John recounts tricks of the trade he was made aware of in his decade stint as a private detective. His entertaining accounts also reveal that security protocols are easily foiled by simple approaches, such as using a TTY line to request private information. MAJOR LEAGUE - just a bit outside... David and John toss out a few lines from the memorable baseball comedy film Major League and Indians announcer Harry Doyle makes a cameo to give a shout out to the podcast’s sponsors. Listen in to this fun show that parses out the role that situational awareness plays as one determines if it’s finally time to move on to a “safer” residence – and if such a place even exists somewhere out there over Mount Rainier. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com. THIS EPISODE’S GUEST. Find John Steele on Twitter @John_Steele99 or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnSteeleshow
Friday Aug 17, 2018
Friday Aug 17, 2018
In his book Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes famously imagines human beings in a state of nature where life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” People will, Hobbes argues, quickly flee such a terrible condition, creating for their own protection a mighty Sovereign and enter into a social contract. Dr. Perrodin discusses how Hobbes’ perspective on the absolute need for social constructs manifested in the unfathomable harbor rescue of 500,000 people from Lower Manhattan on 09/01/2001 and again when Cajun Navy Relief rescued countless numbers of people stranded by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey in 2017. Something is stirring in the field of social contract theory. WHO WAS THOMAS HOBBES? Thomas Hobbes lived through the English Civil War. The long and bloody struggle between the parliament and crown motivated and shaped his political ideas. Hobbes studied how people lived together - without killing each other! LEVIATHAN AND SOCIAL CONTRACTS. Leviathan rigorously argues that civil peace and social unity are best achieved by the establishment of a commonwealth through social contract. Hobbes's ideal commonwealth is ruled by a sovereign power responsible for protecting the security of the commonwealth and granted absolute authority to ensure the common defense. In his introduction, Hobbes describes this commonwealth as an "artificial person" and as a body politic that mimics the human body. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL SAFETY. Schools are investing in expensive, unproven, or proven for a very narrow benefit (bollards) items. Parents are more willing than ever to surrender rights to privacy in exchange for safer schools. But, is this necessary, where does it end, and what happens to the social contract when parents have nothing left to offer to the state? Dr. Perrodin argues that there is virtually no questioning, no deliberations - the safety grants are there and most schools can make changes to buildings to improve safety and it’s exempted from spending caps - but again, is this making schools safer or just moving the targets? He also states that short-term social contracts in which people severed their contract with the state and replaced it with a contract with Cajun Navy Relief, for example, is actually a very positive sign for the future of enabling rescue systems to organically arise during a crisis. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to comments & emails. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com.
Sunday May 28, 2017
Sunday May 28, 2017
In January, Bri Hansen co-produced a documentary for an international non-profit that nearly escaped disaster on more than one occasion. In this riveting and fun interview with The Safety Doc, she shares edge-of-your seat accounts with danger and how specific planning informs traveling on foreign grounds. ABOUT BRI. Bri Hansen is a twenty-something year old frequent international traveler since age 11, including over a dozen trips to Haiti. She’s explored France, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Jamaica as well as most of the 50 states. THE MOTORCYCLE INCIDENT. While filming on a documentary in Haiti, a man riding a motorcycle approached Bri’s crew upset and claiming that light reflecting from equipment momentarily blinded him. He sought some sort of compensation for his alleged near-accident experience. Bri shared that such matters can be resolved by pretending to include someone in a scene, a small payoff or else standing firm that no wrongdoing occurred and wait for the man to leave. FIND A NATIVE GUIDE. Bri found that efficiency in navigating areas, as well as personal safety, is increased by having locals as friends and paying them to be guides if needed. GUT FEELINGS. Bri recalled being stuck at the airport in a confined room – machine gun and a desk, upon arrival because she hadn’t completed the location section on her Custom Form. PREPARATION & TIPS. Bri plans a detailed itinerary and gives a copy to someone at home. A quick call alerting your credit card company of your travel locations and dates can prevent a declined card. Traveler’s insurance is certainly worth the low premium and strongly endorsed by Bri. Countries also have entrance and exit fees – so have the requisite cash ready! Know your conversions! Bri prints a little cheat sheet and keeps it in her wallet. She advocates the use of Google Maps and taking screen shot of your maps and turning off your data when you leave WIFI. Take a photo of hike trails, not ideal, because phones die, but maps get wet, and it gets dark. Better to have 2. Guidebooks with maps. She prints Google maps out with her itinerary. RECONNAISSANCE & AVOIDING CONFLICT. Bri urges travelers to visit travel.state.gov to learn about visa requirements, local laws, customs, medical care, warnings and alerts in new destinations. In addition, consider the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and contacting the local embassy to make them aware of your presence in the country. Finally, the CDC can offer recommended vaccinations depending upon your travel plans. THINGS YOU LEARN AS YOU TRAVEL. Bri encourages making friends on the airplane and that “joining” a group might make it easier to get through customs compared to presenting as a solo traveler. Don’t make eye contact and don’t be flashy. Ask permission before taking photos and be mindful of brandishing electronic equipment and jewelry. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/UB1vL_nrJJ0 FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel and SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread comments or questions & also to emails. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host and guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show is curse free and adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse and debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com
Saturday Feb 25, 2017
Saturday Feb 25, 2017
Dylan Allman is a rising political scholar alarmed by the growth of government and its invasion into personal privacy as protected by the 4th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. POLAR POSITIONS REGARDING THE PATRIOT ACT. During this riveting interview, Mr. Allman challenges the tenets of the Patriot Act, something that host Dr. Perrodin has openly supported for its assumed function of removing barriers to the exchange of threat leakage information between law enforcement agencies. Dr. Perrodin also believes that government surveillance thwarts countless threats aimed at the American people – things we never read or hear about due to the classified nature of such operations. Yet, Dr. Perrodin admits that his belief is perhaps a reality created by his own positionality and that such covert operations will never, by function, be transparent to the populace. BE SKEPTICAL. Mr. Allman introduces deeper skepticism to the conversation, implying that Dr. Perrodin seek to better inform his position about the value that the NSA, and like, organizations that might not authentically contribute to safety. Both Mr. Allman and Dr. Perrodin find themselves questioning the purpose of the Patriot Act as peaceful protests, from streets to college campuses, are rapidly eroding into riots between persons subscribed to “The Left” or “The Right” – a pattern that seemingly would be suppressed by the knowledge skimmed by the National Security Agency (NSA) and other covert government organizations purposed with identifying and stopping terrorism. MASS MEDIA DELIBERATELY AROUSING PUBLIC FEAR? Has the mass media purposely saturated Americans with feelings of fear and insecurity and have we become so distanced from the constructs of the Founding Fathers that the Constitution has taken a backseat to Executive Orders? PERSONAL SAFETY. Ultimately, this earnest discussion positions personal safety in the capable hands of the people and beckons all listeners to not only preserve the remnants of their rights, but to restore the rights granted to the states, localities and citizens by the Founding Fathers. NON-AGGRESSION. Both men embrace the non-aggression principle and liberty via the ballot and not the bullet. Follow Dylan Allman on Twitter @realDylanAllman FORMATS: You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129/sdp16-examining-the-patriot-act-privacy-freedom-and-safety-interview-with-dylan-allman or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel and SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread comments or questions & also to emails. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host and guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show is curse free and adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse and debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to this BLOG and to “The Safety Doc Podcast” on YouTube – new episodes posted each week! The truth will keep you safe! YouTube Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSkJ6u6RnBg