The Safety Doc Podcast: Recent Episodes
David P. Perrodin, PhD
Cameras and video surveillance have become ubiquitous with school safety. Those super-tech tools have amazing capabilities - such as zooming in to read print on a piece of paper on the hallway floor. But, cameras are almost exclusively forensic equipment - they might be helpful for identifying who stole a jacket from a locker. From a prevention standpoint, cameras are over-hyped. Realistically, nobody is watching a dozen live camera streams. And, it’s unlikely that camera systems will allow law enforcement to track and intercept a school shooter who is inside of a school. But, perhaps the bad rap of cameras should be re-visited. Has Doc shifted his position on video surveillance in school settings, beginning with license plate readers? WHAT IS IT? This rabbit hole begins with license plate readers. Automated license plate reader (ALPRs) systems combine high-speed cameras and sophisticated software to capture and convert license plate images into data that can be compared with information in other databases. Cameras used in ALPRs may be mobile or stationary and are small enough to be mounted on police cars, road signs or traffic lights, or placed at the sides of roads or on bridges. License plate reader systems can collect a driver’s geographic location, along with the date and time a vehicle was in a particular place. DETERRENCE. A 2014 survey of more than 97,000 school bus driver’s found that 76,966 vehicles illegally passed school buses on a single day! As of 2015, thirteen states explicitly allow school districts to use cameras to capture drivers illegally passing stopped buses. Clearly marking school buses as having ALPRs and coupling that to billboards and media awareness campaigns might deter people from illegally passing buses. This is just one example of deterrence from ALPRs. Another might be ALPRs verifying parent’s vehicles entering a school area. What if a non-custodial guardian went to the school to take a student? And systems with ALPRs might notify office staff that the vehicle is not associated with someone approved to pick up the child. WHAT IF PLATE READERS COULD ALSO DETECT WEAPONS? In a 2021 research study titled: ‘Handgun detection using combined human pose and weapon appearance’, it was observed that “This work proposes the use of the human pose as complementary information to improve the performance of current handgun detectors based on deep learning. The human pose, defined as the relative position of the different joints and limbs of the human body, is quite characteristic in shootings.” In other words, deep learning AI is getting very good at identifying the pattern of not only a gun, but the human movements that happen prior to firing a gun. So, thinking beyond ALPRs, one can step into even more sophisticated AI that recognizes types of vehicles, shapes, and patterns. How about software paired with ALPRs in order to detect someone holding a gun or a knife? It’s not far-fetched, and already in place at some of the world’s most secure settings (we just don’t know about it). In the fight to mitigate drug overdoses, mosaic camera systems might be able to identify when someone collapses - and immediately flash that information to authorities. So, there’s much more capability here than simply reading license plates - and is that a good thing? ARE LICENSE PLATE READERS LEGAL? According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (2022), at least 16 states have statutes that expressly address the use of ALPRs or the retention of data collected by ALPRs. For example, Arkansas prohibits use of ALPRs by individuals, partnerships, companies, associations or state agencies. There are exceptions for limited use by law enforcement or controlling access to secure areas. And, data can not be preserved for more than 150 days. Vermont requires a law enforcement officer to be certified in the use of an automated license plate reader to operate such a system. Provides that active system data may only be accessed by an officer with a legitimate law enforcement purpose for the data. What is a ‘legitimate law enforcement purpose’ in a school setting, and who is monitoring how these systems are being accessed as well as how the data is kept secure? SAFETY WITHOUT COMPROMISING PRIVACY? ALPRs collects a lot of “customer” data. With data breaches commonplace, what are the risks of having ALPRs data hacked, or shared, or even sold? And, ALPRs data from a variety of locations might be able to identify an individual's behavior. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 202 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 01-10-2023.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
Have you imagined that not missing a day of high school could put you square in the driver’s seat of a new car? What began as a novel #truancy pilot roughly twenty years ago is becoming increasingly popular in high schools across America. Why are cash-strapped #schools ponying up cars for students with perfect, or near-perfect #attendance? What are the outcomes of these incentives? What are the positions of advocates and opponents? In this episode, Doc describes the “cars for attendance” trend speeding through the parking lots of America’s high schools. WHAT IS TRUANCY? States have statutory citations for compulsory school attendance and school attendance enforcement. These exist to compel students to attend school on a regular basis. Truancy, or unexcused absence from school, is informally referred to as “skipping school.” A “truant student'' is typically absent for several days, or weeks, during the school year. The pattern tends to be pervasive and the lack of regular attendance diminishes the student’s ability to benefit from instruction. Students who are truant are often ineligible to participate in organized sports and generally are not connected with school activities. TRUANCY REDUCTION: KEEPING STUDENTS IN SCHOOL. In September 2001, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice published a 16-page bulletin titled: Truancy Reduction, Keeping Students in School. Truancy had been well-studied by 2001, and although it impacted students of all ages, it was most prevalent in high schools. The report stated, “Truancy has been clearly identified as one of the early warning signs that youth are headed for potential delinquent activity, social isolation, and/or educational failure. Other studies established lack of commitment to school as a risk factor for substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, and dropping out of school.” OTHER CONSEQUENCES OF TRUANCY. The DOJ’s 2001 report predicted dire financial impacts of truancy and dropouts, including (1) Less educated workforce, (2) Business loss because of youth who “hang out” and/or shoplift during the day, (3) Higher daytime crime rates, and (4) cost of social services for families of children who are habitually truant. INCENTIVES FOR STUDENT ATTENDANCE - YOU GET A CAR! In 2022, Bastrop ISD partnered with the local Sames Bastrop Ford dealership to offer one lucky student the chance to win a car in its “Drive Sames 4 Education.” “Kristi Lee, BISD's district deputy superintendent, said the district has seen a dip in attendance and all students' grades. The free car acts as an incentive to get students to come back to class. For the 2021-22 school year, BISD had an attendance rate of 90.59% – the lowest rate in the last four years. When the pandemic originally hit, during the 2019-2020 school year, overall attendance was almost three percentage points higher at 93.67% (Comme, P. 2022).” Search engines return thousands of similar stories, from New Caney High School to Honey Grove ISD to San Antonio High School. ARGUMENTS FOR CARS AND HIGH-VALUE PRIZES. It works. Research has found that financial incentives typically are the most effective in driving teenagers. Oftentimes, parents will reward students with a cash bonus after they produce good grades. But on the contrary, children are more prone to strive for something they can control, like studying or even attendance (Prothero, A. 2017). On the flip side, incentives are much less effective for actual test scores. In other words, incentives work to motivate kids to attend school, but not necessarily to perform well in school. The cost of a car (and some of the prizes are used cars) might be $25,000, or less if donated by a dealership or community philanthropy. That expense is lower than the school funding a truancy officer or cuts to school funding due to lower enrollment. ARGUMENTS AGAINST CARS AND HIGH VALUE PRIZES. Schools create an artificial external reward system for something that should be internalized as having value. For example, we don’t brush our teeth to receive a chance to win a car from the dental office, although lack of dental hygiene could deteriorate our health and cost thousands of dollars to fix. Another argument is that the fact that high-value prizes increase attendance underscore that traditional school operations don’t motivate students. Maybe it’s a stale curriculum? It’s worth noting The Safety Doc Podcast episode 195 and guest Mike Dahle discussing how Esports is rocketing in popularity in schools - and also contributing to increased attendance. Yet, the majority of schools don’t offer Esports. For car raffles, people claim the optics look bad - of quasi-paying kids to attend school. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 201 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 01-03-2023.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
It’s counterintuitive, but research findings indicate that someone in need is more likely to receive help when one person is present compared to when several people are standing by. That’s right, you are less inclined to #help another person in trouble if you are in a group. But, wouldn’t the group be more capable and powerful to help than any single individual of the group? Most of us have seen inspiring videos of strangers locking arms to create a human chain in order to rescue a victim struggling in a swollen river. Anecdotally, we might be more willing to collectively intervene to counter a force of nature. That river won’t hire a lawyer and sue us. In this episode, Doc defines the bystander effect, identifies the three types of #bystandereffect, provides reasons for the #bystander effect, and concludes with ways to overcome the bystander effect. WHAT IS THE BYSTANDER EFFECT? “Psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley identified a pattern of behavior they called the bystander effect, which they demonstrated in their labs for the first time in 1968. They describe it as a #behavior that occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation. Latané and Darley were spurred to their studies by the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese in New York City, a case that became infamous because of observers’ inaction (Vernon, J., Overcoming the Bystander Effect. American Scientist). Genovese, age 28, was returning from her job as a manager of a bar when she was brutally attacked and murdered near her residence in Queens, New York. 38 eye witnesses stood by as she was stabbed and killed. None of them called the police. 3 TYPES OF BYSTANDER EFFECT. Researchers Latané and Darley (1970), proposed three different psychological processes that might prevent a bystander from helping a person in distress. (1) diffusion of responsibility; (2) evaluation apprehension (fear of being publicly judged); and (3) pluralistic ignorance (the tendency to rely on the over-reactions of others when defining an ambiguous situation). REASONS FOR THE BYSTANDER EFFECT. When we are in a group, it’s easier to assume that someone else will step and do something - that there is someone “better-qualified” to lend help. When people make the assumption that someone will spring into action, no one actually steps up and helps. And, oddly, the most common observation at the scene of an accident is a sea of people aiming their phones at the incident. This also amplifies evaluation apprehension as an individual’s attempts to render aid will be forensically analyzed from fifty angles. Undoubtedly, the lack of overt public education about Good Samaritan laws (all at the state level) toss dust into the cost-reward measurement of potential responders. “Does the law have my back if I step up and step in to help?” PILIAVIN SUBWAY STUDY. In 1969, researchers designed a study to investigate how a group of people would react if they saw a person who collapsed on a train. Here are notable findings from that study: (A) The public usually helped quickly and on their own - nobody had to direct them what to do; and, (B) The longer no help was offered, the more likely it was that observers would leave the incident. Piliavin proposed that humans are hard-wired to become physiologically aroused when they see someone in distress. The longer they think about responding, the less likely they are to respond. HOW TO OVERCOME THE BYSTANDER EFFECT. Many people experience the cost of “regret” for not helping when they were capable of helping. They might experience guilt, disapproval, damaged self-esteem and negative emotional responses. To overcome the bystander effect, people must practice situational awareness and, in doing so, heighten their ability to recognize when things begin to change from the baseline. This is often the tacit ability of identifying that something is, in fact, an emergency. Feel responsible to take action. That’s a tough call, though, as you can’t place yourself in harm’s way. You might be able to dodge downed live wires to carry someone from a wrecked car - or you might be electrocuted. Finally, choose a form of assistance. You might be able to apply pressure to a cut that’s bleeding. Maybe you can be on the phone with 9-1-1 relaying important information about the event. What if you need help - and what if the crowd watches as you fade away. SOURCES: Latané, Bibb & Nida, Steve. 1981/03/01. Ten Years of Research on Group Size and Helping. Psychological Bulletin; Piliavin I. M., Rodin, J., & Piliavin, J. A. (1969). Good samaritanism: an underground phenomenon?. Journal of personality and social psychology, 13(4), 289. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 200 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-27-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
On September 7, 2022, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin introduced bill S.4794 - Naloxone Education and Access Act (NEAA). This bill reauthorizes through FY2027, expands eligibility for, and otherwise makes changes to a grant program that supports access to medications that reverse opioid overdoses (e.g., naloxone). What might this mean for K-12 schools? WHAT IS AN OPIOID? Opioids are a class of drug prescribed by doctors to treat moderate to severe pain. Common types of opioids are oxycodone (Oxycontin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), morphine, and methadone (REMS, 2022). OPIOID USE DATA. According to the 2017 Final Report of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis: In 2016, an estimated 239,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 were current misusers of pain relievers (1.0% of adolescents), and 631,000 young adults aged 18 to 25 misused pain relievers in the past month (1.8% of young adults) … Among adolescents aged 12 to 17, 152,000 (0.6%) had a pain reliever use disorder in the past year, and 291,000 young adults aged 18 to 25 (0.8%) and 1.3 million adults aged 26 or older in 2016 (0.6%) had a pain reliever use disorder in the past year (p. 24). OPIOIDS IN SCHOOLS. Opioid use and overdoses are increasing in schools. In addition to user-exposure, second-hand exposure also poses risks, especially with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, which is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine (REMS, 2022). Per EducationWeek, “Citing concerns about student opioid use—and fentanyl specifically—a growing number of districts have equipped schools with naloxone, a drug that temporarily reduces the harmful effects of overdoses. The Los Angeles Unified School District became the latest to do so last month when it said it would stock the drug, and train qualified staff to use it, as part of a multiprong response to a “devastating epidemic of overdoses that are all too common in Los Angeles. [Other] districts—from Des Moines, Iowa, to Denver— have also stocked naloxone in recent years, some empowered by changes in state laws that make it easier to do so.” (Blad, 2022). SENATOR BALDWIN’S BILL. The bill would amend Section 545 of the Public Health Service Act and bring federal-level clarity and guidance to states regarding who can dispense reversal medication, where it can be placed, training, and immunity for using it in an attempt to benefit a suspected overdose person. Specifically, the NEAA would strike “for pharmacists to dispense a drug or device approved and cleared” and insert “that increase access to drugs and devices approved, cleared, or otherwise legally-marketed.” In other words, reversal drugs would be available to community-based distribution programs and there would be some type of “standing order” allowing for non-medical personnel to administer the reversal drug. CONSIDERATIONS FOR SCHOOLS. For some educators and community members, Naloxone on campus will signal a defeat against the invasiveness of opioids. Once Naloxone is stashed in AED cabinets - it’s there forever. Others will have more favorable perceptions that might center on saving lives. How will schools integrate opioid awareness and overdose prevention along with other alcohol and other drug (AOD) programs? Naloxone availability has been impacted by supply chain disruptions, but it’s typically about $25 per dose and there’s little incentive for someone to steal or misuse it. Naloxone could be placed in the AED cabinet, for example. A top concern for school officials will be legal ramifications of administering Naloxone. Would a student be permitted to administer it to another student? Who has discretion to use it? A guidance document from REMS (2022) states, “Identify, with general counsel, and inform the campus community about state Good Samaritan laws that provide immunity from arrest, charge, or prosecution for certain drug offenses for a person experiencing an overdose — or witnessing another person experiencing an overdose — who seeks medical attention.” So, it’s ultimately placing the risk upon the local board of education and the school’s insurer. Hopefully, Senator Baldwin’s proposed bill, or others like it, will align Naloxone with the standard for a non-trained person to be able to use a publicly-available AED to attempt to benefit a person encountering a heart attack. SOURCES: Blad, E. (2022, October 10). Why Districts Are Stocking Naloxone in Response to the Opioid Crisis. Education Week.; Preparing for Opioid-Related Emergencies for K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education. Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA). (Retrieved 2022) SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 199 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-20-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
Professional discretion and acting in the best interest of the child affords school district officials options to unravel the snags created by their own protocols and policies webs. What happens when a school district doubles down behind flawed policies? What recourse exists for parents? In this episode, Doc shares an authentic case study from his special education legal issues course. Would you ban a kindergarten student with epilepsy from attending school because of her doctor-prescribed CBD oil? THE CASE (The following is copied from Rogoway Law Group, 2018). “Brooke Adams is a five-year-old girl diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe form of epilepsy. Brooke currently uses medicinal cannabis-derived CBD oil to significantly reduce the frequency of seizures and medicinal cannabis-derived THC oil as an emergency medication to quickly stop seizures once they start. Brooke obtains both oils pursuant to a valid recommendation from a licensed physician. The Rincon Valley Union School District refused to place Brooke on a District campus because it alleged that her medication is not permitted on a school campus or school bus under both state and federal law; instead, in April 2018, the District offered to Brooke an individualized educational program (“IEP”) that included only one (1) hour of home-based schooling each day.” SPECIAL EDUCATION DUE PROCESS HEARING. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), schools are required to ensure that all children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet the child’s unique needs. When a parent believes that their child has been denied FAPE (in this case, the parents believed the school district was required to educate Brooke with her peers), they can pursue what is known as a “due process hearing” that compels the state’s department of education to investigate and then rule on findings of whether the school district violated the students procedural rights, failed to provide FAPE, and also the remedy. The special education due process hearing essentially is a trial including lay and expert witnesses, exhibits, testimony, and briefs filed by the parties. Schools are always represented by an attorney, often via their errors and omissions insurance policy. Parents can retain an attorney or represent themselves. IS CBD OIL ILLEGAL IN SCHOOLS? This varies from state to state, but CBD oil is typically not illegal in schools. However, schools can create policies that ban CBD oil - including CBD oil prescribed by a physician. REASONS WHY DISTRICTS BAN CBD OIL. CBD oil is a slippery slope as it cannot, per federal law, contain more than .3 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Anything with more THC is considered a schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is federally illegal. CBD oil is not sold through typical state-regulated pharmacies. The purity and level of THC in the product is regulated by the manufacturers and sellers, not the FDA. The methods for measuring the level of THC might not be uniform across manufacturers. School staff can test if CBD oil contains THC, but they wouldn’t be able to determine the percentage of CBD. A school nurse, or designee, administering CBD oil that somehow contained more than .3 THC would be, in fact, committing a schedule 1 federal drug offense! A school nurse could lose his license! WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM? The Department of Education at the state level is unwilling to give clear guidance on the administration of CBD oil prescribed by a doctor. Instead, state agencies offer vague guidance and direct districts to consult their own legal counsel to inform a stance on the matter. DISCRETION AND ACTING IN THE BEST INTEREST. School officials had options to remedy this situation before it landed on the judge’s desk. One course of action would have been to modify the school’s board of education policy to permit the administration of CBD oil with a doctor’s order. Another plan might have involved working with the manufacturer of the CBD oil to become better informed, and confident in, the monitoring for THC in the end product. Ultimately, the state should have made a clear ruling affirming the use of CBD oil in school and to hold harmless staff for administration of CBD oil that might contain trace amounts of THC. What would you have done? RULING. The judge ruled that Rincon Valley Union School District had denied 5-year-old Brooke Adams a “free and appropriate public education” in the “least restrictive setting” — which federal special education law requires. Hooray, Brooke went to school! SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 198 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-13-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
Guest Lee Jarvis returns to the show and explains the features and benefits of a bank account-style voting system. As people grow skeptical of elections, Lee describes that trust may be restored by using existing systems in different ways, and such a pivot might even make it easier for voters to cast votes and to track their ballot. The main points of a bank account-like voting system are: universal national voter registry; voter “bank account” to track and log votes so voters can track their ballot/vote; more locations for a to vote; and improved data logistics for the public to observe the data. ELECTION INTEGRITY CONCERNS. News media have stirred the US public with the incomplete portrayal of the timeline of concerns about the integrity of American elections. In other words, election-doubt didn’t appear from thin air in 2016. Per Pippa Norris, author of Electoral Integrity in America: Securing Democracy, Oxford University Press (2018), “Concern about the integrity of American elections did not start with Trump's election; flaws in procedures have gradually grown during recent decades. The contemporary "tipping point" that raised public awareness was the 2000 Bush v. Gore Florida count, but the 2016 campaign and its aftermath clearly worsened several major structural weaknesses. This deepened party polarization over the rules of the game and corroded American trust in the electoral process.” Furthermore, the 2022 Arizona governor election was marred when officials in populous Maricopa county stated that on election day, [technical] “problems affected ballot tabulation machines in about 60 of the county’s 223 voting centers.” Hence, actions must be taken to infuse integrity-supports into the eroding election framework. NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRY. A national voter registry would utilize local voting locations in order for people to register and vote at any location in the system. Combining that feature with an online account system would help people to track their vote. In ways similar to Social Security cards, voters could be issued “voting cards” and these cards might incorporate QR codes, barcodes, numbers, and a photo. Think of using your credit card to purchase items at a store. The card is unique to you, although there were a hundred shoppers in the store - all purchasing different constellations of items. And, you can go online and check your credit card account to verify your purchases and monitor for fraud. Similar principles could be in place for a “voting card.” INDIVIDUAL VOTING RECEIPTS. Voting machines could be designed to print receipts coupled with opt-in quarterly mail statements (mail statements is a must) along with the digital account. And, digital accounts should list nullified votes. VOTING ONLINE OR VIA APP. Lee stated that he has concerns over online or app-based voting. If such a model were to exist, it should require a decade of vetting and voter registry every 1-2 years. The ability to hack such a system is underscored with the frequent data breaches and ransomware attacks rife in public institutions as well as private businesses. VOTING LOCATIONS. A system of secured verified accounts (voter cards) would expand voting locations beyond traditional locations. Per Lee, an organization or business could rent voting machines and host a party! Why can’t voting be a celebration? The rental units might be paired with body-cam security guards and body cam staff for the machines - and the machines are valid anywhere in America. Think of the voting machines as similar to ATMs. EARLY VOTING. Early voting could be as simple as a portable voting machine controlled by the election commission. It could be transported to nursing homes, or community centers. HOW MIGHT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ACCESS THEIR ACCOUNTS? Cashless stores and accounts requiring 2-step verification are not always easy-to-use for people who are elderly or people with disabilities. As voting moves further to the digital age, considerations must center on both security and accessibility. To offset this access barrier, Lee notes that banks have automated phone account systems and the postal system features mailing of letters. Lee adds that those in the military or US citizens, but not in the US during an election, would be able to use their voter card at their locations to cast their vote. Lee further postures that bank ATM machines could theoretically be repurposed as voting machines. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 197 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-06-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
School safety exercises often involve #school staff, #students and agencies (police/fire/EMS), but lack measurable learning objectives. What did exercise coordinators specifically measure during and following the exercise? Does everyone need to participate in the safety exercise, or should some staff and students be assigned to different roles, such as observers? Is it OK to include parents in the exercise? In this episode, Dr. Perrodin fixes the broken framework of inter-agency #schoolsafety exercises in order to center on learning and practices that promote safe schools. BONUS. Doc shares a powerful, yet simple “5-minute safety asset inventory” that will greatly improve school personnel’s awareness of fire alarm pulls, AEDs, and fire extinguishers. OVERARCHING THEMES. Three overarching themes are present in school safety exercises. (1) Discretion - who has it, and how do you measure it? (2) Decision Making - how are decisions informed, and are they made at a brisk pace? (3) Induction - how are new staff, students and families made aware of safety protocols? CONSTRUCTS. These are specific areas that will be measured through learning objectives. There are seven constructs for school safety exercises: (1) Communications, (2) Incident command system/structure, (3) protocols, (4) response times, (5) mechanical systems, (6) staging assets, and (7) maintaining the perimeter. COMMUNICATION. Was there a sufficient number of 2-way radios? What is the range of the radios? Are radios available at community partner 4K sites? INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM. Who has discretion to activate crisis notifications and systems? Will people delay the alert as they search for the “person in charge?” Who has the authority to commit personnel and resources and does that change during an evolving event? PROTOCOLS. Does the intruder protocol direct students to flee the school or to barricade within the classroom, or both? What should staff say as they communicate over 2-way radios? Who is responsible for grabbing “Go Bags” for students with medical needs? RESPONSE TIMES. How much time passed between someone becoming aware of an incident and the activation of the crisis notification. How much time passed for staff and students to evacuate the school or to get into their secured positions for intruders or storms? How much time passed between the 9-1-1 call and emergency responders arriving on scene and then entering the building or impacted area? MECHANICAL SYSTEMS. Assess the functioning of the PA, door locks and the software system that enables electronic messages to be sent to parents. If a door lock malfunctions, who is responsible for ensuring that it is repaired? STAGING ASSETS. Where did arriving responders put their equipment? Was that efficient throughout the response? How were additional resources staged, such as extra emergency responders from a neighboring community, or extra buses - were they brought on site, or kept somewhere else close by? Where might officials stage arriving parents (even if you did not ask them to come to the school). MAINTAINING THE PERIMETER. Who determines the perimeter, and how is that communicated to school officials, parents, and the public? How might we be proactive and direct parents to not rush to school during a crisis, or to rush to other schools? What if someone enters a perimeter? PARTICIPANTS AND OBSERVERS. Most people will be participants, but aim for up to 10 observers who will wear a high-vis vest to identify their role. They will monitor communications, orderly response, trauma features, and interactions between responders and recipients. ROLE PLAYERS. Consider a parent at the perimeter who wants to access the school. What did role players find helpful, or what was frustrating? HOT WASH. A Hotwash is a facilitated discussion to capture feedback about any issues, concerns or proposed improvements participants may have following an exercise, planned event or real-world incident. The hot wash is not intended to critique, grade success, or failure. COMMUNICATE FINDINGS OF THE EXERCISE. Dr. Perrodin notes that preliminary findings should be shared with staff, families, and the community within 72 hours. He also steps through a template to generate a 4-page report to the board of education including photos and quotes from participants. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 196 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-29-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
More youth are participating in Esports - and it’s nothing like the trope stereotype of “gamer kids” isolated in their basements, chomping on chips and sipping sodas while gaming online with other kids in similar grunge contexts. In this episode, Esports expert Mike Dahle will help to accurately inform us about school Esports, including how it’s in-person and team-centric, ways Esports hones skills for learning - from analytical problem solving to time management, and how Esports helps students consider STEM career paths. In fact, universities are providing scholarships for Esports athletes! ABOUT MIKE DAHLE. Mike Dahle is a Business Teacher at Elkhorn Area HS and President of the Wisconsin HS Esports Association, WIHSEA.org. He was a second-year teacher when he learned how far PC gaming had come since his younger gaming days when a student gave a presentation on the League of Legends World Championship. Ever since that presentation, his interest in esports has grown exponentially. He started one of the first state associations that has since grown to 125+ schools around the state, serves as a Board Member for the Milwaukee Esports Alliance, serves as a Board Member for the Interstate Scholastic Esports Alliance, and is constantly trying to push esports to the next level in the state of Wisconsin. WHAT DOES BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY LOOK LIKE FOR ESPORTS. There isn’t a template for BOE policy for Esports. It’s often treated similar to other school clubs. Surprisingly, some districts have bypassed Esports due to the cartoonish guns in some of the games. It’s worth noting that high school trap shooting team numbers are at record highs in America. ARE ESPORTS INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM? Most games are team-based, and individual matches add into a team score. This happens in the game SUPER SMASH BROTHERS, for example. Think of it like batting order in baseball. Players are seeded so one school’s #5 player would compete against the #5 player from a different school. Esports can be played by teams within a state, but also between states. It depends upon how the league is structured. WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR ESPORTS? The top five popular titles are: Super Smash Bros, Rocket League, Fortnite, Valorant, and League of Legends. ARE ESPORTS ACCESSIBLE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES? Yes! There is much flexibility in accommodating Esport players as long as the accommodation doesn’t afford them an unfair competition edge. In Milwaukee, for example, a company designs adaptive controllers. A high-ranked quadriplegic player uses a mouth-held device to game. Esports also require minimal travel. Students typically only leave their district if they are participating in a state-level competition. 3D PRINTING AND ESPORTS. The 3D printing community collaborates through sites such as “Thingiverse” to create different or adapted controllers, and Microsoft offers several adaptive controllers. BENEFITS OF ESPORTS FOR STUDENTS. Gamers gain useful skills from participating in esports that help them on a broader learning journey. Analytical problem solving, time management, collaboration, and teamwork are key. Video games can also help to improve visual perception, enhance memory, and lead to better focus and attention. Some students who participate in Esports had previously not participated in other extracurricular activities. DO SCHOOLS GIVE CREDIT FOR ESPORTS. In most instances, students do not receive “credit” for participating in Esports. There is no curriculum approved by DPI to this point, although there is discussion to develop a curriculum. There is an inaugural INTRO to ESPORTS class at UW (Wis)-Parkside this year. Some Wisconsin schools, including: Random Lake, Racine, and Montello, award a patch for varsity. ARE ESPORTS PART OF TRADITIONAL STATE ATHLETIC ORGANIZATIONS? This varies by state. In Wisconsin, the WIAA and WIHSEA are separate entities and, at present, do not collaborate. Playfly (an Esports business) partners with high school state associations in Washington and Arizona to provide students with the infrastructure to compete and learn. HOW DO SCHOOLS FUND ESPORTS? Esports has a very small funding footprint. Coaches are either unpaid volunteers or receive stipends ranging from $400 to $5,000. Compensation for coaches and persons managing leagues is inconsistent across schools. Esports is generally under-funded when compared to compensation for coaches or people who oversee school clubs. Twitch channel and affiliate program generates $2.50 per subscriber. SPONSORS at the local level (Wisconsin) include: Spectrum Industries from Eau Claire, Bug Tussel Wireless, and Allstate insurance agents. Jolly Good Soda sponsors Random Lake. There are no state-level sponsors for Esports in Wisconsin. It is difficult for Esports groups to obtain a bank account or PayPal. Some schools host fundraiser invitationals. The “Extra Life” www.extra-life.org gaming marathon is a 24-hour charity event that raises money for children’s hospitals, including Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. It was held on November 5, 2022. POST HIGH SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES AND CAREERS. There is a significant and growing collegiate scene for Esports with various organizers, including The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). Students might receive scholarships. Post-secondary institutions have dedicated facilities and faculty, and the universities that recognize Esports as a varsity level program enable players to compete for a national championship. In less formal settings, Esports might be thought of similar to intramural sports, or be student-run club level teams, like Rec Well or Student Life. Collegiate teams can compete in other leagues. Universities feature Esports as a recruitment tool. ESports might have a similar influence for K-12 open enrollment. Beyond gaming, players maximize Esports to develop their own business acumen - complete with social media marketing, analytics, coaching, blogs, analyzing competition film, networking, and IT infrastructure. Being an Esports player or working in an Esports league as an analyst, IT, etc., has parallels to an internship in marketing and IT. WHAT SHOULD PARENTS AND SCHOOL LEADERS KNOW ABOUT ESPORTS? Esports is broadly popular, but specifically offers opportunities for a school’s under-represented students. For some students, Esports is the only extracurricular activity they participated in during their school career. And there’s evidence to suggest that playing Esports improved student’s grades and attendance. Esports aligns with the CDC’s themes for School Connectedness. At Arrowhead Union High School (Wisconsin), 60-70 students stay after school on Fridays to play Esports. Parents drop off TVs and students even play under tables. Esport players are voluntarily participating in-person with their peers. They are not sitting at home in their basement. Esports participants learn play-by-play announcing, media coaching, post-game interviewing, and public speaking skills. Esports has helped students obtain scholarships. One student received a 60% scholarship. He was an athlete on the autism spectrum. “If you leverage this program correctly, you can do a ton with it.” The National Association of Esports Coaches and Directors works to serve, legitimize, and advance Esports at all levels https://www.naecad.org/about-naecad. Mankato University (MN) presented at the NAECAD conference. It’s ranked as the top school for broadcasting. An Esport player's next step could be to form a broadcasting club, or to pursue a career in broadcasting - perhaps by attending Mankato University. MORE THINGS SCHOOLS SHOULD CONSIDER ABOUT ESPORTS. Some games include cartoon guns, a disqualifying feature per some school districts. Student data privacy is a concern. What is on the networks? Is there an in-game chat feature, and if so, how do we turn it off? The Esports launching software can present challenges. The games themselves are efficient, but the system to access the game can be buggy. Schools should create separate Esports logins on computers and also toggle settings so Esports can’t be accessed until after 2PM. Esports is inclusive, and also an equity-oriented activity. You don’t need expensive gear and to pay a sports fee to participate. You also don’t have to rent expensive facilities. Esports increase opportunities for students both as players as well as other niche roles, such as announcing, communications, web design, and IT. There isn’t a Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) prohibition clause in Esports. Although it is rare, a high school Esports player could enter into paid sponsorship deals - and by doing so, wouldn’t have to forfeit their eligibility to play Esports. Esports can be included in the school district’s DPI 5-year Pupil Nondiscrimination report as increasing extracurricular opportunities for students. It is particularly inclusive for students with disabilities or students without the financial means to participate in activities that have higher barriers to entry for personal equipment costs, facility rentals, and participation fees. Esports teams can consist of a mixed-gender roster. Consider formal club recognition for Esports to facilitate a funding account in your school district’s fiscal chart of accounts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 195 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-22-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
The Safety Doc welcomes attorney Lisa Linney back to show! Lisa was the guest on episode 157 and discussed the complex factors in play when parents sued school districts over masking or remote learning during the pandemic. In this show, she helps us understand the ‘law of necessity,’ or breaking a law or laws for an anticipated greater good. For example, what if you had to trespass in order to save someone from drowning? Lisa will also navigate the intersection of the ‘law of necessity’ and the civil-immunity granting Good Samaritan laws. How might the government better educate citizens about these types of laws? Should there be a “Good Samaritan Day?” Lisa discusses these issues on the show, but this discussion is not intended to be legal advice. ABOUT LISA LINNEY. Lisa Linney is a Texas attorney with over ten years of litigation experience. In the past year, she has focused on research and writing for litigation and transactional matters. She works from her home in Houston with her nine cats. It’s a long story. IS IT OK TO TRESPASS WHEN SEARCHING FOR A LOST PERSON? The initial person in charge of a search might not be from law enforcement or the fire department. It might be a school principal or the shift supervisor at an assisted living center. Especially in rural areas, several minutes might pass before emergency responders arrive on scene. Is it OK to trespass if searching for a lost person? To answer this, we need to become familiar with the "Law of Necessity." This is a legal defense in both common and criminal law. The 'necessity' definition in law is a defense that arises when a person is forced to break the law in an emergency situation to prevent a greater harm from occurring. If a child with autism is lost and wandering near a river, it is presumed that a 'reasonable' person would believe that harm or death might be a reasonably-expected outcome. The trespass, in this situation, would be of much greater societal value than a mere property trespass is detrimental. While this response is not legal advice and there's no way of determining how a fact finder would interpret one's application of the 'Law of Necessity,' it is essential that persons with discretion and ability to commit assets to a rescue effort not be hamstrung by the 'what-ifs' consequences of inaction. LAW OF NECESSITY. Necessity has been around for a very long time in common law. Most states also have statutes that address necessity as an available affirmative defense. It is a common defense in property law regarding trespass, but it is also present in criminal law as well. An affirmative defense must be brought up by the defendant and proven by the defendant, in order for it to apply. If it is successful, it becomes a complete defense to the crime and the defendant cannot be charged. Necessity is a defense that sometimes precludes liability for breaking a law, if it is more advantageous to society to do so. WHAT THE COURTS LOOK AT. “The courts do not look at the person's, who is acting, state of mind, but what the value of their actions are to society. The defendant is not arguing that they did not commit the crime, but that it was necessary to avoid a greater harm. Is it better to commit a trespass to save a life? Normally, the answer is yes (Cull, 2022)” Per attorney Lisa Linney, the following areas might help school leaders to better understand the elements of a Necessity Defense: (1) The elements of the tort of “intentional trespass to real property,” which is what a plaintiff has to prove. (2) Defenses: in Texas, some of the defenses are statute of limitations, immunity (not available for employees), plaintiff’s fault, consent to enter, and privilege to enter (Necessity Defense concept). (3) Damages available to a plaintiff. (4) Cost-benefit analysis, and (5) Liability if the searcher is injured while on private property. GOOD SAMARITAN LAWS. Good Samaritan laws are similar to the concept of the Necessity Defense. Good Samaritan Laws are in all states, but they vary from state to state. But, the contexts of “scene of emergency or accident” or “emergency care” are often noted in states’ Good Samaritan laws. In Wisconsin, under current law, any person who renders emergency care at the scene of any emergency or accident in good faith is immune from civil liability for the person’s acts or omissions in rendering such emergency care. [s. 895.48 (1), Stats.] Known as the “Good Samaritan” law, the provision encourages members of the public to aid others who need prompt emergency care, without fear of being sued. REFERENCES. Cull, Traci. (2022). Necessity Defense in Law - Elements, Definition, and Examples. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 194 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-15-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
Can I make a citizen’s arrest? What are the implications of taking matters into your own hands? How might you defend your decision to a judge or jury? The Safety Doc welcomes the Legalman to this episode to address those questions and to delve into the Legalman’s perspectives, juries, voting, political propaganda, and government overreach. ABOUT THE LEGALMAN. Legalman’s website states, “Forget left v right. This is the truth about the system from a man who knows. The Quash (podcast) is hosted by a lawyer with 30 years of experience. He unmasks the absurd false narratives we've been immersed in 24/7 since birth and laughs at them. There's a reason nothing about the system ever makes any sense. You've been lied to your whole life. But that ends now. Learn more at https://the-quash.captivate.fm/ CAN I MAKE A CITIZEN’S ARREST? Per the Village of Bayside, Wisconsin website, “Wisconsin doesn’t actually have a specific statute regarding citizen’s arrests, but such arrests are covered by common law or judge-made law. Those laws allow citizens to make arrests under one of two conditions. The first is when a citizen has probable cause to believe that the person they are arresting has committed a felony. The second is when someone witnesses a misdemeanor and the misdemeanor is a breach of the peace. Generally, we don’t advise making citizen’s arrests. We do advise calling police and staying on the scene if it’s safe, but safety is paramount. If someone is wielding a knife or attacking someone, he or she may just as easily attack you. Some exceptions apply, particularly when the perpetrator is going to flee. For example, if you see a child being kidnapped and can block the kidnapper’s car from getting away with the child, it may be worth the risk. In addition to safety concerns, you also face legal risks when making a citizen’s arrest. The Fourth Amendment restricts unreasonable searches and seizures, and you could be prosecuted for depriving someone of their constitutional rights. You could also face a civil lawsuit for false imprisonment, assault, or battery.” JURY TRIAL - THE LAST BASTION OF HOPE? In episode #43 of The Quash, the Legalman explains how the jury trial is a piece of the political structure of this country. How has the jury American trial changed over time, and what obstacles are between a citizen and impartial legal due process? What are the differences between what most people perceive as impartial justice and actual court-delivered “justice” as observed by a lawyer with 3 decades of experience? FULLY INFORMED JURY ASSOCIATION. Legalman urged people to increase their knowledge about jury trials, noting that, as an example, learning from Fully Informed Jury Association, www.fija.org might empower jurors’ awareness of their right to refuse unjust law. As stated on FIJA’s website, “We will be looking at numerous aspects indicative of the health or lack thereof of jury systems nationwide. We will evaluate the rules as officially spelled out, as well as their functionality in practice, of juries at the federal level, in all fifty states, and in Washington, D.C. with respect to each of these jury health indicators.” People can subscribe, at no cost, to obtain emails from FIJA centering on what’s happening in and around their community. HOBBES’ LEVIATHAN. Government overreach is a theme in The Quash podcasts, and it was also depicted in Doc’s book, School of Errors - Rethinking School Safety in America. Doc wrote about the Hobbes’ Leviathan (1651) and the social contract. Hobbes’ premise was that people functioned optimally with some basic level of a “sovereign” to facilitate order. But, Hobbes also opined that it was predictable human nature that the governed would progressively surrender their rights (and freedoms) in exchange for progressively more control from the government. Or, the people in power would be unwilling to relinquish it. “To Hobbes, people are plagued by these two forces: the desire for power and everyone else’s annoying desire for power. Everyone would be all for power struggles if they could just concentrate on conniving, but watching your back is a pain in the neck (it would be centuries before Sartre sputtered that “hell is other people,” but surely this is a precursor). A few people enjoy constant drama, but most would rather be left alone if they can’t have all the pie. Therefore, power tends to coalesce into a formal government because most people can’t be bothered to micromanage their power relationships to everyone and everything around them—they would rather outsource that headache, thank you very much (School of Errors, 2019).” SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 193 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-11-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
In May 2022, Wisconsin legislators Robin Vos and Kevin Nicholson conveyed that they were open to the idea of arming teachers. Wisconsin isn’t a state that embraces the practice of school staff carrying firearms, but that makes it an exception to the norm. Per usconcealedcarry.com, 32 states allow teachers and staff to “effectively protect children with concealed carry of a firearm.” What are the variables to consider when making the decision to arm school staff? When we think about guns and schools, we might overlook the growing sport of high school trap shooting. What are the benefits of high school clay target shooting teams? In Wisconsin, more than 85 high school teams feature with more than 2,000 student athletes competing in clay target leagues. This show’s guest is a long-range, pistol, and 3-gun firearms shooter who has competed on national-level circuits for 15 years and coaches youth interested in competitive shooting. Joining us from the rolling hills of Kentucky to unpack these questions is Bending Ballistics. ARMING TEACHERS. The matter of teachers carrying guns in school is multifaceted, including culture, safety, training, and liability. A popular argument supporting this position is that armed staff would be able to immediately confront an armed intruder. Most school shootings concluded in under 10 minutes, and for some schools - especially in rural areas, police might be 20 minutes away. The loudest opposition to arming educators is that arming staff sends a stark message that schools are no longer “safe” places. By arming staff, the school is implicitly expecting an armed intruder. Second, in a moment of extreme duress and confusion, it’s unrealistic for a teacher to be expected to transform into a specially trained law enforcement officer. What if a teacher shoots an innocent student by mistake? BENDING BALLISTIC’S THOUGHTS ON ARMING TEACHERS. He doesn’t think teachers should carry at school. Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) respond to an active shooter situation seeking the individual with a firearm. What happens when an LEO enters an active shooter call to a school and happens upon an armed teacher running around a hallway corner? Another consideration is a local LEO deputizing staff, which might require them to complete specific firearms training and competencies. That includes range time, classroom studies, and figuring out school policies and procedures for carrying and using a firearm in a school. Who pays for ongoing training? While Bending Ballistic feels this is an OK idea, it would also place a burden on the local LEO - which is running tight on staff and budget. BENDING BALLISTICS ATTENDED A SCHOOL WITH 4 SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS AND PRIVATE SECURITY. Despite that high level of overt security, Bending Ballistic noted that his school was “pretty violent.” Is adding more security personnel an answer to violence prevention and safer schools? HIGH SCHOOL CLAY TARGET LEAGUES. From wiclaytarget.com, “The USA High School Clay Target League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and is an independent provider of shooting sports as an extracurricular co-ed and adaptive activity for high schools and students in grades 6 through 12. The organization’s priorities are safety, fun, and marksmanship – in that order. The League attracts student athletes that have earned their firearm safety certification to participate in shooting sports while creating a “virtual” competition among high school teams at no cost to the schools. Family travel costs are minimal because practice and competition are conducted at a shooting range near the school’s location. The league is also the safest sport in high school, with no reported injuries since the inception of the League in 2001. BENDING BALLISTICS COACHES YOUTH ON SHOOTING SPORTS. From teaching the safe handling of firearms to the rules and strategy of shooting sports, Bending Ballistics has observed youth increase their confidence and skills - setting and achieving goals. Some receive college scholarships. ZERO TOLERANCE SCHOOLS AND CLAY TARGET LEAGUES. Doc noted that a barrier to schools having Esports teams was that a character using a cartoonish gun or inflicting violence, as in Super Smash Brothers, violated the district’s zero tolerance policy for firearms or violence. Have clay target teams been denied due to similar interpretations of school policies? Doc shared that his school district has a trap shooting team and he doesn’t feel that it contradicts a safe school environment. IMAGES: Avatar and target provided by Bending Ballistics. Target sights #28139 by Clker-Free-Vector-Images / 29539 Free for commercial use, no attribution required Pixabay license. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 192 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-29-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
Presenting on PBS TV entails luck, months of preparation, and confidence. Entrusted as a topic ambassador sets forth high expectations - not to mention standing before a live audience. I delivered two school safety presentations on PBS TV: School Safety in America: Rhetoric vs Reality (2019) and School Security and Crisis Preparedness (2013). In this episode, I will explain how I received an offer to present on PBS; show preparation; things that happen the day of the broadcast; giving the presentation - including the techy podium; rules and tips for a successful televised show; what happens immediately following the show - it’s not what you might think; what PBS does with the presentation - from close-captioning to syndication; and how people around the nation responded to me in days and even years after I was TV. HOW TO GET AN OFFER TO PRESENT ON PBS. I was a school administrator on December 14, 2012. That was the day of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. It was a watershed moment in school shootings due to the young age of the students. Media coverage swarmed to the community of Newtown, Connecticut, and wagged microphones at anyone who would speak. After that adrenalized day, parents and educators sought empirical guidance on school safety. There wasn’t a clearinghouse presentation - an impartial expert attempting to frame, in layman’s language, the phenomena of school security and how and why schools prepare for crisis situations - what are the ingredients to their plans and are we as powerless to interrupt disasters as was implied by the media. So, I contacted my local PBS affiliate, pitched the idea of a school safety special, and the folks in charge issued the green light. I would assemble and deliver PBS’s first school safety special. SHOW PREP. Where to begin, right? My show was scheduled for May so I had roughly 5 months to craft my presentation. I spent hundreds of hours developing outlines, PowerPoint slides, rehearsing, and having member checks evaluate my content and delivery. I also contacted parents of children killed or injured in acts of school violence. My presentation would be tight and punchy, but I had to read the room. I would not stir grieving parents. Instead, they served as member checks, to point to the line in the sand. The show wasn’t about the students, teachers or parents - but they were all wedded to the topic. DAY OF THE SHOW. I arrived 3 hours before air time. Phase one is acclimating to the studio and receiving coaching on the various knobs, screens, and lights on the massive podium. Next, I signed waivers. Then it was time for the dry run in an empty hall. Other than sound checks, I spoke softly to preserve my voice. Some last-minute adjustments to font sizes, too. About 30 minutes before the show, the doors opened and people claimed seats. I made small talk with the host and the presentation was locked from future changes. THE PRESENTATION - RULES & TIPS. Stay behind the podium and look at the real-time display embedded in the lectern to track your presentation. It was OK to periodically step left of the podium. It was never appropriate to look over your shoulder and point to the big screen in front of the audience. That might mess up the camera crew and the people at home were fed from different angles from the person in the third row. Watch the timer on the podium, colored lights up in the booth, and friends in the audience strategically placed to cue me on time markers. Hitting the allotted time was not only necessary, but going long would limit the ability for syndication. 60 minutes. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE SHOW | NOT WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK! The end of the show isn’t the actual end of the show. Off camera, the presenter answers questions from the audience and this can go on for an hour or more. I even went out for an impromptu late supper with audience members! DOES PBS RERUN THE PRESENTATION? Yes. After the live presentation, PBS edits, closed-captions, and submits the show for a TV Parental Guidelines rating. The presentation is then premiered and available for syndication by affiliate networks. My shows continue to air on PBS stations - especially following a sentinel school safety event. In addition, the shows are available to view at no cost at PBS.com. RESPONSES TO MY PRESENTATIONS. People have emailed, called, and met me in person to share their thoughts about my shows. School leaders, board of education members, and school safety directors convey that the content validates their efforts toward sensible school safety. Parents share personal stories. Others inform me of their research and lines of inquiry, such as a relationship between food additives and violence. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 191 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-19-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
What motivates people to seek and maintain fitness and wellness? How do expectations for fitness and wellness differ for younger people and older people? Do chaotic events, such as a pandemic or health scare, catapult people toward action to increase fitness and wellness? What feedback or rewards help people to stay motivated and act in ways to promote fitness and wellness? In this show, fitness professional Megan Usui helped us to understand and find answers to those questions. In addition, Megan and David time travel to March of 2020 to inform a hypothetical national fitness campaign. ABOUT MEGAN USUI. Megan Usui has worked as a fitness director, personal trainer, weight loss coach, gym designer and group fitness instructor at health clubs, weight loss and biofeedback centers in California, New York, Virginia and Washington State, including the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle. WHAT MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO SEEK AND MAINTAIN FITNESS AND WELLNESS? Megan begins by asking, “How can I help you?” She also guides people to define the concept of “fit.” Most of her clients aren’t seeking to improve their time running a mile. Megan educates clients about better eating habits. What are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats? She made a color-coded food type and portion wheel for her sons. HOW DO EXPECTATIONS FOR FITNESS AND WELLNESS VARY FOR PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGES? Megan shares that BOOMERS want to do basic things like get down on the floor and play with their grandkids or walk up the driveway without huffing. Megan talked about “Silver Sneakers,” a program available from Medicare at no cost for adults age 65+ and honored by most gyms. GEN X wants to stay active. These are people in their 40s or early 50s and want to look better and keep up with their now-in-their-20s children. MILLENNIALS tend to plug into whatever app or fitness equipment is available to them. They buy expensive Peloton bikes and are happy to stay at home. TEENS associated fitness with ‘coolness,’ although that doesn’t seem to be true today. Megan shared that frustrated parents come to her asking for ways to get their screen-addicted kids out of their rooms. Teens are interested in their virtual presence. DO CHAOTIC EVENTS, SUCH AS A PANDEMIC OR HEALTH SCARE, CATAPULT PEOPLE TOWARD ACTION TO INCREASE FITNESS AND WELLNESS? At the onset of the pandemic, some people hid under a blanket when their gym closed. Other people bought all the fitness equipment that they could. Are we a fighter? Or, are we someone that flees? Surprisingly, chaotic events don’t motivate the populace toward fitness. WHAT FEEDBACK OR REWARDS HELP PEOPLE TO KEEP MOTIVATED AND ACT IN WAYS TO PROMOTE FITNESS AND WELLNESS? As for FitBits, wearables, and online fitness leaderboards, Megan believes those appeal to some people, but are incomplete. And, who are you accountable to? An app? So, they might get 10,000 steps a day, but are they improving their overall health? And, individual rewards mean more than a mass-produced fitness patch. FITNESS AND FORTITUDE CAMPAIGN. How might the American government introduce a civilian fitness program designed to encourage people of all ages and abilities to improve their health and fitness through formal physical exercise training and other wellness activities? What was possible in March and April of 2020? (The following excerpt is from ‘The Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times’ (2022). “We know fitness and nutrition are good for everyone, for all living creatures. Not just good for the body, but good for the mind. [T]he COVID-19 fitness research was falling into place, too. In a July 2020 study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, researchers wrote, ‘The practice of physical activities strengthens the immune system, suggesting a benefit in the response to viral communicable diseases. Thus, regular practice of adequate intensity is suggested as an auxiliary tool in strengthening and preparing the immune system for COVID-19.’” Megan noted that music is a motivator in group exercises. She suggested that a contemporary national fitness campaign might be similar to the 1985 charity song “We Are the World” that was played around the globe with a message to prompt the listener to make a decision to give support and save others’ lives (famine) because in doing that, they are indirectly saving the whole human race. Recording artists, celebrities, and influencers could partner with Nike for a “Just Do It” type of song about moving and in that song, demonstrate squat, push, pull. Merely listening to the song might evoke some volitional muscle contractions! The tune could be called “The Pandemic Shuffle.” SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 190 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-12-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.www.velocityofinformation.com
The start of the 2022-2023 school year has been marred by a flurry of swatting-type threats targeting schools across the nation. A swatting threat is when someone, perhaps a thousand miles away, contacts law enforcement and makes a false report that an active shooter is on a school campus. In Minnesota, police responded to swatting reports at 14 different school districts on September 21st. In this episode, we will define swatting, identify its origins, examine the impacts on schools and communities, and measures being taken, or being considered, to reduce swatting. WHAT IS SWATTING? Per the Seattle Police Department, “Swatting is a crime. For those unfamiliar with the term, swatting is the act of creating a hoax 911 call typically involving hostages, gunfire, or other acts of extreme violence, with the goal of diverting emergency public safety resources to an unsuspecting person's residence. It is a deliberate and malicious act that creates an environment of fear and unnecessary risk, and in some cases, has led to loss of life.” Swatting is most recognizable in the online video game communities or online broadcasting. As of April, 2022, popular Youtuber Tim Pool has been swatted 8 times during his live-streamed politically-themed shows. WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SWATTING? Swatting has been around for decades. It wasn’t particularly common and was carried out with landline phones or pay phones. But with the implementation of the 9-1-1 emergency number, advances in cellular phone, “burner phones,” and online technology, along with social media, swatting is becoming more sophisticated and happening more frequently than any time in history. “In June 2009, a blind 19-year-old hacker named Matthew Wegman was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of computer intrusion and witness intimidation. The FBI first began investigating the teen after a 2005 swatting incident in which Wegman staged a hostage hoax, sending police to the home of a woman who had refused the teen hacker’s request for phone sex” (SOURCE: Kayla Kibbe, Inside Hook, March 30, 2019.) In 2017, a fatal swatting incident occurred in Wichita, Kansas, when Shane Gaskill was shot and killed by police after exiting his swatted-upon house. The motive was revenge swatting due to a disagreement in the online video game Call of Duty. In many cases, however, it is difficult to determine who placed the swatting call. IMPACT OF SWATTING ON SCHOOLS. Per Kenneth S. Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, “[School swatting] has become much more common in the past five years. These incidents not only instill fear and panic throughout school communities, they are very costly in first responder manpower, time, and taxpayer dollars. Sadly, they pull away first responder manpower resources needed for credible emergencies elsewhere in local communities (Trump, 2021)” The trauma impact of students, staff, parents, and communities is also palpable and might have lasting effects. HOW TO STOP SWATTING - REGISTRY LISTS AND LAWS. There is no clear path to a solution for swatting. For persons or locations that are frequently the target of swatting, some local law enforcement will create a registry where residents concerned about swatting can communicate those concerns to their local 911 Center. However, this doesn’t mean that the response will be delayed or carried out with lesser resources. The other route is anti-swatting legislation and stronger consequences for persons convicted of swatting. State Representative Kevin Miller (Ohio) is an author of House Bill 462, which would make “swatting” a felony. He says right now, there is nothing on the books that specifically addresses "swatting." Under the bill, if someone is convicted, the person could face prison time, as well as fines and restitution. In Colorado, a 2018 law penalizes hoax 911 calls. “If you make a swatting call, the penalties are similar to third-degree assault,” said state Sen. Jeff Bridges, a sponsor of the 2018 measure. “And the thing is, if someone is hurt in the process, that increases to a [class 4] felony. If someone is killed, It increases to a felony in the third degree.” IMAGE CREDIT. Police car image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-anke. Image 1889057 on Pixabay. Pixabay license free for commercial use and no attribution required. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 189 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-04-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Many people with disabilities use a service animal in order to fully participate in everyday life. Dogs can be trained to perform many important tasks to assist people with disabilities, such as providing stability for a person who has difficulty walking, picking up items for a person who uses a wheelchair, preventing a child with autism from wandering away, or alerting a person who has hearing loss when someone is approaching from behind (USDOJ, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section). How do schools address service animals for students? Is it common? What if it’s a comfort animal? In this episode, we step through a fabricated case study of a student bringing a “comfort” animal to school. WHAT IS A SERVICE ANIMAL? Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is defined as a dog, or other animal, that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability. It is almost a certainty that a school district has a board of education (BOE) policy about service animals. WHAT IS AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL (ESA)? An ESA is defined as an animal that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. An emotional support animal (pig, chicken, snake, sugar glider, etc.) is recognized as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability under the federal Fair Housing Act and may be a reasonable accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973). An ESA, also referred to as an “assistance” animal, is not a pet according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); however, no special training is required for an animal to be considered an ESA. What is necessary is that the person with an ESA has a disability and the ESA mitigates the impact of the disability. BOE policy is less consistent for ESAs. Some school districts don’t have an ESA policy. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT’S A SERVICE ANIMAL - PERMISSIBLE INQUIRY. In situations where it is not obvious that the dog or animal is a service animal, the individual may be asked only two specific questions: (1) is the dog/service animal a service animal required because of a disability? And if yes, (2) what work or task has the dog/service animal been trained to perform? If either response is “no”, the animal is only permitted as an emotional support animal (ESA). Requesting any documentation for the service animal, requiring that the animal demonstrate its task, or inquiring about the nature of the person's disability is not permitted. PEGGY THE COMFORT PIG CASE STUDY. You’ve just read a letter from the parents of Carol, a student transferring to your district next month from another school district in Wisconsin. She is a student with disabilities and receives special education services. A copy of her current IEP was included with the letter. Carol has both an educational and medical diagnosis of autism and is identified as meeting Other Health Impaired (OHI) criteria by her current district due to anxiety. She also has a comfort animal, a small pig, with her full-time at school. Per the parents’ letter, the pig helps to keep Peggy calm. Her IEP documents that since she has brought the pig to school (a year ago), she has exhibited fewer aggressive behaviors and is engaging for longer periods of time on academic work. Her IEP states that she is permitted to have the pig with her at all times and during all school functions. The parents’ letter also notes that the current district wasn’t well-informed of the benefits of comfort animals and that the parents want to make sure that your district will fully comply with supporting the comfort pig. The parents are asking for your school’s policy on comfort animals as they couldn’t locate one on the policy page of the district’s website. They have cited the following legal case as backing for their right of their daughter to have a comfort animal at school: In Alejandro v. Palm Beach State College, District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ruled in favor of a student’s right to be accompanied on campus, in residence halls, and to classes by a psychiatric service dog, which was trained to respond to the onset of anxiety attacks the student experienced as a result of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The ruling stated that any potential harm or disruption caused by the presence of the service dog was minimal in comparison to the benefit experienced by the student, and, therefore, its presence was considered a reasonable accommodation. Pig image #3961588 on Pixabay free to use under Pixabay License. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 188 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 09-27-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
On May 2, 2016, I confidently marched into the Education Building at UW-Madison expecting, in a few short hours, I would be high-stepping Bascom Hill as “Dr. Perrodin.” That day didn’t go as planned. In fact, my priest was in attendance (per my invitation), and he even brought lunch and snacks for the dissertation committee members. Despite [mostly] following the pomp and circumstance protocol, the committee failed me. In this episode, I’ll explain the doctoral dissertation process and how to bounce back from an unexpected big-stage defeat. WHAT IS A DOCTORAL DISSERTATION? The dissertation is the student’s final task to obtain a doctoral degree. It’s a lengthy piece of scholarly writing that is the product of extensive original research and results in an original contribution to the field. My dissertation was 167 double-spaced pages and took me about a year to complete - beginning with a research proposal and culminating with (eventually) a successful “defense” of my work. It’s worth noting that 50% of all doctoral students never complete the dissertation. If they complete all other requirements, these folks are considered ABD (All But Dissertation). It’s something you might see on a resume, but there is no diploma for ABD. WHAT WAS MY DISSERTATION ABOUT? My dissertation’s title was ‘How Educational Administrators Prepare Schools For High-Stakes Safety Situations: A Focus On Elementary Schools In Rural and Suburban Contexts.’ I had already established myself as a national safety expert, having presented a special on PBS in 2013. I wanted my dissertation to be rigorous and add value to my worth as a school safety expert. WHAT DID I LEARN? The first thing I learned was to contact the “experts” and “sources” directly whenever possible. What I mean by that is most student-researchers have a tendency to merely cite the work of others. My dissertation included more than 100 citations. (By comparison, there are 471 citations in my (2022) book, ‘The Velocity of Information’). Beyond just citing experts, my advisor encouraged me to contact them directly and ask them specific questions about their findings. That worked, and was a pivotal moment in my budding research and writing endeavors. Whenever possible, I go directly to the source. The second thing that I learned was that people in roles that require high-stakes decision making fatigue from unrelenting high-stakes decision making. They don’t immediately bounce back.There’s degrees of elasticity in decision making recovery. One principal admitted that following a high-stakes decision about student or school safety, he was exhausted - as most decisions involved drama. He speculated that it took him a few days to return to baseline. DEFENDING THE DISSERTATION - A BIT LIKE SHARK TANK. The dissertation defense is similar to the TV show Shark Tank. You have 15-20 PowerPoint slides and up to an hour to showcase your research methods, findings, and how your work contributed to the overall scholarly knowledge base. It’s tense. Expect probing questions and challenges. My dissertation was held in a classroom with my advisor and four committee members - other professors at the University that I had invited to serve on my committee. It’s typical to invite one or two people for support. I invited my priest - and he brought a meal and snacks for the committee members! The food part is also oddly common (and expected) for a defense. That part has an awkward feel to it. Also, professors or students might sit in on the defense. I attended a few defenses prior to my own in order to learn the expectations and settle myself by watching the student referred to as “doctor” as they shook hands and walked head-held-high out of the room. WHY DID THE COMMITTEE FAIL YOU? To be clear, I was prepared and my advisor didn’t anticipate any stumbling blocks from the committee members. But, 10 minutes into my defense, a committee member shut it down. I made a critical mistake. I veered from my presentation and centered on timely, local school safety decision-making situations in order to (I thought) establish firm groundwork to justify the importance of my study. Even with that breach of protocol, my advisor was shocked, my priest prepared last rites, and I was miffed at the committee. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU FAIL? My advisor met with the committee members. I adjusted my presentation and dissertation. But, I wasn’t required to defend it a second time. The committee members signed off, and I walked the signed ‘warrant’ to the Old Main - becoming, without fanfare, Dr. Perrodin. I have zero regrets about pursuing and obtaining my PhD. I learned research methods subsequently applied in two published books. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 187 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 09-20-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Guest Graham Wilson is a former Chief Flight Instructor and Pilot Examiner in Windsor, Ontario. He has worked as a machinist and served on a school board. Graham produces aviation-themed content for his ‘Superpilotish’ YouTube channel and website superpilotish.com. In this interview, Graham, a from-real-experiences storyteller, talks about decision making for pilots, including ‘The DECIDE Model’; non-punitive mistake reporting; obvious or nuanced risks pilots encounter during flying (including toilet paper in the fuel tank); and benefits and drawbacks of at-home flight simulator software for aspiring pilots. THE DECIDE MODEL. DECIDE is an acronym from flight literacy training. It is a six-step risk management loop process, similar to simulated annealing, that provides the pilot with a logical way of making decisions during atypical situations. DETECT that a change has occurred. This requires the pilot to exercise situational awareness and baseline awareness. ESTIMATE the need to counter or react. A blinking dash light might only require that it be noted for further scrutiny after landing. CHOOSE the desired outcome. This might be to return to the airport. IDENTIFY actions to control the change. Review emergency checklists, which might be “turn things off and then turn them back again,” and then communicate the problem to the airport. DO (perform) the action. The tower might ask if you want to declare an emergency. If you do, the tower will give you priority to land and might send out emergency services. As Graham reminds us, always be communicating your observations and actions to others. There is a tendency during a crisis for people to not talk while they act. Pilots are taught to describe their actions as they do or plan them, but this isn’t inherent to non-pilots facing uncertainty. EVALUATE the success of the action. NON-PUNITIVE MISTAKE REPORTING. Graham underscores that pilots applying their professional discretion to report a mistake will not encounter blowback of blame or shame. Measuring information-sharing won’t dig to the root causes. Why did the failure occur? Did a part fail? Did software fail? Is there a flaw in a larger system? Should there be more or different training? If it was a mistake by the pilot, what contributed to that mistake and what redundancies might be put in place to account for it. Focus on a better system and you’re working together. Graham adds that a pilot won’t be billed for the airport’s emergency services. Doc noted that billing for emergency services is common in America, from search and rescue to firefighting, and that some people refuse emergency care in anticipation of huge bills. DUMB DESIGN OF WWII PLANES. Cliff Kuang (2019) wrote an article for WIRED in which he described how WWII pilots were blamed for crashing their B-17 Flying Fortresses. In one instance, a confused pilot jumped into a new plane during a bombing raid to find the instruments completely re-arranged. He managed to dart around the runway until the attack was over. However, the true cause of many of the pilot-attributed crashes was actually due to the design of the plane, or “designer error.” “The reason why all those pilots were crashing when their B-17s were easing into a landing was that the flaps and landing gear controls looked exactly the same and felt exactly the same." The ingenious solution was to create a system of distinctively shaped knobs and levers that made it easy to distinguish all the controls of the plane merely by feel, so that there’s no chance of confusion even if you’re flying in the dark. And, it worked! BIGGEST RISK TO A PILOT. The top risk is running out of fuel, with adverse weather being a close second. But, using a cheaper fuel, such as an 89 octane with 10% ethanol, might be a subtle risk to a pilot. Depending upon how long the fuel has been in the tank, it might begin to absorb moisture and also congeal. This could impair the plane’s fuel system during flight. Ego is also a risk. There’s no shame in getting cleared for takeoff and then aborting the flight as you stare at a dark storm cloud beyond the runway. Flight instructors will model this practice of confident decision making. It’s the primacy effect. The first time the student sees the instructor cancel a flight due to iffy weather, for example, is something that is burned into the student’s brain. AT-HOME SIMULATOR SOFTWARE - IS IT GOOD? Graham fields these questions often from aspiring pilots. He notes that such programs fuel students' enthusiasm for flying and can help them with an early grasp of terminology and some basic operations of the plane. However, any simulators will not prepare a student to fly a plane. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 186 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 09-13-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
James David Dickson, managing editor of Michigan Capitol Confidential, wrote an article about Michigan House Bill 6171, introduced in June (2022) by Representative Gary Eisen. The proposed bill reads: “Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, the board of a school district or intermediate school district or board of directors of a public school academy shall ensure that each school operated by the board or board of directors develops or adopts and implements a policy that prohibits the use of personal cellular devices by pupils enrolled in the school during the scheduled school day when the pupil is at school.“ At school” means in a classroom, elsewhere on school property, or on a school bus or other school-related vehicle.” Per Dickson, HB 6171 shows the faults of the “There Should Be A Law” mentality. Dickson wrote a compelling piece skewering the bill - and this episode will spelunk those, and other, rabbit holes for and against banning cellphones in school, with 7 reasons to not ban cellphones and 7 reasons to ban them. REASONS NOT TO BAN CELLPHONES (1) CELLPHONES ARE PART OF LEARNING. Cellphones are inseparable from learning. By 2007, educators conceded that cell phones could play an important part in learning. Universities started using text messages to reach out to students, and a survey released by Cingular Wireless indicated that parents believed text messaging helped to improve communications with children (Loveless, 2022). (2) SCHOOL SAFETY. School safety is enhanced by cell phones. Although phone-based danger reporting or incident notification apps are not nearly as effective or reliable as purported by their enthusiastic vendors, they hold much potential for the future of personal safety. If each student’s phone was viewed the same way we view smoke detectors, it would be unthinkable to remove them from our schools. (3) SINGULARITY IS INEVITABLE. Banning cellphones is an update to the 1970s argument to ban calculators. Schools are slow to infuse technology into curriculum and operating systems. Today, kids flash an electronic ticket on their phone to attend their school’s sporting event. Futurist Ray Kurzwel predicts that something known as ‘singularity’ will happen around the year 2045. Singularity is a merging of the human brain with computers and AI. It might be a form of neuralink. At that point, will school require students to disconnect their links during instructional time, to remove their slim 3D projection goggles, etc.? In 20 years, cellphones will be a relic of the past. (4) COMMUNICATIONS. Be it text, email, or call, the cellphone makes communication efficient and reliable. I remember a 1990 computer lab where logging in via modem speed and bringing up text-only email once or twice a day was considered cutting-edge mass communications. (5) NAVIGATION. GPS and navigation apps, such as What3Words and Waze, help students navigate the campus and have an enhanced comprehension of their surroundings. With the What3Words app, rescuers could respond to a 3 meter by 3 meter square area where the student - or the student could share their location as a gathering point for teammates getting off a bus for a competition. (6) IMPOSSIBLE TO ENFORCE. Schools are operating short-staffed and enforcing cellphone violations is not a realistic expectation of time-strapped staff or administration. BOEs won’t be able to undo bad state policy. And, Policing cellphones damages school connectedness. And, what are the consequences for breaking this law? (7) PROTECTION. Cameras provide evidence, especially when deep fakes can shame or destroy a person. In 2021, an allegedly crafted fake video of Pennsylvania high school cheerleader Madi Hime vaping resulted in her being kicked off the cheerleading squad. The student’s mother contacted the police, sparking an investigation, and involvement of legal counsel. As deepfake technology becomes easier and cheaper to use, these types of “alleged” claims will overwhelm school staff and local police departments. Having the option to present recorded video might help in one’s defense. REASONS TO BAN CELLPHONES (1) OVER-RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY. Cellphones are integrated into most information-storing and retrieving aspects of our lives. Any kid attending school in the 1970s remembers that pocket calculators were prohibited in most schools. The argument against electronic calculators was that the student wouldn’t be motivated to learn the intricacies of the math equations - but rather, the sequence of formulas - which were also becoming more integrated into shortcuts in the calculators. “You won’t always have a calculator with you to figure out the slope of a tangent line,” teachers said. In 1984, I wore a scientific calculator watch on my wrist. The banning of cellphones today was the banning of personal learning technology devices (tablets, iPads) ten years ago. And while we think cell phones as learning tools in schools is a new idea, it’s important to remember that a school in Brooklyn began distributing cell phones to students way back in 2008! (2) DISTRACTION. Social media companies employ psychologists and human behavior experts in order to hone their sites to be as addictive as possible. And everyone, not just kids, spend arguably “too many” hours a day interacting with their phones. But instead of flat out banning cellphones, they could be parked during certain instructional times, or incorporated into the teaching / learning tool process. The app ‘Poll Everywhere” can be used for students to vote on a topic. It enables most students to participate and works around the groupthink of one or two students stating an answer and the rest of class falls in line with the claim. Imagine a class topic about household chemicals. Students capture photos of chemicals found in their phones. These photos are transmitted to the classroom’s online site. In the following lesson, the teacher and students discuss how to classify the chemicals - as medical supplies, detergents, fuel, discretionary, and so on. (3) BULLYING. Cyberbullying is real and is an unsavory side effect of social media. The 2019 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice) indicates that, nationwide, about 16 percent of students in grades 9–12 experienced cyberbullying. (4) RECORDING INSTRUCTION - PROPRIETARY MATERIAL. Most schools purchase curriculum packages for hundreds of thousands of dollars and adhere to strict protocol for not sharing proprietary learning materials. This was tested during online instruction during the pandemic. In addition, would a school want students to record and post intruder drill protocols or other sensitive information? (5) DEEP FAKES. The integrity of instruction is at stake. A cellphone makes it exponentially easier for a student to create a deep fake of school staff saying something that would land them in hot water. Schools are way behind the curve with figuring out how to respond to deep fakes. Banning phones might limit the opportunities for deep fakes. (6) EQUITY. Equity was an argument against one-to-one electronic tablets or iPads for students. Only the affluent students would be able to afford the technology. And then, BOEs adopted 1:1 policies and funded devices for all students. Most students have 1:1 devices. It would be a similar BOE action to bring forth 1:1 cell phones. (7) SINGULARITY - As mentioned earlier, humans and AI will merge at some more invasive level - and probably within the next 20 years. We’ve already achieved the first few steps of singularity with our cell phones. But with singularity comes a great push to store our knowledge ‘in the cloud.’ This is known as cognitive offloading and was written about in great detail in the book The Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times (2022). If we become out-of-balance dependent on going to our phone as the arbiter for each decision in our life, we are at risk for being unable to figure things out if the Internet fails - perhaps due to hacking, solar flare, EMP, etc. Counter this by integrating phones with real-world applications. Use the GPS on the phone for a scavenger hunt in the authentic environment of a park or school grounds. SOURCES FOR THIS BLOG POST. Loveless, B. (2022). Using Cell Phones as Learning Tools. https://www.educationcorner.com/cell-phones-learning-tools.html; Dickson, James David. (2022). Michigan bill would ban cellphones on school buses, in class. https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/news/michigan-bill-would-ban-cell-phones-on-school-buses-in-class SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 185 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 09-06-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Between 2004 and 2014, in the US National Parks alone, there were 46,609 individuals who became lost and required a search and rescue campaign, which cost about $51.4 million in total (Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2018 NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics. Tech. Rep., National Crime Information Center). What are characteristics of lost persons and who has the discretion and authority to commit agency resources to find them? ROBERT KOESTER: LOST PERSON BEHAVIOR. The scientific study of lost person cases to identify patterns specific to characteristics, such as age groups, disability, dementia, and so on began in the mid 1970s with Bill Syrotuck. In 2008, however, Robert Koester revolutionized search and rescue with his book, Lost Person Behavior - A Search and Rescue Guide on Where to Look - for Land, Air, and Water. He not only developed 41 categories of being “lost,” but coupled those to passage of time and terrain. LOST PERSON BEHAVIOR APP (It’s Not Free!). The US Dept. of Homeland Security released a Lost Person App in 2015 based on data from over 150,000 missing person cases. The app provides guidance on over 40 scenarios including lost hikers, children, and dementia patients. The app is available on Amazon for $9.95 from dbS Productions LLC.The app doesn’t require a network connection so can be used anywhere. 13 FACTS ABOUT LOST PERSON BEHAVIOR. The following 13 facts are from Karen Hume’s blog post on May 17, 2017 found at https://profoundjourney.com/13-facts-lost-person-behaviour/ (1) It is a myth that we panic when lost. Instead, most of us experience shock, disbelief, and embarrassment. (2) Many people experience an irrational belief that no one is looking for them. When that happens, they don’t call out. Some even ignore a helicopter flying overhead. (3) Hansel and Gretel may have benefited from leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, but it’s not a good sign when a lost person leaves a trail of clothing or equipment. Rather, it’s an unfortunate indicator of either late stage hypothermia or exhaustion. (4) Fifty percent of searches resolve within three hours. (5) Fifty-four per cent of people are found within two miles of the point where they were last seen. (6) Hikers tend to become lost if the trail is obscured or if there are confusing trails that intersect. Rescuers do a map and terrain analysis to determine where the confusing spots are so they can look there first. (7) Hunters become lost because they are focused on game rather than navigation or time of day. If caught after dark, the typical hunter will build a shelter and then proudly walk out of the woods, unassisted, at daybreak. (8) Despondent people typically don’t travel very far. If suicidal, they hide from search teams. Despondent people are often found at the interface between two types of terrain, such as a cliff edge, or along a shoreline. (9) Lost adults will usually stay on a trail, however they may climb a hill to get a view of the area. They rarely travel in a straight line, and rarely reverse direction. (10) Children, on the other hand, look for familiar spots rather than trails. They can’t judge either direction or distance and tend to move randomly. (11) Young people of ages 13-15 often become lost in groups of two or more. Youth in a group rarely travel very far from where they were last seen. (12) Children, ages 1-3, look for the most convenient location to lie down and are, as a result, very difficult to detect. A little bit older, ages 4-6, and one of the big problems is that they won’t answer rescuers’ calls because they’ve been taught to avoid strangers. (13) Berry pickers, nature photographers, and rock hounds are often inadequately clothed or equipped. Rescuers try to put themselves in the lost person’s shoes, asking questions such as, “Where do the best berries grow?”
HOW TO GET FOUND. (1) Stop: As soon as you realize you may be lost: stop, stay calm, stay put. (2) Think: Go over in your mind how you got to where you are. What landmarks should you be able to see? Do not move at all until you have a specific reason to take a step. (3) Observe: If you are on a trail, stay on it. Blow a whistle. (4) Plan: Inventory your options and determine if you can act to get yourself to a more favorable optimum. DO SCHOOLS TRAIN FOR LOST STUDENTS? In my experience, schools don’t conduct lost-student drills or exercises. There are accounts of students with autism, for example, wandering from schools. In February, 2022, an 8-year-old boy with autism wandered away from school and walked home alone (ClickonDetroit, 2022). Children with autism might exhibit a diminished sense of fear of traffic and environmental hazards. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 184 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 08-30-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Des Moines Public Schools is offering a $50,000 incentive to teachers, nurses, and administrators who are nearing retirement to stay with the district through the 2022-2023 school year. A few states over, Michigan’s Jackson Public Schools is offering a $10,000 signing bonus for new teachers willing to stay at least two years. Unheard of five years ago, educator signing and retention bonuses are the new normal and range from $500 to several thousand dollars. But they aren’t solving Des Moines staffing issues - and the state of Georgia found little success in attempting to recruit retired teachers. Of 56,000 retirees eligible to return with incentives, less than 100 contacted the state about returning. TEACHER SHORTAGES. In 2019, the Economic Policy Institute released a report examining the magnitude of the at-the-time teacher shortage in America, as well as projections to the year 2025. In 2017-2018, it was estimated that there was a shortage of 110,000 teachers. Projecting to 2025, the shortage will swell to 200,000 teachers available to enter the classroom and the demand for new hires. WHY ARE TEACHERS LEAVING? Teachers report that they are “burned out” - citing increasing student discipline, sprawling obligations, high-stakes testing, and low pay. Note that in the World Happiness Report, people choose living in an area where someone would return their wallet over having their salary doubled. WHAT LOCATIONS ARE MOST AFFECTED? High-poverty schools and rural schools, seemingly obvious, have the greatest challenges maintaining a full staff. These locations also endure the most turnover, as teachers move to higher-paying districts or communities with more amenities. Per Universities.com, teacher shortages are reported across the US. “Nevada students started school on August 8, 2022, with a shortage of over 1400 Teachers.” California, Nevada, Washington, Arizona, and Hawaii are the top 5 states with teacher shortages. OTHER STRATEGIES TO BOOST APPEAL OF THE TEACHING OCCUPATION. Some schools are trimming the work week, although it’s uncertain how doing so will impact required minutes for student’s education, especially services for students with disabilities. “Texas’ rural school districts are implementing a 4-day school week to alleviate the Teacher shortage. Houston, Texas currently has over 2200 teaching vacancies (Unversities.com).” There has been a growing effort to make it easier for non-teachers to become certified teachers. “Florida is recruiting military Veterans to teach without a license to help the Teacher shortage and Polk County has hired 60 international Teachers Universities.com). Still, other schools are paying teachers relocation expenses. FREE-AGENCY TYPE NEGOTIATION. Teachers in highest-demand areas, such as tech-ed, chemistry, or foreign languages might receive the highest bonuses and most-tailored packages from school districts. In addition, specialists, such as speech-language pathologists, an area with chronic shortage, might be paid nearly double the salary of a classroom teacher. It hasn’t happened yet, but we are on course for a teacher or specialist to hire an agent, similar to pro sports. This is already happening for school administrator jobs, with aspiring leaders hiring an agency to stump for an interview of the candidate. RETIREMENT PACKAGES HAVE LOST APPEAL. The teaching profession is typically coupled with a robust state pension plan and even retirement payouts to be applied to healthcare. The “retire at 55 with a pension mantra for life” mantra isn't resonating with younger people who do not want to trade lower wages today for a pension 30 years from now. That generation is day-trading stocks on their Robinhood apps. On the other hand, the National Education Association argues that pensions successfully attract people to education as a profession, retain teachers, and provide solid retirement security. So perhaps what needs to happen is better “educating” teachers about the value of having a pension, but this doesn’t seem to be the appropriate set of talking points for people under 40. It’s out-of-touch to tell people who just emerged from a pandemic, civil unrest, and an economic crash (that slid into inflation and shortages) to think decades down the road. They aren’t going to do that, and the school district office’s human resources folks need to think of the teaching profession as becoming more similar to the private sector. Maybe we’ll see a “Moneyball” approach of fielding a roster year-to-year. Sure, that eviscerates legacy and institutional knowledge, but it’s the way things are - so get novel with staff induction. Some districts will figure this out. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 183 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 08-20-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Doc highlights what has changed in school safety since the May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary School shooting that ended the lives of 19 students and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas. He interprets how schools will be impacted by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (signed into federal law July, 2022). Doc peruses each website to critically evaluate and assign ratings to the existing and “new” school safety clearinghouse websites. BIPARTISAN SAFER COMMUNITIES ACT: Per Everytown.org, the bill will purportedly enhance background checks for buyers under 21; support state red flag laws; disarm domestic abusers; clarify who must run a background check; crack down on gun trafficking; fund community violence intervention; invest in mental health services; and provide school safety funding. We will examine some of the centerpieces of the school safety section of the bill. (1) ANOTHER (and competing?) SCHOOL SAFETY RESOURCES WEBSITE. The bill installed schoolsafety.gov as the “official” repository for best practices in school safety. It will be situated at the Department of Homeland Security. However, this action is confusing because the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, already has the robust and updated Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center, or REMS. And, REMS TA has a “toolbox” feature that allows schools across the country to upload forms, job descriptions, tabletop exercises, organizational charts, and more - to be curated, easily-searched, and freely shared. These are from-the-field tools. (2) MORE MENTAL HEALTH DOLLARS TO SCHOOLS. Expanded reimbursement for schools billing Medicaid for Individualized Education Plan (IEP) mental health services. And, $500 million each for the School Based Mental Health Services Grant Program and the School Based Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Grant. The expected outcome is hiring and training more staff, but this doesn’t seem to be a problem that will be solved by more funding as school staffing shortages haven’t been ameliorated by increased pay and bonuses. In August of 2022, Des Moines Public Schools offered a $50,000 bonus to teachers who planned to retire but are willing to work another year. Also, grants are temporary. They are intended to start the ball rolling, not to keep the ball rolling. Professionals will hesitate to accept even well-paying grant-funded positions. (3) EXPAND ACCESS TO JUVENILE MENTAL HEALTH RECORDS. Thorough reviews of potential gun buyers under the age of 21 will require implementing a new protocol for checking juvenile records. This implies access to a student’s school records - specifically, discipline, disability, or mental health records. These are areas strongly protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This is a can of worms and will vary greatly per perceived discretion and authority to make a subjective summary decision based upon a student’s records. Schools might counter by pushing more behavioral events “off the books” by a practice known as ‘abeyance agreements.’ GLARING OVERSIGHTS FROM THE BILL: LOCKED DOORS AND REGULATED DEVICES. Absent from the school section of the bill was a requirement that schools lock their doors during instructional time. This decision continues to be defaulted to the states. Kentucky (2020) requires that schools lock their doors. Recently California, Wisconsin, Florida, and Massachusetts have taken steps toward stronger emphasis on “best policy” to require doors to be locked. However, most school districts’ board of education policies or handbooks continue to use the term “should lock doors” instead of “must lock doors.” It’s clear this is done to dodge accountability and liability. In addition, school safety devices or apps continue to be unregulated and able to be marketed and purchased by schools without some standard of testing and pilot trials. Think of Underwriters Laboratories, but for school safety. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 182 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 08-12-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
A popular Reddit thread is titled, “What’s a ‘Today is going to suck’ red flag. A top up-voted response was, “Waking up with a huge headache,” and another was “When you get all the red lights on your commute.” Each of us could add a comment to that thread, right? Per the National Institute of Health, “Consistent with this focus, an anxiety-linked negative expectancy bias reflects an inflated tendency for anxious individuals to expect an increased probability of negative relative to positive events.” In other words, when people expect negative events, bad luck, or suboptimal outcomes - that’s what they will observe, and perceive, of the world around them. This frame of thinking might be accurate, but it is also damaging to morale if allowed to continue for long spans of time. In this episode, Doc will share his current observations of negative expectation bias, identifies times it has happened throughout history, and offers research-supported and anecdotal suggestions to mitigate the languishing impact of negative expectation bias. He will read related excerpts from his book, The Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times (VOI). WE SEEK AND ACCEPT EVIDENCE ALIGNED TO OUR BIASES. Per Psychology Today, “A bias is a tendency, inclination, or prejudice toward or against something or someone. Some biases are positive and helpful—like choosing to only eat foods that are considered healthy or staying away from someone who has knowingly caused harm. But biases are often based on stereotypes, rather than actual knowledge of an individual or circumstance. Whether positive or negative, such cognitive shortcuts can result in prejudgments that lead to rash decisions or discriminatory practices.” Our life experiences shape our biases, as do our families, as do our sources of information. NORMALCY BIAS. One of the most-prominent biases in the safety community is normalcy bias - or the belief that an event isn’t severe enough to warrant a course-altering reaction. And, things will return to normal in a very short time. If this is how we think, then that’s how we will perceive the events that we observe in our world. People rooted to normalcy biases typically perform poorly during crisis situations. They fail to act, or the suddenly-changed context overwhelms them. They are slow to adapt. And, life and death is measured in the seconds between the onset of an emergency and one’s reaction to it. FILTERING FOR NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS. On the other hand, if we expect negative news, then we will perceive news as negative - or filter out neutral or positive news as it doesn’t match our expectation for bad news. It’s also remarkably hard to convince people that authentic events are not matched to their expectation bias. In other words, if you expect things to be good and they are, in fact, negative, you’ll have a predisposition to perceive things as good. Such a person might be happy and easy going, but they are also the last one into the lifeboat or out of the burning building. MEDIA ABHORS IN A VACUUM. “The media abhors an information vacuum. It will take what information it has and amplify it, completing the ensemble with speculation when deemed necessary. Uncertainty makes us crave more information, so many people spend a lot of time looking for news updates, refreshing screens every few minutes to seek reassurance. As people lose proportion and perspective, they spiral down a whirlpool of confirmation (expectation) bias.” Pg. 50 of VOI. MARTIAN ATTACK. “On October 28, 1938, many Americans believed they were being invaded by Martians. This erroneous belief was the result of a Halloween stunt orchestrated by Orson Welles in which he adapted H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds to the radio and then broadcast the play as though it was actually happening. “[A] few short weeks before this broadcast, millions of listeners had kept their radios tuned for the latest news from a Europe apparently about to go to war.” Radio listeners therefore had a preexisting expectation bias toward catastrophically bad news. In the weeks that followed, Psychology professor Howard Cantril of Princeton University and colleagues interviewed people to try and understand their reactions to the broadcast. Of those that mistook the radio play as a live news report, almost none of them tuned to another station where they would have quickly found that life was completely normal.” Pg. 67 of VOI. HOW TO LIMIT YOUR BIASES. Humans have biases - they are part of our survival wiring. Acknowledge when your biases are influencing your perceptions - you’ll probably be aware of this - more than you think. Listen to others’ perspectives. Vary your information sources. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 181 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 05-10-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
It is legally recognized that time is cleanly divided into years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. But in certain chaos conditions, the construct of time might distort and collapse into what is known as a flow state. All that matters is the moment. And while we convince ourselves that we will observe and respond to bountiful warning signs, we’ll learn that the collapse of physical time is a hard bifurcation that appears “obvious and avoidable” in hindsight. In this episode, Doc talks about the 2016 Gatlinburg wildfire’s collapse of physical time and reads excerpts from pages 10-11 in the book ‘The Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times’ by David P. Perrodin. PIGEON FORGE AND GATLINBURG WILDFIRES. “Consider the wildfires that killed 14 people and destroyed nearly 20,000 acres in the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg areas of the Great Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee in November and December 2016. More specifically, imagine being among the residents and vacationers in the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area attempting to flee down the mountainside at night, in the dark, in some cases encountering downed trees and abandoned automobiles blocking roadways, while walls of flame consuming trees and underbrush rapidly approach the road from both sides. “At 8:30 p.m. on November 28, 2016, high winds and roaring flames disabled cell towers, melted fiber-optic cables, disrupted digital radio signals and shut down phone lines. Backup systems and protocols failed.” Everything cut out in an instant.” LULLED INTO FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. “Emily Walpole, a NIST scientist who studied the incident, uncovered a perplexing finding in her analysis of the multiday fire. “It’s possible that you get used to smelling smoke and it basically lulls you into a false sense of security . . . the fire could be miles away and be producing smoke.” Likewise, some resorts and vacationers in the area ignored the nearby threat until it was almost too late. “It seemed that people expected that if a large wildfire requiring evacuation was going to happen, they would be told. Instead, many had to find out on their own.” Resorts closed, issuing eleventh-hour evacuation orders as their hope that the fires would spare their area was extinguished, while the fire was not. One such couple relates how it was not until they texted a picture of encroaching fire to their firefighter son—who replied for them to get out of the area immediately—that their own perception of their immediate situation changed.” THE FIRE WAS OBSERVED TWO DAYS BEFORE HELL BROKE LOOSE - SO WHY WASN'T THE PUBLIC ALERTED? Survivors blame park rangers and other federal personnel for failing to adequately alert the town about the fire's danger and speed. Insurance companies also have filed litigation in the case. The fire started as a small blaze Nov. 23, 2016, the day before Thanksgiving, on the popular Chimney Tops trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Authorities said it appeared two teenage boys set the fire, which grew in subsequent days until it became an inferno that swept into Gatlinburg on Nov. 28. INSUFFICIENT NOTIFICATION LAWSUIT CAN CONTINUE. In 2020, Senior U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer stated that the government failed to properly alert neighbors of the risk of the fire. "The United States cannot rely on the press releases and an E-Blast to satisfy a requirement to notify “Park Neighbors, Park visitors, and local residents” when it doesn’t tell the Court where the press releases and E-Blast were sent to," Greer wrote. He continued: "Likewise, the United States relies on the information posted to websites and social media accounts to satisfy the requirement. The problem with this argument is the same as the problem with the press release and E-Blast argument. The information posted on the websites gave notice to the visitors of the Park’s website, the Instagram posts may have given notice to the people who follow the Park on Instagram, etc. But posting information on websites and social media accounts is not the same as notifying “Park neighbors, Park visitors and local residents . . . of all planned and unplanned fire management activities that have the potential to impact them. RELYING ON SMART DEVICES. Many of us rely so heavily on “smart” devices on a daily basis when hell is not breaking loose. We have trained ourselves to assume that the technology that allows us to receive the information we need to navigate our home turf on a typically uneventful day will always work because it always has worked. This assumption is our torus, our normalcy bias. When your observations are mismatched to your technology, choose a course of action to get out of harm’s way. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 180 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 05-03-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
In 2017, America’s tallest dam complex had partially, but catastrophically, failed. The Oroville Dam, located in northern California, left operators scrambling to figure out how to manage a main spillway failure, eroding secondary spillway, and a rising water level in the reservoir. Remember those tense days when America was riveted to the nightly news for the latest updates? Remember the engineers who calculated that Sacramento, which is in a geological basin, would be hip-deep in water if the Oroville complex collapsed? The thing is, this didn’t make the nightly news - at least nothing more than five seconds of video and another ten seconds of narrative. But, that didn’t mean Americans, Californians, and people near Oroville didn’t have questions. They had a lot of questions. In fact, people across the world were thirsty for updates about Oroville - and they received them from Juan Browne. In this episode, Doc discusses Chapter 2: Face Validity, from his book, ‘The Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. He reads an excerpt about Juane Browne and the Oroville Dam and points out how there are reliable, organic journalists around us - and how we can responsibly break our own news to inform our communities and friends. David will reference pages 41-45 from The Velocity of Information. THE OROVILLE DAM. Completed in 1968, Oroville Dam was a showpiece of the California State Water Project. Located on the Feather River, east of the city of Oroville and 70 miles north of Sacramento, the earthen embankment dam was used for flood control, water storage, and hydroelectric power generation. The dam was modern and, until 2017, had an insignificant history. But as all structures, entropy took its toll. 2017 SPILLWAY FAILURE. On February 8, 2017, during a routine water release, a large portion of the center spillway collapsed. With fears that continued use of the spillway could erode further toward the gates and completely collapse the structure, a decision was made to pass water over the emergency spillway. On February 11, 2017, Oroville Dam, America’s tallest, at 770 feet, overtopped and damaged its emergency spillway for the first time in its history, forcing the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people. The unnatural disaster took about one billion dollars to repair and caused millions more in property damage. JUAN BROWN’S FIRST VIDEO OF THE DAM. “Just one day prior to the incident, on February 10, Browne made his first video about the dam. Fearing that the government would soon restrict air traffic over the site, Browne, a commercial pilot for American Airlines, got into his 1946 Luscombe 8A single-engine plane to offer the world the rarest of bird’s-eye view. Browne used a GoPro Hero5 camera to shoot the video. He added narration and published it to his YouTube channel, @blancolirio, the next day. The video immediately went viral. It has since amassed more than 500,000 views. In the five-minute, ten-second video, Browne shows a command of the scene, the situation, and the possible consequences of the dam’s failure. The view from 3,000 feet is intimate and dramatic. With no other planes in the sky, and no people at the site, the rarity of the vantage is apparent. One gets the feeling of being led on a backstage tour. Throughout, Browne’s tone is even and informative, never breathless or excited. “That’s the big concern going forward: how much erosion are we going to get?” Browne says at one point, summarizing the fears of his neighbors who were watching. That concern was justified. BROWNE BECAME THE TRUSTED SOURCE. Up in the air, seeking truth, and answering the questions that mattered to neighbors fearing for their futures is when things took off for Juan’s YouTube Channel. He was granted special access to the dam complex to film his updates and to interview workers. When he appeared at state informational meetings, the audience sought his input as much as it did the engineers at the front table. “As the months-long repair effort went on, Browne continued his reports. Over time, he was perceived as an honest broker by the state and the engineering firm, and was allowed a unique level of access to the dam. “Nobody else was really doing it with this level of detail or interest,” Browne said. PEOPLE WANT THE FACTS. Juan also believes that is why the public responded so strongly. “There is a huge void, or a huge market for, just the facts,” Browne said. “People really responded to that, and it seems to be so lacking in today’s modern infotainment industry. They just wanted the facts.” THREE LESSONS FROM JUAN. (A) See it for yourself, (B) You have not because you ask not, and (C,) Be curious, not cunning. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 179 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 04-26-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Between 1933 and 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered 31 evening radio addresses to ameliorate the fears and concerns of the American people as well as to inform them of the positions and actions taken by the U.S. Government. The addresses were both novel and sticking. Ranging from 11 to 44 minutes, these informal addresses resembled a pull-up-your-chair fireside chat atmosphere more than a formal projection originating behind an ordained podium. In this episode, Doc examines FDR’s fireside chats as he unpacked them (for messaging strategies during uncertain times) in his book, ‘The Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.’ Doc notes striking similarities to the style of presentation adopted by Ukraine President Volodymer Zelnskyy. Has Zelenskyy managed to modernize the propaganda formula that was a resounding success for FDR? ROOSEVELT’S FIRESIDE CHATS - THE MAGIC IS THE MEDIUM. The following excerpts are from pages 96-98 of Dr. Perrodin’s book, The Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. “Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency stands out not only for its duration but also the challenges he and America faced together from 1933 to 1945, from the Great Depression to World War II. The enormity of those two challenges, but especially the Depression, which welcomed FDR to office, forced him to the radio airwaves, early and often, in his now famous ‘fireside chats.’ The fireside chat was the creation of a White House aide. The idea was that beaming the president’s words, live, from his house to yours, unfiltered by time or editors, would allow unprecedented intimacy between the president and the public. “To many, the Great Depression confirmed what they had suspected all along: individuals no longer mattered in the new economic order (1).” THE FIRST FIRESIDE CHAT. “The first fireside chat went out live just eight days after FDR’s inauguration, on March 12, 1933. “I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking,” he said at the start of the inaugural chat (2). The fireside chats were “the first media events—live, pre-planned, extraordinary broadcasts that riveted the attention of the nation—in American history,” writes history professor David Ryfe (3). “Roosevelt often used the ‘you’ form,” Ryfe continues “throughout the chats, he is concerned to ‘tell you,’ ‘interest you,’ ‘make it clear to you,’ and ‘make you understand (4).’” It was as if the president were speaking directly to each individual. FEATURES OF THE FIRESIDE CHAT: FDR vs. ZELENSKYY. The appeal and enduring success of FDR’s fireside chats are attributable to several features, many of which are observed in the addresses of Ukraine President Zelenskyy amidst the 2022 military invasion-conflict by Russia. (A) Talk of the particulars and not mechanics: During the 1933 banking crisis, FDR didn’t speak at lengths explaining the banking holiday (closed banks), but rather the “fortitude” of Americans and the inconvenience and hardships they endured due to closed banks. Zelensky appeals to emotions, strength, and allegiance - even if he seemingly enrolls allies that are not formally allies, such as NATO. He avoids updates on the specifics of the conflict, but does not soften the devastation. (B) Short duration speeches: FDR’s fireside chats were between 11 and 44 minutes. This kept his message relevant without becoming rambling or redundant. During chaotic times, people have less tolerance and information-processing capacity for long-winded messaging. Zelensky’s addresses to Ukrainians mirror these figures. (C) Consistency: FDR spoke in plain language and without walk-up promotion. Zelenskyy is similar with his use of common language (and recognizable visuals) and his green-henley shirts have not yielded to suits. ZELENSKYY TALKING TO THE WORLD AS FDR ADDRESSED A NATION. As speeches are now just a smart-device away, Zelenskyy tends to address his countrymen through his addresses to the European Union, NATO, and Congress. And while the world tuned into FDR’s fireside chats, FDR was never addressing the world - he was talking to fellow Americans as the world listened in. CITATIONS: (1) Ryfe, David Michael. “From Media Audience to Media Public: A Study of Letters Written in Reaction to FDR’s Fireside Chats.” Media, Culture and Society 23 (November 1, 2001): 767–781. doi: 10.1177/016344301023006005; (2) History.com Editors. “FDR Broadcasts First ‘Fireside Chat’ During the Great Depression.” History.com. November 24, 2009. https://www.history.com /this -day -in-history /fdr -gives -first -fireside -chat; (3) Ryfe, From Media Audience to Media Public, 767–781; (4) Ibid. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. This is episode 178 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 04-19-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Stagnant, sweltering summer days cocoon us with unshakable pulsing heat and sticky humidity in what is known as a wet bulb effect. It’s downright uncomfortable. Our attention deviates from things at hand and centers on making an escape to our air-conditioned cars and dwellings, but the reprieve is temporary - and some of us lack the luxury of climate control other than sitting beneath the canopy of trees and sipping on a cold drink. But, it’s that combination of heat and humidity which agitates us, saps our energy, stifles our motivation, and can even knock us out with heatstroke. It’s uncomfortable just thinking about it - and that’s what most people have been doing the past two years, sweltering in their minds - bad news is the heat and unrelenting information is the humidity. In today’s show, Doc explains the wet bulb effect as it relates to information and human attention. We’ll learn how human attention works and ways to mitigate information overload during uncertain times. Doc will read an excerpt about Wet Bulbs from pages 74-75 of his book, ‘The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.’ WHAT IS A WET BULB? “A wet bulb temperature is taken when you wrap an ambient-temperature thermometer bulb in a wet muslin fabric, exposing it to air flow to promote evaporation, and then measure the difference in temperature. When the air is hot and humid, evaporation is stifled and the wet bulb and dry bulb measurements will be close—too close for comfort. We are saturated, swimming in sweat, and overheating.” COMPETITIVE CYCLISTS, WET BULBS, AND MAKING CRITICAL DECISIONS. Competitive cyclists, like former Soviet National team member Nikolai Razouvaev, rely on the wet bulb measurement to inform their decision to take the bicycle out on a hot and humid day. What can be done to cool down? Perhaps lighter clothing, extra water, frequent breaks, easier terrain, or postponing the outing for a time with a lower wet bulb reading. But what if you do not have an option? What if you must race?” EXAMPLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WET BULB EFFECT. “Your phone buzzes. It is a push alert from the newspaper you trust, about the governor’s upcoming press conference on COVID-19. Another alert comes in an hour later: case and death numbers and summary guidance from the press conference.The phone buzzes a third time. It is an emergency alert ordered by the governor; if you had somehow missed his comments earlier. On your way home, a dynamic messaging sign on the freeway encourages you to “mask up.” Your televised football game is interrupted by misty-eyed celebrities urging that “we’re all in this together.” The 11 o’clock news will offer the very latest.” “[In] a global pandemic, at the height of the Information Age, we are all wet bulbs, spinning away. We are not just wet, we are soaked. OPTING IN FOR INFORMATION. And we chose this situation for ourselves.” “[W]e opt in to news push alerts. And we could opt out of emergency alerts, if we so chose. But in both cases, we have decided that the risk of saturation is tolerable compared to the alternative, fear of missing out. The velocity of information is too great to remove ourselves from the equation. MITIGATING THE WET BULB EFFECT. Begin by acknowledging your behaviors. Short-tempered, frustrated, overwhelmed, unable to attend to tasks. These are reactions to stimuli. Change the channel, or better yet, turn off the receiver. The information is still hammering down on you, but if you’ve turned off your receiver, your attention shifts to the hike or the golf game (Aaron Clarey?) and you seemingly be the last person around who hasn’t heard the “latest hyped news” which, actually, likely won’t have a significant impact on your life. And, what are you going to do about it? During uncertain times when media and people feverishly pass headlines, take a pass. You can sample from time to time and get the information that you need. No use in hovering at the buffet table waiting for another pan of wings to be dumped into the trough. OPT IN TO BECOME FORCE IN? Putting a toe in the metaverse, real-time digital tracking of our phones and cars, and Elon Musk’s hints of neural links are all easements (or encroachments?) into a life where opting out will require effort and consequences. How are you preparing for the omnipresent wet bulb? SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. The content here is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your safety professional regarding the unique needs of yourself or your organization.This is episode 177 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 04-12-2022. Order Doc’s new book today and suggest it as a purchase for your local library! The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
In June, 2019, U.S. lawmakers held their first hearing devoted primarily to the threat of artificially generated imagery. Then in October, 2019, California banned political deep fakes during election season. But, such actions have raised questions. What might be consequences looming at the intersection of deep fakes and public policy? WHAT ARE DEEP FAKES? Per Tim Biggs and Robert Moran of Explainer, “Deep fakes are the most prominent form of what’s being called ‘synthetic media’: images, sound and video that appear to have been created through traditional means but that have, in fact, been constructed by complex software. [D]eep fakes are, in their most common form, videos where one person’s face has been convincingly replaced by a computer-generated face, which often resembles a second person.” Deep fakes, which came to prominence in 2017, can be of a single person or people. RISKS OF DIGITAL DEEP FAKES. Digital deep fakes could rapidly erode trust in people’s main source for information - the Internet. Deep fakes will damage reputations, end careers, and cause people to be skittish and hesitant to trust most media sources. Deep fakes could fuel civil unrest and toss dust in the eyes of stressed citizens anticipating negative news as they plot high-stakes next steps in order to navigate war-torn landscapes. Furthermore, anyone can be the target of this technology. We have to play defense and offense. How do you prove your innocence against a convincing deep fake that portrays you as a fraud or of association with their ilk? FIND THE TRUTH. The following are excerpts from pages 69-70 from the book ‘The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.’ “In any investigation, the goal is to find the truth, not to confirm suspicions or predetermined positions. If you approach panic-inducing situations with that attitude, you will arrive at awareness, rather than panic. Your initial assumptions and conclusions may not always be correct.” THE PACKED STADIUM - OR IS IT? “[I]magine watching a professional baseball game on TV and texting your attending-in-person friend, “Stadium is packed! Hope the concession lines aren’t a mile long!” Seconds later, they respond with a wide-angle selfie from a bleacher seat, “What are you talking about? This place is practically empty!” FOX SPORTS’ DIGITAL FANS. “On July 23, 2020, Fox Sports posted a thirty-seven-second video to its Twitter account demonstrating how it would place thousands of virtual lifelike fans in the stands of major league stadiums (1). “Fox Sports producers will be able to control things like how full the virtual ‘crowds’ are for a given game, what weather fans are dressed for, and what percentage of the crowd will be home fans versus away (2).” The crowds appeared strikingly authentic and would be indiscernible from real crowds to most TV viewers. That snippet was both incredible and chilling at the same time.” HACKED REALITY? “What other real-world scenarios could be “hacked” to distort crowd density? Political rallies, protests, lines outside stores? Is there an app for that?” CITATIONS: (1) Fox Sports. [@FoxSports.] “No Fans? Not on FOX Sports. Thousands of Virtual Fans Will Attend FOX’s MLB Games This Saturday.” Twitter. July 23, 2020. https://twitter .com /FOXSports /status /1286281346390740993. (2) Gartenberg, Chaim. “How Fox Sports Will Use Virtual Fans Created in Unreal Engine to Fill Empty Stadiums in MLB Broadcasts. Real Sports, Fake Fans.” The Verge. July 25, 2020. https://www .theverge .com /2020 /7 /25 /21336017 /fox -sports-baseball -virtual -fans -epic -unreal -engine -empty -stadiums -mlb. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. The content here is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your safety professional regarding the unique needs of yourself or your organization.This is episode 176 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 04-05-2022. Order Doc’s new book today and suggest it as a purchase for your local library! The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Remember fiddling around until the final hour to hunker down and complete an assignment for school or a project for work - even though you knew of the deadline for weeks? There you were, confident you could serviceably complete the task and submit it in a nick of time. WHAT IS PARKINSON’S LAW? Parkinson’s Law is the adage that work will expand to fill the time allotted for its completion. The term was first coined by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in a humorous essay he wrote for “The Economist” in 1955. If someone has 5 hours to rake leaves from a yard - and apprises that task of clearing the small yard might take, at most, 2 hours, the tendency - per Parkinson’s Law, is for the person to take the full 5 hours to rake the leaves. They might rake at a slower pace, take frequent breaks, walk around to assess their progress, adjust their gloves, hat and jacket, and so on. NEW DEFINITION OF PARKINSON’S LAW. In his book The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times, Doc postulates a second interpretation of Parkinson’s Law. In this take, Parkinson’s Law represents the ingrained need for humans to have a distinct ritualistic start and end routine to their work days. He wrote about this in his book, centering on a business owner in Chicago who found people knocking on his door (a closed non-essential virtual reality gaming business), to inquire about renting a table for a few hours - so they could unfold their laptops and “got to work.” BREAKING PARKINSON’S LAW IN CHICAGO. The following is an excerpt (pages 75-76) from the book The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times by David P. Perrodin. “Prior to 2020, Aaron Sawyer’s Redline VR, a virtual reality club and bar in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago, was doing great business. His mega-computers, 3D game configurations, and 360-degree immersive goggles and haptic wearables were something that people could not get at home. He offered the best zombie-battling experience in the city. So much so that Sawyer considered opening a second location (1). Then the pandemic hit. Chicago city government started deciding which businesses were “essential,” and thus allowed to operate, and which were not. Redline VR was not deemed “essential.” Under Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan, Redline VR was allowed to reopen in phase four (2) at 25 percent capacity. There was no phase five. There was no revenue coming into the business. So Sawyer pivoted. Again and again (3) Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion (4).” Linda Stone, the consultant who has studied attention behavior, found that during the pandemic, people were checking work emails “at all hours of the night,” as their homes became their workplace (5). At the outset of the pandemic, many people left their office on a Friday, began working remotely the following Monday, and did not return to their offices. Many still have no return date in sight, and a significant number of positions have become permanently remote. Getting out of the home, and into an office setting, became an attractive option for some people. At home, the roles of spouse and mother and caregiver all intersect with the workday. Work now fills the physical space once reserved for family and relaxation. The mind is not always able to differentiate between the two.” REMOTE WORKERS WANTED A PLACE TO GO TO WORK. In May and June 2020, Aaron Sawyer observed an uptick in people asking if they could rent his VR stations, which were similar to work cubicles, for a few hours or for a day. “Redline VR rebranded to offer rented office space, at just fifteen dollars for the day. Curtains and separators were put up so people could keep their social distance and have a work space of their own, away from home and family.” CITATIONS. (1) Aaron Sawyer, interview with the author, August 14, 2020; (2) City of Chicago. “Reopening Chicago.” City of Chicago. 2020. https://www.chicago .gov /city /en /sites /COVID -19 /home /reopening -chicago .html; (3) Sawyer, interview with the author; (4) Parkinson, Cyril Northcote. Parkinson’s Law [And Other Studies in Administration] (Cambridge, MA: The Riverside Press, 1957), 3. http://sas2 .elte .hu /tg /ptorv /Parkinson -s-Law.pdf; (5) Linda Stone, personal communication with the author, August 14, 2020. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. The content here is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your safety professional regarding the unique needs of yourself or your organization.This is episode 175 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 03-29-2022. Order Doc’s new book today and suggest it as a purchase for your local library! The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
What are the differences between crisis and chaos? Is a sudden bifurcation better than a gradual bifurcation? How might a "strange attractor" contribute to the sometimes long duration, and difficult-to-recognize, patterns in chaos? Doc will discuss these questions and read an excerpt pertaining to them from his book 'The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times.' WHAT IS CRISIS? The following excerpts are from pages 139-140 of the book The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. “Crisis implies a decisive point in a dangerous situation with anticipation of an abrupt change to the condition, for better or for worse. [A] crisis is often of short duration and will have an identifiable turning point(s). It tends to scale in a predictable manner. People believe their own actions might resolve a crisis. This is a key distinction between crisis and chaos. While people believe that they can negotiate to resolve a crisis, the mindset when faced with chaos is to survive, or “wait-out” the condition. HARD OR SOFT BIFURCATIONS. A crisis may be characterized by a bifurcation, which is a parameter-dependent change in dynamical behavior. A useful distinction exists between hard (abrupt) and soft (gradual) bifurcations. Hard bifurcation: the ice on a lake slowly warms (temperature is the bifurcation parameter) and suddenly breaks, dropping you into the cold lake. Soft bifurcation: an ice cube (temperature is again the bifurcation parameter) once at a temperature greater than or equal to 32 degrees slowly melts into a glass of Scotch. A soft bifurcation is clearly preferable, particularly because its impacts are dispersed over time. STRANGE ATTRACTORS (Has Nothing To Do With Gravity). As mathematically defined, a crisis occurs with the appearance of a strange attractor. The word “attractor” has nothing to do with gravitation. As in dynamic systems, attractors provide a way to describe the asymptotic behavior of typical orbits. Operationally, this means that there is a dramatic change in the dynamical behavior of the system. The present disconnects from the past and the past behavior has little or no predictive value as the system navigates its way through a profoundly altered landscape. An undetected, racing comet with a 20,000 year orbit could be a strange attractor that alters life on earth. HYPERINFLATION AS A STRANGE ATTRACTOR. In a fiat money economy, sudden-onset hyperinflation might be characterized as a strange attractor resulting in extraordinary behaviors in the country’s monetary system. For example, during the 1923 hyperinflation crisis of the Weimar Republic, “workers were often paid twice per day because prices rose so fast their wages were virtually worthless by lunchtime (1).” In addition, “[f]armers refused to take any form of paper money for their crops. The harvest of 1923 sat in farmers’ warehouses while supermarkets in the cities were empty. Starvation and civil unrest loomed (2).” WHAT IS CHAOS? “Chaos is a state of disorder that is amorphous and without clear turning points. Chaos quickly or gradually settles into outcome basins or creates a new mean. Chaos describes a system that will develop in unpredictable ways and will not scale linearly. It exists on a continuum with degrees of absorption by systems. A state of chaos, due to a lack of, or impossibility of, a scripted response will usually, if not inevitably, spread. Chaos affects the global consciousness, even if only temporarily. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami near Japan was a chaos event that killed 15,899 people and caused the Fukushima nuclear energy plant disaster. CITATIONS: (1) BBC. “Bitesize The Weimar Republic 1918-1929: The Hyperinflation Crisis, 1923.” https://www .bbc .co .uk /bitesize /guides /z9y64j6 /revision /5.; (2) Forbes. “In Hyperinflation’s Aftermath, How Germany Went Back to Gold.” Forbes .co m. June 9, 2011. https://www .forbes .com /2011 /06 /09 /germany -gold -standard.html ?sh =330426c35934. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. The content here is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your safety professional regarding the unique needs of yourself or your organization.This is episode 174 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 03-08-2022. GET the book VELOCITY OF INFORMATION. Purchase the preeminent book of scholarship for an uncertain epoch from your favorite bookstore or online retailer and recommend it as a purchase for your local library! The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times (2022) by David P. Perrodin.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
What is comorbid chaos, how is it different from other types of chaos, and what are its consequences for societies and individuals? Doc explains the markers of uncertain times and reads an excerpt from his book, The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. COMORBID CHAOS. (Pages 144-45) “This fourth state of chaos includes qualities of Extended and International chaos events with the addition of one or more secondary, population-level chaos events that are intermediate and regional or extended and international. The secondary event happens concurrently with some or the entire primary event. In addition, chaos at this level oscillates in intensity. For example, there may be civil unrest affected by weather patterns (e.g., protests taper off on rainy days). Populations exhibit a lack of trust in government and authority. There is a corresponding loss of credibility by those in authority due to changing narratives.” EXAMPLES OF COMORBID CHAOS. Examples of comorbid chaos include The Great Depression from 1929 to 1939 confounded by the 1931–1939 Great Plains Dust Bowl and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in conjunction with racial justice protests. THE GREAT DEPRESSION. The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. In 1932, many politicians, businessmen, and journalists started to contemplate the possibility of massive revolution in the United States. In fact, thousands of the most desperate unemployed workers began raiding food stores (1). By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some fifteen million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed (2). Economic stability gradually returned in 1939 due, in part, to government New Deal projects that reformed financial systems and put people back to work. Many people who lived through the era distrusted banks and would no longer buy goods using credit. THE DUST BOWL. But before the economic improvement, the Dust Bowl intensified the crushing economic impacts of the Great Depression. In 1931, severe drought hit the Midwestern and Southern Plains of the United States. As crops died, crumbling topsoil from over-plowed and over-grazed land led to powerful dust storms that pummeled the region (3). “Residents crawled to safety in the dust (summer) storms and ‘snust’ (winter) storms. Many towns were abandoned (4)” Hundreds of people succumbed to what doctors at the time called “dust pneumonia,” a respiratory illness caused by tiny inorganic particles in the windblown dust (5). Famine gripped the region as it was impossible to sustain livestock. “Cattle went blind and suffocated. When farmers cut them open, they found stomachs stuffed with fine sand (6).” RECENT EXAMPLES OF COMORBID CHAOS. Since March 2020, there have been two instances of comorbid chaos in the world. PANDEMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PROTESTS. The epoch of March 2020 through January 2022 was marked by the pandemic as the primary event with episodic anti-racism demonstrations serving as the secondary event. INFLATION AND WORLD CONFLICT. The consumer price index climbed 7% in 2021, the largest 12-month gain since June 1982, according to Labor Department data. Gasoline prices also approached $5 a gallon in many parts of the United States. Inflation, which many pundits speculate to be higher and more severe than official statistics, brought further instability to the roaring housing market and faltering supply chain. On February 24, 2022, Russian invaded Ukraine, leading to military conflict, over 2 million people fleeing Ukraine, and widespread sanctions applied to Russia. The world was brought closer to the first use of nuclear weapons since World War II. CITATIONS: (1) Marx, Jerry D. “American Social Policy in the Great Depression and World War II.” VCU Libraries Social Welfare History Project. 2011. http://socialwelfare.library .vcu .edu /eras /great -depression /american -social -policy -in -the -great -depression-and -wwii. (2) History.com Editors, Great Depression History. (3) American Experience. “Surviving the Dust Bowl. Timeline: The Dust Bowl.” PBS. n.d. https://www .pbs .org /wgbh /americanexperience /features /dust -bowl -surviving-dust -bowl/. (4) Gordon, Dan. “When Deadly Dirt Devastated the Southern Plains.” The Denver Post. May 12, 2011. https://www .denverpost .com /2011 /05 /12 /when -deadly-dirt -devastated -the -southern -plains. (5) Williford, James. “Children of the Dust. The Dirty Thirties as Witnessed by People Who Were Actually There.” Humanities 33, no. 6. National Endowment for the Humanities. November/December 2012. https://www .neh .gov /humanities /2012 /novemberdecember /feature /children -the -dust (6) Gordon, Deadly Dirt. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This is episode 173 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 03-15-2022.
GET DOC’S BOOKS. Purchase the preeminent book of scholarship for an uncertain epoch from your favorite bookstore or online retailer and recommend it as a purchase for your local library! The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times (2022) by David P. Perrodin.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
The `Conjunction Fallacy' is a fallacy or error in decision making where people judge that a conjunction of two possible events is more likely than one or both of the conjuncts. Here are some examples. EXAMPLE ONE: Doc went to the store and bought tofu, eggplant, broccoli, and frozen meatless lasagna. Is it more likely that Doc is a man or a man who is a vegetarian? EXAMPLE TWO: Doc has a PhD or Doc has a PhD and reads the Wall Street Journal. EXAMPLE THREE: Aaron drove to a party in South Dakota in a Rolls Royce or Aaron drove to a party in South Dakota in a Rolls Royce as is a millionaire. In each example, the former is the correct answer. CONJUNCTION FALLACY: MR. F. HAD A HEART ATTACK. Excerpt from pages 51-52 of the book The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times (2022). In 1983, world-renowned psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman published a ground-breaking study on intuitive human cognitive bias (cite 1). They showed that when subjects are asked the likelihood of several alternatives, including single and joint events, they often make a conjunction fallacy. That is, they rate the conjunction of two events as being more likely, or more plausible, than only one of the constituent events. They presented the following fabricated scenarios to 115 undergraduates at Stanford University and the University of British Columbia: A health survey was conducted in a representative sample of adult males in British Columbia of all ages and occupations. Mr. F. was included in the sample. He was selected by chance from a list of participants. Which of the following statements is more probable? (A) Mr. F. has had one or more heart attacks. (B) Mr. F. has had one or more heart attacks and he is over 55 years old. This seemingly transparent problem elicited a substantial proportion (58% selected option B) of conjunction errors among statistically naive respondents (cite 2). WE ARE PRONE TO BELIEVE VIVID STORIES. This example, and countless like it, reveal that we are all subject to the conjunction fallacy, where we regularly violate the laws of probability due to a vivid story. This error in decision-making happens when people judge that a conjunction of two possible events is more likely than one or both of the conjuncts. Innate human reasoning infers that the addition of more details increases the probability of two events occurring simultaneously. (It is also an explanation for why liars tend to add additional or even excessive detail to a given lie in order to predispose the recipient to accepting the lie as truth.) However, the more detailed outcome is just that, more detailed. It is not more plausible or more likely. In fact, the probability of the two events occurring together (in conjunction) is always less than or equal to the probability of either one occurring alone. In other words, a conjunction cannot be more probable than one of its constituents. CONJUNCTION FALLACY DURING THE PANDEMIC. Which of these statements might you have deemed to be most probable on March 25, 2020? (A) The governor has ordered people to stay home. (B) The governor has ordered people to stay home, and state highways are closed. Previous studies of conjunction statements imply that the majority of people presented with these statements would select B. Fortunately, conjunction bias collapses in on itself when too many conditions are stated. Most people are able to identify the mental trickery of a statement with a dozen conjunctions. It no longer makes sense from a face validity standpoint. CITATIONS: (1) Tversky, Amos and Daniel Kahneman. “Extensional Versus Intuitive Reasoning: The Conjunction Fallacy in Probability Judgment.” Psychological Review, 90 (1983): 293–315. (2) Tversky and Kahneman, Extensional Versus Intuitive Reasoning, 293–315. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. The content here is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your safety professional regarding the unique needs of yourself or your organization.This is episode 172 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 03-08-2022. GET DOC’S BOOKS. Purchase the preeminent book of scholarship for an uncertain epoch from your favorite bookstore or online retailer and recommend it as a purchase for your local library! The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times (2022) by David P. Perrodin.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Guest William Wesley Lee Jarvis returns to the show to discuss "Normal Box Theory" and how it applies to how people, and societies, in identifying the illusion of priorities. What is "thinking in averages?" Why is perception of normality everything? What are counter-processes and fixes? How do we analyze processes of culture relative to box theory? What are the range of consequences of "the law" interfering with "individual will?" NORMAL BOX THEORY. Imagine a typical cardboard box. Now imagine that everything inside of the box is what humanity considers normal and safe. Rather than thinking of a sliding scale of good or bad, the “normal box” plainly communicates what is good and safe as well as what is bad and evil. What’s inside of the box is determined by some sort of authority or by majority. The contents of the box are constantly changing - perhaps subtle adjustments, or, as in times of great uncertainty, there might be a substantial change to what is deemed worthy of the box. PROBLEM WITH BOX THEORY. The box is finite. When something is added, something must be removed. Lee suggests that the staunch binary status of box-or-no-box should allow for people to “think in averages” where there are no normal or abnormal or limitations to the box. In Lee’s nuanced interpretation, “you just let people be, treating those that harm others as problems once they make problems.” PERCEPTION OF NORMALITY IS EVERYTHING. Lee explains that “people dislike what they think is “different” and go out of their way to be a busy-body to force their perception of normality on others. This is most likely due to simple mental survival mechanisms to thin the herd, it enhances the “bullying nanny” in everyone to report people not wearing masks in their homes, For example, real-live 24/7 thought police and other such nonsense. It can turn adults into kindergartners, because people lose a sense of themselves and their limits. This also enhances culture wars and group conflict, which is very profitable for most of the modern world.” GOVERNMENT COMPETENCY AND THE SOCIAL CONTRACT. It was Thomas Hobbes’ book Leviathan, written in 1651, that described the delicate balance between just-enough government and individuals’ free will. The book’s tenets are clearly evident today as governments have extracted concessions from their citizens for the sake of safety. The most controversial permanent program under the Patriot Act is the "National Security Letters" program, which lets the government demand communications records from telecom companies without even going through the surveillance court for approval first. PEOPLE DON’T QUESTION THE RULES. Lee notes that, “Not only are bad rules made without due diligence, but they are also embraced and cherished by much of the population. It only makes the “Wealth equals Power equals Corruption” dynamic worse as people profit from the conflagration of incompetence which leads to more waste and corruption. In other words, people want to be governed, the government grows, and it becomes too large and cumbersome to be effective. The “box” is stuffed with tangled rules. CHICKEN AND EGG. It’s a bit of a chicken and an egg problem, to counter this you need sane and reasonable people in governance, to make laws devoid of proactive discrimination, to focus people on flowing with individual will, to not interfere with the will of another unless another is harming them, and if the situation becomes where one wishes to be harmed by another in some way, then that person in the dominating interpersonal position is responsible for the actions and care of the submissive person, to ensure responsibility is metered out fairly to limit abuse from drugs or any contract or job, to ensure people are innocent until proven guilty, which means if good capable people are in governance then incompetence and corruption would be mitigated. And yes jobs and contracts have their own rules and balanced-out responsibilities. If you handwave away people’s basic responsibilities to each other, to do no harm to each other, to ensure a stable environment, then you get what we have now, a legal system that allows any law to be “for your protection” to be enacted and then enforced with punitive measures and opportunities for others to report “non-compliers” because the system is desperate for money to maintain the system.” FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This podcast and blog post represent the opinions of David P. Perrodin and his guests to the show. The content here is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your safety professional regarding the unique needs of yourself or your organization.This is episode 171 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 03-01-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Guest Josh the Locksmith has been helping people get into their cars and homes for the past decade. He informally learned the craft on the side and then became a business owner and a successful locksmith. Working from Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, it’s not uncommon for a service call to result in a 200 mile round trip. This is an in-demand field. Josh educates us about working as a locksmith, memorable calls, and advice on home and property security. WHAT IS A LOCKSMITH. A locksmith is someone who works with locks on doors, windows, cars, safes, etc. Locksmiths install, repair, and adjust locks in everything from cars to office buildings, and they also offer services to people who are locked out or individuals who want to consult with someone about their security systems. ARE LOCKSMITHS LICENSED. Doc assumed that locksmiths were licensed in each state and perhaps were members of a national association. However, Josh shared that in Minnesota, locksmiths aren’t required to be licensed. Upon further inquiry, Doc learned that most states don’t require locksmiths to be licensed or registered with a government agency. So, how do you know that a locksmith is legit? SECURITY SCAMS - WHAT TO LOOK FOR. Josh noted that unsavory locksmith companies are a problem across the country and tend to pop-up for a short time and then vanish. When someone is searching the Internet for a locksmith, that person is probably stressed and will pursue the first results - these are sometimes the scammers. They offer a low rate service call, perhaps $15, and then once on scene, exaggerate the problem and technical effort required to resolve the matter. They might drill out your lock and stick you with a several hundred dollar bill. To avoid scams, Josh recommends that during the initial phone call to ask for a total cost as most locksmiths will provide that. A typical car or house unlock should be in the $75 ballpark. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN TRY ON YOUR OWN? For your own property, Josh suggests people keep a long reach grabber and air wedge in their garage. Such vehicle entry kits are available on Amazon for $50. While getting into your car with the tools from a kit might be relatively easy, it can cost several hundred dollars to have a new vehicle key manufactured by a locksmith due to the chips and electronic fobs. But, Josh notes, modern vehicles are much more difficult to steal due to the complexity of the keys. SECURITY 101. Josh advocates for every residence to have a deadbolt on exterior doors. In addition, the plate should be screwed into the support frame (not trim) of the door. This is often accomplished by using 3 inch screws. Another tip is to bathe your house and property in motion-sensing lights and even sirens. As for windows, Josh shared that 75% of forced entries are through doors and not windows. For some reason, criminals don’t want to break glass. Some final security advice is to not draw attention to your property with fancy decor or leaving valuable items in plain view. BE A KAREN. Josh notes that people seldom ask him for identity and as long as he looks the role of a locksmith, he largely has access, without question, to locations. But, if something seems off, he suggests that you ask questions, “Excuse me, what are you doing?” He feels some sketchy behavior would be curtailed by people simply asking questions. Doc noted a popular short YouTube video of a man carrying a ladder as a way to make it appear that he has the authority to enter various locations - and he was granted access most of the time - simply because he “looks the part” and moves with authority. BAD LOCKSMITH CALLS. One of the most prevalent situations Josh encounters is when people feel he has some sort of legal or police authority. This can be tricky when arriving to change locks due to domestic disputes. He also conducted a welfare check in which the occupant of the residence was dead. In addition, he opened a vehicle that had two bodies inside of it. Some of his calls resulted in generous tips - although, Josh notes, that’s not as common today. His business was unchanged during the pandemic. People weren’t asking him to engage in special disinfecting processes and he was unscathed by the essential - nonessential decrees. CAMERAS AND DIGITAL LOCKS. Josh feels there is some deterrence value in surveillance cameras, but it’s not a part of his business. And, new keypad and electronic systems can be difficult or impossible to unlock without drilling out the lock. FINAL TIP. Take a photo of the 5 digits punched into the top of your house key and keep it in a secure file on your phone. A locksmith can make a replacement key based upon those numbers. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This is episode 170 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 02-22-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
WHAT IS THE BRAESS PARADOX? Braess’ Paradox states that, counterintuitively, adding a road to a road network can slow down overall traffic through it. The paradox was discovered in 1968 by German mathematician Dietrich Braess. At the root of this paradox is that every driver thinks for themselves as the lack of cooperation with other drivers means that every driver will aim to take the fastest possible route. Hence, the shortest route becomes overwhelmed and also slows down merging-in from lesser-traveled nodes, which, in turn, causes delays on those nodes. In New York, Boston, London, and Seoul, traffic congestion decreased in as little as a week after congested roadways were closed. HUMAN VS. ANT. “According to scientists who studied traffic density for humans and for ants, it was discovered that when the occupancy rate on the road exceeds 40 percent, people gradually slow down their speed and stop after a certain stage. Thus, congested traffic or traffic jams. In ants, on the other hand, we observe an opposite phenomenon. As the traffic density increases, the flow increases at the same time. When the occupancy rate on the road reaches 80 percent, the ants synchronize their tempo and continue on their path at the most optimal speed (SOURCE: Ibrahim Kovin, Oct 18, 2021. Cantorsparadise.com). It might be argued that the ants’ goal is survival of the colony and the human’s goal is to be the first person at work. So we expect people to flock to the shortest possible route, or our navigation apps pull from the same maps and data to funnel us into a bogged down shortcut. AI can sell us out, but the antecedent event can also steer our subconscious thinking. FORCED LEARNED BEHAVIOR. When people are forced to alter their routines due to an unexpected, dramatic event - such as a bridge failure, they tend to begrudgingly follow government-placed detour signs and also poke around for a new path that allows them to complete their commute. As their long-accustomed-to primary route is out of service, drivers tend to stick with their first-experienced new routes - even if they are not particularly efficient. They would rather travel a known route than attempt to find a shorter route. One would think this new patterning would be readily tossed aside if the previous route, which was shorter and faster, was restored. That’s what happens during expected closures of familiar routes. However, when the I35W bridge was re-opened in 2008, demand did not bounce back to pre-collapse levels as expected - and the addition of lanes didn’t cause the dreaded Braess’ Paradox. THREE REASONS DRIVERS DIDN’T REVERT TO FASTER PRE-COLLAPSE ROUTES. These three facts might have influenced drivers’ behavior: (1) The unexpectedness of the I-35W Bridge collapse and the mandatory route changes some commuters were forced to make created inherent resistance to return the bridge following reopening; (2) The prolonged closure was lengthy enough for the benefits of route familiarity in the disrupted network to outweigh the low travel times found on the new bridge; and (3) The tragedy itself discouraged some commuters from returning to the site (SOURCE: MN DOT Research Services. Traffic Flow and Road User Impacts of the Collapse of the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River. David Levinson, Principal Investigator). SUMMARY. Three take-away points. (1) Humans tend to think individually and gravitate to the shortest or fastest path, often overloading it. This has been observed with new roads as well as drive-thru lines at restaurants. The phenomenon is known as Braess’ Paradox. (2) Following an unexpected disruption, an avoidance phenomenon is observed that will typically diminish over time. (3) And, in contrast, pre-planned disruptions, even with similar magnitude, generate much smaller impacts. Bonus tip. In a crisis, think the opposite of the masses. ACCORDING TO THE JOKER: “I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hmmm? You know... You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan". But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds. Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!” (quotation from Heath Ledger as The Joker in Christopher Nolan movie, The Dark Knight). FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. This is episode 169 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 02-08-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
- School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com
- Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
In March 2020, you awoke to find that the government deemed you essential or nonessential. Over-the-road (OTR) haulers, or truck drivers, were deemed essential. But as the arrival of healthcare workers was celebrated with fire engine parades, truck drivers were spared recognition and told to shift into overdrive and deal with peeled back restrictions, including letting drivers with learner’s permits drive without their Commercial Drivers License (CDL) and changing hours of service guidelines so truckers could drive longer than they would be allowed to otherwise. In other words, truckers were directed to stretch themselves, and not just absent parades, but in a landscape of closed waysides, truck stops, restaurants -- while being told to stay in their cabs when picking up or delivering their cargo. Being a trucker before the pandemic meant choosing a profession under-appreciated by the public. During the pandemic, finite truckers were unfathomably treated as expendable. IN THIS EPISODE. Doc interviews former trucker Jonathan Burger to discuss the state of OTR haulers before the pandemic, at the onset of the pandemic, and now in 2022. Jonathan will talk about OTR haulers access to toilet facilities, restaurants, and places to park when they sleep. In addition, Jonathan will bring awareness to lesser known aspects of trucking including new Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandates, negative behaviors within the trucker workforce, hazard pay (lack of), and lumpers. Doc and Jonathan consider how government and society might better demonstrate appreciation from truckers - the seemingly forgotten essential workers. ABOUT JONATHAN BURGER. Jonathan Burger has a YouTube channel focused on Second Amendment activism/advocacy. His channel is called Guns N BBQ as he periodically tosses in content about his hobby of barbecuing. He is a former armed security officer and corrections officer turned truck driver. Jonathan drove truck for just over 5 years before going blind. Shortly after losing his vision he decided to start a YouTube channel. Jonathan remains well-connected to the OTR hauler community and understands the lesser-understood nodes along the OTR hauler network. PRE-2020 STATE OF TRUCKING. Jonathan reminds us that the trucking industry had challenges prior to the pandemic. Overnight parking was particularly difficult to find and even booking ahead didn’t necessarily secure a spot for the rig. Fewer businesses were allowing truckers to park in their lots due to the poor behavior of some in the industry who would leave behind trash. IMPACT OF 2017 ELD MANDATE. On January 23, 2022, Grace Dean of Business Insider wrote an article titled: Truckers say an electronic device that measures the hours they drive each day sometimes leaves them stranded just 30 minutes from home. While truckers had maintained paper logging records for decades, electronic logging devices went into effect in 2017 for most rigs. The logs track when truckers drive and take breaks, but the system is inflexible. Jonathan offered an example of a trucker taking a break in the parking lot near a warehouse. A few minutes into the mandated break, someone asks the driver to move his truck to the end of the lot, perhaps a hundred feet away. When the truck begins to move, the ELD resets the break. Ultimately, the purpose of ELDs was to prevent fatigued drivers from being on the roads - so ELDs make sense, but in their current incarnation, they seem to be too restrictive. PANDEMIC RELAXED TRUCKING RULES WITHOUT SUPPORT TO TRUCKERS - LUMPERS CASH IN AS DRIVERS TOLD NOT TO UNLOAD THEIR FREIGHT. On March 13, 2020, the US government made an emergency relief declaration that allowed OTR drivers with expiring licenses to continue working, eliminated the 30-minute break requirement during 11 hours driving, and relaxed the 60/70-hour rule. However, neither federal or state governments took action to support truckers. Arizona opened two shuttered waysides with limited hours - so that was at least something. But, no hazard pay for truckers, no National Guard deployed to keep open waysides and supply food, showers, and basic care to truckers. County fairgrounds could have been temporarily opened for truckers, right? There were no hero parades for truckers - even as wait times increased for truckers to unload and they were told to stay in their rigs, cubed away from the world. BROWN BAG BOOST CAMPAIGN. Doc and Jonathan pondered items that might go into a brown bag that would be given, as a sign of support, for truckers at waysides or scales. Items included a thank you note, chunky soup, socks, plastic utensils, and 3D printed air vent diffusers. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 168 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 01-25-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Doc calls our attention to the strange disappearance of civic organizations in America. Peaking in the 1960s, tiny villages and big cities bustled with volunteers of all ages to build parks, serve as crossing guards, hold free throw shooting contests for kids, work voting stations, and pass local knowledge from generation to generation. There was a time when people prioritized the time to gather at local restaurants to discuss ways to volunteer and improve their community. HISTORY. Civic organizations in the US were closely tied to church-affiliated groups (Knights of Columbus), fraternal organizations (Freemasons), and also unions. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is an organization of U.S. war veterans. And while VFW posts were practically in every community in America following WWII, membership is dwindling and posts have been closed and consolidated. “Per a 2021 article by Faith Bottum of the Wall Street Journal, “The VFW has around 1.5 million members, a drop of a million from 1992. The average age is 67, with 400,000 members over 80. The largest organization of veterans' clubs, the American Legion, has two million members, down from 3.3 million in 1946.” POPULAR CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS. Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Jaycees, and Optimists are among the well-known volunteer groups of the latter half of the twentieth century. Most have been reduced to a small fraction of their halcyon days. According to a 2020 article by Payal Gangishetti of Nonprofit Sector News, “The Jaycees, founded in 1920, is a leadership training and civic organization for people between the ages 18 and 40. [It’s] peak membership was 360,000 in 1976 and today has just 12,000 members in the United States. Doc recalls the village Jaycees chapter building a playground near the river in the community of 1200 where he was raised in northern Wisconsin. “The park is still there,” noted Doc. “The Jaycees and other civic organizations' names and logos adorn the ‘Welcome to Town’ signs, but for practical purposes, the organizations are extinct. Maybe their endowment funds their fee for the placards on the main roads heading into town?” LOSS OF VESTING TO BUILD COMMUNITY CONNECTEDNESS AND PERSONAL PURPOSE. As Doc researched the relationship between volunteering in civic organizations and community safety, the literature review was similar to driving a car that was out of alignment. Everything pulled in the direction of how the individual benefited from volunteering and much less was written about the collective benefit of society or of the community. Doc interprets this as false-memory solipsism. In other words, the core value of a civic organization (as written in numerous articles) is the fulfillment of each member. What’s in it for me? Simply put, the literature review doesn’t match Doc’s experiences with civic organizations. BENEFITS TO VOLUNTEERS. The Mayo Clinic Health System says volunteering reduces stress levels and the risk of depression. Volunteers often learn valuable life and job skills while staying physically and mentally active. The Mayo Clinic cites a Longitudinal Study of Aging that concludes volunteers even live longer. Volunteers who have chronic or serious illnesses often experience less pain. HealthyPeople.gov -- a part of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion that is tasked with providing science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans -- agrees. Healthy People points out that clubs offer emotional support and create a sense of community. BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY. Beyond enriching each individual volunteer, projects benefit the greater community in the manifestations of parks or mentoring. Groups might focus on raking leaves at somebody’s house. Build relationships - rally around people in need. A Lions Club in Windsor Locks (pop. 12,613), Connecticut ran the volunteer ambulance service in 2019! WHY THE DECLINE? The Loki argument is “The Internet” wiped out the organizations. But, this is recited by people who don’t recall the days before the Internet. The across-the-board declines in membership appeared in the 1980s. Most recently, remote work mobility and pandemic cocooning might have sealed the fates for many civic organizations. These organizations have adapted to social media platforms, but that isn’t a substitute for in vivo community enrichment activities. DOC’S CIVIC VOLUNTEERING. From 2004-2009, Doc served as a volunteer tour guide and handyman at historic Fort Winnebago Surgeons’ Quarters in Portage, Wisconsin. With his Dad, he re-built the split rail fence and the well. Doc also volunteered in various roles for the monthly community lunch at Couper Hall. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 167 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 01-18-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Doc was recently interviewed by a large-market news company assembling a documentary about youth violence directed at adults. Ultimately, the question of “What can be done to prevent this?” was asked. A staunch proponent of increasing funding, research, and training on threat identification and reporting, Dr. Perrodin delivered his versed spell-binder on the matter. When asked about sports, or perhaps the decline of youth sports, contributing to youth violence, Dr. Perrodin found himself conflicted with the research. YOUTH SPORTS PARTICIPATION IN AMERICA ARE DECREASING, INCREASING, or CONFUSING. Per the National Council of Youth Sports, “About 60 million children and teens from age 6 to 18 participate in organized sports each year with 73 percent involved in more than one sport.” But those numbers are complicated. From 2008 to 2018, Aspen Project Play found that the participation rate of kids between the ages of 6 and 12 dropped from 45 to 38 percent, due largely to the increasing costs, time commitments, and competitive nature of organized sports leagues. Statista reports (2019) reports that there are 50 million children in the United States between the ages of six and seventeen. DOES PARTICIPATING IN SPORTS DECREASE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY? According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, “Participation in sports activities is very popular among adolescents, and is frequently encouraged among youth. Many psychosocial health benefits in youth are attributed to sports participation, but to what extent this positive influence holds for juvenile delinquency is still not clear on both the theoretical and empirical level. SOURCE: doi: 10.1007/s10964-015-0389-7.” As Dr. Perrodin examined studies and meta-analysis reports, the findings largely fell into the same basin - there was not a statistical relation between youth sports participation and youth violence. The most prevalent connections were between youth physical activity and youth physical health. HOW ABOUT E-SPORTS? This is where things get interesting. When we think of youth sports, our minds are populated with images of baseball diamonds and folding-camp-chair-lined soccer fields. Though generating controversy over whether the pastime qualifies as true sport, E-Sports has exploded in popularity in recent years. In a 2019 Forbes article by Bob Cook, “At least seven state high school associations are offering esports at a varsity level, and more will add it. Even states without official varsity esports run state tournaments, and prizes can include scholarship money to one of the 115 colleges (and growing) fielding esports teams, and, in many cases, offering scholarships to gamers.” Complexity Gaming, a professional esports organization owned by Dallas Cowboys' owner and youth sports investor Jerry Jones, is building a training facility at the Cowboys' headquarters, The Star in Frisco, Texas. https://complexity.gg/ DO VIDEO GAMES MAKE YOUTH VIOLENT? No. This question is oft-asked, and the 2008 book Grand Theft Childhood by Harvard University’s Dr. Cheryl K. Olson and Dr. Lawrence Kutner is one of the most-cited works to debunk violent or graphic video games causing youth to engage in violent behavior. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUTH VIOLENCE RESEARCH? We are at a disruption point or possibly a convergence in what is considered a youth sport. Studies seeking to uncover relationships between participation in sports and violence must now include E-sports. What nuanced areas might be studied in E-sports? If Doc was assembling a research study, his constructs might be (1) badges and incentives; (2) social etiquette and moderating; (3) incidents of delinquent or violent behavior compared to non-sport youth; and (4) incidents of harm to self or harm to others compared to overall youth population. E-SPORTS AND INCLUSION. While traditional sports are difficult to access by youth with physical disabilities, E-Sports are more inclusive. You could have a wheelchair-using student be a captain of his school’s E-Sports team. What might be the impact of E-Sports on Title IV? FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 166 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 01-11-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
When his pool vacuum cleaner’s bearings failed, a Florida man didn’t bolt to Amazon to order an expensive replacement vacuum (in the slight chance it was in stock). Instead, he found open source code for a similar bearing, modified it, and then programmed his home 3D printer to make a new bearing. With the cost of operating the 3D printer at 75 watts per hour, and filament mere cents, and after a few trials, the pool vacuum was back in service for $3 of parts and power. IN THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Doc interviews flyingRich to learn about the arrival of 3D home printing as more than a novelty. In addition, flyingRich will talk about the positive impact of 3D printing in crisis situations, such as PPE items and ventilator parts as well as 3D printed mesh network solutions for antennas used in emergency communication conditions. ABOUT FLYINGRICH. flyingRich (spelled with lowercase f) has been doing tech podcasts for more than ten years (His YouTube channel is titled flyingRich). Rich is an advocate of open source software solutions. He is a regular host on "The Mini PC Show" on the PodNutz network that focuses on single board computing like the Raspberry Pi. Professionally he is a cloud engineer. Being a 3D printing enthusiast he combines the love of tech, open source & cloud computing. Rich is also a 1,000 hour instrument rated pilot. 3D HOME PRINTING NO LONGER A NOVELTY. Rich showed off a number of items that he had 3D printed, including a stand for his monitor and a specialized device to bend pipe. In fact, through open source computing and networking, Rich has worked with people across the world to design, refine, and 3D print parts for a range of applications. While the public might perceive home 3D printing as centered on toys, flutes, and trinkets, the reality is that actual houses are being 3D printed, hard-to-configure replacement parts for old homes, automotive parts, and even food. THINGIVERSE. Rich noted that much sharing exists within the 3D printing community. In particular, THINGIVERSE is a website dedicated to the sharing of user-created digital design files. “Providing primary free, open-source hardware designs licensed under the GNU General Public License or Creative Commons licenses, the site allows contributors to select a user license type for the designs that they share (Source: Wikipedia). 3D PRINTING IN DISASTERS. The December 2021 wildfire that destroyed 1000 homes in Boulder County or the tornado that ripped apart towns in the Kentucky region caused massive damage with little warning. How might mobile 3D printing units be deployed and benefit these areas? Rich and Doc explored this question. Rich felt that 3D printers could build many of the parts needed for geodesic domes, which are lattice shell structures. These are both strong and relatively easy to configure. They could provide shelter to people and animals or staging of assets. Doc felt that portable 3D printing units might yield much relief to hurricane stricken areas, such as the Bahamas. On a September 11, 2019 show, Doc interviewed German Parodi, a disability rights advocate. In that interview, Parodi explained that people (in the Bahamas) in need of catheters, for example, were unable to obtain them as large planes were unable to land at the damaged airport and it was time-consuming and red-tape-filled to have pallets broken into smaller shipments. A 3D printer might have offered other options in that scenario. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 165 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 01-04-2022.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Doc discusses the mythical Loki, it’s societal role over time, and our present-day tendency to offload responsibility and accountability to Loki. In addition, Doc also examines The Straw Man Fallacy, which is often found lurking in the same shadows as the Loki. WHAT IS LOKI? Loki is the mythical Norse chaos god. Portrayed as everything from trickster to an evil force, Loki shoulders the blame for poor crops, storms, and personal strike. In present time, the concept of Loki takes the form of a pandemic. Blame the pandemic for store smash-and-grabs, inflation, and empty store shelves. PROBLEM WITH BLAMING LOKI. A thousand years ago, folks in the Netherlands might have blamed Loki for an unrelenting blizzard and frigid temperatures. Loki could also be used to explain unexpected deaths. Loki served a purpose - what couldn’t be attributed to scientific knowledge or benevolent gods could be shouldered by Loki. By blaming Loki, people didn’t dwell on the dire event, but instead acknowledged it, and moved on. It’s the moving on part that is key. Modern day Loki-blaming doesn’t include the “moving on” part. Instead, Loki relieves us of responsibility and accountability. Observe for Loki arguments in the media or made by others. In those instances, problems are pinned on Loki, but there is little attempt to move forward in life. However, there is a strategy that is often found where the contemporary Loki lurks -- and that is The Straw Man Fallacy. THE STRAW MAN FALLACY can be explained in the following 4 steps. (1) Ignore the real argument; (2) Create a pretend argument; (3) Defeat the pretend argument; and (4) Claim victory over the real argument. STRAW MAN FALLACY EXAMPLE WITH HOMELESSNESS. Here’s what The Straw Man Fallacy looks like when applied to homelessness in San Francisco. (1) Pivot away from homelessness as the main argument and instead make the main argument about lack of micro homes (8’ x 10’ portable homes). (2) Funding more micro homes will solve homelessness. (3) We built thousands of micro homes and set them up in parks or other places for homeless people to live in, hence no longer making them homeless. (4) We solved homelessness. Yet, in reality, homelessness in San Francisco wouldn’t (and hasn’t) been solved by micro homes. The now-micro-housed people need food, mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, community building, job skills, and so on. If a person is jacket-less, giving him a jacket solves the issue. If a person is homeless, giving them a home doesn’t solve the issue. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 164 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-29-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
On December 17, 2021, the CDC changed its guidance for students in schools who have been “close contacts” to persons that have tested positive for COVID-19. In this episode, Doc analyzes the new guidance, compares it to previous guidance, unpacks how contact tracing works in schools, and also takes a macro-look at overall immunization compliance in schools for students K-12 for mumps, measles, rubella, polio, and other required (non-COVID) vaccinations. Doc studied schools’ data and assembled a graphic with alarming information. Thanks to all of you for helping Doc surpass 1000 subscribers to his “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel. CDC TEST-TO-STAY. From the CDC: “Test to Stay combines contact tracing and serial testing (testing that is repeated at least twice during a seven-day period post-exposure) to allow asymptomatic school-associated close contacts who are not fully vaccinated and do not test positive for SARS-CoV-2 to continue in-person learning. Because fully vaccinated close contacts are not required to quarantine following exposure, they would not be included in Test to Stay. Students who participate in Test to Stay should consistently and correctly wear masks while in school and should stay home and isolate if they develop symptoms or test positive for SARS-CoV-2. In the studies done in Illinois and California, both the person with COVID-19 and the close contact had to be properly masked at the time of exposure to qualify for Test to Stay. If schools are considering implementing Test to Stay, they should also have robust contact tracing in place and access to testing resources (for example, testing supplies and personnel to conduct testing, or access to an existing community testing site), among other layered prevention strategies. Testing frequency can vary (for example, from twice in a seven-day period to daily), but more frequent testing can more quickly identify students who become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and need to isolate.” CONTACT TRACING IN SCHOOLS. Dr. Perrodin shares that most school districts in his state have fewer than 1000 students and do not employ a designated “contact tracer.” Close Contacts are determined by settings in the school’s schedule software. For example, identifying which students were in a 7th hour geometry course attended by a student who tested positive for COVID. Doc is skeptical of the test-to-stay guidance due to shorthanded schools and lack of tests. WISCONSIN STUDENT IMMUNIZATION COMPLIANCE CHECK. Wisconsin Immunization Law (State Statute 252.04)requires that each of the state’s 421 school districts annually submit a report of immunization compliance for students. The 2020-2021 compliance requirements are found at (https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p44021.pdf). Here are the requirements: K-5: 4 doses polio, 3 doses hepatitis B, 2 doses MMR, and 2 doses Varicella. Per Wisconsin DHS, students are compliant with the immunization law if they meet all of the minimum immunization requirements, are considered “in process”, or have a waiver on file. The percent of Students Compliant with Immunization Law in 2020-2021 in Wisconsin is publicly available at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p02388a.pdf : Here are reports from 12 of Wisconsin’s 421 school districts: Blair Taylor 628 students total enrolled in district = no reports received; Beloit 5426 students with 389 students not in compliance = 92.82%; Baraboo = 100%; Ashland 1863 students with 95 students not in compliance = 94.87%; Butternut = no reports received; Columbus 1242 students with 30 students not in compliance = 97.52%; Fall River 492 students with 3 students not in compliance = 99.38%; Portage = 100%; Potosi = no reports give; Madison 25,503 students with 438 students not in compliance = 98.28%; Milwaukee 66,977 students with 6429 students not in compliance = 90.40%; and Montello (614 students with 29 students not in compliance = 95.22%. 32/421 (8%) school districts did not submit reports! This is abysmal, yet there are no statements from the DPI or DHS indicating efforts to complete the data sets. A diagram of this information is included in the corresponding blog post for episode 163 at safetyphd.com. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 163 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-22-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Have you wondered what life is like for staff and students at a state residential school for blind children? In this episode, Doc shares his experiences as the director of rehabilitation services for a school for the blind. Did his expectations match what he encountered with the job? What are things few people know about working with visually impaired students? Why was there a swingset inside of the school? How did working with visually impaired students and staff change the ways that Doc thought about school safety? His book, School of Errors - Rethinking School Safety in America, was written during the time he worked at the school for the blind. Here are the top ten questions about working at the school for the blind. (1) DO STAFF HAVE TO LEARN BRAILLE? Surprisingly, no. Most staff learn how to visually read the Braille alphabet and common words, but learning to read and write tactile Braille is required primarily of instructors of Braille. A student taught Doc the Braille alphabet and he used a free “Braille Helper” phone app to practice words written in the six dots braille system (Braille is not a language, but a way to communicate a language). (2) IS IT A SAD PLACE TO WORK? No. With less than a hundred students and a high staff-to-student ratio, the campus had a positive tone. There was little staff turnover and students had an array of activities to participate in during school and after hours. (3) ARE THERE SPORTS AND EXTRACURRICULARS? Yes. The school offered track, swimming, wrestling, 4H, and numerous clubs. The most popular sport was goalball. At one time, the school had its own radio station and former students continue to work in radio and communications. (4) DO THE STUDENTS LIVE AT THE SCHOOL? Most of the students stay in the dorms during the week - especially students who live 90 minutes away from the school. In fact, some students are flown into the local airport each Sunday for school and then flown back home on Fridays. Other students are transported to the campus daily and some split time between the campus and local schools or the two-year college. (5) DO THE OLDER STUDENTS DATE? Yes. This is similar to students in other school settings. However, online matchmaking presents unique challenges for blind students as dating apps aren’t accessible and students sometimes ask staff to help them complete dating profiles and give opinions on their potential matches. Staff divert those questions to the students' adult friends or sighted peers. (6) ARE ALL OF THE STUDENTS BLIND? All of the students have some level of vision loss that meets criteria for them to receive services at the school for the blind. However, some students have partial sight and a few are even able to obtain a driver’s permit for daytime driving! (7) DO STUDENTS GET INTO TROUBLE? Yes, but staff with experience at different school settings generally concur that school discipline incidents happen less frequently and with less severity at the school for the blind. Typical violations of the code of student conduct might be bullying or having tobacco on campus. (8) HOW IS SCHOOL SAFETY ADAPTED FOR BLIND STUDENTS? There is a heavy emphasis on verbal communication and teaching students to identify landmarks, such as the perimeter sidewalk that loops the campus. Safety-purposed phone apps are seldom reliable for students with vision loss as such apps don’t have VoiceOver features to read information or present choice menus. All students participate in all safety instruction and all drills. (9) WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO WORK THERE? A hurdle for new employees is that students’ schedules are very fluid. This is due to orientation and mobility instruction and braille courses taking priority along with maximizing field practice. If a residential student is ill, they typically miss the entire week of school due to transportation schedules of picking students up on Sundays and taking them home on Fridays. As all students at the school have disabilities, working there can present a moral dilemma for people who believe that it isn’t an inclusive setting and that students should be educated in their schools of residence. (10) WHAT ARE THE MOST UNIQUE EXPERIENCES FOR STAFF? It was common for half the school’s staff and students to go on impromptu bike outings on warm fall or spring days. The school had tandem or three-wheeled bikes and a staff member or community volunteer was paired with a student. Doc describes a special CPR awareness project he helped a student work on which brought in the local TV and the student was given awards at an assembly. And, there was the pesky dorm cow that roamed the hallways at the most inopportune times! FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE, BLOG & BOOKS: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 162 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-13-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
Sassed1 2Many works in the IT Field as a mainframe technician. He’s an avid shooter, rides motorcycles, and flies radio-controlled airplanes. And all of that was almost ripped away when early on life’s journey he was spun and strewn with obstacles that forced him to literally rethink everything. In this episode, Sassed discusses his career and the constant companion of the post effects of traumatic brain injury. Additionally, as a father, Sassed explains the disconnect between television narratives and proclamations by so-called experts and his search for authentic information. TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI). Per Mayo Clinic, “Traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. An object that goes through brain tissue, such as a bullet or shattered piece of skull, also can cause traumatic brain injury. Mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain cells temporarily. More-serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can result in long-term complications or death.” At the age of 21, Sassed was involved in a violent motorcycle accident, launching him over a stationary vehicle, and inflicting a serious traumatic brain injury into the aspiring tradesman’s life. His face was smashed into the pavement and his mouth, numerous bones were shattered or dislocated, muscles torn, and nerves damaged. His mouth was wired shut and he was near metal snips as vomiting with a wired-shut mouth put him at risk for suffocating. Dizziness was nearly a constant experience and for years it was precarious to simply stand up from a chair without losing his balance. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION. Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapy are common for persons recuperating from TBI. Sassed didn’t receive these therapies, but did partake in extensive hands-on training to rebuild motor memory and coordination. During recovery, he worked at a famous Japanese restaurant as a dishwasher - and later trained as a Tempura chef. Two years after the accident, Sassed enrolled in a state-sponsored vocational rehabilitation program which guided him into a career in computer operations. His first computer-related job, in 1984, centered on decollating six part computer printouts for $4.50 an hour. WHAT’S IN A NAME: SASSED1 2MANY. Sassed = past tense: to be cheeky or rude to (someone). 1 = one: the lowest cardinal number. 2 = to͞o: to a higher degree than is desirable, permissible, or possible many = innumerable, countless. Sassed1 2Many is a state of mind actualized from constant exposure to innumerable amounts of un-thoughtful impetuous impertinent and disrespectful content in the public and social digital communications age, resulting in a singularly sarcastic existence. BEHIND THE MEDIA CURTAIN. It was as a father of young children that Sassed found himself recoiling from the nightly news and the abrasive social-shaping of commercials. He disconnected from contemporary media and immersed in personal research and engaging in thought-provoking discourse and debates. Doc and Sassed lamented on how even BIG news events receive perhaps ninety seconds of coverage on TV and are posted, with superficial information, on websites. The era of investigative journalism seemingly went extinct in the 1980s. Today, prominent media mouthpieces are well-compensated to read teleprompters and to not ask questions. Eventually, even they arrive at a crossroads of dissonance with what they speak and what they observe - and are quickly replaced by the long line of talking heads that want their shot at being a news celebrity. CANNONBALL RUN. In 1989, Sassed roared across the eastern seaboard in his 1988 Isuzu Impulse while averaging over 140MPH. In what many call the real-life remake of the famous 1981 movie starring Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise, Sassed acquired a six pack, carton of donuts, and a first class postage stamp (25 cents at the time). 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 P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 161 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-07-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Books:
School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.www.schooloferrors.com Velocity of Information - Human Thinking During Chaotic Times. www.velocityofinformation.com
As Doc was writing School of Errors - Rethinking School Safety in America, he talked with parents of children killed or maimed by school shooters. Writing a book about school safety and taking on a multi-billion dollar industry needed to be done in a way that didn’t encroach on the dignity of those killed in acts of school violence or upon that of survivors and family. From those discussions and through his research and observations of crisis communication, Doc found universal tenets for authentic, empathic messaging during a crisis or chaos. I HAVE BAD NEWS TO SHARE (The Chris Voss Method) Chris Voss is a retired FBI negotiator and his book Never Split the Difference is essential for anyone who might be at the podium on the worst day of their life. You’re not doing the stressed audience a favor by attempting to ease them into horrific news. To begin with, “We had a fast response and everyone worked hard…” might be accurate, but it’s a long wind-up for a pitch you intentionally have to aim at the batter. Instead, begin with “I have bad news to share.” Then pause. The second sentence is what might appear as the title of the forensic paper on this event. “Students and staff were involved in a bus accident on their way to a field trip.” The third sentence is the information known at the time about the well-being of those involved in the incident. This must be an “I” statement. “I have been in contact with the state patrol and was informed that some occupants of the bus have been transported to hospitals. I have no information about the types of injuries or potential fatalities.” And then tell people what to do or not to do. People shouldn’t drive to the scene, but they should assemble in high school commons. LOST THEIR LIVES vs. HAD THEIR LIVES TAKEN. It’s always better to use “had their lives taken” when acknowledging death. This is one resounding point of unison from parents of children killed by school shooters. To say, “This child lost his life” implies some culpability on the part of the child. We don’t lose lives like we lose keys or socks. We don’t find those lost lives. While the phrase “lost their life” might be said without negative intent, there are other times when “lost their life” is an intentional blurring by the media or officials. CRASH, ATTACK, and TRAGEDY. News media throttles or measures headlines per their agendas and somewhat to the Overton Window of the political temperature of the moment. On September 12, 2001, the headline from The New York Times read (in all caps): U.S. ATTACKED - HIJACKED JETS DESTROY TWIN TOWERS AND HIT PENTAGON IN DAY OF TERROR. That was an accurate headline. If it was written today, some media would opt for: Planes Crash Into Twin Towers and Pentagon - Unknown Number Lose Their Lives. And, the word “tragedy” is the catch basin for all disasters - it would be in most contemporary headlines. Tragedy is a word specifically selected by weak-willed journalists and editors who are afraid to assign a cause to an incident. What’s present and what’s absent from headlines and stories reveals the bias of the publisher/editor and not a lack of credible information. Everyone has a movie studio in their pocket. A from-the-street rendering from Google Maps is three clicks from the home screen. There’s a reason “tragedy” didn’t appear in any of the major newspaper headlines of 9/12/2001 - and a reason why other words did. BE OBJECTIVE, BE BRIEF. There is the main situation and then ancillary situations. When talking about that bus accident, convey everything in 50 words. If there’s a need to talk about re-unification sites, that should be a second and different statement. Inform people that you, or someone else (name that person) will provide an update in one hour (for example). Do not attempt to field questions until after your second statement. THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU. Always try to have someone else read your statements for accuracy and tone. That person must be a membercheck willing to tell you the truth. Privately, read the statement to yourself. We are remarkably good at detecting when our messages aren’t landing as we intended. Use simple, familiar vocabulary. Do not infuse your own emotions or experiences into the situation. Every person in that audience has a story to share about how this impacts them. Avoid, “In my twenty years as a school administrator, I have experienced loss of students and faculty, and this situation is a reminder that life is precious and that our community is strong in trying times…” That’s a statement for a support event or rally. 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 P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 160 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-29-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Entropy is the gradual decline into disorder. An example of entropy is a melting ice cube. Water molecules are fixed and ordered in the cube. As it melts, the molecules become free to move and become independent and therefore become disordered. The second law of thermodynamics is that all things lead to entropy - from ice cubes to the human body. In this episode, Doc examines the entropy of structures and systems and centers these concepts on the example of a small village purchasing a replacement for its 30-year-old fire engine. ENTROPY OF STRUCTURES. Over time, cars will rust, pavement will crack, and the human body will deteriorate. Although entropy of structures is a certainty, preventive measures and maintenance will slow the rate of entropy. For the car, it’s washing, waxing, and applying touch-up paint to new chips. Exercise staves off muscle atrophy. Even if all structures on Earth were immune from entropy, the sun would engulf the planet. ENTROPY OF SYSTEMS. When the Texas power grid failed in the winter of 2017, a forensic analysis revealed a power grid system that had become old, outdated, and inefficient. Remember when you were in elementary school and participated in a monthly fire drill? The purpose of the drill was to ensure fidelity of the evacuation system. If you only practiced a fire drill the first week of the school year, then some students would forget the protocols as the year went on. THE NEW FIRE ENGINE EFFECT. In October, 2021, the village board of a community of 1500 people in Wisconsin approved an expenditure for a new fire engine. At $400,000, the rescue pumper would be the costliest purchase in the village’s 2022 budget. The volunteer department’s fire chief was grilled by the city council members to justify the large expenditure. The prepared chief noted that the village's primary engine, a 1990 pumper bought for $78,000, was well-maintained and also succumbing to entropy of structure and systems. In other words, the engine itself was demonstrating fatigue and it was difficult to find replacement parts for the aging apparatus. But there was something else. The outside world evolved 30 years beyond the world the engine entered. This is important. Let’s say that an exact new replica of the 1990 engine could be delivered to the fire station. Would that make sense? The firefighters would be familiar with the various levers and controls, right? Going back to the 1990 engine - it doesn’t have a crew cab and therefore only 3 firefighters can travel in it. Because of this limitation, the engine always needed a companion as the department always sent at least 4 firefighters to a call. This meant that two fire trucks were sent to accidents in order to have sufficient personnel - an accepted practice in 1990 - in fact, the firehouse was often emptied for most calls as the mindset was to bring as many assets to an incident as possible. Today, the “industry” protocol is to send a single "rescue" engine specifically built to transport 4-5 crew and extrication gear. The stalwart 1990 engine had a 1000 GPM pump. New engines are outfitted with a 1500 GPM pump. The village's fire rating fell over the years due to static pumping capacity as the once-tiny industrial park flourished with new businesses. And then there's GPS, comms, LED lighting and improved designs so ladders can be stored on top of the apparatus and lowered with ease. So that was all on the structure entropy side of things. The next part was systems entropy. In 1990, nobody thought about extinguishing an electric vehicle. Firefighters today train differently than their 1990 counterparts. The system of individual fire departments battling any blaze was a thing in 1990. In that Wisconsin village,a massive fire on Main Street was tackled by the fire department and the neighboring rural town’s department. Today, such a fire would activate mutual aid from multiple communities. With the advent and acceptance of mutual aid, fire departments are streamlining their fleets and pool assets. SCHOOL SAFETY. So what does this mean for school safety? As entropy happens slowly, it's almost impossible for schools to detect it. Plus, there is frequent turnover of school staff - so these folks aren’t around long enough to observe entropy. What can a safety expert do for a school? Identify the state of entropy and make recommendations to restore structures or systems (to original), refurbish them (modernize them as possible), or replace them. 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 P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. This is episode 159 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-22-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
On Friday, November 12, 2021, classes were canceled for many public school districts in North Carolina. The intended purpose of the motion was to offer a mental health day for teachers and students experiencing burnout from the pandemic and the cumulative stress of contemporary education. Doc, with 25 years experience as an educator, describes the sudden popularity of mental days for school staff and why mental health days will both increase and also compound teacher burnout. WHAT HAPPENS ON MENTAL HEALTH DAYS? Staff and students are typically given vague guidance on how to focus on their mental health during days off. When Doc asks educators what they do on mental health days, they respond, “catch up on work,” instead of yoga, journaling or anything related to self care. Some note that the days off actually add to their workloads - and that makes sense. Instead of covering a planned lesson in 5 days, now they have 4 days, or 20% less time. Let’s be honest, a “day away from school” isn’t a magical elixir. This is trendy, but ineffective. Teachers are still burning out. MENTAL HEALTH DAYS DISRUPT ROUTINES. The school calendar provides consistency - especially now. Students have been out of school or toggled between hybrid and in-person instruction the past two years. Mental wellness days disrupt the continuity of routine. A human’s predictable routine can be called the torus - a concept Doc wrote extensively about in his book School of Errors. FIVE WAYS TO SOLVE TEACHER BURNOUT. Here are five ways to counter teacher burnout. Note that some call for disrupting long-held practices, such as the summer-off school calendar. (1) OBEY PARKINSON’S LAW. Humans function efficiently with defined start and end routines to daily activities. It wasn’t just the teaching profession that seemingly went 24/7 during remote learning, but schools have maintained one foot in remote learning and the other in the brick classroom. This has mushroomed the prep and planning for teachers. Schools can’t saddle teachers with planning for online, hybrid, and in-person learning. (2) YEAR-ROUND SCHOOL CALENDAR. In The Velocity of Information, Doc wrote about the groundbreaking work of World War II Army psychiatrist Dr. John Appel. Appel studied burnout in combat soldiers. He discovered that frontline warfighters would be killed, wounded, captured, mentally collapse, or found to be missing in action by 200 days. Increasing pay or championing “Why We Fight” didn’t offset the burnout. By that account, increasing teachers’ compensation, even doubling it, would likely have minimal effect on burnout. It might increase retention, but retaining a burned-out teacher is a bad idea. Back to Appel, he found that the British got 400 days out of their soldiers on the Italian front lines. How? The British would pull fighters out of duty within twelve days and then rest them for four days. In overlaying this thinking to K-12 schools, a year-round calendar creates rest periods - true “breaks” versus a periodic mental health day. Furthermore, year-round schedules lessen the impact of summer learning loss. Summers off goes back to when we were an agrarian society and then a recreation society. Most educators that talk with Doc are ready for year-round calendars. Beware, the school calendar is a sacred cow. (3) EMBRACE CROWD-IN MINDSET. There is zero sense that we are in transitory chaos. When people are convinced that chaos will continue for months or years, they surround themselves with comfort items. Remember the Michael Keaton movie Mr. Mom? In it, a fictional company called “Schooner Tuna” was steered away from advertising gimmicks by Keaton’s wife. In a surprise move, Schooner Tuna reduced the price of its tuna by 50 cents a can to convey empathy during the economic crisis of the time. Schools are overloaded with initiatives - and these initiatives are baking teachers. (4) CRACKED BOARDS. Recon Sniper Clay Martin spoke of “cracked boards” when Doc interviewed him about dealing with long periods in high stress settings. In short, it’s OK to tacitly acknowledge that you are frustrated - it’s the last fuse before burnout. (5) QUIT ZOOMING. Former Microsoft executive Linda Stone is an expert on human attention. In The Velocity of Information, Stone mentioned that she advises clients that Zoom calls are exhausting and a phone call places less demand on attention. Not every conversation requires a Zoom call. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 158 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-16-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
The issue of masks and other COVID-19 precaution strategies in schools has become contentious, sparking a firestorm of lawsuits. Special guest Attorney Lisa Linney helps us understand behind-the-scenes strategizing when a parent sues a school district over insufficient virus mitigation protocols. What is the strongest argument for the plaintiff? Beyond the parent and the school district, will other “responsible third parties'' be at fault? What must happen in the hours after a school district has been served a lawsuit? DISCLAIMER. Attorney Lisa Linney will not be giving legal advice during this episode. Please contact your legal counsel for guidance on specific school safety legal matters. ABOUT LISA LINNEY. Lisa Linney is an attorney at Murphy Legal in Texas. Her focus is motion practice and appellate law. Lisa’s appellate practice begins before a case even goes to trial. She participates in trial preparation by researching thorny issues and crafting motions in support of her clients’ positions and to preserve the trial record for any potential appeal. Lisa also handles appellate work, including briefing and oral argument. She is a graduate of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. WHAT IS DECLARATORY RELIEF? Lisa notes that the lawsuits are between the parent and the school district. Declaratory relief would be , for example, the court interpreting the contract to determine rights of parents and the school without ordering action or awarding damages. In other words, the court has the ability to compel the school to implement a mask mandate or specific pandemic mitigation protocols. However, such a ruling would not extend to other school districts in the state. But, when similar parent-filed lawsuits against multiple districts catch the attention of the media and state legislators, there might be pressure for either the state department of health or state department of instruction to take a firm position, or in the rare chance, issue a decree on the matters. WHAT IS INJUNCTIVE RELIEF? The court may issue a sanction (injunction) regarding a school district’s pandemic mitigation practices. For example, if a school had a “masks optional” policy, the court might sanction the school district to remove the “optional” from its protocol. In Wisconsin, parent lawsuits against school districts claiming that "The school board and the superintendent are not providing a safe environment” are seeking declaratory or injunctive relief. In other words, the intent of the lawsuits is to change policy and protocol - most likely to require masks in schools. BURDEN OF PROOF. Lisa notes that the burden of proof in these lawsuits will be with the parent. As the plaintiff gather’s evidence (discovery) it’s as important to examine how a school district engaged in due diligence and debated pandemic mitigation protocols. The board of education is empowered with the responsibility of creating policies and voting on actions. When looking at the school’s decision to mitigate effects of COVID-19 in the school setting, something more could have always been done. The question is, what is reasonable? Anything publicly available from the county health department, local hospitals, CDC, FDA, NIH, WHO should be considered. Demonstrate due diligence in obtaining and weighing information from a variety of reputable sources - and government sources will be perceived as credible. Then boil down to more specific data as to what information applies to children. If the school district engaged in these steps, it’s going to be difficult for a parent to prevail in a lawsuit. WHAT IS NEGLIGENCE? Attorney Linney explained the three elements of negligence. (First) Defendant owned a legal duty; (Second) Defendant breached that duty; and (Third) Breach caused the injury. The plaintiff (parent) has to show that the defendant owed a legal duty to the plaintiff and the defendant breached that duty, and that breach was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injury. Attorney Linney felt it would be a great technical challenge to prove the student contracted COVID at school and that it was a result of insufficient mitigation efforts by the school. Proximate cause will be the problem in the courts - how do you show the child got COVID. Where else has the child been, and the people that the children live and interact with outside of 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. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 157 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-2-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com.
One lesser-mentioned reason for the sustained and worsening supply chain disruption is that manufacturing has entered the “transfer portal” between JIT and 3D printing. In other words, an old technology is being usurped by a new technology. The pandemic hastened the process and the question centered on in this episode is how the baton pass will occur as the race track is quaking. WAREHOUSE to JIT to 3D PRINTING. In the 1990s, manufacturing experienced an evolution from warehouse manufacturing (or creating excess product and to ship as needed), to Just In Time (JIT) manufacturing - which meant products would skip the warehouse and go directly from the manufacturer to the store / business / consumer. JIT was clunky at first, but as computers improved, RFID to quickly track and improve asset management, and sophisticated transportation logistics, the JIT system was proven, and improving, by the early 2000s. 3D-PRINTED HOUSES GO MAINSTREAM. (Yahoo News’ Joann Muller, Monday, October 25, 2021) Doc shares a story about 3D-printed cement houses. Instead of conventional materials like steel, aluminum and lumber, 3D-printed structures are built by a robot squeezing a cement mixture out of a nozzle, layer upon layer, like a soft swirl ice cream cone. It's the same additive manufacturing process used to make everything from dental implants to airplane parts — just on a much, much larger scale. Texas-based ICON has delivered two dozen 3D-printed homes in the US and Mexico and has raised $207 million to expand. The homes are printed on-site. While something as disruptive as 3D printed houses seems far-fetched, Doc noted that from 1908 to 1940, you could choose from over 400 styles of homes to purchase through Sears, Roebuck and Co. mail-order catalog. HOW 3D-PRINTED FOOD COULD CHANGE THE WAY WE COOK AND EAT. General Electric's GE Additive Manufacturing branch released a report in 2020 describing 3D-printing of food as entering mainstream testing. “At one gourmet restaurant in the United Kingdom, everyone is eating 3D-printed food because that is all that is served. The enterprising entrepreneurs at London’s Food Ink decided to push additive manufacturing to its logical extreme. Everything is 3D printed, including the utensils, plates, tables and chairs. At Miramar, a gourmet restaurant in Spain, food printers take on more mundane tasks, freeing chefs to better focus on their creative cuisine.” BENEFITS OF 3D PRINTING (Statsys.com) (1) Advance time-to-market turnaround; (2) Save on tooling costs with on-demand 3D printing; (3) Reduce waste with additive manufacturing; (4) Save weight with complex part designs; (5) Eliminate shipping of finished products, along with packaging. ISSUES WITH 3D PRINTING (1) Need for raw materials - you won’t be able to harvest from your backyard; (2) Intellectual property enforcement - while some open source and public domain, it’s most likely 3D printers will have a subscription service like Amazon; (3) Unclear as to how 3D printed items will be recycled; (4) What is liability if you 3D print something that fails - like a part for your car; (5) Ransomware and hackability. What prevents 3D food printers from being corrupted? 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 156 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-26-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com.
Doc clarifies the issues around threats toward school officials, discusses the National School Board Association’s (NSBA) under-informed hyperbolic letter to president Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland’s knee jerk memo directing the FBI to figure out strategies to address school threats within the next 30 days, reactions from state-level school board associations, and how your local school district board of education might implement changes including recording audiences attending board of education (BOE) meetings. Doc matches solutions to these issues and also refreshes our minds to how similar matters have been effectively addressed in the past, including FDR’s 1930s letter writing campaign. NSBA LETTER TO BIDEN REGARD THREATS TO SCHOOLS. On September 29, 2021, the NSBA, an advocacy group, sent a letter to President Biden with the heading: Federal Assistance to Stop Threats and Acts of Violence Against Public Schoolchildren, Public School Board Members, and Other Public School District Officials and Educators. In the letter, NSBA rolled off this 97-word sentence in which it put some parents in the arena with domestic terrorists: “As these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes. As such, NSBA requests a joint expedited review by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education, and Homeland Security, along with the appropriate training, coordination, investigations, and enforcement mechanisms from the FBI, including any technical assistance necessary from, and state and local coordination with, its National Security Branch and Counterterrorism Division, as well as any other federal agency with relevant jurisdictional authority and oversight.” AG GARLAND MEMO TO FBI. On October 4, 2021, US Attorney General Merrick Garland send a memorandum to the Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation directing the FBI to convene meetings with federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders in each federal judicial district within 30 days in order to facilitate strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff, and will open dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response. STATE SCHOOL BOARD CHAPTERS NOT ON BOARD. The organization Parents Defending Education is curating a running tally of state school boards that have withdrawn from NSBA over the Biden letter (18 state school board associations have bailed from NSBA) as well as state school board associations answers to the following three questions: (1) As the [state association] has not yet commented on the National School Board Association’s September 29 letter to President Biden that requested federal intervention in local school board issues – which likened civic participation to “domestic terrorism and hate crimes” and cited the Patriot Act – Parents Defending Education (PDE) would like to know whether your organization was involved in the creation of this letter and whether you agree with its substance and tone. If not, have you contacted the NSBA to let them know? (2) Can you please tell us how, going forward, your organization defines “intimidation,” harassment,” and “threat”? (3) Finally, do you plan to report individuals in your state to the U.S. Department of Justice – or do you believe that concerns can be adequately managed by local and state law enforcement? STATE RESPONSES BURN NSBA. It’s apparent that state’s are displeased with NSBA and the Garland Memo. Here’s the Delaware School Board Association response to PDE’s questions: “The DSBA has seen school board meeting protests, some of which have become quite impassioned, however we have received NO reports of violence or threats of violence toward school staff or school board members. The DSBA does NOT condone violence or threats of violence toward students, staff or board members. After consultation with the Governor’s office, the Public Health Department and the Delaware Department of Education the DSBA developed and issued guidance to school board presidents regarding how to best handle school board meeting protests, which included the ultimate use of LOCAL law enforcement if absolutely necessary. This guidance was issued prior to the NSBA September 29 2021 letter. The NSBA letter to President Biden was unnecessary and quite frankly not helpful.” ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS? Doc believes threats of violence toward school officials is happening, but over-stated by NSBA and Garland. Also, the National Threat Assessment Center has been effective in mitigating school threats for 20 years. Reviewing school board meeting video footage is at the bottom of the FBI’s prioritization list. FDR ASKED FOR LETTERS. When FDR was president, the country was hammered by the Great Depression and fears of war. In his fireside chats, he asked listeners to write letters to him describing their plights. More than 8,000 letters a day arrived at the White House - many accusatory and fiery. Doc described why this approach worked, and how it might be one of the strategies considered to make people feel that they are being heard. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 155 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-20-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com.
Doc peels apart the big sticky questions about K-12 school mask mandates. What’s kicked off the flurry of mask/mitigation lawsuits filed by parents? Have county health services abandoned their obligations to school districts? Are school boards spending pandemic funds on football fields? Why are doctors invited to present at school board meetings instead of environmental services experts? Learn what is happening and what should be happening is schools around America. MASK GUIDANCE. Schools are frantically seeking guidance from county health departments. While some counties have stepped up, others have stepped away and turned off the lights. Boards of Education (BOEs) then attempt to align decisions to the CDC, state recommendation, advice from legal counsel, or local doctors. MASKS IN THE REAL SCHOOL WORLD. School officials are unable to define what is an effective and acceptable mask. Hundreds of students might wear old masks, homemade masks, or fashion masks. Should schools issue masks to students and staff to ensure some baseline of quality? How are students educated about mask wearing and how are schools responding to medical exemption orders for some students with disabilities? CONTACT TRACING. We’ve all heard this concept. In practice, it’s messy for schools providing in-person instruction. What frequently happens is that a student tests positive for COVID-19 and then the district notifies parents that their child was in “close proximity” to a child that tested positive for COVID-19. The parents are advised to observe their child for symptoms, but typically aren’t required to have the student self-quarantine or receive a rapid test. How does a parent distinguish symptoms of colds, seasonal flu, allergies, COVID-19, and fatigue? ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund (March, 2021) pumped cash into schools in the form of block grants that allowed schools to spend the dollars to increase student achievement or mitigate pandemic concerns. Some districts spent their dollars on staffing and cleaning. Others installed artificial turf athletic fields, tracks, and new weight rooms. There was much, and unchecked, interpretation of what measures promoted student health during a pandemic. Doc also notes that few schools spend the funds on HVAC upgrades due to the technical barriers of upgrading existing systems. For example, filters that remove viruses decrease air flow through the system and strain circulation motors. Furthermore, equipment and installers are in short supply as supply chains fell apart in 2021. SHOULD SCHOOLS TEST FOR COVID-19 ON SURFACES AND IN THE AIR? Yes. Schools have utilized professional environmental services to test for mold or MRSA, remove impacted areas, and help to prevent future problems. Environmental companies that offer those services are able to test surfaces and air samples for the presence of COVID-19. Doc states that professional environmental services should be informing school boards about COVID-19 management in schools. PARENTS SUE SCHOOLS - MY CHILD GOT COVID-10 AT SCHOOL. Doc notes very recent lawsuits that parents have filed against schools in his state alleging that the school “failed to implement reasonable COVID-19 mitigation measures.” How might schools respond to the lawsuits? Will parents prevail. If so, then what happens? Doc describes how foreseeable tort law might be something we begin to hear about and what that term means for BOEs. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 154 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-13-2021.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com.
Lee Jarvis is an Analyzer of Data Processes. He has much knowledge about intellectual property and critical considerations for bloggers, podcasters, social media influencers, and the person in charge of adding uplifting cartoons or images to the church bulletin. What happens if you post a copyrighted image to your blog? How about streaming a minute of copyrighted video within your podcast? How do we fix this mess? **LEE AND DAVID ARE NOT LAWYERS. THIS EPISODE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE ABOUT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. Read the full blog post for this episode at safetyphd.com. PANDEMIC RELIEF BILL MIGHT IMPACT CONTENT STREAMERS. Lawmakers slipped multiple copyright bills, including the CASE Act and a felony streaming law, into the $2.3 trillion spending and economic-relief legislation in December, 2020. The CASE ACT, for example, would create a small claims copyright court and a new U.S. law could hit streamers with felony charges for streaming copyrighted content. WHAT IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY? Lee explains what IP is, why IP laws were made, what they cover, including copyright and patent, and the differences between patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Trademarks, for example, often expire after just 3 years while copyrights can exist for more than 70 years. Per Wipo, intellectual property (IP) refers to “creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.” We often think of photos and songs as intellectual property. WHAT IS FAIR USE? Lee notes that Fair Use largely hinges on two points. First, is the content copyrighted? Second, did the person distribute it. Per Copyright.Gov, “Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances. Section 107 of the Copyright Act provides the statutory framework for determining whether something is a fair use and identifies certain types of uses—such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research—as examples of activities that may qualify as fair use.” However, a judge would determine if Fair Use was a valid “defense” in a lawsuit. WHAT IS CREATIVE COMMONS? Creative Commons is an internationally active non-profit organisation that provides free licences for creators to use when making their work available to the public. This means that they only need to seek the creator's permission when they want to use the work in a way not permitted by the license. CC was instrumental in facilitating the Open COVID Pledge, which calls on organizations around the world to make their patents and copyrights freely available in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. PROBLEMS WITH IP IN CURRENT TIMES AND HOW IT COULD COMPLICATE COLLABORATION IN A CRISIS. Problems with IP in current times and how it impacts people. Lee unpacks complicated laws, banned accounts, blocked content, and censorship. There’s also a cottage industry of third party “IP enforcers” with practices that border on extortion when they threaten huge fines after their Internet-scanning software locates IP on web pages, such as a copyrighted image posted in a personal blog. Such businesses might not give a cent of recovered money to the copyright owner. IP IN THE TIME OF COVID. Doc adds that a recent study revealed that 3000 people contributed intellectual input to develop schematics for both home and commercial printing of face masks, face shields, and ventilator parts in response to COVID19 pandemic demands. This mass collaboration might be impossible with increased IP monitoring and enforcement. There is no amnesty for people that violate IP during times of crises, although some manufacturers eased IP protections during COVID. HOW TO IMPROVE IP. Unless changes are made to IP, Lee envisions scenarios of IP infringement claims overwhelming courts, IP creators stifled as they aren’t being properly compensated for their efforts, and hesitation from content users as they don’t want to be sued for potentially copyrighted material. Lee explores improvements such as expanding Fair Use, fines for false claims of IP infringement, or creating a new system of IP. Although overhauling IP is daunting, consider that most songs today are legally downloaded from Amazon or iTunes whereas many were illegally shared on Napster or Limewire in the 1990s. 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 seeks to bring forward scholarly thought on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 153 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 12-27-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America www.schooloferrors.com
Has Apple or Google uploaded a COVID-19 tracking app to your phone without asking first? One million Coloradans have opted in to receive COVID-19 exposure notifications - now what? Could voluntary apps become part of unalterable operating systems? How exactly does Bluetooth work and what are the security risks with Bluetooth communications? What’s the deal with homemade PPE? How do biological teachings or OSHA classes differ from the cascade of health-preservation advice or directives issued by governments, hospitals, and even talk show hosts? Environment / Health / Safety & Data Systems Expert Carl Hopf guides us to the granular level of these matters. Read the full blog post for this episode at safetyphd.com ABOUT CARL HOPF. Carl has worked in Environment, Health and Safety, and facility management for over 25 years. He started working as a technician in laboratories, then evolving into managing academic clinical and basic laboratories in NJ. He was also an academic IT manager, educational video conferencing manager and has been involved in emergency response for many years. Carl has also worked in emergency management, HAZMAT/BIOMAT/RADMAT for eight years. He has also worked in EHS and data management in a corporate and manufacturing setting for six years. Currently, he is a contractor for multiple companies that are involved in management systems, EHS, and safety. COVID PHONE APP and BLUETOOTH. Carl noted that New Jersey was overt in notifying residents about the COVID19 tracking app downloaded to their phones. The app opt-in is voluntary and it functions by using the phone's Bluetooth feature, which constantly scans for nearby channels and is a big drain on battery life. Walking in public, Bluetooth has a radius of about 15 feet. The tracking app will immediately notify the phone’s owner if they are in close contact with another app user who has tested positive for coronavirus. Close contact is defined as spending 15 minutes for longer near someone who tested positive for the virus. The app won’t identify the infected person (HIPPA) and prompts the user to call a contact tracing team for additional directions (contact tracing). COULD VOLUNTARY APPS BECOME PART OF THE PHONE OS? Carl stated that if the COVID19 tracking app was embedded in a future version of his phone’s operating system, he would choose to no longer use the phone. There was an uptick in flip phone sales prior to the pandemic as people attempted to break from addiction to their smartphones and concerns about tracking existed well before 2020. PROBLEMS WITH HOMEMADE PPE (and all PPE). Carl describes micron ranges and questions the effectiveness of homemade PPE which has been made from both yarn and underwear. He recounts the PPE he wore while working in virology labs and the stringent security protocols to ensure that PPE never left the “gray” zone - which was the area proximal to bacteria or viruses. This is a huge contrast to people around us carrying their masks with them from place to place and shoving them into the car’s cup holder until the next time they “need it” to enter a building. WHAT A PPE AWARE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE WOULD BE LIKE. Imagine the entrance of a grocery store in which the incoming shopper was required to gown up and wear a store-issued mask. And, when they exited the store, they would deposit their PPE into a secure disposal unit. Carl states that the CDC manuals for biohazards are in conflict with recent guidance - and that guidance was also changing often and not standardized across locations - resulting in safety fatigue. COMPLIANCE SAFETY vs. BEHAVIOR BASED SAFETY. Carl unpacks two prevailing psychological approaches to safety. The first is compliance safety, or people performing an act in order to be compliant with a rule. For example, crossing a street at the crosswalk when the “WALK” light turns white. Behavior based safety is more centered to the person surveying their setting and making decisions that they deem matches the situation and context. For example, deciding which side of the street that they will walk on. Carl cautions that an over-abundance of compliance safety devolves to people complying just to get the outcome, and losing sight of the deeper rationale for their actions. These are also known as “check box” activities. He urges people to question why they are being asked to do things - to seek to understand the fundamental purposes. 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 seeks to bring forward scholarly thought on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 152 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-24-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America www.schooloferrors.com
Doc unpacks how 2020 was the year that mass media and big tech fogged the American people and became the gatekeepers of the First Amendment. People are measuring their words or waking up to an unchallengeable revocation of their social media platforms (just ask Mike Glover). It’s time for a sober reckoning of considerations and consequences for expression and “the marketplace of ideas” in the social media age. This is episode 151 of The Safety Doc Podcast. Read the full blog post at safetyphd.com THE FIRST AMENDMENT. The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, and peaceful assembly. It doesn’t actually promise you the right to say whatever you want. It simply states the government can take no action that interferes with those rights. Per David Hudson, Jr., “The First Amendment only limits governmental actors—federal, state, and local—but there are good reasons why this should be changed. Certain powerful private entities—particularly social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and others—can limit, control, and censor speech as much or more than governmental entities. A society that cares for the protection of free expression needs to recognize that the time has come to extend the reach of the First Amendment to cover these powerful, private entities that have ushered in a revolution in terms of communication capabilities.” (AmericanBarAssoc, 2019). SECTION 230 OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT. Passed in 1996, before social media, Section 230 protects websites from lawsuits if a user posts something illegal. In the United States, the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting most forms of speech, which would include many proposals to force tech companies to moderate content. A law that required companies to moderate content based on the political viewpoint it expresses, for example, would likely be struck down as unconstitutional. However, private companies can create rules to restrict speech if they so choose. This is why Facebook and Twitter ban hate speech, for example, even though it is permitted under the First Amendment. IS ANYTHING BEING DONE TO EXPAND FIRST AMENDMENT TO SOCIAL MEDIA SITES? In January 2020, Joe Biden proposed revoking Section 230 which would make tech giants and online platforms responsible for knowingly allowing content on their platforms that promotes and facilitates violence. Nothing was done, however. EXPANDING FIRST AMENDMENT TO PRIVATE COMPANIES? The American Bar Association argues that it’s time to expand First Amendment The point here is that when an entity like Facebook engages in censorship, individuals don’t get to participate in the marketplace of ideas and are not allowed the liberty to engage in individual self fulfillment— just like when a governmental entity engages in censorship. When a private actor has control over online communications and online forums, these private actors are analogous to a governmental actor. HOW AN HOA RULING MIGHT EXPAND FREE SPEECH. The state high court wrote: “In New Jersey, an individual’s affirmative right to speak freely is protected not only from abridgement by government, but also from unreasonably restrictive and oppressive conduct by private entities in certain situations.” (Mazdabrook Commons Homeowners Association v. Khan, 2012). This ruling impacts posting flyers to hanging flags. SOCIAL MEDIA AND BIG TECH TERMS OF USE. You accepted the terms to use social media. These sites are free BECAUSE they harvest your data, analyze everything you put on their sites, and sell it to marketers and governments. FUTURE OF FREE SPEECH IN A SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD. Algorithms and complaints will lead to more deplatorming. A pandering government is unlikely to challenge big tech monopolies and big tech would have much influence over public perception if suddenly limiting individuals’ access to its services or implementing fees for traditionally free services such as email. GMAIL and Google suite are not public goods. YES, THE COVID19 TRACKING APP WAS INSTALLED ON YOUR PHONE. Seemingly overnight, millions of phones around the world got a feature to help track and slow down the spread of Coronavirus. Google and Apple partnered on the system, which is technically called “contact tracing” but goes by the less intimidating “exposure notification.” This app is now passively on most of the world’s smartphones. 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 seeks to bring forward scholarly thought on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 151 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-13-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America www.schooloferrors.com
Doc burns down the birthday candles as he speculates how a Biden presidency might influence chaos behavior and regression to the mean. In addition, the sudden and complete de-platforming of tactical survivalist Mike Glover sends a cautionary message to all people that produce content in the prepper / survivalists genre. Finally, with Google seemingly out of the woods from a monopoly hearing, will the company slice Adsense revenue to content producers or begin charging for traditionally free services, such as GMAIL? This is episode 150 of The Safety Doc Podcast. Read this full blog post at safetyphd.com REGRESSION TO THE MEAN. In episode #149, Doc referenced his graphics to illustrate that American society was failing to regress to the mean following the March, 2020 black swan COVID19 event. Although typically viewed as precipitating disaster and chaos, a black swan event can also have the opposite effect. Doc ponders if the Biden victory was perceived by many Americans as an event that would usher in political changes that would bring substantial stimulus funding and a pivot that would somehow return people to what they remember as pre-COVID19 times. Biden’s win disrupted Finite Voltage, but, as Doc cautions, regression to the mean is rarely swift and lasting. HOW SCHOOL FUNDING WILL CHANGE. School choice will grind to a halt with the appointment of a Secretary of Education. These battles will intensify at the state level and be settled by the courts. School safety funding will be front and center in the next stimulus package with the emphasis on updating HVAC and air filtration systems and an array of antivirus devices and products. Most of these will be vetted with nothing more than customer perceived value and social proof. Doc argues that this spending will have little practical impact on student health other than implementation of more hand washing stations. DE-PLATFORMING MIKE GLOVER. Former U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant Major Mike Glover is CEO and owner of Fieldcraft Survival Inc. He was the recipient of a rapid, organized social media platforming campaign in early November which also resulted in the disabling of his company’s website and interference with family member’s social media accounts. Aware of Mike’s work, Doc disputes claims that Glover’s training, apparel, and gear warranted any form of censorship. Although Mike has restored his core sites, he’s aware that his social media sites could be suspended at any time. Doc ponders if Mike will lose customers who might be apprehensive that their association with him will result in being added to some double secret probation list. AOC’S LIST. AOC put a nation on notice when suggesting that “someone” should assemble a list of individuals and organizations that supported the Trump administration. She added that the list should become a public record. Doc noted that her declaration hinted at truth and reconciliation hearings after WWII and had a more contemporary tone of ushering in a Social Credit Score similar to the one posted to YouTube by Tom Scott. Doc added that Americans are already assigned social credit scores and anticipates the process will become announced and overt within the next 2 years. Ironically, he believes 70% of Americans would willingly embrace personal social credit scores if they were told it was a step that would return them to life similar pre-COVID19. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 150 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-07-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America www.schooloferrors.com
Doc returns from sabbatical for this Master Class and delivers updated interpretations of Finite Voltage, Crowd-In Behavior, and his newest concept of "Failure to Regress to the Mean" to describe the current condition of society. Read the full blog post for episode #149 at safetyphd.com TACTICAL WISDOM. David begins with sharing a recent post by Joe Dolio at tactical-wisdom.com. Joe offers a heavy dose of face validity in sharing his observations of the greater Detroit area including photos of a WalMart that removed all guns and ammunition as a “precaution” in the event the store was compromised during election-related civil unrest. Increased outward-facing lighting at a power substation was another image that warned that corporations and municipalities are anticipating a collapse of law and order in the coming weeks. PRAIRIE FIRE. Author Clay Martin, a previous guest on The Safety Doc Podcast, released another “essential reading” book on October 15th. Per Clay, “Prairie Fire is a guide for Red Counties to survive and thrive during what looks to be another Civil War brewing. Drawing on his experience in Special Forces with counter insurgency, the author creates a step by step road map to making it out alive.” Doc will review the book in a future podcast. WHAT IS REGRESSION TO THE MEAN? It’s a concept (actually a tendency) from statistics and means that things tend to return to “average” over time. Doc describes that American’s expectation for similarity, or that their days tend to be the same, was interrupted in mid-March with COVID19 lockdowns, exacerbated with civil unrest in the summer, and will be even further distorted with pending Presidential election protests, riots, and potential legal battles. There is no evidence that Americans’ lives are regressing to the mean - or returning to some form of similarity. This is a precarious, unsettling situation that is already amplified by Finite Voltage and Crowd-in Behavior. Dr. Perrodin notes that while we are accustomed to life “bouncing back” in a matter of days, we need to prepare for many months, or even years, until our lives regress to the mean - something last experienced by Americans in the latter 1930s. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED JINX. One example of regression to the mean is the infamous Sports Illustrated cover jinx. The jinx states that whoever appears on the cover of SI is going to have a poor following year (or years). But the “jinx” is actually regression towards the mean. Player’s make the cover after an exceptional year and it’s statistically unlikely that they will either repeat that performance or improve upon it. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 149 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-30-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America www.schooloferrors.com
What will happen when truck drivers refuse to deliver to powder-keg big cities after the Presidential election? Are you aware that truck drivers are currently paid exorbitant bonuses to take on the risk to bring supplies to America’s riot-smashed metropolitans including Seattle and Portland? Did you know that it is remarkably easy to disable a stopped semi by detaching one readily-accessible connection? If people abandon the big cities, will the smaller cities down the road collapse one-by-one as thousands of people seek refuge. How will supplies hold up? What will you do when store shelves are no longer restocked? Our guest has considered these scenarios. Read the full blog post for episode #148 at safetyphd.com. MATTHEW HOOVER of CRS FIREARMS & RESALE. Matthew Hoover describes himself as “Just a dude with hard life experience.” With his family, he operates a resale shop in rural Wisconsin and sells furniture, household items, collectibles, boat propellers, luggage, camping items, knives, firearms and ammunition. He is the host of the popular CRS Firearms YouTube channel that focuses on firearms, self-defense, supply chains impacting weapons and ammunition, and the psychology of personal safety. FOUR PHASES OF CHAOS. In August, 2020, Matthew released an insightful YouTube video in which he described his personal observations of “the four phases of chaos” that have impacted consumer demand and supply side capacity specific to gun ammunition. As many people peg the start of the ammunition shortage to the coronavirus pandemic, Matthew brings out his whiteboard and draws a timeline dating back to the Obama administration. And, he debunks a popular conspiracy that ammunition is hoarded in clandestine warehouses. JUST-IN-TIME PRODUCTION. Firearms owners scan websites for ammunition - a shortage that our guest believes will take years to remedy due to just-in-time manufacturing. By the 1990s, JIT was being adopted across industries - including productions of firearms and ammunition. How did we get here? “Just in time (JIT)” manufacturing has origins to the 1970s Toyota plants in Japan. The purpose of JIT is to limit warehousing of items and instead have items manufactured and sent directly to suppliers and to customers. This is especially prominent in modern book publishing when the book isn’t printed until the customer places an order. Instead of retrieving a copy from a pallet in a warehouse, the book is printed and sent directly to the buyer. DISADVANTAGES of JIT. There is no spare finished product available to meet unexpected orders, because all products are made to meet actual orders. When demand skyrockets, as it has for popular types of rifle ammunition in 2020, production can only scale up so much and backorders extend for months or even years. FREEZERS ARE THE NEW CURRENCY. Beyond steady inquiries for guns and ammunition, one other item has been in hot demand at Matthew’s store. Freezers! In fact, he sold the freezer from his basement! KIDS AND THE PANDEMIC. Matthew and David discussed examples of how the pandemic created bizarre, hard-to-explain experiences for young kids as schools closed, playgrounds were ringed with scary police tape, and people began to cover their faces with masks as they stood six feet away. Matthew expresses confidence when in the presence of children and doesn’t dwell on the pandemic when they are in earshot. He notes that kids take cues from the adults - and when adults express fear and panic, kids notice and in turn worry and lose their sense of security. While we want children to be aware of their environment and exercise situational awareness, there is little value in burdening and confusing them with the details of a fluid event that is complicated and beyond their control. HOW DID THE 1960s UNREST END? Toward the end of the interview, Matthew wondered how the current chaos would end and felt clues might be found by learning more about the turmoil, protests, and riots of the 1960s. Civil unrest due to a charged racial climate and unpopular war in Vietnam resulted in more than 100 cities erupting in violence in 1967 and 1968, including 43 people killed and hundreds injured in rioting in Detroit in 1967. What will be the actions that bring an end to the civil unrest of 2020, and are Americans in store for unimaginable violence following the November election? 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 148 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 9-3-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com. Matthew Hoover’s website: https://www.youtube.com/user/11284ravin
Chad Elkins, CPA, discussed bewildering and draconian ways people scrambled their finances during the pandemic. While many small business owners suffered losses and experienced great personal distress, others actually thrived and even doubled their incomes! Read the full blog post for episode #147 at safetyphd.com. ABOUT CHAD ELKINS. Chad has over ten years of tax experience, including positions and engagements with the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Tax Court, and U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division, and Co-Author of the Elkins' Comprehensive Tax Guide. He’s the oracle of Chicago finance with a penchant for observing nuanced trends in how humans manage the fiscal aspects of their lives. SOME PEOPLE BAILED OUT IMMEDIATELY. Chad noted that some of his clients, mainly hair stylists, quit paying rent, broker their leases, and liquidated their assets. They didn’t have enough reserve cash to ride out the economic collapse and succumbed to panic-driven decision making. Chad encouraged them to consider suspending their businesses or waiting a few weeks for the forthcoming government relief programs. Even businesses that were established for multiple years and that had been performing well prior to the pandemic were dissolving, to Chad’s disappointment, as owners simply wanted out of the churn of safer-at-home and essential business decrees. TELEHEALTH-BASED THERAPISTS “ARE THRIVING BETTER THAN THEY EVER HAVE BEFORE” Once limited by regulation, telehealth therapy was quickly advanced by regulatory agencies and Chad’s clients that provided mental health or other counseling services were experiencing a combination of factors that swelled their incomes. First, the demand for mental health and counseling services substantially increased due to pandemic-driven anxiety in the population. Second, therapists don’t need specialized, localized machines or equipment to do their jobs. When you go to the dentist, for example, the dentist’ office has hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment that is not designed to be portable. There isn’t a “teledentistry” service to address your root canal. A mental health therapist, on the other hand, is easily location independent given a secure, private Internet connection. And, telehealth has built-in social distancing! CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG - REMOTE WORK IS HERE TO STAY. Chad believes that the pandemic-driven rapid move to remote work, such as work from home, has set the precedence that traditional office-based work isn’t necessary to maintain continuity in businesses. This likely means there will be a massive purge of office space and business-dense metropolises, such as Chicago, will lose appeal for employers and employees. PPP AND SBE LOANS WORKED - WITH CONSEQUENCES. The PPP was rolled out as a way to keep employees on payroll, even if they weren’t working - as long as owners proved that they used 80% of money for salaries. But, it caused problems as many employees were laid off and went onto unemployment - which was paying them $600 weekly ABOVE the unemployment payment they received from the state. For many people, they were now receiving as much or more money they were when they were employed. Hence, when asked to return to work - employees balked. As restrictions eased and businesses re-started, employers struggled to lure employees back to their jobs so had to recruit new employees. REDLINE VIRTUAL REALITY LOUNGE - NOW RENTING OFFICE PODS. Opened and thriving for four months before the pandemic closures, Redline Virtual Reality Lounge in Chicago is an example of a small business that had to pivot several times in order to adjust to new market trends. Aaron, the owner of Redline, shared his lounge survived on carry out orders and renting VR equipment between April 18th and June 11th. When he re-opened at limited capacity, business was very slow - and very different. People showed up with laptops and asked to rent a 9’x9’ VR pod for the day to serve as a portable office. Some lived in hot apartments or had poor wifi. So, for $15 a day, they could rent a cool work area with excellent wifi and social distancing. Aaron noted that small groups of 3-4 people rented a pod to conduct in-person business for a few hours. David noted that Parkinson’s Law is the adage that people seek clear routines to start and end the work day. Perhaps going to the VR pod met that need? 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 146 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 8-13-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com. Chad Elkins, CPA website: https://www.elkinscpa.com/
Morgan Rogue’s mantra is to conquer tomorrow by preparing today! She lives on 40 acres of land in the southern United States with her husband, two daughters and two dogs. She is the owner and founder of Rogue Preparedness, a website dedicated to emergency preparedness and survival skills. Morgan has published extensively in crisis preparedness and response including Preparedness For Busy People, and Prepare & Survive Economic Crisis - which is a primer to help people understand bartering, valuable items, and controlling fear. She has a fast-growing YouTube channel with diverse content including: hunting, survival, camping, hiking, guns, prepping, urban survival, family preparedness, bug out bags, gear reviews, prepping on a budget, dogs, homesteading, and all things outdoors and adventure. New videos and blog posts are published weekly! WHY MORGAN WAS INVITED TO THIS SHOW. Morgan is an authentic person seeking knowledge. She doesn’t hesitate to post a first-take video of attempting to build a solar-powered food dehydrator. Don’t get me wrong, she presents as a tremendously competent person. Her videos and posts are concise, personable and interesting without massive editing or saturated with promotions. Morgan reveals that life and preparedness have bumpy first takes. After reading Morgan’s posts, watching her videos, and exploring her website, I discovered, or perhaps re-discovered, an appreciation of preparedness and immediately re-visited the things I could do to increase my survival skills. In an infamous Tweet, I wrote, “Her [Morgan’s] contributions to safety stand out as curated and calibrated with easements for people new to preparedness as well as experienced preppers.” That sums it up - and I hope that makes it onto the praise page of one of her future best sellers. PREPAREDNESS AS A PARENT OF YOUNG KIDS. Are kids a liability during a crisis? Some people think so, but not Morgan. She’s noted that there is no magic age to introduce children to survival and self-reliance skills. Her kids are with her when she hikes, her daughter has used a survival straw to drink from a creek, and Morgan published a brilliant blog post of 45 outdoor activities for kids in a time when parks and theaters were closed due to the pandemic. One recommendation was to have kids draw a map of their house, neighborhood, or a trail. Spatial orientation. Distance. Landmarks. Planning. What Morgan shares isn’t data you offload until a disaster - instead, it’s vetted advice on how to make yourself better - right now. SUBTLE SIGNS OF CHAOS - SEWING MACHINES. The early days of the coronavirus stay home orders sparked scarcity buying - toilet paper, pasta, and cleaners. When people anticipate that a chaos event will last months, other items begin to disappear from the market. Morgan shared that she was unable to find a new or used sewing machine in May. Locating a freezer was equally challenging, despite searching stores and secondary online sites such as Craigslist. LEARN A SKILL TODAY. Morgan identified several ways that people could improve their self-reliance today. Everything takes practice, but most people can learn to sharpen a knife, make basic sewing repairs or grow food - even if in a container inside their house. Also, get fit! Fit people are better able to get to safety, recover from trauma, help others, and be easier to be aided by others. COMMUNICATIONS - CONSIDER HAM RADIO. Should you consider a landline (in case the cell towers fail)? Morgan noted that a landline is valuable, and added that there are still payphone locations in some areas and those might be an option if cellular communications are disrupted during a crisis. She encourages people to learn more about HAM radio. Morgan and her husband use HAM radios and communicate with people hundreds of miles away. Every year, HAM radio conducts a Field Day which is an amatuer radio experience to demonstrate temporary transmitting stations in public places - with an emphasis on emergency communication preparedness. A basic HAM radio receiver (listen only) is $50. Morgan notes that the HAM radio community has always been essential and reliable during crisis events. She identified a few organizations to visit to learn more about obtaining a HAM license. HAM’s more than survival, it’s a wonderful hobby. Many colleges, for example, have HAM radio clubs. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 146 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 8-7-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com. Rogue Preparedness website: https://roguepreparedness.com/
Commercial fishing has long topped the Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of jobs with the most fatalities -- and crabbing in the Alaskan waters is by far the most lethal form of fishing. Guest Robert Travis shares his experiences as a greenhorn deckhand straight out of Dutch Harbor and re-lives harrowing tales of surviving a treacherous 122-day stint fishing for Alaskan crab on the frigid, unforgiving Bering Sea. Read the full blog post for episode #145 at safetyphd.com. PRO SNOWBOARDER. After high school, Rob was a sponsored professional snowboarder and a coach at the Camp of Champions for four summers in Whistler Blackcomb - which is a ski resort located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. By many measures it is the largest ski resort in North America. He broke his tib/fib in July and was put in full leg cast. The lure of adventure and cash called, and Rob cut off the cast with an angle grinder and headed to Alaska for crabbing season. ALASKAN CRABBING - SIGNING THE DEADLY CONTRACT. Rob shared that he nearly walked away from his opportunity to sign a contract with a crab boat company. The harrowing tales told by locals were just about enough to turn back the men that have a predisposition to seek this level of risk. However, Rob signed the contract and clearly understood the statement that he would experience injury or be killed by doing this work. Survive, and pocket more than $65,000 for 4 months work. Also, know that a 5-year “veteran” deckhand is a rarity as most are maimed or killed before they reach that mark. DANGERS ON DECK. Working on a 198-foot converted ice breaker, Rob was fortunate to be on one of the most durable rigs out on the ocean. Most crabbing takes place in the unforgiving Bering Sea. Ice can coat boat decks, 700-pound cages being winched aboard can lurch and sweep workers overboard. Even in a survival suit, designed to provide insulation from cold water, death can come before help arrives. About 80% of crab fishery fatalities are from drowning. WHEN THE HORN BLOWS. 16-hour shifts were typical and the swells often unrelenting. The job was so demanding that workers consumed 7000 or more calories daily (triple the intake of a typical adult male). There was one thing that every deckhand dreaded - a blast from the ship’s horn. Rob explained that the skipper was in the wheelhouse and overlooked the deck. The skipper also monitored the ocean and could see approaching swells, some 60-feet high! The skipper would then blast the horn alerting the deckhands to immediately grab onto something sturdy and brace for the unpredictable combination of waves rolling over the deck, a rising or plummeting deck, and sharp angle tilts -- not to mention the possibility of a 700-pound crab cage breaking loose and skidding across the deck. Rob recalled the searchlights of nearby boats - trying to find and recover an overboard sailor. He noted that staying fit gave him a split-second advantage to getting to safety and noted that being light and fit are great attributes for this line of work. CONCRETE IN HIS VEINS. Concrete is the family business for Rob - it’s in his lineage, the family crest. He was pouring 250,000 square feet a summer with his dad when he was 15 and started his own concrete company at age 17 - pouring in summers and snowboarding in winters. After the 2007 crab boat season, Rob decided to start a concrete business. After regrouping from damage sustained in a massive wildfire, he continued to expand his concrete work. He’s won gold medals at the international polished concrete awards twice in craftsman and commercial division. ROOF TOP LIFE RAFTS. Roughly five years ago, Rob and a small group of friends were determined to design and build the best safety and survival gear for floods and natural disasters. Hence, Roof Top Life Rafts was founded. Millions of people around the world endure deadly, unpredictable floods from storms, natural disasters or failure of water management systems. Homeowners, office workers, students, all need a solution to get themselves to safety in an emergency flood situation. More about RTLR when Rob returns to the show later this year! 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 145 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 8-3-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com. Robert Travis’ website: https://www.rooftopliferafts.com/
Nikolai Razouvaev was part of the Soviet national team between 1984 and 1990. He won a gold medal in a team time trial at the UCI junior world championships in 1984. Nikolai was cycling in Kiev just days following the April 26, 1986, Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. Kiev, with a population of 2 million, is 100 km (62 miles) from Chernobyl. Nikolai recently returned to road racing in Australia, where he also coaches other cyclists. He works with a company involved with clinical trials for persons experiencing depression or cognitive decline. Nikolai is the author of The Renegade: A Memoir of a Soviet Cyclist. Read the full blog post for episode #144 at safetyphd.com. CYCLING NEAR CHERNOBYL - WHAT NIKOLAI SAW AND HEARD. The Peace Race, dating back to 1948 and known as the “Tour de France of the East”, was a prestigious cycling event attended not only by communist bloc states but also guest cyclists from the West. It was on a high sporting level but it also played an important political and ideological role. Its traditional participants were from Czechoslovakia, Poland and East Germany. In 1986 the Soviet Union joined in and it was decided the race should start from Kiev. Cyclists from the West immediately returned home when informed about the Chernobyl accident. Only 64 cyclists entered the race; less than half of the usual number. LEAD COVERED BUSES. Nikolai saw hundreds of evacuation buses covered with lead sheets, similar to plywood, just outside of Kiev. A driver had tipped him off to the Chernobyl accident just 62 miles away. More information came in over the airwaves from radio stations in Germany - despite the Soviet government jamming foreign radio frequencies. Nikolai recalled other foreboding signs in Kiev, such as near-empty streets during the race and a routine of large water trucks and workers washing radiation from the pavement. RED WINE AND ALL IS FINE. Red wine, vodka and other alcohol were difficult to find in Kiev. Popular belief was that alcohol protected the body from radiation. “Weird times,” per Nikolai. HOW TO GET TRUTHFUL INFORMATION IN THE 1980s SOVIET UNION. Nikolai explained that by the 1980s, most people living in Russia dismissed the constant stream of state-run media and propaganda. Surprisingly, people placed much trust into the accuracy of rumors and Nikolai shared that people would discuss rumors, but there wasn’t a practice, or need, to verify rumors. INFORMATION DURING PERESTROIKA AND GLASNOST. The 1980s policies of perestroika and glasnost changed the perspective of the citizens of the Soviet Union. As perestroika focused on reviving the economy and empowering it, glasnost focused on openness. It is during openness that most weaknesses of communism and end of the Soviet Union were brought across. Nikolai noted that this explosion of new information was more overwhelming than the Chernobyl accident. HOW DID SAMIZDAT DESTROY THE SOVIET UNION? Samizdat (self-publishing) was a form of dissident activity across the Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the documents from reader to reader. “A strange world of lies.” Nikolai noted that in the later 1980s, a flurry of small independent newspapers could be legally produced and sold in Russia. They were very expensive, costing twenty times the price of a state newspaper. For that reason, a single copy was often shared with many people. Although some of these new publications were disguised propaganda, most were suppressed truths that aligned to documents kept in “libraries” and other government archives that were not open to the public. CRAZY STORIES FROM NIKOLAI’S YOUTH. Go ahead and jump to the final 20 minutes of the show! Nikolai shares two jaw-dropping stories. One involves a bag packed with BIG money dropped at his feet and the other involves a thug pressing a gun to his head and telling him to make right with his maker. INTERNET SEARCHES SOAR FOR DEPRESSION REMEDIES. Nikolai works in the marketing department for a company that conducts clinical trials for depression and Alzheimer’s treatments. He’s observed a sharp increase in people searching for variants of depression therapy and noted that his company is inundated with people requesting to participate in trials for depression treatments. He attributes this behavior to the pandemic. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 144 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 7-24-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com. Nikolai Razouvaev's website: https://www.nikolai.com.au/
Retired Recon Marine Clay Martin leverages his bonafide credentials and experience to provide listeners with fact-based, authentic concepts regarding the application of survival techniques in their homes, neighborhoods, and any environment that spins into chaos. Clay shares captivating personal stories, including a time when a momentary fatigue of his situational awareness resulted in juggling a hot potato tear gas canister decoyed as a Dr. Pepper bottle. Read the full blog post for episode #143 at safetyphd.com. ABOUT CLAY MARTIN. Clay Martin is a former USMC Infantryman, Reconnaissance Marine, and Scout Sniper. He crossed deck to the US Army and spent the rest of his career in Special Forces, because he is a glutton for punishment. Medically retired at 15 years of service, he wandered the Earth like Caine from Kung Fu, before remembering he could type and starting a career as a gun review monkey and novelist. He is the author of Last Son of the War God and the Sword of the Caliphate, fictional works. CONCRETE JUNGLE - AMAZON BEST SELLER / SEVERAL REVIEWS. Written in 2019 and released in June 2020, Concrete Jungle: A Green Berets guide to Urban Survival, is unfortunately a non-fiction book appropriate to the times we live in. As cultural war clouds gather, cities are becoming the flashpoint. In this volume, retired Special Forces soldier Clay Martin teaches you how to survive it. A multi tour GWOT veteran and Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat instructor, as well as long time prepper and competitive shooter, Clay brings a different type of skill set to the party. From laying in supplies to siege proofing your apartment building, this volume answers the questions other experts cannot. HOUSE BURNED DOWN, MEDICAL EVENT, AND THEN COVID19. Clay and his family were out of town when their house caught fire and was destroyed at the end of January. A week later, Clay was hospitalized with an unexpected blog clot in his right arm that extended into his lungs, and by the time he was released in February, the COVID19 pandemic became something that couldn’t be ignored by Americans - so his family prepared for the pandemic, without many of their possessions, while living in a rental house - and as Clay was a medically-compromised person due to the recent hospitalization. Conditioned for chaotic times, Clay rolled with the situation and stated, “We have water bottles and a backpack, we’ll be fine”, but also found his young children asking, “where are our toys, why are we living in BRBs, …?” SITUATION AWARENESS - YOU CAN LEARN IT. Clay wrote that the American civilian population has been largely insulated and comfortable since 1941. People in America wake up expecting and experiencing a predictable, safe day. He believes that most people are deficient in situational awareness skills unless they’ve grown up in a volatile area, such as a big city - in which situational awareness and survival skills are an evolved process. SNIPER SCHOOL. Clay shared that sniper school focused on identifying nuanced things through binoculars or being able to recall what you passed while walking to lunch. The more you observe your environment, the more you automatically attend to what’s happening around you and also apply a filter of, “What can hurt me right now?” David built on this with an example of taking his family to a baseball game last summer. He taught his daughters to watch the position of the infielders and outfielders in order to predict what might happen next. HOW CLAY BUILT HIS PROXY NETWORK. Clay notes that different people have different abilities to handle things - so learn people’s strengths and play to those strengths when building your information network. If someone’s a spreadsheet fanatic, give him an assignment of aggregating data from members in the field. Clay describes how he built his information network similar to a phone tree - and have the primary people be the ones that live close to you. Remember that your connections in other parts of the country are likely to have their own regional networks. PREDICTORS OF THINGS TO COME. Clay identified alarming patterns of behavior last year including some states and cities choosing to selectively enforce the law and dropping charges - and a trend toward a more lawless society. Clay feels we might be 6-8 months out from hyperinflation and an economic collapse. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 143 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 7-18-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com. Clay Martin's website: http://off-the-reservation.com/
Joe Dolio is a USMC Veteran with over 20 years in corporate security investigations as a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Interviewer. He is a KyoSaNim (Instructor) and Second Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do. Joe is adept in situational awareness and successfully negotiating exits from chaotic environments. He curates the website tactical-wisdom.com which is a repository for his posts about personal safety and grounded wisdom. Read the full blog post for episode #142 at safetyphd.com. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. Joe distinguishes between intelligence and information. People tend to source information from rumors or from the media instead of getting out and verifying things for themselves. “My cousin’s friend knows a guy…” is information - it is NOT intelligence. What did you do to verify that information? Joe heard that Detroit area hospitals were crowded with COVID19 patients - TV images suggested jammed parking lots and MAS*H-like field hospitals popping up across the city. Questioning this information, he drove to the hospitals and found that the parking lots weren’t overflowing as depicted by the media or embellished in personal stories. Grocery stores were also among the places visited by Joe at the onset of the coronavirus as he observed human behavior - how people were “feeling” about the pandemic - calm, nervous, totally panicked! He found that people’s behaviors weren’t necessarily matched to what was authentically happening with the supply chain. MUSTERING YOUR MEMBER CHECK NETWORK - AN APP TO VERIFY INFO. Face validity (face validity is a simple test of asking if what I’m observing makes sense - think of a thermometer that reports 80 degrees during a snowstorm - that’s an error in face validity) is amplified by building a carefully vetted, trained, and coached group of like-minded people who are able to authentically observe and report what they experience in their environments. Joe noted that members of his network used the Solocator app which allowed them to take photos that were automatically tagged with time stamps and GPS coordinates. His network debriefed daily and used Google documents to aggregate data and identify trends. OPTIONS IF TRAPPED IN CAR DURING PROTEST. It’s on everyone’s mind...what if I’m in my car and inadvertently get caught in a protest? It might be an inconvenience - or it might escalate into a dangerous situation. First, Joe advises to check for scheduled protests if traveling and to steer clear of those areas. If you are in your vehicle and caught within a group of protesters, he reminds people of their options to: (1) keep moving (not to collide with people); (2) reverse course - even if it means driving the wrong way or skipping the median; or, in extreme situations, (3) abandon your vehicle if the protests have become violent and you judge your life is in peril and that you have time to get to a safer location. HOW TO GO STEALTH. Joe attended [peaceful] protests as an observer and noted the security teams deployed by protest groups (not the government) to monitor vehicles and people that appeared to be watching the protesters instead of participating in the protest. Joe dressed in jeans, a hoodie, and a baseball cap and kept a change of clothes in his backpack. He shared this information to help people learn how to blend in and get away from impromptu crowds - and noted protests were happening in grocery store parking lots across his city. Have the ability to quickly change your profile. SHOULD I WEAR A BODY CAM? Joe wears a body cam for his professional work and notes that a decent body cam with video and audio costs less than $100. His recommendation is Mini Gadgets Camstick1080p which clips into a pocket. He believes that gun owners should absolutely have a body cam to provide contextual evidence if they decide to use deadly force. Additionally, automotive dash cams are affordable and invaluable during a disputed accident. Check your state’s laws regarding one or two party consent to record. WHAT TO HAVE IN YOUR FIRST AID - DUCT TAPE. Joe insists that duct tape is a staple of every first aid kit. For more on this topic, read his blog post at https://tactical-wisdom.com/2020/07/07/first-aid-skills/ LEARN BASIC SELF DEFENSE. Check out your local dojo for martial arts courses. Get a gym membership and learn to spar and box. Could you defend yourself if someone attempted to tackle you? 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 142 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 7-6-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Joe Dolio's website: https://tactical-wisdom.com/
Philipp Heinrich is an entrepreneur, security instructor, and weapons trainer in Germany. He’s an oracle of face validity and recognizes both gradual and rapid nuances in society. Are Germans smashing into Finite Voltage? How does it manifest? Is anyone spared? Read the full blog post for episode #141 at safetyphd.com. ABOUT PHILIPP HEINRICH. Philipp started his career in security working as a night watchman while attending university. After working in human relations and studying business psychology, he decided to become an entrepreneur at the age of 24 and sold his business 3 years later. Returning to his passion of teaching security and weapons training, he is now working as a security instructor and business consultant. FACE VALIDITY IN GERMANY - SCARCITY MINDSET OR LUXURY BINGE? Phil noted that things continue to rapidly change in Germany. He shared that the government put forth several economic stimulus initiatives for citizens including tuition and job training. As grocery stores presented with partially-filled shelves and limited hours, the cause was less a direct response to the virus pandemic and more attributable, per Phil, to people choosing not to work and accept government payments. He shared that stores are, surprisingly, flush with comfort items - trinkets, toys, etc. As a lifelong resident of Germany, Phil pointed out that these items are not ordinarily found on store shelves this time of year. CROWD IN THEORY. Commonly associated with economics, “Crowd In” theory also has a psychological interpretation described as people feeling they need to surround themselves with “comfort” items during a time of crisis - when they think they might be bound to their home for a long period of time. This is an intriguing concept and much different from “Scarcity” theory which fueled runs on toilet paper and pasta. Phil stated that video game systems had been sold out for three months and that it was impossible to even locate refurbished laptops. Doc and Phil unpacked Crowd In theory and recognized that observing it denotes that people believe a chaos event will be of a long duration. After purging the soup aisle, shoppers ramble their carts to the interior paint department. Phil perceives that elderly people in Germany remember World War II and how having physical possessions was deemed more important than money. MEASURING FINITE VOLTAGE. When the news of the pandemic stay-at-home orders were delivered at Phil’s workplace, he observed some co-workers immediately panic and embellish worst-case scenarios as if they had already come to fruition. He was shocked that some of the people that had been based in STEM and empirical processes were suddenly occupied with conspiracy theories and sought confirmation bias for their irrational, paranoid mindset. Phil judged that older Germans have become both anxious and reserved as they enter a fourth month of pandemic lockdowns or civil unrest curfews. The working class is choosing to limit participation in the workforce although the government is offering generous paid training and paid positions. Phil shared that high unemployment figures are, in part, due to people unwilling to accept training or jobs of manual labor, business, security, IT, etc. Finite Voltage becomes difficult to measure when people exist in an artificial environment that offers cash not to work. Doc and Phil speculate how this context might separate people from agency and purpose. Existing, but for what reason other than to exist? WHAT PREPARED PHIL FOR 2020? Phil is trained in a civilian defense role that is similar to how the National Guard in America would deploy after a natural disaster. He’s served in medical support and in technical support to the fire department. Familiar with safety systems, Phil is cognizant of safety bravado and leaders choosing to fatigue protocols. He tells a story of participating in a routine civil defense drill in late February that involved spraying water from fire hoses. Phil spoke up and suggested that participants wear face masks to prevent inhalation of dirt or other particulate matter within the water aerosol (this was prior to COVID19 fears). He was aware of Legionnaires disease - which is caused as bacteria spreads through mist. And, water pumped from standing ponds or stagnant reserves isn’t anything you would drink without boiling. Sadly, leaders and peers shrugged off his recommendations. Phil noted that this “it won’t happen to me” response was in line with society’s overall tendency to downplay risks. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 141 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 6-29-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Larry Lawton was America’s biggest jewel thief, on the FBI’s most wanted list, and spent 11 years in dangerous federal prisons. Released from prison in 2007, he focused on decision making and bringing awareness to his “The Reality Check Program” which guides people away from the felonious life path and brings clarity to the likely consequences of crime: losing your freedom, reputation, self-respect, and connection to family. Read the full blog post for episode #140 at safetyphd.com. ABOUT LARRY LAWTON. Larry has one of the fastest growing channels on YouTube and appears on TV and radio as an expert on crime, drugs, youth issues, and law enforcement community policing. He’s also the first ex-convict to become an honorary police officer and the only ex-con recognized on the Floor of the United States Congress for his work with helping young people and law enforcement agencies connect with the community. GANGSTER REDEMPTION. The book Gangster Redemption tells the true life story of Larry’s journey from making bad decisions to shifting the meaning and focus of his life to saving young people from habitual crime and incarceration. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. SA can be defined as “knowing what is going on around us” and comprehending the meaning of those events and how they might project in the near future. For example, recognizing dark clouds and thunder affords a person time to seek shelter before the storm. In other words, there are 3 levels of situational awareness: (1) perception, (2) comprehension, and (3) projection. Larry mastered each level. CASING A LOCATION. As a prolific jewel thief, Larry was an expert at situational awareness. Before robbing a store, he observed the location for weeks - learning its vulnerable points and nuances, such as the specific time of day the reflection of the sun off the windows would make it difficult for anyone outside to see what was happening inside of the store. He identified vital patterns that most people would simply overlook in the bustle of day-to-day life. AWARENESS IN PRISON. Situational awareness in prison is sharply amplified - it’s a non-stop survival asset as being able to detect slight changes in routines or behaviors might literally keep an inmate from perishing by attack or from psychological collapse. Already adept at monitoring his environment, Larry refined and adapted his observation skills to an unmatched level while inside the nation’s toughest prisons. CAN YOU WATCH TV OR USE THE INTERNET IN PRISON? Prisoners are able to watch some TV channels, but not allowed access to social networking websites. Postal mail is monitored. There isn’t the convenience of a quick Google query on a laptop and there’s a tendency over time to become very dependent upon the institution for information. Larry explains how being an inmate separated him from keeping pace with changes in society - as familiar brick cell phones evolved to flip phones -- and his surprise, when released, to discover Subway restaurants attached to gas stations! TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO DEBATE. Larry encourages people to learn to debate and that communication is a tool to advance discussion and peacefully resolve matters. This means attempting to learn the other person’s argument and trying to view the issue from that perspective. He notes that across society, people are hunkering down with their viewpoints and unwilling to be informed by new knowledge. Larry offers an example of how his own debate skills improved as he studied legal cases. THE VELOCITY OF INFORMATION. How were inmates informed about what was happening outside of prison? Larry describes how he learned about the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks and strategies to ensure that he was receiving accurate information. MEMBER CHECKS IN PRISON. Member checks are people that tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. There’s a constant churn in prison as inmates are directed to change cells every few weeks, moved to different units, and transferred to other penitentiaries. Larry describes how he vetted a member check network as a jewel thief, prisoner and now as a consultant. WHAT WAS THE MOST INACCURATE INFORMATION LARRY RECEIVED IN PRISON AND THE CONSEQUENCE. All personal protection systems fatigue. We make decisions without assessing risk or we trust the wrong person. Larry shares an experience when flawed information almost cost him his life. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 140 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 6-23-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Larry Lawton’s YouTube Channel Reality Check Program
Violent storms slammed our intrepid host’s city and spun entire neighborhoods into chaos. Doc explains how simulated annealing guided him to the other side of chaos in record time as he had to inventory his options and progressively make correct decisions in response to a tree crashing into his house. Fumble this prescribed process, however, and Doc cautions that you’ll languish as others recover. Read the full blog post for episode #139 at safetyphd.com. THE STORM. At 8PM Tuesday, a severe storm rapidly descended upon Doc’s city. Although meteorologists cautioned of potential severe weather, the local news and emergency management didn’t activate the storm alerts and city sirens. This was the fastest onset storm Doc recalls and it also concluded in just 15 minutes. No hail, no heavy rains, just deafening winds. Seconds into the storm, Doc heard and felt a “thud” and immediately knew a tree had fallen on his house. He glanced out the front window and saw limbs thrashing against the siding and decided to shelter in the basement with his family. RISK ASSESSMENT [ALWAYS] AFTER A DISASTER. Within minutes, the storm subsided. Daylight enabled a cursory assessment of the situation. Doc’s next step harkened back to what he learned in firefighting training - always conduct an environmental risk assessment when entering a dangerous situation. Too many accounts of firefighters stepping off engines and onto downed power lines or utility workers being paralyzed by falling tree limbs as they hastily work to restore electricity to a neighborhood. It’s easy to take that first step as 99% of the time there won’t be a consequence. OUT OF THE BAGEL. The bagel is a metaphor Dr. Perrodin uses in his book School of Errors to describe how daily life has routines that periodically are disrupted or shattered. Doc assessed the point of impact between the tree and his house; then his entire property; and then his neighborhood. His house was damaged, but by luck, the windows weren’t smashed and water wasn’t leaking into the house. As the sun set, he went inside his house, retrieved a manilla folder and labeled it “June 2020 Storm Damage.” He then took a pad and scribed his recollection of the storm and his observations - carefully time stamping things. Next, he emailed his local insurance agent with a summary of the event, known damage, and photos. After that, he called the 24 hour claim number and filed a report. He was informed he had made the 8th report of damage in the area - and a day later when the adjuster arrived, she reported more than 150 claims had been in the area for that insurer. Act fast, get to the top of the queue, and you’ll be further ahead on the return to similarity than people who waited to make claims. RETURNING TO THE BAGEL. Within an hour of the storm, Doc texted his builder and asked if he could assess the damage to his property. At 8 AM the next day, one of the crew arrived with a truck, assessed the damage, and worked with Doc to remove the tree. Earlier that day, Doc took photos and videos of the damage and included a whiteboard with date and address in the images. He printed some of the images for the paper file and also for the adjuster. Doc then took the damaged window screens to the shop that morning and the insurance adjuster arrived in the afternoon. In less than 24 hours, Doc assessed and stabilized the damage and began the restoration process. MOST USEFUL ITEM AFTER THE STORM. Doc’s old, large-capacity steel wheelbarrow was in high demand to haul wood and debris. In fact, it was the only wheelbarrow he saw in the neighborhood. FRAYING FROM CYBERCHONDRIA. We are living in a time of concurrent crises: pandemic, civil unrest, and severe weather. Doc shares that his member check network is observing a lot of people fraying due to information overload. This condition is exacerbated by what is known as cyberchondria (a type of confirmation bias) which manifests as constant online searching for information which fuels your underlying worry. For example, if you spend your entire night on Twitter refreshing #Seattle #CHAZ, you will experience increasing anxiety and begin to display functional impairment such as not being able to sleep. SUMMARY: (1) Shelter during severe weather; (2) conduct a risk assessment before you wander outside; (3) document in writing and photos and timestamp; and (4) quickly report and secure resources to remedy problems. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 139 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 6-11-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Bacon and Doc kick off an unscheduled livestream to offer face validity on the rapid progression of rioting and civil unrest across America. Nick Schulaner and John Steele join to complete the cabinet. Regional observations from member checks across the country; dissecting the velocity of information; and what does this civil unrest chaos mean for our finite voltage? How close are people to the breaking point - and what happens if things further unravel? This marathon red eye raps up with predictions of how the events of the past week will transfer into changed or new things in the future. Read the full blog post for episode #138 at safetyphd.com. UNPRECEDENTED - TWO NATIONAL CHAOS EVENTS IN 90 DAYS. Doc explains that studies of civilian morale during times of war or similar sentinel events indicate that after 90 days, civilians begin to lose hope and this leads to a cascade of negative effects from depression to violence to suicide. This is known as finite voltage, as coined by military field psychiatrist Appel. It’s well-documented that during wartime, governments’ public propaganda units put a fresh spin on the situation every 3 months. That might be calling something a “new phase” or promoting some unifying event such as the scrap metals drives of WWII. Recently, city parades for medical staff and essential workers fell into this category of boosting civilian morale. FINITE VOLTAGE - MOTHER IN CALIFORNIA. Bacon shared a recent conversation with his strong-minded, resilient mother living in California, he detected psychological fray. In other words, she was becoming increasingly agitated with the virus lockdowns, requirements to wear face masks, and now the additional layer of restrictions due to civil unrest. This behavior is typical given the circumstances. He adds that Americans have had a relatively stable society for the past 60 years. Nick notes that people’s torus’, or what they are comfortable with from day-to-day, is very small (as described in the book School of Errors). HERD MENTALITY. Herd mentality, also called mob mentality, describes how humans adopt behaviors, buy merchandise, and follow trends based on their circle of influence. It explains how one’s point of view can be easily altered by those around them. This becomes dangerous when people simply follow others or the media narratives. Imagine walking outside and suddenly 500 people frantically run past you. The reaction by most will be to join them - as “they must be doing this for an important reason.” CONTAGION THEORY. Crowds easily become uncontrolled, wild, and frenzied. In this state, they can exert a hypnotic impact that results in unreasonable and emotionally charged behavior among the members. For example, with mob mentality, superstitions can evolve from a misconception or rumor between a small group of people and escalate quickly. John Steele notes that the police have demonstrated extreme restraint during protests that have become violent with rioting, looting, and rocks thrown at officers. Fights have erupted between protesters - an interesting twist on the binary nature of a protest. However, as protests devolve to riots and as more people become involved, the likelihood increases for a substantial deadly confrontation. David offers another contingency in stating that as protests continue, the targets might include power sub-stations, city water wells, fire departments, and hospitals. If that happens, martial law would be imminent and confrontations would include deadly force. RECOGNIZE CHAOS ASAP AND THEN PEG THE VELOCITY OF INFORMATION. Doc notes that following a sentinel event, such as 9/11, information is highly unreliable during the 72 hours following the event. There are two factors people need to be cognizant of, (1) recognize that they are in chaos and immediately begin making decisions based upon the evolving situations and contexts; and (2) obtain as much authentic information as possible from what you, and others, observe. DECISIONS WON’T BE PERFECT - BUT YOU MUST MAKE DECISIONS. Who is the perfect person in real time? Who has perfect, complete information - it must be sifted through. Be authentic - your decision is laminated to context and situation. You made the best decision at the time. WHAT WILL THINGS BE LIKE A YEAR FROM NOW (our predictions). Listen in as we balance between the negative and the positive - and address things you’re not thinking of right now. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 138 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-31-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Juan Cabrera is a videographer of the homeless condition and has observed San Francisco transform itself into a deranged city due to malfunctioning local and state level policies. He is a Mexican immigrant who grew up in The City by the Bay. Read the full blog post for this episode (137) at safetyphd.com. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS IN CALIFORNIA? At last official count 151,278 individuals are homeless in California, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That's the highest number since at least 2007, and represents a nearly 17% uptick since 2018. Estimates place the homeless count in San Francisco between 8,000 and 17,000 people per various sources. As Juan notes, the definition of homeless includes people who are without a permanent residence and might be staying with relatives - although the media portrait of homeless is often that of individuals living on sidewalks or parks. The true numbers are higher than anything that’s reported. HOMELESS LAWS IN CA AND BAY AREA. In California, there are hundreds of “anti-homeless” laws. Although there is nothing that specifically bans or restricts homelessness, cities in the Golden State have created nearly a thousand codes and ordinances that experts and homeless advocates argue disproportionately affect unsheltered people. One such ordinance - known as the "sit-lie" law - makes it a criminal offense to sit, lie or sleep on a public sidewalk anywhere in a city. Some cities put boulders on sidewalks to prevent homeless people from sleeping or camping there, but these practices are ineffective at solving bigger problems and often just make things worse for homeless people. WHAT INSPIRED JUAN TO BECOME A VIDEOGRAPHER OF THE HOMELESS CONDITION? Six years ago, Juan and his brother began an annual tradition to purchase and distribute socks to homeless people on Christmas. It was through this act of kindness, meeting and observing homeless people, that Juan found himself wanting to learn more about homelessness in his city. JUAN’S OBSERVATIONS OF HOMELESSNESS IN SAN FRAN. As a father, Juan perceives that exposure to the raw elements of San Francisco are impacting his children. “They are becoming conditioned to it.” Traveling through parts of the city, such as “The Tenderloin,” brings risks of mentally ill homeless people darting into traffic, defecating in public, or littering the city with needles. Public transportation is no longer safe due to fights on busses and drug paraphernalia tucked between seats. WHAT IS MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE. Juan shared that policies are exacerbating the homeless condition. Policies that include police told to not prosecute most property crimes under $1000; pervasive bartering of EBT cards for cash; public-financed alcohol and drugs for homeless people to allegedly support them during the COVID19 lockdowns; and no fines for public urination, defecation or lude acts. Per Juan, none of these steps are improving the quality of life for people that are homeless - or anyone else in the city. HOW THIS IMPACTS JUAN. The homeless issues are amplifying. The city provides many resources to homeless people, the climate is favorable, and Juan has observed a type of inertia in the homeless community - meaning that once people claim a patch of the city, they are unlikely to trade it for a stay in a shelter as doing so would force them to surrender their possessions and have to eventually find another place to stay after they left the shelter. The despair of the situation weighs upon Juan and he contemplates moving his family away from the urban decay. Juan also explained his approach to vehicle insurance was simple: liability only. Due to increasing vandalism and vehicle break-ins (which aren’t investigated or prosecuted), Juan budgets for 2-3 replacement side windows per year. WHAT COULD BE DONE TO MAKE THINGS BETTER? It’s clear that actions to help remedy this situation will be highly-charged in the political arena. Juan argues that enforcing laws, such as consequences for breaking into vehicles, and stopping public-funded distribution of alcohol and drugs must occur to slow this spiraling situation. He’s also aware that if nothing is done, homelessness will swell and businesses will close due to lack of viable store fronts; diseases such as typhus will take root; and fewer people will invest in large sections of the city - essentially leaving those areas to rot. 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 137 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-28-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Memory is changing. Research shows that as we use the Internet to support and extend our memory we become more reliant on it. Whereas before we might have tried to recall something on our own, now we don't bother. As more information becomes available via smartphones and other devices, we become progressively more reliant on it in our daily lives." Full blog post at safetyphd.com WHAT IS COGNITIVE OFFLOADING? Rather than attempt to mentally store and manipulate all the relevant details about a situation within the brains of individuals (also known as actors), we physically store and manipulate those details out in the world, in the very situation itself. All of us do this - some of us are more effective at it. Cognitive offloading is anything you do to reduce the cognitive demands of a task: basically, to make it take up less mental space. WHAT INFORMATION ARE WE EXPECTED TO MEMORIZE? In practice - cognitive offloading replaces memorizing maps, state capitals, names of former presidents -- instead, you know where this information is stored and; (A) how to query it; (b) how to access it; and (c) how to apply it. EXAMPLES OF COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. Here are examples of how humans cognitively offload information into the environment (instead of committing it to memory): (1) checklist for winterizing your lawn mower; (2) flipchart for what to do during a crisis; and (3) AED with voice output directions and various colored light cues to step you through how to use it to save a life. INTERNET HAS MADE OUR BRAINS LAZY. Per researcher Dr. Benjamin Storm, 30% of participants who previously consulted the Internet failed to even attempt to answer a single simple question from memory. We look external for answers instead of attempting to figure out things on our own. By discarding face validity (our own observations), we commit to trusting that search results will bring us the most vetted information. WHY IT’S DIFFICULT TO STUDY COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. Despite much research, the mechanisms that trigger cognitive offloading are not well understood at present -- such as why people offload some things and not others and how people optimise cognitive-offloading strategies without those strategies needing to be explicitly instructed. Researchers find it difficult to study the act of people creating reminders for delayed intentions without explicitly telling them about the existence of a compensatory strategy. People tend to do offload more in a condition they perceived as more difficult, not necessarily the condition that was objectively more difficult. WHAT COGNITIVE OFFLOADING LOOKS LIKE IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Cognitive Offloading manifests as crisis flipcharts hung by classroom doors or converted to electronic files accessible on desktop computers and mobile devices. It also takes the shape of the “step you through a crisis” phone apps that are inherent to most school safety protocols. FLAWS WITH COGNITIVE OFFLOADING IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Crises have befallen schools with elaborate school safety plans. These tools fatigue if not exercised by the actors - or the students, staff and families. You can’t just expect to retrieve critical safety information from the environment during a high-stakes crisis situation. You need some level of practice, of familiarity. If we could just retrieve information and immediately make sense of it per our stressed situation and context, each of us could successfully land an airplane. FOUR WAYS TO BE BETTER AT COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. (1) Probability of having to deal with a situation - if it’s infrequent, opt for cognitive offloading. Aso, use visuals, handwritten notes. Writing notes by hand generally improves your understanding of the material and helps you remember it better, since writing it down involves deeper cognitive-processing of the material than typing it. (2) Don’t offload things you need to memorize such as the rules of the road for driving. (3) Practice how to search for information from reliable sources such as JURN.org or by talking with your face validity member check network. You’ll excel at harvesting valid, trusted information and others will see this admirable characteristic in you. (4) Practice metacognition, or awareness of how you think, to avoid the Dunning-Kruger effect of cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. These are the, “I’m smart enough to know how to do this…” 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 seeks to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 136 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-18-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Guest Bacon Maldito talks about new terms since the COVID19 pandemic, shaking Contact Tracers, closing city streets for green space, permanent protocol changes for a temporary event, & deals at Dissmore's IGA. PANDEMIC LINGO - 15 NEW TERMS SINCE MARCH. In a mere sixty days, Americans have expanded their vocabularies with at least 15 new pandemic-driven terms / directives, including: (1) Practice Social Distancing; (2) Shelter in Place; (3) 6 Feet Apart; (4) Essential Travel Only; (5) Safer at Home; (6) Sanitize Every Hour; (7) Wear N95 Mask; (8) Use Gloves; (9) Wash Hands Every Hour; (10) Flatten the Curve; (11) Self-quarantine; (12) High-touch areas; (13) Essential business; (14) Essential Worker; and (15) Social Distancing. As Bacon and Doc carve through at least three of these terms, the matters of ambiguity and inter-rater reliability surface. What is an essential business? Is this static, or does it change throughout a prolonged crisis, such as a pandemic? Oh yeah, Bacon brings out the festivus pole for his extended “airing of grievances” periodically interrupted with plugs for restaurants, stores and products not otherwise endorsed by The Safety Doc Podcast. WEARING MASKS - THERE IS A RISK. The purpose of wearing a mask during a pandemic is recognized by Bacon and Doc. A mask will limit aerosol particles from entering a person’s nose or mouth and will also dampen aerosols expelled by the person through breathing, talking or sneezing. Yet, with a range of masks now being marketed to the public and a wider range of homemade masks, the media narrative is silent about masks contributing to excess CO2 inhalation which is known to present health risks and diminish cognitive abilities. In fact, the National Institutes of Health studied CO2 and O2 concentrations in integral motorcycle helmets. In the September, 2005, edition of Applied Ergonomics, one such study (and yes, there are several studies of closed-face helmets and masks relative to CO2 concentrations) found that motorcycle riders wearing full-face helmets could increase their CO2 intake by 4% or more - and this could contribute negatively to a motorcyclist’s cognitive abilities. As the media taps “experts” on how to make masks out of socks and coffee filters, a very real issue is not addressed - and that is how to create a mask that doesn’t result in a person inhaling some of the CO2 that they just exhaled? WHEN THE CONTACT TRACER COMES A KNOCKIN. H.R. 6666, the TRACE Act, was introduced on May 1st by US Rep. Bobby Rush. The bill would approve billions of dollars for contact tracing - both in technology and in staffing people that would work as contact tracers. After someone tests positive for COVID19 (or a future virus), a contact tracer would work to identify where the person has been and who he or she has come into contact with. Nearly 1,400 people are being trained to help with COVID19 contact tracing in Washington State. While participation in contact tracing in Washington State is voluntary, other states have sabre rattled consequences for persons refusing to cooperate if a contract tracer knocks at the door. Bacon, Doc and a lively chat room unpack the Pandora’s Box of information obtained by a contact tracer - and potential misuse of harvested data. DISSMORE’S IGA. Doc gives a nod to 2-time Safety Doc Podcast guest Nick Schulaner by displaying four outrageous grocery values from Dissmore’s IGA - located near Nick’s place in Washington State. BOOK IN CAN. And, friend of the show John Steele noted that canned goods can be feasibly mailed by the postal service if you claim it’s a “Book in a Can” - thus invoking the $3.33 flat media rate. 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. This is episode 135 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-14-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Before 1961, the United States did not publicly educate any children with any disabilities. If a child had cognitive or emotional disabilities, deafness, blindness or needed speech therapy, parents had to educate their children at home or pay for private education. In 1975, the US voted to ensure that all children, regardless of their differences, should have access to free public school education. This was the start of “special education” in America’s schools. INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA). Approximately 7 million students with disabilities ages 3-21 are served under IDEA. Students with disabilities comprise 14% of all public school students. IDEA requires schools to provide appropriate education to all students in the least restrictive environment (LRE) possible. This means, for example, it is illegal to separate children in wheelchairs from children who do not require such assistance. WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION? Special education is specially designed instruction that addresses the unique needs of a student eligible to receive special education services. Services are provided in accordance with a school-developed Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Examples of special education services include speech-language, learning disabilities instruction, and audiology. In addition, accommodations like additional time for assignments or audio books; or services - such as an adult aide or picture schedule, might be provided to the student. SOME SCHOOLS ENDED THE YEAR EARLY - DEEMED REMOTE LEARNING TOO TOUGH. Georgia, Texas, and other states waived the minimum instruction time requirements during the pandemic. As states opened the gates to the earliest summer vacation in a century, they concurrently closed the book on IDEA-mandated special education services and braced for unrelenting litigation from parents of students with disabilities. BETSY DEVOS STANCE ON IDEA. In April, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos denied requests to give school districts the option to bypass major parts of IDEA. Devos’ decision leaves questions about compliance and whether school districts will become vulnerable to legal action if they fail to fully serve students with disabilities, now that nearly every state has ordered or recommended that school buildings remain closed for the rest of the academic year. Students with disabilities have lost access to specific types of support they received in school — whether that was a therapy that required an adult to physically touch a student or a one-on-one aide to help a student with math assignments. BARRIERS TO SUSTAINING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES - TOO MUCH TO OVERCOME? (1) Cost: An unresolved matter surrounding special education has always been the cost. It is more costly to educate children with disabilities because they require more time and resources than students without disabilities and school funding is falling off a cliff. Schools will be forced to negotiate extreme austerity measures and consolidate services. (2) Staffing: Special education staff shortages are felt by all school districts. As schools make reductions, special education teachers, who often serve smaller caseloads than regular education teachers, will equally share the pain of attrition of reduction in force. (3) Inclusion. From a philosophical angle, the pandemic advances the narrative of including students with disabilities with non-disabled peers. (4) Social Distancing. Students with disabilities who are unable to wear masks or adhere to social distancing, including students with intellectual disabilities, early childhood students, or students with autism, will present significant challenges to schools. With touchy seclusion and restraint laws on the books, teachers won’t force students to wear masks against their will - even if the student doesn’t possess the cognitive functioning to understand the benefit of the mask. Students without masks will fatigue virus-mitigation protocols and could open up litigation by school staff, parents and even other students claiming that their health is placed at risk. CANADIAN SCHOOL’S DYSTOPIAN BACK TO SCHOOL VIDEO. Doc plays a “Welcome to your new school routine and rules during virus times” video a Canadian school shared with families this week. Kids must stay 6 feet apart, playground closed, gym closed, yikes! He notes that many US schools are prepping similar misguided, impractical protocols. 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 P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 134 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-10-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Chuck Mak delivers face validity from Pittsburgh, describing the rapid scale up of University of Pittsburgh Medical’s campus for influx of coronavirus patients; the biggest IT challenges; essential worker papers; COVID19 GIS hotspots tracked by phone; economic smash landing; and locus of control. This is episode 133 of The Safety Doc Podcast and was published on May 5, 2020. SCALING UP ONE OF THE NATION'S TOP MEDICAL FACILITIES. University of Pittsburgh Medicals’ Chuck Mak describes the rapid closure of the university campus agency to the hospital and contingency plans to utilize dorms to house essential medical workers. He notes the silence and complete evacuation of an area that otherwise resembled a bustling city. BIGGEST IT CHALLENGE FOR HOSPITAL. The network, it seems, had ample capacity to expand and to embrace more people using it. The barriers, Chuck notes, are access to mobile devices such as iPads and Chromebooks that would be necessary for telemedicine. Within weeks, the use of telemedicine increased approximately ten-fold. While this might constrict after the coronavirus event, Chuck anticipates that telemedicine will follow an overall growth trend and that the information network and technology has proven it can support such a model. ESSENTIAL WORKER PAPERS & GIS PHONE MAPS FOR PANDEMIC HOT SPOTS. As an IT employee, Chuck was immediately deemed “essential” by his employer. He was provided with a document to carry with him whenever he drove to or from work - a document that he would provide to police if he was stopped. Additionally, he was accessing real-time global information system (GIS) maps on his phone that revealed areas of his county that were reporting the highest numbers of COVID19-positive persons. Chuck noted that the map was both intriguing and puzzling, as the purpose of the large blue circles (dense positive areas) didn’t translate into him altering his route or daily activities. REAL BUT NOT TRUE - FACE VALIDITY. From mid-March to present, Chuck has served as a member check for Doc - reporting what he authentically was observing in Pittsburgh. Face validity from someone “on the ground” confirmed what was real, but also not true. For example, Chuck reported that the hospital was rapidly expanding its mobile IT capacity and preparing to use more locations both on campus and off campus in anticipation for an influx of pandemic patients. The expansion of IT capacity was real. However, the influx of patients didn’t manifest. This isn’t to purport some type of conspiracy, but rather to delineate the difference between real and true. LOCUS OF CONTROL. As a small business owner with an online platform, Chuck noted that the demand for his sports memorabilia items had evaporated as the economy slammed into a wall the past month. He opted to idle his storefront and focus on the things that he could control - such as his work at the hospital, accepting in-person rotations on campus, and securing essential items such as food. 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. This is episode 133 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-5-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
The coronavirus pandemic shuttered schools this spring. Something else will keep them closed this fall. Doc explains the trifecta that will keep schools closed for some or all of 2020-2021. TEACHERS UNIONS CONSIDERING STRIKES AND PROTESTS OVER COVID19. Politico’s Nicole Gaudiano, John Hendel and Leah Nylen wrote. “Teachers union: 'Scream bloody murder' if schools reopen without proper safety measures. The nation's two biggest teachers unions say they would consider strikes or major protests if schools reopen against the advice of medical experts. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is encouraging governors to “seriously consider” reopening schools.” PSYCHOLOGY OF CORONAVIRUS SCHOOL SAFETY. Doc identifies three psychological constructs that will drive safety-themed decision making in the age of pandemics. (1) Customer Perceived Value - means that people will pay for any device or practice that might decrease opportunities for germs/bacteria/viruses. This will create a “Wild West” environment for vendors pitching a range of new anti-viral sprays and gadgets to minimize person-to-person contact. (2) Social Proof is the tendency for one school to follow the practices of another school. If one school buys a $100,000 germ-zapping robot, the neighboring school is pressured to make a similar investment. (3) Overton Window has shifted and public policy will reflect the age of pandemics. It will be much easier to pass laws regarding social distancing in schools and regulations around things like washing hands. ISSUES K12 SCHOOLS WILL NEED TO ADDRESS FOR SCHOOL TO RESUME. David identifies several areas, equipment to transportation to policies that must be addressed before students return to in-person instruction. PPE Teachers, aides, cooks, custodians, office staff and visitors will all wear face masks in fall. Gloves will also be commonplace and school nurses and health aides will be wearing gowns and face shields. How soon can districts purchase these items and how reliable is their supply chain. SOCIAL DISTANCING. Student desks will be placed 6 feet apart, but will there be enough space in classrooms for a class of 20 students? Expect buses to limit capacity to 20 students, or about half of their normal count. Expect spacing or removal of playground equipment. STUDENT SCHEDULES. An in-person/virtual hybrid is the likely practice rolling forward. As schools are built for economy, they won’t be able to deal with the typical density of students and maintain social distancing. Look for schools to adopt schedules that limit building capacity to 50%. This might mean that some students attend school two days a week. VIRTUAL LEARNING. The high probability of a second or third wave of COVID19 means that schools will be ready to shift to a full virtual learning platform with short notice. Schools will focus on virtual learning platforms and also helping families obtain reliable Internet access. POLICY. Will schools enact policies to take the temperature of staff and students each day? Will policies be amended to mandate that anyone with a temperature above 99 degrees be required to go home? DEVICES. School safety is a $3 billion annual industry with money on fencing, bollards and barricades. Expect a flurry of new anti-viral devices including UV lights, anti-viral fogging machines, hand sanitizing stations / hand washing practices, and disposable door handles. 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. This is episode 131 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-30-2020. Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from the inability of people to recognize their lack of ability. Without the self-awareness of metacognition, people cannot objectively evaluate their competence or incompetence. FACE VALIDITY CHECK IN. Doc shared that the local authorities are monitoring social distancing on city basketball courts; the small engines place has opened up for pick up / delivery; even more facing at WalMart due to thinning supply in paint and hardware aisles; more traffic; fewer OBO posts to Craigslist and rebound in the pricing of the area’s firewood market; and local hospitals re-starting elective surgeries on Monday. BADGER BOUNCE BACK - RED FLAG OF MANUFACTURED SLOGANS. Doc notes how state governments are becoming creative, and weird, with new terms and slogans specific to the pandemic response and easing restrictions. For Wisconsinites to gather in groups of 10 or more again, there must be two consecutive weeks of declines in all flu-like illnesses. Influenza, a head cold, the sniffles; it doesn’t matter. But, how does this work across 72 counties? What about Wisconsin’s wicked allergy season. Doc car is already dusted with pollen. Scrutiny of these “phases” plans reveals them to be highly subjective, vague and really not much of a plan at all. SEVEN NEW TERMS IN THE PAST 45 DAYS. From the chat, Bacon Maldito brought awareness to new terms that have been infused into American’s vocabulary over the past month and half. (1) Social distancing; (2) Shelter in Place; (3) Six feet apart; (4) Essential travel only; (5) N95 mask; (6) Flatten the curve; and (7) Self-quarantine. A problem with such new terms is a lack of inter-rater reliability, for example, what is “Essential” relative to travel, work or recreation? DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT. The concept is based on a 1999 paper by Cornell University psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger who caution that incompetent people tend to do three things: (1) Overestimate their own skill levels; (2) fail to recognize the genuine skill and expertise of other people; and (3) fail to recognize their own mistakes and lack of skill. Doc shares his experience with attempting to re-wire his house. PREVENTING DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT. Practice the ability to step back and look at your own behavior and abilities from outside of oneself. This is known as having a high level of metacognition. The second way to fight the DKE is to have a network of member checks, or people who will be honest with you and tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. ULTRACREPIDARIANISM. This is giving opinions on topics poorly understood. The pandemic is churning out instant experts and when these folks are in government or positions of authority, they rush things into practice without considering the consequences - such as a municipality creating a website for citizens to report social distancing violators. OVERTON WINDOW - IT JUST CHANGED & HERE’S WHAT THAT MEANS. The Overton window is the range of ideas the public is willing to consider and accept — ideas a politician could successfully campaign on. This window shifts over time, as it’s subject to the trends of social thought and norms. All social reform movements have to shift the Overton window to make progress. The concept of women voting or animals having rights - are examples of how Overton window has moved over time. The Overton Window has drastically shifted in 2020! A year ago, campaigning on gun violence and student safety would have been strong areas in which many Americans held firm opinions about. This fall, the campaign's themes will be about: overhauling our hospitals; human tracing for personal safety - technology; mandatory vaccines; funding for unemployment / business shutdowns; building things in America; and Universal Basic Income. 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. This is episode 131 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-25-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Escaped Prisoners Near Doc’s House | Humans' Finite Voltage of 100 Days | Civilian Morale | Pranking Steve in this livestream of The Safety Doc Podcast. Doc was decked out in military fatigues and Navy cap as he went full smoke-out mode securing the neighborhood from fugitives. ESCAPED CONVICTS NEAR DOC’S HOUSE - SAME PRISON WHERE JEFFREY DAHMER WAS MURDERED. Doc’s cell phone loudly buzzed at the same time his landline rang. Two inmates had escaped from the maximum security prison located near Doc’s house. Same place that housed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer - and he was murdered there in 1994! Message from authorities was to lock doors, stay home, and monitor for suspicious activity. Sure thing. COMEDY OF ERRORS - WONKY ESCAPE. Sketchy and guarded details, but here’s what we know. The inmates previously escaped from other prisons! They were working in the kitchen. They were wearing civilian clothes. They walked out of the prison and scaled two razor-wire fences. They then went to a local hotel and called a cab. The cab driver took them to a grocery store in a neighboring community. They hopped a ride with an accomplice and remained at large. Nobody hurt. No digging of the 500 Shawshank Redemption yard tunnel. When the prison realized the inmates were missing, they called 9-1-1. Really? EVERYONE VOTES YES FOR REFERENDUMS. Doc was in disbelief that most school building referendums in his state passed in last week’s election. People continue to approve debt for proposals that are far from austerity. Doc challenges the argument that school referendum proponents state that building is justified due to historically low borrowing rates. COVID19 has proven that virtual learning is not only viable, but the future of K-16 education. It is not necessary or practical to continue to build massive, person-dense school structures. 10 FACTORS THAT INCREASE CIVILIAN MORALE DURING WAR or PANDEMIC. Doc notes that soldiers last just over 200 days in continuous front-line battles and questions how long civilians and kids will mentally hold up during prolonged chaos. We are now 30 days into pandemic stay-at-home orders. What happens when we get to day 100? He shares factors that improve civilian morale: (1) Baseball & All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954); (2) Contributing to self / others (gardens); (3) Contributing to others (scrap metal drives of WWII, making masks of 2020); (4) Charismatic leader; (5) Movies and ice cream socials (actually a guide on how to do this); (6) Parades; (7) Sacrifice for those closest to the battle (healthcare workers); (8) Equality of sacrifices (across classes); (9) Sense of safety; & (10) Conveying a clear outcome (peace / health) (also willing to accept losses). 10 FACTORS THAT ERODE CIVILIAN MORALE DURING WAR or PANDEMIC. (1) Disruption / uncertainty in food supplies; (2) Events that last more than 3 months (must shift them into phases); (3) Negative leader; (4) Taxes; (5) Lack of medical care; (6) Lack of success; (7) Perception of state of the enemy; (8) Inappropriate or excessive precautionary measures create anxiety & avoidance; (9) Propaganda; & (10) Unanticipated attacks that disrupt routines and impeded productivity (air raid). THE UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATION. Since 1941, the USO has existed to boost morale of soldiers and civilians. USO is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families. The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection. DOC CONVINCED STEVEN HE BOUGHT A $10,000 BASEBALL ON EBAY. Doc does his part to add levity to the pandemic-charged environment by sharing the story of when he played a monumental prank on his friend Steve back in 2000. Steve believed he accidently bought a $10,000 baseball off Ebay and Doc convinced others to go along with the prank. No harm, no foul. Steve wasn’t fleeced of money and this wasn’t an authentic auction. Back in the early days of Ebay, though, it was an easy platform for pranks. 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. This is episode 130 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-17-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
As an American teenager during the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Doc recalls being cautioned to stay inside whenever it rained due to radioactive rain; camera companies warning people that film images might be peppered with blotches due to radiation; isotopes destroying farm fields; and to brace for an outbreak of cancer. In this livestream, he explains why the coronavirus event is similar to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and also the flaws with calling the pandemic “our generation’s 9/11.” MEET TEENAGE DOC. In 1986, Doc lived with his parents and brother in a small town in central Wisconsin. He played baseball, mowed lawns and fished under the bridge. And, a bomb shelter in his home’s basement was a daily reminder that the United States and Soviet Union were on the brink of WWIII. The radio station played Nena’s chart-topper “99 Red Balloons,” a song protesting nuclear war; the movie Rocky IV portrayed Russia as corrupt, evil and powerful - only to fall due to the determination and grit of American boxer Sylvester Stallone. ABC’s 1983 TV movie “The Day After” left an indelible mark on Americans questioning what would happen if the US was pulverized by Soviet ICBMs. CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR REACTOR DISASTER. On April 26, 1986, there was an explosion in the number 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Power Plant in Prypyat (Ukraine) spreading radioactive clouds all over Europe and a large part of the globe. CHERNOBYL CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE. The accident caused the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever recorded for any civilian operation, and large quantities of radioactive substances were released into the air for about 10 days. This caused serious social and economic disruption for large populations in Russia and Europe - and placed the entire northern hemisphere on high alert for months. THE RESPONSE TO CHERNOBYL - WHAT THE PUBLIC WAS TOLD. The Russian government and state-controlled Russian media were slow to alert the public. Police wore gas masks, but residents only heard rumors. In Prypiat, life briefly went on as usual and seven weddings were held the day following the disaster. The government was uncertain how to stop the radioactive fires. Water would just intensify the blaze. Sand was an option, but it had to be delivered by helicopters - dumped into the damaged reactor - that could take weeks or months - and it might not work. 36 hours after the explosion, the 47,000 inhabitants of the nearby city of Prypiat were evacuated via more than a thousand buses. PERMANENT TEMPORARY EVACUATION. Residents were told to take few personal belongings and identity papers and that they would return home in several days. They never returned home. Prypiat, and a large swatch of land around Chernobyl, was deemed inhabitable for at least 180 years. HOW THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER IMPACTED DOC. Nuclear radiation was hard to comprehend and you couldn’t perceive it with your senses (similar to a virus). Fires, floods and tornadoes were tangible - radioactive isotopes were obscure sci-fi, but the tone of the reporters, the behavior of adults, it was obvious that this was a serious situation. Media advised people to avoid the rain because it might cause cancer. Doc’s baseball coach rambled about radioactive particles on the field and how players should “wash up” after practice or a game to chase away radioactive particles. Doc’s mom canned vegetables throughout the summer and fall to offset potential food shortages due to contaminated farm fields and livestock. Ironically, the shelves of the 1960s era bomb shelter were stocked to capacity in the fall of 1986. WHEN IT BECAME REAL FOR DOC. Radiation became tangible to Doc when his science teacher walked around the campus with a brick-sized Geiger counter that made static-sounding clicks as it detected radioactive particles. It clicked a lot outside. US MEDIA COVERAGE OF CHERNOBYL. On Sundays, Doc’s household received the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel which was considered the “big city, reliable news source. The story about the Chernobyl explosion described “a deadly could of radiation across large sections of Russia and Europe.” But, the disaster was still portrayed as being remote and not something to worry about in the USA. The local library had an array of newspapers all clamped onto large wooden poles (remember those?). Per the Duluth Minnesota Herald, May 15, 1986: “Airborne radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident is now so widespread that it is likely to fall to the ground wherever it rains in the United States, the EPA said.” Doc had been to Duluth - it wasn’t that far away! COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS. It was around that time, in mid-May, when local news, teachers and parents began talking more about radiation in America - in Wisconsin. People speculated about the government’s game plan. Would everyone be required to stay indoors? Doc and his peers were aware and invincible. WHY CORONAVIRUS IS SIMILAR TO CHERNOBYL AND NOT LIKE 9/11. Chernobyl and Coronavirus are rapid onset disasters that remained “in progress” for months. 9/11 - as horrific as it was, concluded on 9/11. Nobody feared another attack on September 13th and two weeks later, the NFL resumed and comedians returned to comedy clubs. Radiation and a virus are invisible. Humans best perceive them through secondary face validity such as watching what authorities are doing and supplies at stores. A flood is tangible. When a flood destroyed homes near Doc’s town in 2008, he went atop the levee and joined a crowd of onlookers watching and snapping photos of decks, shingles and water heaters bobbing down the river. Furthermore, it’s a different psychological construct to battle a fire or flood versus swinging at a ghost. In addition, both events continue to build to a peak - the onset isn’t the peak. And, these events might be corralled, but never eradicated. In fact, present-day wildfires near Chernobyl are releasing large amounts of radiation that was temporarily absorbed by trees. WHEN THE DISASTER IS PROLONGED - THE BREAKING POINT. In podcast #34 back in 2017, Doc talked about WWII psychiatrist, Dr. Appel, who studied frontline soldiers. He found that infantry soldiers survived a maximum of 238 aggregate combat days (ACD) before a fate of (1) physical casualty, (2) prisoner of war, or (3) psychiatric casualty. For the first time, it was realized that every soldier had a “finite voltage” and sooner or later would break – even if they appeared to have held up magnificently under incredible stress. So we have to ask, what’s the finite voltage for each of us now that we are 30 days into stay-at-home orders and a high velocity of information of changing contexts and 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. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 129 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-11-2020.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
New Yorker Bryan Bowden describes what’s happening in his city with a face validity update; the intersection of privacy and government surveillance of its citizens; debt forgiveness; self-sufficient mindsets; liberation and innovation; and monitoring the encroachment of social credit scores for Americans. ABOUT BRYAN BOWDEN. Born and raised in New York City, Bryan set on a path of architectural engineering, but succumbed to the reality that business was his future (even though he had a love for the sciences). He worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank designing models to remedy Third World debt and expanded into the brokerage aspects of major finance. Bryan is the creator, producer and cohost of the critically acclaimed "Beyond The Realm" Radio Show; a published author, producer of television content, musician and artist. POSTAL CARRIERS WITHOUT PPE. Bryan and David note they are observing mail carriers without PPE or any visible demonstration of a sanitizing practice, such as spraying mail or wiping down a package. As a face validity observation, this “business as usual” practice seems out-of-step with the various federal and state health department recommendations to wear masks and frequently wash hands. A month into coronavirus shutdowns and our mail delivery is unchanged. Why? Bryan noted that some commercial parcel transit services have systems to disinfect parcels and vehicles via heat, UV light or disinfectants. Similar to a restaurant, there might be a lot of activity behind the scenes. PROTECTING PERSONAL PRIVACY. Government tracking of personal cell phones is happening and more openly acknowledged by public health officials and law enforcement during the coronavirus event. Bryan and David step through probable reasons why this practice will be pitched as “necessary” for keeping people safe as well as the Orwellian consequences of a government being able to precisely monitor people. What happens to the data? TIME FOR DEBT FORGIVENESS? Bryan’s macro-fiscal acumen frames core questions about forgiveness of personal debts and universal basic income. As the entire world has been pummeled by COVID19, a global “leveling of the playing field” might power up economies. Is now the time to wipe away the myriad of government aid programs to install a $65,000 per year annual income for each American adult? Bryan points out that personal debt more than a year old has likely been written off the books anyway. ARE YOU ESSENTIAL? In the past month, Americans have been assigned to two groups: Essential or Non-Essential. As people derive agency and purpose from their careers or activities, how do we deal with millions of people that have told their work is non-essential and that they also must suspend it and their income? Bryan and David believe those ramifications will resonate for years. WILL YOUR DNA BECOME YOUR PRISON? A novelty as recent as two months ago, sharing your DNA with a company to learn about your ancestors was something happily done by thousands of people. What if that DNA sample is sought by the government and added to a database? What if your DNA places you at an elevated risk for the next flu - and what if the government ordered you to self-quarantine for months? Would employers need to maintain your job if it couldn’t be done from home? Bryan adds that the argument for implanting identification chips in people has been given momentum by the virus event - and some, or even many, people will consider “chipping” as a new expansion of the social contract between the state and the citizens. Imagine walking through public with various inconspicuous sensors reading your temperature and the oxygen level in your exhaled breath? SOCIAL CREDIT SCORE. China implemented a social credit score in 2019. The top score a person can receive is 1000. It’s subjective per the government. Higher scores enable individuals to access perks such as better transportation options, better tickets, etc. The concept involves maintaining or creating a “coveted” reputation - but to do so, you might be expected to spy and report on other people. As counties and cities across the US have rolled out “Report Gatherings” webpages, Bryan and David unpack the possibility of the social credit score concept emerging in the United States. 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. This is episode 128 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-8-2020.
Learn more about guest Bryan Bowden at www.NoBoBuMe.com Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Nick Schulaner’s keen situational awareness enabled him to make the right decisions and safely navigate the rapid, unanticipated closing of his university campus due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this exclusive interview, Schulaner deconstructs the frantic shut down of his campus, migration to online learning, and overlooked electronics that are crucial to surviving in a stay-at-home decree. RETURN OF FRIEND OF THE SHOW NICK SCHULANER. Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousands of years around the world. It is perhaps the most diverse of engineering disciplines. Stage left to university student Nick Schulaner who is pursuing degrees in mechanical engineering and marketing. His aptitude coupled to knack for connecting larger schemas positions him as someone that solves problems. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. As described in the book School of Errors, situational awareness is critical to quickly identifying changes from normal, AKA the TORUS. Nick shared that he was aware of how the coronavirus was impacting regions of the country three days before it became a furious storm that shattered his campus. WHAT ONE THING DOES NICK RECOMMEND RIGHT NOW. As jobs and education have been shuffled to online platforms, the need for a robust Internet router to handle multiple devices and larger bandwidths makes the top of Nick’s list. He recommends buying a new router and to seriously consider models designated for “gaming” as they often have options that work well for kids in virtual classrooms or people watching videos. Expect to pay more, but you won’t regret it! If your router is 5 years old, it’s probably obsolete! VIRTUAL LEARNING HAS ARRIVED. Nick notes the capacity has existed for the better part of a decade and the pandemic forced the hand of K-16 education to evolve to virtual platforms. Nick notes the paradigm shift embraced, or rebuffed, by his professors. GREAT TIME TO BUY USED ELECTRONICS. Nick adds that the economic plummet has a silver lining for anyone wanting to upgrade their phone or computer. Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist have been flooded with modern electronics. It’s a buyer’s market and Nick is confident that most people will be able to find gently-used electronics at a fraction of the price of new. IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO MARKET MY GIG? If you’re the owner of a physical location deemed non-essential, then the answer is no. However, if you are able to sell your product or services online, then now is a great time to invest in Facebook and other ads as prices have fallen in the past month. Nick describes one of his clients realizing a more than double return on investment in recent weeks. HOW WILL ENGINEERING CHANGE OUR WORLD AFTER COVID2019? First, Nick believes some things will simply be abandoned, such as dorms or other population-dense buildings that won’t be possible to retro-fit with anti-virus or social distancing technologies. He adds that someone is probably working right now on a device that will descend from the rafters of a 20,000 seat arena and either distribute a mist or laser beams to sanitize the facility after each use. Things nobody imagined a month ago will be necessary if mass gatherings resume after the coronavirus event. BATTERIES TO GET A BOOST. In addition, Nick anticipates that batteries will be rapidly innovated and that we should expect mobile devices to stay “charged” for days on a single charge. Mobile devices sold next year might come standard with batteries that last twice as long as today’s batteries. 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. This is episode 127 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-4-2020.
Learn more about guest Nick Schulaner at www.nickschulaner.com Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Schools brace for brutal 20% (or greater) slash to funding as coronavirus crashes economies; Doc’s face validity check in; Washington State’s “report your neighbors” website; the basics of school funding; austerity measures for the 2020-2021 school year; what will get cut; what will get funded; what happens to school safety? HOW ARE SCHOOLS FUNDED? There are three main sources for school funding: federal, state and local. Schools receive roughly $12,000 per student per year. About half of that is funded by the state, 40% from local property taxes, and 10% from federal funds. Schools are funded for the fiscal year that begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. UNPRECEDENTED FUNDING CUTS FOR 2020-21. Doc notes that several sources have informed his statement that K-12 public schools in America will receive 20% less funding than the current year. He describes the variables in play that could cushion that figure or exacerbate it, such as use of fund balance, declining enrollment, tax-deferred business districts, or taxpayers demanding extreme austerity measures at the school district’s annual meeting - which is when the school board sets the tax rate for its homeowners and businesses. WHAT WILL BE CUT. More than 80% of school expenses are staff salary and benefits. As states rush to reduce the number of required student-contact days from 180 to 140 (or fewer), staff compensation contracts would subsequently be reduced by at least 20%. Everything is on the table. Expect the deepest cuts to be in these areas: Maintenance and unencumbered building projects; support staff; bus drivers; kitchen staff; office staff; athletic directors/coaches; public/community relations positions; staff professional development; and student mental health. IMPACT ON SCHOOL SAFETY. School safety is a $3 billion a year industry with 80% spent annually on fences, bollards, barricades, window films and surveillance. Expect school safety funding to plummet by 50% - and if students do not return to in-person schools, that figure will be closer to 75% as schools won’t fund bullying, harassment or threat reporting systems. School safety is important, but it will be heavily de-funded in this time of education austerity. WHAT WILL GET FUNDED? Virtual learning platforms; technology staff, individual Chromebooks, iPads and Hot Spots; Programs to train parents how to use technology; and a myriad of devices having to do with sanitizing from germ-zapping robots, hands-Free 3D printed door openers that can be operated with a stylus, and antimicrobial coating for door handles, chairs, desks, lunch tables, light switches - pretty much everything. CUSTOMER PERCEIVED VALUE LED TO $100,000 GERM-ZAPPING ROBOTS in 2016. In an article I wrote in August for Crisis Response Journal, I noted that On September 18, 2014, President Obama issued an executive order combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria - or MRSA. The pesky was showing up in school locker rooms, gyms, fitness centers, etc. -- think of flesh-eating infection. That’s not exactly it - but close enough. A few wealthy districts are spending tens of thousands of dollars on special machines that kill MRSA on desks, door handles and fitness room equipment. A $100,000 germ-zapping robot named ‘Gronk’ is helping to kill MRSA at a Massachusetts High School (Perrodin, 2019). 350 of these robots were sold to hospitals, medical facilities and schools across the country. 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. This is episode 126 of The Safety Doc Podcast and was recorded and published on March 31, 2020.
Article referenced in this post: Bullets or bacterium - in pursuit of the forgotten school intruder - http://www.crisis-response.com/comment/blogpost.php?post=472 Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Doc does a face validity check in, describes the American social contract, and then identifies ways personal privacy changed this month and how those changes will likely be permanent. ARE WE ALL DEPUTIZED? Doc notes counties and communities encouraging residents to report alleged violations of social gathering decrees and how such measures pressure people to conform - even if it's unlikely local government would allocate strained, depleted police units to investigate a large family's backyard barbecue. WHAT IS THE SOCIAL CONTRACT? It’s an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection. This has been around for thousands of years and through the rise and fall of civilizations. We pay taxes to government and in return the government provides a military to protect us from invasion. We restrict the items we take on planes and submit to invasive screening in order to have safe air travel. PATRIOT ACT of 2001 CHANGED THE SOCIAL CONTRACT. The PATRIOT Act was quickly developed as anti-terrorism legislation in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The large and complex law received little Congressional oversight and debate. Critics caution that it gives sweeping search and surveillance to domestic law enforcement and foreign intelligence agencies and eliminates checks and balances that previously gave courts the opportunity to ensure that those powers were not abused. FIVE WAYS THE PATRIOT ACT EMPOWERED GOVERNMENT. (1) Information sharing across agencies without need for authorizations; (2) Roving wiretaps across company and personal computers, networks and cell phones; (3) “215 Orders” which are gag rules preventing people from talking; (4) “Sneak and Peak” warrants which let authorities search a home or business without notification of the target of the probe; and (5) Material support such as investing anyone that made a donation to, or otherwise supported, an organization that could be involved in terrorism. This might result in the government seizing computers, records and other personal items. THOMAS HOBBES’ LEVAITHAN. Written during the English Civil War (1642–1651), Leviathan argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign. Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute situation of a state of nature ("the war of all against all") could only be avoided by strong, undivided government. In other words, Hobbes believed that a basic form of government was necessary otherwise people would default to a perpetual state of being “brutish” and fighting with each other for food, shelter or beliefs. FIVE WAYS CORONAVIRUS WILL LIKELY EXPAND THE PATRIOT ACT. Per Edward Snowden, the US government, for instance, is reportedly in talks with tech companies like Facebook and Google to use anonymized location data from phones to help track the spread of COVID-19. While some say the measure could be a helpful tool for health authorities to track the virus, others have expressed concerns.” (1) TRACK YOUR PHONE. This is an easy argument as the government can posture this practice as necessary to inform citizens if they have been subjected to persons testing positive for a virus or to guide them from “hot zones.” Doc describes several ways phones could be controlled to shape the user’s behavior, such as turning them off when people aren’t social distancing; (2) VEHICLE GPS could be tracked in ways similar to phones; (3) DNA INFORMATION willingly surrendered to learn about their ancestors might be used to identify people more or less likely to survive specific viruses. This could result in months of quarantines for “at risk” people solely due to their genetic code. (4) WEARABLE FITNESS COMPUTERS could be monitored for heart rate, pulse, and body temperature. If your temperature is above 100, you might be quarantined. (5) SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS saturate America as people have them on doorbells, dashes, stores, schools, etc. Also, police in Great Britain are using drones to capture images of people engaged in “non-essential” activities such as watching a sunset at a park. These images were shared with the public and resulted in social shaming – and could lead to separation from employment. 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. This is episode 125 of The Safety Doc Podcast.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Doc's neighbors are quarantined for 14 days after returning from a coronavirus hot zone; update on face validity; this great disruption is similar to Bell Labs 1950s Idealized Design meeting in which phone engineers were told that the existing phone system was destroyed and they had 30 days to re-invent it; portable battery packs that look like explosives; and PBS Kids is not a curriculum. MY NEIGHBORS ARE QUARANTINED. A neighbor informs Doc that his family is quarantined for 14 days. However, they receive mail delivered to the postal box affixed to their house, food deliveries, and can travel for essential items such as food. Doc and participants in the chat note the obvious problems with people being home-quarantined without any requirement to alert the public. It would make sense to print a “Quarantined” sign and put it on their door or mailbox. Any political correctness of hiding this information went out the door with governor-decreed “Safer at Home” mandates. FACE VALIDITY. Doc reminds people to authentically observe what is happening in their immediate environments. He notes an uptick in vehicles at hospital parking lot, busier parking lots at grocers and WalMart, no change in activity at the armory, and sharp increase in visible police patrols. Doc noted that a nearby county had a webpage for citizens to report large gatherings to authorities – but the site was removed after a day. This also suggests that local law enforcement agencies might be considering deputizing citizens to monitor neighborhoods. RED BATTERY CHARGER NO-GO FOR TSA. Doc shows battery charging pack he ordered from Amazon. Works great, but looks like a flattened stick of explosives! Yikes, probably shouldn’t have ordered it in red. BELL LABS in 1950 – HOW DISRUPTION LEADS TO MASSIVE INNOVATION. In 1951, Bell Labs (the people making telephones and communications systems) summoned its top engineers for an emergency meeting. As one attendee recalled, “About ten minutes after the hour, the door to the room squeaked open. All eyes turned to it, and there he was. He was obviously very upset. He was a pasty gray and bent over as he slowly shuffled down the aisle without a word to anyone. He mounted the platform, stood behind the podium, put his elbows on it, and held his head in his two hands, looking down. The room was dead silent. Finally, he looked up and in an uncharacteristically meek voice said, “Gentlemen, the telephone system of the United States was destroyed last night. Then he looked down again. (Idealized Design: How Bell Labs Imagined – and Created the Telephone System of the Future, August 09, 2006).” Engineers, now unshackled from the conventional, clunky phone system, assembled in small teams and had about a month to create the phone system of the future. One engineer experimented with using a touch pad calculator to replace the rotary dial, others figured out called ID and conference calls, and another group prototyped voicemail. What innovations and evolutions will the coronavirus event bring forward in healthcare (tele-medicine), schools (virtual classrooms), asset delivery (relaxed regulations for drones)? PBS Kids IS NOT A CURRICULUM. A flurry of free content is being pushed to parents who are now responsible for educating their children (with some partnership with schools). Doc notes that a potpourri of enrichment activities isn’t a curriculum and that parents should search for activities that have a scope and sequence. Doc also cautions that some districts are reporting that up to 40% of their students have yet to log into their new virtual classrooms and we are overlooking that some families don’t have the bandwidth or skills necessary to carry out virtual education. BE KIND TO OTHERS. Thanks to Bryan in the chat room for encouraging everyone to be kind to others, check in on relatives, and to avoid judging the atypical actions of people who are struggling to settle into a similarity. 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. This is episode 124 of The Safety Doc Podcast.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.comIdealized Design article: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/idealized-design-how-bell-labs-imagined-and-created-the-telephone-system-of-the-future/
Doc samples locations in his town on a Saturday afternoon to determine face validity of the impact of the coronavirus event on everyday life in southern Wisconsin about 40 minutes north of the state capital. Places visited included the hospital, a park, WalMart, a grocery store, a school and the armory. You’ll be surprised at what was notably different today compared to the same locations just one week ago! The video version of this is available on The Safety Doc Podcast YouTube Channel as episode #123. FACE VALIDITY. This is a term taken from research and means simply whether the test appears (at face value) to measure what it claims to. Think of it this way, if a thermometer read 77 degrees, yet you were standing outside shivering and snow was falling, the “face validity” of the thermometer wouldn’t match what you were actually experiencing. Maybe it’s 77 and sunny somewhere, but certainly not here and not right now. MEDIA BIAS. Media is incomplete and stitched with bias. To help identify valid news reports you should seek face validity – or, check things out for yourself. Better yet, develop a network of reliable friends across the country (or globe) to tell you what they are observing and experiencing with their own senses in their settings. VELOCITY OF INFORMATION. Doc explains the avalanche of information people have to deal with for the first 72 hours of a sentinel event – including the coronavirus. He also shares that people’s responses are often not aligned until a week or more after an event. For example, how drive-through food service workers should wear PPE and safely interact with patrons. And, why aren’t postal carriers wearing gloves as though go house to house in Doc’s neighborhood? HOSPITAL. Visitor parking lot was empty. Curb parking near “respiratory entrance” was also empty. The back parking lot was full, but no activity while I was there. GROCERY STORE. 30% of the parking lot was full. WALMART. 40% of the parking lot was full. No signs of a drive-through virus testing tent. PARK. People walking, kids biking and at least 3 folks fishing! ARMORY. A handful of civilian vehicles in the parking lot and two or three more military vehicles. Massive front entrance gates that were closed a week ago were open today. Adjacent airstrip was quiet and no helicopters or military aircraft on site. SCHOOLS. The high school and one elementary school were completely vacant – not a single car in the parking lots. A sign on the door indicated that schools were closed due to coronavirus and were being sanitized. The high school would be a FEMA location if needed, but no evidence of any staging of assets or preparation of the site. DOC’S NEIGHBORHOOD. Mitch was full-throttle bananas with his leaf blower, Tim hadn’t taken advantage of the nice weather to bring in the reindeer or take down the Christmas lights, and somebody was building something a few houses up the street. 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. 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 123.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Doc talks about what it means to enter chaos from the perspective of someone that researches crises. THINK OF A BAGEL. It's tasty as hell and also a metaphor for our lives and routines. Humans expect things to be similar and go bananas when they are moved out of the bagel - and the further you get outside the bagel, the more chaos. CHAOS IS A NATURAL STATE. But, chaos is part of nature and the sooner we recognize it and embrace, the sooner we inventory our options and make intelligent decisions to get us to the outcome basin. In other words, there are infinite ways to get from point A to point B - yet we've become comfortable in thinking everything must be convergent, or linear, that there is a "best way" to do every specific thing. That's BS. If we would have kept on thinking that way, we would have devolved as a species and innovation would have been stifled. And, we were kind of that point of barnacle regulations and unchecked spending. EPIC HUMAN EVOLUTION. Some company made the last ice box. Restaurants, for example, are scaling up take up and drive-thru. They are changing business models and it's working. Doesn't mean that is won't be bumpy and that we won't have losses - we will - but we will also rapidly evolve - perhaps an unparalleled 24-36 month evolution as humans in how we work, educate, build, design, entertain, etc. than we would have experienced on the trajectory without the Coronavirus. In fact, these, and other, core aspects of societies might leap 10-20 years further down the road due to how we've had to "solve the problems" presented by the coronavirus disruption. There is a very real probability we will look back upon 2020 as a time of great human innovation and not a time of human collapse. SCHOOLS WILL CHANGE in 5 GREAT WAYS Also, watch this livestream for tips on navigating life during chaos, making better decisions, and also 5 ways that schools will be better after the coronavirus event. This is episode 122 of the Safety Doc Podcast. 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. 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 122.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
LIVESTREAM: Dr. Perrodin delivers a rare livestream analysis of coronavirus response, comparisons to 9/11 response, what's unprecedented, what's likely ahead, and the pace of new developments. He also discusses the impact on post-secondary education institutions and a likely complete closure of the K-12 school system for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Live chat was enabled and Dr. Perrodin responded to questions and comments in real-time. This is an essential parents for all parents to watch - especially parents of children with disabilities with questions about IEP services. This is episode 121 of The Safety Doc Podcast.
Schools aren’t prepared to handle long-term closures due to the coronavirus. Don’t be fooled by germ-zapping robots or custodians fogging hallways with disinfectant. If a pandemic hits, the schools will close - and probably for the rest of 2019-2020 school year! I worked in school for 20 years with most of those being a school administrator involved in school crisis preparedness. In this episode, I’ll step you through what’s happening behind the scenes in America’s schools. HOW MANY SCHOOLS IN AMERICA? 55 million students are educated in 140,000 public and private school buildings each day. That’s more than one million classrooms. As we think of schools, we need to account for community preschool sites, portable classrooms and online instruction. PANDEMIC PLANS ARE AFTERTHOUGHTS. Most schools have antiquated pandemic response protocols in a file - likely something downloaded from a website. Unlike fire drills and intruder exercises, schools are not required to conduct “pandemic” practice activities, such as tabletops or simulations. With school safety singularly focused on intruder drills, schools haven’t been preparing for pandemics. Hype about schools effortlessly being able to teach kids online is greatly sensationalized and won’t work for more than a week or two. Schools simply aren’t designed to offer instruction in an exclusive online format. FEMA CAN TAKE OVER YOUR SCHOOL. Yep, that’s true - and it’s likely in the fine print of your county’s emergency management plan and only after the governor has declared a disaster - but it can happen. Dr. Perrodin explains what would rapidly unfold if FEMA took over school as medical or supply sites due to a coronavirus outbreak. In 2008, Dr. Perrodin worked in a school district that had two of its schools quickly taken under the complete authority of FEMA following a natural disaster. THE 5 THINGS THAT WOULD CAUSE SCHOOLS TO CLOSE. (1) COVID positive test for school staff or student that had been attending school - yep, one person and you can expect the district to shutter; (2) Local decision due to pressure by parents or teachers; (3) More than 30% of students are absent; (4) Disruption of supply chain including food, soap, paper towels, or cleaning supplies; (5) Government decree to close schools (likely beginning at a county level). It is very unlikely that the federal government would close all schools. WHY THE 2014 MRSA SCARE COST US DEARLY RIGHT NOW. On September 18, 2014, President Obama issued an executive order combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This order included a multi-agency plan due in 2020 to respond to this threat to domestic security – a plan that would mandate standards for electronic health record-based reporting for MRSA (Obama, 2014). As of July 2019, a uniform MRSA database had not yet been established in the United States and other countries. Had the plan been carried out, we would have had an established model to replicate for a coronavirus database. It also underscores how we pretty much just wait (and hope) for things to run their course and return to some type of similarity. MARKETING FEAR. In 2016, a $100,000 germ-zapping robot named ‘Gronk’ helped to kill MRSA at a Massachusetts High School. Hundreds were sold as school boards couldn’t vote fast enough to burn cash on items that probably worked, but weren’t necessary. (Ever heard of bleach and a rag?) Today, schools are buying Ghostbusters-like backpacks that fog hallways with disinfectant clouds. US WARNS 7 COMPANIES OVER FRAUDULENT CORONAVIRUS CLAIMS. On March 9, 2020, Federal regulators warned seven companies to stop selling soaps, sprays and other concoctions with false claims that they can treat the new coronavirus — or keep people from catching it. There are no approved treatments for the virus, and none are likely to be ready for months or years. 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. 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 120.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Read Dr. Perrodin’s Crisis Response Journal article at https://tinyurl.com/CRJ-Perrodin
Drew Baye has been teaching and writing about exercise for over twenty years, during which time he has personally instructed hundreds of clients, including elderly people and people with physical disabilities, one-on-one through tens of thousands of workouts. He maintains the number one blog on high intensity strength training baye.com and has been featured in several books about exercise including The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results by Ellington Darden, PhD, Heart Strong by Ken Hutchins, and The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferris. CALIFORNIA SUSPENDING PHYSICAL EDUCATION. Antonia Noori Farzan of the Washington Post (February 7, 2020) wrote about pending state legislation in California that would drastically impact physical fitness instruction, assessment and guidance for students. “For generations of students, running a timed mile around the track as part of a mandatory fitness assessment has been a painful rite of passage. To some, it can be downright embarrassing and humiliating. But that could soon be changing in California, where officials have raised concerns that annual physical performance tests can lead to body-shaming and bullying, and that they discriminate against students who have disabilities or identify as non-binary." PRESIDENTIAL PHYSICAL FITNESS. In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was horrified to learn that European schoolchildren were acing a fitness test designed by competitive rock climbers, while the majority of American kids failed. The fear that the United States was falling behind on the world stage led to the introduction of the Presidential Fitness Test, which rewarded the students who could do the most pull-ups and run the fastest miles. In 2012, the Presidential Fitness Test was quietly replaced by a program that focused on students’ overall health rather than arbitrary fitness goals. FITNESS. Drew defines fitness as, “Your ability to perform various physical tasks without fatigue and without injury.” He notes that strength training benefits muscles and also the heart – explaining the misconception that the heart is solely responsible for circulating blood throughout the body as many muscles are involved. EXERCISE. Per Drew, most people are unable to accurately define exercise. He defines it as, “A process by which the body performs work of a demanding nature in accordance with muscle and joint function for the purpose of creating tension and fatigue in the targeted muscles to stimulate improvement in muscular strength and size and through the stress in the muscles to place a demand on and to stimulate improvements in all those supporting systems.” NUTRITION. Ultimately, nutrition is a significant component of student fitness. Drew debunks the popular argument that kids of previous generations had similar diets as kids today – and they were more active decades ago. In fact, he notes that the higher level of activity kids had in the 1950s and 1960s decreased opportunities for them to consume extra calories – as they were out doing things and not sitting in front of a screen. STUDENT FITNESS IMPACT ON SAFETY. Drew identified 4 benefits of physical fitness specific to student safety (1) Students able to quickly get themselves to a safe location during a crisis: (2) Students being able to better recover from a physical injury; (3) If you’re stronger, you are better able to aid other people (which is also part of the FEMA Teen CERT program); and (4) Students maintain sharpened thinking skills and decision-making during a crisis due to the connections between physical fitness and improved cognitive functioning. IS ELIMINATING PHYSICAL FITNESS DISCRIMINATING AGAINST STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES? Dr. Perrodin asserts that California’s draconian measures to limit physical education are based on inaccurate perceptions that students with disabilities don’t enjoy, or don’t benefit, from physical education – an assumption he argues discriminates against students with disabilities and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (Chapter 7, Addendum 2). 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. 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 119.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Learn more about this show’s guest at www.baye.com
Vincent LaRosa is a network administrator, Masculine Geek and adventurer. He’s an enthusiast of ancient areas and fascinated with urban decay - including the death knell of the American mall. In this episode, Vince discusses the genesis of one of Internet’s top shows - Masculine Geek, writing, urban exploring and an intellectual hike through the woods of life and mortality. REMEMBERING OOLOO. Decades removed from the bright lights, fans still remember Ooloo, a supporting character on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although a brilliant actor, the writer’s delivered few opportunities for LaRosa's Ooloo to shine other than late in season two when Ooloo played a yeoman purser - a role that was functionally eliminated when the starship went cashless after convoluted storylines involving currency conversion practices that became ridiculous when Captain Picard authorized purchase orders for parts for the starship, curiously not stocked by Star Fleet, by bartering the equivalent of a sack of russet potatoes with the Narphwelens. WAS OOLOO A “B” CHARACTER? Although a “B” character, many, including fellow actor Levar Burton, and confidant Angela Lansbury, felt that Ooloo would have smoothly transitioned to the role of core cast member in a similar fashion to Jamie Farr’s “Klinger” replacing Radar O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff) on the TV series MAS*H. In a 2016 interview, Burton acknowledged the writers’ colossal mistake by terminating LaRosa’s character in a reckless cafeteria accident. Respected in Hollywood, the talented LaRosa passed on countless offers for auditions and instead closed the chapter on acting and moved to the East Coast. FOUNDING OF MASCULINE GEEK. Masculine Geek has become a Wednesday night staple for a loyal, growing tribe of very cool people seeking honest, unscripted discourse that harkens to all things masculine: motorcycles, rock bands, history of ancient civilizations, battlefields, and Dungeons & Dragons. Vincent’s concept for Masculine Geek took shape when Rob Says and TJ Martinell took the oath. Curmudgeon Aaron Clarey was a periphery member of MG, but amicably departed the show after its late (8PM Aaron’s time) start time interrupted his four hour naps. Vince, TJ and Rob meet up in the virtual campsite to deliver the Masculine Geek podcast live Wednesday Night’s at 9PM EST on YouTube and the show is landing some of the Internet’s prominent figures and boasts a highly interactive chat room. TIME TO LEVEL UP. The motto of the Masculine Geek is “Time to level up.” That’s right, you’re now part of the team - so do your part. Masculine Geek offers a discerning (free) weekly newsletter, masterly essays such as “Rise of the Lone Wolf” and “The Everyday MG’s Commandments”, paid content, merch and consulting. URBAN EXPLORING. Urban exploration is the act of entering, experiencing and photographing abandoned buildings or areas. The rule is to leave sites as you found them. Many of these places are dangerous due to a lack of maintenance over a long period of time. And, unless you have permission from the owner, you’re probably trespassing - so a cool geek hobby, but don’t go solo and always get permission. Vince shares accounts of urban exploring, including his intention to capture photos of a decaying mall and then pair those images with narratives for a book. David, relatively new to urbanex, attempts to describe the emotional experience of a long-abandoned farmhouse that still had clothing buttons tossed on a rotting floor. MEETUP.COM Vince underscores that people need to find others with similar interests and engage in a shared activity, such as building a house for Habitat for Humanity, hiking, or urban exploring. Although an online platform, Masculine Geek held its inaugural “Village By The Sea” in-person gathering last fall in October -- and future in-person meet-ups are planned. Check out the website masculinegeek.com 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. 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 118.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Learn more about this show’s guest at www.masculinegeek.com
As a school crisis develops, more time means more options. This episode’s guest works to put seconds back on the clock by teaching people steps to improve their chances for survival during a chaotic situation. ABOUT MORGAN BALLIS. Morgan Ballis is the Director of Strategic Planning & Training with Campus Safety Alliance which is a network of emergency management professionals, law enforcement trainers, and educational leaders providing evidence-based safety solutions for PreK-12 facilities and faith-based organizations. He is a firearms instructor, United States Marine Corps veteran, and is currently completing a doctoral degree in Emergency Management. ACTIVE SHOOTER DATA is CONFUSING. The number of school shootings over the past 20 years depends upon the source of the data. Morgan advocates for using data curated by the FBI which includes: number of attacks, locations of attacks, relationship of the shooter, timelines, and casualties. WHAT’S THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM LOCKDOWN? Lockdowns have become commonplace in today’s schools. Morgan shares that the origin of lockdown drills is rooted to 1970s Southern California when the threat was that someone driving by would shoot at a school. Imagine getting beneath window-level and pulling thick curtains on exterior windows. He noted that early lockdown drills where informally known as “Drive-By Drills” as the threat was external to the school. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LOCKDOWNS IN THE 1970s and TODAY. Unlike the drive-by threats of the 1970s, contemporary active assailant threats are manifesting within the school. Morgan shares data that these incidents are shorter in duration (3-5 minutes) and more often completing before the arrival of law enforcement – especially in rural areas. These changes in the profile of an active assailant event are rationale for Morgan’s support of an options-based response. SITE-SPECIFIC TRAINING. The school is the unit of measure. Morgan stresses the importance of addressing each school setting within a school district and going beyond quantitative data to interview students, staff, and stakeholders. He revealed that some prominent school safety firms deploy architectural engineers who assess the school environment from a design, hardware and software approach. This creates a conflicted interest as the company conducting the safety assessment will subsequently market solutions that it will sell and install, such as cameras – despite other priorities of defining safety terminology, equipping staff with reliable 2-way radios and teaching standard communication protocols. A TEAM OF EXPERTS. Morgan embraces building a team of content experts to work with him – a group that is matched to the needs of the location. This is known as small group theory and is similar to how the CDC operates when faced with a potential pandemic. IF MORGAN HAD JUST ONE HOUR IN A SCHOOL. Schools seldom have more than ten days of contracted non-student time during a school year. This time is quickly carved into bits for developing curriculum, mandated training on blood borne pathogens, grading, setting up classrooms, ... School safety has secured its place at the table of professional development, but there’s never enough time, right? Morgan advises schools to identify how much time they will allocate to staff training for school safety. The first priority is defining terminology and establishing inter-rater reliability. The second priority is a reliable communication system with 2-way radios for all staff. Morgan’s emphasis on communications aligns to this 2013 interview with communications expert Fred Varian: https://tinyurl.com/Varian-Interview-ComSec LEARNING OBJECTIVES. Threaded throughout this interview was the need to cultivate learning objectives for school safety activities. Are we testing the school’s 2-way radios? Are we measuring the mass communication system that alerts parents? How might a few learning objectives completely change the tone of a school district and outside agencies conducting oft-controversial intruder exercises? And, what do most schools overlook? 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. 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 117.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Learn more about this show’s guest at www.campus-safety.us
What is legacy? What isn't legacy? Is a Danish a donut with no hole? Listen to guest Rob Says from Robsays.net as this episode of The Safety Doc Podcast addresses agency, purpose and legacy. YOUR ANCESTORS ARE NOT YOUR LEGACY. Defining your legacy by either your ancestry or by your children is a faulted scheme. First, lineage is certainly meaningful as it offers a sense of the family crest and greater tribe, but your pedigree affords you no bragging rights. Don’t waste your time on a mail-in DNA test in hopes that you’ll discover you’re faintly related to someone famous and by some transient properties that instantly makes you a “somebody.” You’re the great, great, great, great cousin of J.D. Rockefeller – that’s handy for trivia and useless for helping anyone to learn who you are and how you are making your mark on the world. YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT YOUR LEGACY. As for children, they are frequently tagged as one’s legacy. I Googled “Children” + “My Legacy” and surfaced 838,000 results. The first was an article by Forbes titled, “Your Children Are Not Your Legacy” and the second was an article by Huffpost titled, “My Children are My Legacy.” People are autonomous and everyone has the right to a unique agency and purpose. Affixing the legacy saddle to offspring robs them of agency and purpose. I could go on, but instead, listen to the episode. MORE REASONS YOUR KIDS ARE NOT YOUR LEGACY. As written by Rob on Robsays.net, “I've seen "legacies" end up behind bars. I've seen them drink themselves to death or overdose on heroin. I've seen them join gangs. Your legacy can't be your family as far as I'm concerned because they don't owe you anything and they aren't obligated to you. They can walk out of your life legally the moment they hit the age of majority and never look back. They are autonomous beings with thoughts, feelings, and desires of their own. Give them the space to explore that without the pressure of trying to live up to your legacy.” YOUR JOB IS NOT YOUR LEGACY. A job is a means to an end. All employers and employees are interchangeable and organizations have short memories – especially for good things. As Rob notes, this isn’t an excuse to be a responsible, diligent worker. But, be cognizant of the influence your job has over what you do, how you act, what you think – that pause before you say something or do something as although it might fuel you legacy, it might not blend in with the vanilla profile embraced by the folks over in human resources. As the Internet never forgets, people, especially younger career-driven people, are measuring their expression and probably repressing their expression. Is this compatible with building your legacy? ARE WE PAYING TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE ATTENTION TO OUR LEGACY? There are two ways to look at this question. When we are addicted to extrinsic feedback in the form of likes, thumbs up and digital high fives, then yes, we are paying too much attention to our legacy. It’s like we are opening the oven door every 3 minutes to check on the cake. So, as we confuse social media attention with authentic content creation, then yes, we are paying too little attention to value-added content creation such as blogs, podcasts and articles and instead snapping photos of ourselves and our possessions – all of which are the building blocks of your legacy. You are the composite of what you do, not the aggregate of what you possess. 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. 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 116.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Learn more about this show’s guest at www.Robsays.net
The First Amendment protects so much of what is going on (although the public after a mass attack do not like to hear that). One thing is certain - the days are over of law enforcement issuing warnings to people making threats that might be made with the intent to intimidate others. TRUE THREATS AND STUDENTS - ACT OF TERRORISM. It is absolutely critical that schools overtly and bluntly make students aware that a threat to bring harm to their schools might result in arrest and prosecution as a Federal act of terrorism. Yes, the courts would need to consider the mental state and cognitive capacity of the student, but that’s likely done after the student has been taken into custody. TRUE THREATS PROSECUTIONS. “There has definitely been an increase in the visibility of true-threats prosecutions,” says Jennifer Kinsley, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University who litigates First Amendment cases. She explains that many of these arise from social media posts and from the domestic arena, where divorce parties make angry statements. These individuals may claim that their spoken words are protected by the First Amendment, that their offensive expressions were merely crude political opinions, jokes or rants not meant to be taken seriously—or misguided attempts to blow off steam. But in an age beset with mass shootings and fear of terrorism, government officials likely will contend that such utterings or mutterings fall into the category of true threats—a type of unprotected speech.” (Hudson, 2018, ABA Journal). FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTION. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and right to petition. WHAT COUNTS AS SPEECH? Think far beyond the spoken word or written notes. Courts have identified speech as expression in: online posts; theater and dance, art, political yard signs, handing out flyers, and clothing. At least one federal appeals court has found that liking something on Facebook qualifies as speech! Some types of computer code may be considered speech, but the limits of that is still an open question. DEFINITION OF A TRUE THREAT. In legal parlance a true threat is a statement that is meant to frighten or intimidate one or more specified persons into believing that they will be seriously harmed by the speaker or by someone acting at the speaker’s behest. (Yelling “fire” in a theater is not protected public expression) True threats constitute a category of speech that is not protected by the First Amendment (O’ Neill, K. F., (2017) True Threats. MTSU.Edu). CONFUSION IN THE COURTS. The Supreme Court’s true-threat jurisprudence is less than clear. A review of lower court decisions indicates a hodgepodge of different results: (A) The Supreme Court of South Dakota recently upheld the conviction of a man for threatening a judicial officer by stating: “Well, that deserves 180 pounds of lead between the eyes,” and “Now I see why people shoot up courthouses.” State v. Draskovich (Nov. 21, 2017); (B) The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that a man’s statement to his brother—“If you go into the attic, I will hurt you”—could be considered a true threat and denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss. State v. Pelella (Oct. 10, 2017); (C) An Illinois appeals court reversed the threat conviction of a man who left the following voicemail on a public defender’s phone: “There is not a day that goes by since I was sentenced at that courthouse that I have not dreamed about revenge and the utter hate I feel for the judge. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t pray for the death and destruction upon the judge and upon every single person who sentenced me.” People v. Wood (Nov. 20, 2017). 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. 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 115.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Nick Schulaner is a 21-year-old guitar-playing Digital Marketer and Mechanical Engineering Student. He has taught in 2 programs teaching people how to do digital marketing so they can either promote their own small business or get jobs marketing for other people. He also has his own YouTube channel where he interviews other successful marketers and business owners. Because he’s so young, Nick has been able to see firsthand the type of fortifications schools invest in, as well as how those fortifications are perceived by the students themselves (spoiler alert: it’s not a pretty picture). GOING ALL-IN FOR HIGH SCHOOL SAFETY. During the 2013-2014 school year, Nick, (then) a student at a high school of 2000 students in Washington State, observed sweeping safety overhauls at his campus, including the installation of bullet-resistive window films and metal detectors at “some” of the entrances. Let’s examine the concept of “all in.” In American usage, the phrase “all in” began as a colloquial expression meaning to be in a bad spot—exhausted, worn out, and spent. In the game of poker, it refers to the moment when a player—whether out of bravado, recklessness, or desperation—bets all of his or her chips on a single hand. In other words, Nick’s school leaders were implementing a flurry of expensive and difficult-to-maintain safety measures with the presumed hope that these steps would satisfy panicked parents and perhaps increase school security. TEACHER ADMITS FACULTY UNABLE TO PROTECT KIDS. Per Nick, “Yet, even after all those things were implemented, I distinctly remember one of my teachers telling my class something to the effect of ‘I really hope we don’t have a school shooting here because we (meaning the faculty) have pretty much no way to protect you kids if we do.’ If anything, you could argue that all the fortifications actively made things WORSE by lulling people into a false sense of security.” NO STUDENT INPUT. Nick didn’t recall any time when school leaders asked students about safety concerns on campus or sought their input on what practices or devices might increase school safety. His friend who served in student government discovered that the collective student voice wasn’t of interest to administrators and ignored on serious matters, such as school safety. Nick shared that fights were a much more common occurrence at this school, noting a time when two girls duked it in a hallway over a cupcake. Yes, a cupcake. And, don’t even ask what was happening in the woods next to the school! WHAT MADE NICK FEEL SAFER AT SCHOOL. Nick shared that the metal detectors made him feel that his school was safer…until a few weeks into the school year when, due to long lines and other obligations of the SRO, the fidelity of metal detector checkpoints waned and students were able to enter and exit buildings unchecked at the schools approximately dozen entrances. PBIS AT HIGH SCHOOL “BEAMER BUCKS” Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports is a formal program for teaching students positive and appropriate behaviors. A form of PBIS was in place at Nick’s high school and students received “Beamer Bucks” that could be redeemed for school apparel. He noted that the PBIS program was vague and the incentives would have been valuable if for things like pizza. Again, a “code of conduct” program implemented without student input. MARKETING SCHOOL SAFETY. Nick identified two reasons why people buy something. The first is to acquire pleasure and the second is to escape pain. In schools, the relentless pressure of parents to “do something” to improve school safety is the “pain” applied to the school board. Social proof, as Nick explains, is another powerful construct for selling safety. If you can show another school that has purchased a product, then the argument becomes, “That school made the investment to keep its schools safe…why aren’t you also choosing to keep kids safe?” 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. 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 114.
Learn more about guest Nick Schulaner at www.nickschulaner.com Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Atham Aldecua's safety advice is to assume that you are always alone and that anyone else that can help you during a crisis is a bonus. Trust gut instincts and rely upon yourself to make decisions and find options within chaos. A caver, climber, hiker, and snowboarder, Atham’s forded the divide from self-similarity to chaos and skillfully navigates both physical and psychological terrain that would overwhelm most people. It’s a value-added mindset and Atham imparts pragmatic wisdom during this interview. RECONNAISSANCE & SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. Perpetually honing his situational awareness, Atham shared that while living in Mexico, Taiwan and the United States; he watched the natives, studied their behaviors and attempted to predict what they would do next. He advises people to seek similarities across situations as they are more prevalent than differences and enable you to quickly pick up predictable patterns. WANDERING THE DESERT. After deciding computer programming wasn’t his jam, an 18 year old Atham gained crucial work experience as a call center representative, restaurant assistant manager, window washer and hotel night audit. He smiled when sharing a time at the call center when he asked the caller to close his windows. The man rushed around his house closing his windows instead of closing the windows on his computer. Although hectic, the call center was relevant training for learning to successfully interface with people who were overwhelmed. Another story was when several people checked into a hotel at night after being delayed by a winter storm. The only person at the desk, Atham maintained his smile and got everyone situated for the night. He often states, “It doesn’t help to feel sorry for yourself or ask, ‘why me?’ – just do what needs to be done.” PSYCHE. “You know what needs to be done, so do it!” Atham attributes his success to a combination of family and friends, saying “yes” to new opportunities, and embracing hard work – which for him is a combination of 80 hour work weeks, a full-time course load in chemical engineering and exploring caves. SOMA. With guidance from a trainer, Atham has shed 40 pounds since spring, enabling him to hike with ease and be more efficient with caving. He added that he weighs all of his food portions and that 40 grams of sugar in a soda is eye-opening when 40 grams of sugar is scooped onto a scale. SPELUNKING or CAVING? Atham explained that spelunking is associated with novice cave explorers and that traditional and more serious enthusiasts refer to themselves as cavers. Caving for 3 years, Atham became interested in the hobby after watching a YouTube video. He went to caves.org and found a local chapter of the National Speleological Society. He is now vice-chairman of his caving club and also trained in basic cave rescue. THREE CAVING RULES. Always have 3 sources of light. Atham stated that novice explorers over-estimate their capabilities and have poor situational awareness. These folks use their cell phone light to wander through a cave, experience hypothermia or become disoriented. Another rule is to never explore a cave on your own. The third rule is to avoid running in caves as the terrain is damp, inconsistent and unforgiving. While GPS doesn’t function in a cave, Atham shared that, curiously, he’s had intermittent cell phone reception. ASSUME NO MALICE. A member of his climbing team skipped safety protocol and unfastened a rope which resulted in Atham falling 16 feet and dislocating his elbow. Rather than becoming angry or emotional, Atham maintained his composure and was able to direct others to facilitate his rescue. His ability to find control in chaos comes from a mindset of not becoming occupied with emotions. Per Atham, “Assume no malice when people are giving you a hard time. Or should I say... pretend like you are assuming no malice even though you are seeing it. This makes them look bad in public if they keep pushing it. It’s a technique that has worked for me a lot of times.” 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. 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 113.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
STUDENT will give his best effort in all of his subjects every day. That subjective condition-statement was extracted from a school district's boilerplate one-page abeyance agreement. It's codified by the district's school board policy. With suspensions racing to extinction, this is in the new embodiment of student discipline and it’s not just a second chance to follow the rules. WHAT IS AN ABEYANCE AGREEMENT (AA). In public schools, an AA sets forth the conditions under which the school agrees to not impose discipline (detention/suspension/expulsion). AA is a practice wrangled from the legal system (not from education policy) where it’s often associated with a plea deal. AAs are also referred to as pre-expulsion agreements or a first offenders program. PURPOSE OF AN AA. School leaders champion AA’s as a tool of discretion that offers a second chance for students who have violated the code of student conduct. However, implicit functions of the AA include: (a) having a conclusive action to an investigation; (b) avoiding creation of a reportable data as AAs are not reported to local, state Department of Public Instruction, or federal agencies; (c) avoid convening the IEP team if the child has a disability (to discuss services and placement); and (d) shield the school board from an abrasive student expulsion. WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF AN AA? A Google search will surface countless AA templates - some as short as a page. AAs include, (a) period of time that the AA is in effect - often a semester; (b) attendance requirements; (c) requirement that the student follow the school rules; (d) statement that the student will give his/her “best effort” in school; and (e) signatures by student, parent and school administrator. Many include the following clause, “By executing this agreement the undersigned acknowledges that they voluntarily and without any undue influence agree to waive their right to appeal.” ...That last sentence. Yep, an AA is a slight-of-hand maneuver that separates students from their right of due process. IS AN AA REPORTED TO THE STATE OR FED? There is no requirement that an AA be reported to a school board, state department of instruction or federal department of education. In fact, most AAs are expunged from school databases after they expire unlike school suspensions and expulsions which must be reported to state and federal government. FIVE INCENTIVES TO ENTER INTO AN AA. Reasons that drive AAs: (1) keeps the district’s actions “off the books.” (2) has FERPA (privacy) shield; (3) if a student has a disability, or might have a disability that hasn’t been diagnosed, an IEP team would be convened to hold a manifestation determination and consider services and placement. AA might preclude convening the IEP; (4) simple and quick; (5) parents go along with them most of the time because an AA leverages the positionality (perceived power) of the school. The school often includes its lawyer to craft the AA or be present at the meeting with parents. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION: WHY PARENTS ALWAYS AGREE TO AN AA. A parent might be intimidated by the school (as it is a powerful government institution) or overwhelmed by school authorities with advanced degrees and initials after their names. In these instances, parents perceive the AA as a “gift” from the school and sign it to bring the matter to a close and clean their child’s record. Other times, parents believe they pressured the school into making a deal due to their status in the community or making it known that they could unleash a “complaint campaign” or bring advocates to meetings. Regardless of the parents’ perception of why they are being offered the AA, the school gets what it wants - the signed AA. SIX SHORTCOMINGS OF AAs. (1) no oversight, efficacy research or reporting requirement; (2) less incentive for exhaustive investigation; (3) low threshold to fulfill the AA / no learning objectives; (4) privacy law keeps them secret; (5) denies due process to students [with disabilities]; (6) destroys a student record that might reveal a skill deficit, pattern of behavior or even bring light upon a systemic practice of institutional bias. 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. 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 112.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
In this episode of The Safety Doc Podcast, I talk with the co-author of Why Meadow Died: The People and Policies That Created The Parkland Shooter and Endanger America’s Students. He discusses student discipline reform, student disability policies, abeyance agreements, and pressures on institutions to ‘look as though they have no problems,’ and more in light of recent school shootings. ABOUT MAX EDEN. Max Eden is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Before joining MI, he was program manager of the education policy studies department at the American Enterprise Institute. Eden’s research interests include early education, school choice, and federal education policy. He was coeditor, with Frederick M. Hess, of The Every Student Succeeds Act: What It Means for Schools, Systems, and States (2017). Eden’s work has appeared in scholarly and popular outlets, such as the Journal of School Choice, Encyclopedia of Education Economics and Finance, Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, National Review, Claremont Review of Books, and The Weekly Standard. He holds a B.A. in history from Yale University. WHO IS IN CHARGE OF STUDENT SAFETY? 43 states have laws for school safety plans, but there is minimal accountability. Schools submit logs to denote that drills were conducted and nobody at the state-level offers feedback. It’s the difference between completing a requirement and learning from an activity. DISCIPLINE POLICY. Mr. Eden has written extensively about the complexities of inconsistent applications of discipline policy. He discusses what gets reported and considerations of the perceived interplay of personal and institutional biases in discipline and consequences. Dr. Perrodin iterates the absence of inter-rater reliability between states and notes the examples of North Carolina having more than 100 possible reporting codes for school discipline infraction - including affray which is defined as an instance of fighting in a public place that disturbs the peace. Administrative discretion versus zero-tolerance policies were also scrutinized in this episode. Policies are applied differently for students identified with disabilities due to certain legal protections. BUYING ACCESS. David sought Max’s response to the article Superintendents Association Recommends School Security Companies — for a Fee. Safety Experts Call It ‘Buying Access’ and Decry Lack of Transparency (by Mark Keierleber of the74million.org; October 21, 2019). Are national and state school organizations selling out to vendors? In Keierleber’s article, he writes, “[The] company and others like it pay $18,000 a year for the right to call themselves “School Solutions” partners with AASA, The School Superintendents Association — an arrangement that has raised ethical questions among some security experts. THE SILENT SHAME OF ABEYANCE AGREEMENTS. Schools have a tool, often per the guidance of their attorney, to deliver a lesser form of discipline that isn’t reportable to any local, state or federal entity. What is an abeyance agreement and how is it undermining student safety? PRESSURES TO PORTRAY A GLOWING SCHOOL IMAGE. In the modern age of open enrollment and government shaming for reporting “authentic” discipline figures, schools are actively managing their public image. School-shopping parents, local realtors, businesses and powerful local interests want “good” schools and not “honest” schools. Dr. Perrodin shares his own account of this as a school administrator and how perception was valued over reality. 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. 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 111.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
In 2013, A 7-year-old Maryland kid chewed his breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun at school and wound up with two days suspension. The pastry in question was not named, but it's gotta be a Pop-Tart, right? This dubious outcome, and others like it, are often the result of what is known as Zero-tolerance school safety policy. . WHAT ARE ZERO TOLERANCE POLICIES? Zero-tolerance policies were written into school handbooks in the 1990s, created originally to be a deterrent for bringing weapons into schools. Many students under strict zero-tolerance policies are punished without a second thought. School administrators are not afforded discretion to use professional judgment to match a consequence to a violation of the code of student conduct. This type of disciplinary procedure has been proven in research to have an overall negative effect on students, and a disproportionately negative effect on minorities. ABOUT RESEARCHER ANN MARIECOTMAN. Ann Marie Cotman is a doctoral student researching school policing at Texas State University. An educator since 1995 and a mother since 1998, Ann Marie fully respects and underscores that schools' first and most important obligation is to creating and maintaining a safe learning environment. As a researcher she is determined to make sure that safety driven policies truly support the safety of ALL students and are not unexamined practices that instead produce poor and inequitable outcomes. When not reading, writing, and researching, Ann Marie loves to play analog games with her three children and create art. She also gets to know the coolest kids in Austin Texas through her summer camp program and private tutoring! FOUR WAYS ZERO-TOLERANCE DISCIPLINE POLICIES UNDERMINE SCHOOL SAFETY: (1) prioritizes compliance over self-management/critical thinking; (2) undermines students' development of and confidence in their own decision making; (3) hides race (and gender, and other) inequities under the fig leaf of equal treatment; (4) discourages and interrupts the relationship building that is critical to creating a culture in which all community members want to come forward with concerns. ZERO-TOLERANCE PRETENDS TO REMOVE SUBJECTIVE DECISION MAKING THIS A PROBLEM FOR TWO REASONS: (1) Why would we want to remove the human element from addressing discipline problems? (2) We know both in design and application that it does NOT create an objective decision process. BETTER OPTIONS. Ann shifts the discussion to looking at the safety priorities of the school. Is it worth the time and investment to maintain polarizing Zero-tolerance policies at the detriment of cultivating relationships with students and families? And, for policies to be effective across the hundreds of thousands of school buildings in America, they need to be melded to each school setting. That involves affording the principal discretion to interpret and apply policies to best fit the setting. It’s not capitulating – it’s sensemaking. Ann also shared an example of a school that invited four students to serve on its safety committee and simple, potent positive changes that resulted from a group of educators and students working to solve the problem of chronic vaping by youth. 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. 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 110.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America.
www.schooloferrors.com
Shift the locus of control. Sometimes it's as simple as recognizing that there are things that you can change and control. That's what Torus Theory is all about... Dr. David Perrodin delivers a podcast-format author event for his book, School of Errors – and reads specially-selected passages from the most honest book about the $3 billion school safety industrial complex. School of Errors successfully applied four key concepts to allow readers to better understand school safety in America! (1) The Torus (2) Chaos Theory (3) Simulated Annealing (4) Transference Dynamic. THE TORUS - it’s like a bagel! We expect today to be similar to yesterday and that tomorrow will be similar to today. Humans prefer for things to be similar and have sometimes refused to accept that something bad is happening and they have to deal with it. If the power goes out for 10 minutes, nobody panics. If it’s out for 10 hours??? CHAOS - when we are outside of our bagel. Chaos can often simplify and clarify our option - but we need to embrace chaos and stop trying to fight our way back into the bagel. SIMULATED ANNEALING - this sounds complicated, right, but it isn’t. If you’ve ever had a flight canceled, then you’ve processed through simulated annealing. Simulated annealing is when you need to take many small steps to get from point A to point B. TRANSFERENCE DYNAMIC - what we learn about the world at kids, often through exploration, will dictate how we respond to crisis situations as adults. Exploration is a type of safety exercise. 100 years ago, a 3rd grader was able to explore 30 square miles around his or her home. Today, that unsupervised roam-zone is about a mile. And, instead of allowing kids to go on field trips, some schools are opting for virtual field trips as parents and teachers are convinced that will keep kids safe. 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. 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 109.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
AARON REYNOLDS is a humourist, professional speaker, and the man behind the @EffinBirds and @swear_trek Twitter accounts. When he’s not on Twitter, you can find him producing a series of podcasts and at ComicCons dressed as George Lucas. He has been a baseball writer, a fine art printer, and a mall Santa Claus photographer. Aaron was raised in Mississauga, Canada, a suburb where they cut down all the trees and named the streets after them. He currently splits his time between Toronto and Ottawa. HUMOR ACROSS AGES & CULTURES. David began this episode by identifying the role humor has in personal and situational awareness. People in touch with humor are better-equipped to identify and react to the nuances of life. In safety situations that can be the difference between life and death. David stated, "Humor is observed in all cultures and at all ages. Historically, psychologists framed humor negatively, suggesting it demonstrated superiority, vulgarity or, per Freud, was a defense mechanism. But, modern research offers strong evidence that humor activities. People that appreciate humor report greater life satisfaction than those who don't see the humor. Clinical psychologists are using humor to increase subjective well-being. Humor is an essential part of personal safety - as people receptive to humor tend to perceive the subtle nuances of situations and not to be too literal and linear - which is difficult to do in a world that can punish you for laughing." WHAT IS EFFIN’ BIRDS? A compact, comprehensive, and very silly field guide featuring more than 200 of the rudest birds on earth. Effin' Birds is the most eagerly anticipated new volume in the grand and noble profession of nature writing and bird identification. Sitting proudly alongside Sibley, Kaufman, and Peterson, this book contains more than 150 pages crammed full of classic, monochrome plumage art paired with the delightful but dirty aphorisms (think "I'm going to need more booze to deal with this week") that made the Effin' Birds Twitter feed a household name. Also included in its full, Technicolor glory is John James Audubon's most beautiful work matched with modern life advice. Including never-before-seen birds, insults, and field notes, this guide is a must-have for any effin' fan or birder. EFFIN’ BIRDS INTERNET MEMES. Effin’ Birds memes have infected the Internet – in a good way, with some type of powerful condition that invokes belly laughs, smiles and a re-conditioning of personalities. David and Aaron discussed the witty comments social media users routinely post whenever an Effin’ Bird meme appears on their screen. A common theme is for people to see the reflections of their own lives within the memes. A stoic bird above the caption, “Frankly, I Expected More,” describes the majority of work meetings, right? You can’t say it, but you’re thinking it – and yep, there’s an Effin’ Bird meme for that! WHEN WILL THE BOOK BE AVAILABLE? After crowd-funded the first printing of the 208-page “A Guide To Field Identification – Effin’ Birds,” Ten Speed Press asked Aaron to refine his original work. There was a sticky point, however. In order for the book to release for the Christmas season in America, Aaron had only 3 months to render the final version. He met the deadline and Effin’ Birds releases through Ten Speed Press on October 15, 2019. Due to strong pre-orders, it is already debuting as the #1 new release in Bird Field Guides. EFFIN’ BIRDS MERCHANDISE. Find me the person that doesn’t relish in a deck of Effin’ Birds playing cards! Go to effinbirds.com for your stocking stuffers and everyday supply of clothing, mugs, pins, cards and the Effin’ Birds book. WHAT IS THE FIRESIDE? Throughout this interview, Aaron shares his strategies for turnings negativity and stress into positive creative energy. He attends and presents at the Fireside Conference at rural (no WIFI) Camp Walden in Canada. As one attendee wrote, "It’s tempting to describe Fireside as an innovators version of Woodstock. However it wasn’t Woodstock – or Coachella, Glastonbury, Afrika Burn, or even Burning Man. It was all of them and none of them at the same time." 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. 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 108.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
As Bahamian officials continue to sort through the widespread destruction left by Hurricane Dorian, confusion and uncertainty has been rampant during much of the initial recovery process. Guests Katie Pechon, German Parodi and Shaylin Sluzalis bring awareness and urgency to the untold stories of the Bahamas and the oft-overlooked impact disasters have on persons with disabilities. WHAT ARE THE BAHAMAS? The Bahamas extends 760 miles from the coast of Florida on the north-west almost to Haiti on the south-east. The nation consists of 700 islands, of which 30 are inhabited. The total population is 400,000 with 230,000 residing on the island of Nassau. HURRICANE DORIAN’S IMPACT ON THE BAHAMAS. On September 1, 2019, the eye of Hurricane Dorian made landfall on the Abaco Islands with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, making it the strongest hurricane on record to affect the northwestern Bahamas. The hurricane moved very slowly - just over a one mile-per-hour. As it was stagnant, the debris-laced winds and waves pulverized the islands in the 2 days it took Dorian to move toward the US coast. EVACUATION. German explained that the Bahamas, being a national of islands, didn’t have the infrastructure to evacuate residents. Lackluster, choppy emergency management responses from local and international governments coupled with profiteering by transportation companies (selling evacuation flights for $4500.00 per person) placed resident rescues as a low priority. Additionally, persons with disabilities, if rescued, might be separated from wheelchairs or other vital supports and not re-united with those items. GETTING RESCUE ITEMS TO THE BAHAMAS. Katie and German noted that the typical rescue assets of water, food, clothing and shelter were quickly brought to warehouses in southern Florida. Such staples are rapidly staged after a disaster. However, barriers to bringing the items into the Bahamas included clearing Customs and also having to break down items packed onto pallets to be transported on small planes. Decimated communication systems and damaged roads continued to keep many people isolated from population hubs – the places that will be the first to receive supplies. The number of missing persons has been reported in the thousands and it is likely most that are missing will be deemed losses. The risk of disease grows exponentially with each passing day under the sweltering, wrecked landscape. ITEMS NEEDED FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. Of course, water, food, clothing and shelter are needs shared by persons impacted by disaster. And, items for persons with disabilities, such as wheelchairs, walkers, catheters, insulin, trach components, etc., weren’t efficiently gathered and staged. These items also require collaboration with rescue coordinators in the Bahamas to ensure that they are matched with persons in need. German shared how he interfaced with civilian rescue forces in the Bahamas that work to support persons with disabilities. TRAUMA. German brought attention to the traumatic stress experienced by persons that endured Hurricane Dorian. Fear and anxiety manifested when it was known that the hurricane was projected to slam into the islands and such feelings will quickly rekindle with the next proximal tropical depression. The psychological shock is under-stated by the mainstream media. WHAT IS REAADI and DRMA? As we expanded the discussion to consider steps to improve domestic safety, German and Shaylin described the Real Emergency Access for Aging and Disability Inclusion for Disasters Act (REAADI) and the Disaster Relief Medicaid Act (DRMA) that were introduced in the House and Senate on June 10, 2019. These bills include measures to improve outcomes for persons with disabilities during disasters. First, REAADI ensures that persons with disabilities contribute government rescue plans designed to bring persons with disabilities to safe location and support their needs during a sentinel event such as a hurricane in the United States. People will have input into the development of the plans that will be followed to ensure that they are supported during a disaster. DRMA fixes the existing problem of Medicaid funding terminating as a person crosses the state line. For example, if a person with a disability receiving Medicaid services evacuates Florida for Alabama during a hurricane, that person is not able to access Medicaid supports available to a resident of Alabama. Yep, that’s messed up and this remedy is overdue. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THIS EPISODE'S GUESTS. Katie Pechon: VP Triton Relief Group Kpechon@tritonrelief.org; Germán Luis Parodi: UNDRR Persons with Disabilities Co-Focal Point for the Americas and the Caribbean dart@disasterstrategies.org; Shaylin Sluzalis: Disaster Disability Access Response Team (DART) | Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies Shaylin@disastrategies.org; Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies portlight.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. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. 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 107.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
Homeland Security twirled off the rails with its patchwork 2018 Guide to Preventing School Gun Violence. Anyone else think suggesting smoke cannons as counter-measures to an active shooter is better scripted for Hollywood than for classrooms? SINGLE FOCUS SAFETY INITIATIVES. In my book, School of Errors, I use the analogy of fielders in a baseball game to make an argument against single focus safety initiatives. One could train baseball players to field line drives. In fact, the coach could swat sizzling liners for hours. Players would improve at fielding liners hit directly to them. Per our friends at Baseball Info Solutions, we know the following statistics to represent a typical game of baseball. 45% of batted balls were grounders, 36% were fly balls and 19% are line drives. Practice all you want on liners, but if you can’t snag a grounders then you are going to be foiled by half of the balls put into play. In other words, we need our professional guidance documents to prepare us to field any ball. FOUR PHASES OF SECURITY. The DHS guide identifies four phases of security: Connect, Plan, Train and Report. OK, connect with law enforcement and community agencies. That makes sense, until you realize that the steady churn of staff will shuffle the point of contact every few months. People are great at starting inter-agency collaborative teams. People stumble at attempting to sustain such efforts. The guide doesn’t address this or the need to have redundancy in training and a solid induction process for on-boarded players. The 29-page missive wasn’t enriched by this section, or other sections that attempted to push in place a foundation for the document. Readers don’t need a literature review. Know your audience. WHAT IS AN OFC? Beats me – and I’ve been in this field for over 20 years! Mystery solved! It is an Option For Consideration. You have to hunt through the document to find that in the narrative as it’s not bolded or highlighted. Oh, I later found it in Appendix E: Acronyms. So, we have a “new” term. DHS whiffed at the most important point. Do not take on too many OFCs! Again and again, school administrators tell me they can focus on 3-4 objectives and yet routinely list a dozen or more safety objectives as they don’t want to leave anything off the list. I get it, but you can’t be a mile wide and an inch deep. THE WILD IDEAS OF APPENDIX A: EVOLVING PRODUCTS. This section was a sloppy mix of primitive technology (CCV), stating the obvious (Door Locks), and ludicrous ideas including thwarting school intruders with smoke cannons, turnstiles and drones. What’s next? Perhaps dumping a jar of 5,000 marbles into the hallway would impede the shooter? After all, a similar approach proved effective in the movie Animal House. REMS-TA IS THE BETTER OPTION. The biggest problem with Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS-TA) is that many school leaders aren’t aware of it. Yep, even my knowledge of REMS-TA was scant until member checks in the field continually calibrated me to what is the most complete, accessible, friendly center dedicated to increase school safety. These folks are dialed in. You won’t weed through redundant or fluffy documents to find something you can plug into your school safety plan. REMS-TA has templates, samples, and will connect you with a local person to inform your school’s emergency management. And, webinars that are relevant and they know your name! It’s not attending some one-way concert. Learn more about REMS-TA: https://rems.ed.gov/K12GuideForDevelHQSchool.aspx If you want to be entertained by the hot mess that is the K-12 School Security Guide 2nd Ed. (2018), visit https://www.dhs.gov/publication/k-12-school-security-guide 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. 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 106.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
Enjoy the amazing story of the making of the most honest book written about the school safety industrial complex! Hector Solis, producer of the riveting investigative truth Awareness Podcast, interviewed author David Perrodin and gifted him a brilliantly-rendered episode titled: The Making of School of Errors. ABOUT SCHOOL OF ERRORS. School of Errors: Rethinking School Safety in America released on August 7, 2019. The book establishes another voice in the discussion of how to promote safe schools. It challenges the unchecked expansion of school fortification and questions the realized benefit of inter-agency collaboration during a sentinel event. School of Errors offers an alternative to traumatizing simulations by providing clear options for improving school safety by the empirically-proven effective measures of leakage detection and sensemaking. Dr. Perrodin restores the scientific method to school safety and clears a path through the media rhetoric fogging this vital topic. THE ARTICLE THAT BECAME A MANUSCRIPT. In 2015, an education journal published David's school safety article. Fortunately, the journal’s editor was friends with an editor at book publisher Rowman & Littlefield. Connections were made and, confident in his expertise and experience, David aimed to write a book that would peel away the rhetoric and deliver an empirically-based, and at times punchy, account of the forces shaping school safety in America. He submitted a book outline and was subsequently offered a book contract. SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY AND DE-CONSTRUCTING COMMUNICATION. Hector recognized how Dr. Perrodin’s university degrees and work in communicative disorders and speech-language pathology centered the de-construction of the communication process - breaking words into phonemes, or sounds, and carefully monitoring expressed communicative messages to ensure they aligned to how the recipient actually comprehended the message. This keen observation shed light upon David’s prioritization of communication systems, including 2-way radio systems and concise communications protocols, as being fundamental to safety. Clear messages. Conveying information. Checking for understanding. In the first pages of School of Errors, David writes about a time when he urged a colleague to assess his district’s communication systems before making a decision to spend money on surveillance cameras. MEMBER CHECKS RAISED THIS BOOK ABOVE OTHERS. First, this book is packed with short stories. You will NOT be bored by a textbook disguised with a fancy cover. The narratives ease you from page to page and the themes couple like railcars being systemically assembled on the tracks. David willingly submitted his manuscript to authentic experts and sought their candid feedback of this work. Dr. Paul Rapp, Dr. Seann Dikkers, Hector Solis, and others, calibrated the manuscript as it clawed forward through edits and proofs. The robust reference section and index are tributes to the depth of research and input from members of the safety community. Additionally, personal interviews with Katie Pechon and Kevin Sullivan bring forward vibrant stories from which the reader will better understand chaos and order as it manifests in the real world -- in ways that are NOT found in binders or flowcharts. WHAT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING THING THAT HAPPENED WHILE WRITING THE BOOK? David and his family were grocery shopping at 8PM on a Friday night. His phone rang and he answered. “I found it!” exclaimed a voice loud enough to be heard in the bread aisle. On the phone was Yvette from the New York City Planning Department. She helped fulfill David’s requests for NYC documents specific to the study of the 9/11/2001 attack on the city. 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. 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 105. Thank you to Hector Solis for conducting the interview and producing this show!
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
Dr. Perrodin founded two major school conferences and thoroughly understands the teacher professional development industry. David is keenly aware that school safety conferences geared toward school administrators, school boards and teachers has devolved from showcasing best practices to a cash-grab exposition of the latest, greatest, flashiest safety gizmos and doodads. GONE ARE THE RESEARCHERS. Ten years ago, safety conference keynotes were reserved for motivational speakers and researchers. The strategy was to share an empowering story and then turn the stage over to people that were fluent in educational research. This wasn’t always perfect, but it often ensured empiricism over rhetoric. School safety conferences are sprouting up across the country and the presenters are now primarily on the response side of safety - and not specifically school safety. Conference seek folks from the FBI, Secret Service and the military. These folks are not school safety researchers, but their credentials are mesmerizing and they share interesting stories that seldom have anything to do with school safety. HOW CONFERENCES GENERATE REVENUE. A market savvy conference coordinator will exploit numerous revenue streams. Here are four common sources of revenue: (1) Attendees registration fees; (2) Vendors; (3) Sponsors; (4) University credits or Continuing Education Units (CEUs). University credits have waned in recent years, but were very popular around 2011 and before when teachers could ascend the pay schedule by taking university credits. EXPENSES OF OPERATING A CONFERENCE. Running a conference of fewer than 300 people is often more expensive, per person, than running a larger event. Bulk is better. Here are seven primary expenses of operating a conference: (1) Exhibition space; (2) Meals; (3) A/V equipment; (4) Presenter fees and expenses; (5) Marketing; (6) Staff to organize the event and process registrations; (7) Agency overhead. TEN THINGS YOU CAN NEGOTIATE AS A CONFERENCE PLANNER. A charismatic, keen conference planner will find ways to maximize profits. Here are some strategies: (1) Finding keynote presenters that are already paid by their employer. This often applies to people working for the government. You can pay them a smaller presenter fee as they are double-dipping. Ironically, many of these folks have this feature built into their employment contracts. might double dip; (2) Promote the presenters books or products as marketing is valuable; (3) Buy their books in bulk and include them for drawings or to the first 100 registrants. Event coordinators will typically receive a discount of 25% off retail price when you purchase 10 or more books; (4) If 200 or more people to stay at the conference center’s lodging accommodations, a discount if often applied to the use of the exhibition hall - or even waived; (5) Comp the table space of nonprofit or start-up vendors if they will bring value to the event; (6) Require vendors to “donate” for keynote sessions prize drawings; (7) New or local presenters might agree to waive their fee for exposure as they seek to “break into” bigger circuit of presenting; (8) Selling breakout sessions to vendors; (9) During the off-season, the local chamber of commerce might offer incentives, such as dining or shopping coupons to attendees, to encourage hundreds of people to visit the community; (10) Turn attendees loose for lunch - works well if conference center is near restaurants. BOTTOM LINE is that SAFETY CONFERENCES ARE CASH GOLD MINES! There is no research to back that attending a school safety conference results in safer schools. Vendors are paying thousands of dollars to buy access to educators. A 2-day conference attended by 400 people can generate a net income of $100,000 or more. 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 104.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
School safety is the default responsibility of individual schools. Surprisingly, there are no federal laws mandating school safety plans of school-based mental health services. Some, and not all, states require school safety plans. Individual school districts safety plans are inconsistent and with site-based management, most schools apply discretion to make safety policies fit the unique characteristics of the school – from the population served to the design of the building. In other words, schools are pretty much on their own to craft and ensure school safety protocols. KEY TERMS FOR ENTITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHOOL SAFETY. “Local entity” includes local, regional or district boards, agencies or offices (such as local boards of education, district boards of trustees or school system committees). “School” includes administrators, principals and other designated officials at the school-level. “School safety entity” includes agencies, departments, task forces, committees, etc., which were created with the intent of addressing school safety matters (Education Commission of The States, 2019). Confusing, right? FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ROLE IN SCHOOL SAFETY. The federal government doesn’t mandate school safety plans. Beyond some token legislation of gun free zones, the federal government defaults the responsibility for maintaining safe schools to the states. The Feds saturate states and schools with recommendations to the point where the one-size-fits-all templates simply overwhelm the end-users. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has produced solid research and resources for school connectedness, a framework known to decrease school violence and increase student attendance and academic performance. A school is not obligated to follow the CDC’s school connectedness model. STATES ROLE IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Only 43 of 50 states mandate that schools have safety plans. Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania do not (1) require a school safety plan; (2) identify an entity responsible for creating the safety plan; (3) require that law enforcement be involved in creating the plan; (4) frequency with which the plan is required to be reviewed and updated; or (5) have a legal citation referencing school safety. Most states require drills, but then require a submitted checklist once a year to verify compliance. There are no onsite district safety assessments. DISTRICTS ROLE IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Districts are responsible for adopting school safety policies and practices. Wisconsin, for example, has 421 districts! Templates are available, but school safety plans, drills and exercises have a modicum of inter-school reliability due to the fact that most schools function under site-based management. In other words, principals are responsible for safety training procedures and safety drill design and fidelity in their buildings. Using Wisconsin as an example, that’s more than 2,200 school buildings – not including hundreds of community preschool partner sites. SAFETY GRANTS. In July, 2019, the US Department of Education made $65 million dollars available in competitive school safety grants. These grants are divided into 3 categories. Each grant is vaguely described and won’t evoke sustained change. Obtaining one of these grants is like winning the lottery – you can do more until the money is expended. None of these grants is for researching root causes of school violence or the Youth Code of Silence. 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 103.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
On July 3, 2019, Dr. Perrodin presented School Safety in America: Rhetoric Vs. Reality on Wisconsin Public Television. During that presentation, he identified weaponized deepfakes as the biggest threat to student safety and that the incentive to use deepfakes to target students might be as simple as “The Liar’s Dividend.” WHAT IS THE LIAR’S DIVIDEND? A classic example of the liar’s dividend, which goes back to early reports that cigarettes were linked to cancer. In response, the tobacco industry relied on journalism’s honorable tendency to report “both sides of the story,” and went on to suggest there were legitimate doubts about the validity of that scientific research. WHAT IS THE DIVIDEND? In the May 17, 2019 article “The Liar’s Dividend is dangerous by journalists. Here’s How to Fight it” by Kelly McBride, she states: “This is a bigger problem than the Oxygen Theory, which argues that by debunking a falsehood, journalists give the claim a longer life. The Liar’s Dividend suggests that in addition to fueling the flames of falsehoods, the debunking efforts actually legitimize the debate over the veracity. This creates smoke and fans suspicions among at least some in the audience that there might well be something true about the claim. That’s the “dividend” paid to the perpetrator of the lie. WHY IS THE LIAR’S DIVIDEND THE TOP THREAT TO SCHOOLS? The Liar’s Dividend has always been around in the form of false accusations to dent the recipient’s reputation or incorporated into social media bullying. When a student, for example, posts intentional misinformation about another student, he or she is also planting doubts. “I don’t think Carol would say those things about her friends when she was at Terry’s party, but maybe she did?” ANYONE CAN BE TARGETED. We have a new player in the game. Avatar realism has been around since 2011 and progressively becomes more lifelike. One of these popular avatars is Miquela Sousa. She doesn’t exist. She’s a CGI image with a team of engineers, marketers and dreamers posting to her various social media feeds. Avatars of this nature have proven to be largely the tool of marketers. However, they also have been hacked. The damage won’t be delivered from avatars, but from the newest threat known as deepfakes. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AVATAR AND A DEEPFAKE? A deepfake will target a person by falsely representing them while an avatar is a computer generated fake person. So, a deepfake image is you – looks like you, talks like you, but probably doesn’t convey an authentic message. Both present risks to student safety, but the deepfakes can tactically be used to target other students, teachers, school administrators or parents. ERODE TRUST. Students should learn to skeptical consumers of information, but deepfakes are going to pit student against student or student against teacher or everyone in education against the integrity of information. Did the teacher really say that, or was the video of his rant a deepfake generated with $250 software – and now the teacher in on leave as the school conducts an investigation. The Liar’s Dividend paid to the accuser. As schools spend more than $3 billion per year in school fortifications, the reality is that nothing is being done to prepare for deepfakes and once they arrive, we won’t be able to fortify ourselves to safety. What the solution? Nobody knows. However, the intelligence community predicts that deepfakes will infiltrate all levels of society by 2022 and most people won’t be able to identify a deepfake from an authentic recording. 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 102.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
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
www.schooloferrors.com
In 2011, I co-founded what would become one of the largest school-based positive behavior summits in the Midwest. As my partners and I crafted legal contracts with the conference center, vendors and presenters, we were introduced to the term “Force Majeure” which is very significant in Wisconsin in February. Ever since, I’ve considered force majeure as it relates to school safety – and that inevitably leads into chaos theory. WHAT IS FORCE MAJEURE? Force Majeure is French for “superior force”. Force majeure refers to a clause that is included in contracts to remove liability for natural and unavoidable catastrophes that interrupt the expected course of events and restrict participants from fulfilling obligations. In other words, if solar flare fried our electrical grid, we wouldn’t be on the hook to pay conference presenters their speaking fees as Tuesday’s conference wasn’t going happen as the communication, power and transportation structures largely left people with few options other than to stay in their homes or hoof it to the nearest supply depot. WAS 9/11 FORCE MAJEURE? Yes. New York, for example, hadn’t encountered a terrorist attack via commercial aircraft – ever! And, nobody had experienced all commercial planes grounded across the nation for days. If you couldn’t fly your shipment of XYZ from Boston to LA in 24 hours, as promised, then the force majeure clause would have been activated and you wouldn’t be held at fault for not fulfilling the contract. CAN FEMA DECLARE FORCE MAJEURE? I don’t think so. And, if FEMA has this ability, it hasn’t exercised it. But, it would be helpful for strengthening rescue forces during sentinel events, such as flooding. For example, in 2017, the nonprofit Cajun Navy Relief volunteered boats, trucks, food, manpower and other resources to rescue people from flooded areas. FEMA was largely a passive partner in this process – not overtly assisting Cajun Navy Relief in most instances, but also not a barrier to their interface into the government rescue system. This changed with Hurricane Florence in 2018 as FEMA was significantly less cooperative with nonprofits such as Triton Relief Group. If FEMA declared a state of force majeure, however, that act might clear the way for nonprofit rescue forces to play bigger roles, and in expedited fashion, with large scale rescues. WHAT DOES FORCE MAJEURE MEAN FOR SCHOOL SAFETY? This is a slippery interface. First, a declaration of force majeure might convey to some that the situation if insurmountable and they will simply surrender. On the other hand, force majeure can acknowledge that the state of similarity has officially transitioned into chaos – and actually embracing chaos can help people narrow down and make decisions that might save lives. 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 This is Episode #100. 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
As of May, 2019, only 43 of 50 states require schools to have safety plans and conduct safety drills (Education Commission of the States, 2019). When states mandate schools to have safety plans and conduct safety drills, it is the individual schools left to determine how they will design said plans and drills. In some states, the safety plan must be presented to a school board and submitted to the state Department of Justice. However, without templates and rubrics, there is littler inter-school reliability. What is a “good” safety plan or “effective” safety drill? Nobody knows. STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT WAS THE TIPPING POINT FOR PROTECTING HUMAN SUBJECTS. While the Stanford Prison Experiment was originally slated to last 14 days, it had to be stopped after just six due to what was happening to the student participants. The guards became abusive, and the prisoners began to show signs of extreme stress and anxiety. These were university students, assuming assigned roles, as part of an experiment that attempted to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers. THE MELTDOWN. Similar to the infamous 1963 Milgram shock experiment, Stanford’s experiment flew off the rails as subjects in positions of power followed directives that seemingly brought pain or harm to recipients. Were the subjects acting as prison guards cruel, despicable people? Probably not. But, they were in a university context and a professor was mingling among them. They probably assumed that some measures were in place to prevent harm to recipients - and simultaneously lacked awareness of the endorphin rush they received from exerting their will over others. IRB WAS FORMED. In 1974, universities collectively ratified the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process. The mandate of the IRB is to provide ethical and regulatory oversight of research that involves human subjects by: Protecting the rights, welfare and well-being of human research participants, recruited to participate in research conducted or supported by the university. Psychological and physical welfare are carefully considered and risks are identified and mitigated. WHAT IS COMMON RULE? In 1991, 16 federal agencies formally adopted the core of these regulations in a common Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects also known as the "Common Rule" (Grady, 2015). I propose that adopting the IRB in K-12 settings will increase safety for all drill participants and, through the scientific model, increase efficacy of school safety drills. Common Rule applies, for example, to the Food and Drug Administration and clinical trials for medications. Common Rule was updated in 2019 with greater emphasis placed upon simplifying subject consent forms and clearly explaining potential consequences of participating in studies. IRB or COMMON RULE WOULD ELEVATE SCHOOL SAFETY DRILLS. Schools can establish their own standards for school safety plans and safety drills as long as they are complying with state mandates. In other words, schools IRB or COMMON RULE for these reasons: (1) Corral theatrical intruder drills that might traumatize or physically harm participants. This happens - just do a search on Google for “Intruder Drill Lawsuit”. Also, hyper-realistic drills are not the gold standard. If they were, we would conduct fire drills and tornado drills with similar drama. So, a committee of administrators, teachers, students, parents and board members review each proposed safety drill. (2) Each drill would have at least one learning objective. For example, “If a lockdown is announced during passing time, students would go to a safe location.” You can define “safe” per your site. Another example of a learning objective is, “Emergency responders will learn 3 techniques to engage with students with disabilities.” 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
Resources used in this post:
Grady C. Institutional Review Boards: Purpose and Challenges. Chest. 2015;148(5):1148–1155. doi:10.1378/chest.15-0706 https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-k-12-school-safety/ Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
www.schooloferrors.com
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
Dr. Perrodin notes curious inaccuracies of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, the bizarre subsequent investigation, a looming detrimental Paris health hazard and wraps this entire discussion within a the philosophical shell of torus theory. INACCURACIES ABOUT THE CATHEDRAL FIRE. This episode was originally drafted as a platform to use the cathedral fire as an example of torus theory - as interpreted by Dr. Perrodin. However, numerous oddities presented surrounding the fire and, more notably, the unusual activities hours and days following the fire. Dr. Perrodin clearly states that he believes the fire was accidental. Nonetheless, the borderline conspiracy elements surface in the dearth of media coverage specific to the spire renovation and an acknowledgment of the public health ramifications of 500,000 pounds of lead on the roof that was mostly vaporized during the fire. It is known that lead contaminants have been detected proximal to the cathedral, but Dr. Perrodin questions the assessment of lead contamination and also lead abatement in and near the cathedral. Also, firefighters are observed without breathing masks or air filtration masks which seems very dangerous when fighting a fire with a massive component of lead. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION’S POSITION ON THE ELEMENT LEAD. At high levels of exposure, lead attacks the brain and central nervous system to cause coma, convulsions and even death. ... There is no known safe blood lead concentration. Dr. Perrodin postulates that it might not even be an option to rebuild the cathedral due to contamination and that costs of lead abatement will certainly became public within the next 6 months. TORUS THEORY, SIMILARITY and the NOTRE DAME FIRE. David steps the audience through the steps that occurred as a typical day as Notre Dame Cathedral disintegrated into historic disaster. TYPICAL. Humans expect today to be similar to yesterday and also that tomorrow will be similar to today. This is known as torus theory and it was very much a contributing factor both the seemingly casual response to the initial fire alarm at Notre Dame as well as the billion dollars of donations that poured in within one day and earmarked to rebuild the cathedral. ACKNOWLEDGE. As we embrace routines and similarity, it took a while for it to “sink in” that Notre Dame was on fire and wouldn't open up in a "couple of weeks". The onsite fire inspectors had no choice but to become informed as they observed leaping flames. For the public, it took longer to grasp what was happening to this 850 structure not only from a physical perspective, but the gut feeling of how the desecrated structure impacted beliefs about permanence and Christianity. SHIFT FROM THE TORUS TO CHAOS. After the cathedral was cleared of occupants, everyone understood that the torus was shattered and the next several hours, days and years would negotiate chaos. Chaos, however, can be liberating - it simplifies things and also leaves us to “work the problem” as it unfolds. Hence, the line of people conveying artifacts from the cathedral and firefighters having to determine how to deploy over-matched assets to best prevent the destruction of the structure. ACCEPTANCE. As the flames consumed the attic structure, it became widely accepted that the cathedral had been rocketed into a state of chaos. Everyone realized it was failing and mourning displaced awe. ATTEMPT TO RESTORE SIMILARITY. President Macron seized the opportunity to proclaim that the cathedral would be rebuilt, better than before, within 5 years. He made this statement as firefighters were still poking around the structure to cool hot spots. It was a powerful declaration that served to help millions of people return to similarity and it also opened the flow of donations to restore the cathedral. Macron told people what they wanted to hear and not what they needed to hear. The reality was that it would take structural engineers weeks to assess the damage to the structure. Had the load-bearing stonework been substantially damaged, had toxic levels of lead been found throughout the structure? I mean, it might not have made sense to undertake the money pit of rebuilding a fatally-wounded landmark. This might still prove to be true. And, if so, what happens to the billion dollar donation fund? What if will cost a billion dollars JUST to address the toxic contamination of the site? 20 YEARS FROM NOW. Dr. Perrodin predicts that the health-related implications of the Notre Dame fire won’t be realized for at least a decade - similar to the disabling conditions that eventually afflicted workers removing debris at the World Trade Center complex in New York. What will be the long-term impacts of thousands of pounds of vaporized lead on Paris? 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
Why is May designated as Food Allergy Awareness Month? Dr. Perrodin points out the merits of awareness activities centered to food and other allergies - some with potentially life-threatening consequences. However, he identifies the irrationality of devoting the month of May to allergy awareness primarily as it is at the very end of the school year! 55 million students that attend schools in America every day - not to mention students attending post-secondary institutions. FIRE PREVENTION MONTH. Since 1922, Fire Prevention Month (began as Fire Prevention Week) was recognized across America in October. This made sense. As the cooler months settled in, people would resort to fireplaces to heat their homes. In modern times, Fire Prevention Month expanded to include awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning due to using portable heating units in confined spaces. I don’t think anyone would argue to change Fire Prevention Month. So, we can identify the logic with October as Fire Prevention Month. We can’t identify the logic with May as Food Allergy Awareness Month. THE PROBLEM WITH ALLERGY AWARENESS MONTH IN MAY. It’s obvious. It’s recognized at the end of the school year when it will offer little benefit to students and staff. Would we ever consider having the first fire drill of the school year in May? No - and it certainly doesn’t make sense to roll out the allergy awareness activities weeks before students head into summer vacation. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES? The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) is a robust clearinghouse for food allergy data and professional development resources. I have used information from their website to substantially inform this narrative. In the US, an estimated 12 million people have food allergies - and the prevalence of food allergies in school-aged children is rapidly rising. Actually, allergies in general are on the rise - including reactions to latex or clay. Food allergies cause roughly 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 deaths per year. KEYS TO FOOD ALLERGY MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS. In the United States, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 causes people to be reminded of allergy problems every time they handle a food package, and restaurants have added allergen warnings to menus. We can look to 2004 as the “modern era” for awareness of food allergies. Dr. Perrodin shares his personal accounts of collaborating with food service directors and school nurses to learn how schools can best manage food allergy risks. In fact, a contributing factor to food allergies might be as simple as a product vendor changing from one brand of applesauce to another brand of applesauce. So, it’s less and issue of how we handle food allergy awareness - the issue is WHEN we spotlight this critical matter. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR FOOD ALLERGIES. Dr. Perrodin offers authentic examples of educating teachers and students to the symptoms of allergic reactions; the sometimes complex and also the political interface between schools responding to a student presenting with a severe allergic reaction and the requests of the student’s parent. WHAT ARE EPI-PENS? When someone presents with a severe allergic reaction which often includes swelling of the airway and difficulty breathing, an epinephrine autoinjector (AKA, Epi-Pen) is used for injecting a measured dose or doses of epinephrine by means of autoinjector technology. It is most often used for the treatment of anaphylaxis. This can be done per medical order or without a medical order. However, 911 must be called following administration of the Epi-Pen as it will delay the full manifestations of symptoms. David mentions that schools can often obtain free Epi-Pens by contacting their health insurance carrier or philanthropic groups. He also has suggestions of ways to use expired Epi-Pens for professional development. COMMON FOOD ALLERGY ITEMS - THE BIG 8: Peanuts; Tree nuts (cashews, pecans, walnuts, etc.); Milk; Egg; Wheat; Soy; Fish (halibut, salmon, etc.); Shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp, etc.). WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO? David recommends that schools unilaterally designate September or October as Food Allergy Awareness Month and engage in the full spectrum of professional development and awareness activities that would otherwise happen in May. Then, in May, a refresher about allergy awareness can be incorporated into instruction and might serve as a reminder for students to be vigilant as they enter different settings during the summer. 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
Food Allergy Resource:
https://www.foodallergyawareness.org/education/food-allergy-awareness-initiatives/food-allergy-awareness-week-month/
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
www.schooloferrors.com
I was attending a convention for school safety “experts” - I suppose. The presentations were a mix of pitches from field experts and product vendors. There wasn’t much new for me to learn and I found myself rather cynical and skeptical watching others present on school safety as everyone has a self-serving agenda. One of the veteran experts, someone I knew and tipped my hat to his work in both law enforcement and then in schools. He begins his presentation with an amazing example of confirmation bias and headline research. Headlines appear on the screen - the baited / incomplete headlines of school shootings and school violence. A few seconds of audio from a newsreporter interrupted by another clip and another. Headline after headline and faster and faster and more dramatic, rising background music for maybe 100 seconds. The screen goes dark. The presenter stands silent for an uncomfortable number of seconds. “That, ladies and gentlemen, is the urgency of school safety in America”, he said. I countered that this was not the state of school safety in America, but rather a perfect example of “headline research” manifesting in confirmation bias. Yet, had that convention room been filled with parents, they would have demanded action – or fortification. Now. At any cost. WHAT IS CONFIRMATION BIAS. Per Wikipedia, confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. It is a type of cognitive bias and a systematic error of inductive reasoning. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way. The effect is stronger for emotionally charged issues and for deeply entrenched beliefs. People also tend to interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting their existing position. Biased search, interpretation and memory have been invoked to explain attitude polarization (when a disagreement becomes more extreme even though the different parties are exposed to the same evidence), belief perseverance (when beliefs persist after the evidence for them is shown to be false), the irrational primacy effect (a greater reliance on information encountered early in a series) and illusory correlation (when people falsely perceive an association between two events or situations). HOW CONFIRMATION BIAS IMPACTS SCHOOL SAFETY. Remember, people will seek information that supports their beliefs. I can recognize this immediately when I’m not a “fit” for a school district that has hired me as a consultant. When I deviate from their company line, the audience frowns or they get a worried look. Confirmation bias often assumes there’s been some type of research conducted - but I’ve found that’s just not accurate - it’s more like my colleague and his headlines. Confirmation bias will prevent systems from evolving. New thinking is dismissed. THEY SAW A GAME; A CASE STUDY. “When the Dartmouth football team played Princeton in 1951, much controversy was generated over what actually took place during the game. Basically, there was disagreement between the two schools as to what had happened during the game. A questionnaire designed to get reactions to the game and to learn something of the climate of opinion was administered at each school and the same motion picture of the game was shown to a sample of undergraduate at each school, followed by another questionnnaire. Results indicate that the "game" was actually many different games and that each version of the events that transpired was just as "real" to a particular person as other versions were to other people.” (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) Hastorf, A. H., & Cantril, H. (1954). They saw a game; a case study. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 49(1), 129-134. 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
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
Originally coined by Masahiro Mori in 1970, the term “uncanny valley” describes our strange revulsion toward things that appear nearly human, but not quite right. This revulsion usually involves robots, but can also include computer animations and some medical conditions. THE UNCANNY VALLEY AND ANIMATED MOVIES. There’s a big difference between two popular animated movies released in 2004. The Incredibles portrays characters with intentionally angular and exaggerated features that leave no doubt to the viewer that they are watching cartoon characters. However, audiences packed with children cringed while watching The Polar Express with its dead-eyed people and an uncomfortable dark-tinge to the demeanor of the conductor - not to mention the unsettling message of the movie to carelessly hand over faith to complete strangers. The movie slipped into the uncanny valley and wasted a stellar performance by Tom Hanks on a movie that’s perhaps better heard than viewed. TRANSHUMANISM. Dr. Perrodin shares a discussion he had with a friend that explored the matter of transhumanism, or the international philosophical movement that advocates for the transformation of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies to greatly enhance human intellect and physiology. An example might be contact lenses that allow people to record what is happening around them or even bio-engineering to increase intelligence. What are the security implications, for example, of people being able to record everything in their vicinity without awareness or consent of others? LIL MIQUELA. This teen has a million social media followers - an impressive feat, considering that she is a fictional person managed by a team of engineers, marketers and dreamers. Dr. Perrodin argues that Lil Miquela has crossed the uncanny valley - especially for children with perceptual or intellectual disabilities convinced that she is an authentic person. IMPLICATIONS OF AVATAR REALISM. Elections and marketing are immediate areas where avatar realism will substantially impact “the way things have been done” in the world. It’s completely possible to tailor an appealing realistic avatar that is a mouthpiece for political agendas or brands. While this arguably happens with people, the accountability of an avatar won’t be as susceptible to shaming and people will be less interested in applying pressure to the persons programming the avatars. SCHOOL SAFETY AND MANIPULATIVE AVATARS - THE NEW RISK TO CHILD GROOMING. Dr. Perrodin expresses concern that CGI avatars will eventually fall into the hands of child groomers and provide a means by which to develop a more comprehensive profile for online bait profiles. He urges schools and parents to make children aware and skeptical of potential realistic avatars. Dr. Perrodin notes that well over half of people “friended” on social media are never met in person - and this practice has made it easier for skilled avatar engineers to jump the uncanny valley as few people seek to validate or authenticate sources. SCARILY REALISTIC ‘DEEP VIDEO PORTRAITS’ & FAKE NEWS - ANYONE COULD BE FALSELY PRESENTED. Finally, Dr. Perrodin mentions a new technology that allows the user to edit facial movements of persons to match dubbed voices. While not yet perfected or available at the retail level, such technology could be deployed to make it appear that anyone gave a certain speech or made certain comments. This is a novelty if you want to watch yourself giving a State of the Union address through some basic uploaded video. However, what if this software was used to make it appear that you made inappropriate comments? If a 30-second video clip of this fabricated presentation went viral, it could result in permanent personal and career ruin. Is it even possible to protect yourself against this method of character 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 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 Lil Miquale article referenced in this episode: https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/lil-miquela-digital-avatar-instagram-influencer.html
An optimal decision is a decision that leads to at least as good a known or expected outcome as all other available decision options. It is an important concept in decision theory. So, by deduction, a suboptimal outcome wouldn’t be “lesser than” an optimal outcome – but Dr. Perrodin questions the long-held belief that suboptimal outcomes are mistakes. SUBOPTIMAL DECISIONS CAN BE BRILLIANT. We need to understand how this conflates with decision making, as when we are talking about suboptimal outcomes, we are also recognizing that suboptimal decisions were made to arrive that suboptimal outcomes. This infers that the decision-making process could be tuned, and perhaps that is true, but perhaps the suboptimal decisions were quite brilliant in the presented context and situation. Remember, all decisions are laminated to time, context and situation. Any study will frame sub-optimal choice from the deficit perspective. Whether it is the “paradox” of suboptimal choice or solving the problem of suboptimal choice. FLAWED THINKING. Dr. Perrodin argues that the way suboptimal outcomes are portrayed primes people for a single, convergent, universally-acceptable solution. In other words, the false premise that there is only one correct way to do something. MARKETING and CONSUMERISM. Advertising attempts to convince us that an optimal outcome, such as owning a functional economic vehicle, is actually a suboptimal outcome as the driver could be behind the wheel of an expensive luxury vehicle – which would deliver the identical optimal outcome of conveying him from one location to another. This myth of stacking optimal outcomes is vanity. SCHOOL SAFETY and SUBOPTIMAL OUTCOMES. Dr. Perrodin gives examples of when linear thinking and assuming there is a direct path to an optimal outcome can degrade a school safety situation. For example, if an evacuation route is blocked during a fire drill, staff and students will need to evaluate “suboptimal” alternatives that will eventually liberate them from the building. Another example would be an evacuation rally site that needs to be moved further away from the school due to circumstances that convinced responders to expand the perimeter around the incident zone. If you are unable to process suboptimal alternatives, you will be unable to incrementally move yourself toward safety. 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
Giles Rhys Jones, Chief Marketing Officer for what3words, was interviewed for this episode of The Safety Doc Podcast. Dr. Perrodin contacted Giles after recently learning about what3words and instantly realizing its potential to recast swaths of school safety protocols. Giles and David discuss how w3w has interfaced with, and improved, rescue platforms and the potential ways the system might benefits schools. With 55 million students attending school daily in the United States, w3w could immediately have a profound impact on improving school safety. Giles shares the fun story of a comparison of two persons assigned to deliver packages to addresses. One was provided traditional mapping options and the other with what3words. The person with w3w not only delivered the packages faster, and without having to seek clarifying directions, but also was happier with the activity! WHAT IS WHAT3WORDS? what3words (yes, all small letters) is a really simple way to talk about location as the company’s geospatial engineering team divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigned each one a unique 3 word address. It means anyone can accurately find any location and share it more quickly, easily and with less ambiguity than any other system. The service can be used via the free mobile app or online map. It can also be built into any other app, platform or website, with just a few lines of code. You might not be aware of the software, but it’s already integrated into several everyday platforms. For instance, car navigation systems are shifting to the precision of what3words. MERCEDES-BENZ USES W3W IN ITS VEHICLES. Mercedes-Benz is the first car company to integrate what3words into its in-car navigation systems. Drivers with compatible models can now say or type in a 3 word address to get directions to a precise 3m x 3m location, anywhere in the world. The adoption of what3words shows the company’s commitment to a premium and intuitive customer experience and sees Mercedes-Benz leading the way in destination input. SOLVING AN INDUSTRY-WIDE PROBLEM. In a recent survey of new car owners, JD Power found that car navigation systems being difficult to use and inaccurate is one of the most frequently reported problems, along with voice recognition issues. The automotive industry has struggled to improve these features, and a significant reason is that the world’s street addressing systems are incompatible with modern navigation needs, and especially voice input.‘Street addresses were just not built for voice input’ says Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of what3words. ‘15 Ammanford Road and 50 Ammanford Road are hard for a voice system to distinguish between, and many road names aren’t unique. There are 14 different Church Roads in London, and 632 Juarez streets in Mexico City. Street addresses can also be difficult to pronounce correctly. The town of Godmanchester, is actually pronounced ‘Gumster’. Mercedes-Benz is known for innovation, so it’s no surprise to us that it is the first automotive company to integrate our system into their vehicles’. SCHOOL SAFETY AND 3-WORD ADDRESSES. David identified several benefits that what3words would bring to existing school safety practices. The first is the ability to map an entire campus. If a student is hiding in unfamiliar area of a campus due to an intruder, that student could use the w3w app to convey his or her specific location to emergency responders. Dr. Perrodin’s second point is carried forward from his previous podcast in that what3words solves the age-old problem of what to do if an evacuation site or re-unification site is not available due to a myriad of reasons, including a larger perimeter established by law enforcement that encompasses those pre-determined locations. W3W efficiently allows for sharing of the evacuation or re-unification site as part of “working the problem” by authorities. It prevents people from locking in on a sub-optimal outcome of heading to a location that might not even be available as dictated by the dynamic context and situation. 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 what3words at https://what3words.com/
Originally from the music industry, what3words CEO Chris Sheldrick identified the need for a better addressing system, after bands and equipment constantly kept getting lost. FIREFIGHTING and PLAT BOOKS. Dr. Perrodin aced his classroom and field firefighting certification competencies - with one exception. He struggled to interpret coordinates on a plat book. First, for those of you not from my generation, a plat map, also known as a "plat," shows how a tract of land is divided into lots. It is drawn to scale and shows the land's size, boundary locations, nearby streets, flood zones, and any easements or rights of way. In the 1990s, fighting a fire in a rural, or unpopulated area, meant that the firefighter needed to pinpoint the location of the fire against the matching “plat” in what was typically a bound book of plat maps. WHAT3WORDS started in 2013 and has blazed across the globe, benefitting not only the logistical variables of delivery, but has extended into other areas, including rescue. The what3words system is fixed and will never change. So a 3 word address today will still be the same in 10 years’ time. The square size of 3m x 3m is consistent across the globe, eliminating the need to switch between addressing formats or coordinate systems based on a country or industry sector. WORDS BEAT NUMBERS. Using words means that non-technical people can discover and understand a 3 word address more easily than a postcode or GPS coordinates. They can also share that address more quickly, more accurately and with less ambiguity than with any other system. For example, cave.arrive.rider is a square of beach in Los Angeles. This might be handy information for staking out the best spot for sunning, but it could also be information to direct emergency assets if someone had a heart attack. The beach doesn’t have an address - so the problem with emergency response is quite clear - and also the specific way that what3words can add precision to a rescue. HOW THIS FIXES THE PROBLEM WITH SCHOOL RE-UNIFICATION SITES. Dr. Perrodin’s consistent message for school safety is to cautiously approach preparing re-unification sites as part of a school safety plan. The problem with designating a church 2 blocks away as a re-unification site is that the fire department might declare a perimeter of 6 blocks around the school. In a moment, everything you’ve planned for in your evacuation is now out the window. Instead, at the start of every school year, Dr. Perrodin urges schools to inform parents that in the event of a student evacuation, the re-unification site will be determined as “part of working the problem.” what3words can provide a 3 word address for the impromptu re-unification location. This is a step forward from an address, example, as the W3W address can identify a specific entrance for parents. ADA DESIGNED. David also notes that the W3W system appears to be highly-compliant with ADA standards. It can interface with voice-input systems, wearables, and so on. This is very important for school as it helps ensure accessibility by students with special needs. 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 what3words at https://what3words.com/
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
On August 18, 1913, at the casino in Monte Carlo, black came up a record twenty-six times in succession in roulette. There was a near-panicky rush to bet on red, beginning about the time black had come up a phenomenal fifteen times. Although the probability that the probability was 47.4% the ball would land on red and 47.4% it would land on black, crazed betters pushed their "luck" and the house netted millions in francs that evening. THE GAMBLER’S FALLACY. The Gambler's Fallacy is based on a failure to understand statistical independence, that is, two events are statistically independent when the occurrence of one has no statistical effect upon the occurrence of the others. Statistical independence is connected to the notion of randomness in the following way: what makes a sequence random is that its members are statistically independent of each other. For instance, a list of random numbers is such that one cannot predict better than chance any member of the list based upon a knowledge of the other list members. This is why we can’t predict tonight’s lottery numbers by studying all of the numbers generated over the past year. SCHOOL SAFETY BOWS TO THE GAMBLER’S FALLACY. There are two ways that school safety is strongly influenced by the Gambler’s Fallacy First, the public perceives that a passage of time without a school shooting or sentinel safety event is “unusual” of “uncomfortable” and therefore media surface about how society is “overdue” for a school shooting. These rumblings amplify and radiate and possibly become a self-fulfilling prophecy and bringing a school shooting to fruition. This might a stretch of a proclamation, but there’s merit to it. THE RECENCY EFFECT IS THE REASON WE DON’T ANTICIPATE THE FUTURE. The “Recency Effect” simply means that things will be similar to how they have played out in recent times. This was a notable flaw in the massive fortification of the basement and street level areas of the World Trade Center following the 1993 bombing. Nobody thought ahead and considered planes. HOT HAND THEORY – IMPATIENT PEOPLE DON’T CARE ABOUT TRENDS. The corollary to the recency effect is the equally fallacious notion of the 'hot hand', derived from basketball, in which it is thought that the last scorer is most likely to score the next one as well. The academic name for this is 'positive recency' - that people tend to predict outcomes based on the most recent event. MAGINOT LINE – WE MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TODAY. Of course planning for the next war based on the last one (another manifestation of positive recency) invariably delivers military catastrophe. This is why school fortification efforts are inadequately informed measures to address the attack of tomorrow. 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
It's called the LAW OF SUBTRACTION, the act of removing anything that's excessive or unnecessary. The content that remains is much stronger for it. Unrestrained freedom to talk as long as you want or to create as many slides as you desire will only result in a presentation that is long, boring, meandering, and confusing. Dr. Perrodin recorded a school safety presentation that was a svelte 7 minutes and 53 seconds long! Seem impossible? Corners cut? Nope. And here’s how we can overhaul school safety professional development by boiling presentations and adding a large countdown clock in every school? 10 MILLION NEW STAFF AND STUDENTS AFTER FIRST DAY OF CLASS. Dr. Perrodin reflected upon a work project with a school safety client that wanted to provide training for staff and students that joined the school community during the year. It was not realistic to provide these individuals with the depth of training afforded to staff during the inservice week preceding the start of classes. Upon further examination, David proposed a complete overhaul of the school’s professional development format. 10-18 MINUTES IS THE LONGEST ANYONE WILL ENGAGE WITH A PRESENTATION. According to biologist John Medina at the University of Washington School of Medicine, “Your audience will mentally check out of your next PowerPoint presentation after about 10 minutes. Given a presentation of moderately interesting content, your audiences’ attention will ‘plummet to near zero’ after 9 minutes and 59 seconds. Before the first quarter-hour is over in a typical presentation, people usually have checked out,” says Medina who cites peer-reviewed studies to reinforce this observation. ALL TED TALKS ARE 18 MINUTES. TED curator Chris Anderson explained the organization’s thinking this way: “It [18 minutes] is long enough to be serious and short enough to hold people’s attention. It turns out that this length also works incredibly well online. It’s the length of a coffee break. So, you watch a great talk, and forward the link to two or three people. It can go viral, very easily. The 18-minute length also works much like the way Twitter forces people to be disciplined in what they write. By forcing speakers who are used to going on for 45 minutes to bring it down to 18, you get them to really think about what they want to say. What is the key point they want to communicate? It has a clarifying effect. It brings discipline.” DR. PERRODIN DELIVERED AN 8 MINUTE SCHOOL SAFETY PRESENTATION. He noted, “We [Society] are convinced that more is better and that a concise, engaging presentation somehow shortchanges of us compared to a rambling 90-minute lecture. We need to move beyond this mistaken belief and completely revamp school safety induction to include much shorter presentations and more coupling of new staff to peer mentors available to answer questions. I’ve changed my own consulting model to shorter presentations and have found across-the-board positive results from clients. 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
With the coldest months of winter fast approaching, a school in the U.K. has banned luxury coats in order to help “poverty proof” its educational environment. Per Guy Davies (ABC News, 11-19-2018), the head teacher at Woodchurch High School in Wirral, England, moved to ban coats made by expensive brands after consulting with both parents and pupils. POVERTY SHAMING. This decision was made in hopes of preventing ‘poverty shaming’ and to reduce the stress on low-income families to spend beyond their means in order to keep up with higher earners. BANNED COATS. Canada Goose, Montcler and Pyrenex coats were going to be banned after the Christmas break. CANADA GOOSE - NOT WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK. Dr. Perrodin researched Canada Goose expecting to find a flashy clothing style that was geared to teens - but what he found was something much different...Canada Goose started in the 1950s as a small company focused on snowmobile suits and high-quality outdoors clothing - specializing in the use of down insulation. In the 1980s, inspired by one of the coldest places on earth, the Expedition Parka was developed to meet the unique needs of scientists at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station. It becomes standard issue and gains the nickname “Big Red.” In 2004, Canada Goose, which has long been the (un)official jacket of film crews everywhere it’s cold, made its on-screen debut in two key films: The Day After Tomorrow and National Treasure. IS THIS WEALTH SHAMING? Dr. Perrodin acknowledges that many coats displayed on the Canada Goose website sold for a thousand dollars. While this is expensive, he points out that this type of coat is also very specialized for bitter temperatures and also presents with a subtle, classy appearance. He believes it’s the type of coat that should last a decade or longer if properly maintained.
DR. PERRODIN’S PROBLEMS WITH THE BAN
Banning these brands is a sloppy, virtue-signaling attempt at dealing with poverty. Although the article clearly cites reputable research indicating that poverty is increasing amongst youth in Britain, nothing is offered for a solution of the root cause for poverty - such as how to spark economic growth or increase efficiency in machines or services. This type of luxury brand banning can spread unchecked and might jump into such unanticipated areas as orthodontics. In a few years will it be a common expectation that a child “affluent enough” to receive braces must only present with a closed-lip smile as to not shame peers with crooked teeth? This seems silly and dystopian, but is it really that far-fetched? Will banning or “discouraging” be extended to parents? For example, if a parent picks their child up from school in a new BMW, will they be required to park a block away as to not “shame” the other adults and children using less-expensive means of transportation? Is this a step towards eventual wealth re-distribution. For example, will schools with more resources be required to give some of their dollars to “poorer” schools and will adults have their savings accounts shaved by some socialism-focused Robinhood law?
INTELLIGENCE AND ABILITY SHAMING ON THE HORIZON? Dr. Perrodin acknowledges that today it’s wealth shaming and cautions that perhaps tomorrow it will be intelligence shaming. You know what they say in Japan, “The nail that sticks out shall be hammered down.” He closes with the example of the expectations of the person that seated adjacent to the escape hatch on an airplane - will we one day live in a world of ‘hatch-shaming’? 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
A bulbous-ended chunk of wood interrupts the flow of the woodpile. Counter it with another piece that has an off-setting quirk. Yin and yang. Of course, leaving a little room on top of the stack creates a home for the absolute misfits that are either too long or too wonky to finagle into a row. SMOKING OUT THE VALLEY DWELLERS. Dr. Perrodin confesses to having ignited more than a few fires that have fogged his neighbors in the sweet smells of burnt oak and maple. In rare instances, a chilled, damp chimney has condensed smoke and returned it to the fireplace and out the vents and into the room! Yikes, open the sliding doors and turn on the ceiling fan! WHAT HIBBING, MN HAS TO DO WITH A FIREPLACE. A robust fire corresponds to understanding climate conditions. In a brief memoir, David recounts visiting the Hibbing Ore Mine (largest in the United States) with his Dad a few years ago to observe a rare pit blast. Before the detonation, a small plane flew over the site to monitor the air density above the blast area. This step was necessary to prevent a “bounce back” effect of the concussive pressure wave from the blast encountering a dense air layer and reflecting to the ground - putting people and equipment at risk. NO LONGER A TASK COMPLETION SOCIETY. Dr. Perrodin perceives that fewer of life’s activities have a defined start and a defined end and we are enrolled into exhausting “races without finish lines”. This is evident in school safety as there will never be a “completion” of school safety - weapons and strategies will forever mutate and this race without a finish line will continue to burn out, or numb, the most vigilant sprinters. THE GOOD OLD DAYS. It seems that there was more “closure” in the “old” days. A freshly-turned 47-year-old Dr. Perrodin remembers painting fences; mowing lawns; and replacing spark plugs and wires. He also longs for the almost unfathomable reality of an elementary school with a large fireplace in every classroom. THE ZEN OF STACKING WOOD. David no longer engages in marathon sessions of hauling cords of chaotically-strewn wood from his garage to his basement - tipping the point of total physical exhaustion. Those days of mere task completion were replaced with task appreciation as this fall Dr. Perrodin transported the wrecked-heap of wood from his garage to his basement over the span of four days. The slower, more deliberate process allowed David to assess each piece of wood and determine how to best finagle it into the developing stacks. He shares the “Zen” quality of this previously dreaded task. HUMIDITY RISES. The gift of newly-stacked firewood is the humidity it breathes into a dry house - the comforting thickness of hardwood fragrance seemingly projecting the warmth that would soon be delivered by roaring fires and a toasty stone wall that would surrender heat hours after the red faded from the coals. 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
Paranormal researcher and author Ileata Kenley joined the Safety Doc Podcast to discuss: spiritual awareness, spiritual self-defense, resources to assist someone negatively impacted by paranormal experiences and house cleansing. Ileata’s vivid stories of investigating the spirit world include a harrowing escape from a paranormal-charged field and a long-dead murderer confessing his guilt. This story-filled show explores safety territory previously not addressed by Dr. Perrodin and serves as a reminder that our everyday world extends beyond what we are capable of perceiving by our typical senses. For example, humans had little knowledge of the infrared spectrum prior to the 1940s, yet today infrared is routinely used to deduce the structure of glucose. Listen to this show an open mind, or better yet, allow this show to open your mind. ABOUT ILEATA. Ileata is descendant of someone accused of being a witch as part of the Salem Witch trials hysteria of the 1600s. Most of her knowledge is folk magic-based. She has taken courses in parapsychology through the Rhine Institute. AUTHOR. Ileata talks about the paranormal investigations that informed her to write and publish the book (available on Amazon) “To Pay The Piper: The real Axe Man.” To Pay The Piper is a short fast-paced book about the Kenley family’s paranormal investigation at the haunted Malvern Manor located in Mills County, Iowa. This adventure leads to a confession from a spirit of a previous owner of the Manor named Ralph Piper. He confirms in an EVP recording who may have committed the infamous unsolved Villisca Axe Murders on June 10th, 1912, plus many more grisly axe murders. WHAT IS FOLK MAGIC? Dr. Perrodin wasn’t aware that he would be conducting folk magic in less than 2 weeks! However, blowing out candles on a birthday cake and making a wish is an example of folk magic, along with placing a horseshoe above a door and tossing a pinch of salt over one’s shoulder. NEVER DO THIS! Ileata warns that assuming an aggressive posture with spirits is a bad approach, although holding one’s ground is acceptable. She also shares that YouTube is polluted with videos on how to perform hexes and other dark rituals and parents should monitor that children aren’t watching such demonstrations. Ileata shares one of the most frightening investigations and cleansings she participated in and also how some people will perpetually attract spirits. OUIJA BOARDS - REAL OR HYPE? “It’s just a piece of cardboard…” Ileata expresses her opinion that Ouija boards are for entertainment and not the championed portal device to other worlds. She explained that what is most likely happen is that the user of the board is opening a mind portal and might be receptive to messages from the spirit world, but as for the board spelling out names or revealing information - nope, it’s just a piece of cardboard. HOW TO SAFELY COMMUNICATE WITH SPIRITS. Being respectful and verbalizing that you have no intentions of bringing harm are keys when interfacing with spirits. Ileata described a disgraceful incident of a cemetery being vandalized and persons urinating on graves of soldiers - acts that certainly stir the ires of spirits. She also mentioned an encounter when a spirit communicated that it was afraid of her! Ileata offers contact information for persons seeking legitimate paranormal investigators and notes that most do not charge to investigate a home. ANYTHING ELSE? Ileata conducts an exhaustive historical search of properties she investigates and also notes that people will sometimes manifest want they expect to encounter. For example, a person that frequently watches shows about hauntings might be primed to experience what they perceive as a supernatural encounter - same with people that pay to go “ghost walks” through older towns. She also shared that several medications influence how people perceive their environments. Many of her investigations “rule out” paranormal activity as other potential causes are identified by Ileata and her research partners. This is a Halloween special that will entertain you, educate you and not spook you to the point where you won’t be able to sleep! 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 SHOW’S GUEST. Follow Ileata on Twitter @ileata and check out her book, “To Pay The Piper: The real Axe Man” on Amazon.
Dead Kids was a boringly botched season opening episode for South Park. Spoiler alert - this was a shoddy episode even with ubiquitous information to grow plots. Safety Expert David Perrodin reviews the much-anticipated, taboo-soaked topic of school shootings relative to how the narrative was approached by a generational stalwart animated, edgy comedy show that had fearlessly taken on Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, politicians of every stripe and self-important celebrities. WHAT WENT WRONG? So how did writers Trek Parker and Matt Stone completely fumble away the obvious storylines? “I’m not advocating for the show or condoning humor as a conduit to a discussion about school safety,” remarked Perrodin. “But, South Park’s an established player in black satire and had an opportunity to expose the thick, swampy rhetoric around school shootings and the nearly $3 billion school safety industry - and this episode wasn’t controversial, accurate or even interesting. It didn’t seem that the writers dodged the key themes as much as they weren’t informed of them,” added Perrodin. PARKER AND STONE’S BIZARRE APPROACH. The writers chose to stick with surface level psychology and the axle for the episode was the worn premise that the emotional / hormonal response from Sharon (Stan’s mom) was the sole driving force for “change” when it is known beyond a doubt that moms, dads and students equally emerge as outspoken champions of change for school safety. The episode was on the mark that nobody has a solid plan to actually decrease school violence. CARTMAN COULD HAVE SHINED, BUT HE INSTEAD WAS CAST AS A CREEPY RACIST. The episode began with Cartman being frustrated that he had failed a test, despite the fact that he cheated on Token, who received an “A.” Cartman quickly noticed that Token had erased his initial answers, purposefully causing him to fail. As Cartman often does, he turned this small issue into something much bigger, and he believed that it was all a race-related cover-up. He believed that Token wanted him to fail the test because there were "rumors" floating around that Cartman hated Black Panther. I suppose an interesting subplot, but it had not place in this episode.
FUNDAMENTAL FLAWS WITH THE STORYLINE.
School shootings don’t repeat at a school. Yet, there were seemingly weekly shootings at South Park Elementary. There is always a strong push for fortification following a school shooting, such as more cameras and metal detectors - yet none of this was included in the episode. Hundreds of police respond to school shootings and the response ends up overwhelming the scene.
WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY.
Replace the Black Panther companion story with Cartman seizing the opportunity to feverishly lead a charge for changes in laws to promote school safety - and then have his reasons be for personal gain, as follows suit with his profile and personal interests - maybe getting on TV, selling a book deal, etc. So many school safety advocates want “safer” schools and have no idea of the empirical research that might actually bring about this goal. If the writers decide to keep the recurring shootings at South Park Elementary, then add more overt fortifications after each incident, a few bollards, then the entire school circled in bollards, bullet proof glass, retina scans, make it like TSA security, cameras, drones, robot security guards, sweep past the school store and have “bulletproof” backpacks and binders. Again, this mirrors and exaggerates reality. In the episode, the school environment changed very little from shooting to shooting. To hammer this point of over-fortification, the school, or so-called safety experts could have argued that all students and parents must have “security chip” implants and offer weekly community school assemblies about school safety that are simply commiseration sessions and opportunities to point out societal flaws and not remotely touch upon an actionable solution.
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.
Despite the fact that there have been several theories of personal resilience, and that some of the theories have suggested that there are more than one dimension, those theories have not focused on the person’s internal characteristics or provided an adequate elucidation of the exact components of adult personal resilience. Dr. Perrodin begins a discussion of what it means to be resilient as he shares the collaborative research he conducted with Iranian Professor Nemati Shahrooz, Ph.D., University of Tabriz, Iran to better inform what is known of resiliency and attachment to God with Hope in Mothers of Children with Specific Learning Disability. The study revealed a stark contrast between resiliency in Eastern and Western cultures and the personal characteristics that are ascribed to “resilient” people. RESILIENCY - MORE THAN JUST COMPRESSING A SPONGE AND HAVING IT BOUNCE BACK TO NORMAL. “It is necessary to distinguish between resilience for inanimate objects versus animate beings, with the objective of refining the concept for human beings. For certain inanimate physical objects, such as a soccer ball, resilience refers to the object regaining its shape after being distorted by some outside force. In other words, a resilient inanimate object that comes under pressure can spring back to its original size and shape without experiencing irreparable damage. [As humans aren’t soccer balls] external influences ought not to be included in defining personal resilience, which should be regarded as a characteristic that exists within a person (Taormina, 2015).” THE FOUR PARTS OF RESILIENCY. Taormina describes identifies four clear dimensions of adult personal resilience as internal factors that will help achieve a better understanding of what resilience is, and, by explaining the new dimensions, takes a positive psychology approach that will help both research and practice.
DETERMINATION is defined as the willpower and firmness of purpose that a person has and the decision to persevere and/or to succeed. ENDURANCE is defined as the personal strength and fortitude that one possesses to withstand unpleasant or difficult situations without giving up. ADAPTABILITY is defined as the capacity to be flexible and resourceful, and to cope with adverse environments and adjust oneself to fit into changing conditions. RECUPERABILITY is defined as the ability to recover, physically and cognitively, from various types of harm, setbacks, or difficulties in order to return to and reestablish one’s usual condition. Dr. Perrodin notes that the questionnaire contains terms that will be interpreted differently across participants. For example, a noisy apartment might be unpleasant to one person while having spoiled food to eat might be unpleasant to another person. The questionnaire constructs are solid, but the actual questions that inform the constructs must be administered with much explanation and ability to clarify perceptions of the respondents.
DAVID TAKES THE RESILIENCY QUESTIONNAIRE. How resilient is Doc? Hard to say as he hasn’t endured some of the tribulations referenced in the assessment. Life experiences are integral to learning about one’s resiliency - and a reason why resiliency scales should be different for adults than for children. ANECDOTES IN THIS EPISODE. David dips a toe into the conspiracy theory of the October 3rd Presidential Alert message delivered to millions of cell phones. He’s irritated with his daughter’s school fundraiser; and also shares that friends and colleagues are considering significant alterations to their inter-personal encounters as a defensive measure to lessen the likelihood of being accused of inappropriate interactions - a definition which might change with the shifting sands of time. 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. ARTICLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE. Adult Personal resilience: A New Theory, New Measure, and Practical Implications by Robert J. Taormina. Psychological Thought 2015, Vol. 8(1), 35–46 doi:10.5964/psyct.v8i1.126
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.
Hurricane Florence’s devastation is countered by another (collective) civilian rescue force stepping up as government agencies are overwhelmed. Dr. Perrodin describes how both small and large civilian rescue forces develop. WHY WE HAVE CIVILIAN RESCUE FORCES. There are 3 reasons. First, people genuinely want to assist others in a time of need – especially when that situation is a natural disaster. Second, humans desire the presence of a social contract, or as philosopher Thomas Hobbes would put it, without a social contract, people would be “brutish” and chaos would infect the land. We are willing to trade some liberties to the government in exchange for protection. After 9/11, this was especially evident in the authorization of The Patriot Act. The third reason is found in the Constitution, particularly, the 10th Amendment. THE TENTH AMENDMENT’s BIG ROLE IN DISASTER RESCUE FORCES. The 10th Amendment states that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” In other words, governments are engaged in complicated relationships with citizens during times of disaster and crisis. Frankly stated, the government does not possess the resources or ability to rapidly scale which is necessary to mobilize an adequate response to a direct hit from a hurricane. Civilians can respond to rescues as they have that right per the 10th Amendment. CIVILIAN FORCES TO THE RESCUE! So, as we saw with the rag-tag boat rescue of 500,000 people in 9 hours from Lower Manhattan on 9/11/2001 and again with Cajun Navy Relief for Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, civilian rescue forces are effective and when melded with government rescue teams, much can be accomplished in removing people from harm’s way. Dr. Perrodin shares an example of how a local private business offered its own amphibious equipment to help people recover items from their homes – that were surrounded by water. THE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP. Who is responsible if a citizen volunteer is electrocuted while trying to rescue someone? This is the question that keeps local and state governments at bay of full, overt support of layman rescue groups and what we observe is implicit approval and help of civilian rescue forces. However, this issue must be addressed at a legislative level and Dr. Perrodin encourages some degree of immunity rather than any type of regulation. 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.
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
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.
Dr. Perrodin interviews Charles Mak - Information Technology Field Support Analyst with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The duo discuss the remarkably strong safety culture at Mr. Mak's former employer as well as work safety, economic safety obtained with certifications and side hustles, and how to transition to a new employer without violating the non-disclosure parameters of taking company information out the door with you. SAFETY CULTURE AT WORK. Charles describes the monthly safety meetings embedded in the practices of his former employer, US Steel. Meetings included a review of safety statistics throughout the large-scale industrial company, discussion of any safety incidents as in what happened, what was the response and then how practices have changed to promote a safer work environment. Dr. Perrodin noted that he rarely sees safety addressed to this depth in the school setting. ECONOMIC SELF SAFETY – GET A SIDE HUSTLE! In addition to working as IT professional, Charles has seeded several “side hustles” which have afforded him income streams to both supplement, and at times, supplant, his primary income. For example, he developed a successful e-commerce sports memorabilia site on EBAY. He added that cultivating multiple income streams was just something inherent to the philosophy and practices of his family members. David shares some of his own “side hustles” and the under-valued recognition of such endeavors as contributing to one’s personal economic resiliency and becoming more and more marketable to employers. Charles adds that he obtained additional certifications in IT to bolster his resume (and that the trainings for these certifications were paid by his employer). LOW PROFILE. Both Charles and David dis-engaged from Facebook about 5 years. Charles shares the importance of maintaining a low, and appropriate, social media profile as employers are frequently monitoring the online presence of their employees and observing for any behavior that reflects poorly upon the company. TRANSITIONING TO A NEW JOB – WHAT WE OVERLOOK. Charles recently made the transition to a new employer. As part of that transition, he needed to be aware of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) he had with his employer. David noted that NDAs are relevant to school staff, but he perceives that many of these folks don’t grasp the depth of the NDA and walk out the door with files that are the property of the school district. Although rarely malicious, such behavior can lead to legal action by the previous employer. 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.
The reality of organ donation isn't quite crystal clear and it's something you might want to lend a little more thought to. Dr. Perrodin shares that he opted to become an organ donor and the unanticipated frosty reaction from his friends. David shares what he learned from his research about organ donation – the pros, cons and simply the unknown. Did what he learned compel him to brave a return to the DMV line to amend his license? ALSO IN THIS EPISODE. New Requirements To Renew A Driver’s License | 70 Mile Bike Trek | One Day Dubuque Vacation | & Bollards Are BS As A Means of School Safety. THE DARK SIDE OF BEING AN ORGAN DONOR (by Jamie Condliffe – Gizmodo, 03-12-2012) “Becoming an organ donor is widely considered a good thing. If you die and offer up your body to medicine, you can extend the life of others with zero inconvenience—after all, you're dead. But it turns out that the reality of organ donation isn't quite so crystal clear, and that it's something you might want to lend a little more thought to. Becoming an organ donor is easy; just tick a box on your driving license, or fill in a simple form. You may not know that you waive your rights to informed consent at that stage: doctors don't have to tell your relatives where your organs go, or what they do to your body to extract them. You have few legal rights; you're dead, remember. That's not too bad, though. I can live with that. But writing for the Wall Street Journal, Dick Teresi raises a more interesting point: the majority of organ donors are victims of head trauma, who end up being ruled dead based on brain-death criteria. And brain-death diagnosis isn't really an exact science: The exam for brain death is simple. A doctor splashes ice water in your ears (to look for shivering in the eyes), pokes your eyes with a cotton swab and checks for any gag reflex, among other rudimentary tests. It takes less time than a standard eye exam. Finally, in what's called the apnea test, the ventilator is disconnected to see if you can breathe unassisted. If not, you are brain dead. (Some or all of the above tests are repeated hours later for confirmation.) Here's the weird part. If you fail the apnea test, your respirator is reconnected. You will begin to breathe again, your heart pumping blood, keeping the organs fresh. Doctors like to say that, at this point, the "person" has departed the body. You will now be called a BHC, or beating-heart cadaver. The problem is, plenty of BHCs still have brain waves. A bigger problem is that—very, very occasionally— BHC's even start breathing again by themselves. Whether they're actually dead or not, well, that's up for debate. It's that uncertainty that many people are, quite rightly, starting to worry about. For a deeper insight, you should read Teresi's article; it's really quite thought-provoking. In the meantime, I'm remaining a donor but hoping for a lack of imminent head trauma." CONCLUSION. The Safety Doc remains stout in his decision to be an organ donor. People on organ waiting lists perish each day. It might not be a perfect system - and with advances in technology and 3D printing of cellular structures organ donation might become obsolete by the time I leave this world, but if it was my child in need of a heart - yeah, the donor would be in my debt. 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.
The Thailand cave rescue isn’t sitting well with Dr. Perrodin. And yeah, he’s also incensed by other recent events that involved people making intentional bad decisions despite overt warnings. The “Doc” is hot under the collar in this episode – and wants you to recognize the risk associated with your decisions and look beyond to grasp the ramifications to others. Rescuers have been placed harm’s way and few considerations are given to the ripple impact when crisis resources are allocated and consumed by fully preventable incidents. The media refuses to call out informed people that forego warnings and choose to make stupid safety decisions. Dr. Perrodin strongly argues that there must be consequences for those that carelessly place others in harm’s way.IN THIS EPISODE: Cemeteries Make Even Less Sense to David | Biking Trifecta | Family Garage Cleaning Day | 3 Current Examples of Informed People Making Decisions that Put Others in Harm’s Way and how the Media Has Done A Dis-service By Spinning These into “Feel Good” Stories. THAI CAVE RESCUE. Why did the coach and boys enter the cave? It was a rite of passage. The players intended to carve their names on a wall and seemingly become part of the brotherhood of soccer athletes. Rituals are good - I would argue essential for young men, but this was just a stupid decision. Yeah, this was a complex cave to navigate in ideal conditions, but there’s value in rituals. However, ignoring a warning sign at the mouth of the cave and apparently not having a weather app make the coach fully culpable for leading the team to the brink of extinction. Per a media account, “A large warning sign at the cave's entrance raises the risk of entering so close to the monsoon season, they say, and he should have known better. But for many in Thailand, Ekapol, who left his life in the monkhood three years ago and joined the Wild Boars as an assistant coach soon after, is an almost divine force, sent to protect the boys as they go through this ordeal. A widely shared cartoon drawing of Ekapol shows him sitting cross-legged, as a monk does in meditation, with 12 little wild boars in his arms.” And now that all have been rescued the coach is celebrated as a hero. STATUE OF LIBERTY PROTEST. On July 5th, 16 officers with the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit coordinated a logistical twister of removing a lady who had scaled the lower portion of the Statue of Liberty because she felt compelled to protest “kids in Texas” by making a choice to break the law and place the parents of other kids in harm’s way. You have the right to protest. You do not have the right to choose to disobey rules and create a situation that puts others at risk for harm. RED NO SWIMMING FLAGS. The final mental fumble described by Dr. Perrodin was the July 7th drowning of a 62-year-old man swimming in rough surf in Kill Devil Hills despite explicit posting of “no swimming” flags. This man’s decision cost him his life, likely shattered the lives of those that cared about him, and brought risk to countless persons involved in his rescue and recovery. 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.
On May 25, 2018, Indiana middle school teacher Jason Seaman tackled a student who had asked to be excused from class at Noblesville Middle School West, then returned with two handguns and opened fire. Seaman, who was wounded by gunfire and per accounts appears to be on his way to a “full” recovery and was released from the hospital shortly after the shooting. HERO. Jason Seaman is a hero. He arguably meets three of the four criteria set forth in the Merriam-Webster dictionary of: (1) an illustrious warrior; (2) a person admired for achievements and noble qualities; and (3) one who shows great courage. He put his life before those of his students and exercised discretion to engage the shooter as he deemed that he had an opportunity to either interrupt or terminate this situation. In this instance, his decision ended a potential rampage. RUN-HIDE-FIGHT. While Mr. Seaman’s actions appear justified and validated by the outcome, they do, never-the-less, go against the frequently-recited school safety directive of “Run-Hide-Fight.” There are now two approaches to school safety in the United States. The first, and the one fueled by emotion over empiricism, is to fortify or fight the intruder. The second camp focuses on improving threat detection and threat reporting and lockdown drills that center getting behind a locked a door or concealing into the environment. Most school shootings conclude by 8-minutes after onset. It is also uncommon for the school shooter to blast his way into a locked interior room – instead opting to find an unlocked door or individuals in an open area. 10 YEARS AGO. A decade ago, few schools would have practiced or openly endorsed an unarmed adult confronting an armed gunman. The protocol was for the adult to bring students into a secured area and wait for the police to enter the building and neutralize or the shooter (or the shooter to take his own life). We also tend to operate too much on the sole shooter scenario – just saying. So, Jason Seaman tackles a school shooter and the argument for “arming teachers” and “swarming an intruder” receive a boost of “this is the right approach” and although it “worked” in this specific situation, is this an approach that will become the expectation for educators? APOTHEOSIS – POP CULTURE IS ALL ABOUT THE HERO. I want to preface this by stating I am not throwing shade onto Mr. Seaman. My oldest daughter is in middle school and I would be indebted to someone that intervened to try to save her life. Of no doing of his own, Jason Seaman has been raised to the level of a deity (AKA, apotheosis). Seaman was given a new car; he’s received countless awards and will be a parade marshal. No doubt that a book deal and perhaps a movie will follow. He’s famous. Everything that has and is happening with Mr. Seaman creates society’s image for today’s teacher. Society loves the hero – Batman, The Incredibles, Avengers, Captain America, etc. Just check the listings at your local box office. THE LASTING EFFECT OF THE TACKLE. Undoubtedly, more school districts will embrace an aggressive response to a school shooter. This will transfer into school safety trainings, which are already para-military in their design. DIRECT CAUSE vs. ROOT CAUSE. Mr. Seaman addressed a direct cause. The root cause of why this student brought handguns to school and fired upon others – the root cause of why this wasn’t detected and then reported, will be countered with, “Does it really matter? The teacher took out the bad guy.” I conducted a search in Google Scholar with the terms “School Threat” + “Reporting”. Sadly, it returned only 14 results. 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. Article discussed in this episode: 'Hero' Teacher released from hospital after Indiana school shooting, says congresswoman. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/25/students-teacher-swatted-guns-away-tackled-accused-school-shooter-while-suffering-3-gunshot-wounds/?utm_term=.a6da7a6e28af
The marketing of school safety is making headlines. Bulletproof whiteboards and clipboards. Bulletproof wall panels. Bulletproof backpack inserts. Bullet "resistant" window film. Specialized locks. Training that turns the emergency lockdown, "shelter in place" response on its head. Money is again available for “school safety” grants and corporations see dollar signs. IN THIS EPISODE. Dr. Perrodin’s South Dakota Vacation | Drowning of Local Boy | David Interviewed About School Safety by New York Daily News | White House “Stop the Bleed” Campaign | and Prioritizing School Safety Initiatives.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS – SCHOOLS ARE INVESTING IN WAR-ZONE TRAUMA KITS IN CASE A SHOOTING HAPPENS. (The following article was written by Megan Cerullo on June 13, 2018). “School is a battlefield. Some schools are investing in war-zone trauma kits to stop gunshot victims from bleeding to death. The medical kits — which contain tourniquets, medicated gauze, coagulant to stop bleeding and other medical supplies, and generally cost between $40 and $100 — could help school staff and students treat the wounded before professional help arrives. The initiative has gained traction after a recent spate of school shootings, including a February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Smith High School in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people. Suffolk County school districts started stocking kits this year, accompanied by training in how to apply tourniquets and dress wounds. The Central Bucks, Chester County and Lower Merion school districts in Pennsylvania will also equip their schools with kits this fall, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. School safety experts say the medical kits — tested on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan — could be deployed for various uses, including sports injuries or science lab explosions, not just in the case of a school shooting. “Yes, tools like these might come into play in a school shooting, but they also may be relevant to a sports activity or other special event setting where someone is accidentally injured,” said Ken Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services. Dr. Matt Levy of Stop the Bleed, a movement dedicated to stopping preventable deaths, called the incidence of gun violence in schools an “unfortunate truth of modern society.” He said stocking the medical kits could play a part in keeping child gunshot victims alive, but that the kits alone are by no means a solution to preventing gun-related deaths in schools. “We have only minutes if someone is bleeding from an extremity to get them to a trauma center,” Levy told the Daily News. “If bystanders, who we call immediate responders, can render immediate aid before professional help arrives, that would help,” he said. “This doesn’t address the societal issues around shootings, we are just trying to get after the injuries we can do something about.” Levy added that kit sales have gone up since Stop the Bleed began selling them about a year ago. He said the organization’s site sees an uptick in traffic every time there is a high-profile shooting. Critics argue that efforts should instead be focused on finding ways to report threats in a timely manner. School safety expert David Perrodin said there was a push to bring supply kits into schools in 2007 after a gunman killed 32 people on Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg, Va. “It took a long time to clear the building for first responders to come inside,” he said. “So there was a long delay in bringing supplies into the building.” First responders often arrive before school shooting situations end and are equipped with materials designed to stop victims from bleeding to death, he said. He claims marketers are behind the move to introduce the kits into schools as they compete for grant money dedicated to improving school safety nationwide. “I have never learned of a situation where this has been applied by anyone working in a school,” he said. “I don’t think this is realistic at all.” “EMS and fire have modified their response, and they get tactical gear and units into schools quicker than in the past. So this is just clever marketing,” he said. Instead, he thinks schools should invest resources in “severely underfunded” reporting systems. “We know in recent events that shooters had posted to social media and people were well aware of their intentions, but we didn’t have a reporting system that encouraged students to break their code of silence.”
WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES “STOP THE BLEED” CAMPAIGN. In October, 2015, the White House launched its “Stop the Bleed” campaign – a special national initiative designed to provide bystanders with the tools and knowledge to stop life-threatening bleeding. It is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. DR. PERRODIN’S REASONS FOR CHALLENGING PLACING ADVANCED TRAUMA KITS IN SCHOOLS. David explains five reasons why he is not an advocate of schools spending dollars on medical trauma kits. His primary reason is that staff and students should remain in secured areas until the building is “cleared” by law enforcement. Having staff rush into hallways to treat victims could place them in the direct path of an intruder. He also argues that threat detection research is underfunded and little is known on how to break the youth "code of silence" which prevents youth from bringing forward information that would prevent an attack. 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. Article discussed in this episode: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny-news-schools-war-zone-trauma-kits-20180612-story.html
Pareidolia can be dangerous when it gets religious or political: Jesus on toast may be one thing, but what if a rusty sacred water stain dripped down the front facade of your public county courthouse and believers came flocking? IN THIS EPISODE: What Does ‘Pareidolia’ Mean & Why is it Dangerous? | Celebrity Suicides | David’s Book Deal is Back On | Fixing Garage Floor Divots | David Learns Prison Martial Arts. WHAT IS PAREIDOLIA? [Wiktionary] Pareidolia is the tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in reversed music. This behavior exists because humans seek to create meaning when meaning is absent, I suppose. And perhaps it’s no danger to see a teddy bear in the clouds or a man in the moon. Those are functional. Whimsical. Harmless. In fact, some scientists opine that pareidolia is an indicator of an efficient brain attempting to identify patterns in the environment. This is good. This is survival – it’s situational awareness, to a limit… DANGERS OF PAREIDOLIA. Pareidolia isn’t just about seeing faces, though. It’s about interpreting any vague stimulus as meaningful. If you have a headache and feel tired, it wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes on the Internet to match your symptoms to an exhaustive list of mild to terminal medical conditions. In this instance, a type of pre-suasion exists in which the person is already primed to seek bad news. A simple television commercial can convince people that they are afflicted with a condition. Context and situation influence pareidolia. What do you expect when you gingerly tour a haunted house? That creaky door might be a sign from a spirit – or a just a hinge in need of oil. WHAT IS APOPHENIA? Apophenia can be considered as a blessing as well as curse. It is because of this tendency that we can explore new things, but sometimes it may mislead us. It stems from the fact that we humans are always looking for meaning in our life. We often believe that everything happens for a reason. Well, most times, it could be that things are totally unrelated, and yet we won't let go of our relentless pursuit to find a connection. That is apophenia. It is well documented as a rationalization for gambling. Gamblers may imagine that they see patterns in the numbers that appear in lotteries, card games, or roulette wheels. One variation of this is known as the "gambler's fallacy". The Mayan Calendar also contributed to “End-of-Times” apophenia for some people that perceived clear connections between the calendar end date, stock market crash, increase in hurricanes, and any myriad of other events that were destructive, but not necessarily connected incidents. Dr. Perrodin advises asking "Does this makes sense?" and using member checks as strategies to avoid rampant pareidolia or apophenia. 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.
Good exists independent of being filtered and shaped by humans. It endures context and situation and has superb inter-rater reliability. Yet, “good” is overwhelmingly subjected to external positionality - or to exist per the characteristics and conditions of what others deem must be present for something to be considered good. GOOD, POSITIONALITY & PAREIDOLIA. Positionality is completely different from pareidolia, which is a psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to stimulus, usually an image or a sound, by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists. A popular example of pareidolia is seeing familiar images in clouds. We can also be primed for pareidolia. Persons on a ghost tour are expecting to have some unusual encounter. Hence, a creaking door becomes a message from the spirits - and not a reminder to visit the hardware store for a can of WD-40. Pareidolia is internal and while it is proximal to the process of identifying good that Dr. Perrodin talks about, it still involves the steps of attempting to conform what is perceived to be dependent upon some previous experience or observation. WHY KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE GIVES YOU AN ADVANTAGE. Understanding positionality and pareidolia empower you with keen awareness of what is authentic in your environment versus responses that are unintentionally manipulated by your brain or overtly manipulated by other people. The latter can shift you toward external validation (imagine becoming addicted to “Likes” for your social media posts) and undermine the solid footing of sense of self and ability to use face validity to craft your own rubric for identifying “What is Good”. DAVID SHARES 3 STORIES. Dr. Perrodin shares three personal anecdotal stories to parse out how he believes that “good” can be universally recognized. He begins with recalling a tandem bike ride with Robert, a high school student who is blind and has autism. After sharing that story, he tells of the trip he made with his daughter in order for her to purchase potted daisies for Mother’s Day. David concludes by re-visiting his time as a volunteer tour guide at historic Fort Winnebago which included working with his Dad to refurbish a 100-foot split rail fence and water well in a manner that infringed only slightly on authenticity. THE REAL MEANING OF GOOD AND EVIL (Psychology Today, 2013). Dr. Perrodin dissects this article to point out the specific terminology and strategies deployed to persuade people into believing what is good and what is evil. For example, the article states: “‘Good’ means a lack of self-centredness. It means the ability to empathise with other people, to feel compassion for them, and to put their needs before your own. It means, if necessary, sacrificing your own well-being for the sake of others’. It means benevolence, altruism and selflessness, and self-sacrifice towards a greater cause - all qualities which stem from a sense of empathy.” David argues that empathy, altruism, etc., are all human constructs and have nothing to do with whether something or some activity has “face-validity” goodness. While David certainly doesn’t argue against empathy and compassion, he notes that they are not coupled to something that would have face-validity goodness - such as a scenic vista. 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.
Misanthropic author Ann Sterzinger and host David Perrodin attempt to gain philosophical understanding of the epistemological foundation for post-secondary institutions of learning proliferating safe rooms and cry rooms across campuses. Initially the guise of art, such rooms shed temporary labels and are rooting in libraries, lecture halls, and dorms. Not invasive. Welcomed. ANN STERZINGER. Ann owns the BLACK PILL SITCOM genre, previously known as dark comedy, embracing the bleakness with a giddy sense of fun. Her specialties include dystopian sci-fi, French to English translations, and living in Chicago without getting shot once. Her books, The Talkative Corpse: A Love Letter, & NVSQVAM: (Nowhere) are available on Amazon. WHAT IS A SAFE SPACE? A Safe Space is a place or environment in which a person or category of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm. It’s a conceptual construct and a tangible locations with comfortable furniture, dim lighting, aroma warmers and soothing music. Such rooms dotted campuses over the past decade and their ranks atomically mushroomed following Trump winning the Presidency. This instantly ushered in a sense of unease amongst generally democratic or socialist-leaning persons. Students (and employees) typically don’t need permission to enter a Safe Space and any limitation of access to a Safe Space can be interpreted as restraint, micro-aggression or contributing to a hostile learning or work environment. WHAT IS A CRY ROOM? A Cry Room, on the other hand, is a much more recent exhibit of a small area for stressed-out students, often during final exams, to have an emotional purge in the privacy of an enclosure softened with stuffed animals and soothing colors. While Ann and David were not aware of Cry Rooms in locations of private employment, Safe Rooms have been available to employees in some public buildings for a few years. These rooms are often discussed with measured words and are somewhat secretive, yet embraced by many workers. Dr. Perrodin was informed by multiple persons in these settings that such rooms are frequently occupied - and not just by someone having a “rotten day”, but also by someone who is discouraged with a societal political event or simply feeling that a work task wasn’t “liked” by everyone around the conference table. Yep, “Likes” - external validation - ring a bell? COPING & EMPATHY. Around the country, higher education campuses are seeing a strong increase in the number of students seeking counseling services. Freshman are overwhelmed and struggling to cope with - well, with college/society/friendships/responsibility? Universities are teaching students the benefits of a brisk 10-minute walk as a stress coping mechanism. Really? Ann accidentally, but correctly stumbles upon the reason empathy has declined: No one reads novels. DEBATE. "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle (384BC - 322BC). Debate can be traced back to ancient Greece. David recalls it being championed and tactically instructed in high school until the 1980s. High school debate squads even duked it out on regularly-scheduled televised competitions. Debate is a discussion involving opposing viewpoints. It’s becoming informed, informing others and learning the art of persuasion. Debate is a life skill - and perhaps lost to the ages as the 2018 debater is badged a boat-rocker. Separate of this dystopian context, benefits of debate include being able to use words instead of weapons in preserving the non-aggression principle. Persons skilled in debate seek to understand the perspectives of others and respectfully pose arguments and listen to counter-arguments. Yet, professors have stated that students are not only unwilling to learn debate, but the entire idea of wrangling with an idea that is not aligned to their own so-called “beliefs” or knowledge set is nothing short of a perceived attack. Professors have been accused of being cruel and insensitive for even inviting students to engage in innocuous debate such as a hypothetical proposal of beginning the school day at 9:00AM instead of 7:45AM. Off to the Safe Space! Hey Professor...the Dean wants to see you after class… ACADEMIC RIGOR IS A THREAT. Ann and David examine the fundamental pillar of education, of work, of life - that which is rigor - and now has become the source of undue mental burden. Some thought the participation trophy was an omen. Turns out it was just a light breeze that cracked the Pandora’s Box - exposing the contents to a precision-tuned culture of silencing. 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. Learn more about Ann Sterzinger at www.annsterzinger.com
“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple” (Dr. Seuss). Dr. Perrodin centers this episode to the seven reasons he loathes surveys and lays out a vastly better alternative for gathering relevant input to inform decision making. WHAT IS A SURVEY – THE NUTS AND BOLTS. Fundamentally, a survey is a method of gathering information from a sample of people, traditionally with the intention of generalizing the results to a larger population. Surveys provide a critical source of data and insights for nearly everyone engaged in the information economy, from businesses and the media to government and academics. There are several steps to creating surveys, but the pillars of any surveys are the constructs. In the context of a survey, a construct is the abstract idea or underlying theme. Constructs can be direct or indirect. Direct is easily and reliably measured, such as height and weight. These also will have a very high level of inter-rater reliability. On the other hand, indirect constructs, such as happiness, frustration and satisfaction are more challenging to assess and splattered with issues of inter-rater reliability as happiness will hold a meaning unique to the individual. THE 7 FLAWS OF SURVEYS. (1) Surveys aggregate, or combine, data from many survey takers. For example, one might deduct from collective findings of a youth risk survey of 300 high school students that “15% of youth surveyed had suicidal thoughts at least twice during the past year”. At first glance, this appears like sound, useful information. It isn’t. In fact, it’s largely useless. Why? Who are the 15% of students that have considered suicide? How does one exactly recall at least 2 events within the past 365 days. We already know the forgetting curve wreaks havoc in the courtroom. (2) Response rates - how many surveys do you receive and actually complete? People dislike filling our long forms and response rates for emailed surveys might hover at 2%. Almost everyone will ignore a survey. (3) Positionality of person(s) writing the questions. Positionality is the practice of a researcher delineating his or her own position in relation to the study, with the implication that this position may influence aspect of the study, such as the data collected or the way in which it is interpreted. The survey will mirror the mind of its author – and that often can lead to bias. I mean, how many human resources want to craft a survey that will reveal the true level of disdain simmering within employees? (4) Survey takers are not able to ask seek clarification of the questions. Surveys are one-way. Good luck! (5) It’s not easy to ask “good” questions. Formulating constructs takes thought and operational definitions. The most effective surveys have the fewest questions, like 20, and they must pepper construct-aligned questions throughout the survey instead of clumping them into sections. (6) Survey question vernacular, register or reading level are all ways to point out that most surveys are written with industry jargon and won’t be understood by all survey takers. When considering youth and adults with disabilities or language barriers, comprehension plummets and you largely end up with people guessing as they simply don’t understand the questions. This might even be a form of passive discrimination. Nobody does a readability check on a survey – even though such a task can be done online for free in a 5 minutes. (7) People generalize survey findings beyond the unit of measure. For example, a survey from, and applied to, one elementary school is much more useful than taking surveys from 100 elementary schools, combining the findings and then distilling blanket conclusions. Contexts and situations are lost under such common practices and the more you aggregate findings the less you lose of the “unit of measure.” THE BETTER OPTION – FOCUS GROUPS. Dr. Perrodin regularly conducts focus groups – in fact, he has facilitated eight focus groups of 6-8 people within the past 2 months! In this episode, he talks in detail about how to carry out a focus group. Advantages of focus groups. The main advantages of focus groups are: they are useful to obtain detailed information about personal and group feelings, perceptions and opinions. You can record them, code them, field or ask immediate clarifying questions and be open to un-anticipated divergent input! 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.
The is the LAST May in 2018 - disheartening news as David apparently overlooked the other Mays of 2018. Perhaps he should unfollow the Mayan calendar? In this episode, Dr. Perrodin flies solo and revolves anecdotal stories to touch upon agency, purpose and situational awareness. TWO-ALARM FIRE AT SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND - THE ONE QUESTION STUDENTS WANTED US TO ANSWER. A recent 2-alarm fire at his workplace (thankfully, it was a small blaze confined to a dryer) underscores David’s belief that kids and adults tend to handle the unexpected very well when previously informed of what to anticipate during chaotic events - or situations that move them from their comfortable, typical “torus” zone into temporary chaos. In previous episodes, Dr. Perrodin has provided empirical reasoning for why chaos is actually a good thing and that numerous studies have concluded people often make sound decisions (sound is more appropriate as “correct” implies that a decision must be convergent to achieve the desired outcome) during highly chaotic situations. Nonetheless, he shares that a co-worker asked to return to the building to use the restroom. Four separate student focus groups revealed a single request students had about the fire - after 20-minutes of standing patiently on the sidewalk, and hearing addition fire apparatus arrive at the facility, they wanted to know what was going on. David parallels this request for basic information to other crisis situations and notes that keeping people informed neutralizes anxiety and facilitates cooperation. Dr. Perrodin discusses ways to incorporate this “informing” process throughout other aspects of life. ALARMING TREND IN EMPLOYEES BEING PUT ON LEAVE - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. Dr. Perrodin, who engages in various legal expert witness consulting, closes the episode by alerting listeners to an unsettling uptick in the practice of a human resources director placing an employee on leave due to an investigation. It’s a given that allegations of embezzlement or gross violation of job duties would warrant the employee being placed on either a paid or unpaid leave during the investigation. The difference in today’s HR practices, however, is two-fold. First, employees, both in management and non-management roles, are being placed on leave for more “subjective” allegations, such as, “contributing to a hostile work environment.” (What does that actually mean??) An example could be an employee that perceives a co-worker is not supporting a newly-created “safe space” in the work setting and files a complaint to HR per whatever process is outlined in the organization. Yes, claims can be that open to interpretation - note that the recipient of the hostile work environment is making a claim upon perception of behavior and interpretation of a definition that is broad. The second concerning characteristic of this trend is that the person placed on leave is immediately separated from their work email, electronic files and paper files. Locked out! Hence, documentation and records that can support the employee’s defense are not accessible by the employee. Now what? David shares that he contacted multiple experts versed in maintaining personal communications / records and none were able to offer advice on how employees should maintain critical documentation in this emerging era of more frequent, and more subjective allegations of violations of the code of employee conduct coupled to employees being separated from their documentation. This matter will be the core of a future show as Dr. Perrodin is seeking an expert who can offer insight into how to best protect yourself in the midst of an allegation. 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.
Simplifying the Equation of Podcasting Success... “When I started podcasting, I read so many different books and watched so many different videos that I ended up confused and overwhelmed to the point that I went out and bought equipment that I still haven’t even used! It’s outdated tech. Don’t tell my wife. She still thinks I’m going to use it.” (Larry Roberts, author of 1+1 = Podcast & host of the Readily Random Podcast). NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO TRY PODCASTING. In his best-selling 2018 book, 1+1 = Podcast, Larry covers the podcasting basics in a clear non-technical, non-jargonal manner just like he was having a conversation with you. He ditches the stuffy Times New Roman font and presents answers for exactly what is needed to get started with a high-quality sounding, low cost or even FREE podcasting solution. WHY IS THIS BOOK BETTER THAN OTHERS? Podcasting books are convergent, technical, preachy and also prescriptive of the elusive “way” to be a “star” podcaster. Don’t fall for the hype. Instead, Larry shows you how to conduct reconnaissance of the podcast landscape and pauses with introspective questions that identify your “comfort zone” as you enter this exciting territory rife with open, unexplored spaces. Remember, podcasting has only been around for less than a decade! Let’s be honest, podcasting involves work - but at the same time It’s empowering, it’s talk therapy, and it’s not constrained by advertisers and regulators. Don’t go bananas on the Internet, but a podcaster can do things a mainstream reporter would never be allowed to do! IT’S ACTUALLY EASY TO FIND INTERESTING GUESTS. Podcasts with guests typically outperform shows that don’t have guests. David recalls his newbie podcaster days of asking friends, neighbors and coworkers to be on his show. It was harder to find unfamiliar guests. Larry acknowledges and solves the “guest barrier” in his book by demonstrating a svelte technique of searching for authors that sell their publications on Amazon. Hey, have a cool topic you want to talk about? In a few clicks, you can discover authors on Amazon that have published books in that genre - and most of those folks post bios and links to their related works - awesome! Larry’s book even has a concise template narrative you can use to invite a guest to be on your show. PROMOTING YOUR SHOW. Analytics matter, but it also takes time and episodes for listeners to get to know you and your show. Focus on promoting your show. An awesome episode might be downloaded 15 times if you only shared it one time at night on Twitter. Right? Larry helps David consider options for expanding his show’s presence on social media platforms while being vigilant of personal privacy. How do you foster a well-rounded social media campaign to promote your show? Larry answers that question during this episode. TECHNOLOGY TAKES TIME. I began my podcast with my webcam’s built-in microphone. My audio quality took a leap when I purchased a USB microphone - and crept into the professional tier with an XLR microphone. USB/XLR/GAIN = intimidating. It can be - and Larry removes the anxiety as he makes a few terrific suggestions for easy-to-learn hardware and software that won’t fry your budget. David and Larry concurred that persons new to podcasting might assume that good audio is magically rendered in post-production. In other words, as long as you get “any” recording, you can “fix” it with software. That’s a myth. Start by following Larry’s advice and you won’t end up scrapping your first round of shows due to avoidable technical flaws. 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. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST: www.readilyrandom.com
The word mantra can be broken down into two parts: “man,” which means mind, and “tra,” which means transport or vehicle. In other words, a mantra is an instrument of the mind. At the end of the day, the mantra is meant to bring you back to simplicity. We live in such a complex world that it’s easy to get lost in all the details. Mantras can help you circle back to the simplistic approach to life and focus on those things that inspire you and truly make you happy. But beyond that Zen-fuzzy stuff, a solid member-checked mantra is a powerful asset to a businessman. KENNY ROGER’S UNDERSTOOD THE MANTRA BETTER THAN APPLE DID. Maybe it’s the wisdom of Kenny Roger’s hit song “The Gambler” when he croons “know when to walk away and know when to run” that harkens to the mantra. See, while one can argue that Apple’s mantra, “Think different,” perfectly encompasses the value the company - it just doesn’t work for collectivism of a company aiming to be the benchmark of the industry. It’s confusing as what is the benchmark Apple strives to compare itself to - and here’s the paradox because if you have become the industry standard are you then directed by your mantra to divert from the formula that has catapulted you to success? Back to Kenny. YOU KNOW THE RULES, HOOK: A GOOD CAPTAIN ALWAYS GOES DOWN WITH HIS SHIP. In this episode I talk about parting ways with a long-time client. There was little to debate in my decision, but it stung - I mean, it was a difference in professional opinion and not a failure to deliver a high-quality service. It’s one thing to fumble away the game and another for the team to move to a different venue. I could have taken the money and churned out the task. I didn’t. I cut ties. Cordial. And then something unexpected happened. The client re-considered. My directness and honesty established me as a trustworthy member check. Mantra, intention and mission statement are not synonymous words. Hold the mantra and fold intention and mission statement. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD FELIX TO WEAR HIS JACKET. Hubris proclaimed that jackets need not be worn on the ride home. Seemed like a sound statement at the time, I mean, sunny day, water dripping at a steady pace from eaves, snow piles seemingly squatting - the observational evidence was in my corner. I’m a Wisconsin native - and from the northern tier of the state of the truly winter-hardened folk and that’s street credibility, sir. Back to Felix...Most students attending the school for the blind live in dorms during the week and return home Friday afternoon. This exodus occurs by plane, train, bus, van and automobile. Felix boards a bus for a 3 hour ride north. He’s sensible and knows his way around an engine, having been sighted until his early teens. “How warm is it?” he asked. “Pretty warm, Felix,” I responded. He refined his question, “Do I have to wear my jacket or will I be alright without it?” Now I’ve learned that perception is to the beholder. Some people willingly wear jackets in summer while others wear sandals in winter. Felix weighed his options and informed me that he intended to pack his jacket in his luggage and forego the trek in a t-shirt and jeans. Two hours later, I exited the building and was immediately slapped by an unforgiving northerly wind. It was cold. In fact, it was just 24 without factoring in the windchill. I later learned that the high temperature that day was just 28. Yikes, per my calculations, Felix had about an hour of shivering remaining before he arrived home, yanked his jacket from his luggage and turned the house thermometer clockwise. I felt bad. I was guilty of not checking my information. I would never intentionally advise a kid to forego the coat and embrace the cold. Not a lot gets to me. This did. I talked to Felix Monday morning and he casually said, “I wore my jacket home…” FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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.
Trip Elix has worked as an investigator and associated with business leaders along with the computer underground. He has been a computer forensic technician; security consultant, administrator, programmer, and system analyst, who has used or owned almost every version of every operating system used since the 1980’s. He currently attends security conferences held by the computer underground including Defcon, Hope, and Bsides. Learn more about Trip at www.tripelix.com and download his free guide “Browse Without Being Tracked” – which is discussed during this episode of The Safety Doc Podcast. HACKERS ARE NOT THE BAD GUYS. Trip states, “People often forget that Facebook itself was written and maintained by hackers. For the most part they do the right thing.” He regularly attends conferences for hackers and shares that the emphasis of such events is to find vulnerabilities in software – including a “capture the flag” challenge. The goal, as some in the general public might assume, is not to trade industry secrets on how to harvest personal data or extort individuals or companies. This is a misperception. Many companies, including the popular computer security firm Malwarebytes, openly welcomes and encourages independent researchers to report vulnerabilities in products and often reward the researchers with hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Mr. Elix notes that there are “bad actors” in any profession, but for the most part, we should recognize that computer hackers are well-meaning individuals that alert companies to gaps in their electronic security protocols. I recall the 1983 fictional movie WarGames in which a high school student unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. He ultimately contributes to closing a system loophole that could have brought upon the rogue launch of ballistic missiles. With all of this being said, Trip certainly brings awareness to the intersection of large corporations and harvesting personal data. YOUR CHILD’S DATA IS FOR SALE AT A BARGAIN PRICE. Trip works extensively to protect the privacy of children and in 2017 released “Protecting Kids Online!: Keeping Them Safe from Perverts, Stalkers, Data Thieves and Scammers.” The book is available in multiple formats on Amazon or from his website. He states, “Being spooked by your own devices is not OK. The sanctuary of our homes is being invaded by companies that sell what we do and it not just what you do online. Children’s information is for sale. Anyone can the buy the name, address, and phone number of the children in your neighborhood. The same companies that bring us spam, harassing telephone calls and junk mail are now endangering our children. You don’t have to put up with any of it there are things you can do.” Mr. Elix exposes the abuses of those that are using big data to threaten our lives and are the direct causes of Identity theft for millions. He explains to Dr. Perrodin that for the price of a few postage stamps, a parent can become empowered by mailing the primary data brokers a letter directing them to not sell their child’s information. YOU STILL NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE. Dr. Perrodin identified a trend in school safety to encourage youth to abandon, or greatly limit, use of social media. While such a measure might seem to have surface merit, Mr. Elix quickly counters that the absence of a social media profile could be detrimental to youth during the college admission or job application process. Instead, he lays out a plan to build a robust, social-media-competent profile for youth including a non-political blog – perhaps about a hobby, cooking or anything that won’t be subject to a skewed interpretation due to the shifting sands of time. He also offers a blueprint for developing a safer social media profile for children under the age of 14. This is absolutely vital knowledge decreasing the risk that a child might become the target of a groomer. A RIGHT TO PROPERTY. Trip begins the show with the story of how his entire neighborhood had been the target of an identity thief. This admission seems counter-intuitive given Mr. Elix’s deft knowledge of privacy protection, yet it reveals that countless companies collect our information and sell it to the highest bidder. And, that information is then packaged per specific subset characteristics and legally re-sold to data miners for as little as $15. He urges people to explore the website “Mailing List Finder” to discover that over 60,000 postal, email and telephone mailing lists from more than 1,400 vendors are for sale to anyone. Your personal data is on those lists! The site address is https://lists.nextmark.com/ Trip’s 2015 book, “A Right to Property – It is your information” has received glowing reviews. It is available in multiple formats on Amazon or his website. LEARN THE SECRETS THAT THE HACKERS USE TO LIVE UNDER THE RADAR. Several of these questions and points are discussed during this punchy episode: (1) Who is tracking us and why, it is not only our own government; (2) Why privacy isn’t about hiding anything and how apathy can make you a victim; (3) What’s the first sign that your personal and private info is at risk; (4) What is a data pimp; (5) How is artificial intelligence going to affect us; (6) Are government agencies, our leaders, America’s infrastructure, the corporate world doing anything to protect us; (7) What’s the single most effective thing people can do to protect themselves; (8) What do you think of those loyalty cards given out by everyone from gas stations to casinos; (9) How can you stop companies from selling your info; (10) Why do you say that hackers are actually protecting us? FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST: www.tripelix.com
Author/Writer/Reporter/Outdoorsman TJ Martinell appraises routines, rituals and experiences versus accumulation of "stuff". Embracing an authentic, minimalism-grounded lifestyle from his svelte-outfitted cabin, TJ suggests that finding yourself begins with reconnaissance and locating the empirical origins of both ancestry and philosophical epistemology. Making the world perceptible, TJ describes his pilgrimage to view the US Constitution or stand upon the "ghostly" battlefield soil of Gettysburg. TJ’S BOOKS & CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 10th AMENDMENT CENTER. As an accomplished author, his 2016 novel "The Stringers" seemingly foreshadowed the current kleptocrat implants that sift, winnow, blot and skew the narratives mainstream media reporters feed to an information-saturated and knowledge-starved public. Imagine a [future] time when the contraband is information and censorship is commonplace. A contributor to the Tenth Amendment Center, TJ reminds listeners that per the 10th Amendment, the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or the people. This emerges as a fascinating segment of the show as TJ helps us to understand that we are passively surrendering our rights simply due to insufficient education and activism of the 10th Amendment. Learn more about this specific topic at http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/ RITUALS or ROUTINES. TJ and David share their interests and disdain for professional sports as they build a foundation for a discussion to address the confabulation of routines with rituals. TJ questions the one-sided vesting of a sports fanatic and how this desire for some distorted sense of tribal collectiveness, or simply to be a part of a group (fans), does not advance the individual. There is no accomplishment in wearing another man’s jersey. Painting your face blue before each home game is a ritual although it holds no practical value. David pokes fun at the scant amenities provided to fans by a 1980s Lambeau Field – home of the Green Bay Packers. He shares the thrill of a new out-of-town scoreboard added to the stadium in the early 1990s – still pre-dating the first video board. Routines are performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special occasion. TJ shared that he often smokes a pipe when he achieves the summit of a climb (a ritual) – and that preparing a pipe is actually much more intricate than the simple strike of a match per Sherlock Holmes tobacco acumen. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RISK... David cites the recent cancellation of an 8th grade class trip in Ohio due to "perceived" terrorism risks as a frightening precedence of conveying to young adults that it is not safe to engage in reconnaissance and authentic experiences. TJ framed a deft counter argument to the parents seeking nullification of the trip by underscoring that risk at the center of founding the country. Per TJ, "We believe that you seeing these things are worth it because they didn't come without risks. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, these men were likely signing their own death warrants had they lost the war. Explain that the documents matter as they were worth the risk of founding the United States of America." TJ argues that the crux at making a decision should not only be "is this safe" - as Jack London's biography would support that adventure and experience bring richness to life and risk will always be a part of the human experience - by choice or by chance. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST: www.tjmartinell.com TJ’s BOOKS on AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=TJ+Martinell
Justin Dooley shares his harrowing experience of arriving first to a gruesome motorcycle accident scene while donned in formal wedding attire. In the second half of the show, he challenges Safety Doc Podcast host David Perrodin to select the best safety items to keep in a car. This episode addresses the moral and practical considerations of stopping to render assistance at a vehicle accident. Ultimately, is the best option to remain in your vehicle and dial 911? Jumper cables, a window hammer, revolutionizing potable water storage, glowing cats and traversing the town at night in a full black running suit – don’t miss this episode of the ages! TO STOP OR NOT TO STOP. Justin mentions the moral check that crossed his mind as he arrived upon a man who had wiped out his motorcycle on a busy road. With little mental wrangling, Justin defaulted to stopping to lend help to the injured man. Upon reflection, David and Justin surface numerous personal safety issues one is exposed to when trying to assist at the scene of accident. What if the victim becomes combative? What if an inattentive driver hits you? How about the new powerful mind-altering drugs that penetrate traditional gloves – is this person impaired due to an overdose? Am I opening myself to liability by being a part of this? WHAT TO DO AT AN ACCIDENT? Justin shares how the injured man just wanted a towel to keep the sun from his eyes. With regret, Justin, who has, but does not endorse, a Snuggie, did not have a towel. The instinct to rush to someone’s aid can be at one’s own peril. David recalls that during his firefighter training he was instructed to never step off a rig without first surveying the scene for downed power lines. Surprisingly, many bystanders retrieve their phones and record the scene as if capturing footage for a documentary. David suggests taking a few photos of the scene to potentially assist police in understanding the context before vehicles or people are moved and to also document license plates in case someone flees. WHEN TO CALL 911? As the show progressed it became apparent that the best course of action upon arriving at an accident was to find a safe place to pull over and then dial 911 – especially in construction zones with very narrow shoulders. Describe what you see to the 911 dispatcher, your location (this can be quickly ascertained if you have a GPS or OnStar), and then ask the 911 dispatcher what you should do. Should you try to position your car to serve as a buffer between the victim and traffic? How about checking on the vital signs of the victim? Does following the dispatcher’s suggestions provide you with a layer of legal protection? TOP 7 SAFETY ITEMS FOR YOUR VEHICLE. Generated from a hybrid list of the suggestions by Justin and David, the following were deemed to be the top safety items to keep in your vehicle: first aid kit; tire pump; jumper cables; industrial glow stick; Snuggie; portable phone charger; and window smasher! FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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.
Dr. Perrodin and Hector Solis of Awareness Podcast traverse the uncomfortable and terrifying topics of youth grooming and youth trafficking. Despite its pivotal importance, this life-saving information is largely absent from mainstream media and school counseling curriculums. Yet choosing to ignore the monster does not make it disappear. CAUTION – MATURE CONTENT. This episode of The Safety Doc Podcast centers of agency, purpose and personal well-being. We discuss adult themes, and therefore, this show is not recommended for younger audiences. CHILD GROOMING IS RAMPANT IN AMERICA. This is an epidemic with incredible momentum and effortless growing and spreading by cable and Wi-Fi across all socioeconomic and racial constructs to infiltrate stable, 2-parent households as well as single parent families or families in transition. In fact, Hector shares that some children have been communicating with groomers while in the same room with their family! We often hear people say, “Yes, but this happens to other people - it won’t happen to me.” This can happen to you - and if it does, you may never be able to mend the damage. LESS THAN 2% OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS REPORTED. In a recent interview about human trafficking, expert Dottie Laster estimated that only 1 of 80-100 cases is reported due to traffickers being meticulous at hiding their involvement with victims (Solis, 2018). WHAT IS CHILD GROOMING? Child grooming is befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a child, and sometimes the family, to lower the child's inhibitions with the objective of sexual abuse. It is also regularly used to lure minors into various illicit businesses such as child trafficking, child prostitutionor the production of child pornography. Public social media profiles are constantly scanned by potential groomers. The grooming process is subtle and typically begins with benign interactions such as, “Hey, saw your profile image and noticed the concert poster in the back. I also went to that concert and really like that group. What is your favorite song?” Groomers cultivate a deep trust and loyalty from their targets, who often perceive them as friends and people that validate their thoughts, such as “I think you are totally right that your parents are being unfair about not letting you buy those things at the mall. My parents were the same way so I understand what you are going through…” Groomers tell kids what they "WANT" to hear 100% of the time whereas parents tell the kids what they "NEED" to hear. CALL TO ACTION. Ask children how they might inform an adult if they had concerns about being the recipient of grooming or if they suspected that a peer might be involved in a grooming situation. Most school reporting systems are designed for bullying, harassment or threats so please help students find the words and phrases they could use to express concerns about grooming. Victims may refrain from sharing of their experiences due to the phenomenon of “victim blaming”, or when others consider the victims to be partially responsible for their situations. RESOURCES. THORN: https://www.wearethorn.org/child-sexual-exploitation-and-technology/ NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: http://www.missingkids.com/theissues/cse/cstt FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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. CONTACT THIS EPISODE’S GUEST – HECTOR SOLIS. Website: https://www.awarenesspodcast.com/contact-me/ ARTICLE CITED. Solis, H. (Producer). (2018, January 25). Trafficked – Story by Dottie Laster & Online Grooming: Carly Ryan. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://awarenesspod.podbean.com/e/trafficked-story-by-dottie-laster-online-grooming-carly-ryan/
To better understand the primary quadrants of self-awareness, Dr. Perrodin examines an exemplary article written by Tasha Eurich, PhD, of Harvard Business Review. She wrote “Self-awareness seems to have become the latest management buzzword — and for good reason. Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. We’re less likely to lie, cheat, and steal. We are better workers who get more promotions. And we’re more-effective leaders with more-satisfied employees and more-profitable companies (Eurich, 2018). THE RESEARCH STUDY. David applauds the study of self-awareness for spanning 10 separate investigations with nearly 5,000 participants. Surveys and interviews contributed to the development of multi-rater reliability. The study surfaced the constructs of job satisfaction, empathy, happiness and stress. TWO TYPES OF SELF AWARENESS. Across the studies researcher Eurich examined, two broad categories emerged: (1) internal self-awareness which represents how clearly we see our own values, passions and aspirations; and (2) external self-awareness, which means understanding how other people view us. THE FOUR SELF-AWARENESS ARCHETYPES. Dr. Eurich identified the self-awareness quadrant as: Seekers, Pleasers, Introspectors and Aware. Even though most people believe they are self-aware, only 10-15% of people studies actually fit the criteria. David explains the characteristics of each archetype and explains the lack of member checks as the inherent flaw to Introspectors. MEMBER CHECKS 100 YEARS AGO. Dr. Perrodin shares the fascinating account of “The 4 Vagabonds” of Harvey Firestone, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and John Burroughs. From 1915-1924, these industrial moguls (Burroughs was a naturalist, however) made several “treks” to the country to “rough it” and debate career and life around the campfire. WHAT VERSUS WHY. David concluded that the study noted that “why” is a surprisingly ineffective self-awareness question. Research has shown that we simply do not have access to many of the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motives we’re searching for. The better question to ask is “what” as it will help one to examine and understand process as why tends to focus on outcomes and assigning blame. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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. Article cited: What Self-Awareness Really is (and How to Cultivate It) by Tasha Eurich (2018). Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it
Paranormal Investigator Jim Malliard and host David Perrodin discuss the puzzling inconsistencies of the January 13, 2018 notification that Hawaii was minutes from a ballistic missile impact. Although the alert was an error, the circumstances of the event are convoluted and information released since the flub only adds to the confusion. Jim and David smoke out some of the possible truths of this rapidly hushed incident. THE EVENT. "An early-morning emergency alert mistakenly warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack was dispatched to cellphones across Hawaii on Saturday, setting off widespread panic in a state that was already on edge because of escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea. The alert, sent by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, was revoked 38 minutes after it was issued, prompting confusion over why it was released — and why it took so long to rescind. State officials and residents of a normally tranquil part of the Pacific, as well as tourists swept up in the panic, immediately expressed outrage." (NYT - January 13, 2018) HOW ALERTS ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK. To describe the steps in issuing an inbound missile to the United States, Dr. Perrodin extracted upon his personal research of the 9/11 attacks and the change that day in national DEFCON status from a 5 (lowest state of readiness) to 3 (Air Force ready to mobilize in 15 minutes). The DEFense readiness CONdition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces and is controlled by the President and Secretary of Defense. David argued that his interpretation has always been that the (1) North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) would detect the threat through satellites, seismic or other sensors. (2) US Strategic Command (STRATCOMM) would then verify the threat through various tracking and confirmation measures, (3) STRATCOMM would inform the President and Secretary of Defense and a decision would be made regarding the US response, which might result in a change of the DEFCON status which then triggers a prescribed sequence of readiness and offensive tactics. It is at this step that the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) would be activated by the President and messages would be delivered via EBS as an expeditious method of communicating with the American public in the event of a war, threat of war, or grave national crisis. Hence, the Hawaii alert warning should not have been possible as any such warning would have been per directive of the President. THE STORY ISN’T MAKING SENSE. Jim Malliard pointed out several discrepancies with the missile alert and subsequent actions, including:
Why wasn’t it possible to immediately send a corrective message from the same system that sent the false alert? If this was a drill, why not just send out a message stating that this is a test of the emergency alert system – and only a test – there would be no need to state that it was a missile warning? The corrective measures now includes a second verify that the alert should be issued – this seems woefully inadequate relative to the degree of the threat. Why is the employee responsible for this not responding to questing and why was he re-assigned? This suggests that the act might have been a prank that got out of hand, but wouldn’t that result in immediate termination? If this was a flaw in the system, then this mistake could have been made by any employee, so why re-assign this person? Could this have been a hack? If so, the lack of media coverage certainly supports a narrative of wanting to bury this incident. Why hasn’t NORAD or STRATCOMM chimed in on this – perhaps denoting the standard operating procedures, sans guarded information, of how the American public would be warned of an inbound missile?
FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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. Learn more about episode guest Jim Malliard and subscribe to his newsletter at www.malliard.com
Dr. Perrodin sifts and winnows a pair of articles pertaining to the controversial pathologizing of video games as addictive behaviors warranting recognition by the World Health Organization and American Psychiatric Association.HOW GAMING ADDICTION BECOMES A MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS. Gaming addiction and social media addiction are at the cusp of entry into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It is the handbook used by healthcare professionals in the United States and much of the world as the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders. DSM contains descriptions, symptoms, and other criteria for diagnosing mental disorders. So, yes, society is on the verge of assigning a medical code, or category, to these areas. The DSM is an instant badge of credibility and typically translates into the creation of The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD Code) which is a system used by physicians and other healthcare providers to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms and procedures recorded in conjunction with hospital care in the United States. So, from DSM to ICD is a short step. From that point, it’s common for medical providers to bridge the ICD to a medical diagnosis and then some subsequent treatment plan which is mostly guesswork until empirical research charts a reasonable plan of care. Of course, some insurance companies will deny a gaming addiction medical diagnosis with subsequent medication or therapy. K-12 SCHOOL SETTING WILL BE THE ENTRY POINT FOR GAMING ADDICTION AS RECOGNIZED DISABILITY WARRANTING TREATMENT. However, the door is more easily opened in the K-12 school setting where a doctor’s diagnosis of a gaming addiction could lead into a school disability diagnosis as meeting the Other Health Impaired (OHI) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. SHAREHOLDERS WANT ACCOUNTABILITY - WHY THIS IS BEYOND A REALISTIC EXPECTATION. Two major Apple investors have urged the iPhone maker to take action to curb growing smartphone addiction among children, highlighting growing concern about the effects of gadgets and social media on youngsters. New York-based Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, or CalSTRS, said in open letter to Apple that the company must offer more tools to help children fight addiction on its services. Among their proposals, they recommend the company enhances mobile device software so parents have more options to protect their children's health. The investors claims are based upon shoddy surveys and the expectations for the corporations to control usage of phones and gaming devices is fully unrealistic. Dr. Perrodin compares this to parental controls to block channels on a television. The issue at hand isn’t the content accessed by those using the devices as much as it is the frequency and duration that people are interacting with devices. Again, Dr. Perrodin argues that people have always gravitated toward activities of interest - be it listening to the radio, talking on the phone or watching TV. WHY “SIGNIFICANT DISTRESS” MATTERS IN ALLEGED GAMING ADDICTION. In an article by David DiSalvo (2016), a 9 question survey, known as the Bergen Survey, is used to qualify someone of having a gaming addiction diagnosis. However, unless someone shows signs of significant distress when trying to reduce their gaming time, an addiction diagnosis wouldn’t apply. Dr. Perrodin identifies this nebulous “significant distress” qualifier as essential as a research study of 19,000 male and female gamers from the US, UK, Canada and Germany indicate that just .5% - 1% of persons would have met the “distressed” threshold - something that wouldn’t at all be out of line for bicyclists or runners, for example, who might exhibit distress if trying to reduce their time with those activities. Dr. Perrodin strongly challenges the validity of the Bergen Scale, which he identifies as very subjective and breaching the well-known problems with expecting people to recall events from 6-12 months ago without conflation of memories. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
The overwhelming pursuit of perfection is driving young people into increased levels of depression and anxiety per a Yahoo article that referenced a study of over 41,000 college students between 1989-2016 in America, Canada and Great Britain. (Parker, 2018). In this episode of The Safety Doc Podcast, Dr. Perrodin centers his analysis and discussion on personal psychological safety as he affirms and challenges claims of the article, and identifies linkages to the school setting. WHAT IS PERFECTIONISM? The authors broadly define perfectionism “as a combination of excessively high personal standards and overly critical self-evaluations.” Findings suggest that kids these days are more obsessed with perfection than many previous generations were, and this obsession is associated with increased depression and anxiety. THE STUDY. Dr. Perrodin cautions that a single study has limitations and becomes stronger when analyzed in conjunction with similar studies. Nonetheless, this study has stand-alone merit as it was conducted with 164 samples for a total of 41,641 students in 3 countries over a duration of 25 years. The article states that the perfection dilemma is “worst” in the US. Dr. Perrodin tempers that claim as only 3 “First World” countries participated in the study and the countries have democratic governments and similar societal structures. THREE REASONS FOR INCREASED PERCEIVED PRESSURE TO BE PERFECT. The research presents three reasons for this shift: the rise of neoliberalism, increasingly anxious and controlling parents, and the increasing power of meritocracy. OK, word salad alert! The Safety Doc is going to describe these reasons per practical observations of everyday life. Neoliberalism is the free market. It means that the “forever” jobs of the 1970s are behind us. This is the age of Fiverr, where people from across the globe advertise their services and competition limits one can charge, but positive reviews and niche, high-quality work can also bring great demand for your skills. The latter part is meritocracy, or meaning that individual’s skills determine the demand for their compensation. This can be frightening, as the thought of a stable job with a single employer is morphing into free agent contractors. Yet, it is liberating as you can cultivate multiple income streams and play to your strengths as long as those strengths have a market demand. I know a 20-year-old man that narrates books and does other professional voice over work. He has a backlog of requests and has accordingly increased his fees. His services have received very positive reviews, he is diligent with his clients, and works from home. Finally, parents are anxious and controlling as was pointed out in the recent Safety Doc Podcast about Ohio parents canceling an 8th grade field trip to DC over fears of terrorism. That act sent a precise message to those youth, “You are safe(r) at home. Do not engage in reconnaissance. We’ll teach you all you need to know about what lies beyond the city limits.” SOCIAL MEDIA. Dr. Barbara Greenberg, a clinical psychologist specializing in family and relationship issues, singles out another important factor: social media. “These people grew up being constantly evaluated on social media,” she points out. So what’s so bad about striving to be perfect? It can lead to increased depression and anxiety. “Research among college students and young people, for example, has found self-oriented perfectionism to be positively associated with clinical depression, anorexia nervosa, and early death,” the study authors point out. “It is also associated with greater physiological reactivity (e.g., elevated blood pressure) and ill-being (e.g., negative affect) in response to life stress and failure.” Researchers even identified a link with suicidal ideation. THE SOCIAL MEDIA SCAPEGOAT? Dr. Perrodin is not on Facebook and even laughs when his friends say, “I couldn’t find you on social media - what’s up with that?” Well, that’s the point. One is not obligated to participate in social media. It is optional. Each of us has a choice. That point is lost in the article, argues Dr. Perrodin, that every person has a choice to be captive to social media. We are framing social media as an addiction and preparing to label it as a medical condition as the groundwork was recently laid when the American Psychiatric Association gave sanctified Internet Gaming Disorder. Really? Does the teen that reads 3 novels a week have a Literacy Consumption Disorder? Remove the game from the gamer or book from the reader and my hunch is the withdrawals manifestations would be strikingly similar… IT’S A MYTH. Perfection is a myth as nothing, by scientific definition or empirical measure, is perfect. Engineers have objective tolerances for bridge constructions. And then there’s subjective perfection which is 100% vanity and a “consensus” reality. But, in reality, most people are intentionally programmed what to think, injected with bursts of dopamine celebratory moments for accomplishing nothing as self-introspection is buried alongside the art of debate. By the way, it means nothing to me if this post is liked or shared on social media.
The following are samples from the public comment forum for this article. Strong themes that presented in the forum included:
Nothing is perfect so don’t worry about it. The older generation is more competent than the younger generation. Social media is horrible. Agency and purpose is experienced by creating things of value - be it tending a garden or helping others. Failure equates to a flawed person.
"Most important, life is not perfect. It is messy and imperfect. It is ok for things to be imperfect."
"Ah the good old days of watching a small screen Black & White TV, have to get up and change the channel be lucky if you can get at least a good 4 or 6 channels, depending where you lived and bang on the side of the TV to receive good reception. AM Transistor Radios, later AM/FM. Rotary Landline Phones and Public Phone Booths. The youth of today could not survive that. I did and I could survive that if we went back to it."
"That's because the social media culture is all about 'look at me look at me' and when no one is looking at you, they get depressed. Social media as an outlet has morphed into a horrible thing. Humans abuse and twist everything into something awful."
"The problem with a lot of these kids is simply that they don't know how to lose. They were never provided with the tools to cope with failure. Unfortunately the ability to overcome and learn from failure is mandatory for success. Their inability to deal with adversity is a huge roadblock."
"What is driving people into depression is the fact that they don't do anything. They sit and watch videos, videogames , text and never really have to do anything. Now they don't know how to do anything. Ask any of them to change a tire? Plant a garden, do anything real. When you can't really do anything you should be depressed."
"Having been a hiring manager for 25 years I have first hand knowledge that the young adults of today are not striving for "perfection", they are petrified of social failure. They don't want to become the best person they're capable of for the good of those that depend on them, so they can make a difference. It's all about "how would it look...". Give them a comfort puppy and some real responsibility. Oh yea...and take away smartphones until they graduate high school."
"I am on the older spectrum of millenial age group and I agree that social media plays a part in how we are. I will add though that when I was in school there was huge pressure to go to college. We were told that if you didn't you would never be anybody. You would be worthless to society. We were fed huge dreams that if we majored in anything that we would be successful adults and make money. A lot of educators and parents are responsible for how this generation turned out. My peers didn't have jobs in high school. Their parents bought them new cars in exchange for just taking out the garbage or good grades. So many grew up book smart but we're not instilled with street smarts. How to function properly as an adult is not taught at all. Fresh out of college with high hopes we hadn't a clue how to balance a checkbook, apply for a job, work on our cars, etc. because society, educators, parents failed to give us a chance to learn. We are a product of previous generation that failed to educate us in basic life skills and now it's up to snowflakes to figure it out or give up. When the lazy label is pointed at our back constantly we have become terrified of failure thus we never learn."
FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
The Army and Homeland Security announced the release of a no-cost computer-based simulation that trains teachers how to respond in an active shooter situation at a school. Forum commenters felt the instruction is an encroachment on 2nd Amendment rights and there has been little analysis of the design and intended rollout of the program. Dr. Perrodin debates the good, the bad and the undetermined of this novel approach. NEW, BUT NOT THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT FREE ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING. On 12-28-2015 FEMA released the free course: IS-907: Active Shooter: What You Can Do. The course is comprehensive and recommended by the Safety Doc. Yet, it’s relegated to the long list of unknown or dreadfully under-utilized no-cost FEMA offerings centered to public safety. Dr. Perrodin believes that the FEMA course should have been promoted as the recommended training prior to participating in the video game simulation – somebody dropped the ball here as IS-907 should have been coupled to the new virtual simulation. VIRTUAL REALITY ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING – THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE TO BE DETERMINED. Here are David’s 5 positive takeaways about the new virtual training: (1) Video games are actually a great way to learn - remember the interview with Dr. Seann Dikkers in Safety Doc Podcast #18? (2) This is a stepping stone to multi-person virtual reality trainings that can be calibrated for variables and injects. This system is only a first attempt - and not much more than a single-player early version Call of Duty at this point. (3) This will be free to schools and I expect free training materials that schools than then mesh with their own intruder training protocols. (4) This doesn’t have the unnecessary drill trauma that has become so common with theatrical school shooting multi-agency trainings which have prompted litigation by staff and students and also police departments refusing to participate in such drills due to exposure to litigation. (5) This will generalize to mall workers, retails workers, and eventually become as common as Bloodborne pathogens trainings. THE BAD. (1) Most school shooters told somebody or made some social media posts days or months ahead of time - we need to focus on improving threat detection and threat input systems - this will have an impact on preventing school shootings. (2) Using dispatch recordings to construct the scenarios is incomplete. There also aren’t many options and no schools are similar in physical layout, staff, discretion philosophy. There are hundreds and thousands of pages forensic studies from just Sandy Hook - use those to inform your development of the scenarios. (3) I couldn’t discern the opportunity for the participant to ask questions - for example, “What should I do if I caught the hallway between classrooms?” or “I didn’t hear the announcement over the PA about the Lock Down.” (4) What about a vehicle revving down a packed sidewalk? (5) The majority of commenters are strongly arguing that this initiative is a threat to the 2nd amendment - so we see a loss of focus on the intended purposes of the training which is situational awareness and also accelerating contemplation of heuristics - options, and making decisions. THE TO BE DETERMINED. (1) Drill fatigue is a real phenomenon and if this is perceived as a novelty, it won’t be more effective than standard drills or tabletops. (2) There is a risk that this could be perceived as an all-inclusive training when it is only a tool - a tool to really help sharpen situational awareness and force people to make decisions -- and these are two factors that generalize to safer schools. (3) I have little idea on how this would be used for interagency training exercises. (4) Will we see increased focus on threat identification and threat reporting systems? (5) As this evolves to full virtual reality, how will VR sets be funded - will trainings be centralized and then schools would be on a circuit of training. Even though the video “game” is free, VR might not be an option for poorer districts and some districts might just dismiss this and stick with theatrical simulations. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
Dr. Perrodin shares a fun set of anecdotes as he ultimately reflects upon his most impactful podcasts of 2017, acknowledges leadership lessons from Custer’s last stand and closes with an argument that, on many fronts, we are living in the best of times. EPISODE TOPICS: Driving my aunt to pay her property taxes in a city I’m not familiar with | Snowstorm averted | Pickup truck is not a fire engine | Sardines and dumbbells | Reflecting upon the top Safety Doc Podcasts of 2017 | Custer’s 20-year-old soldiers in 80-year-old bodies | Not a blanket statement, but we certainly live in the best of times. IN CUSTER WE TRUST – THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAFETY & TRUST (Per Neal St. Anthony, 2011) “One hundred forty years ago, George Armstrong Custer split his exhausted Seventh Cavalry of 660 troopers into several autonomous units, issued vague orders as the units dispersed and charged headlong into well-armed Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux warriors at the Little Big Horn River in Montana. It was a management disaster, to say the least, for Custer & Co. Custer presided over a classical, dysfunctional leadership team," said Jeff Appelquist, author, entrepreneur, former Best Buy corporate manager and onetime Marine infantry lieutenant who has turned Custer's demise into an award-winning book and on-site management seminars. Custer was offensive-minded, had good tactical sense and had led a charmed military life," Appelquist said. But the legendary brevet major general "lacked the trust of key lieutenants, did not build a common purpose, was not at all aware of his own faults. He did not communicate or adapt well. Those Indian warriors, about 1,500, turned out in force to protect their families and land. Custer was surrounded and worn down and destroyed." FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
Panic is far from being the typical reaction to disaster. Dr. Perrodin explains 8 findings about disaster response that doesn't fit the typical narrative. For example, contagion behavior is simply copying the behavior of others and often leads to a suboptimal outcome - so stop and recognize ALL options! He describes that crowd violence is seldom random and what "freezing" really means. ANECDOTES: Dr. Perrodin shares entertaining anecdotes of tacky Christmas inflatables, his reasons for migrating to PodBean, tinkering with his new ZoomH4Npro, why virtual reality fieldtrips in schools will be all the rage and vulnerable to delivering political or social agendas and further painting formative years reconnaissance as being dangerous (this is spurious logic) and how singularity will save at least 30,000 lives in the US annually in just 25 years by decreasing vehicle fatalities by 90%. David also shares a lesser known life story of GM / Frigidaire founder William Durant, his fiscal, psychological and health collapses, and how his final years were spent flipping burgers at a bowling alley in Michigan. To inform this episode, Dr. Perrodin explores “The mass psychology of disasters and emergency evacuations: A research report and implications for practice (2007)” by Dr. John Drury & Dr. Chris Cocking - Department of Psychology - University of Sussex. COMMUNICATION IN A DISASTER MAKES OR BREAKS THOSE IN AUTHORITY. Downplaying the importance of meaningful communication with the (irrational) crowd may develop a distrust of the authorities. In turn, this may mean valid information may be ignored or not acted upon by the public in the future. PEOPLE EXIT WHERE THEY ENTERED. People tend to seek to exit the same way they entered - even when a marked exit might be closer - it is not a familiar or intended route. Due to most people having rusty situational awareness, they often do not recognize the emergency and act quickly enough. It’s easier, but not smarter, to simply be led (follow). WHAT REALLY IS “FREEZING”? Freezing during a disaster takes two forms: (1) Literally not acting – freezing, and (2) Becoming disassociated or psychologically distanced from the reality of what is happening and waste time inappropriately tidying desks, organizing areas, waiting to power down computers. This is basically a defense mechanism of expecting life to return to the expected torus, or what is normal. It is a failure to acknowledge a state of chaos – and chaos actually presents options to those that accept that the disruption of the torus. CONTAGION BEHAVIOR – NEVER JUST GO WITH THE CROWD. Contagion behavior is simply copying the behavior of others. If you looked were in a crowd and people suddenly began to run in a direction, with a sense of panic, most would follow - yet not knowing the cause or without evaluating options. One person who appears to present with confidence and be informed can lead others to a suboptimal outcome that they would have never selected without infected by the contagion. LESS THAN 1% OF PEOPLE PANIC. Panic is far from being the typical reaction to a disaster. In fact, it has been noted in .8% of cases including the atomic bombing of Japan in 1945 and the September 11, 2001 WTC attacks. Dr. Perrodin illuminated 3 flaws in “The Panic Model”. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
PODCAST-Research Findings from the War of the Worlds Hysteria and the Reluctance by the Most Fearful People to Confirm Statements and How This Still Happens Today | Additional Perspectives on Parents Nixing the DC 8th Grade Class Trip Due to Terrorist Attacks Fears | David Loved Working at Menards in College | Mr. Meeseeks is 6-6. CANCELING THE 8th GRADE CLASS TRIP TO DC - THE PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE. As expressed in last week’s show, David felt that parents in a school district near Cleveland made a collectively poor decision by asking administration to cancel an 8th grade class trip to Washington DC due to fears of a mass shooting or terror attack. Yes, children are the most valuable assets of parents and a compelling sense of “protection” is natural. However, when such protective measures create a mini-verse youth are provided a negatively-skewed perception that the nation (not the world) is on the omni-present cusp of attack. People tend to double down when they are afraid. Dr. Perrodin saw this first hand as a school administrator and that visceral feeling is impenetrable to empirical science with no guarantee that something won’t happen - and people want that guarantee. An interesting statistical take-away from a bus trip to and from DC is that a student has roughly the same probability of perishing in a bus accident than via an attack - and both are very rare instances - less likely than being struck by lightning. THE SAFETY CONTEXT WAS FRACTURED THE PAST 2 MONTHS. Let’s look deeper into the anatomy of panic - and this is the state David deemed the parents to be in a few weeks ago when thwarting the DC trip with raw recall of the Vegas shooting, Manhattan bike / walkway attack by vehicle, Sutherland Springs and ongoing saber rattling from North Korea. WE’VE BEEN THROUGH UNCERTAIN TIMES BEFORE. Dr. Perrodin shares that his Mother was a child during WWII and she recalls air raid drills - diving under desks and “blackouts” at night - which were especially scary as she imagined German bombers descending into Wisconsin from Canada. Wisconsin was home to the largest munitions factory during the war - located near Baraboo / Sauk City. The narrative was plausible. Also, Britain’s citizens were remarkable robust during WWII - out during the day and orderly cued to shelters per wailing air raid sirens. It’s a different context and such, but there are lessons from our past. We can’t be afraid to, with awareness, participate in our iffy world. INVASION FROM MARS - ANATOMY OF PANIC. On October 28, 1938 many Americans believed they were being invaded by Martians. This was the result of a Halloween stunt orchestrated by Orson Wells in which he adapted H. G. Wells’ ‘War of the Worlds’ to the radio and broadcast the play as though it was actually happening. For Professor Howard Cantril of Princeton University and colleagues, this provided the perfect opportunity to investigate the anatomy of panic (Cantril, Gaudet & Herzog, 1940). Shortly after the event he interviewed 135 people in New Jersey to try and understand how they had reacted and what might have affected how they reacted. The most surprising category of people are those who failed to check the broadcast. Cantril found that those who fell into this category were also those who were most fearful and most likely to “double down” on their perceived “real” memories. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
"An eighth-grade class trip to Washington, D.C., can often be the highlight of grade school - see the White House, meet your member of Congress. But students from North Ridgeville City School District outside of Cleveland, Ohio were notified recently their D.C. trip was canceled. Administrators called it off because of fears of a terrorist attack or a mass shooting" (per NPR reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro, November, 2017). PARENTS MADE THE DECISION TO NIX THE TRIP. The parents pressured the school superintendent to cancel the trip – noting a myriad of safety concerns from active shooter to a vehicle jumping onto a walking path. The killing of 8 people by a motorist intentionally driving on a Manhattan bike path in October likely contributed to the parents’ fears and the October 1st Las Vegas mass shooting certainly was fresh in the adults’ minds. To his credit, district superintendent Jim Powell was tactful in his statements, but also expressed regret in the parents’ collective position as he stated he had taken his own family on a trip to Washington D.C. SENTINEL NATIONAL INCIDENTS CREATE MASS HYSTERIA AND CONVINCE PARENTS THE NATION IS NOT SAFE. When asked if he had to previously cancel a trip like this because of fears, superintendent Powell stated he recalled districts canceling trips right after 9/11/01. Lulu Garcia-Navarro pointed out that safety incidents can occur just about anywhere, whether in a small town or a big city. Her statement is interesting considering the November, 2017 mass murder at the church in tiny Sutherland Springs, Texas. Yes, these events can and do happen everywhere. Also, Washington D.C. boasts a strong police presence and its various public safety forces train diligently to promote safe environments for tourists. Furthermore, these students live 22 miles from Cleveland – which per several metrics I reviewed presents its own risks to personal safety. DENYING ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS & THWARTING FUTURE RECONNAISSANCE. A statistical fact is that the students were as (un)likely to perish in a bus accident to /from DC as per being victims of an attack in DC. The odds were less than being struck by lightning. TEACH AWARENESS & LEARN SAFE TRAVEL TIPS. There are numerous reputable websites, as well as professional services, to help schools plan and carryout safe trips to the nation’s capital. Examples are https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/education and https://www.nationsclassroomtours.com/school-tours/school-trips-to-washington-dc Canceling this trip when there was not an imminent threat warning for DC sends powerful, and wrong, messages to youth. First, our nation’s capital is not safe, and hence, our nation is not safe. Second, you’re taking your lives in your own hands if you travel domestically or abroad. Third, forget about engaging in reconnaissance as a teen or young adult as America is simply too dangerous to explore without an armada. Learning how to be a safe traveler is an essential skill in our global economy. More than a trip to DC was taken from these students. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
To freeze or not to freeze (your credit), that is the question – and with entertaining prose, Dr. Perrodin, helps you measure the thorny considerations that will yield your noble answer in midst of the slings and arrows of outrageous fiscal fortunes. If you have a credit report, there's a good chance that you're one of the 143 million American consumers whose sensitive personal information was exposed in a data breach at Equifax, one of the nation's three major credit agencies. David explains that the agencies are not extensions of the government and how locking credit now is a solid option (in his opinion). WHAT PERSONAL DATA WAS HACKED? Per Seena Gressin, Attorney, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC, The Equifax breach lasted from mid-May through July. The hackers accessed people’s names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. They also stole credit card numbers for about 209,000 people and dispute documents with personal identifying information for about 182,000 people. And they grabbed personal information of people in the UK and Canada too. WHAT ARE CREDIT BUREAUS AND WHY DO THEY EXIST? There are three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Transunion and they took root across the United States in the roaring 1920s. Credit bureaus were created to help lenders and creditors decide potential customers that were “credit worthy.” However, it was voluntary for businesses and government agencies to “share” individuals’ financial history with the bureaus. ARE THE CREDIT BUREAUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES? Nope! It might surprise you to learn that none of the credit bureaus are federal agencies. In fact, they have no government affiliations whatsoever! These are private companies that collect information from creditors regarding your credit history. They sell this information to creditors and the data is used to determine if you are “credit worthy.” If you use little credit, meaning you have paid in cash, don’t have a stack of credit cards, or own your house, you might actually receive a subpar credit score as you haven’t “demonstrated” an ability to manage debt. Yes, as insane as that sounds, it’s an accurate summation of the punishment of fiscally conservative minimalists. SHOULD I FREEZE MY CREDIT? Probably. Check with valuepenguin.com for state by state information on how to freeze and thaw your credit and the associated fees. Expect to pay $30 to freeze your credit at the “Big 3” bureaus and you must deal with each on its finicky process to freeze and thaw credit. The benefit to a freeze is that someone won’t be able to take out a loan in your name – your risk for identity fraud drops. DOWNFALL TO FREEZING CREDIT. Most potential employers want to check your credit – so that requires you to thaw it, and then freeze it again – and there’s $60 down the drain. Now, apply for a car loan, and another freeze and thaw cycle. In fact, young job hunters can end up paying hundreds in freeze/law fees. By the way, the default setting by the “Big 3” is to have your credit open. I believe that the default should be to have frozen credit. Also, charging fees each time credit is thawed and the (re)-frozen seems like a scam. Oh, TransUnion’s stock price has increased 75% year-to-date and despite the Equifax fumble, its stock is down less than 8% in 2017. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
Subjective reality is “subject” to an elaborate set of filters, any one of which can modify a perception of that reality; sensory apparatus (e.g. the rods and cones in our eyes), sensory processing (e.g. the visual cortex), higher level brain function, and psychological factors (e.g. expectations). As such, what one person experiences is always different than what any other person experiences, but usually in subtle ways. SUBJECTIVE REALITY EXAMPLE. Two weeks of sunshine, high temperatures and no rain for many people is seen as desirable and good. The farmer however would like some rain in between times because otherwise his fields dry out, older people are not so happy with high air temperatures because it causes breathing difficulties etc. Who is being objective here? Obviously our assessment of the weather depends amongst other things significantly on what we want to do (swimming in an outdoor pool, working in the field, working in an office, travelling, resting etc.), upon our mood and our state of health. Exactly the same weather on a given day gives one person great pleasure and another one annoyance. EXPECTATIONS. A mental representation of an impending event relies heavily on information from past experience and, therefore, must incorporate information from brain regions associated with memory recall. The hippocampus is involved in neural processes supporting the retrieval of past memories and is reciprocally connected with the amygdala in a fashion that may support affective modulation of memory recall. Expectations of decreased pain profoundly reduce both the subjective experience of pain and pain-related brain activation. FILM / MEDIA INFLUENCE WHAT WE PERCEIVE AS REALITY. Kenneth Boulding (1956) did not write about how film influenced people's "images" but he did write about how messages change or fail to change the "images" people have of their world. "Images" are people's store of subjective knowledge about an event, person, or an experience. It is our overall image that determines our behavior. Boulding pointed out that any message has meaning to the extent that it can change our image. Messages often have a limited impact, particularly entertainment messages, and are interpreted as irrelevant to our image. Many messages can have a regularized impact, changing the image in a predictable manner. These types of messages serve to confirm existing beliefs and add detail to images we already hold. A message can also have a profound impact, changing the image in a revolutionary way. We can discover new facts, encounter new theories about why an event happened, and have our convictions about a past "truth" weakened. Historians feared radical change in what people thought about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, due to Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie, JFK, which promoted a conspiracy. Objective Reality & Consensus Reality. Objective reality completely exists independent of any conscious entity to observe it. It also is bound to the consensus requirement. For you to see a passing car and make it turn red just because you want to, would violate the color consensus that must be maintained for the other 1000 people that see that car drive by. In fact, there is nothing to say that the aggregate of conscious intents from all conscious entities fully shape the subjective reality. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
A person loses a loved one and smiles or laughs. Why? To the scientific eye, the seemingly misplaced humor manifestations reveal pain and regret. Dr. Perrodin explores popular theories of humor and demystifies the science behind laughter and discovers that laughter can be a formidable cognitive self-defense tool. This is known as Relief Theory. SNIPPETS OF LAUGHTER – EXAMPLES OF PYSCHOLOGICAL DEFENSE. Conspiracy theories are frequently peppered with video or audio snippets, separated from context, of persons who experienced a sentinel trauma such as losing a child or a spouse. Per Relief Theory, laughter is a normal human response to a situation that is starkly incongruent with everyday life. This biological coping mechanism is well-documented and also an affect that simply mismatches to the narrative. This may explain why some psychologists classify humor as one of the "mature" defense mechanisms we invoke to guard ourselves against overwhelming anxiety (as compared to the "psychotic," "immature," and "neurotic" defense mechanisms). Being able to laugh at traumatic events in our own lives doesn't cause us to ignore them, but instead seems to prepare us to endure them. WHY WE LAUGH – HOW LAUGHTER CAN HELP BUILD RESILIENCE. Dr. Perrodin describes the work of Alex Lickerman, M.D., who authored the book The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self Online: Happiness in this World (2011). “Interestingly, this same nervous laughter has been noted to occur in many psychological experiments when subjects have found themselves placed under a high degree of emotional stress specifically involving perceived harm to others. Perhaps the most famous of these experiments were those conducted by Stanley Milgram, who set out to discover why some people will blindly follow authority (the impetus being a desire to understand the behavior of soldiers in Nazi Germany). He brought in test subjects and asked them to deliver a series of increasingly powerful electric shocks to an unseen person (the "learner") to see just how much voltage they would deliver before refusing to continue. An astounding 65% delivered the experiment's final jolt of 450 volts, fully believing they were actually shocking the "learners." (It turns out, they weren't. The "learners" were members of Milgram's team playing a role.) In the paper he published on his experiment, Milgram made mention of several subjects who began to laugh nervously once they heard screams of pain coming from the unseen "learners," and suggested this was a phenomenon that deserved further study. BEING ABLE TO JOKE ABOUT A TRAUMATIC LOSS USUALLY REQUIRES THE HEALING DISTANCE OF TIME. Being victimized, for example, may make us suicidal when it first occurs, but with the passage of time we adapt to the loss and eventually may even find ourselves able to joke about it. What magic does the passage of time work on us that permits us to laugh at what once made us cry? Perhaps definitive proof that the alarm our loss raised when it first occurred was, in fact, "false." After all, we survived it and became happy again. WWII HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR VIKTOR FRANKL cited laughter as fundamental to preservation of his psyche. "Humor, more than anything else in the human makeup, affords an aloofness and an ability to rise above any situation, even if only for a few seconds.” FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. 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
Tragedy obliterates comedy and lays a jagged landscape for podcasters to navigate as shows are judged in the context of the moment and not the context of the moment they were recorded. A misinterpreted posting of a show can become a viral social media wrecking ball. Readily Random's Larry Roberts and The Safety Doc David Perrodin dissect the awkward dance of tragedy and comedy in the podcasting medium and how to lessen one's chances of appearing insensitive to events that beg the question, "How can you laugh at a time like this?" UNLUCKY TIMING & HORRIFIC CONTEXT. Hours before the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting that claimed 59 lives and injured hundreds, Dr. Perrodin released a podcast interview of Katie Pechon of Cajun Navy Relief. The show’s keel was the goodness that unites Americans in times of tragedy (per natural disasters). Suddenly, this positive, uplifting show was seemingly misplaced in the shattered landscape of contemporary America digesting the new “record” of murders by a gunman. Dr. Perrodin recalled that roughly a week after the 9/11/01 attacks, America’s top comedians delivered a special tribute comedy show that they collectively prefaced by admitting their native craft felt awkward to demonstrate in such a twisted, smoldering aftermath that ended thousands of lives. Yet, comedy is human – and humanity is giving and caring and sharing and knowing that laughter isn’t a tarp over pain, but perhaps a temporary diversion or a way to arrange thoughts to a perspective that helps restore a torus, or sense or a ‘new’ “normal” to one’s life. PROMOTING A POSITIVE STORY HOURS AFTER THE VEGAS SHOOTING – HOW? Larry suggested that shows released proximal to sentinel tragedies could be edited to include a brief acknowledgement of the event. In some instances, he notes that it might be best just to bury the episode. David admitted that he throttled back his promotion of the Cajun Navy interview after the Vegas shooting – a decision he grapples with to this day. WHY GUESTS LAUGH WHEN PRESENTING TRAGIC PERSONAL STORIES? It’s bio science. Researchers have found there is some evidence that strong negative feelings may provoke positive expressions; for example nervous laughter appears when people are confronted with a difficult or frightening situation, and smiles have been found by other psychologists to occur during extreme sadness. Larry Roberts shared how some of his guests who have recovered from drug addictions and horrible life events inject laughter or humor into their narratives. From a surface analysis, this might give the incorrect impression that the person is not serious about their story. In fact, the oddly-placed laughter is evidence that the person is anxious and seeking a way to feel more comfortable about expressing tragic thoughts. WISCONSIN VOLCANO, LARRY’S INKED PHONE & GER’S SPEECH. Larry and David share personal stories of humor before the social media era – guaranteed jocularity to wrap up a very thought-provoking show! FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 Learn more about Larry Roberts and the Readily Random Podcast at www.readilyrandom.com
Dr. Perrodin explains how mass media irresponsibly portrayed the October 1, 2017, Las Vegas massacre as an act of evil that any of us could encounter, in any location, at any moment. In addition, false articles defeated algorithm “truth” filters, journalism was sacrificed for short-term ratings, the collective public anxiety rocketed with no efforts to point out the counter-balance of “good” occurring in the country (such as thousands of Cajun Navy Relief workers still helping people devastated by last month’s hurricanes); and persons of authorities were manipulated by eager reporters asked leading questions. The tragedy preyed upon the insatiable thirst of people to learn what happened and why it happened - and the latter will be rhetoric or pundits’ proclamations as truth is revealed, as best as possible, months later following an exhaustive forensic study. MEDIA MESS. Leading social media sites struggled to parse authentic stories from fabricated stories. As we rely more on algorithms and bots and less on humans, this flurry of “questionably verified news” is what we will always deal with in such an event. News sites want clicks and people will grasp at any information. Dr. Perrodin advises everyone to listen to the police information present at the scene for the most reliable information. LOCAL NEWS SPIN. David expresses his perspective of local news TV quickly interviewing school administrators and police officers about how they would have (A) responded to this incident had it happened “here”, (B) How they train for such incidents, and (C) Advice for the audience. These are leading questions and aim to accomplish, what Dr. Perrodin refers to as “Projected Benchmarking”, or forcing people to imagine that the situation and context of the Vegas shooting could happen at any location at any moment. It’s actually quite simple to pull off this illusion as people are primed to want to express that they are prepared (whatever that means as sentinel events are unpredictable and nonlinear). Massive assumptions are made about the incident and preliminary reports are vetted. Rhetoric is unchecked. WHAT’S WRONG WITH ASKING HOW YOU WOULD HANDLE THE INCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED HERE? In US, approximately 100 people a day are killed in car crashes, yet we only talk about “sentinel” events - and only other comparable shooting of this nature was Texas Clock Tower massacre on 1966. We so readily are willing to overlook that each event is bound to context, situation and time. ADVICE ARTICLES ARE GENERIC & USELESS. Advice is universal when recited by the news talking head or the police. Telling someone to always run during an active shooter event is not sound advice as one could run directly into the line of fire, especially at night amongst 22,000 people…and what if there are multiple shooters? DR. PERRODIN HAS CONFIDENCE IN THESE NEWS SOURCES. He encourages people to obtain information from Wikinews, Reuters or Trunews.com. David also discourages the tendency to follow the clickbait headings dealing with motives. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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
When we think of rescuers, our thoughts default to police, fire and EMS. However, another group, much less formal, has been significantly involved in natural disaster rescue efforts across the southern US, primarily Louisiana and Texas, for the past decade. That assembly is referred to as the “Cajun Navy” and identifies ad-hoc volunteer groups comprising private boat owners who assist in search and rescue efforts. These groups were formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and reactivated following the 2016 Louisiana floods and Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. WHAT IS CAJUN NAVY RELIEF? Katie Pechon, Administration & Public Information Officer for Cajun Navy Relief, explains to Dr. Perrodin that the “Cajun Navy” is now a blanket term for variants of the original group assembled after Katrina. This splintering of sub-organizations has introduced representation issues and efforts are underway to unify the group and to acknowledge the primary incident command structure. The core, verified organization is Cajun Navy Relief and it is a not-for-profit 501c that works alongside traditional government units, such as fire departments or National Guard. Yet, the role of the “Cajun Navy”, as a collective response system, is not sanctioned by the government and the function of the Cajun Navy, exactly how it operates, how it dispatches, and how it is sustained, remains hazy to those not directly involved with the group. SOCIAL MEDIA RESCUES. Zello, a company with just 14 employees, had its free “Walkie-Talkie” app become an integral communication tool between responders and people in need. Facebook Messenger was monitored by Katie, and others to create “tickets” to orderly dispatch literally thousands of volunteer rescue missions. REGULATING THE CAJUN NAVY. Ironically, a few legislative bills surfaced in 2016 that would have imposed regulations, such as mandated training and licensing fees, upon this volunteer group. With a smile, Katie stated such acts would be fruitless as the CNR rescuers would respond to those in need and act in the best interest of people over compliance with seemingly frivolous laws. She added that the CNR interfaced efficiently, and was fully embraced by, Texas government officials as Hurricane Harvey hammered the state. The pressing need appears to be ensuring that imposters are scrubbed from response situations. DOING MORE THAN YOU THINK. The YouTube version of this episode includes behind-the-scenes photos of Cajun Navy Relief prying blackened drywall from homes, loading helicopters and comforting tired, grief-stricken people. I was surprised to learn that CNR members are still re-building homes in Louisiana damaged in a flood nearly a year ago! The CNR scales up quickly as a rescue group and then remains, sometimes for months, to sustain recovery projects. This is funded from donations or paid from the wallets of volunteers. SUPPORTING CAJUN NAVY RELIEF. I support grassroots rescue organizations that rapidly scale to meet the dynamic context and situation at hand. This type of “all hands on deck” mentality makes America strong and capitalizes upon the tacit knowledge, kindness and grit of those giving of their time, talents and resources to support rescue efforts - be it a crew in a boat or persons monitoring social media posts for help. To volunteer or donate, visit cajunnavyrelief.com FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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
Market-reflective prices in disasters ultimately ensure a better supply of goods. With extreme need arises a Sophie's Choice: (1) empty shelves, or (2) hyper-expensive items. Dr. Perrodin argues that price controls are over-simplified "solutions" to short-term complicated resource acquisition issues and sides with free market supply and demand pricing during short-duration sentinel events such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. ANECDOTES. David begins with a rant about the Equifax data breach and questions why the default status for personal credit isn’t “freeze” versus having to pay to protect one’s credit. He humorously scours iTunes for former Equifax Security Chief Susan Mauldin’s “Greatest Hits”. Yet, despite her Masters degree in music composition, she has yet to rip a set of tunes. (Why would you place someone with this inadequate credential set in charge of Americans most vital personal identification data?) You would think that a company named Staples would be the unrivaled leader of making staples. Not so. Dr. Perrodin shares the failure of his Staples’ stapler and the dismal quality of other products he purchased from the spiraling office supplies store. The introduction transitions by David recapping a peanut-brittle scented bike ride, which arguably could have been the aroma of warm butterscotch. PRICE GOUGING DURING DISASTERS. Numerous laws prevent price increases when supplies become scarce relative to need during times of crisis. The argument is based upon ethics and not upon economics. THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR PRICE GOUGING. Dr. Perrodin centers his show on an article by Corinne Purtill of Quartz. She states, “High prices on essentials during disasters feel, instinctively, like a cruel blow to people already suffering. But economists say that manipulating the market by forcing sellers to cap their prices can cause even bigger problems for disaster victims. As many economists see it, the higher prices on essential goods in the wake of a disaster like Hurricane Harvey are an accurate reflection of the greater cost and risk of supplying the item.” PRICE GOUGING IS SHORT-LIVED. Dr. Perrodin points out that the free market quickly stabilized prices on food, fuel and many essential items following both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. While price gouging may last for weeks, months or years in other areas of the world, such practices only last a few days in disaster-stricken areas in the United States. The Red Cross and National Guards scale up quickly and bring in core items to impacted regions. Ultimately, Dr. Perrodin sides with the case for price gouging during a disaster event with the exception of medications. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
Victims of hurricanes turned to Twitter and Facebook for help as floodwater rose and winds toppled structures. A combination of government and civilian rescuers answered their calls! 2017 is the demarcation line as we are officially in the social media age of natural disaster response. This new era has introduced both efficiencies and complexities to rescue operations practices. SPAGHETTI MODELS WERE SLOPPY & CONFUSING. Spaghetti models resemble a blob of noodle strands. The strands represent different outcomes, or paths, of storm systems based upon tweaking of variables. The models are similar to the weatherperson saying, “Tomorrow’s high will be between 70 and 80”. These predictions fail to take into account the countless numbers of variables impacting this open system of weather and also are unable to determine the impact that one variable has upon another. Hence, such modeling delays reactions by officials and the public as they typically “see” the pattern they desire to see in the spaghetti “tea leaves”. FEMA WAS BETTER THAN DURING HARVEY. Hands down, FEMA head Brock Long was all over preparation for this hurricane. In concert, Florida Governor Rick Scott was decisive and evacuating over a million people on aging, narrow ocean-side Interstates was not an easy feat. USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO REQUEST HELP. It was evident with Hurricane Harvey that people would seek information via social media and also post to social media to seek help when 911 or other call centers were overwhelmed. I credit the government for asking people to first call 911, but acknowledging that people were probably going to use Twitter and Facebook. These sites were monitored by volunteers not affiliated with government and there seemed to be a rather workable merging of self-dispatched rescuers and government rescuers. However, the evacuation was not a repeat of the significant “Cajun Navy” response during Hurricane Harvey. This was most likely due to inability to enter Florida and perhaps better staging of resources, although the latter is speculation. Dr. Perrodin explains that FEMA and government systems much evolve to interface with social media-based rescues. He also challenges some claims, such as not posting a photo of one’s location as such information is already available to the public via Google maps. Storm surge, the gradual failure of communications, “above sea level”, and potential energy converted to kinetic storm energy are all discussed in this rhetoric-free presentation by Dr. Perrodin. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
An abysmal government response to Hurricane Harvey exposed inadequate planning, lack of resources and confusing attempts at invoking incident command that iced potential responders such as commercial drone operators. Rescue efforts defaulted to heroic, overwhelmed local crews bolstered by the truly remarkable "Cajun Navy". In substantial form, social media played a key role for those attempting to contact responders. This show describes the nuances of the Hurricane Harvey landfall and offers precise protocols to improve future responses to natural disasters. DECISION TO NOT EVACUATE HOUSTON. The decision to not evacuate Houston was correct and will be the standard decision moving forward for sentinel events. Infrastructure would not support a timely evacuation. Had Houston ordered an evacuation, hundreds, if not thousands, of people would have perished in their vehicles. This has become the standard (unwritten) protocol for all major cities across the world. FOUR REASONS PEOPLE WON’T LEAVE THEIR HOMES. People have become desensitized to disasters. They have re-calibrated to a higher threshold “normal” torus. These are reasons why people ignore evacuation warnings (1) People are more likely to under-estimate importance of warning of event assuming that it won’t be as severe as predicted and will pattern to previous storms that weren’t “that bad”. (2) The duration of the event will be short. (3) No experience with interruption of resource supplies - can’t conceive this - no fuel, water, food, so on. (4) Assume government will intervene if situation does place one in imminent risk of harm. THE FEMA FUMBLE – MOBILIZING TOO FEW TOO LATE. A little leadership will go a long way. On August 30th, 24,000 National Guard troops were activated. This was 5 days too late. The initial rescue efforts were disjointed between agencies and residents were inundated with multiple phone numbers or websites to visit. HERE COMES THE CAJUN NAVY! The “Cajun Navy” formed 12 years ago following the 2005 Katrina hurricane in which a grassroots citizen group loosely assembled with boats, pickups and supplies to conduct house-to-house rescues. It operates with a “quiet” endorsement from politicians and open endorsement from the public. The CN responded, at no cost, to the greater Houston area with boats, trucks, water, food and personnel of various skillsets from farmer to meteorologist. Per its motto, “We don’t wait for help – we are the help”. They also took advantage of the latest technology - an app called Zello Walkie Talkie along with Facebook. DO NOT REGULATE THE CAJUN NAVY. Various bills have aimed to place restrictions on the self-dispatched CN in the form of mandated training and licensing. This is bad politics. The CN embodies spontaneous organization of people with tacit knowledge, patriotism, and compassion rallying to form a system that exists long enough to carry out rudimentary rescue efforts. The CAJUN NAVY exists to fill the void created by foot-dragging FEMA. Listen to the show for David’s recommendations on how FEMA can re-shape its role in sentinel event response to one of efficiently coordinating resources through a single 21st century technological incident command system. Dr. Perrodin’s contacts in Texas helped inform content for this show. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
“The dark web—which utilizes a technology created by military researchers in the 1990s to allow intelligence operatives to exchange information completely anonymously—is unknown to many. It's been said to be a breeding ground for organized crime, sex traffickers, and hackers. But it's also used by good actors, including whistle-blowers and activists.” https://phys.org/news/2017-03-dangers-dark-web.html THE ONION ROUTER (TOR). Dr. Perrodin shares that the Tor Browser, which is the door to the dark web, is astoundingly easy to access. In fact, the Tor Browser is a version of Mozilla Firefox that has been modified by the Tor Project for enhanced security and privacy. When you open the browser, it automatically connects to the Tor network, which encrypts and bounces your connection to the Internet around in a way that's supposed to make it difficult to spy on you. The TOR Browser is rated 3.5 / 5 stars from 26 votes on CNET with most low ratings due to TOR’s slow speed. Learn more about the Tor Project at www.torproject.org IS IT LEGAL TO SURF THE DARK WEB? It is legal to use Tor, but it does host illegal content. An illegal act conducted via Google Chrome or Internet Explorer would also be illegal if conducted via TOR. The dark web is a network of websites that only run on anonymous browsers, which will hide the identity of the user and the people who run the sites – so detection of nefarious acts is more difficult when a person uses a TOR browser. WHAT IS VPN? A VPN or Virtual Private Network is a method used to add security and privacy to private and public networks, like WiFi Hotspots and the Internet. VPNs are most often used by corporations to protect sensitive data as it hides your IP address - or the address of your computer. TOR is almost always paired with a VPN such as CyberGhost, NordVPN, or Trust.Zone. While TOR is free, VPN’s cost about $10 a month. FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TOR. (1) It Protects the Identity of the User Through ‘Hopping’ Across Devices Worldwide; (2) To Find a Site on Tor You Need to Know the Address of the Onion Service. This means the “dark web” websites have .onion in their address; (3) Less Than Half of the Activity on the Dark Web is Illegal; (4) The Dark Web Was Originally Meant to Safeguard Government Communications. “Onion Routing” was originally developed in order to protect intelligence communications online. The United States Naval Research Laboratory created Tor in the mid-1990s. The project was transferred to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 1997 and underwent its first round of software testing on 20 September 2002. Tor was publicly launched a year later. (5) Anyone Can Volunteer to Be Part of Network Running Tor. TOR AND SAFETY. The presence of the TOR icon, which is an onion, on a computer or other device might imply that the user is accessing websites that broker drugs, sex trafficking or other dangerous activities. Remember, TOR doesn’t create a historical log. Those that support TOR argue that the service is necessary to protect against increasing government surveillance and corporate tracking. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
Drones can fly at speeds of 70 MPH and electronic fences can’t prevent them from entering prison yards, hospital property or school zones. Wow, seems like drones pose risks to society – regulate them! Wait! Did I mention that drones efficiently operate within radioactive areas or locations that would present hazards to humans, such as scouting the “hot” regions of a forest fire? Drone expert Preston Rice explains and demonstrates the potential ways in which drones benefit humans – especially in the area of crisis prevention and response. DRONE DELIVERY BY AMAZON or PIZZA HUT. Preston notes that it is more efficient to use a drone for the delivery of smaller items as it doesn’t require sending out an individual or pollute. A barrier against such delivery is the requirement that the drone be in the line of sight of the operator. Amazon is confident that the technology will be integral to its business model and that regulations will evolve to permit vehicles to be operated beyond line of sight. DRONE SWARMS. In January, 2017, the US Military announced a successful launch of a 100-drone swarm from jets. Once launched the swarm, as a collective entity, can decide for itself how best to execute a mission. In the trials, three F/A-18 Super Hornets released 103 Perdix drones, which then communicated with each other and went about performing a series of formation flying exercises that mimic a surveillance mission. DRONE LANDS (UNNOTICED) ON A MILITARY SHIP. Popular Mechanics author Kyle Mizokami wrote that on August 14, 2017, a “civilian photographer landed his $350 drone on the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the United Kingdom's brand-new aircraft carrier, without anyone noticing. Even more alarming, when the incident was reported, the government authorities didn't seem particularly concerned by the breach of security. The incident comes after drones have been used to monitor military bases, conduct acts of sabotage, and even kill.” Preston added, “The ship landing does raise questions regarding the evolution of the technology moving faster than we can react to it.” While this drone was illegally operating in protected airspace, the issue of regulation enforcement was centered as a murky region, something Preston pointed out during part 1 of this interview when he highlighted the oft-conflicting laws and enforcement of laws between federal (FAA) and local government agencies. DRONE ANXIETY. Preston admitted that although he flies all the time, he questions the intent of a drone flying proximal to him, “What is he looking at?” Human curiosity makes us seek information about why drones are flying. If we see a drone flying near a bridge, we want to know that it is operated by a structural engineer. DEMONSTRATION. Preston and David visit the field at a local park as Preston demonstrates the steps of deploying a drone – from set-up to calibrating the drone to overhead satellites. The video is available in the YouTube version of this interview. The narrated demonstration swings open the door to the possible safety applications of a drone – especially as it was flown over swampy terrain and obtained crisp, real-time video of the terrain hundreds of feet below. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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 Learn more about Preston Rice and his drone services at www.widroneservice.com
The FAA controls the airspace above your lawn! However, the question of who owns the skies remains murky at local government levels. Rules & regulations for operating a drone differ greatly between a hobbyist and commercial operator. Drones, some smaller than a human hand, are used in many industries and show great promise for positive contributions to search & rescue and crisis response. WHAT IS A DRONE? Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a drone is an unmanned aircraft or ship guided by remote control or onboard computers. While most of have seen large military drones, modern hobbyist and commercial drones can be as small as the human hand. RULES & REGULATIONS. The FAA ultimately controls airspace and delegates some degree of monitoring and enforcement of airspace to local governments. Per Preston, local governments might pass “over-reaching” laws to limit where drones can fly. These laws could by superseded by FAA regulations which allow a drone operator to fly over his property or neighborhood. Preston notes that common sense is key to limiting nuisances or compromising safety. WHERE CAN’T I FLY? Preston noted that Federal parks are off limits. Prisons, nuclear power plants and hospitals often are “no fly zones” and additionally protected by a geo-fence barrier. However, electronic barriers are not yet robust enough to impede penetration by all drones. A commercial drone pilot can fly in most “restricted” areas if he obtains permission from the FAA or other site authority to fly in that vicinity. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOBBY OR COMMERCIAL DRONE OPERATION. A commercial drone pilot has obtained extensive training and understanding restricted airspaces and flight traffic near airports. In addition, a commercial pilot can charge for drone services, such as aerial photography. WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG? Drones identify their position in space from 17-18 satellite signals. This information can be combined with GPS and various sensors, such as frontal collision. When a drone loses guidance signals or has depleted power, it will aim to return to a point of origin or else land. The drone is often in the sight of the operator. AMAZING USE OF DRONES! A decade ago, drones were associated with military use. Today, drones survey agriculture crops, inspect wind turbine towers, infrared scan fire scenes, examine bridges, obtain aerial photography for special events, participate in search and rescue and even deploy a flotation device to someone struggling to swim! Drones are immune to radiation or chemical pollutants that limit human rescues. A drone does not have emotion, bias or fatigue. It can operate at full efficiency until it requires a fresh set of batteries and then can be back flying in mere minutes. HOW ABOUT THE MILITARY & DRONES? Drones are an increasing component of the military’s surveillance and weaponry units. In recent tests, several small drones were released from a military aircraft and then the drones identified their locations in space and relative to each other and began to fly as one large network – something we sometimes see in the behavior of birds. By the way, eagles have been trained to pluck nefarious drones from the skies! FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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 Learn more about Preston Rice and his drone services at www.widroneservice.com
High-drama multi-agency intruder response simulations transpire daily in schools across America. This hyper-realistic approach to school safety has produced a flurry of litigation centering psychological trauma for adults and children. Furthermore, theatrical drills are not supported by empirical research and differ greatly from the ways schools prepare for other disasters, such as fires and tornadoes. For example, when the fire alarm sounds, students don’t enter a smoke-filled hallway. Dr. Perrodin offers key safety suggestions for staff, administrators, and students. FOR STAFF. Exercise situational awareness and trust your gut feeling - quickly report concerns to administration. Go thru the harassment and threat input system step-by-step with all students and give extra training to youth with special needs. ADMINISTRATORS. Assure staff that you will HAVE THEIR BACK if they exercise discretion to act in the best interest of students, others or self. Inform staff that is there is a school intruder event, the entire school property might be considered a crime scene and they might not be able to retrieve personal belongings or vehicles for a day or more. EDUCATE PARENTS. Inform parents that in the event of an intruder or other lockdown situation to NOT drive to the school to pick up their child unless directed to do so by the school. Parents converging on a scene interfere with emergency responders. Also, let them know that you will tell them that staging or pick-up areas as the situation will dictate where emergency officials deem those will be located - which could be several blocks or even a few miles away in the event of a tornado. Too often the evacuation site is a location a block away from the school. STUDENTS. Be explicit in covering the school handbook for areas of safety - including threat to others and threat of harm to self. Students can create PSA videos about the handbook. Have students demonstrate the reporting process. ALARMING FINDINGS ABOUT FIRE DRILL RESEARCH. Many schools throughout the United States are mandated to hold drills, or operational exercises, to prepare for fires, tornadoes, violence, and other emergencies. Despite recommendations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and USDOE, no local or federal agency routinely monitors the frequency and quality of school drills. Hence, drills are often checklist activities and not exercises to better inform practice. Furthermore, research that has been done to assess the impact of drills suggests that they produce both benefits, such as students learning the evacuation location, and drawbacks, including student apathy and becoming desensitized to drills. BETTER PRACTICES. Host a community assembly a week before school starts - record it, play it on cable access and make available from school website, how about a 30-second advertisement in the local movie theater? Tell people what to expect during and following a school crisis! 4 SIMPLE QUESTIONS WILL IMPROVE SCHOOL SAFETY. Within 30 minutes of a drill, have all staff respond to a four question survey that asks: (1) Your location during the drill, (2) Did you hear the announcement of the drill (3) Any questions / constructive input, (4) What questions did students have? FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
Probability is key to safety and decision-making. Dr. Perrodin talks about one of the most common mistakes people make with probability and how to avoid it. IN THE FLOW. David shares excerpts from the best-selling book, Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. Flow is the merging of action and awareness and a prelude to understanding probability. Per Csikszentmihaly, “When all of a person’s relevant skills are needed to cope with the challenges of a situation, that person’s attention is completely absorbed by the activity.” Athletes often describe this as “being in the zone”. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. David explains that being “in the flow” involves situational awareness and while it happens, recall of the time “being in the flow” is inconsistent - and we know that all memory recall degrades rapidly within just an hour of the experience. So, when people are “in the flow” they might not be able to remember events as well. DISCRETION ALLOWS ONE TO BE IN THE FLOW. Discretion, following one’s gut and tacit knowledge allow you to be in the flow. If you are consumed with worrying about scrutiny of your actions or have outside thoughts creeping into your thinking, then you’re not going to be in the flow. Think about it - Sully on the Hudson was in the flow. “The flow” works well with negotiating nonlinear events. SOMETIMES BEING IN THE ZONE ISN’T IDEAL. Dr. Perrodin points out the problem with being in “The Flow” too much is that you might end up “going” with a suboptimal option. For example, people running away from the Twin Towers and you join in with the group. You assume the group has some collective knowledge or a leader is out in front or something and you really don’t need to consider your heuristics - or options. “Being in the zone” and “going with the flow” are often described in pretty linear situations such as a dancer, actor, mountain climber, chess player, etc. PROBABILITY. “You ask, what are the chances of that happening?” That’s a good question as understanding chance is understanding risk. Per Cornell University, the chance of a shooting at any school in American is once in 13,300 years or about .0000004% chance per school day. Probability helps us deal with the unknown. PRIORITIZATION. A school shooting is a sentinel event that we assign much prioritization to it, although the probability is very low. There’s a tricky interface between probabilities and priorities and you can see that this area is strongly influenced by recent events, political influence and bias - what is important to you. PROBABILITY WORKS BEST OVER A LONG SPAN. Probability works well in determining long-term behavior, but it doesn’t work well for predicting outcomes in the short term. Let’s use a simple binary, two-options probability model. This is common and is basically Yes or No. You flip a coin 10 times. What’s the probability that 5 times it will be heads and 5 times it will be tails? You flip a coin 1000 times. What’s the probability that 500 times it will be heads and 500 times it will be tails? Each toss is 50-50, but time and trials have a smoothing effect on data. Note that there is no “learning” going on here. Your coin toss technique has no effect on the coin landing heads or tails. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
There are several reasons why each disaster should be studied as an individual unit. By isolating communications and geography specific to time, context and situation, Dr. Perrodin demonstrates the inherent problems with comparing disasters. He also notes the incredible impact of “lived experiences” and longitudinal demographic factors that contributed to the improbable rescue of 500,000 people in only 9 hours from Lower Manhattan on 9/11/01. COLD WAR 1980-1985. David shares an excerpt from his research for his book “Lessons of Lower Manhattan” and delineates the saturating influences of politics, media and pop culture on youth and young adults during the first half of the 1980s. This was a time when Americans were inundated with messages that the Soviet Union presented a serious threat to the well-being of every American. COMMUNICATIONS & GROWTH OF INTERNET. Bill Clinton said, “When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the World Wide Web... Now even my cat has its own page.” At the time of the Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995, a mere 16 Million People (.4%) in The World Used the Internet. At the time of the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, that number had risen sharply to 513 million people (9%). As of March, 2017, the Internet is accessed by 3.74 billion people (50% of the world). This is amazing when you consider that more than a billion people do not have access to electricity! Media updates about the 9/11/01 attacks were timely, and available, online. Although people didn’t have “smart” devices, they could send and receive information via texts. Substantially more information is available today and communication systems are very robust even when confronted with hurricanes. AFTER ACTION REVIEW. The AAR was developed in the 1970s by the military to study disaster response. The method lacks a standard template and often results in benchmarking against other disasters / responses. It also tends to skew toward assigning blame versus understanding the response – both the attributes that contributed to successful outcomes and barriers that militated against successful outcomes. Is there really a no fault analysis of a disaster? GEOGRAPHY. WTC was on an island. Murrah was not an island. This is a monumental difference that would be pervasive across all response efforts! People in OKC were not wondering how they would get to a safe area. People in WTC had nowhere to go other than the harbor. Florida hurricane evacuations are limited by the capacity of Interstate 4 and even with a few days warning, the infrastructure is quickly strained. Also, when people have already lived through a hurricane by “hunkering down” they are less likely to evacuate. Wildland fires - people disoriented as exit routes can change / can have hills. Dam failures - upstream or downstream? Do escape routes cross downstream rivers? FUKUSHIMA (2011). Japan’s population dense metro regions do not have grid-like city planning innate to cities in the United States. It’s hard to find your way around during a disaster. A Google engineer used his smart device and Google Maps to navigate fractured roads in order to return to his wife and child. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
Moral dilemmas center ethical choices in rescue operations in which the grueling decision is between, at times, equally-deserving alternatives. Dr. Perrodin also analyzes a safety response article comparing the actions of rescuers present at the Murrah Building and rescuers present at the World Trade Center - noting such comparisons hold great challenges to distilling information that can be generalized to other settings. SOPHIE’S CHOICE. Sophie’s Choice is the title of a 1979 novel by William Styron, about a Polish woman in a Nazi concentration camp who is forced to decide which of her two children will live and which will die. The phrase “Sophie’s Choice” has become shorthand for a terrible choice between two equally deserving alternatives difficult options. THE OVERCROWDED LIFEBOAT. Victor Grassian provided this example of a moral dilemma in his book Moral Reasoning. In 1842, a ship struck an iceberg and more than 30 survivors were crowded into a lifeboat intended to hold 7. As a storm threatened, it became obvious that the lifeboat would have to be lightened if anyone were to survive. The captain reasoned that the right thing to do in this situation was to force some individuals to go over the side and drown. Such an action, he reasoned, was not unjust to those thrown overboard, for they would have drowned anyway. If he did nothing, however, he would be responsible for the deaths of those whom he could have saved. Some people opposed the captain's decision. They claimed that if nothing were done and everyone died as a result, no one would be responsible for these deaths. The moral principle involved with the deaths is a simple Utilitarian one: because of the decision, fewer people die later. If you had been on the jury, how would you have decided? 9/11 JOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES & CRISIS MANAGEMENT. Cognitive Correlates of Improvised Behavior in Disaster Response: the Cases of the Murrah Building and the World Trade Center by Mendonca, Webb, Butts & Brooks (2014). Dr. Perrodin analyzes this study that compares improvised behavior in disaster response between the Murrah Building (OKC) and the World Trade Center (NYC). The study is built upon sound methodology and conducted by impeccable experts. Yet, it is an example of how research in this vein becomes patterned and ultimately struggles to offer fresh recommendations. Dr. Perrodin suggests that crisis events should be deeply examined as units with special attention to demographics, local, national and international contexts and identify how technology, or (soon) artificial intelligence & robots interfaced with rescue operations. The authors state that it is difficult to compare results within or across organizations over time or across events. David reasons that the two events should not be compared due to vastly different contexts and situations. Manhattan, for example, is an island. DEFCON 3. The United States military went to DEFCON 3 following the attacks of 9/11/01? The DEFense readiness CONdition (DEFCON) system prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. Military. The DEFCON level did not change after the Murrah bombing as it was deemed a localized event that was not going to escalate to a national, or international, safety event. FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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
Would religion have a purpose if there was no human death? Is there a point when a perpetual Ground Hog Day would siphon one’s sense of control over being & environment, hence eroding agency & purpose? CO-SHOW: Nerdy By Nature podcaster Elijah joined Safety Doc host David to explore similarities in societies that have spanned history books for thousands of years. The duo compared ancient practices to what happens today. As well, they speculated into what would happen with the introduction of artificial intelligence, singularity, & perpetual life. THOUGHT-PROVOKING IDEAS CHALLENGING CURRENT THOUGHT: Wages, Work Day Length, World War & Influence of Charismatic Leaders & Society Co-existing. Elijah notes Sweden’s move toward a decreased work day & decreased school day, a model that could be emulated by other countries as automation thins available jobs. QIN DYNASTY. You might be aware of the discovery of the massive buried Terra Cotta Army in China. This army of more than 6,000 life-sized warriors and weapons was created per Qin’s fear of being vulnerable in the after-life. Emperor Qin ran his dynasty with absolute control. Qin developed a spy system, so that all people kept an eye on each other. Spies were rewarded very well. Big brothers? THE TORUS. Thinking of the torus as a donut, most of our days and experiences are similar if we imagined such as traveling within the donut from a start point to return to that point. As the torus helps us manage being inundated with environmental cues, it equally makes us susceptible to convincing ourselves that abnormal events are normal. It was a reason why people in the Twin Towers didn’t react much until 4 minutes following the impact of the first plane. TRANSFERENCE. How are high-stakes decisions made and what is the role of personal bias and discretion? How about “Positive Transference” throughout history & across cultures - in other words, cultures that had very high levels of subordinates being bound to the leader - possibly even to the obvious peril of the subordinates? This was obvious with Hitler and the thousands of young Germans that idolized him as a father figure. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Skynet, HAL 9000, and iRobot are examples of movies exposing that AI can be used to benefit mankind, control it, or destroy it. Also, with emerging borderless economies such as Fiverr.com, a global online marketplace offering tasks & services beginning at $5 per job performed, how do we maintain “livable” wages when independent contractors are underselling existing wage floors? UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME. What is the impact of a UBI allowance for all citizens? It would liberate time - people could, in theory, work 10 hours a week. Or, it would be devastating to people who laminated their identity to their job titles as they wouldn’t realize sense of agency and purpose through work. Robert Reich, Former Labor Secretary in USA under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. “Mark my words: A Universal Basic Income is coming, as artificial intelligence and robots eat away good jobs.” Will it be that Millennials more easily make a transition to a UBI society as they, in general, seem less laminated to job titles, possessions and status? FOLLOW. DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to discussion thread 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 is curse free & 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 Learn about Nerdy By Nature at letusgetnerdy.com
A WWII field psychiatrist found that infantry soldiers in the 5th Army survived a maximum of 238 aggregate combat days (ACD) before a fate of (1) physical casualty, (2) prisoner of war, or (3) psychiatric casualty. For the first time, it was realized that every soldier had a “finite voltage” and sooner or later would break – even if they appeared to have held up magnificently under incredible stress. This understanding demarked a sharp change in thinking that previously held that soldiers that “broke” under pressure did so only due to some psychological flaw. CHANGING PTSD to PTSI. In order to bring greater awareness to the issue of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the United States Senate designated June 27th as National PTSD Awareness Day. President George W. Bush in 2014 championed a campaign to change how we think about PTSD. In a very moving discussion on Good Morning America, he stated, “We're getting rid of the D," he said. "PTS is an injury; it's not a disorder. The problem is when you call it a disorder, [veterans] don't think they can be treated.” This is part of the George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative. PSYCHIATRIC COLLAPSE VIEWED AS INTRA-SOLDIER FLAW DURING & BEFORE WWII. A soldier’s mental health was viewed much differently 75 years ago. An important lesson that came out of military psychiatry in WWII. In that war, looking at psychiatric collapse of individuals primarily along the Western front, the conventional view was that there was something wrong with them before they even showed up in the Army and that a healthy individual could endure combat essentially indefinitely and then people referred to “Shell Shock”, what was later called “Combat Fatigue.” Doctors were saying it’s a manifestation of a pre-existing condition in a military context. WHY WE FIGHT VIDEOS & MOTIVATION PROGANDA. The belief was that a “weakling” soldier (who hadn’t been screened out) perhaps just needed more motivation. Dr. Appel, military psychiatrist, shared wrote that as psychiatric liaison to the Information & Education (I&E) Division, he took on my first project helping make movies in a series entitled Why We Fight, to be shown to recruits. (You can view these unsettling Frank Capra videos on YouTube - each are 40-50 minutes in length). Appel recalls discussing id, superego, and ego with the experts making the films: a Harvard professor of sociology, a professor of psychology from Yale--and Ted Geisel, or "Dr. Seuss." THE ONE QUESTION THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT PREDICTOR OF A SOLDIER’S BATTLE ENDURANCE. Later studies determined that that single question, asked at induction, "Do you want to be in the service?" predicted actual emotional breakdown better than any other. Negative responses heralded subsequent mental disorder. WHAT HELPED? Surprisingly, extra pay to combat soldiers didn’t make a difference. Steps that made a difference included setting a completed Tour of Duty at 180 ACD and providing line infantry soldiers with special blue arm patches. Such measures boosted morale & decreased psychiatric collapse. SUMMARY. Per Appel, from a medical viewpoint, the most exciting event had been that discovery that every man has a breaking point. This had not been known previously to psychiatry or to anyone. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: 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 & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show is curse free & 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
The simplest nonlinear system is The Torus and it governs our daily lives into expected routines. It has one loose but stable outcome basin. If you commute to work, the outcome basin is most likely your arrival at work at an approximate time each day. The dynamics of The Torus are marked by self-similarity. Self-similarity, as a concept, firms & entire societies, may be similar day-to-day, year-to-year or generation to generation However, no one embodiment in any given cycle or iteration of the behavior of any given system is precisely like a previous embodiment. While your daily commute might seem routine and typical, it is always different, in fact, probably much more different than you realize! Routine dynamics inside a factory, an office, a hospital, a school or a prison have the character of a torus. CHAOS EXISTS OUTSIDE OF THE TORUS. Imagine a substantial alteration to your daily commute - perhaps something that changes your trip so drastically that it is now removed from the largely predictable, patterned Torus such as an accident or severe weather. In such situations in which the basin is no longer predictable, chaos ensues. SIMILARITY REPLACES SAMENESS. Even in high-tolerance manufacturing, there are similarities between items & not sameness. This dates back to the work of such quality control experts as W. E. Demming. Statistical variation always exists between items or processes. SAFETY & SAMENESS. When we expect things to be the same, things to follow a predictable sequence, we can easily overlook subtle, but very critical changes that alert us to compromised safety situations. Many people in the Twin Towers stayed at their desks for 4-minutes following the first plane crash. People simply thought that in a few minutes an “All Clear” would be issued or else struggled to accept the magnitude of the attack & continued to believe that their day was still within the parameters of The Torus. ROBBER’S CAVE EXPERIMENT. In the summer of 1954, social psychologist Muzafer Sherif examined what is now known as “Realistic Conflict Theory” which accounts for group conflict, negative prejudices, and stereotypes as being the result of competition between groups for desired resources. Sherif’s field experiment demonstrated devolving The Torus to chaos & involved 2 groups of 12 y.o. boys at Robbers Cave State Park in Oklahoma. FIRST PHASE. Boys randomly assigned to 2 groups & encouraged to bond with their group. They did not know of the existence of the other group. One group was “The Eagles” & the other “The Rattlers” and such logos / words were on their shirts & flags. SECOND PHASE. Competition stage where friction between the groups was to occur for the next 4-6 days such as baseball games & tug-of-war. Winners were heavily awarded & cumulative scores were kept. Prejudice increased from name calling to physical altercations. The Eagles burned the Rattlers flag & then the Rattlers ransacked the Eagle’s cabin & stole private property. The groups became so aggressive that the researchers had to separate them. The study confirmed Sherif’s Realistic Conflict Theory. However, the theory wasn’t observed in the block-deep lines of people seeking a coveted spot on a boat during the 9/11/01 Lower Manhattan rescue. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel & SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: 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 & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show is curse free & 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
If you don't know what to study in college, then don't go. And if you don't know what to do in life, then don't go. In both instances you'll waste precious time and money you don't have, and it pays instead to take inventory of you are, what you want to do, and where you belong in this world. But how do you do that? How do you find out who you are, what you were destined to do, and what your purpose in life is? And perhaps just as important, how do you do that quickly and efficiently as possible so you don't waste any more time in life than you already have? Simple. You become a “Reconnaissance Man.” (Above excerpt by Aaron Clarey) ABOUT AARON CLAREY. Dr. Perrodin interviews the only motorcycling, fossil-hunting, tornado chasing, book-writing, ballroom dancing economist in the world, Aaron Clarey. This 100-minute interview is a thrill ride through reality and both Aaron’s and David’s Wisconsin roots are exposed a few times as both recount frigid, endless winters and life in an area of the country where the underside of zero is frequently visited by the mercury. RECONNAISSANCE MAN. The interview centers a dissection of the tenets of Aaron’s life-charting book, Reconnaissance Man. David shares how a research colleague reported her study findings of how high school students were incapable of describing personal or career goals. Dr. Perrodin expands that revelation by giving his own example of transference, or unquestionable following of the advice of someone you trust. Hence, David didn’t purchase a vehicle with a sunroof until age 40 as his mother had declared forever that all sunroofs leaked. WHY DRIVE WITH THE RADIO OFF? Aaron notes in his book that his radio is off while he conducts reconnaissance travels. Instead, he is processing his surroundings and occupying his mind with entrepreneur ideas. A pen and notebook are his tools for documenting thoughts and he’s mastered driving with his knees on the long, open stretches of the western America. HYPER-CONNECTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA. While David proposed that modern youth would likely take endless photos and make endless posts about traveling, Aaron noted that such much be the case, but that Dr. Perrodin’s position on the matter was too strong and that he was overlooking the sheer accomplishment of getting an 18 yo to conduct reconnaissance travels. Aaron explained that a little boasting on social media by the young traveler might actually spark the wanderlust fever of other youth. POOR RICHARD’S RETIREMENT FOR EVERYDAY AMERICANS. The interview closed with Aaron recapping his most current published essay which is a primer for anyone considering retirement. He is direct in stating that people can live comfortably on $30,000 a year in retirement, but the real issue is altering one’s thinking from the addictive practices of consumerism – purchasing things that one doesn’t need, eating out frequently and not being thrifty on trips. An example was that with modest Internet research, one could visit Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (Colorado) at no cost or pay a fee and drive a longer distance to view nearly identical ancestral Indian archaeological sites at Mesa Verde National Park. 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 Learn more about Aaron Clarey at captaincapitalism.blogspot.com
Transference is a phenomenon characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to another. One definition of transference is "the inappropriate repetition in the present of a relationship that was important in a person's childhood". To frame his discussion of transference, Dr. Perrodin explores the article The Different Faces of Transference written by Michael Maccoby which appeared in Harvard Business Review in 2004. While the article is dated, the perspectives of the author are helpful in bringing understanding to how transference has changed from the workforce of 2004 to the workforce of 2017. POSITIVE TRANSFERENCE. Positive Transference is when an employee sees a leader as better than he/she is. This is especially evident in leaders that present as very charismatic or “parent-like”. Leaders can very easily come undone by their followers’ positive transference projection. It’s remarkable how often even reasonably self-aware leaders will become victims of illusion. Most mindful leaders don’t buy into their followers idealized images of them as they have member checks, and practice introspection and reflection. OUR LADY OF ANGELS EXAMPLE. On December 1, 1958, a fire broke out at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, Illinois. The teachers had looked in vain for the school principal before deciding to act on their own to vacate the school. Unknown to them, the principal was in the other wing, covering a class for an absent teacher. IMPACT OF ORGANIZATION STRESS. Per Maccoby, the transference dynamic is most likely to get out of control during periods of organization stress. In such situations, followers tend to be more dominated by irrational feelings - in particular the need for praise & protection from all powerful parents. The article identifies doubt and stress as triggers for transference. STUNNING FINDINGS FROM CLINICAL STUDIES ON ANTIDEPRESSANTS. Clinical studies show, for example, that up to 33% of people respond as well to placebos as to antidepressants. People “hope” for a cure and therefore respond to the placebo. 9/11 LOWER MANHATTAN BOAT RESCUE DUE TO TRANSFERENCE? This show has relevance to crisis response - especially the 9/11 boat rescue. I’ve deduced that the block-long depth of people lined up at the harbor shore held hope and transference that the Coast Guard / Navy were coordinating a rescue. Once they had that mindset, they were orderly and it wasn’t a devastating mob rush to get to the front of the lines. JACK WELCH AS GE CEO FROM 1981-2001 EMBODIED TRANSFERENCE PSYCHOLOGY. During Jack Welch’s reign as CEO of GE from 1981-2001, Mr. Maccoby felt that employees transferred childhood feelings onto Jack Welch, even though they had never met him. COUNTERTRANSFERENCE. This is when a follower projects his past experiences onto his leader, the leader responds by projecting his/her past experiences back onto the follower. Freud called this phenomena counter-transference and it occurs from a subconscious level. ADVICE. David provides strategies to increase detection of being the author or recipient of transference as it is vital that one knows when he or she is being influenced by transference as it can have monumental impacts of personal well-being. 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
Hector Solis is a father devoted to providing practical, useful, and entertaining parenting information to men navigating through fatherhood. He is a co-founder of “Typical Daddy”, which is a team that shares parenting experiences, presents parenting challenges, and provides practical solutions for raising children. Hector and his friends understand that being a father is not a job; it is a privilege with great responsibility. BACKGROUND: In this “extended-version” interview with Dr. Perrodin, Hector shares his professional training in psychology and passion to help others. He met like-minded fathers and helped develop the resource known as “Typical Daddy” with a mission to organize and share information to be a better father. MORE ENGAGED IN THE MOMENT. Hector believes in quality over quantity when being with his children so he can acquire a deep understanding of their behaviors and also become more attuned to perceiving micro-behaviors that might indicate that something is wrong, such as a child that perceives he or she is being bullied. He asks deep-thought questions of his children and feels that this approach to engaging discourse will encourage his children to continue to openly communicate and share their feelings as they enter adolescence and adulthood. THE FAMILY SCHEDULE. Imagine scheduling your day. Now imagine being a part of a family that schedules its entire week! Hector shares his approach to scheduling his week to ensure that family time is always preserved as the top priority. Hence, our interviewed occurred during Hector’s 8:30 PM “podcasting/research” time per his calendar. BULLYING. Dr. Perrodin shared his own account of being the recipient of cyberbullying with a surprising twist of reading a rant entry posted by a friend who was unaware that the target of his wrath was actually David. Hector echoed how the Typical Daddy team identified bullying as a topic for a show and sought out a content expert to present about her book about youth bullying. PODCASTING IS A FAMILY. The final segment of the interview explores how Hector contacted David offering to help him improve the audio quality of his shows. Both men share their countless positive experiences with fellow podcasters and how the growth of podcasting is creating a responsive, contributing community and easy-to-access portable content that is, perhaps, offsetting the ills inherent to traditional social media which is more spur-of-the-moment rhetoric versus carefully produced podcasts. 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/KpSsbgWhaLU 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 TYPICAL DADDY. Learn more about Hector and Typical Daddy at www.typicaldaddy.com
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
At the outset of a lawsuit, an experienced attorney will formulate a discovery strategy that is geared toward learning as much as possible about who the opposing party's trial witnesses will be, what their testimony will consist of, and what documents they will offer to support their claims. We assume that attorneys possess an exhaustive knowledge base in many fields, yet for some legal cases, attorneys have little grasp of the interdisciplinary clockwork of the industry, such as how public schools operate day-to-day. In such instances, an outside expert, like "The Safety Doc" can be used to help a client and his or her attorney gain a better understanding of how best to present a successful case. DISCLAIMER. I am not an attorney. This show isn't legal advice. It's a compilation of personal experiences related to cases that I reviewed as a consult expert or expert legal witness. This show is also informed by personal research to help inform my own professional opinions. WHAT IS DISCOVERY? "Discovery" is a legal term of art that consists of several tools that are used to uncover facts relevant to the various claims and defenses at issue in the case. The parties are permitted to discover relevant facts through three main types of written discovery (1) Interrogatories (2) Requests for Production of Documents, & (3) Requests for Admissions. WHAT ARE DEPOSITIONS? Depositions are questions of witnesses and typically don't take place in courtrooms. The attorneys will ask the witness, or deponent, a series of questions about facts and events related to the lawsuit with the entire deposition recorded word-for-word by a court reporter or videotaped. All parties to the case may attend the deposition and a deponent often has his or her attorney present, albeit with a more limited role than the attorney would have in a courtroom. WHAT IS BENCHMARKING? Benchmarking is comparing one's business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other companies. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time and cost. In education, this approach is often flawed as it is near impossible to compare schools. WHAT I DO. As a consulting expert or expert witness, I determine viability of a case, and if so, prioritize strategies. I recognize my own strengths, ways to become informed, identify my limitations and assemble discovery requests and deposition questions. Much time is spent to analyze and summarizing documents from discovery and depositions. RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU. Act in the best interest of yourself or others given the context and situation. If you are in a position to train, then training materials and a list of persons that attended the training. Finally, always document with timestamps and maintain copies in electronic and paper. If you have questions about your job duties, ask a superior and if a satisfactory response isn’t provided, use emails and letters to seek clarification from those you deem as superiors. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t... or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/QjdoT68NNc4 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.wordpres... 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
Dr. Perrodin describes first order thinking, which can be a visceral response, and also second order thinking, which goes a step further by having one reflect upon “why” he or she feels a certain way about a situation or event. David shares his own awkward feelings upon reading the obituary of a man in his 20s that did many exciting, adventurous things during his short life. I KNOW THAT I SHOULDN’T FEEL THIS WAY. Most of us regret our initial reaction to something that how we act – be it something we do or how we feel about something – and that first order thinking is primitive and totally natural. It is easy to chide ourselves for visceral feelings, when, in fact, such feelings are often beyond our control. When we reflect upon such raw and immediate feelings, we admit to ourselves a disconnect from our belief set and our feelings and therefore traverse the thought-grinding task to take a first-order thought and evolve it to a second-level though, we have engaged in critical thinking – and people appreciate discourse with critical thinkers. FIRST ORDER THINKING. First order thinking is natural, but it’s not the pattern of thought associated with interesting people capable of assessing contexts and situations to make important decisions. Hence, you want to be regarded as a second level thinker and David offers strategies to make you more comfortable and competent in that realm. First order thinking can also just be a simple account of what one processed through the senses. A first order thinker would be able to give a linear account of a movie, noting main events and main characters, but never really diving into the themes of the movie. The world is very tangible to first order thinkers. They are susceptible to rhetoric, or language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content. Hence, first order thinkers say things like, “I guess I am stressed and need medication” after watching a 30-second pharmaceutical commercial (disregarding contributing factors to potential stress such as poor eating habits, careless spending, and not spending time with family and nature). SECOND ORDER THINKING. Let’s use an example to explore second level thinking. The popular Tom Hanks movie Forrest Gump pits determinism against free will. As a man with an intellectual disability, Forrest could have had his life’s decisions managed by others, such as his mother, military superiors, bankers, etc. While he experienced hardships, he was also the recipient of breaks, such as having an ethical, savvy business partner. Another powerful backdrop of the movie is the Vietnam War. One could parallel the polarizing portrayal of the war with Forrest’s own quests to prove his worth in a world that was two decades away from the passage of the American with Disabilities Act. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t... or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/HGyqJPRhqjI 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.wordpres... 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
PURPOSE OF THIS EPISODE. This show won’t assume a position for or against sanctuary cities, but will empirically peel away conflated terminology and confusing rhetoric to better understand how to objectively define a sanctuary city or state and existing laws that interface with practices embraced by cities or states refusing to cooperate with ICE. ABOUT OUR GUEST. Thomas Marchetti is a Retired Los Angeles Police Detective with 26 years of service in his detective career. He is a fan of the Anaheim Angels and USC Trojans. Tom is currently working on property tax reform in Texas and passage of Texas Senate Bill 2 which will address the yearly growth rate in property taxes. Find him on twitter at Ryanexpress77. SANCTUARY CITY. In the United States and Canada, a sanctuary city is a city that limits its cooperation with the national government in order to help people who are in the country illegally avoid deportation. Such people are frequently described as illegal immigrants or undocumented immigrants. ICE. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is an American federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security. TOM’S ANALYSIS OF THIS SITUATION. “Sanctuary cities is a big issue throughout the country and this discussion speaks on exactly what is being asked of local law enforcement in regards to criminal aliens versus the false narrative that local cops are being asked by the Feds to turn into mini ICE agents to enforcement immigration law.” He shares stories of major success with the ICE detainer process at LAPD in a so-called sanctuary city. THE 30-SECOND PHONE CALL. Tom indicates that Title 8 1373 USC requires local police and government employees to fully cooperate with ICE. That 1996 bill is at the crux of sanctuary city posturing as to be compliant with Title 8 1373 USC, non-ICE local law enforcement would need to place a 30-second phone call to ICE 2 hours before a criminal alien was to be released from jail. CALL ICE, YOU GO TO JAIL. Tom explains that California passed a law two years ago called the TRUST Act which prohibits local police from contacting ICE for most types of arrests. Hence, a local police officer could be arrested for contacting ICE if he detained a criminal alien for a substantial offense. BRIGHT FUTURE: Per www.wnd.com (Leo Hohmann 3-18-2017), “More than 2,000 criminal non-citizens, including many in the US illegally, are released from prison every year onto the streets of American cities.” However, the US Secretary of State is achieving success in deporting criminal migrants for the first time in decades. Learn much more during this well-researched episode with a from-the-field expert guest. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t... or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/nNi2ek6Q50A 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.wordpres... 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
In July 2014, South Carolina mother Debra Harrell was arrested for allowing her 9-year-old daughter to play at a popular park unattended while she was at work. The media rhetoric trended toward a portrayal of Debra Harrell as, at least, a parent who exercised poor judgment. Ms. Harrell’s actions, placed in the context that her child was at a well-attended park, provided a cell phone, and enjoying the environment, seems like something that wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow in, let’s say, 1974. ARE WE CREATING NATURE-DEPRIVED, PHOBIA-PRONE KIDS? Other articles and studies concur that today’s children do not enjoy the freedom of previous generations – and the effects are not making kid’s safer, but are actually destroying children’s coupling with nature and that deprivation is placing them at increased risks for depression and anxiety. 50X DECREASE IN ROAMING RANGE IN 88 YEARS. In his article, How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Four Generations, (2007), David Derbyshire described the shrinking “roaming range” afforded to children over the past century. Mr. Derbyshire examined one family and explained the unsupervised “roaming zones” granted of each family member when that person was age 8. Great grandfather George was allowed to walk six miles to go fishing in 1919. A map of his “free range” (in the YouTube version and this podcast) represents about 30 square miles. Grandfather Jack, in 1950, walked about one mile in his own woods. Mother Vickie, in 1979, was allowed to walk alone to her community pool about a half-mile away. In 2007, son Ed, was able to walk 900 feet (.18 square miles) to the end of his street. THE SHORTENING LEASH. Six thousand respondents to online magazine SLATE’s (Jessica Grose & Hann Rosin, 2014) survey produced a clear trend that kids today have a lot less freedom than their parents did. For example, in 1940, most children were allowed to walk 1-5 miles from home alone in 2nd or 3rd grade. In 1990, most children were allowed to walk 1-5 miles from home alone in middle school! THE OVERPROTECTED KID (The Atlantic, April 2014). The article offers numerous examples from field experts converging on the position that by engaging in risky play, children are effectively subjecting themselves to a form of exposure therapy, in which they force themselves to do the thing they’re afraid of in order to overcome their fear. But if they never go through the process, the fear can turn into a phobia. DAVID’S ADVENTUROUS 1980’s CHILDHOOD. David describes a pre-cell phone era of biking his town without boundaries, when a noon whistle, wristwatch and streetlamps marked his schedule, the value in making forts, fishing along a brisk river with a friend, and running the mossy trails of the monastery at the edge of town. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t... or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/OS3aPXjYCbs 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.wordpres... 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.
In the summer of 2016, David Perrodin “The Safety Doc” and Pulitzer-Prize winning author/producer David Obst toppled the established rhetoric narrative of school intruder cinema by writing a school intruder film based upon how most school intruder situations empirically complete – without harm to self or others. THE ICONIC DAVID OBST. Obst, a legendary American literary legend that was the agent for Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, also produced the blockbuster hit movies Revenge of the Nerds, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Sean Penn’s breakout role), and All the President’s men. Obst received the Pulitzer Prize for breaking the My Lai massacre story (Vietnam) with investigative news reporter Seymour Hersh. SEEKING A CONTENT EXPERT. The grapevine of connections put Dr. Perrodin’s name before David Obst at a time when Obst was seeking a school safety content expert for a school intruder film. Perrodin’s role quickly expanded from reviewing the accuracy of a handful of scenes to co-authoring, and eventually co-directing, scenes with David Obst. CRASH COURSE IN FILM. Dr. Perrodin had to quickly learn the lingo, format and nuances of the movie industry as he and Obst aimed to have a completed 120-page script in 8 weeks. In this episode, Dr. Perrodin shares feeling overwhelmed and the unrelenting need to anchor his recommendations to empirical findings – something that wasn’t required by David Obst who repeatedly stated, “Dr. Perrodin, you are the expert – you don’t need to tell me why, you need to tell me what would happen during a scene.” Oh yeah, what’s a slug line? Anyway, some habits are hard to break for a social scientist who is also a safety expert. Dr. Perrodin also emphasized the benefit of voice-overs, or actors’ thoughts being shared out loud, as a way to increase the accessibility of the film to persons with visual disabilities. The film maximized the sensemaking framework, or placing emphasis on identifying very subtle changes in one’s environment and how to assess context and situation before determining options. Bucking the trend of school intruder films, nobody was shot or killed and profanity was not incorporated into the script. FAST FACT: One page of script equals approximately 1-minute of screen time. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/MvCTuDfffYQ 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.
One of the Midwest’s largest manhunts ended peacefully at a makeshift campsite in a remote area of Wisconsin farmland. Joseph Jakubowski, a Janesville, Wisconsin man accused of sending President Donald Trump a 161-page anti-government and anti-religious manifesto was uneventfully captured by law enforcement on the morning of April 14, 2017. BIZARRE DECISION BY FUGITIVE. When a farmer, who was a retired school counselor, discovered a man camping on the distal fringe of his property, he engaged in a ‘cordial’ hour with him that included a request for the uninvited camper to move from the farmer’s property. At this point, Jakubowski refused to move his camp. Really? It’s unclear as to his justification or why the fugitive simply didn’t feign making a simple oversight in choosing his camping spot. After holding to his property claim, Jakubowski likely expected that the farmer would report him - so was Jakubowski ready for confrontation or prepared to surrender? THREE TYPES OF PUBLIC REACTION. Per the posts left under my own social media and reading other users’ posts about the matter to various discussion threads, it was clear that those posting about the manhunt evenly fell into one of three very distinct categories: (1) Supporters of Jakubowski’s beliefs, (2) People grasping for any information about the manhunt, and (3) Backers of law enforcement and a peaceful society. AWARENESS FADES. It was evident that life was returning to a normal routine for most Wisconsinites as the manhunt exceeded a week. Some events were canceled and overall security was heightened, but this was nothing like the lockdown of an entire region that we observed 4 years ago following the Boston Marathon bombing. Why? FALSE FLAGS. FBI profilers publicly stated that Jakubowski was likely heading East (to Washington DC) and that he might be working with a support network. Yet, he was found 2 hours from his home and presumably never left Wisconsin. Did profilers purposely stir misinformation into the media streams believing that it would eventually reach Jakubowski and either direct his next steps or cause him to lower his guard? I wrote several posts stating I felt he didn’t leave the state and that he was primarily seeking affirmation via his manifesto and subsequent letter to a TV station. Ultimately, it appears he wanted his beliefs to be acknowledged and not to deliver dark justice. We can all be thankful that one of the charges against him will trespassing in rural Vernon County. By the way, profiling is an imprecise endeavor - Google search “Mary Jane Moore”. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/OdIbqVrO8lc 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.
David gives a vibrant inside-perspective of how he was literally at the center of what has unfolded into one of the largest manhunts in the Midwest. Admittedly, the first step is to consider the campus unsecure until we’ve walked the grounds, pulled each door handle, and then do it all over again. I’m fortunate to work with a leader that “gets” environmental security. JANESVILLE (Wis) MANHUNT. Officers are looking for a Joseph A. Jakubowski, a 32-year-old man who’s considered armed and dangerous said he sent a 161-page manifesto to President Trump. Jakubowski is wanted in connection with the theft of guns from the Armageddon gun and ammo shop. A car registered to Jakubowski was found burned nearby, and he's suspected in the arson, officials said. A quick review of the Wisconsin Circuit Court online records search reveals that Joseph Jakubowski has been charged or ticketed 32 times since 2001. The sheriff's office said it learned Thursday that he had made threats to steal weapons and use them against public officials or at an unspecified school. However, it was now mid-morning, and most school shooting occur at the start of the school day. This was favorable news for area schools, many which were in lockdown or had cancelled outdoor events. AFFIRMATION-SEEKING. A February, 2013 article titled: The Final Word: Why Killers Write Manifestos, Marc Lallanilla of Live Science Contributor wrote: "All of these people think they've been wronged," said David A. Clayman, Ph.D., a clinical and forensic psychologist. "These people collect wrongs and they seek out affirmation of their righteousness," said Clayman. "They saw the world as against them. The common theme is a grudge." Look for this in Joseph Jakubowski. He even had a friend film him applying postage stamps to his manifesto and depositing it to the mail receptacle – not to mention a recent YouTube rant referenced, but removed from public view. LINGERING QUESTIONS. As this manhunt drags on, people will ease their guards. You won’t hear people asking about targets as it seems that this man had opportunities and didn’t act upon them. Perhaps he really wanted to be heard. Still this probably won’t end well. An armed and dangerous man is being pursued. He has a history of no regard for authority, is a loner, and certainly realizes that capture means living out his years in prison. ADVICE. I urge you to be aware of your environment and changes in your environment. Just because a threat now seems dissipated or distant doesn’t mean that a police pursuit won’t bring the chaos to your street. Also, harden your own targets by locking doors and leaving lights on at night until this matter has been resolved. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/ni2HYAIhtjE 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.
Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy is a relevant framework and also a confusing term as it makes one think of branding and not the Greek word logos, which is “meaning”. In this podcast, I share why it is important to make youth aware of Logotherapy as a perspective to counter the growing rhetoric of determinism and The Butterfly Effect that are eroding belief in free will and therefore distancing people from a sense of control over self or environment. Such disempowerment, I believe, destroys agency and purpose and therefore contributes to personal anxieties, depression and an overall ability to set goals and live a non-centric lifestyle. Perspective taking is a deficit in today’s youth that are IV hooked to the steady drip of social media affirmation. A quick search in jurn.org will discover countless studies of the negative relationships between youth (and all adult) mental health and addiction to social media applications. I believe that Logotherapy should be taught to all youth. WHO WAS VIKTOR FRANKL? Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychologist who founded what he called the field of “Logotherapy”, which has been dubbed the “Third Viennese School of Psychology” (following Freud and Alder). Logotherapy developed in and through Frankl’s personal experience in the Nazi concentration camp. The years spent there deeply affected his understanding of reality and the meaning of human life. His most popular book, Man’s Search for Meaning, chronicles his experience in the camp as well as the development of Logotherapy. During his time there, he found that those around him who did not lose their sense of purpose and meaning in life were able to survive much longer than those who had lost their way. MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING. Dr. Perrodin provides several chilling, yet reflective accounts from Frankl’s hallmark book. For example, Dr. Frankl cautioned that a prisoner was never awoken from a nightmare as the reality of life in the camp was certainly worse than anything conjured in the mind. He also talked of how he volunteered to care for typhus patients, although such an act very well could have brought upon his own physical demise. WHAT IS LOGOTHERAPY? It is loosely interpreted as therapy through finding meaning as “logos” translates to “meaning” in Greek. However, Dr. Perrodin explains why he interprets Logotherapy as less of a therapy and more of a framework. Logotherapy has 3 basic assumptions (1) Life has meaning under all circumstances (2) People have a will to meaning (3) People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to meaning and to find meaning. EXISTENTIAL VACUUM. Frankl’s way to describe life that has no meaning and this perpetual condition creates a void that we aim to satiate with drugs, violence, food, and other vices, such as modern-day social media -- yet the void will be a black hole and we will be forced to intellectually reason with our purpose to live or to die. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/ni2HYAIhtjE 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.
The Butterfly Effect is a false premise of illustrating how small initial differences may lead to large unforeseen consequences over time. This is nothing more than cause and effect and yet the Butterfly Effect is spilling across the sciences as some belief that every event has a singular, infinitesimal known origin. It is absurd to propose, and yet to scaffold with a mathematical formula, a relationship between a butterfly flapping its wings in New Mexico as the beginnings of an eventual hurricane in China. Don’t succumb to such hype. COMPLEX SYSTEMS WITH COUNTLESS VARIABLES. We can never know all the initial conditions of a complex system in sufficient (perfect) detail. CHAOS THEORY. The Butterfly Effect’s logical replacement is Chaos Theory, which describes transitions between order and disorder. These transitions are often surprising and nonlinear. Chaos is the science of surprises, of the nonlinear and the unpredictable. It teaches us to expect the unexpected. Gravity is linear. We understand gravity and can mathematically calculate its influence on items. Crowd response to a terrorist attack is nonlinear. We know from studying such events that certain tendencies tend to arise, but crowd behavior is not predictable and also dependent upon the forces within the crowd. If leaders rapidly emerge, a crowd stabilizes and will generally follow those giving directives. Nobody could have predicted the manner in which chaos theory played out in the extraordinary boat evacuation of 500,000 people from Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. Cause, effect, context, situation, actors – all combine to produce the effect. When you hear someone talk of the butterfly effect, direct them to the nearest flower garden or to the library. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/huNfa0vObCM 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.
“The Safety Doc” untangles the conflated terms mainstreaming and inclusion as well as the seemingly synonymous words tolerance and inclusion. A clear-cut definition of each designation postures the listener to grapple with the practices of debate, protests, and the non-aggression principle - all of which are powerful contributors to a society that is safe and orderly for its citizens. Dr. Perrodin’s discussion centers the public school context and examples are situated to that context and situation. Let’s begin with MAINSTREAMING. Think of a global positioning device worn by each child (just imagine it). In this universe, one can physically pinpoint the location of the student. If the child is located in the “regular education” classroom / specials (art, music PE), lunch, recess then that child is MAINSTREAMED. Mainstreaming does not mean that the child is being included in the classroom curriculum and to claim PASSIVE benefit is an incredible stretch. This is often justified as “exposure” to peers without disabilities. If that is what’s happening, then refer to it as what it is - mainstreaming. If Mainstreaming is passive and implied, then INCLUSION is active and explicit. For example, when a child is being included in a regular education setting, he or she is actively engaged in educational instruction and activities and the teacher holds an expectation of academic rigor. Exceptions exist. Dr. Perrodin straddles the line of mainstreaming and inclusion as he describes a girl with an anxiety disorder that “Skyped” into a regular education classroom, but for the most part, there’s not much gray between mainstream and inclusion. MYTH OF FULL INCLUSION. Many schools tout a mantra of “We are full inclusion for students with disabilities.” That’s simply not accurate - and if it is accurate, then it’s out of compliance with the intent of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). TOLERANCE. Simply put, tolerance is adherence to the Non-Aggression Principle. However, tolerance is a basement-level threshold. We are better than tolerance - a term that implies that one has to actively suppress some level of discrimination or rage. Teach Tolerance - really? ACCEPTANCE. This is a step, well, actually a flight of stairs above, mere tolerance. It’s a safer distance away from the tinderbox. Acceptance is active. It is seeking to understand another position. The great philosopher Aristotle countered clubs and stones with the art of rhetoric, persuasion and reasoning - in short, Aristotle created the framework for debate. And remember, to be informed of another’s position doesn’t mandate that you must befriend the other person (or group). Practice acceptance and you will be informed about existing information as well as able to consider newly-presented information that might (or might not) alter your beliefs. FORMATS. You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/N2-OIm6qFIw 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.
In 2011, 97% of youth in American played some type of video game each week! Gaming is trending across all generations with millions of people “running into” the world of video games – including the young as well as the elderly. Video games, for example, are being used in senior care homes to refresh memory, build hand-eye coordination and foster social interaction through games of Wii Bowling. VIDEO GAME IS JUST ANOTHER FORM OF MEDIA. Dr. Dikkers regards video gaming the same as other media such as movies and music. It has become part of our society and just like heavy metal music, is not the causal factor of violent behaviors. In fact, as game play increases violent behaviors decrease. Seann examines digital game design and teaching and learning. What can we learn from video games to provide a meaningful experience in classrooms? GAMERS REGULATE THE GAMING ENVIRONMENT. Seann shares that this happens in digital spaces where people gather to do fun things and the human nature is to produce systems within the social group to manage abhorrent behavior of individuals. Dr. Dikkers adds that there are websites, such as Common Sense Media, that adults can access to obtain reviews of games. TEACHING ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING & PARENTING IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Seann shares that many games are about ethical decision-making and each decision has an impact on the overall storyline. This is common among role playing games and those are actually the games that Dr. Dikkers enjoy playing side-by-side with his children so the video game is a medium for a social relationship and discussions about choices and consequences. HOW DO SCHOOLS ADOPT GAMES? Dr. Dikkers indicated that this question is the center of current research in gaming in educational setting. Teachers are learning digital literacy. To facilitate expansion of teachers’ gaming knowledge base, he urges educators to watch how games are designed, such as World of Warcraft, to look at what roles students are given and what missions they are given. Lesson plans could follow how game designers capture the attention of children and then build the child’s skills. Seann shared that schools are able to set up intra-district servers to house games in order to allow students to game with each other, but not with the entire outside world. He re-iterates that Minecraft is a very popular game to use in schools and can be the medium by which to foster curriculum about math, reading, science, problem solving, etc. MINECRAFT FOR EVERY STUDENT. Dr. Dikkers talks of working with schools that now have Minecraft video game accounts for all students. He notes a public school in Oregon, Wisconsin that focused on teachers learning technology and designing lesson plans integrated with technology. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN. On Twitter @SafetyPhD and SUBSCRIBE to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel https://youtu.be/qG1N_MejPLY and iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 and SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 and The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ 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. *A comprehensive post devoted to this show is available on Dr. Perrodin's Blog.
Student suspension rates continue to drop across the United States. However, are we observing a genuine decline or the engineered result of creative new categorizing exempt from state and federal reporting? CANDID TRUTH. Dr. Perrodin cautions listeners that, “I am going to be direct and very blunt with you from an insider perspective telling you what is happening with school suspensions and some of you frankly are not going to like what I have to say…” Wow – unleashed. From his experiences as a school administrator, doctoral researcher, industry consultant and school safety expert witness, Dr. Perrodin crafts an argument that school suspension data is grossly flawed and impractical as a metric for school improvement. DECADES OF FLAWED DATA. School safety expert Kenneth Trump testified to Congress multiple times over the past 20 years about the serious, chronic inaccuracies in school safety data. Dr. Perrodin offers an example to support Mr. Trump’s claims by citing a Wisconsin high school of 800 students that reported a total of 4 school suspensions for an entire school year after reporting 71 suspensions the previous year (and shares the data screenshot in the YouTube version of the show). How is such an astounding figure achieved? At best, it was a mistaken entry that evaded data scrubbers with as much ease as stepping over a crack in a sidewalk. Yet, the situation is probably much darker and intentional than mere sloppy digit entry. In fact, the overall decreasing trend in school suspensions is not a representation that student behavior is correspondingly improving! WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH STUDENTS’ BEHAVIOR? Suspensions have been replaced by abeyance agreements and pre-expulsion agreements. Such measures, often thick with “legalese” and the coercive positionality of district’s brass and legal counsel, are basically “suspended” sentences that operate in a matrix where the benevolent-appearing school holds massive power over the parent and student to “go along with the deal or gamble the creaky plank of expulsion.” It’s a camouflaged suspension. WHAT HAS CAUSED SCHOOLS TO NO LONGER SUSPEND STUDENTS? It’s simple. First, suspensions have never been a quality tool to improve student behavior. Teach the student a lesson instead of teaching the student the lesson. And, the suspension is a reprieve for the school from the student. Remember, I said I was going to candid. Also, suspension data is a dark cloud – it’s a black mark on the school. In an era of free-agency for students, a district with low suspension numbers is more appealing than a district with high(er) suspension numbers. Lose kids and lose funding. Schools are being identified for disproportionate suspensions of youth per a specific race – and a “fix” to such a problem is to not produce a reportable suspension. See where I’m going – it’s not a fix, its re-badging terms and allowing persistent achievement gaps between students of different races. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and SUBSCRIBE to “The Safety Doc” YouTube channel https://youtu.be/Su0e-6tu0Z0 and iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 and SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 and The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ 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. *A comprehensive post devoted to this show is available on Dr. Perrodin's Blog.
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
When David Hyde was a boy, his mother stuffed a sock to shape it into a ball and then set him forth to play and learn with his sighted peers. BEING BLIND and BEING SAFE. David explains the concept of “talking signposts” and how they are used to orient and direct people that are blind as they travel through a busy location, such as the lobby of a convention center. Curiously, such approaches are rarely considered during crisis situations, like evacuating a burning building. In fact, the mere sound of alarms or horns can be disorienting, per David, as he interjected a casual apology to a friend that honked and waved at him several times in the past. STAY PUT, THERE’S A FIRE! Of the many engaging stories shared by David, his recollection of being told to harbor in a stairwell during a fire drill evacuation set the groundwork for an interview theme of a redundant the collective public’s under-estimating of the capabilities of a blind person - and yes, David began the interview by stating he was fully comfortable with being referred to as a “blind man” - as the disability was not a definition of him, but merely a description of a characteristic about him. GRANDPA’S REPLY. OK, David laughed at this story - so it’s OK to chuckle as all’s well that ends well. Working some years as a door-to-door insurance salesman, David points to the importance of portraying confidence and strategies he used to increase his personal safety in unfamiliar territory. Still, he borrows a story about a blind salesman that was exploited to humor others as he painstakingly awaited a potentially lucrative reply from the grand patriarch of a large family. WHY BLIND CHILDREN DON’T HAVE SEEING-EYE DOGS. No, it’s not due to funding, although a trained guide dog represents an investment of at least $30,000 ( not including food and care). David explains the reason to center on the need to first become proficient at white cane use and orientation and mobility. As he stated, a guide dog would not lead you through town to a convenience store - you just don’t follow it, you command it. ACCOMPLISHMENTS. As the poignant, often-humorous, stories map the intersections of blindness, safety and humanity, David’s words are threaded with introspection from a life of marked accomplishments, although humbly stated, such as creating statewide professional development programs from scratch or serving in essential roles on national organizations (not to mention the countless positive influences on colleagues and students). ASK, DON’T ASSUME. His parting advice for sighted people is to ask a blind person if he or she wants assistance in crossing a street or perhaps in some other situation. David is aware that people are expressing goodwill and are genuine in offers to help, but at the same time, he feels the stereotype of judged to be incapable because he has does not have sight. Nonetheless, David’s unlikely to turn down your offer to help him shovel his walkway following a robust Wisconsin snowstorm! This show is captivating and educational while also bringing to consideration one’s own beliefs and assumptions. The stories from this blind man will enable you to see a bit further over your own horizon. David Hyde can be contacted via email at david.hyde@wcbvi.k12.wi.us FORMATS: You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129/the-one-sentence-to-always-say-to-someone-in-crisis-and-why-sdp14 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/QFAUJEtxbA0 FOLLOW ME: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to this YouTube channel and the 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.
TEN WORDS: “You are experiencing a normal reaction to an abnormal event.” There it is – the one sentence that you compassionately say, perhaps over-and-over, to a person (or a group) manifesting stress characteristics (crying, trembling, withdrawn, etc.) following a crisis situation. Studies have shown that a concise post-incident debriefing offers substantial benefits to those involved in an “abnormal” high-stress event. Amazingly, simple validation of one’s feelings is a first, huge step in helping that person to return to a stable state of mind. SHAKE IT OFF: Despite the worn adage of “shake it off”, it is absolutely essential to skillfully deploy crisis debriefing steps to prevent stress disorders for persons responding to, or subjected to, traumatic stress events such as a vehicular accident, tornado, riot or an out-of-control adult or child. OUT-OF-CONTROL STUDENTS: David discusses an experience with an elementary school that was substantially disrupted by an aggressive boy that significantly damaged a classroom and was unwillingly removed from the school by multiple law enforcement officers, all while a guardian filmed the event and yelled, “This will be on the news!” Dr. Perrodin shares both how this incident was handled and how he believes it SHOULD have been handled by district officials. MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS ARE INCREASING: Student mental health needs are skyrocketing and acts of students literally destroying classrooms are common stories shared between educators. AND YET, CRISIS RESPONSE CARE FOR STAFF IS ALARMINGLY ABSENT IN SCHOOLS: Dr. Perrodin is a member of the Columbia County Sheriff's Department Critical Incident Debriefing Team and assists emergency responders to recognize, and process, the many variables of trauma related to crisis situations. He specializes in helping people bridge both psychological distress and moral distress. David explains that critical incident debriefing training is available, but seldom pursued, for K-12 settings increasingly bearing the brunt of violent behaviors from students or parents. From his unique perspective as a former school administrator, Dr. Perrodin compels school leaders to either develop internal formally-trained crisis incident debriefing teams or to access external professionals to help administer crisis intervention emotional “first aid” to lessen the probability of building principals, teachers, staff and students developing post-traumatic stress disorder or cumulative stress disorder – conditions that can greatly diminish quality of life and the effectiveness as an educator. Simply put, school staff are repeatedly traumatized on the worksite and complacent district office officials are not taking sufficient measures to preserve the mental well-being of employees (or students). LEARN MORE ABOUT CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS DEBRIEFING via the INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS FOUNDATION, INC: https://www.icisf.org/ FORMATS: You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/TFtWsaCs1ds FOLLOW ME: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to this YouTube channel and the 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.
COMPLACENCY: It was Jean de La Fontaine that stated, “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” Dr. Perrodin describes a severe bicycle accident and reflects upon how his own complacency substantially contributed to painfully "meeting the road" on an otherwise perfect, uneventful August day. THINGS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING: One might think that a safety expert versed in awareness of context and situation would have a robust immunity to complacency – not so, in fact, the more familiar you are with something, the less you observe or question it. SCHOOL SAFETY COMPLACENCY: This is one of the reasons why school safety complacency is a well-documented problem with an elusive solution. Administrators, teachers and students simply “normalize” the school day as an "average-over-time" and even emotional events that change routines and focus safety responses, such as drills, tend to only produce a temporary heightened awareness that fades upon the passing of a few “typical” days of school. LULLED: David shares how complacency compromised his personal safety by lulling him into thinking that his skills were adequate for the situation – and that he would certainly recognize any changes to the well-known context and situation in plenty of time to make appropriate adjustments to avoid an accident. BE AWARE OF COMPLACENT OTHERS: And remember, David describes a situation in which he wasn’t processing the changed environmental cues. How aware are you of others that aren’t “paying attention”? RISKS: Even when you don’t overtly take risks you must remain cognizant that complacency is a risk. FORMATS: You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129/avoiding-harsh-consequences-of-complacency-in-known-environments-sdp13 or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ You can view this episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/Zjl0tQQm-JQ FOLLOW ME: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to this YouTube channel and the SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com I will respond to discussion thread comments or questions & also to emails.
Dr. David Perrodin talks to Joe Bruzzese about “The Westlake” summit and centers a dynamic conversation of the bold steps participants took to advance a new school safety agenda that truly serves the best interests of students. Forget the typical school safety conference about binders and drills! This forward-thinking discussion is of incredible importance to everyone, but especially educators or parents of the 50 million children that attend school in America each day! Joe Bruzzese is the CEO of Sprigeo, the nation’s leader in online reporting systems for safety threats, bullying incidents and self-harm. He’s also taught graduate courses at UC-Santa Barbara, authored the book “A Parent’s guide to the Middle Years” - which is available on Amazon. As a former school administrator and current parent of two teens he's covered all his bases when it comes to schools and safety. In the fall of 2016, Joe invited a dozen of America’s top K-12 school leaders to a special “focus-group action summit” called “The Westlake”. Reflecting upon that epic “meeting of the top minds”, Joe believes that those three days in California launched a fresh safety narrative for schools across the country and explains how that innovative blueprint will be further honed by a second gathering of the country’s most prolific school leaders. OTHER FORMATS: You can also listen to this podcast on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ This podcast can be watched on YouTube https://youtu.be/VAGZ1Qn9xK0 FOLLOW ME: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to this YouTube channel and the SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com I will respond to discussion thread comments or questions & also to emails. SPRIGEO WEBSITE: www.sprigeo.com
David centers this episode on analyzing three recent school safety mass media articles to reveal how sensationalized headings fail to match the content of the articles, thus creating a disservice to readers and further eroding public trust in the mainstream media's ability to accurately report safety news. Dr. Perrodin identifies the authors’ biases and specifically exposes their attempts to deploy fear narratives to persuade the public toward accepting rhetoric that schools are in a default status of “unsafe” and the antidotes are in the forms of legislation, obscure software or genetically modifying humans to be stress-resistant flesh machines shielded from the horrors of trauma. HEADLINE #1: Representative Massive (R-Ky.) Wants to Repeal Gun-Free School Zones Act by Brian Doherty [reason.com/blog] (January 5, 2017). “Gun-Free School Zones” signs grow in the boulevards of every school in America. Invasive - and impervious to weed wackers! They’ve been stoutly rooted since 1990. The article states (per quote from Rep. Massie): “Gun-free school zones are ineffective.” Yeah, I agree. Everyone agrees. The bill doesn’t deter school shooters, much like a non-smoking sign won’t discourage an arsonist. The bill was a paper tiger and it’s not like we don’t have laws against committing homicide. So yes, by all means, trash the GFSZA! However, Rep. Massie goes on to make a statement that simply isn’t true. “They [GFSZA] make people less safe by inviting criminals into target rich, no-risk environments and prevent law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves, and create vulnerable populations that are targeted by criminals.” Yikes. No, Rep. Massie. Repealing the bill won’t be like Gotham welcoming back Batman. Nothing will change except it will be easier to mow the school boulevard. HEADLINE #2: D.C. online watchdog group spots Wisconsin school threat on Twitter by Savanna Tomei [WKOW 27] (January 14, 2017). This is a terrific example of an advertisement pretending to be an article. You’ll be amazed at what I uncovered after exploring “The Tactical Institute” website – the self-funded “group” (schools must pay for its services) that, per its website “monitors the entire Web for threats to our clients", including something referred to as “The Dark Web” which apparently is so secretive that is undetectable by search engines. FYI - "Dark" is a persuasion word - it is intended to frighten you. Per its website, TI appears to have a knack for facilitating inter-agency networking – even though, as I clarify, such provisions are already provided to law enforcement agencies via the ‘The USA PATRIOT ACT’ (which I talk about). HEADLINE #3: Preventing Mental Illness With a Stress Vaccine by Danielle Elliot [The Atlantic] (November 26, 2016). The headline’s claim is absurd and a complete mismatch from the article which unfortunately bends immune system research being conducted, in part, by Dr. Rebecca Brachman. Dr. Brachman was a student at Columbine High School during the infamous 1999 shooting. She has devoted her life toward better understanding stress, the immune system and mental health. The deductions penned by the article’s author are beyond sensationalism – they are hurtful to persons suffering from PTSD, such as rescue workers and soldiers, as it is implied that one day a simple vaccine will create an “ideal world” where people would be immune from debilitating trauma-induced mental health conditions. Did I mention that current clinical trials involve 12 mice? OTHER FORMATS: You can also view this podcast on YouTube https://youtu.be/EN8FYPemsiQ or listen on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ FOLLOW ME: On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel and the SoundCloud RSS feed. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com I will respond to discussion thread comments or questions & also to emails.
Schools are very collaborative organizations and seek to represent the contexts in which they are rooted. However, school leaders must maintain the distinct purpose of advisory groups, which are largely comprised of parents and community residents, as informing those that make decisions and not allow such groups to transform into a small group model which develops protocols and policies that are then vetted by school leaders and school boards. This over-stepping of “advisory” groups can have devastating consequences when applied to school safety practices. My purpose is to help you to understand the differences between an advisory group and small group model – knowledge that acquires a heightened relevance when a school contemplates its own potential response to a high-profile safety event, such as the Sandy Hook massacre. You can read much more about this topic in a related post I made on 01-13-2017 to my safety BLOG (linked below) OTHER FORMATS: You can also view this podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSTJ-tl5SIE or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ FOLLOW ME: On Twitter @SafetyPhd and subscribe to this YouTube channel. DR. PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com I will respond to discussion thread comments or questions & also to emails.
A Contrarian’s Perspective of the Unconventional, Exceptional Rescue of 500,000 People. The following excerpt is from an article that will be published in School Business Affairs, February, 2017. ANYTHING YOU WANT, BUT NOT EVERYTHING YOU WANT: I worked with a school business manager who regularly reminded administrators and school board members that he could do anything that they wanted and not everything that they wanted. His moniker was especially relevant amongst the cyclonic opinions that school safety must center expensive fortifications. Regrettably, public perception about the issue is strongly influenced by field experts making recommendations often extremely disconnected from what has been revealed by empirical studies of the topic. Hysteria following the Sandy Hook massacre led to 450 school safety state-level legislative bills. Some bills called for the elimination of windows in schools or arming staff even though such measures were not validated by research findings. In fact, a large-scale study correlated the positive impact of natural sunlight in schools to students’ academic achievement. SCHOOL SAFETY IS HEURISTICS. School safety is about the process of identifying and maintaining heuristics. It’s knowing your options and keeping as many options on the table as possible. In most high-stakes safety situations, responders will be on scene within minutes and the incident command system will default to law enforcement. REFERENCES: Rosenstein, E. (2011). Boatlift [Motion picture]. United States: Eyepop Productions. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDOrzF7B2Kg Spillane, J. P., & Orlina, E. C. (2005). Investigating Leadership Practice: Exploring the Entailments of Taking a Distributed Perspective. Leadership & Policy In Schools, 4(3), 158. doi: 10.1080/15700760500244728; Weick, K., Sutcliffe, K., & Obstfeld, D. (2005). Organizing the Process of Sensemaking. Organizational Science, 16(4), p.409. OTHER FORMATS: You can also watch to this podcast on YouTube https://youtu.be/1hKZ1XbiiEQ or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ FOLLOW ME. On Twitter @SafetyPhd and subscribe to this YouTube channel. DR. PERRODIN'S BLOG. https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE: www.safetyphd.com
HAVE PURPOSE. LIVE LONGER & LIVE BETTER (and Live Safer?). It is well known that a purpose in life is a good thing to have. An abundance of research confirms that individuals who cultivate a meaningful sense of direction for themselves tend to live longer, experience better physical and mental health, and enjoy happier and more satisfying lives. WHAT IS PURPOSE? In a 2009 study, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) defined “purpose” as ‘tendency to derive meaning from life’s experiences and possess a sense of intentionality and goal-directedness that guides behavior’. Surprisingly, the NIH study also found that this definition was generalized across study participants. In other words, findings didn’t vary by age, sex, education or race! PURPOSE AND YOUTH: Based on this particularly favorable array of evidence linking purpose with quality of life, many practitioners and researchers suggest that purpose promotes positive youth development. Yet understanding how youth actually go about finding their purpose, and the consequences of doing so within the unique context of adolescence, remain targets for ongoing research. DAVID’S STORIES of PURPOSE. In this podcast, Dr. Perrodin examines evidence that purpose is an important resource that adolescents can use to successfully navigate challenges and even thrive during this period of the lifespan. He recounts finding purpose in his own life, from when he was a boy working a snow shovel late into the evening with his father clearing out driveways and sidewalks for veterans and widows to fostering community amongst folks attending a free community lunch. Smile as David re-tells an elderly man’s story of how orange juice dissolved metal processing equipment at a factory and pause to contemplate what role a sense of purpose might have in preventing harm to self or harm to others? A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR LINKING PURPOSE AND SAFETY. David describes a recently-concluded research study that found that high school seniors not only struggled to set career and other life goals, but also didn’t know how to set a goal, such as determining rationale, baseline and how to measure the goal. Dr. Perrodin hints for an agenda that places emphasis on teaching children and young adults how to set goals, and in turn, how to find purpose – a factor David feels is strongly linked to school safety (although, with regret, few studies have examined the link between purpose and safety for any population). OTHER FORMATS. You can also view to this podcast on YouTube https://youtu.be/hZKmuXv0Y4U LISTEN LIVE ON RADIO. The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ FOLLOW ME. On Twitter @SafetyPhd and subscribe to "The Safety Doc" YouTube channel. DR. PERRODIN'S BLOG. https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/
What does it mean to have a sense of agency and why is having a sense of agency essential to one’s personal safety? How is it that people seemingly at the “top of their game” struggle to articulate their identity following shake-ups in the very organizational structures that have empowered them? What does it mean when you no longer introduce yourself as, "Hi, I'm the chief of (very important position) for (very important organization)? Really, it never mattered that much, folks. Really. Did you know that astronaut Buzz Aldrin became a recluse sustained by fast food and alcohol once he became “just” Buzz Aldrin? Buzz’s agency was structure-defined and he struggled greatly to re-establish his agency after NASA. ABOUT THIS HOLIDAY PODCAST. This folksy informal holiday special podcast, filmed in front of a fireplace, includes a Santa-hat donned David “The Safety Doc” Perrodin reflecting upon how his own agency was impacted across the years. Internal agency was cultivated by playing basketball on an ice-slicked driveway in northern Wisconsin, complementing an elderly lady at a restaurant and practicing Zen-like awareness of the environment as well as keen introspection during walks, runs and 75-mile bike treks. Western Civilization fosters external agency. Advertising campaigns attempt to convince us that the most important people in the neighborhood discover a huge red bow upon a luxury car snuggled in their pristine driveway. Retailers aggressively spend to convince you that material possessions measure one’s agency. Perhaps, but externally-fueled agency is a safety vulnerability. David shares his encounters with the rollercoaster of external agency and how he had neglected his health to the point when walking a light incline on campus left him winded. WHAT IS AGENCY? Agency is feeling in control of one’s life - being able to express one’s power. Agency is feeling needed or wanted and such perceived “importance” can create a sense of power and control. Social order is important – and so are structures, be it a corporation or your “like” tally on Facebook. Agency is structure-dependent. Yet, we seek control over the structures that covertly control us. Ultimately, we over-estimate our abilities to captain our environment and, as our bodies fail from obesity, sedentary lifestyles and stress, we quickly become “the person that had it all, and then had a heart attack.” External agency also makes others dependent upon you in order to maintain their own sense of being. Be a fan, not a fanatic. People have actually fallen into a depressive state after their favorite sports team lost a championship game. In this way, we are like flags waiting for a breeze. CONCLUSION. External agency, false agency or lack of agency pose substantial risks to one’s safety prowess as it blunts one’s ability to identify the flux as reality is perceived as being created or manipulated. This holiday season, give the gift of helping others to discover their internal agency. OTHER FORMATS. You can view this podcast on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLqnCWFkbf4&t=34s or on The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ FOLLOW ME. On Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to this YouTube channel.
Search and Rescue dogs (and their handlers) are incredible assets to locating missing individuals. However, a poorly executed search effort is a distinct possibility as the “Professional” rescue teams are compromised by the well-intentioned, but amateur handlers that are, with concerning frequency, self-dispatching to incident venues and interfering with evidence and overall efficiency of time-sensitive operations. I interviewed Jennifer Fritton, Search and Rescue Dog handler, to learn more about the training and protocols for deployment of a search and rescue dog. While one would assume that rescue dogs are deemed such through a standardized training and competency assessment, that’s only a partially accurate statement. Efforts to move toward standardized baseline credentials are underway, but there remains variation between how dogs are trained and how dogs are deemed qualified to participate in various search and rescue scenes. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS TO TAKE IF A CHILD WANDERS AWAY: Jennifer clarified that school staff should mobilize and go to “probable” and “high-risk” areas with their cell phones per the direction of a principal or designee. This can be done prior to the arrival of law enforcement. Although such a step makes sense, it might not be considered by the school administrator who is preparing to interface with policy and emergency responders, sharing a description of the child, perhaps sharing main points from the child’s IEP (for example, is the child non-verbal?), and trying to identify a staging area. These are crucial steps. However, Jennifer noted that awareness of certain rescue profiles have proven effective in searches. For example, she shared that children with autism might gravitate to bodies of water, railroad tracks and tall objects, such as towers. She added that children with autism have been located within large machinery and buildings. On the other hand, a person with dementia tends to be linear and will try to overcome a barrier, such as a fence, rather than navigating around it. Still, someone expressing harm to self is likely to stay within 1000 feet of a known road or trail. The biggest take-aways from my interview with Ms. Fritton where as follows: 1) SAR professionals must work under the direction of law enforcement. Self-dispatch is a problem and must be mitigated as best as possible. 2) Don’t wait for the law enforcement to arrive to dispatch personnel to “high probability” locations. The people you dispatch aren’t technically searchers, but are more likely to serve in the role of interceptors or to simply observe a sign of the missing subject, such as a mitten. 3) Make staff aware of what to anticipate in the event that a SAR occurs at the school premises. Also, educate staff on their roles and also the need to avoid rallying a rescue crowd to help with a by-foot search. If necessary, the police will coordinate such efforts. 4) If you are interested in learning more about being a member of a SAR team, perhaps in the role of a support to the team or as a handler, it is best to inquire with local law enforcement in order to be directed to the “professional” teams that are contacted by police relative to persons or teams that maintain engaging websites and abide by less formal protocols. This interview can be accessed via the following media sites: YouTube: https://youtu.be/pe0-JJmhmCE The 405 Media (9PM Pacific M-R): http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ Subscribe to the SoundCloud RSS feed for this podcast: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:253648050/sounds.rss Follow me (The Safety Doc) on Twitter @SafetyPhD Follow my safety blog: https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/
Following a harrowing tale of how the Safety Doc and his father narrowly escaped the wrath of security personnel at an oil refinery, Dr. Perrodin elaborates on our innate tendencies to simply overlook proverbial red "safety" flags present in the every-day environment. This week, a Public Service Announcement (PSA) titled "Evan" (searchable on YouTube) was released by the nonprofit "Sandy Hook Promise" created by people in Newtown, Connecticut. The video is remarkably effective at demonstrating how our attention is drawn to the "norm" and how easily we overlook in-plain-sight warning signs. Such warning signs, which might be posts on social media, prevent school attacks when they are identified, reported to adults and then ACTED UPON by adults. It's an entire safety system and a short circuit in any segment disables opportunities to prevent sentinel events and to connect a child, or children, to supports necessary to address harm-to-self or harm-to-others errors in thinking. Unfortunately, my experience with many schools are that few center teaching students, staff and parents the concept of threat assessment. Some schools don't even have a "formal" threat assessment process. Yep, even in 2016! Curiously, the term "leakage detection" rarely appears in Internet searches and some of the most prominent writing on the topic was authored by me! (Per a Google search, my works were the first 4 headings that appeared). Residue exists. “In cases of Erfut, Germany in 2002 and Columbine in 1999, attackers disclosed their plans on the Internet. These prior claims of intent are often lost in general disbelief of the noise of the daily routine. To filter the noise, school officials must learn to differentiate between a mere threat of violence from the ability and commitment to perform it”. Leakage continues to be an important aspect of school safety. Yet, little is done to teach students, staff or parents how to identify leakage - even though such "education" measures would be relatively simple to do. For example, a social media post expressing intent to harm self or others should be recognized as threat and subsequently elicit a reporting response. We can teach students and parents to recognize such threats. Per the “Evan” video, unsettling media posts can be “glossed over” as just “typical rhetoric from THAT kid”. School are structured in a top-down manner that centers school administrators as the leakage gatekeepers. This approach was incomplete in 2006 and remains incomplete in 2016 – leakage is typically first presented to students or staff. Where's the urgency to evolve to a better system? When humans see a problem from far away, such as the pending oil shortage, the problem is likely to be solved – the surprise innovations will drive society. Leakage detection is way to address a slow-moving disaster. SOURCE: Crockett, S., Huang, S. B., Lee, K., & Liebling, D. (2005). Protecting Soft Targets: A Case Study and Evaluation of High School Security. This podcast is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1GPDtgMXmU4 The 405 Media (9PM Pacific M-R): http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ Follow me on Twitter @SafetyPhD Follow my blog at https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ I will respond to comments made on any platforms.
Did you know that some professional sports stadiums now equip their safety personnel with mobile devices with a drop down menu that enables them to notify a special group of responders in the event of a drone attack? App-based large venue safety management tools are evolving at incredible rates. This special "behind the scenes" episode of “The Safety Doc” podcast features an interview with Scott Meyers, VP of Sales for ISS24/7, the industry leader setting the standard for venue management software and always improving that standard via the regular input of stakeholders through both analytics and brainstorming focus groups. Levi Stadium, home to the San Francisco 49ers, is one of many professional properties where ISS24/7 helps to reduce risks and maximize guest experience. By digitally documenting and tracking incidents, requests, tasks, work orders, preventative maintenance, inspections, guard tours, and even lost and found items, the ISS 24/7 software elevates every facet of an organization to the highest level of efficiency and performance. Still, Scott shares that major gaps continue to challenge those charged with ensuring safe venues. And while user-friendly icon-based mobile app managed systems have become common at the professional and college levels, there is very little penetration into K-12 settings, even for districts with 70 or more schools! This podcast is also available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/D2YxxgZgrsg 405 Media (9PM Pacific M-R): http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ Follow me on Twitter @SafetyPhD Follow my blog at https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ Learn about ISS24/7: http://www.iss247.com/
WHY WOULD YOU OVERWRITE 50-YEAR-OLD RESEARCH FINDINGS? The Safety Doc Podcast #3 challenges “The Atlantic’s” revisionist interpretation of the famous Milgram Electric-Shock Studies of the 1960s that showed that people will obey even the most abhorrent of orders. A full 65% of study participants continued to administer shocks (to others) all the way up to the maximum level! Milgram’s research was crucial to help better understand the abundant application of the “I was just following orders” defense at the Nuremberg trials held by the Allied forces after World War II. This post is also available as a 50-minute podcast: Youtube: https://youtu.be/m0aRhKX-I-M 405 Media (9PM Pacific M-R): http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ Follow me on Twitter @SafetyPhD Follow my blog at https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/
How well do you ACTUALLY remember things? Research reveals that most of us forget HALF of what we’ve encoded within only one hour! This is startling in many regards and it calls into question the reliability of eye witness accounts. For safety, it also means that we must pay close attention to immediate documentation of threats or incidents. Safety apps, such as those provided by ISS 24/7, now include options to take photos of scenes and to record interviews along with time-stamping. Why is time-stamping important, well, it’s that “Forgetting Curve”. Watch this podcast on YouTube at https://youtu.be/qX8i3ll3JX4 Follow me on Twitter @SafetyPhd Follow my Safety Blog at https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/
David Perrodin, PhD, explains the quirky behavior of persons prior to deciding to exit the Twin Towers on 9/11 -- denial followed by 4-minutes of gathering personal belongings! HEADLINES! From The Standard Banner (Nov. 10, 2016) in Jefferson City, TN - "Tabletop exercise simulated shooting incident at JCHS". Here's how active shooter drills should be conducted, folks! JCHS deployed a sensible interagency tabletop exercise to prepare for an active shooter response. No need for kids covered with fake blood "playing" dead in hallways. Subscribe to this podcast today! I will respond to comments. The Standard Banner article was retrieved from: http://www.standardbanner.com/news/tabletop-exercise-simulates-shooting-incident-at-jchs/article_6385b124-a752-11e6-bbe2-5f6501d5f702.html You can view this podcast on YouTube.