Solid Responder

Today we pause to Honor our Nations Veterans on this 11th of November 2021.We Salute our Veterans on this day and Honor all who have served and continue serving to secure our freedom and way of life.It is also difficult to not stop and humbly remember our over 7,000 U. S. Service Members who have perished in the post-9/11 war operations and honor our Gold Star Families.On a previous Episode on September 11, twenty-years after the tragic events, we spoke about that calm early Tuesday morning, countless acts of heroism and selflessness, and how First Responder Emergency personnel and members of our Military raced into the World Trade Center Towers and our Nations Pentagon.We say this because today, we have a very special guest! Someone who is not only a friend, father, husband, and someone I have had the pleasure teaching with across the country, BUT add to that VETERAN and First Responder and doing it all at the same time. That is what we call a SOLID RESPONDER.

Our latest episode of Solid Responder featuring 31-year veteran of the Oklahoma Fire Department, Fire Fighter Chris Fields. After retiring in 2017, Chris began the second most important work of his life, shining a light on the hidden mental and emotional trauma so common to first responders. Through live events across the country, he shares his personal story, including one of the most infamous moments—as the fire fighter photographed while cradling the body of a one-year old, who succumbed to injuries at the Oklahoma bombing terror attack on April 19, 1995. According to mental health statistics, the percentage of first responder suicides are higher than those of the rest of the population. Currently, it even outpaces line of duty deaths. This is an incredibly important and vital subject that Chris has dedicated his life to. He believes that his career as a first responder took a toll on his personal well-being and his family. During this podcast, Chris shares his own recovery which he attributes to faith and family and has committed to share what he has learned to help other first responders and their loved ones. Please join us for this moving episode and heed the call to action to help recognize those in need of support and how you can help them or point them to the right resources. After watching the podcast, you can learn more by visiting www.chrisfeilds.com or www.traumabehindthebadge.org

Solid Responder host Joe Hernandez interviews paramedic, engineer, and firefighter, Katie Roberts—a highly trained member and instructor of one of California's most elite FEMA all hazards Urban Search and Rescue response teams. Katie's knowledge, skills, experience, and her commitment to sacrifice are what makes her a true SOLID RESPONDER.Join Joe and Katie for a conversation about her path to becoming a member of California-TF3 as a medical specialist and Hazmat team manager, as well as an instructor and one of the country's top leading experts. They also discuss her deployment experiences, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017, where she brought her diverse perspective and Hazmat expertise to the medical specialist side of disaster management. Katie has been a member of the first responder community since 1998 and a member of California TF-3 since 2010. She credits her career growth and passion for teaching to her own personal curiosity, encouragement from colleagues, and support from her chief. She also discusses her personal experiences, starting out as one of the very few women in a largely male-dominated profession, and how the job has changed since.

Join us along with host Joe Hernandez for Solid Responder podcast episode 2: Canada Urban Search and Rescue. We sit with Dave Bain to discuss the origins, history, and current state of Canada's Urban Search and Rescue program. His involvement and contributions to the on going development of the system have made it a valuable resource for the international community.

During this fascinating and heart-wrenching podcast, Chief Michael Leigh shares his 9/11 story as a critical part of the team that was first on the scene at the Pentagon in Washington. His firsthand account brings listeners along for the journey, helping to dissect the situation and how he and his colleagues helped to save countless lives by following protocol and leveraging their expertise in emergency medicine and rescue operations.