The Heart of a Hero: Jan Rader's Story

Announcer: This is the Tri State Time Machine, brought to you by Alex R. White, pllc@suedistractedriver.com each week, your host, Vanessa Hankins and her guests share memories and stories about the past, the present, and the future of the Tri State area. That's West Virginia, Kentucky, and the Ohio areas. If you used to live here or you currently live here, you're going to catch yourself saying out loud, wow, I remember that. Now here's Vanessa.

Vanessa: Hey, guys, it's Vanessa.

Jason Arthur: Hi, it's Jason.

Vanessa: And we're back with the Tri State Time Machine. And you guys are never going to guess who we have on today. Jason, I'm going to let you tell on.

Jason Arthur: Sure. So I'll be honest with you. I'm very excited for our guest today. Um, listen, she's not hard to find. I like that saying. She's not hard to find. You can Google her. Uh, she has been such a testament to our city, the state, and so on. And to be quite honest, for females in general, just does such a great job. So, ladies and gentlemen, today I would like to introduce you to Jan Rader. How are you today?

Speaker D: I'm fabulous. And I'm so honored that you invite me on your show.

Jason Arthur: Love to have you. We're so glad to have you.

Vanessa: Yes, absolutely.

Jason Arthur: So, Vanessa, go ahead and start off things. Yeah, let's jump in.

Vanessa: Um, I. And this one is very curious for me. Um, in moments that you're completely alone after a call or shift, and we're gonna start in like, this is pretty serious.

Speaker D: Okay. You just dive right in.

Vanessa: In moments when you're completely alone after a call or a shift, what are thoughts that lingo your mind?

Speaker D: Um, you know, anytime a, uh, uh, fire department or a first responder goes on a call, somebody's had a horrible day, and I have a lot of respect in that moment and all. And usually, um, after the call, I'm very. Just grateful in the moment that we were able to respond and possibly make a difference or, um, try to make sense of a horrible situation.

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Speaker D: I try to keep that gratitude, uh, and foremost in my thoughts.

Vanessa: Yeah, I love that. That's kind of profound in a way, because you really, truly. Sometimes you think, like, when you're alone, that's when you crumble, that you're turning that around and you're grateful to have been there for those people. So I think that's wonderful.

Jason Arthur: So, Jan, you know, I, uh, know so many people. You know, I kind of introduced you like this. So many people know so much about you, so they Think so. What I'd like to know is a little bit about the personal side of Jan Raider. If you can give us a little insight on you.

Speaker D: Okay.

Vanessa: So.

Speaker D: Well, I was born and raised in Ironton, Ohio, right across the river.

Jason Arthur: Okay.

Speaker D: And I feel very blessed because, you know, I have an older brother and sister. My brother's a Presbyterian minister. He's in Tennessee. And, uh, my sister, um, is just an amazing person. She's two years older than me, and she's had a lot of, um, trauma in her life, but she's just. She's raised three amazing kids. My brothers raised three amazing kids. I have probably seven niece, great nieces and nephews.

Vanessa: And you're pretty close to all of your nieces and nephews. If you're a friend of hers on social media, you'll see that that's like one of your favorite things is taking some pictures with them and spending time with them.

Speaker D: Absolutely. So I was blessed with parents that, uh, taught me, uh, to help others in need, that you lift each other up. Uh, my parents helped start Habitat for Humanity in the Ironton, Ashland area.

Vanessa: That's cool.

Speaker D: And my brother was involved in the first beginning of Habitat in Huntington. And when I was young, when I was little, my brother's eight years older than me. My dad and my brother would drive down to Plains, Georgia for three weeks every summer and help build houses for. With Jimmy Carter. Oh, isn't that cool?

Jason Arthur: That is awesome.

Speaker D: Isn't that cool?

Vanessa: So actually so awesome.

Speaker D: Great childhood. Grew, um, up riding horses. A big 4H person, you know, was in 4H until I aged out. Of course, they had to keep.

Vanessa: I would have never guessed that.

Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah.

Vanessa: That's cool.

Speaker D: So, played sports in high school, you know, so, you know, I'm pretty vanilla.

Jason Arthur: Well, the Jimmy Carter thing is great. I mean, you talk about somebody that had a true servant's heart, you know, whether you liked his politics or not. The guy was outstanding all the way to his death.

Speaker D: Absolutely. You know, it was funny, you know, when he passed away and I called my mom to check on her. She's 89 years old. And she started lecturing me about Jan, don't become rich. Give your money away. And I thought, what is going on? What is causing that? I said, did you watch Jimmy Carter's funeral today?

Vanessa: She said, yes, I did.

Jason Arthur: There you go.

Vanessa: You knew it was coming from somewhere.

Speaker D: Yes.

Jason Arthur: That's great.

Vanessa: I love that. Isn't it funny how our parents perceive.

Jason Arthur: Things all the way through life?

Vanessa: Advice.

Jason Arthur: Parents will always be parents, no matter the age.

Speaker D: No doubt.

Vanessa: So you touched on this a little bit. Um, you have the servant's heart. You were raised that way. It was instilled with you by both your parents. Um, what first drew you into the career of firefighting and emergency response?

Speaker D: You know, and this is going to sound really campy, and it's a really weird story, but it is the truth. I was working in the jewelry business. I was a little rockhound growing up. I always had rocks in my pockets. I always, you know, went hunt arrowheads and things like that. And so I went to gemology school when I was 20.

Vanessa: I didn't even know that was a thing. I mean, it makes sense.

Speaker D: But six month trade school, you know, how to appraise jewelry and identify gemstones and things like that. And so, uh, I. I was working in the jewelry business, and I was assistant manager of a jewelry store right outside of DC In Tyson Corner Center. And a lady was walking by the store, and I watched her turn blue and collapse right in the doorway of our store. We had this little bay window where the jeweler sat, and you could watch people. It was great. Yeah, I watched her collapse. And I didn't even know CPR. So I called 911 and stayed on the phone with them, and a couple young ladies stopped and did CPR on her. This is in 93?

Vanessa: Yeah.

Speaker D: And I called 911, stayed on the phone with them, and the fire department showed up, and there was a woman firefighter there. She was paramedic. And they were able. They got the paddles out and they shocked them, just like emergency, uh, and everything. Uh, and they got a heart rhythm back and off they went to the hospital. And I was a big runner at the time. And some of the guys I ran with in my apartment complex were firefighters. And I shared this, uh, incident with them. M. I said, look, I really felt helpless. I didn't know what to do. And they're like, we have a lot of women firefighters, Shan. You can do this. You're in shape. You know, you should consider it. And so within a couple weeks, I took a CPR class. And then I enrolled in an EMT basic class. And, um, took the test over in Fairfax County, Virginia. And my brother heard about it. He was a pastor here in town at the time. He said, I heard you were looking into firefighting. I said, yeah, I think I'd like to pursue that. And he said, well, they're giving the test here. So he faxed me application for the.

Vanessa: Huntington Come Home Sis.

Speaker D: And I came home and Tested and they offered me a job. So it's kind of a cool story.

Jason Arthur: It is very cool.

Vanessa: Well, and I love that you recognize that you, you know, weren't up to par in a certain area of your life and you were like, let's change that. Let's exactly do something about it. I don't want to be helpless. So I love that.

Jason Arthur: So, uh, going into obviously your line of work and the things that you've done to an extent, um, tell us a little bit about being fire Chief.

Speaker D: Well, you know, I mean, um, it's, it's a big responsibility. I don't consider that you're in charge. I consider that when you're in a leadership role that you are responsible.

Jason Arthur: Mhm.

Speaker D: And um, so there's challenges there. Um, but, uh, I wouldn't trade that experience for the world.

Jason Arthur: Absolutely.

Speaker D: I mean, I'm very grateful. Uh, we have amazing firefighters in the city.

Jason Arthur: Oh, absolutely.

Speaker D: Um, you know, we might not always agree, uh, but, you know, I have deep respect for, uh, the men that I helped, uh, throughout that time.

Vanessa: I can only imagine, um, the emotion that you feel for all those Gaza. And did you have any girls under you ever?

Speaker D: Not. I brought, well, my, my administrative assistant, Carolyn, who's amazing.

Vanessa: Carolyn is great. Love her. Yes, absolutely. Um, but I get to get close to the guys coming to Safety Town. And then, you know, when you see these posts on Facebook about the fires happening and these like 911 groups and stuff like that, you can't help but like, oh, my gosh, they have children. I've met their wives. Like, I know these people. These are family at this point. So I can only imagine how you feel with the time that you spent with them.

Speaker D: Absolutely. And you want them to thrive, you want them to have a phenomenal career and you want them to retire healthy.

Jason Arthur: Healthy, definitely. So, yeah. And so many of them, I've noticed, you know, even with our police force as well, retire at a very nice age, can still do some other things and get to spend that extra time with family and things. You just got to make sure they come home safe. And one thing that I, uh, you know, since being on council, I've noticed is the brotherhood that is there and the things like that. But also we really have had a great record with not having many losses with our department. It's been very good. So our safety is very up to par.

Speaker D: We do. And we, you know, um, I was very fortunate when I hired on the Huntington Fire Department. My training officer was Captain Lanny Adkins, and he was a Safety guru. And I contribute our, uh, environment of safety a lot to him. Except the standard fire chief, Greg Fuller, who was the fire chief for mhm quite some time while I was coming up through the ranks. They had a very safety oriented mindset and, uh, that's a good thing.

Jason Arthur: Yeah. Safety is key to anything, but especially with something like that, you guys are what keeps everybody else safe. So you got to be safe obviously too.

Vanessa: Absolutely. Yeah. We talked a little bit about you working in the jewelry business before you went into firefighting. But had you not gone into public service, do you think you would have remained in that field or do you think you would have tried something different?

Speaker D: I think I probably would have eventually tried something different. I mean, it, you know, it was kind of like a hobby that became, you know, a job or career or whatever. But, you know, I wasn't completely satisfied.

Vanessa: Right.

Speaker D: So I like being creative making jewelry, but it wasn't personally satisfying.

Vanessa: Well, there's not probably that many people that are coming in for custom pieces. They're probably coming in. I've made my wife a little upset. I need a new necklace or something like that, I would imagine.

Speaker D: And then it might come back after the event.

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Jason Arthur: You know, something I think about, you know, we talk about being a chief and a firefighter and obviously, you know, as a woman coming up, you didn't even have any women with you. But one thing I always think about is after a hard call or shift, what are some thoughts that linger the longest with you? Just when you're reflecting?

Speaker D: You know, I mean, you hate to see tragedy, but we do see a lot of tragedy. And I, and I think that I've always been a, um, champion of, uh, taking care of your mental health.

Jason Arthur: Yes.

Speaker D: Making sure that you, um, your mindset is good. Um, so I'm always, um, striving for our first responders to have the support that they need and, um, you know, the ability to go to mental health counseling if they need to, or the ability to go work out at a gym if they need to. Because we all need to develop an outlet to deal with, uh, the stress that, that we see day in, day out.

Jason Arthur: Absolutely.

Speaker D: Um, you know, I think that's very important. That's what led us to creating Compass Navigating Wellness.

Jason Arthur: I love that program for our first responders.

Speaker D: Um, you know, because of the stress and strain of the opioid epidemic, um, you know, it became more and more aware. We became more aware that we needed.

Vanessa: To express experiencing the whole body.

Jason Arthur: How do you feel the success rate has been with Compass so far.

Speaker D: I think the success rate with Compass is really good, and I think it's hard to measure that. Marshall University, uh, Merck, uh, actually does some research with. They do surveys, they collect some data, and they're collecting data, and I think it's going to be years before we know the total impact, but I think that impact in general is going to be huge. It's hard to see right up front, but I will say this. From the beginning of Compass embedding a mental fitness coach and a physical fitness coach, uh, giving, uh, our first responders an outlet or somebody that they can speak to, and, um, the chief doesn't know about it. I think that is key, and that's what makes it, it so great. Uh, uh, as a leader, to me, it was a tool.

Jason Arthur: Absolutely it is.

Speaker D: That took a weight off of my shoulder. You know, we had a bad call where a child died or whatever. I could, uh, mention that to the mental fitness coach so that individual could check on the people associated with that call. Yeah, just to check on them, um, I called, uh, our mental fitness coach to a couple scenes while I was chief. And that is a relief because if you're, uh, responsible for an emergency scene where there's multiple deaths and you're dealing with family members and you're dealing with the media and things like that, knowing that your, um, first responders are being addressed and taken care of, ah, is.

Jason Arthur: A big relief to you, definitely. So, yeah.

Vanessa: What an amazing tool that we have right there at the fingertips of the chief to request something like that. I think that's. I think that's a testament to our great city.

Jason Arthur: Yeah, well, great leadership leads to great results. That's where we're at with this thing. And you, you were a testament of that. Fuller's a testament to that. I mean, everybody's keeping it going. And I've seen such growth in Compass, you know, even from when I knew about it. To be quite honest, I didn't at first. But I like to dig around and see what's going on and to know there is a tool there to help these gentlemen and these women to say, hey, it's okay, you know, and. And I will say that a lot of times, especially in roles like this, it's easy to say, oh, those are the tough guys, you know, these little boys or girls. We grew up thinking, man, they've got it all figured out and they're here to save the day. But, man, that takes a toll on you, too. And that can carry over into family and Everything. So I'm just so excited that that program is here and I just hope more and more continue to utilize that.

Speaker D: Um, yes. And, you know, I get to utilize it as a retiree now. And I love getting to just go over there, have coffee and see and talk to other first responders.

Vanessa: I was gonna say, the guys and the girls that I talk to, they really love getting up there and cutting up with each other in the kitchen. And they've gotten really close to the two trainers and I just, uh, I'm so thankful that they have that because you can really tell when they've come off a call because sometimes we'll have trucks that come straight from a call straight to Safety Town. And they aren't always in the mindset to be able to deal with five and six year olds. And um, we, we've learned and grown with each other and they can kind of signal me and let me know, like, today's not the day. Like, I can't, I'm probably not gonna get through this today. And that's okay. But it's so wonderful and we, we talk about mental health a lot on the podcast.

Jason Arthur: Yeah, we do.

Vanessa: It's so wonderful that in the world that we live in that men are finally getting the opportunity to be able to speak, speak up about their mental health. So I think it's a beautiful thing.

Jason Arthur: Absolutely.

Vanessa: Um, since we've talked about the opioid crisis a little bit, um, what's something that you've learned from people struggling with addiction that you didn't expect?

Speaker D: You know, the weird thing about that is I learn every day and I'm open minded enough to welcome, um, any new lessons. Um, you know, there's two things that we can count on in this world, is that things are going to change. And that's number one and two, if we're not open to change, we're going to be miserable ourselves.

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Speaker D: So m. You know, when I first started dealing with it as a first responder, I was actually seeing it from two different views because I used to work in the emergency room at Cabell on my days off from the fire department as a, as a nurse.

Vanessa: Right.

Speaker D: And you know, when I went through nursing school at age 40, I was not taught much about addiction or what to expect. And you know, it seems like we were sold a bill of goods for years, that if somebody is suffering from substance use disorder, that they have a moral failing. And that's not the case. That is not the case. Uh, but I learned that from those that suffer. And I Started asking them, how did you get to where you are and what happened to you? And, you know, that's a good book by Ober, by the way.

Vanessa: That is a very good book.

Speaker D: Uh, but, you know, asking them their story and being. Trying to be non judgmental, you know, as humans, we are judgmental, and that's how we survive in this world.

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Speaker D: But by trying to be non judgmental, judgmental and listening to somebody's backstory, you learn so much. It could be any of us. Any of us could go through one bad time of our life, a bad wreck, a car wreck, end up, you know, addicted to pain medicine, and then not be assisted with tapering from that and maybe sticking a needle in our arms. I've learned a lot from patients that I've dealt with over the years.

Jason Arthur: You know, kind of in talking with that, um, you know what I think about is something like, if you could write a letter to yourself before your first overdose call, what would it say?

Speaker D: That's a great question.

Jason Arthur: I know we get a little deep on here sometimes.

Speaker D: Um, I would say be kind to yourself and be kind to the person you're dealing with. Yeah, it would be that simple. You know, because a lot of times first responders are taught to make a situation, you know, you got to fix it. You got to fix it.

Jason Arthur: Sure.

Speaker D: There are things you can't fix. So sometimes just being there in the moment and listening is all you can do.

Jason Arthur: That's hard to take when you've been taught, fix, fix, fix.

Speaker D: I can, yeah, we can't fix it. I think that's what's so frustrating for first responders, because they go on the same person over and over again. And then you might feel go on a call where you find them deceased, and you're so frustrated because you're supposed to be the helper. You're supposed to be the fixer. Right. And you couldn't fix this person. And there's a lack of understanding and education there.

Jason Arthur: Yeah, absolutely. Even in. I think we all go through that to an extent. But, you know, in certain positions of leadership, those are the things that keep you up at night, even when you leave the scene or you've tried to deal with somebody and you want to help them with everything. And you'll sit and just dwell on that like, what could have I done different? Man, that's hard. And then we get back to mental health on that. But it's tough.

Vanessa: Absolutely. So that I love doing these interviews, but then I get wrapped up in them and then I'm like, oh, I remember I'm supposed to be the one asking questions. Um, uh, we. We talk a lot, like we just said, several times about mental health. Um, what are. Or how do you balance some of the harsh realities of emergency response?

Speaker D: Um, I think for me personally, I walk every day. I walk three to five miles every day. That's what releases me. I do my best thinking while I'm walking. I also like to listen to audiobooks while I walk and I try to explore, um, and educate myself on what I'm dealing with. I love Brene Brown. I've listened to every Brene Brown book there is. Probably twice. Yeah. But, you know, sometimes it's just I want to act corny and goofy with. Let her go. Just let her go, you know, so. But for me, mostly being out in nature is best. And how I reset.

Vanessa: I love that. I love that. And you had shared with me before. We were just having random conversation. Something that you did when you grew up. You would, um, clean gravestones and restore them with you. So it's your father?

Speaker D: My mom.

Vanessa: Oh, your mom. Okay. I wasn't sure which one it was, but, um, do you find that that gives you a lot of release?

Speaker D: Yeah, it's hilarious. You know, my mother, you know, she's a big historian in Lawrence County. She's like I said, She's 89. She'd probably get mad that I'm telling her age, but she and, ah, a lady from the library in Lawrence county used to map out old family, uh, plots, graveyards and, um, cemeteries all throughout Lawrence County. And so my sister and I would be sent in with like, weed eaters and stuff.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Speaker D: Hey, see what that tombstone says? But it's kind of cathartic, you know.

Jason Arthur: Yeah, absolutely.

Vanessa: Pay attention.

Jason Arthur: That's right. Details.

Vanessa: When you said outdoors and it immediately made me think. I was like, oh, yeah, I remember she was telling me about that.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Jason Arthur: So what's part of yourself that you've had to protect, uh, you know, in all these lines of work and what's a part you've let go of to kind of survive going through it?

Vanessa: M Hitting her with all the hard ones.

Speaker D: Yeah, these are. Yeah. Jason, you're really deep.

Jason Arthur: I am impressed. I want the personal stuff, you know, I think that's what the listeners want and it allows you to open up.

Vanessa: Uh, we really want the goal of these personal, um, interviews that we do is we want people to see the you that we get to see by working with you.

Jason Arthur: M. Absolutely.

Vanessa: We want the community to know that you're not just someone that took a role. You earned a role.

Speaker D: You.

Vanessa: You got there by your hard work and grit and your intelligence. And we want people to know that. We want people to know that it wasn't, uh, a favor owed to a friend. It seems like that's a big thing. I don't know if it's just in our area or if it's all over, but people just like to assume things that someone couldn't have earned a role. Somebody owed somebody a favor, and they, you know, just gave them this job. And I'm like, you have no idea. And I had no idea. I mean, I was never someone that really cared too much to even have an opinion on it. But by working at the city the last six years, I have seen people grow and come into roles. And sometimes you see people that miss out on roles that you really thought earned them more than others, but you don't always know the bigger picture and what's in mind for the city and what the goal is and why maybe that person didn't get picked or why the person that did get picked up was picked over them. You know, so, um, that's always the goal when we do these personal pieces, is we want the community to see who we see, the people that we.

Jason Arthur: Absolutely, yeah. I always tell everybody, this is your podcast. We're just kind of guiding it through. So this is really about you. So the question again is what's a part of yourself you've had to protect in your lines of work, and what's a part you've let go of to kind of survive that?

Speaker D: Okay, so I think it's probably the same in my capacity, it would be compassion, because a lot of people that are first responders tend to get hardened and lose their empathy and compassion for others. And, um, I've had to protect that and fight the desire to. Because let's face it, if you're. If you stop caring and you stop being empathetic, then it's not going to hurt so bad.

Jason Arthur: Sure.

Speaker D: So I've been very protective of that, and I'm very proud that I still feel a lot of empathy and compassion for individuals that I encounter.

Jason Arthur: I love that. Um, and that kind of says that you are consistent with your compassion, and that's what's really faltering. Sure. But we all do. But there again, that consistency. It's not that you had one bad moment and fell from it. You. I'm going back to what I am, and it's obviously paid off very well.

Vanessa: Absolutely. So in speaking about compassion, um, do you believe that compassion can be taught, or do you think it's something that comes naturally within, somewhere deeper in humans?

Speaker D: I think that it's both. I think it can be taught, and I think that some people innately have that trait. Um, I don't know if I would have been as compassionate as I have been over the past had it not been for my parents showing me m. By the way they lived what true compassion is. And I didn't even know I was getting that lesson. Right. But I do believe that some people are born with it. And I think that anybody can choose to become more compassionate.

Vanessa: Absolutely. I think you can really work on having that empathy. Ah. And seeing things from other perspectives. But you do have to put in the work.

Speaker D: Um, yes, you do.

Jason Arthur: No doubt about it.

Vanessa: You do have to put in the work.

Jason Arthur: So, uh, you know, kind of coexisting with that. What does strength look like to you now compared to when you first started in this field?

Speaker D: Another really good question, beating me to all the good questions. I think when I started working as a firefighter, I mean, it was more everybody telling you to suck it up. Showing no emotion was strength. And I feel like it's the opposite now.

Vanessa: We really lived in a different world then.

Speaker D: We did, we did.

Vanessa: Mental health was not on the forefront.

Speaker D: Absolutely.: 1994

Jason Arthur: Very good.

Vanessa: I love that. So kind of on the opposite side of that. Um, well, not really opposite, but it kind of goes with it. Um, have your views on addiction recovery evolved over the years from when you first started, and if so, how.

Speaker D: Yes, you know, I fell down the rabbit hole of not understanding addiction and not understanding why people were choosing this path or that path. I just didn't understand it. Um, so, you know, I feel like I have a street level education, if that makes sense.

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Speaker D: And, um, you know, I don't know if you can learn that from a textbook.

Vanessa: I would agree with that. Um, as you know, I worked at Press Era center for several years and we did, um, up to the age of 22. But I would say it was more youth based than anything. Um, education and prevention and growing up in a family that struggled with addiction and losing several family members not only to the opioid crisis, but also to alcoholism and things like that. There are things that you grow up and you know, that you don't want to be. You know that you have that addiction gene in your bloodline, and, you know, you don't want to risk liking something too much. That's not good for you. Uh, but you also. It opens your eyes to working with these children of, um. Sometimes they. They just need that one adult in their family that says, hey, you can turn this around, and you can use this as an example of what you don't want to be as opposed to what the norm is and what. What the expectation is. Because sometimes the expectation is not that high for some of these kids, so not at all. I think it's. I think it's a beautiful thing that you. Not only being female, but being a strong leader, being the firefighter, being the nurse, all of those things you really are. And I know you've been told this a million times, but you really are this beacon of hope for a lot of young girls, not only in our community, but in the world. You've done a lot of public speaking, and I think that your story. It's one for the books.

Speaker D: It really is. Well, that's very kind of you to say.

Vanessa: No problem. I believe it wholeheartedly.

Speaker D: Thank you.

Jason Arthur: So what's a story you've never told publicly but often replay in your mind? I think we all kind of get those pivotal moments that kind of change things a little.

Speaker D: I don't know if, you know, I have. I have spoken publicly about some things that have really turned m. Changed my opinion and changed the way I do a lot of things. One of them is Mickey. Mickey Garland that was in the documentary. Um, I encountered him multiple times before. Um, I really understood totally what, um, substance use disorder or addiction was. I wasn't always kind to him. I wasn't always kind to people that were suffering from addiction. But people like Mickey actually changed my mind and taught me what they really went through. But I have spoken publicly about that before, though. I don't know if there's anything that I haven't. I'm pretty much an open book, unfortunately.

Vanessa: I love that about you, though. There's no surprises coming out of it.

Jason Arthur: Which is always a good thing, you know, and sometimes, uh, that's one of those questions, like, man, I'd kind of like to think about that for a minute. And when you leave here, you may think about it. So add it on there anytime. That's right. But. And you're welcome anytime. But, you know, sometimes it's even something as minute as when we're a kid, it's our parents did this, or, you Know, then we were out in a career and this happened or I feel like those pivotal moments sometimes are the most minute at the time, but sometimes it just changes everything.

Speaker D: That is true.

Jason Arthur: Yeah. It doesn't have to be this big boom of a moment. And there's little things like just remembering, my mom always said this, or, you know, my boss did this, and I forever changed my course. So I think it's great that that's the things you remember. Yeah.

Speaker D: What?

Vanessa: Just to go a little deeper, um, what does healing actually look like for you? Not like in policy terms, but in human terms.

Speaker D: Just people doing better with their life, you know? Uh, uh, I mean, if I see somebody who was sticking a needle in their arm and I encounter them and they're just drinking, they're like, hey, man, I might be drinking, but I'm not sticking a needle in my arm. I mean, that's huge. Yeah, that's huge. That's one big step, you know, and then it's like, you can be a cheerleader for them. You did that.

Vanessa: Now look what else you can do.

Speaker D: You could give up the drinking too, right?

Jason Arthur: Absolutely can.

Vanessa: I'm here for you to do it.

Speaker D: People just getting better and going on with their lives in a very positive way, uh, no matter how minute it is, is healing, you know?

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Jason Arthur: What kind of leader do you hope to inspire 20 years from now? You know, someone who's never met you say.

Speaker D: I hope that they're just open minded and compassionate with the people that they are. And I'm not gonna say in charge of the people that they are responsible for.

Jason Arthur: Right. I like that. Yeah, it's very good.

Vanessa: We're hanging out way too much.

Jason Arthur: That's funny.

Vanessa: Uh, if you could travel back in time and visit yourself in your first year in the field, um, what's the encouragement that you would give yourself? Would it probably be the same as your before answer of, um, kind of being kind to yourself? Let yourself.

Speaker D: I would probably just, uh, tell myself to be more quiet because I'm quite vocal.

Vanessa: Yes.

Speaker D: And I probably should have kept my mouth shut when I was a rookie.

Vanessa: I've been there.

Speaker D: Yeah. Instead of being mouthing, I've definitely been there. I probably should have been a little more quiet.

Vanessa: I tell people all the time, I'm like, if I chose a different career, I definitely would have been a radio dj, because I have a lot to say.

Speaker D: There you go. And an amazing one you would make.

Vanessa: Well, thank you.

Jason Arthur: That's right.

Vanessa: Trying to do a little bit in my spare time.

Jason Arthur: So obviously, Jan, you Uh, and I have got to work together a lot more. We know a lot more about each other. You know, some of the things that you're doing now. We've talked a lot about the past and what's kind of built you up to this moment. If you can give our listeners a little bit about what you're doing now.

Speaker D: Okay, so actually, it's great. Uh, Mayor Farrell asked me to stay on. I'm a senior advisor to the mayor, and I'm working mainly on homelessness. And obviously homelessness is intertwined with a lot of other things, such as substance use disorder and severe mental illness. So, uh, we're trying to open newer pathways. We're trying to facilitate, um, programs that will involve more partners and, um, just try to get people the help that they need so that we are better as a community and as a city. So I'm grateful for the opportunity to work in this capacity under Mayor Farrell. I think he's a great guy, and I'm just happy to be here.

Jason Arthur: Yeah. And I, you know, you, uh, and Dan work so well together. Yeah, we had Dan on.

Vanessa: I literally, when I. When I told you earlier that I got. Sometimes I get lost. Dan is the most fantastic storyteller.

Speaker D: Oh, he's great, isn't he?

Vanessa: I just, like, I could have sat here and listened to him for hours and hours.

Jason Arthur: He's just done so much.

Vanessa: He really has. And he has lived such a life. But, I mean, he. He has such a way with his words as well. So I can imagine your birthday's on Friday.

Jason Arthur: Yeah. Uh, there you go, Dan.

. So let's say, uh, that it's: 2040

Speaker D: Anybody who wants help can get it within a couple hours.

Vanessa: I love that you're right, because they need it right then. Or they're going to change their mind.

Speaker D: And they're going to use.

Jason Arthur: I'll be honest. I think that's very attainable. Maybe before then, especially here. I think that right now we're the front runners of this. And that's, uh, being helped by you and Dan and Mayor Farrell and all of our team on trying to say, well, just put this person there and that. Do this or do that. There's no guideline to this. Right now, we are the guideline.

Speaker D: Yes. And, you know, Valley Health's doing amazing.

Jason Arthur: Oh, outstanding.

Speaker D: Marshall Health Networks doing amazing things. Of course. We have Prestera Harmony House. We have the City Mission. We have, uh, the health department. Dr. Kilkenny.

Jason Arthur: This is what happens when we work together.

Vanessa: I think it's so amazing in our community the way that we have come together and, and I dealt with that a lot working at Prestera, um, when we would try to find beds for people and things like that, there was always someone at the next organization that you could call and say, hey, this is what I've got going on. What do you have available? And it was always so nice that they not only were willing to answer that call, but also if they couldn't help you, here's who I have that may be able to help you.

Speaker D: Uh, you know, in that capacity, I think we make each other better.

Jason Arthur: Oh, absolutely. We grow together.

Speaker D: Absolutely. It's a synergistic effect here in Huntington.

Jason Arthur: Yeah, great things are coming for sure.

Speaker D: I love it here.

Vanessa: I really do. I say it all the time, but I really, I love what's going on. I just love what the future looks like for, for my kids. Your kids? Yeah, your nieces and nephews, when they come home, you know, or when they're here, you know, it's. We are, we're setting the guidelines for what compassionate humans looks like.

Speaker D: I agree.

Vanessa: In the world. So I think it's awesome. Um, let me think here. I'm trying not to get the two deep ones and let Jason, by all.

Jason Arthur: Means, I've dug deep enough.

Vanessa: Are there any new projects or causes that you're currently really compassionate about in your life?

Speaker D: I think the hub is going to be a really good. Oh yeah, uh, uh, new low barrier shelter.

Jason Arthur: I wish people could see our vision on this and how outstanding this is going to be.

Vanessa: People at home listening because we have a lot of listeners that are from out of town that like maybe came here from Marshall, moved away or maybe grew up here and moved away for jobs and things like that. But, um, a little bit about what, what the hub is going to be, what the um, vision looks like, uh, in word terms and then um, maybe how many people we're going to be able to help, what the goal is.

Speaker D: So yeah, there's a lot of components here. Um, the hub is. The Huntington hub is going to be, uh, a permanent low barrier shelter where people can get out of the weather, ah, get a meal, um, have a cot to sleep during the night. Hopefully that will be. It's being remodeled right now. Um, it is a partnership with Valley Health, uh, Harmony House and hopefully Prestera Marshall Health Network. I anticipate many other partners, uh, signing on as we go through this process. Ovp It Will be a place where it's going to start out as an overnight shelter. Our goal would be to grow it from there so that we can provide more services, such as medical assistance, offer mat. Medically assisted treatment. Um, Valley health would like to have a clinical site there. And that would be phase two of the project. It'll roll out in phases. Phase one is just getting the overnight shelter up and running. Uh, we hope to be able to, uh, accommodate 80 people a night, uh, in the space that we have.

Vanessa: I love that.

Speaker D: Yes. And from there, uh, see what their barriers are for, how they ended up homeless, how we can assist them, the assistance they need. Yes.

Vanessa: So where were we at in terms of, um, bodies that we could do at the previous shelter? Well, it was a very small space. Right.

Speaker D: So it is the chapel at the city mission. And Mitch Webb and his team, they're amazing people. They do not turn people away. But you're talking a very small space space where about 60 people a night are cramming in. There's not.

Jason Arthur: It just wasn't made for that.

Speaker D: It's not made for that.

Jason Arthur: Right.

Speaker D: You know, you could probably comfortably, you know, put 25 people in.

Vanessa: That's what I was thinking in my head. Yeah.

Speaker D: But not 60. So. But it does get them out of the weather. And Mitch and his team have done, uh, an amazing job of providing definitely throughout Covid. And it's time to give them their chapel back.

Jason Arthur: Absolutely. It's needed, too.

Speaker D: Yes, absolutely. Mitch does amazing things. The city mission does amazing things on their own. Um, and so I think that there are different levels of homelessness. You know, it's very complex why people end up homeless. There's no one cause. But you can't group all homeless people together.

Jason Arthur: Correct.

Speaker D: Many different, uh, methods that you need to utilize to assist them.

Vanessa: Absolutely. And I don't remember the exact verbiage of the, um, the data there, but I think it's like everyone is, like, two paychecks away from homelessness. Like the guideline, because, I mean, you can not be able to pay your rent. You get a month behind, and that's it. Your. Your landlord or the bank or whatever, you know, is on top of it. Maybe you lose your car. So there's. There's your second way to have some kind of shelter. And, um, dealing with youth the way that I did, I was very shocked at the number of kids in the foster system that would have rather been out on the streets than in the system, because it's such a hard thing to navigate. And maybe some people aren't always in the fostering business for the right reasons. So it was really heartbreaking for me. And that's something that I think I'll always carry with me is, um, when I hear or see somebody on social media talk about, well, you know, how to fix homelessness. Get a house. Are you serious? Like, you've got to have, first of all, you're buying a house, down payment, good credit, all these things. If you're renting your first month's rent, last month's rent, damage, deposit, like, I mean, it's damn near impossible.

Speaker D: Well, here's the other thing that people don't realize that we have a housing crisis right now throughout the country. Uh, we're more than 3 million housing units short throughout the country. So the most vulnerable are going to fall out of care and lose housing. When you have a housing crunch.

Vanessa: Right.

Speaker D: So it's going to take years to build the amount of units that are needed to house. Uh, you know, there's a really good book. It's called Homelessness is a Housing Issue. I can't remember the guy who wrote it, but it's really good and it lays out how we got to where we are with homelessness, uh, throughout the country. Really good reading.

Vanessa: I just seen again, I probably, um, on social media, probably far too much, but I've seen that, um, T.I. the rapper had taken an old, um, I believe, and I could be wrong on this, an old hospital in Atlanta turned it into a location to make apartments. They might be like efficiency apartments, but I think it was like 180 people he was gonna house. I mean, it's beautiful, it's awesome. I mean, what a cool thing to do. He could do anything with his money. And he was like, let me find these people a shelter. Let me put them in a home.

Speaker D: That's amazing.

Vanessa: And I thought that was beautiful.

Speaker D: Speaks to his character.

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Jason Arthur: 100. Yeah.

Vanessa: So, Jason, do you have any more questions?

Jason Arthur: Well, actually, I do have one thing, one thing. And, uh, this is very light hearted, but there's a very, very vital piece of equipment. You know, we go on these tours together and all these things that is named after you. If you could talk a little bit about that. Remember when you flipped down and there. Yeah, let's talk about. That's a phenomenal piece of equipment, by the way.

Vanessa: The video.

Jason Arthur: The video. I know, yeah.

Speaker D: Uh, you know Joe Murphy. I love Joe Murphy.

Jason Arthur: Yeah.

Speaker D: Awesome. And so for probably a decade I've been telling him he's got to find a way to get around the training that you need to. For naloxone to get more naloxone out there.

Jason Arthur: Right.

Speaker D: We tried an app at one time, and. And so finally, I was getting ready to retire from the fire department, and he called me and he said, would you come over and be filmed? So m. Showing people how to get naloxone. And I'm like, sure. I didn't even know what it was for.

Vanessa: Right, right. You never know.

Speaker D: When he showed me what he invented, I cried. I burst into tears because that is a way to get around the training and get naloxone in the hands of more people and give a layperson who, you know, you can train all day long on cpr, but you don't know how you're going to react until you're in your end.

Jason Arthur: Oh, yeah. Adrenaline rush and everything. Yeah.

Speaker D: Uh, and if you have an aed, it tells you what to. Having something to remind you on the steps you need to take to give naloxone. I, um, mean, that's huge. So, um, it's marketed by the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, which Joe's wife is the president of. That Susan Murphy. She is amazing, too.

Vanessa: I was gonna say, they're both amazing people. I feel so blessed to know them and be their friend.

Speaker D: Right. So. But anyway, just to be able to be the voice in the box, uh, of such a vital piece of equipment is quite an honor.

Jason Arthur: It really is. Uh, that's awesome.

Speaker D: People ask me, how much money do you make? I would not take a penny for anything like that, because I'm out for saving lives. That's how Joe is. That's how the West Virginia, uh, Drug Intervention Institute was created by bankers in Charleston to save lives. Specifically to save lives. And I was part of a. I was invited to a think tank that they had to even create. The, um, West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute.

Vanessa: That's cool.

Speaker D: I didn't know that. Yeah. So they are actually saving a lot of lives with, you know, uh. Uh, I think it was, like, a $5 billion trust that they used to create.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Speaker D: Yeah. So, uh.

Jason Arthur: Yeah, yeah. That caught me off guard. So what we were doing, I was with her and Dan and the whole team, and we're out touring and everything. She said, have you ever seen this before? You know, m. I've been trained in all these pieces of equipment.

Vanessa: We're as good a friends as we are. And I've never told you about the one box I'm failing as a human.

Jason Arthur: I was like, this is phenomenal. And she just showed it to me, and There she is, the video and everything.

Vanessa: Absolutely.

Jason Arthur: And I thought this is the things that change the course of where we're at.

Speaker D: Susan and Joe do amazing.

Jason Arthur: Oh, absolutely.

Speaker D: Yeah, Yeah. I support any, any body or any, uh, group that actually is like that. Saving lives out.

Jason Arthur: That's what it's all about.

Vanessa: So talking about the one box, um, I know that they were. I know they're not this year, um, talking to Joe, but last year, I think the year prior, probably the year prior, I think it was three years. You could answer better on that than me. Um, you guys worked with Healing Appalachia.

Speaker D: Yes.

Vanessa: And you trained the entire crowd at the music festival two years ago. Yeah. And it was the most beautiful thing. I literally cried.

Speaker D: Oh, really?

Vanessa: I cried because it's like, you know, what we were doing here at home. But to be m meeting all these people from all over that are coming together for this one thing, you know, and usually when someone on stage is trying to get people to, you know, get the rowdiness to calm down and all that, you've still got some people that are still, ah, woohoo. And they're, you know, just having a great time and they don't want to calm down, but the whole crowd, I mean, it was beautiful. What was the number? Do you remember the number?

Speaker D: I don't know. I think Joe would probably have that number. Yeah, I knew that he's the one that arranged that. But that year I think we, uh, in the 10 outback.

Vanessa: The 10 out back.

robably trained and gave away: 1001

Vanessa: And all you had to do was sign up.

Speaker D: All you had to do was sign.

Vanessa: Up and get in the line.

Speaker D: And that's as simple as it is. Anybody can save a life. It's that simple.

Vanessa: Yes.

Speaker D: Um, so, you know, the more people we touch, the more people we train to use naloxone, the more lives we can save. Because that's the one thing, you know, if you're deceased, you can't make a change in your life. So we got to keep you alive.

Vanessa: Yeah, absolutely. So let's, uh, wrap it up with one last question. And this is a little deep, um, and maybe some little self reflecting might need to happen, but you may be totally prepared because you're such a great speaker. What do you hope that your legacy in terms of public health and emergency services is going to be when m you've left this world?

Speaker D: That I was compassionate and I tried to give people a choice. A better, better life. I love that yeah.

Vanessa: And that's. It's straight to the point. And I think that you're doing it. I think that'll happen. I think that will absolutely be your legacy.

Speaker D: Thank you.

Jason Arthur: Well, listen, Jan, it was a true honor to have you on today.

Speaker D: Thank you.

Jason Arthur: It really was.

Speaker D: I appreciate both of you. I love, uh, your programming. I listen to it religiously.

Jason Arthur: Thank you. We appreciate that very much. We're trying so hard to get our messages out there, and I say our messages. There's so many stories to tell, and we're all coming from different backgrounds, but we're all very similar still, too.

Speaker D: Absolutely.

Jason Arthur: So I do appreciate you and your stories. And seriously, come on, anytime. We love to have you.

Vanessa: Anytime you've got anything going on that you want the community to know about things, we're here and we're ready and able.

Speaker D: I'm going to take you up on that.

Jason Arthur: Yeah, we're all about it.

Vanessa: Please.

Jason Arthur: Thank you so much.

Vanessa: All right, guys, we are, uh, out.

Jason Arthur: We're out. Have a good day.

Announcer: Uh, thanks for listening to the Tri State Time Machine. Brought to you by Alex R. White, pllc@suedistractedriver.com if you have a memory you want Vanessa to talk more about, just send her an email@tstmail m.com or post a comment on the Tri State Time Machine Facebook page. Did you like the episode? Be sure to share it with friends and family. It's the only way we can continue this fun work that we do. You can find a link in the Show Notes that you can use to share it. And be sure to let our sponsors know you like the podcast as well. Their contact information can be found in this episode's Show Notes.