EPISODE · Oct 5, 2017 · 43 MIN
Episode 10 Just To Help Somebody For The Most Pure Reasons Possible
from DesignSafe Radio · host DesignSafe Radio
Nick Mrzlak from Team Rubicon joins Dan Zehner to talk about this unusual disaster-relief organization. We learn about the group’s trick of teaming veterans and first responders and its mission to focus on the underserved. With his background of serving in the U.S. Navy, working as an emergency medical technician, teaching EMTs, and volunteering with FEMA, Mrzlak is skilled and eager to help. A volunteer with Team Rubicon since 2010, he’s worked in places like Haiti, where he trained local civilians as EMTs. He has worked full-time for Team Rubicon since December 2017. “There’s not much we can’t do,” Mrzlak says. Team Rubicon volunteers are a special breed. “A tribe,” Mrzlak laughs. In one of their first deployments, in Haiti, the Team Rubicon founders realized that pairing veterans and first responders made for especially effective teams. “These types of people want to help, and they have unique skills.” Plus, these particular volunteers crave a sense of purpose and community. Light and nimble, Team Rubicon bridges the gap between disaster and the arrival of established aid organizations, like FEMA. Mrzlak describes current work in the Houston area post-Harvey. 400-450 volunteers are still in the first phase of recovery: clearing debris, sawing down trees and hauling stuff away. They are mucking out homes, removing drywall and salvaging what’s possible – often for residents who do not have a lot to begin with. In these desperate situations, Mrzlak says, Team Rubicon volunteers form meaningful bonds with each other and with the people they help. Team Rubicon has 60,000 volunteers in the U.S. Mrzlak says 13,000 people have volunteered since Hurricane Harvey alone. In this year’s busy disaster season, teams are deployed in Texas, Puerto Rico, Florida, the Caribbean and in the Mexico City area. Mrzlak describes organization’s data-gathering and logistics. The group depends heavily on volunteers in affected regions, like local EMTs, firefighters and police. They also leverage help from corporate partners, like Home Depot, who can ship equipment and supplies to local stores. “We often set up operations in Home Depot parking lots,” Mrzlak explains. Other partners include Tyson Foods, Walmart, the National Fish and Wildlife Service, and Palantir – which provides software for mapping and tracking work orders and assets. Links from the episode: https://teamrubiconusa.org/response/capabilities-services/ https://teamrubiconusa.org/operation/operation-hard-hustle/#overview https://www.palantir.com/
What this episode covers
Nick Mrzlak from Team Rubicon joins Dan Zehner to talk about this unusual disaster-relief organization. We learn about the group’s trick of teaming veterans and first responders and its mission to focus on the underserved. With his background of serving in the U.S. Navy, working as an emergency medical technician, teaching EMTs, and volunteering with FEMA, Mrzlak is skilled and eager to help. A volunteer with Team Rubicon since 2010, he’s worked in places like Haiti, where he trained local civilians as EMTs. He has worked full-time for Team Rubicon since December 2017. “There’s not much we can’t do,” Mrzlak says. Team Rubicon volunteers are a special breed. “A tribe,” Mrzlak laughs. In one of their first deployments, in Haiti, the Team Rubicon founders realized that pairing veterans and first responders made for especially effective teams. “These types of people want to help, and they have unique skills.” Plus, these particular volunteers crave a sense of purpose and community. Light and nimble, Team Rubicon bridges the gap between disaster and the arrival of established aid organizations, like FEMA. Mrzlak describes current work in the Houston area post-Harvey. 400-450 volunteers are still in the first phase of recovery: clearing debris, sawing down trees and hauling stuff away. They are mucking out homes, removing drywall and salvaging what’s possible – often for residents who do not have a lot to begin with. In these desperate situations, Mrzlak says, Team Rubicon volunteers form meaningful bonds with each other and with the people they help. Team Rubicon has 60,000 volunteers in the U.S. Mrzlak says 13,000 people have volunteered since Hurricane Harvey alone. In this year’s busy disaster season, teams are deployed in Texas, Puerto Rico, Florida, the Caribbean and in the Mexico City area. Mrzlak describes organization’s data-gathering and logistics. The group depends heavily on volunteers in affected regions, like local EMTs, firefighters and police. They also leverage help from corporate partners, like Home Depot, who can ship equipment and supplies to local stores. “We often set up operations in Home Depot parking lots,” Mrzlak explains. Other partners include Tyson Foods, Walmart, the National Fish and Wildlife Service, and Palantir – which provides software for mapping and tracking work orders and assets. Links from the episode: https://teamrubiconusa.org/response/capabilities-services/ https://teamrubiconusa.org/operation/operation-hard-hustle/#overview https://www.palantir.com/
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Episode 10 Just To Help Somebody For The Most Pure Reasons Possible
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