The Real ResQ Podcast

On this episode of The Real ResQ Podcast, we join the San Diego Fire Department live at HAI Heli Expo 2024. Featuring Tim Olson - Helicopter Rescue Medic (HRM), Captain Paul Shuttleworth - Crew Chief and Deke McClintock - Pilot. These three guys sat down with me to tell a couple of their most memorable rescue stories.  Olson recalls his first rescue as a 14 year old where a car crashed into a foun...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by Matt Theissen, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer 502, and one of Theissen’s survivors, Captain Ron Blake. In this episode, we get the in depth story from both perspectives of this incredible rescue, a rescue that earned Thiessen an Air Medal and changed Blake’s life, forever. Thiessen’s Air Medal: “The crew launched from Air Station Kod...

In this episode, the three Vertical Helicasts Hosts, Halsey Schider of The Helicopter Podcast, Jon Gray of The Hangar Z Podcast, and Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ discuss their excitement for the upcoming HAI event and the podcast lineups they have planned. They also talk about the networking opportunities and the chance to reconnect with industry colleagues and professionals. Make sure to come vis...

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ is joined by one of his rescue swimmer classmates, Matt Theissen, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer 502. We begin Part 2 in Kodiak, Alaska, where Thiessen recounts a few of his rescues. He was sent to evacuate a severely injured crewman suffering from head trauma and multiple seizures, earning him a Coast Guard Commendation Medal....

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ is joined by one of his rescue swimmer classmates, Matt Theissen, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer 502. Theissen joined the Coast Guard because he wanted to surf and follow the waves. This didn't actually happen for him until many years into his career. After graduating from rescue swimmer school, he went to New Orleans. Ins...

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ sits down with Dave Callen, a retired Las Vegas police officer, pilot, and owner of SR3 Rescue Concepts.   Callen and Quinny discuss two helicopter incidents that he experienced while flying. In the first incident, Callen describes feeling overwhelmed and panicked as he tries to find a landing spot during an engine failure.  He...

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ sits down with Dave Callen, a retired Las Vegas police officer, pilot and owner of SR3 Rescue Concepts.    They discuss Callen's career in law enforcement and aviation, including his experience as a rescue pilot. Callen shares his first three call outs as a rescue pilot and conveys how excited and ready he was for each of t...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by two firefighters from Essex County, United Kingdom. Tom Jewell and Rob Winger join Quinn to share experiences and stories from their time in the fire service. They discuss their backgrounds, including family connections to firefighting, and their journey to becoming firefighters.  Jewell retells the first two rescues that stand out to...

In Part 2 of The Real ResQ - Episode 167, host Jason Quinn continues his conversation with Rob Simpson, USCG Rescue Swimmer 699.  Simpson wrote a powerful article for Mountain Tactical Institute titled: “Speaking to a Flight Doc about My Sleeping and Stress Struggles Got Me Grounded … But it was Worth It.” We learn about the details about the events discussed in Simpson’s article. We hear how his...

In this Part 1 episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by Rob Simpson, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Rescue Swimmer 699. Now retired from the USCG, we are able to hear about his amazing career. Simpson discusses his time on Coast Guard cutters, including challenging boarding team operations and interdictions. He also talks about his transition to becoming a rescue swimmer and the c...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by James Boomhower, critical care flight paramedic, and graduate clinical intern in clinical psychology. We take this opportunity to go deep into the impact of post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD) and critical incident stress management (CISM) on emergency responders.  Boomhower shares his experiences as a flight paramedic. He discusses...

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ continues the conversation with Ivo Pinto from Portugal, a Portuguese Air Force Rescue Swimmer and Helicopter Tactics Instructor. They start with a story about a big rescue Pinto was involved in, a rescue that earned him a Aeronautical Merit Medal from the Portuguese Air Force. They responded to a large catamaran that had flippe...

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ sits down with Ivo Pinto from Portugal, a Portuguese Air Force Rescue Swimmer and Helicopter Tactics Instructor. Pinto shares his experiences and insights into being a rescue swimmer with the Portuguese Air Force. They talk about some of the training involved, and about the challenges faced during long-range missions that have t...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, we do our first-ever Vertical HeliCASTS mashup!  Host Jason Quinn is joined by fellow Vertical HeliCASTS podcasters, Halsey Schider from The Helicopter Podcast and Jon Gray from The Hangar Z Podcast.  In this captivating episode, they delve deep into crew resource management, sharing personal experiences and invaluable insights that offer a unique perspective on t...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by Dakota Meyer, Former U.S. Marine, Sniper, Medal of Honor Recipient, current Firefighter and EMT.  Throughout our conversation, Meyer shares his experiences in both the military and as a firefighter. He discusses his decision to join the Marine Corps and the values that drove him to serve. Meyer recounts the events of a few heroic miss...

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ sits down with Bobby O'Donnell, author, runner and a critical care paramedic with Boston MedFlight.  O’Donnell shares his background and experiences in emergency medicine.  Here, O’Donnell discusses his experience in Haiti. He had an opportunity to volunteer his time to fly on the Haiti Life Flight helicopter. In his short...

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, host Jason Quinn of The Real ResQ sits down with Bobby O'Donnell, author, runner and a critical care paramedic with Boston MedFlight.  O’Donnell shares his background and emergency medicine experiences.  O’Donnell recounts his first rescue at the age of 15, where he saved his friend from drowning in a lake. This life-saving event inspired Bobby to pursue a...

In this part 2 episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by three Riverside County Sheriff Officers to discuss some of their amazing recent rescues. Mike Calhoun, Manny Romero, and Travis Lloyd bring us step-by-step through what they are doing to help rescue those in need in Riverside County, California.  Then we introduce the first ever Real ResQ Roundup, where audience-submitted quest...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by three Riverside County Sheriff Officers to discuss some of their amazing recent rescues. Mike Calhoun, Manny Romero, and Travis Lloyd bring us step-by-step through what they are doing to help rescue those in need in Riverside County, California.  Then we introduce the first ever Real ResQ Roundup, where audience-submitted questions ar...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by Ben Willams.   Williams is a passionate former Naval officer, award-winning entrepreneur and technologist, leading the commercialization of Exyn’s core technologies.  He is the chief operating officer of Exyn Technologies, an autonomous drone technology stack leading the industry in unstructured environment and GPS-denied navigation....

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by Will Johnson, a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Pilot. Johnson grew up in Central Valley California. At 12 years old, he started hanging around the fire department next to his school.  This is where his passion for Search and Rescue (SAR) began to develop.   Wanting to be a pilot, Johnson applied to the USCG Academy but was denied, twice.  He...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn is joined by Martha LaGuardia-Kotite , a retired U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Captain.   Growing up in Destin, Florida, she loved being on the water. Around graduation, her dad mentioned the USCG, “because he wasn’t paying for college.” That was all the coercion she needed. With the idea of helping save lives, she was in!  The first rescue effort she r...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, host Jason Quinn speaks with Spencer Payne and Nick Yates from Brotallion .  Both Payne and Yates were U.S. Army pilots for many years. They both also have unique stories as to how they came into the Army and started their flying career. Additionally, they provide the full story as to how and why Brotallion started.   Payne then speaks about his rescue mission whi...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, Liz Booker joins the show.  Booker is a former U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) pilot. It wasn’t in the plan to join the USCG. After trying to join the other services with no success, one of the recruiters set Booker up with an appointment with the USCG, and the rest is history.  Her first rescue was while she was stationed on a USCG buoy tender. The ship was called to res...

In this episode of The Real ResQ, Jeremy Bersin joins the show.  Bersin previously worked in emergency medical services (EMS) and is currently with emergency disaster response. At a young age, Bersin started working in the hospital, seeing and experiencing the medical world. When he went through his emergency medical technician (EMT) course, he fell in love with the job.   Bersin tells us of a few...