Jeanie has an extensive background in emergency preparedness, disaster response, and training, including developing programs

since the 1970s.

Her mentors, training in a variety of areas, and life experiences have molded her into the Disaster Expert she is today. Her story started in 1921 ... no, she is not that old.

Her Scottish Grandfather and English Grandmother moved from Britain to Pasadena California. They had been British Red Cross volunteers, and became American Red Cross volunteers when they moved.

Jeanie was always very close to her Grandparents, and a "wee lassie", she went with them to the Pasadena Red Cross Chapter to help. She started out with tasks such as sweeping, stuffing envelopes, and hanging out with "the Knitting Ladies" who made blankets and scarfs for people who had been displaced from their homes due to fires.

She still crochets to this day.

As she got older and more involved, she decided to become a volunteer. The catch was there was an age requirement of 18 years old. Because Pasadena and the Chapter were "community", everyone knew her work ethic and love for helping others, so she was allowed to join as an official volunteer when she was 12.

Over five decades of volunteer service, she became a First Aid Instructor, a Disaster Instructor, a local and national disaster responder, and a disaster supervisor in her functions of training and staffing during deployments.

A typical deployment for a volunteer was three weeks. Jeanie's national deployments ranged from two to four months. When she was home, she also replied to thousands of local events like structure fires helping displaced residents, community events to share about first aid and disaster preparedness, and so much more!

After 54 years of being a "boots on the ground" volunteer, she retired. There were several other very important people who influenced Jeanie's path along the way - two of them from childhood had a lasting imprint on her life.

Her father was a CalTech engineer, so she grew up with engineers, rocket scientists, physicists, and other "really smart people" from her father's world.

As a child, she would go over to Dr. Charles Richter's Pasadena home and watch him "fiddle with" his seismograph and make improvements. His first seismograph was built in 1935. He taught her all about earthquakes, how he measured them, and how earthquakes, volcanic activity, and tsunamis were connected. She learned about geography, geology, and so much more from him and other CalTechers.

The other main influence in her life was Dr. Ellis Jones. He was a Viet Nam medic, and became a medical doctor when he returned. Over the years, he became head of the Emergency department at the main hospital in Pasadena.

As a child she learned about the human body, how it functioned, and was also allowed to "hang out" at the hospital where she learned so much from the nurses.

In high school, she became a Jr. Volunteer and could always be found helping on weekends, vacations, and in the summer.

What she learned from Dr. Richter and Dr. Jones was that during disasters, people get ill or injured, and she could not separate the fields of Health and Safety from Disaster because they go hand in hand.

This was borne out in October of 1972 when a construction accident killed six men. At the time, when someone was ill or injured, men in white coats, driving a white station wagon, would pick up the person, place home or her on a stretcher, and transport the person to the hospital for care.

Dr. Jones knew people could be treated in the field (as in Viet Nam) and lives could be saved, but no such program existed at the time. He and his medic buddies went to City Counsel with a plan, and training, and a six month trial began.

Lives Were Saved!

This then went to the state for another six months ... and More Lives Were Saved.

During this year, Dr. Jones found other pockets of doctors trying to implement similar programs, and they combined resources. Hence, Dr. Jones is one of a handful of men who helped start what is now the Paramedic Program in this country.

About a decade later, Jeanie became an EMT, and retired from that after twenty plus years of service.

Throughout the years, Jeanie had some Law Enforcement training as well. She served a neighboring community as a member of the Mounted Unit, and worked with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as Disaster Communications, running a weekly HAM radio network as well as providing communications during disasters.

Over the years, the joke became "If it's not death, dying, destruction, or disaster, Jeanie has no idea what to do with it." Jeanie did have "fun" as well. Following in her Grandfather's (and uncle's and father's) footsteps, she was a member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

She started decorating floats at the age of eight, and continued for eighteen years, until she was old enough to become a "White Suiter". She joined the Tournament in 1983, serving on numerous committees.

But Jeanie cannot stop weaving in her "disaster world" into everything she does. With over a million people visiting Pasadena for a week or so every year,

Law Enforcement and Medical Services are in short supply. The city contracts with several agencies to team up with Pasadena Police to provide services.

Many surrounding Fire Departments provide medical response if needed. And there are thirteen Red Cross First Aid stations along the route during the Parade, but also first aid teams work the various pre and post Parade activities and well as the Rose Bowl Game.

Yes, Jeanie is one of the instructors that get the volunteers manning these events certified and recertified every year. She has also shared her knowledge with her Tournament Committees on how to handle emergency situations they may encounters during their assignments.

In the last few years, Jeanie has pivoted from being "boots on the ground" to spending more time at home. She is still just as busy with her programs for businesses, churches, schools, and communities that she now offers on Zoom.

She also has become an author, with her first book published in August 2024.

She had several ebooks, and there are more books on the way!

Jeanie's life has been one of service to others.

Her favorite saying is ...

"The question is not IF something is going to happen,

rather WHEN is something going to happen - and What.?"

Will You Be Prepared?

Medical Emergencies and Disasters of all types and sizes happen every day. If you do not believe me, watch the news! The time to Get Prepared is Before Something Happens!"

She also quotes Benjamin Franklin on a regular basis.

He said, 'By Failing to Prepare, you are Preparing to Fail".

Jeanie has helped thousands (maybe tens of thousands) over the last 50 years.

She can help you Get Prepared as well.

She is waiting for you to contact her - so why are you waiting?