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Elevator Safety Everyone Should Know: The EESF's Mission | Amber Catlin-Kolodziej Interview · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: I when we're talking about EESF, my message is that we are safety.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_02: So if there is a piece of safety that you feel is missing, let us know.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_02: But our goal is to teach the general public to help prevent these accidents.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_02: Because I know in the industry, the one thing that I have learned is that everyone truly believes in safety first.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_02: And everyone is reaching the industry.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_02: So we want to, we hope to have everyone get behind us in helping us reach outside of the industry.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_02: And I believe that we can do this.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_02: I believe that we can um prevent accidents and incidents everywhere.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: I am your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, we talk to the people whose lives and careers are dedicated to the vertical transportation industry, to inform and share lessons learned, building upon the foundation of those who have gone before to inspire the next generation of elevator careers.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Today our guest is Amber Catlin College, Executive Director of the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: The EESF's mission is to educate the general public on the proper and safe use of elevators and escalators.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: And Amber's goal is to further enable the EESF to keep our friends and family safe when they're using vertical transportation.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Amber has a background working with nonprofits, and she finds the elevator industry to be the warmest and most welcoming that she has ever been involved with.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, Amber, welcome to the show.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for having me.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to have you.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to learn more about what you do and how you are helping to create safety in the elevator industry.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm curious, how did you get started in the elevator industry?
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um for me personally, I've always worked with nonprofits as either an executive director or a program director.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I started um working with nonprofits that were struggling, and I did that for a few years and it was going really well, but I wanted a place to call home.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_02: So I actually went on Indeed, typed in what I was looking for, and this was the first position that popped up.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: So I read it and I kind of laughed because my husband is an elevator safety guy, and he talks about elevator safety all the time.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: So it was just these two niche things that I kind of could put together.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: I applied.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_02: It was the only job I applied for.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: And I thought, well, we'll cross our fingers and worked out.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: Here I am.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So so a lot of nonprofits struggling nonprofits was the uh the EESF struggling at the time, or were they, I guess, just looking for a new leader?
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: Or oh no, I should clarify that.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: No, they they were in need of an executive director.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: So it was just a history that I had, and I wanted to go back to the executive director position.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what I was looking for, not a struggling nonprofit, just a nonprofit that needed an ED.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Gotcha.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, thank you for for clarifying that.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so you've been on board how long now?
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, six months today, actually.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: So, does this give you and your husband a little more to talk about since he's an elevator safety guy and you're now an elevator safety lady?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it does.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: We talk about, I'll tell you what it does actually.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: I understand what he's saying now.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_02: So previously I I kind of understood um the basics of what he was saying, but now when he talks about, you know, a cab or um a mechanic, I know exactly what he's telling me.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: So it's just improved our conversations.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, very cool.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure they can inform each other.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, as he's talking about an issue, you know, maybe you already know about it, or you could, oh, hey, tell me more about that.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um so in the in the fairly short time you've been on board, what do you think about the elevator industry?
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, sir, I'm assuming it's different from other industries you've been in.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_02: It is different.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: It is the warmest industry I've ever been a part of.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: And in the nonprofit sector, I've been a part of a lot of industries.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, everybody in the elevator industry is welcoming.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_02: And when you enter, they don't take your lack of elevator escalator knowledge and use it against you.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: Instead, they they pull you in and they say, Hey, let me teach you.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: And it's a quick education, and everyone is ready to make you a friend.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: Outside of this industry, you know, I had a lot of coworkers, but in this industry, everyone is friends, like truly friends.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, it's been great.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thank you.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I I've noticed that myself.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: I I felt like an outsider, but I've really been welcomed and yeah, people willing to answer my questions.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: And some ways I've I've called it a community.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: I sometimes it's it's a big extended family.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: Really, it is.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, very cool.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm glad that you've noted no noticed that.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um what are some of the biggest things you've learned so far that maybe you just weren't aware of before?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think the biggest thing I learned is how intricate the industry is.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_02: So as a person coming from the general public, right, we we use elevators every day, we use escalators every day, but learning the ins and outs of what goes into not just making one work, um, keeping one going, but all the rules of safety that go into keeping the mechanics safe.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, all of the suppliers that are needed to get every single part.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's this huge community that comes together to get one elevator to go up and down.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: And since there's millions of them in the US, it's pretty phenomenal.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's the biggest thing I learned is the intricacies of everything.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so and I'm curious too, you know, how did the EESF come to be?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, sounds like you know, you're fairly new to it, but I assume you understand the history behind it and so um NAEC has well, I should say that there's the United event every fourth year.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: And at the United event, they have um a bridge builders meeting, which brings the industry together um in an effort to not duplicate specific efforts.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_02: And it was in 1989 at the bridge builders meeting, I believe, that um they noticed this gap in the industry, and that was a lack of education to the general public on the safe use of elevators and escalators.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_02: So they they formed a team of people throughout the industry to kind of investigate how they could possibly reach the general public in this way, um, and eventually came to the conclusion that at the time the best way to do it was to reach children.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: So they formed the foundation and they started teaching the program to second graders.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: And it was like a trickle out effect.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_02: So if you teach my second grader, then my second grader comes home, brings me their certification, and tells me all the things they learned on elevator escalator safety.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_02: So now I know.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: So that was kind of how it began.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: And they ended up um getting their foundation going and incorporated in 1991.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: So it was a two-year research event.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Who are some of the I guess the key um stakeholders in that?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Because you talked about a bridge builder.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I guess just for our listeners, um, what are some of these pieces that that need a bridge that need to be bridged together?
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: And and I'm just curious how that came about.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, well, at the time it was NASA International, NEI, NAEC, and Elevator World.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: So they were the four founding um groups that came together to get EESF going.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_02: And each of them invested hours of effort, uh, money, and people to form a board and an executive director and um do the investigation on what needs doing.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_02: And today they are still our founding members and very important to us.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_02: But with the bridge builders meeting, our founding members obviously expanded out so that they could start including the entirety of the industry.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_02: So now we still have our founding members and then we have other um organizations, so many that I would be afraid to start naming them that I would leave some out that are uh regularly working with us and uh donating to us and uh keeping it, keeping us going by uh allowing us to share our information through their organization, whether it's social media or um flyers or being allowed to speak.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to admit, as a as a kind of an ignorant elevator user myself, I'm curious.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: I guess it was just public writing public were were being injured in elevators, escalator incidents and just not knowing how to use them properly, or maybe you know, I don't know, driving shopping carts up escalators or things that's like, yeah, that's probably not the best.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um are you aware of some of the issues that that are addressed?
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so um with children in particular, um kids tend to jump around and play, which is great until you're getting on an escalator.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so things like not having their shoes tied or wearing the wrong type of shoe.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_02: So like a flip-flop type shoe, anything that can get stuck in the escalator is obviously super dangerous.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: So just learning the basics of proper shoe use.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um when you have a parent that has a stroller, um, it might not be common knowledge to not push the stroller up an escalator can cause you to fall backwards.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: So instead, you want to want to take an elevator.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: Or when you're in an elevator, um, you know, entrapments can happen.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: So learning to not panic, learning to push the help or the emergency button, and then staying patient while you are um let out of the elevator, right?
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: Don't try to pry the doors open, things like that.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then aging Americans, um maybe learning the preference to use an elevator versus an escalator if you have a walker or a cane again to prevent falling incidents.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_02: So and these things are quite common in when um elevator injuries and escalator injuries happen.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: So getting that knowledge out so that someone will say, Oh, maybe I shouldn't do this, maybe I should do that instead.
• 10:52
  unknown: Yeah.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Makes a lot of sense.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: I am intrigued.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: You you mentioned um the the the second graders were were really the kind of the target focus.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: Tell me a little bit more about that that strategy and how that I guess came about.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: So children are still our focus.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, prior to the pandemic, the industry in the industry as a whole, so mechanics, um, operations managers, owners of supply companies would go into the classroom.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: They actually wore a costume that looks like a cat.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_02: It was the safety cat before the rebranding.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and they would just deliver the material that goes along with the safety writer uh program.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um after the program was done, the second graders would get a certificate and then they would take it home.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: And it was a pretty widely used program.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: It's actually still used.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, New York City Transit used it pretty recently.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_02: But with the pandemic uh and other issues, it's harder to get into classrooms now.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_02: So when we're delivering it to children, we are looking at new methods such as New York City Transit or um possibly local uh first responders, like firefighters and police officers that go into classrooms for Safety Week.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then we we have started um looking at having gym teachers even possibly teach the program since wow, like outsiders can't exactly go into the schools right now.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: So we have had some gym teacher teachers talk to us because they do uh a basic safety week as well, adding this into that program.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Cool, cool.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: And you you mentioned a few minutes ago, you know, people who and organizations who volunteer who help out.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: What do volunteers do?
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: How how can they carry forward the message of the EESF?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the best way to carry forward the message right now is to share our social media, share our website, and go to the Safety Writers website, which is safetywriters.org, um, and share the video out on their social media.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: The bigger reach we have, the better.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then coming back to us and telling us what they need from us.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: So you you if you want more than just um the video or the printable materials are on the website in free of use.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_02: If you're using those materials, please let us know.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: If there's something you see when you're uh teaching these materials and you think, well, there's a gap in this, don't hesitate to tell us.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: We want to upgrade, we want to always be current with the times, and we want to give the industry what the industry needs since the industry created us.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: We're very neutral to the entire industry.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: And you um, you know, you mentioned some of the the strategies changing, you know, it's more difficult to get into schools, it's it's hence difficult to get in front of second graders who just having had children myself, I understand that at that age they're probably more receptive, they're probably more open-minded, they're probably more likely to say, Hey, mom, you know, don't push the stroller up the escalator and and um be able to educate.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's that's brilliant.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: What are what are some of the strategies though, as you look to the future that I mean you kind of mentioned them a minute ago.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm curious if there are some other ways you mentioned gym teachers and social media and um what what other yeah, other strategies are in place?
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: One of our goals is to still stay in the classroom, obviously, just pivoting the way we did it.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_02: So the volunteers, there are some classrooms we could still get into, different school systems that will allow us.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: But for the most part, it's um working through the administrators that are already in those schools.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: So having a program where we can go in and train, you know, the gym teacher and the principal on here's the material, and then they can deliver it during their school safety weeks.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, fire departments and uh police officers often are in the classroom for uh safety weeks and anti-drug um education.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: So having delivering our material to them to have it delivered out uh into classrooms.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: So we still are keeping our program.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: Our programming is wonderful.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we just are pivoting the way we're getting the message in instead of um, you know, a mechanic going in and teaching the program, it would then be a safety officer that already has access to the classroom.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was gonna ask how you know, it sounds like you you have volunteers in spread throughout the country.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, if if a mechanic can get into the classroom, great.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: If not, we may need to have somebody in in the school do it.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: We still encourage everyone out there that's in the industry to ask your school, hey, can I come in and teach this to the kids?
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: Some schools are still saying yes.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, if contact us if they do, we will teach you, give you all the materials that you need so you can go in there and successfully teach the kids how to stay safe.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: So you you mentioned earlier um that uh elevator safety week is coming up.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_02: So elevator safety week is November 13th through the 17th.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_02: Hedderie, fresh my mind there.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, during elevator safety week, we are just sharing tips and tricks to elevator safety.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_02: Like we mentioned before.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: While for someone that's in the industry, these things might seem like common sense.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_02: I can tell you, as someone who is just coming into the industry, some of the things I've learned, I even go, you know, like I've done that.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to do that again.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to create, I don't want to be the person that causes the accident or have a child that gets hurt.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: So we will spin that week giving these tips and tricks out.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: And the format in which we're giving it is um through social media.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_02: So obviously we're reaching adults versus children.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_02: And it will be in the format of, hey, when you are with your child, uh you hold hands and you look both ways when you cross the street.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: Another thing that you could teach would be hold hands when you're on an escalator.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: So things like that.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: So we're really looking to reach uh parents when we're doing this versus children.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: How long has has Elevator Safety Week been in been going on?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: I wish I could give you a straight answer, but I don't exactly know.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's been going on for at least 15 years.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then you had mentioned a program launching in January about 52 weeks of safety, which sounds like elevator week all year long.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: It yeah.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_02: So we are working to launch uh 52 weeks of safety.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: We're in the planning phase right now.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: That would be uh us at ESF along with our board.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we are hoping to get as much of the industry involved as possible.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_02: But the idea would be for everyone to push out safety tips on social media.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_02: If we can get everybody doing this at the same time, we will reach a larger audience just with the way the algorithms work.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: So um we would love everyone in the industry to contact us about this.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: If we haven't talked to you about it, contact us because we want to talk to you about it so that we can all make sure we're on the same page when we start pushing out these 52 weeks.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_02: And um, we have some great backing from the industry right now.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: So we're really looking forward to it.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: Our social media posts right now are all hinting towards this coming.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so watch out for those.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: Sound like you yeah, have a lot going on.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's obviously a huge need to educate on safety from you know, like you say, children on up.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: And um as we kind of wrap up our um our interview today, what what would you say your message is to the world?
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: What do you feel most passionate about?
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um I when we're talking about EESF, my message is that we are safety.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_02: So if there is a piece of safety that you feel is missing, let us know.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_02: But our goal is to teach the general public uh to help prevent these accidents because I know in the industry, the one thing that I have learned is that everyone truly believes in safety first.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_02: And everyone is reaching the industry.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: So we want to we hope to have everyone get behind us in helping us reach outside of the industry.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_02: And I believe that we can do this.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: I believe that we can um prevent accidents and incidents everywhere.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: So that's my biggest message.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: Reach out to us and help us push this push this message out.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything else you you wanted to share today?
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yes.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: So we recently promoted Lori DeWitt.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_02: She was the program director for 25 years.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: She is now the operations and administrative director.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: So anybody that knows anything about EESF knows Lori.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_02: If you hear this, tell her congratulations.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, congratulations to Lori and Amber, thank you for being with me today.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for helping me and and our listeners listeners understand a little bit more about not just the EESF, but the mission, the vision and the hope that yeah, we can prevent accidents and incidents from from hurting the people we love.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks again.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Bye bye.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the All Red Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: You can check us out online at elevatorcareers.net.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: Please subscribe, and until next time, stay safe.