From People to Pups: Safety Lessons From Austin Pets Alive!
Austin Pets Alive! is not your average animal rescue organization. It has multiple locations, hundreds of employees and volunteers, and has saved nearly 100,000 animals over the last decade.
But the organization has a number of safety and security challenges to overcome, like workplace hazards in an older building, dispersed workers and pets, severe weather, and location-based security concerns. Stephanie Bilbro, Director of Lifesaving Operations at Austin Pets Alive!, and her team have created unique solutions to these challenges that any organization can learn from and apply.
Stephanie describes many of these solutions in this episode, as well as:
- Why two-way communication is crucial in an emergency
- The importance of involving frontline employees in preparedness planning and after-action reports
- Creating adaptive protocols versus fixed protocols
- Working with partners and third-party organizations to conquer logistical challenges
The Employee Safety Podcast is hosted by Peter Steinfeld, SVP of Safety Solutions at AlertMedia.
You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to The Employee Safety Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here.

More Episodes You May Be Interested In
-
How Macy’s, Inc. Executes Crisis Management at ScaleWhat does crisis management look like when you’re responsible for over 90,000 employees across hundreds of locations? At Macy’s, Inc., there’s no one-size-fits-all response. Vamsi Revuru, Lead for Enterprise Resiliency and Crisis Management, shares how his team navigates fast-moving incidents and large-scale disruptions. He explains how Macy’s executes crisis management in real time, where centralized…
-
The Gap Between AI Adoption and Real-World ApplicationAI adoption is accelerating, but many organizations still lack the governance and domain expertise needed to use it effectively. Jason Hoss, a risk and resilience practitioner, shares what he’s seeing across risk and continuity teams as they work to operationalize AI. This conversation goes deeper into how companies are applying AI in real workflows. Jason…
-
The A.L.I.V.E. Program: How to Respond Effectively to Workplace ViolenceIn a moment of crisis, your first reaction can determine everything. Michael Julian, founder of the A.L.I.V.E. Active Shooter Survival Training Program, shares his proven mental and physical techniques for surviving an active shooter scenario. Michael walks through the A.L.I.V.E. framework, a practical approach that equips employees with skills and confidence to navigate any act…




