Behind the Shield Podcast Interview

Okaya's CEO talked with James Geering on Episode 1221 of the Behind the Shield Podcast, a show for first responders, about checking readiness before something goes wrong. Okaya's check-in is a short, private conversation with Sanora, Okaya's AI guide, compared with each person's own earlier check-ins. No transcript is published here, so this page lists the topics.

What is the episode about?

Firefighters train for what might happen on the next call. For their own cognitive and emotional readiness, the usual approach is to wait until something goes wrong and then react. The episode starts from that gap and asks what it would take to see the warning signs earlier.

What does the episode cover?

• A childhood in France, and the path from studying ancient languages at the University of Chicago to building a readiness check-in.
• Why readiness checks should come before a crisis.
• How the check-in works: you talk with Sanora for about 3 minutes, with no questionnaires, and it compares how you sound, what you say and how your expression moves today with your own earlier check-ins.
• What the result shows: how today compares with your own earlier check-ins.
• Wearables.
• What "forging performance" means when people run on sleep debt and cumulative trauma.
• Why the fire service is in a position to lead on readiness.

How do you check in for readiness?

Each person talks with Sanora for about 3 minutes. The U.S. Air Force awarded Okaya an SBIR Phase II contract. The check-in is in use with an active U.S. Air Force flying unit, and it is coming to the fire service.

Where can you listen?

Listen to the full episode on YouTube.

Key points

• Okaya's CEO and James Geering discuss checking readiness before something goes wrong.
• The check-in is about 3 minutes and compares each person with their own earlier check-ins.
• The episode also covers wearables and why the fire service can lead on readiness.

How fire departments use Okaya