A Q&A with Peter Teahen
"We arrived at the farm to find the house almost completely surrounded by water. We found a narrow path that allowed us to get to the unlocked back door, and we heard faint crying. We entered the house and found the man, who for several days, was wedged between the bath tub and the stool and unable to free himself. He was barely alive, the basement was full of flood waters, and it was apparent that in a matter of a couple of hours the first floor would be under water as well."
Peter Teahen has done outstanding work in his volunteer and paid career. Peter and his wife Janet call Robins, Iowa home. He has four daughters, a son, nine grandchildren and two dogs, Bentley and Remington. Peter became a member of ARCAN shortly after it launched last summer.
Q. What is your role with the American Red Cross; where and when did you begin to serve?
A. I often say my life in disaster began as a fluke on July 19, 1989, with the crash of United Flight 232 in Sioux City, IA. In April of that year, as a funeral director, I attended a course on mass fatalities management in preparation for the New Madrid earthquake. I came away from the training thinking never in my life will I ever get an opportunity to respond to a disaster. When 232 crashed I was called to respond and became one of the coordinators of mortuary operations with the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office. I, along with one other funeral director, was assigned to meet individually with all of the families of the 112 fatalities. My life changed forever during those two weeks of response. In the next several years, because of my work with 232, I was contracted by the military for a classified assignment during operation Desert Storm, and then worked on the largest cemetery disaster in history during the summer of 1993.
In 1995, the American Red Cross became an important part of my life during the aftermath of the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. I was asked to respond and was assigned the role of Deputy Medical Examiner for the State of Oklahoma. My primary function, once again, was to do death notifications for almost two weeks, at the American Red Cross Family Assistance Center. Every day, I would interact with Red Cross responders supporting the families. Once the notifications were all completed, I was asked by the Red Cross to help them plan and implement a site visit for family members to the Murrah complex. On the day of the site visit our team coordinated the solemn visit by 100’s of family members. It was during that time that I discovered the important and rewarding work of the Red Cross. After the visit, I remember the site manager telling me that I should become a Red Cross volunteer. I did after returning home.
I often reflect back on 1989 and the two-days of continuing education classes and wonder, how much different my life would be had I not attended those classes. Was it really a fluke?
Q. What can you tell us about your career?
A. My 30-years of volunteer service with the Red Cross continues now and hopefully for years ahead. My first two assignments were that of an Emergency Response Vehicle driver, followed by a stint as a Family Service Supervisor, several years as a Level 5 Government Liaison Officer with duties that included the Aviation Incident Response Team, and being called upon as the initial Government Liaison Officer for the World Trade Center on 9-11. It was after 9-11 that I was invited to become part of the advanced public affairs team (APAT). A role that I remain in today. This past year I was invited to also serve as an Elected Official Liaison (EOL). In my Red Cross career I have served in a leadership role in more than 80 major domestic disasters. My work with the Red Cross has also opened my life to the opportunity to deploy internationally with other agencies to challenging assignments that include, the genocide in Darfur, the Indonesian Tsunami in Sri Lanka, and following the catastrophic Haiti earthquake.
In the non-disaster part of my life I am a published author, mental health professional and traumatologist. In 2011, I received the distinguished designation of Diplomate from the National Center for Crisis Management and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. I am the president of Teahen Funeral Home, and founder of the International Mass Fatalities Center. I serve as an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Iowa, as well as a nationally certified firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician.
Q. Why did you join ARCAN and what membership benefits do you enjoy?
A. The greatest benefit for me is the joy of reconnecting with my Red Cross family. It is a big life family that in many cases I have lost contact with over the years.
Photo: Circle The Atlantic: Flight To End Polio will be piloted by Rotarians Peter Teahen (right) and Ed Galkin, with technical support provided by Rotarian John Ockenfels. The flight will be completed in a 1976 Cessna 210 single-engine airplane and involve a 37-day, 8,800 nautical mile flight and multiple fundraisers.
Q. You have an extremely interesting life. What can you tell our readers about your hobbies and your flight around the world that began on August 30?
A. On July 31, 2023, I, and John Ockenfels completed the historic Around The World: Flight To End Polio, in a single engine, piston driven airplane. An accomplishment achieved by only 702 pilots in aviation history, of which less than 270 of the pilots are alive today.
The 2023 flight was a 90-day flight that included 37 landings in 19 countries, covering a distance of 30,000 miles. Since our return, John and I have made more than 150 presentations worldwide about our flight. The flight raised well over $2 million dollars for the Rotary Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Gates Foundation matched the money raised with a 2:1 match. All expenses of the trip were paid by John and me.
Currently, I, along with my fellow pilot Ed Galkin am on a new world record-setting flight that departed on August 30. This flight titled, “Circle the Atlantic: Flight To End Polio”, will also raise awareness and funds for the Rotary Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Once again, 100% of the funds raised are donated to The Rotary Foundation and matched 2:1 by the Gates Foundation.
Our flight will be completed in a 1976 Cessna 210 single- airplane, N2160S, and involve a 37-day, 8,800 nautical mile flight and multiple fundraisers. Pilot Ed Galkin, 89, will set a Guinness World Record for being the oldest pilot in history to fly a single-engine airplane across the Atlantic. He has completed four around-the-world flights, including his most recent in 2022 at the age of 87.
You can follow Ed and me on this historic flight by visiting FlightToEndPolio.com and clicking on Circle The Atlantic.
Q. What is one of your most memorable experiences at the American Red Cross?
A. I remember one of the earliest disasters I was deployed to in North Dakota. A family called the Red Cross and asked if we would do a welfare check on their brother who was a double amputee with no legs and still lived in the family farmhouse. They had reached out to local law enforcement for help but were informed they did not have the resources to do the check. I, along with another volunteer drove two hours in flooding conditions. We arrived at the farm to find the house almost completely surrounded by water. We found a narrow path that allowed us to get to the unlocked back door, and we heard faint crying. We entered the house and found the man, who for several days, was wedged between the bath tub and the stool and unable to free himself. He was barely alive, the basement was full of flood waters, and it was apparent that in a matter of a couple of hours the first floor would be under water as well. We called the sheriff’s office and asked for an immediate response. When one deputy responded, we helped carry the man out of the house and to the police car. We were thrilled a few days later when we checked with the hospital on his condition and learned he was doing well and would be released in a few days.
Peter's Flight to End Polio Interview:
https://www.kcrg.com/video/2025/08/22/pilot-prepares-circle-atlantic-raise-awareness-money-fight-against-polio/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMjhJVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuwZXvNK3IWwjD0I3wqYTWTFOI7SZRnj1tm7bWTfE5LellxmbhX6m0G7PabE_aem_ZqBXUx0jcU57d5MyrLKepw
