Though we might not have believed there could be another lone survivor story, we bring David Eckermann of the Houston Fire Department into the TNQ Podcast Studio. David survived one of the largest, most unpredictable fires in HFD history. The Southwest Inn fire in Houston, Texas on May 31, 2013, was a fire in a restaurant that spread to an adjoining hotel. The fire claimed the biggest casualty loss for the Houston Fire Department since its inception. 

David speaks publicly about this harrowing day for the first time to discuss the stigmas around mental health in the first responder community and to honor the lives of his fellow firefighters.  

 

His experience that day sparked the development of his company, Lone Star Tactical Buildings, providing fire and police training facilities nationwide.

 

 

This episode is in memory of Robert Bebee, Robert Garner, Matthew Renaud, Anne Sullivan, and Captain Bill Dowling.