EmergencyFD Storyline

Kaitlin's Story

Kaitlin Bergan was an incredible young woman, one of the best of the best. Kaitlin was born a caring, goal directed, and dedicated individual. Early in life Kaitlin dreamed of becoming a Firefighter/Paramedic. While studying Health and Human Physiology at the University of Iowa, she began her career as a volunteer firefighter in Coralville, Iowa. Following graduation with a BA degree, she completed Paramedic studies & became a certified paramedic in Anamosa, Iowa...all the while teaching EMS classes at the University of Iowa. She also, continued to work as a volunteer firefighter. 

Kaitlin later moved to Memphis, Tennessee where she was accepted into the lateral training program as a Paramedic/Firefighter. While there, she experienced a major tragedy in her personal life, one that  affected her deeply.

Kaitlin seemingly buried this sorrow and continued to excel. She was assigned to the SORT Elite Team Special Ops Station 25.

Tragically, on April 27,2022, at the young age of 27, Kaitlin passed away from suicide due to PTSD.

Tom Mann sits down with Kaitlin's parents, Scott and Lorena Bergan, who share Kaitlin's story in hopes of helping others. In honor of Kaitlin, they have established a foundation to honor her life and her dedication as a Firefighter/Paramedic called Kaitlin's Heart for Heroes. Utilizing this foundation, Kaitlin's family dedicates their time and energy to educating and supporting other First Responders and their families who may be dealing with mental health issues such as PTSD and to help remove any stigmas associated with this. Through Kaitlin's Heart for Heroes, they hope to help First Responders and/or their families who may be dealing with similar crisis'.

-Tom Mann
Executive Producer/Host

Storylines guests include:  
Scott & Lorena Bergan

For more information about Katlin's Heart for Heroes:
www.kaitlinsheartforheroes.org

Special Thanks to Raymond Chiozza for pictures of Kaitlin Bergan.

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If you need help, seek out professional help from your fire department or local fire union.  
There are  also resources online such as:
https://allclearfoundation.org
www.kaitlinsheartforheroes.org

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An active shooter situation.  What do you do?  The objective is to save lives.  Obviously, it law enforcement plays a key role but treating mass casualties requires fire departments and emergency medical services to be on the scene.  An immediate, coordinated response saves lives when you are on the firing line.   

It can happen anywhere and it did.  On September 21, 2021,  the place was Collierville, Tennessee, often known for being one of many suburbs surrounding the City of Memphis.  This incident became the first known case where police and fire entered together while an active shooter incident unfolded at a Kroger store..

This is the story of the Collierville Fire Department, the Germantown Fire Department and all the other agencies who provided mutual aid to this tragic event..  Many lives were saved that day through the efforts of the brave men and women who were on the scene risking their own lives for others.

-Tom Mann
Executive Producer/Host

Storylines guests include: 

Chief John Selberg,  Collierville, Tennessee Fire Department

Chief Eric Grizzard, Germantown, Tennessee Fire Department

Battalion Chief Mike Sansone, Collierville, Tennessee Fire Department

Lt.  Jimbo Hunsucker, Collierville, Tennessee Fire Department

 George Langston, Retired Memphis Firefighter
Featured in "Surviving the Unthinkable" EFD podcast links:
https://emergencyfdstoryline.buzzsprout.com/1036018/6566581
https://emergencyfdstoryline.buzzsprout.com/1036018/6751366


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA2NYLA-b6Cp3oFn-5Mk7Kg


If you need help, seek out professional help from your fire department or local fire union.  There are  also resources online such as:
https://allclearfoundation.org


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


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Have you heard the saying “turning lemons into lemonade?"

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is a proverbial phrase used to encourage optimism and a positive "can-do" attitude in the face of adversity or misfortune. Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life; "making lemonade" means taking those difficulties & turning them into something positive or desirable.  When I think of first responders in general,  "turning lemons into lemonade" just seems to be in their DNA.

There are some stories I want to investigate.  Not all are about a tragic event.  Sometimes, it is to find out what makes a person tick.  Why do they do what they do? Why are some people encouragers (exhorters)? Teachers?  What drives the passion? When their lives are lived not for self but to serve others,  it grabs my attention.  In the fire Service, I find many that into that category.  For them it is a lifetime of service no matter what they may find themselves doing.  

Some may be sidelined by an injury or tragic event but they keep moving forward with that same passion to serve others.  Some of these individuals could be bitter but they are not.  What has been sidelined is re-defined… that is the story of my guest.  And like me, he is a talker…..  and he speaks everyday...via a podcast, social media, instructing, and in person.  This is his story. It's about what makes him tick.  You may have heard of  "Coach Camp."  His real name  is Christopher or Chris Camp.  He is the perfect example of who a firefighter/paramedic is and what they are constantly doing...

"Turning Lemons Into Lemonade"

-Tom Mann
Executive Producer/Host

Storylines guests include: 
Christopher Camp/ Retired Memphis Firefighter Paramedic

https://www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com/home

https://www.facebook.com/MotivatewithCoachCamp

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA2NYLA-b6Cp3oFn-5Mk7Kg

Special Thanks to:
Shelby Row Productions LLC/Studio Services for Coach Camp


If you need help, seek out professional help from your fire department or local fire union.  There are  also resources online such as:
https://allclearfoundation.org


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


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I, first, began my passion of telling stories of those in the fire service as a young man. A big portion of my experience came from riding with, living with, and working with the men and women of the Memphis Fire Department.  There was a particular group of young men and women who began work in the late 1980s/early 1990s who experienced the birth of a new era of firefighting. From that group, many new and effective leaders were born who serve our communities today.  It has been an honor to know so many of them throughout the years.  

One of those individuals was a skinny kid who would have you laughing almost as soon as you met him.  His name was Ronnie Beasley but most of us referred to him as “Bease”. Some of my favorite memories are of being around Bease and his “band of brothers” on a rig known as “Rescue One” in Memphis or of watching him develop new safety techniques for the fire department as a young lieutenant in the fire training center in Memphis.  You see, even as a rookie, Bease had a burning passion for the art of the fire service.  Despite his contagious smile and laugh, (which he maintains today),  he took his job very seriously and I witnessed the growth of the young Ronnie Beasley into a leader of leaders.  Now, Chief Ronnie Beasley is on his second fire career as the Chief for the Laverne Fire Rescue in Laverne, Tennessee just south of Nashville, Tennessee.

-Tom Mann
Executive Producer/Host

Storylines guests include: 
Chief Ronnie Beasley, La Vergne Fire-Rescue


PPE provided to the EmergencyFD video team by MSAAt MSA, our business is safety. Our core fire service products include the revolutionary G1 SCBA, Cairns® fire helmets, Globe® turnout gear and boots, ALTAIR® portable gas detection instruments, Evolution® TICs, and the all-new LUNAR search and rescue device.

If you need help, seek out professional help from your fire department or local fire union.  There are  also resources online such as:
https://allclearfoundation.org


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


Support EmergencyFD Storyline at emergencyfd.com

Support the show with PayPal

Buy me a slice of pizza:

Support the show

The Firefighter Next Door

As a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter. I think a lot of people dream of being a firefighter. But only the few have the chance and only the few can be firefighters.  In my neighborhood growing up, there lived "the firefighter".  He was that hero I admired.  He was a big man, a strong man, a passionate man, a man of conviction, a man of service....  He was a firefighter... and one of the first paramedics.  For years, he also, served as a pastor and fire Chaplin.  He was instrumental in what I am doing right now.   His name is Rhesa Davis--The Firefighter Next Door.

-Tom Mann
Executive Producer/Host

Storylines guests include: 
Rhesa Davis, Retired Memphis Firefighter

Bill Adelman- Photo of Rhesa Davis
(Part of the Adelman's History of the Fire Department on Facebook)


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
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THE STORYLINE STORY:   

You know his voice but do you know the man?  Why would a man with years of experience in radio and television take an interest in the world of firefighting and emergency services?
What is this thing called EmergencyFD and the reason for this podcast.... EmergencyFD Storyline?

The tables turn.... the interviewer host Tom Mann becomes the interviewee.  Danni Synot interviews Tom Mann about the story of EmergencyFD and this podcast.   

Danni Synot is the Founder and CEO of Brave Enough (www.braveenough.org) based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.  Danni co-hosts a podcast called "Brave Conversations" with EmergencyFD’s  Storyline host Tom Mann.

Storylines guests include: 
Tom Mann
Executive Producer/Creator/Host
EmergencyFD Storyline
 
Special Thanks to:
Danni Synot, Geelong, Australia
www.braveenough.org


If you need help, seek out professional help from your fire department or local fire union.  There are  also resources online such as:
https://allclearfoundation.org


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


Support EmergencyFD Storyline at emergencyfd.com

Support the show with PayPal

Buy me a slice of pizza:

Support the show

"BAD AX LADIES":  Two second generation firefighters mentoring young women to join the fire service.

They are called the Bad Ax Ladies from the Carbondale Fire Department in Carbondale, Illinois.   Two firefighters who took the initiative to start a program to encourage and mentor young women who may be considering a career in firefighting.  But  that is not the whole story.  My guests know firefighting…Its' been passed down from their dads…. You might say  “The Family Business”.

Firefighter Courtney Looft and firefighter Abby Burnham are second generation firefighters. In this podcast they will share their stories of hard work and will answer some tough questions about what it’s like to be women in the fire service. These trailblazers give us the details about a program they’ve coined "Bad Ax Ladies" in Carbondale, Illinois.

Tom Mann
Host & Executive Producer
EMERGENCYFD STORYLINE 



Storylines guests include:   

Firefighter Courtney Looft
Carbondale Fire Department
Carbondale, Illinois

Firefighter Abby Burnham
Carbondale Fire Department
Carbondale, Illinois

Special Thanks to:
Chief Mike Hertz, Carbondale, Illinois


If you need help, seek out professional help from your fire department or local fire union.  There are  also resources online such as:
https://allclearfoundation.org


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


Support EmergencyFD Storyline at emergencyfd.com

Support the show with PayPal

Buy me a slice of pizza:

Support the show

"WORDS FROM THE WISE":  The voice of a firefighter with decades of experience.

Chief John Reagan began his career in the fire service at a time when most firefighters were called leather lungs or smoke eaters.  He worked at a time of great change for the fire service.
Despite advances in fire tech, SOPs, apparatus, etc., the job remains the same.  It takes a special person to run into danger while others are running out. 
Chief John Reagan is one of those individuals .

Now retired, Chief John Reagan shares his stories, experience, and wisdom about firefighting. 

"The words from the wise" …… THAT’S OUR STORYLINE

-Tom Mann
Host & Executive Producer
EMERGENCYFD STORYLINE 



Storylines guests include:   
Chief John Reagan- Retired, Memphis Fire Department
Memphis, Tenessee


Special Thanks to:
Justin Cupples, firefighter, Memphis Fire Department
(for sharing the story of his neighbor John Reagan)

Bill Adelman- Photo of John Reagan
(Part of the Adelman's History of the Fire Department)



If you need help, seek out professional help from your fire department or local fire union.  There are  also resources online such as:
https://allclearfoundation.org


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


Support EmergencyFD Storyline at emergencyfd.com

Support the show with PayPal

Buy me a slice of pizza:

Support the show

Firefighting is a calling…. a commitment to serve others.  It is also a commitment to serve one another within the fire family.  Despite its’ traditions, firefighting is also a commitment to a lifetime of learning, training, and working hard so you can be on top of your game when duty calls. 

My guest is Bobby Williams a second generation firefighter.  The first time I met him…. I said to myself…”now, that is a firefighter”.   He looked the part!  He talked the talk and walked the walk. When you are a second generation firefighter,  you carry the traditions and the passion to serve your community and your brothers and sisters in the fire service.  My guest is an active member of the Metropolis Fire Department located in Metropolis Illinois, a training officer,  and an  instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute.  He works hard and is always learning.  His father was a Firefighter and he is a firefighter.  Firefighter Williams  lives with a deep passion for the job.   He is a firefighter’s firefighter……He is 2nd Gen……That’s our Storyline…

-Tom Mann
Host & Executive Producer
EMERGENCYFD STORYLINE 

Storylines guests include:   
Bobby Williams- Metropolis Fire Department
Metropolis, Illinois

PPE provided to the EmergencyFD video team by MSA


Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


Support EmergencyFD Storyline at emergencyfd.com

Support the show with PayPal

Buy me a slice of pizza:

Support the show

When I moved from the big city to a rural community,  I suspected that the fire department here had to operate differently.  From my first day in the area, I started noticing many differences. I didn’t see any fire hydrants and I knew my residential water came from a pretty small water department.  It seemed there was always a brush fire or some type of structure fire off in the distance. Less than a half mile down the road from my home, I saw a fire station…. next to a major interstate. Almost everyday, a fire engine roared by my house followed by a tanker. The sides of the apparatus read "WCFPD."  That was about the extent of my knowledge about this fire department... until a few months later...when my, then, 18 year old son started volunteering as a fire fighter there.

Williamson County Fire Protection District or WCFPD may be small when compared to big city fire departments but I soon discovered that it is actually an amazing fire department and serves it's community well here in Southern Illinois.  Their  training, the emergency response… is second to none…..which includes Hazmat, Aircraft Rescue  and Firefighting (ARFF), wild land firefighting, rescue…. automotive , structure fires of any size…. and always some unique calls that are found only in rural America.   To provide such a service to the community takes leadership.  Williamson County Fire Protection District has that experienced leadership …. and many are volunteers.  In this Emergency FD storyline podcast, I talk to the man at the top… Chief Jeremy Norris.

Innovative Firefighting: The Volunteer Heroes…


-Tom Mann
Host & Executive Producer
EMERGENCYFD STORYLINE 

Storylines guests include:   
Chief Jeremy Norris- Williamson County Fire Protection District
Williamson County, Illinois

PPE provided to the EmergencyFD video team by MSA

Go to emergencyfd.com for more podcasts.
Email EmergencyFD Storyline:  [email protected]


Support EmergencyFD Storyline at emergencyfd.com

Support the show with PayPal

Buy me a slice of pizza:

Support the show