In this episode, we discuss the 1984 toluene tank explosion that resulted in the LODD of Phoenix FD HazMat Engineer Ricky Pearce, we honor his contribution to industry-wide change, and we explore how Phoenix and firefighting as a whole evolved from this unfortunate event.

Joining us is over 150 years of firefighting experience: Captain Tom Bates (Ricky’s Captain that day), Captain Chris Pearce (Ricky’s son and current Phoenix FD Captain), Retired Phoenix AC Ron Jamison, Surprise, AZ Fire Chief, Tom Abbott, and NFFF’s own, Chief John Tippett. Probably our most intimate perspective of an incident to date. Not to be missed!