Episode 49

Dallas Fire and Rescue Firefighter Zack Talent

Dallas Fire Department is so rich in history and on July 4th 2022 it celebrated its 150th year anniversary.

The ATO is happy to sit down with one of their young, rising firefighter stars, Zack Talent, to honor this department and give the listener some more insight into this job and the toll it can take.

Zack and his beautiful wife, Meagan, join us to tell the listener a unique tale of gaining self- awareness and resiliency, as well as professional and personal growth.

Zack, a Rowlett, Texas native, grew up wanting to be a police officer and ultimately join a SWAT team. He would watch a little-known show called “Dallas SWAT” and watch legends like Claggett and Byas operate while visualizing himself donning the SWAT gear.

However, life’s road has many forks, different pathways, and decisions that one must make, and sometimes dreams have to be put on hold or redirected. In July of 2018 Zack followed a path that led him to the doors of the historic Dallas Fire Department to dedicate his life to service and saving others.

He hit the streets running as the City of Dallas has no shortages of critical incidents, heartbreak, and opportunities to save a life.  Zack immersed himself into the life of a firefighter and took the opportunity to join the Dallas Fire Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) as this elite team is trained in the art of rope rescue, structural collapse rescue, vehicle rescue as well as trench rescue.

The life of a first responder can be packed with critical incidents and trauma, and you never know which day can be your last or when the next incident will cut deeper than most.

Dr. T believes the first step of resiliency is becoming self-aware and Zack, after hearing Dr. Twedell’s episode, had a watershed moment in his life as he noticed something was wrong and needed to be fixed.

So Zack began a new journey, with his wife by his side, to become a better version of himself and sharpen his own tools of resiliency.

ATO listeners soak in the story of true courage as we give the stage and microphone to Zack and Meagan Talent.