At 15 years of age, Chris crashed rapidly and painfully into a new reality of addiction and alcoholism. Hired into the Fire Service deep into his struggle, he lived a double life. After years of fighting to get clean and sober he found himself at the crossroads of either his fourth and final attempt at suicide, or asking for help at his lowest point. Everything from that moment on was different. He had to learn how to deal with life on life’s terms how to become a member of the Fire Family that would be instrumental on his road back. 
He quickly became outspoken about his darkness and recovery. Today he continues to sponsor many people in and out of the Fire Service and do work in jails and detox centres, locally and abroad.

Chris recently took part in an educational video series put together by the Mental Health Commission of Canada,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfGR2-RjtsU

and the short Documentary ‘Unmasked’ released by Instillment and Captivate Photo+Cinema,

https://vimeo.com/243559744 
You can follow him on Instagram @_chris_howe_
and find him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chris.howe.3572

At 15 years of age, Chris crashed rapidly and painfully into a new reality of addiction and alcoholism. Hired into the Fire Service deep into his struggle, he lived a double life. After years of fighting to get clean and sober he found himself at the crossroads of either his fourth and final attempt at suicide, or asking for help at his lowest point. Everything from that moment on was different. He had to learn how to deal with life on life’s terms how to become a member of the Fire Family that would be instrumental on his road back. He quickly became outspoken about his darkness and recovery. Today he continues to sponsor many people in and out of the Fire Service and do work in jails and detox centres, locally and abroad. Chris recently took part in an educational video series put together by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfGR2-RjtsU and the short Documentary ‘Unmasked’ released by Instillment and Captivate Photo+Cinema, https://vimeo.com/243559744 You can follow him on Instagram @_chris_howe_ and find him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chris.howe.3572

Episode 8 - Chris Howe

Find out what Firefighters are made of!

This podcast pulls back the curtain and shows you what goes into the making of a Firefighter. 

We talk about the how and why of each guest's journey to the job, what challenges they have faced overall and how they made it through them, the struggles they see for our service and their ideas on how each of us can help progress in the job, as well as what keeps them inspired and motivated. You will be getting to know your family better. 

'Multiple Calls' is a phrase that catches a Firefighter's attention because it signifies that there is a strong possibility that what we are responding to is legitimate and will require us to be at our best. It is also what experience is made of. We're going to be at our best to capture your attention with legitimate stories and enrich our experience of this unique and amazing job.

I'm a 25-year second-generation Firefighter working for a Department in Southern Ontario, Canada, with around 400 suppression personnel, 13 stations and 26 apparatus. I spent the first half of my career at a Technical Rescue station, six years working as a primary care medic, 3 years instructing as a Fire Training Officer, and had the honour and pleasure of co-leading our Peer Support Team for over a decade.

When I first joined, we were a lot smaller and the Senior Firefighter on the truck with me for my first shift had been on longer than I had been alive. Outside of what he and many others taught me about the job, he recommended that I start a journal of all the calls and happenings around the hall so that one day I'd have the makings of a book. He was right, but unfortunately, of all the things I heeded and applied, that wasn't one of them. The point being, there are stories to tell and we all carry them; about us as individuals, as crews, as platoons, and as a Department. The wisdom and instruction about how to do the job are crucial, but the experiences and stories also help to shape our character and our Fire Family as a whole. Stories are important. Through story-telling, we find comfort in what connects us and expand our minds through our differences. 

I've come late to the party when it comes to podcasts. A move in the summer of 2017 that involves an hour plus commute, opened up the opportunity to fill that time with some quality content. I've been inspired by a number of podcasts and listed the fire-related ones on the Multiple Calls Website in the Resources section along with books, Facebook pages, websites, literature, and videos. You can also find a running list of those in the Fire Service at large that deserve our respect and acknowledgment for their efforts to keep us grounded and progressing, in the Credits section. Please message me if you want me to add someone. 

We get to know each other very well in this line of work. From all that we experience together, we create strong bonds, and we use deeply meaningful words like Family and Brotherhood to describe them. As shift schedules, generations, where we choose to live, our societal norms, and the size of our departments change, our view of the importance and tradition of the Fire Service Family and Brotherhood can be challenged, strained and at risk of being lost. This would be incredibly sad, tragic, and detrimental. We need to continue to invest in each other and learn and participate in each other's stories. 

Much Love,

Scott

Society & Culture

Find out what Firefighters are made of! This podcast pulls back the curtain and shows you what goes into the making of a Firefighter. We talk about the how and why of each guest's journey to the job, what challenges they have faced overall and how they made it through them, the struggles they see for our service and their ideas on how each of us can help progress in the job, as well as what keeps them inspired and motivated. You will be getting to know your family better. 'Multiple Calls' is a phrase that catches a Firefighter's attention because it signifies that there is a strong possibility that what we are responding to is legitimate and will require us to be at our best. It is also what experience is made of. We're going to be at our best to capture your attention with legitimate stories and enrich our experience of this unique and amazing job. I'm a 25-year second-generation Firefighter working for a Department in Southern Ontario, Canada, with around 400 suppression personnel, 13 stations and 26 apparatus. I spent the first half of my career at a Technical Rescue station, six years working as a primary care medic, 3 years instructing as a Fire Training Officer, and had the honour and pleasure of co-leading our Peer Support Team for over a decade. When I first joined, we were a lot smaller and the Senior Firefighter on the truck with me for my first shift had been on longer than I had been alive. Outside of what he and many others taught me about the job, he recommended that I start a journal of all the calls and happenings around the hall so that one day I'd have the makings of a book. He was right, but unfortunately, of all the things I heeded and applied, that wasn't one of them. The point being, there are stories to tell and we all carry them; about us as individuals, as crews, as platoons, and as a Department. The wisdom and instruction about how to do the job are crucial, but the experiences and stories also help to shape our character and our Fire Family as a whole. Stories are important. Through story-telling, we find comfort in what connects us and expand our minds through our differences. I've come late to the party when it comes to podcasts. A move in the summer of 2017 that involves an hour plus commute, opened up the opportunity to fill that time with some quality content. I've been inspired by a number of podcasts and listed the fire-related ones on the Multiple Calls Website in the Resources section along with books, Facebook pages, websites, literature, and videos. You can also find a running list of those in the Fire Service at large that deserve our respect and acknowledgment for their efforts to keep us grounded and progressing, in the Credits section. Please message me if you want me to add someone. We get to know each other very well in this line of work. From all that we experience together, we create strong bonds, and we use deeply meaningful words like Family and Brotherhood to describe them. As shift schedules, generations, where we choose to live, our societal norms, and the size of our departments change, our view of the importance and tradition of the Fire Service Family and Brotherhood can be challenged, strained and at risk of being lost. This would be incredibly sad, tragic, and detrimental. We need to continue to invest in each other and learn and participate in each other's stories. Much Love, Scott

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Episode 8 - Chris Howe

Episode 8 - Chris Howe

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