31 years in the EMS and Fire Service has given Mike Borrello plenty of opportunity to learn his craft. A street smart Paramedic who has logged many miles on the ground and even in the air, Mike always loved the patient care and interactions with those he served. By chance, talking about his career with his future son-in-law, the idea of a YouTube channel peaked his interest as a way to generate some income while giving back to the emergency services. Enter Heroes Next Door, Mike's widely popular YouTube channel that educates young and old about the emergency services. Fire Station tours, apparatus walk arounds, Heroes Challenge and a whole slew of other content populates Mike's channel. Giving back to the community and protecting the importance of first responders has set Mike on a mission to film in all 50 states while continuing to educate and document along the way. His commitment to preserving the importance of the job is why Mike's channel has quickly become a popular YouTube channel for anyone passionate about the emergency services.

Part 2 dives into the other side of Andy Starnes, Fire Behavior. Over 22 years in the fire service, currently as a Battalion Chief, Andy has become known for his knowledge and skills with thermal imaging technology. His training company, Insight Fire Training, focuses on the often overlooked topic of thermal imaging in the fire service. Highly educated and well spoken, Andy and his cadre of Instructors are able to work with firefighters to ensure proper understanding and usage of this important piece of equipment. Even after 30 years of fire service use, many departments still do not focus on the benefits of TICs and the vital role they play on the modern fireground. This episode dives into the myths, misnomers and lack of understanding that so many firefighters have in regards to thermal imaging. Andy Starnes brings so much to the conversation and his willingness to make this job better through education and experience is certainly welcomed.

--

If you are interested in more information, please check out www.insighttrainingllc.com or their YouTube channel for plenty of videos regarding thermal imaging.

Andy Starnes is a focused, intentional man who brings so much to the conversation. He believes in three foundational blocks that structures his life, Faith, Family and the Fire Department. Part 1 focuses on us, the firefighter, and our individual mental health and all around way we work and live with those around us. "Love Deposits, Love Withdrawals", a power way to put in perspective our time and commitment to those around us. In this case, Andy talks about his family and using this method to ensure some type of "balance". This idea can be applied to any part of your life as a way to represent the give and take we all struggle with in in life. Two passions Andy has is Fire Behavior and Firefighter Behavior. Part 1 focuses on the Firefighter Behavior and it gets in the trenches. His ability to put in word what so many of us feel is a unique gift and Andy Starnes doesn't beat around the bush. This is an episode you do not want to miss!! Stay tuned for Part 2...

Pip’s guest this week is living his mantra of Adapt and Overcome. Gary Weiland was a Firefighter in Texas for 7 years when he experienced a series

of very unfortunate events. His leg was amputated just below his knee. Gary

decided that this tragedy was not going to end his career and passion for fighting

fire. 10 months and 6 days after his amputation, he was back on the Fire Truck,

full-duty, no restrictions.

Gary’s taken his life of service to a whole new level, by proving that nothing is impossible. He has become the first amputee to qualify for the semi finals of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. He also competes in the paralympics representing team USA, is a children's author and motivational speaker.

Gary’s story of perseverance and his overall positive attitude are on display from the very beginning of the interview. Pip is also joined on this podcast by his younger son, Dex. He is a huge fan of Gary and has watched his epic run on ANW several times. Gary’s story will have you asking yourself that question. What’s my SIZE UP???

IG:Gary_weiland

Website: www.GaryWeiland.com

Website: www.adaptandovercomestories.com

Rob Ramirez played baseball and it was the structure he enjoyed growing up. The team aspect of the game, knowing your position and where you fit in were what Rob enjoyed about America's pastime. As his baseball career wound down, an invitation to join the cadet program at the local fire department was his next chapter in which he was excited about. Finding plenty of similarities between baseball and the firehouse, he chased after being the best he can be so that he could get a spot on the starting roster. 22 years later and currently a Captain, Rob has found his place on the team. His passion for the rescue services led to a position on Florida Task Force 2 in which he operated at many high profile incidents during his tenure. One in particular, the 2010 Haiti earthquake gave Rob a chance to understand his passion for the Mayday Mindset, a class in which he lectures and trains on across the country. His experience in a collapsed building helped form his own ideas about mindset and the response firefighters have during Mayday situations. Rob Ramirez is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with students across the country. His Mayday program has a no nonsense, straight forward approach that focuses on "Adult Learning". Communication is key and Rob certainly knows how to work with firefighters from all levels of experience and mindset. Experience matters and we must pass it forward in order to push this job forward!!

Do you have facial hair??? Do you want to grow facial hair??? Do you care about personal grooming??? Do you hold a special disdain for men with facial hair??? Whatever your stance on the matter, this episode is for you.

Pip is joined by Griff Coiner, founder of Stache Salt, where they are more than just mustache wax. Griff shares his story of growing up and joining the fire service, then starting Stache Salt out of a basic need of his own and those around him. Just like growing an epic mustache, growing a small business takes patience and time.

Griff also shares some “pro tips” for facial hair care. Pip takes Griff’s advice during The Size Up’s first ever, how to segment. Griff walk’s Pip through some stache care and styling tips. Unbeknownst to Pip, he has been doing it wrong the whole time. Pip’s new “summer” cohost Dex drops in again with his unique brand of questions and comments about his dad’s facial hair, and mothers opinion on it.

This episode was a lot of fun and we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed recording it for you. And as always, it gives you a few chances to ask yourself. What's My Size Up????

IG: stache.salt

IG: that_stache_guy

Website: www.https://stachesalt.com/

Finding people who push you to do better usually leads to incredible things. When Sean Duffy was talking with like minded individuals, the conversation always came around to why not everyone was so passionate about the fire service. As each conversation weaved between the group, it all came back to the common theme of culture. If you want a good one, you have to BUILD IT. Welcome, Build Your Culture; a training group of like minded firefighters that believe in hard work and dedicated to building a positive culture. With over 18 years in the fire service, Sean has worked for different departments that each offered their own challenges. Regardless of their make up and size, each has the potential to be successful and the foundation is solely built on the culture. "Take pride in where you ride", sounds easy, but it takes work. Between hands-on training and lecture classes, Sean and his crew talks about the importance of the job and the mindset that it needs. Searchable vs. Survivable, a class offered by the Build Your Culture team dives head first into the fire ground and how we operate to protect the citizens we serve. Sean believes that this job is an honorable one and he is proud to be apart of it. 
--
Sean Duffy can be contacted at [email protected] and check out Build Your Culture on Facebook.

In order to keep a growing department on top of their game, it takes a tremendous amount of work at all levels. But the backbone of any department is the Shop. The center of activity and a place where information is shared, repairs are made and education is learned. At the center of it all is a detail oriented and super talented Mechanical Supervisor, Frank Docimo. Hired in 2008, during his early years on the line Frank was known as a Black Cloud, Jobs seemed to happen when he was around. As his time progressed and his other skills were required, Frank found his way to the Shops. Since then, Frank and his talented team has transformed the Shops into a premium division within the Stamford Fire Department. Loose equipment, apparatus repair and purchasing, vehicle upfitting, preventative maintenance, purchasing, supply chain, incident response and so on. The list of responsibilities is endless and Frank wouldn't have it any other way. He thrives on the organized chaos and he often finds a way to pull a rabbit out of a hat. As the backbone of the department, Frank knows the importance of his position and that so much is dependent upon his division. "So The Pride Can Ride"... a slogan that is taken to heart each and every day Frank and his team make it happen!!

PipTalks Episode 5: Progress by Jeremy Donch