!Please Remain Calm!

We're joined by LAFD Firefighters Alex Saenz & Ryan Ramirez. These men barely escaped a nightmare scenario, caught inside a BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion) that blew a huge fireball thru the building they were inside of and on top of for a full 33 seconds of constant flashover flames with 8 men inside the building and another 6 men on the roof. We get the full story of how a seemingly routine commercial structure fire in the busiest district of LA turned into a hellscape. On top of the firsthand accounts we have bodycam footage as well as video footage from a neighboring roof. We learn a lot of standard operating guidelines from the busiest fire company in the west, real insight into roof operations, & interior attack from the best guys to do it, what you look for when you can't see anything, the strange sounds & lack of sounds that preceded the BLEVE, what it's like to think you were the only survivor of a catastrophe, having to save your brothers once you've realized they survived, giving medications with burned hands, freaked out cops, homeless guys complaining about burning tents, being asked to leave the hospital while your brothers are fighting for their life, & more. We also get a real inside scoop on life at the Skid Row Firehouse, from the human litter box, to people jumping on the front and back of the engine, bleaching the sidewalks, people throwing themselves in front of the rig, learning from the best, no sleep, & MORE. This episode is long and has a lot of cursing in it BUT this is an incredible story everyone needs to hear.

We get more firefighter life lessons as Danny breaks down a call that could've gone a couple of different ways but had a positive outcome as he got a meth addict into recovery. We also talk mentoring, what made each of us quit drinking and partying too much, the LAFD tattoo policy, why Danny tells patients he's from the hood, why you can't always cancel the engine or truck company on a "routine" medical run, tailgating, gun violence at Raider games, eating food from an Iron Chef (but Ben calls it Top Chef), being your best, good and bad energy, actually talking to patients, cool security guards, fitness, how to not get drunk when literally everyone wants to buy you a drink, & Danny seriously goes full motivational podcast host on multiple rants where Ben compares him to everyone from Highway To Heaven's Michael Landon to Russel Brand. We also hear about Danny's past as a personal trainer. This episode will pump you up.

We talk code 3 emergency response driving, the do's & do not F&#%$ng do's for regular motorists, and all of the dangers involved with maneuvering giant emergency vehicles at a high speed thru rush hour traffic. We explain exactly how a tiller truck works, and how crazy it is to haul ass thru traffic sitting high up in that back chair with only a steering wheel. We talk about EVOC training (& a lack thereof), accidents en route, obstacles in the streets, the weird stuff people do INSTEAD of pulling to the right, why you have to pull to the right, collisions between emergency vehicles, instant justice, & driving to a hospital in a life or death situation. Plus, Danny tells the story of his worst accident ever in an ambulance, & it gets emotional. This episode comes to a full stop at red lights.

We get some good firefighter life lessons from Danny for people starting out on the job who want to hear from an 18 year LAFD veteran. We talk about the levels of a fire career, how important mentorship is between young firefighters and veterans, what it's like when your dad has a big reputation with the department, how people are inspired by Danny on social media but not by Ben, Subway tuna, chauvinism, early relief, station intimidation situations, & individual fire station subcultures. Plus we hear a bizarre story about a scheduling mishap resulting in a misunderstanding, which led to Danny being public enemy #1 of an entire station which lasted for months. This episode is pretty LAFD specific, but the lessons are for people working anywhere.

Comedian and podcaster Madison Sinclair (Madison PI) tells us her mystery medical history going back to when she 1st thought her dream of getting boobs had come true, only to find that they were actually full of benign tumors of an unknown cause & had to be removed. Then years later she moves to Hollywood, and begins having bad sinus problems and congestion, including black sputum coming out of her nose on a regular basis. After multiple tests & scans, doctors can't figure out what it is & also discover lung nodules. She actually solves the mystery herself & reveals it on the show. We also cover Florida, pet squirrels, Hooters, roast battle, the housing market, aligators, booty shorts, private investigations, beekeeping,Joel McHale, Red Lobster test kitchen, fake Taco Bell, & tiktok. You'll want the results of this one.

Retired LAFD Engineer Kelly Kilmartin tells us a harrowing story from the 1st night of the LA riots (4/29/92). Assigned to Engine 250, he began to pump water to a market fire in South Central LA, when he was approached by a man with an AK47 assault rifle who told him to let the fire burn. He proceeds to rob Kelly and his captain of their radios at gunpoint, then runs off. As Kelly begins to shut down, he hears the front of the truck get shelled by machine gunfire. He jumps in the cab and calls for help on the radio but is told that no help is available. Hear the rest of this incredible story, how Kelly and his crew survive? When does SWAT show up? Who hides them from the attackers? We also hear from his wife who randomly runs into the gunman years later on jury duty. This story is a wild snapshot of the craziest night in LAFD or American firefighting history.

Comedian Grant Cotter (Comedy Central, MTV) joins us & tells us all about losing his ENTIRE KNEECAP in a scooter accident in Cozumel, Mexico during the Vans Warped Tour Cruise he was booked to perform on. Read that sentence again if you need to. Yes there was a Vans Warped Tour Cruise (they only did one) & it turned into a nightmare during a shore excursion in Cozumel, when Grant was talked into taking a ride on a vespa scooter with faulty brakes. Losing his whole kneecap is only the beginning, as Grant goes thru an ordeal with a Mexican hospital cleaning out his life savings after he first shows up at a Hooters, buying 500 Tramadols at the airport, months living with one working leg, using the bad leg to get his girl out of a DUI, & having 2 physical therapist comics rehab him back to health. We also discuss a tragic fire station shooting in LA County that shocked the community last week.

LAFD Engineer Rob Medrano was the 3rd engineer to arrive at a fully involved, single family dwelling structure fire in south central LA. Entering the backyard to do some exterior fireground work, he discovers almost all of the occupants of the house in the backyard, barely escaping the flames. Then one resident tells him they're missing 2 people inside. Without hesitation, Rob enters the house alone, with no air bottle or mask, & locates 2 trapped victims inside. He makes 2 more entries, ALL without an air bottle into a fully involved house fire, & rescues a woman & performs CPR in the backyard. We hear this incredible story in full detail as well as Rob's hospitalization for smoke inhalation, & how this led to him receiving the LAFD Medal of Merit for his bravery. We also learn some more young firefighter Danny stories, the importance of working at busy stations, life as a firefighter in South Central LA, & a detailed breakdown of LAFD structure fire operations. Take a deep breath for this one.

We are joined by LAFD legend, our dad, Benny Gonzalez. A 32 year veteran of the fire service, he breaks down how he wound up in LAFD instead of the Vietnam war, what the drill tower was like in the 70's, life in Downtown LA before gentrification, firefighting & living in the actual 1984 Olympic village, diversity posters, dangerous fire engine driving, & more. We also get a full breakdown of the famous Naval Reserve building fire which is now the LAFD headquarters named after the firefighter who died there, as well as a breakdown of the First Interstate fire, the most famous high rise fire in LA history, PLUS a firsthand account of the LA riots in 92. BUT THERE'S MORE, he also breaks down how he rescued Michael Jackson when he burned his hair filming a Pepsi ad. This episode is full of LAFD history that few discuss. Also, who is his favorite? Strap in.

We're joined by world-traveling LAFD Firefighter Dan Ferrari (@wander_man_dan) who tells us all about how he uses the flexibility of the firefighter schedule to plan solo trips around the world. We learn all about how to get to exotic locales usually closed off to tourists. How to find the best fishing, scuba diving, & adventure spots, and get the best tips from local guides. Dan tells us all about the different travel jobs he does abroad (scuba divemaster, sport fishing guide, lifeguard instructor). What's it like to train Ghanaian Marines how to swim in the ocean off the coast of Africa? What about traveling thru the Australian Outback? Sportfishing in the Kingdom of Oman? This guy has done it all, all while working as an LAFD firefighter. Get your passports ready.