21 years of combination experience. A Lieutenant/Medic with Montgomery County Fire-Rescue. At a young age Aaron joined his local volunteer fire department for community service hours towards graduation. What turned into just needing hours transformed into a love for the job due to the amount of work Aaron was able to establish under his belt. Law enforcement was the plan but that quickly went out the window. Aaron surrounded himself with individuals who most certainly loved and respected the job. And once he found out he could go career the rest was history.

34 years of career experience. 32 of those were with Phoenix Fire Department where he rose through the ranks and retired as Deputy Chief. Currently Deputy Chief of Rio Verde Fire District in Arizona. Lead Instructor with Blue Card Firefighting Incident Command Training. Chris had no intentions of becoming a Firefighter. But unbeknownst to him his father had a relationship with a guy named Alan Brunacini. Chris was setup for a ride along that would forever change the dynamics of what he thought his life would look like. Having a true mentor in your life can significantly benefit you by providing personalized guidance, accelerating your professional and personal growth, offering a valuable new perspective, and building your confidence. Please take the time and listen to this episode and the conversations taking place.

17 years of career experience. Captain on Truck 2 with Wichita Fire Department. Stephen was in the armed forces and just before completing his career wasn’t quite sure what was next for him. Fortunately he had some friends that mentioned getting into the fire service. As a native from Wichita Stephen figured it was only right to work where he was from. Once he got on as Stephen states in the interview it was one of the best decisions in his life. For those that don’t know anything about Wichita it’s definitely a place to go if you want to see work. The conversations Stephen and I had should hopefully get the wheels spinning for those within the fire service especially Company Officers.

Jonah Smith- 22 years of combination experience. Battalion Chief 9 with Charlotte Fire Department on B-Shift, creator and owner of Hornet Fire Training. Jonah never had aspirations of becoming a Firefighter. Law enforcement intrigued Jonah but it’s all about timing when it comes to life. His mother was able to get him in contact with a local fire chief in the area and from then on Jonah’s journey set sail. The truth bombs and mic drops being said in this interview should hopefully spark a question if you are being the best version of yourself not only to you but to others you work with, meet and have relationships with?

IG: harf01

hornetfiretraining

26 years of career experience 2nd generation Firefighter. Deputy Chief of Special operations for Dallas Fire Department. At the age of 10 Cameron was doing ride alongs with his father who retired as Captain with 42 years of service. Cameron knew his calling from the jump and where he wanted to be. He also felt the pressure of having to live up to your last name when your father created a standard. My discussions with Cameron was real, truthful, sincere and honest. The takeaways that can be gained from listening to his experiences should no doubt help any of the listeners who might be going through the same issues. This was a fantastic interview and I truly hope you all enjoy.

33 years of career experience. 2nd generation Firefighter. Creator and owner of CFT County Fire Tactics & recently retired Battalion Chief with Escambia County Fire/Rescue in Florida. If you don’t know anything about Curt I implore you to listen to the Weekly Scrap Episodes he’s been on where you can find more information on his knowledge on tactics and the fire service as a whole. The interview between Curt and I is more directly related to why he believes and thinks the way he does. Curt is one of the main reasons why my mindset towards the job is the way it is. Against others opinions and beliefs the biggest takeaway from this interview is to be PATIENT & TRUE to yourself.

23 years of combination experience. A driver on Truck 7 with Portland Fire & Rescue, Brothers In Battle cadre member. Growing up Anthony was attracted to public service and was thinking law enforcement but in high school sports kind of pushed some of those notions to the side. Right before Anthony was set to go into the education field he had a friend ask him about the fire service which really got things going again to a point where Anthony sought it out jumping in with both feet and never looked back. Anthony is a die hard truckie through and through. Although he jokes towards the engine we all know on the fire ground we all have a place where things need to get done. I certainly hope the listeners can truly tune in when we discuss the topic of VES and Anthony’s mindset towards it.

IG: airbrax

33 years of combination experience 2nd generation Firefighter. A Captain on Rescue 1 with Durham Fire Department. From a very young age Carl knew what he wanted to be and where he wanted to work. He wasn’t able to get hired on his first attempt, but got it on the second. Once he did he knew the type of Firefighter he wanted to be. When you’re hired at a young age we sometimes believe that we know it all and this is not a shot at Carl because I was the same way as well. It takes humility, maturity and being around seasoned veterans to show us things we didn’t know and that’s exactly who Carl surrounded himself with. We won’t always be liked by everyone and that’s ok. Haters are going to hate what’s important is remembering your why and being the best version of yourself. I truly hope the listeners can snatch the gems and nuggets being dropped by Carl in this interview.

IG: laddercaptain99

19 years of combination experience. A Engine Lieutenant recently moved over to Operations Lieutenant with Newport News Fire Department. Creator and owner of Mind Of Fire where they specialize in providing individuals to enhance their cognitive abilities to make informed decision making & Author of Mind Of Fire: The Science and Art Of Decision Making. Kiel never had sights of being in the fire service. He was a college student struggling to find his way. Eventually it was his mother who pushed him to pursue the service. Once he got in he was able to find mentors outside of his organization that provided PERSPECTIVE and insight to different areas of the job that helped shape who he is today. I truly hope the listeners can enjoy the conversations being shared.

IG: kielsamsing

mindoffire

21 years of career experience. A retired Deputy Chief from the Southern California area who is now the Training Coordinator For New Mexico State, Training Captain with Santa Fe County Fire & owner and creator of From The Ashes LLC. Upon completion of serving in the armed forces Justin knew the fire service was where he wanted to be. A friend’s introduction was able to get him through the door where Justin journey set sail. From fire conferences, outside trainings, switching organizations the up’s & downs of staying engaged Justin went through it all. And from that was where Justin was able to gain maturity through his experiences and wants to share so others can learn and grow.

IG: firedad2024

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