19 years of career experience. A floating Lieutenant with Montgomery County Fire/Rescue. And creator of When The Smoke Clears Podcast. Russell had an Uncle who served with the FDNY and on top of that he has always been into anything related to Fire trucks. So upon moving back into Maryland he would often visit and ride with members of Chillum-Adelphi Volunteer Fire Department Company 34 in PG county. From there he turned to the cadet program in PG obtained all his certifications and began applying to career departments when Montgomery called and gave him his shot. Russell is a very humble Lieutenant that remembers its more about just pointing and giving commands. Russell is going to get in the trenches and be the first to perform whatever skill or task is needed. One of his biggest pet peeves is learning to “Control the things we can control.”

IG: reverend.pain

4th generation Firefighter with 17 years of combination experience. 2024 Texas Fire Chief’s excellence and Fire Instructor of the year winner. Division Chief Of Training along with Wellness and Fitness director for Cypress Creek Fire Department in Texas. Creator and founder for Ironclad Wellness that provides mentoring, coaching and peer support to first responders struggling with their own mental health. Jason certainly did not have to come on the podcast and openly discuss his own struggles. But I applaud him for doing so because in this day and age we need more individuals like him to openly discuss their own battles which in return can show others out there who maybe hiding in plain sight that help is out there and they’re not alone. I truly truly hope the listeners can listen and pick up the nuggets Jason drops within this episode. I can’t thank Jason enough for coming on and talking shop.

IG:guardiangrounds &ironcladwellnesjc

Jim Petruzzi- 48 years of combination experience. Captain with City Of Pittsburgh Bureau Of Fire who retired back in 2020 stationed at 8 Engine & Truck. One thing about retired members within the fire service is even though they’re not on the job anymore they still can listen, teach, give sound advice, and can relate to so many different situations and experiences because they have been in our shoes. Jim got a little bit of a late start within his career but was able to absorb and learn from the individuals he wanted to emulate. And when he talks you can see just how much of an impact they had with his mindset and how he chose to lead.

47 years of combination experience. Retired Chief Of Department with the FDNY back in 2023. At a very young age Tom was surrounded by the fire service starting with his father who was a volunteer. After joining that same volunteer department as his Father and a few ride alongs with neighbors who were with FDNY it was inevitable for Tom to find his passion. Upon entering the FDNY Tom was surrounded by senior men who were not on the job but into it and within the interview Tom explains why we all should be. I truly hope the listeners can gain a little bit of knowledge from what Tom speaks.

23 years of combination experience. A Capt/Station commander at Station 6 with Montgomery County Fire/Rescue where he’s been at for 19 years. The conversation Jason and I had was one that should start discussions with others you work with but most importantly within yourself internally. Are you being the best version of you within the organization you serve regardless of rank? If you’re a Company officer I want you to listen to an incident that occurred with Jason and ponder what would you have done in that situation? One of my favorite quotes from Jason is “We train from probable to possible.”

36 years of combination experience. Deputy Chief in Division 13 Queens South Command with the FDNY. Chief Ditaranto wholeheartedly believes in CHARACTER. How you carry yourself when no one is paying attention. Upon entering the FDNY Gene was fortunate to be surrounded by very seasoned veterans which laid down the foundation of how he treats others. A very humble gentleman who took all the skills and traits he learned coming up into the fire service and applies them when dealing with the men and women he serves with. Just because Gene is a Deputy Chief he still put’s forth the effort of stopping in at different firehouses under his command to check in on the well being of the Firefighters he is very proud of.

LinkedIn: Eugene Ditaranto Jr.

36 years of combination experience. Captain with Baltimore City on Truck 5. Mike Started out as a volunteer Firefighter which he credits raised and kept him on the straight path, created a strong work ethic internally and credit’s his experience along with who he surrounded himself with shaped him to be the Firefighter he is today. Truck 5 consistently runs over 5000 calls a year. One of Mike’s key points with being a Company Officer is looking out for the men and women you serve with. Making sure that they have what they need and most importantly that they’re okay mentally.

IG: eastsidehookman

45 years of combination experience. 2nd generation Firefighter. Like a good number of individuals I’ve been fortunate to interview being Chief was never on Rick’s radar. He just wanted to be the best Firefighter Paramedic for his organization. And Rick could not settle for mediocrity. So he took the advice of a great mentor in his life who told him if he wasn’t happy with the way things were to consider becoming a Fire Chief to effect change and that’s exactly what he did. I don’t need to further explain what this man has been able to do for the fire service as his work, reputation and name speaks for itself.

IG: chieflasky

17 years of career experience. Tailboard Firefighter on Ladder 4 for the City Of Jacksonville Fire Rescue. Co-founder of Build Your Culture LLC. Pablo is a straight shooter type of Firefighter who loves the job with so much passion and energy you can clearly hear it by the way he speaks. He’s going to tell the truth no matter who’s around. But what’s important is that he speaks all FACTS. I truly appreciate the conversation I had with Pablo and I hope the listeners will too.

IG: pgen305

22 years of career experience. Division Chief Of Training with Rural Metro Fire in Knox County Tennessee. Firefighting wasn’t on his radar for Brandon but after having a discussion with his father he decided to apply and within a few weeks into his academy he fell in love with it. What I like about Brandon’s story is the fact that with any occupation there’s going to be high’s and low’s but all it takes is that one individual to see the potential that you might not see within yourself that forever changes the path in your career.

IG: brandonsdouglas