When The Smoke Clears

Battalion Chief Mike Hamilton holds the record of having served the longest in the fire service out of all of the people we have interviewed so far...45 years!  During that time, Mike did A LOT.  From working at the 911 call center, being on the apparatus committee, working in code enforcement, and working in virtually every battalion in one position or another, Mike Hamilton had a very full career.  He was on the scene of several fires that easily could have resulted in line of duty deaths, and they had a profound effect on him.

His career came to an abrupt end, but that has not stopped him from living his life on the other side of the fire service.

He can be reached at 301-520-7177.

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Derrick Anthony joins us to discuss his 30+ year fire service career.  Throughout his time in MCFRS, Derrick was involved in many things, including teaching at the training academy, helping with the Critical Incident Stress Management Team, being the In-Service Training Coordinator at the training academy, helping the department acquire accreditation, and more.

Once he retired, he continued working in a variety of jobs, being very thankful for the skills he acquired working for the fire department, and savoring the memories he had riding the fire trucks and serving the citizens of Montgomery County.

Derrick can be reached at [email protected]

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Rico Shepherd never grew up with any aspirations to join the fire department.  However, when he saw an advertisement in the newspaper about MCFRS hiring, he applied, got hired, and the rest was history.

Rico spent a good part of his career in Cabin John on the swift water rescue team, and another large chunk of it in the fire code enforcement section where he eventually retired as a Master Firefighter.  After retirement, his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he started a bulk trash collecting business.

Rico can be reached at [email protected] or at 240-429-0968

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When Walter Balma had his first encounter with the fire department, he knew immediately that he wanted to be a firefighter.  Growing up in Prince George's County, MD, he wanted to be a PG firefighter, so he became a PG volunteer.  However, when applying for full-time fire department jobs, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue hired him first.  Walter enjoyed a 20+ year career in Montgomery County before eventually retiring and joining the Prince George's County Fire Department.

Walter shares about his time in both departments, as well as his time working in the fire code enforcement offices of Rockville City and Prince George's County.

Walter can be reached at [email protected]

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Stacey Jones never had any ambition to join the fire service when he was young, but through various twists and turns of life, he found himself joining  the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service as a member of Recruit Class 6.  Along the way, Stacey never had any formal mentors to teach him about the fire service, and at times he struggled.  But he ultimately forged his own path and ended up retiring as a Captain and as an EMS duty officer.

Stacey shares with us the importance of mentorship in the fire service and how it is desperately needed for anyone who seeks to have a full and fulfilling career.

Captain Jones can be reached at [email protected] or 240-351-3976.

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"Retired" Fire Chief Scott Goldstein joins us on the show to recount his 30+ years in the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, including eight years as its Fire Chief.  We say "retired" because Chief Goldstein is actually still on the job!  He currently serves as Fire Chief of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue in Kelso, Washington.

Chief Goldstein has lots of great insights to share about his time in Montgomery County, and especially about his time as the fire chief.  His mentality towards being the chief was entirely geared toward providing the men and women he led with the tools necessary to be ready to serve the citizens who made the 911 call, and being there to support the families of the firefighters staffing the rigs and working behind the scenes.

Being the fire chief of any organization comes with unique challenges...one of which is that you're never truly "off the clock."  Chief Goldstein talks about that and many other tough realities of being THE chief.

Scott Goldstein can be reached at [email protected]

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Division Chief Mike Love returns to share with us the rest of his story.  If you haven't listened to part one, please do yourself a favor and do that...otherwise you'll miss out on a lot!

Chief Love picks up from where he left off...getting promoted to Sergeant in the Silver Spring Fire Department.  His career then took him through the ranks all the way up to Division Chief.  Along the way, he saw the department change and grow leaps and bounds from what it was when he first started volunteering.

Mike Love can be reached at 301-633-8511, [email protected], or on Facebook.

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Captain Clifford "Cliff" Billingslea joins us to talk about his career.  Growing up, Cliff met several people in high school who would eventually become his fire department colleagues in the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.  Once he got into the department, he spent his initial few years in the more rural areas of the county before transferring to Takoma Park.  From there, he spent the rest of his career working in various stations in Battalion 1.

Captain Billingslea shares many stories with us, including one powerful experience at station 2 that shaped the rest of his career.

Cliff Billingslea can be found on Facebook, or you can email him at [email protected]

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Captain Pete Corte is another individual who wanted to be a firefighter from the very beginning.  He achieved his goal by becoming a volunteer firefighter at first, then getting hired by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.  Pete worked in Takoma Park, Bethesda, Glen Echo, Glenmont, and Chevy Chase, rising through the ranks.  He also spent some time as a safety officer.

After some injuries caught up with him, he knew it was time to hang up his helmet.  He has since moved down south, where he now works for the Georgia State Fire Marshall's office.  Since retiring, he has found a renewed connection with God and a contentment that had eluded him for many many years.

Pete can be found on Instagram at @thecaptainskitchen and on Facebook at Pete Corte.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicide, dial 988 for help.

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From the time he was first introduced to the fire service in high school, Marshall Moneymaker knew this was what he wanted to do with his life.  However, the road to get there definitely was not easy.

Eventually he did manage to get hired by the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, and made his way to station six in Bethesda...working in the high rise district of southern Montgomery County.  It was there he got to drive and tiller Truck 706, a position he greatly enjoyed for many years.

Unfortunately an injury cut his career short, and what followed was a very difficult battle with the county over retirement benefits.  Marshall's story is raw, real, and powerful, and he credits his wife and the memory of his shift mates with helping him get through some of the darker times.

Marshall is also known as "The Pink Fireman" for his involvement with For Three Sisters, an organization he helped to establish which aims to support people going through cancer.  You can find more information about For Three Sisters at F3S.org

Marshall can be reached at [email protected]

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