The Weekly Scrap, Firefighter Podcast

Joined on this episode of the Weekly Scrap by none other than Zach King! This scrap has been a long time in the making and it finally happened.  We had a lot of conversations centered around the word importance!  The importance of having a plan. The importance of visualization of those plans. The importance of understanding that we do not always have tomorrow! The importance of the human element as it pertains to our future success. And of course, as always…me and the guests' conversations were beautifully derailed and thrown aside by the  questions from the audience!  Enjoy the show!

Second half of the kickoff 2026 double header!!!!  Joined on this episode by the one and only James Nisbet, and it promises to be a doozy! We plan to discuss getting beyond the pre-connect. The purpose of the first line. Supporting search as the engine. The purpose of system based actions as the engine company (don’t know what this means but it’s provocative) Of course all of our plans as is always the case, will be derailed by the wonderful questions from the audience as we dive down rabbit trails and chase squirrels!  

Joined on this unique episode by Cody Maine, and I was excited to have him on for this topic, because I believe it is the future of emergency services and an answer worth exploring. Cody has been on the forefront of implementing Mobile Integrated health in his department and in his state and he is passionate about it’s value to the community and the line firefighters. The audience showed up with their questions and it was a very informative show and I hope it will spark a lot of conversations across the American Fire Service.

Joined on this episode by the one and only Chief Rick Lasky for the annual year-end episode of the Weekly Scrap!  It was his third time to come on the show to close out the year and I was excited to look back on 2025 in the fire service and field all of the questions from the audience, and they did not disappoint. Chief Lasky unleashed his passion for the job and took us to church in an amazing episode that I promise will leave you fired up about the job!!!

Joined this week by the one and only Anthony “AC” Casanas, and it was an amazing conversation! We started out by discussing firehouse culture and how he learned all about it long before he was ever a firefighter.  Why younger members need something real to emulate, and how social media can be either an incredible tool or an incredible hindrance. And so much more! Of course all of this was beautifully derailed by the amazing questions from the audience as usual!! 

Joined this week by the one and only Kyle Shuford, and we kicked it off by discussing getting outside your bubble to train and why it matters.   Remembering the why. Work-life balance, mental health and staying in love with the job. How passion and leadership go hand in hand in the greatest job on earth. Of course all of this is just what we had planned and it was derailed by the beautiful questions from the audience to make sure we could not cover everything!!!! 

Joined this week by the one and only Ian Schulte, and I had an awesome time having this conversation. We open up with a discussion of being good versus looking good and it only went up from there!  We talked about leadership and mentorship in the fire service. Recruitment, training and setting the standard. Balancing education and On-the-job experience, and of course firehouse culture and morale!  All of this plus the usual beautiful questions from the audience to make sure we don't get to everything we wanted to discuss!!!! 

Joined this week by the one and only Dave Quick. We get nerdy and talk about all things engine, hose, leadership and tactics. We start with the NFPA as Dave explains what we are getting right and wrong. The importance of the “Engine Boss” and what the title really means. The Engine company "urgents"… how to identify and rectify these issues at the pump panel. Of course no discussion with Dave would be complete without nerding out on some hose and attack package talk!  All derailed by the beautiful questions from the audience!!

Joined on this episode by two awesome guests. One of my favorite people on the planet in Chief Frank Leeb, and the other one that I am excited to meet and have an awesome conversation with in Kory Pearn.  We plan to talk about all the issues that can blindside us in the fire-service. The mission of Crackyl magazine.  Cancer, Cardiac, Physical fitness. How can we ensure that a young firefighter becomes an old firefighter! an informative conversation and as always the best laid plans of me and my guests was beautifully derailed by the awesome question from the Scrap audience.  

Joined on this episode by the one and only Andrew Johnston and it was an amazing episode.  We discussed the project that Andrew has been the lead on for the last year... the Work of Search and how it is almost ready to be unveiled. We plan to discuss Andrew's wheelhouse... all about drilling and the difference between training and Drilling.  Of course the best laid plans of me and the guest are always beautifully derailed by the live audience and their amazing questions.