Student Of The Game Fire Podcast

20 years of career experience. Fire Chief with the City Of Stockton Fire Department in California. Bryan was actually in the legal field and didn’t have aspirations of becoming a Firefighter but felt like he wanted to do more with his life. His sister was a paramedic and mentioned the fire service. And with that notion Bryan became more curious and began to look into what exactly he needed to do to get his foot in the door. Once he stepped inside he fell in love with service and being able to give back to the community. Bryan’s mindset and how he views the fire service should be the reason anyone in this profession strives to become Fire Chief. The fire service has these type’s Chief’s around the country but we need more of them. Fire Chief’s who actually care about their employees, their well being, training, education, performance and overall remembering what it’s like to be a tail board Fireman. Yet humble enough to remember the organization isn’t just about them and allowing Firefighters to be just that…..Firefighters plain and simple.

19 years of career experience. Tillerman on Truck 21 with DeKalb County Fire Rescue. Becoming a Firefighter wasn’t on William’s mind. It wasn’t until high school where he began to think more and more of the fire service. When he was sure he obtained his EMT and began applying and testing everywhere he could until DeKalb contacted him for a position. William isn’t perfect and tries every single day to not only perfect his skills at Firefighting but also within himself and in life. And that’s where I truly hope the listeners can pickup a few gems being dropped in the conversation.

53 years of combination experience 2nd generation Firefighter. Retired Lieutenant with the FDNY and current Deputy Fire Chief with Christiana Fire Department in Delaware. Bob always knew he wanted to be a Firefighter. He tested everywhere he could to make sure it would come to fruition. He wanted to go big so being a Northerner FDNY was the cream of the crop. Bob was able to obtain so many experiences through the many fires he was able to go to. Our discussions ranged from forcible entry, being internet fire famous all the way to how Christiana does things and I throughly enjoyed every minute of it. I hope the listeners tuning in can pick up a few gems Bob was putting down.IG: bobpress3 & thefirefloor

19 years of combination experience, 3rd generation Firefighter. Captain on Engine 210 with North Charleston Fire Department. Chad started out as a volunteer with a few friends. Over time that transitioned to seeking out for a career position. Chad tested everywhere he could. It wasn’t until a friend reached out and told him about an opportunity down South where he packed up and went. Although Chad was getting some serious experience he just wasn’t being fulfilled and wanted to fill a void he had within himself. A door became a jar to North Charleston and with that Chad made the decision to fully open it on his own. Once he did and came aboard he knew exactly this was where he wanted to stay.IG: opfc104

35 years of combination experience. Fire Chief of Beaver Lane Fire-Rescue in Marshville NC. Creator, owner & operator of Premier Extrication. Toot didn’t have that instant desire to become a Firefighter. It took him several years to decide to apply with Beaver Lane. But once he got on he did any and everything he could to be the best version of himself. Aspirations of going career was a goal Toot set but in life everything we do and experience happens for a reason. Sometimes we don’t have a choice, but an opportunity presented itself to Toot he took it and as the phrase goes “Look what God did.” If you know Toot you know he’s all in when it comes extrication and I truly hope the listeners can tune into some solid nuggets being dropped.IG: premiereextrication

22 years of combination experience 2nd generation Firefighter. Deputy Chief Of Operations with Clarendon Fire Rescue in South Carolina. Lee’s father was a volunteer so naturally he followed in his footsteps. Once he graduated and obtained all his certifications he did any and everything he could to embrace the job and all aspects of it. Lee is not one who likes to just sit around. Although his rank is titled Deputy Chief he’s still a Firefighter underneath of it all and isn’t afraid to let others see it through his actions. Servant Leadership is what he believes in and I hope the listeners can tune in and hear a few nuggets being dropped along the way.

30 years of combination experience. A District Chief with Houston Fire Department and Assistant Chief with Spring FD just outside Houston. Growing up without a father figure in his life Robert lived across from a fire station. The men within that station became bigger brothers to Robert at the age of 8. The examples of how they carried themselves as firefighters and men meant a great deal to Robert and the end result became who he is today. Mentorship and being a leader to others can go such a long way for individuals who need that guidance in their life and Robert is a prime example of this. I hope the listeners can tune into the message and absorb the information Robert speaks.

28 years of combination experience. 2nd generation Firefighter. Deputy Chief Of Operations with Lynchburg Fire Department in Virginia. From the young age of 2 Marques spoke the word Firetruck and that’s all he ever wanted to do. He was able to get into the Public safety field but wanted no part of having to do Law enforcement and Firefighting at the same time. The goal was always Fire. Once he was able to achieve that dream he had one goal, and that was to “Always Make Progress.” Marques spoke the truth and preached the truth when it came to Leadership and the difference between training and drilling. I hope you all enjoy this interview as much as I did.IG: Purposed_life

16 years of career experience. Apparatus Operator on Squad 18 with The Colony Fire Department in Texas. Growing up Bryce was involved in sports and had aspirations of possibly going professional until an injury sidelined that career track. Luckily for Bryce his quarterback had a father who was a Fire Chief and asked him if he wanted to attend fire school with him. Bryce figured why not and went. Once he got enrolled he fell in love with the job instantly and never looked back. During his career Bryce’s department suffered a Line of duty death (LODD). I would like the listeners to pay attention, digest and process Bryce’s experience and the discussions taking place in this interview. Bryce came on preaching the good word and I truly hope we all can self reflect from this interview. IG: campbellfire2

19 years of combination experience. Captain on Engine 35 A shift with the Town Of Apex Fire department. Aaron was also selected to speak at this past SAFRE conference in North Carolina where he presented a class on Prioritizing the Search. Aaron wasn’t thinking about the fire service when he was growing up. He had a friend who he met in his band class that told him he was going to join the local volunteer fire department. Once Aaron got on that began the start of his journey into the fire service as he fell in love with it and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. One of the things that stuck out to me was how Aaron mentioned he would always do what was asked of him but as he gained years of experience and maturity he realized he actually didn’t know as much as he thought he did. Aaron has a huge passion for search and when you hear why you’ll understand.IG: drake3288