!please remain calm! by Ben Gonzalez

We tell you whats actually happening in LA the past 2 months and the difference between protests and the actual riots we've lived through in LA in our lives. We talk about the media & administration blowing this out of proportion to the point where we had the Marines & National Guard sitting around the jail in Downtown for 6 weeks while everyone in LA was having brunch & living their lives. We talk about the raids, how they started to distract us from White House scandals, Epstein list, Fox news ratings, Dr Phil, fat Ice guys, fake news, social media, agitators, & the rhetoric surrounding LA. This episode tells you whats really been happening.

LAFD Firefighter Paramedic Tom Rodriguez tells us the story of a routine big rig fire that was anything but routine. This truck had a CNG natural gas tank that caused a huge explosion with Tom standing right there. This explosion injured the entire responding crew fighting the fire, with only one firefighter able to radio for help. We hear what happens when a routine fire becomes a mass casualty incident where the firefighters become victims. What it's like waking up in the ER and figuring out what happened to you. How it feels to recover from an explosion, the aftermath of head injuries, how to fight auto fires, & why it's a different vibe being a firefighter working in the Harbor area of LA. 

We have returned, again, and now Danny can finally discuss his lawsuit with the LAFD and city of LA. He can discuss it because its over and he WON a big victory for his fellow LAFD frontline members. He explains how his lawsuit came to be, the deeply ingrained traditions of the LAFD and how that culture can sometimes be to the detriment of the staff. We talk about how hard it actually is to attemot something that goes against a long standing tradition. All of the pushback and backlash you recieve from your fellow firefighters for the perception that YOU are ruining the culture of the department you love. How far does the department go to stop you?  What does the union think about it? How does it feel to be ostracized for standing up for something you believe in, that would benefit all of your fellow firefighters. What's it like when no one saw your vision, then you achieve your goal, and everyone starts to see what you meant. This is an episode about determination, and doing the right thing even when its hard.

We're back with another serious injury episode. Sabrina Cognata is a writer and producer who has survived multiple traumatic events, including: falling off of the roof as a kid, being held hostage by a neighbor after a hail of gunfire as a kid, & nearly dying in a car wreck that broke her neck. She tells us how a traumatic brain injury changed her personality & beating death shaped her decisions after the accident. We learn how trauma can start to feel normal to you. Whats it like finding out you were as close to being paralyzed as possible? Being nearly scalped going thru the windshield, having to recover for months at home, & then being determined to live life as hard as you can. Sabrina is super honest & funny & there are more shootings, trips to jail, drugs, car crashes & legal advice in this episode.

We're joined by LA street journalist "Storm", the person behind the LA County Unleashed social media accounts providing live video of some of the craziest incidents on the LA streets any given night. We talk about the explosion of 911 incident content on social media, the role of Stringers and street jouranlists who show up to incidents, sometimes before the police arrive, film the incidents and sell the footage to the news stations. We talk about the dangers of showing up as a civilian to crime scenes, sometimes becoming part of the crime scene yourself. How firefighters decide whether or not to enter a dangerous scene without police. How one incident can lead to another, & what makes a person want to drive to dangerous active incidents just to inform their community. Then Storm and Danny recount a wild active shooter incident in Marina Del Rey that they were both on scene for & Storm was shot at multiple times, barely escaping the bullets and saving her dog, all while she was live on social media. 

Meet Bubba Willis. Bubba is a retired LAFD Firefighter who has been fighting fires with the busiest companies since he was a 14 year old explorer in South Central LA. He rose thru the department, working with a slew of LA Firefighting legends, & landing on the first LAFD Urban Search and Rescue task force. Bubba becomes a USAR expert and instructor, which he does to this day. We hear about the LAFD in the 80's, what it was like to be fighting fires in high school, having to get a GED to take the LAFD exam because you were still in 12th grade, getting hired for 2 positions in the LAFD at the same time, learning from old timers, being cool to rookies, deploying to 9/11 & arriving to find out that the entire FDNY USAR team you trained with died  in the World Trade Center collapse, deploying to mutliple hurricanes like Katrina & Ike, taking care of the search dogs, reverse Jenga for collapsed buildings, & how to teach urban search and rescue techniques without it being boring. Bubba is super cool & he also shares some memories of working with our dad back in the day & even calls him by his old nickname he hated. This is the episode youve been searching for. 

We talk to LAFD Firefighter Nathan Espinosa who survived a roof collapse on a major commercial structure fire as a first house rookie. We show video of the incident and you see why his crew assumed he didnt survive. Nathan tells us how he made it, the thoughts that went thru his mind after he fell thru the roof, & what kept him from giving up hope. He talks about how his training saved his life, & the aftermath of surviving a near fatal event, the PTSD, and how he overcame it. We also reminisce on what its like to grow up with your dad on the LAFD and then joining the department yourself. We talk about the drill tower, fireground operations, and what your first big fire is like as a rookie. Plus we cover the unique situation of crawling out of a burned building that everyone assumed you died in.  

We talk to LAFD firefighter, and host of the GRAB LIVES podcast, John Vargas. John goes deep into the holistic approach he takes to a firefighting career, health, and mental health. We talk about the stigma that existed surrounding mental health in the fire department and whats being done to change it. How changes in demographics led to changes in the department and changes in attitudes. John shares how his own injury and recovery path led him to try a different approach and seek the knowledge needed to heal himself. How unresolved stress can manifest itself into different physical ailments. We talk about the effectiveness of different therapies, up to and including Kambo and psychedelics. The ineffectiveness of other options like pushing emotions down, & drinking, & what it takes to admit that you need a change. John is a fascinating guy and really breaks down the physiology of stress and how different theraputic agents work in your body. We also learn what Grab lives means and how it applies to the fireground, and this approach to health. Listen to this & get regualted with us. 

We have LA County Firefighter/Paramedic Mike Anderson with us this week. Mike is the only Firefighter to appear on 2 different firefighter reality tv series, as a member of 2 different fire departments. Nearly 2 decades ago as a member of the Compton FD Mike appeared on BET's "First In". Then, after 15 years with Compton, Mike joins the LA County Fire Department & winds up being featured on NBC's "LA Fire & Rescue" produced by none other than Dick Wolf (dun dun). Mike tells was what its like to leave a small department from an "infamous"city to the biggest Fire Department in the west. What was it like to do 2 different drill towers, to get recognized in other states as the guy from that show, & what its like working a first in district in Ben's current neighborhood. Mike is really funny and shows us how taking a risk can pay off. 

We break down all of the Fire Department tv shows & movies of our lifetime. Scripted network tv shows from "9-1-1" to "Rescue Me" to "Emergency". We tell you why things hit or miss & how dumb technical mistakes can ruin these shows for firefighters & paramedics. We tell you why the great ones are so great, & what would make a perfect show for us. Then we do the same thing with movies, we tell you which ones were the best & worst & why Backdraft is still the goat. We also talk about emergency driving & some disturbing trends Danny is seeing in the streets 

We talk about unexpected things in life, like more crazy airline incidents after our last airport episode, planes coming apart midflight, an earthquake on vacation, auto fire operations gone wrong, Danny's first fire, the Katt Williams interview, Hollywood child actor life, & Harvey Weinstein. Plus, Danny tells his "Weekend at Bernies" call story of a guy partying with his not alive friend for a while before calling 911, Ben gets bit by a dog, & we learn how to get banned from 911. 

We're joined by LAFD Firefighter Dan Meier, who joined the department at the ripe age of 48. Dan is super interesting & has worked literally every firefighting job you can think of: US Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Air Force, dispatcher, Airport firefighter, aircraft firefighting instructor, & even the airport police. Dan tells us about working as a dual firefighter/policeman at the Ontario Airport, where he would work single shifts split between being a firefighter and being a cop. He worked with the DEA. He tells us how to spot people flying with drugs, what its like to work undercover, running into Snoop Dogg, responding to helicopter crashes, eridicating drug crops, landfills full of weed, aircraft firefighting, landing gear malfunctions, sliding down the rear chute, why you shouldnt wear high heels on a flight, older rookies, & more. This episode lands successfully.

We come back after taking most of last year off & catch up on all kinds of stuff: Dannys pool, the economy, the good and bad of too much overtime, staffing crisises at both of our jobs, stacking PTO vs using it up, flunking a paramedic intern, open neck wounds, freezing on calls, what its like being a Fire Inspector, Grey's Anatomy, promoting vs being happy at work, missing your partner, real life Weekend at Bernies situations, the difference between co star, guest star, top of show guest star, & why it sucks to go back to co star, & finally, dog bites in unimaginable places. This is a good start to the new year.  

We're back with a deep philosophical dive into focus on the job, how you view interactions with patients & coworkers, flow state on the fireground, holographic multiverse, aging, synchronicity, losing weight, how we got into fitness, Mexican psychic readings, zen philosophy, & the final update on Danny's pool (it's done). 

We're joined by Army Veteran, & veteran Fresno County paramedic Mario Torralva. Mario was enjoying the county fair with his wife and friends, when he began to feel ill. He rapidly got worse, & his wife called for help and had him transported (by his coworkers) to the nearest ER. Doctors assumed he had a stroke based on his symptoms, but all scans were negative. When Mario would improve and be close to being released home, he would suddenly become very ill again and was even transferred back to the ICU. Mario winds up staying in the hospital for 3 weeks, baffling teams of doctors as they try to find out what his actual illness was. He has to endure exploratory surgery attempts, a 2.5 hour MRI, a lumbar puncture, a Nasogastric tube insertion, & more. Mario describes all the emotion of the hospital stay & trying to figure out his own diagnosis as well. You wont believe what it winds up being, how they discover it, & how his surgery goes. On top of that, he finds out how much damage was done, and has even more complications post surgery.  Mario explains it all from the perspective of a veteran paramedic, & discusses his recovery, & how it changed the extent to which he listens to his body. This is a real life episode of "House".

We're joined by LAFD Firefighter, fitness influencer, & business owner Crystal Reneau (@ketowithcrystal) who tells us what its like to be one of the "faces" of the LAFD after a year on the job. We learn what its like to be a rookie when everyone in your new station already knows who you are. How to hold a relationship together during your rookie year. How every new firefighter featured on the LAFD Instagram hears from Danny and learns about PRC. We hear how super hard firefighting is, & how you start and run your own business during all of this. 

Friend and comedian Alex Hooper (Americas Got Talent, Comedy Central) is back on our show after telling us a hilarious story on episode 26 (Anaphylaxis). While we're happy to have him back, unfortunately that means something else has happened to him if he wound up on PRC twice. Alex was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in August of 2022. He shares his whole journey. From symptoms at a music festival, to testing, to treatment. He talks about the toll on himself, and on his new wife (he was married in April 2022). He's super honest & candid about everything he went thru and shares all the emotion surrounding the setbacks that led him to over a month long hospital stay. Resulting in a new beard, a huge appreciation for the little things in life, like sunshine, as well as an epic reunion with his Pugs. This episode shows how a positive mindset can really save your life. 

We talk to LA County Firefighter Trevor Williams, inventor of the Williams Key, a very cool and effective forcible entry tool used by firefighters everywhere. We talk about how he came up with this tool, but we take a long and windy road to get there cuz Trevor is SUPER INTERESTING. He tells us about growing up in Zaire in a missionary family during a civil war & a genocide, then returning to the US at age 8 for a few years to ride bikes and go to the movies. Then at age 12 his family moves, to Haiti, where he lives until his senior year of high school when he moves to LA, while his family moves back to Haiti. He goes back to visit his family in Haiti a couple years later when, while hes visiting, a devastating earthquake destroys the country. Trevor tells us first hand what this was like, thinking his family had died, and staying for weeks to provide aid and search for victims. We eventually get to him inventing the Williams Key, we also get a cool story from Danny, who fought fire on the Venice beach boardwalk a couple days before. 

We examine 3 significant recent cases that made national news involving PD & EMS that had tragic outcomes. The first case happened right by Danny's station in Venice, CA. LAPD struggle with an agitated guy after a traffic collision, who dies hours after being tased multiple times. We discuss whats seen on the extensive body cam coverage of the incident, as well as the different ways this incident was shown in social media. We also discuss the horrifying Tyre Nichols video, and why the EMT's who responded to help him were rightfully fired from their jobs. Then we discuss an incident in Ohio where the responding paramedics have been charged with first degree murder. We break down what went wrong in all of these cases and where the mistakes were made. We also talk about how you can do the right thing as a first responder no matter what is happening before you arrive on scene.  

Our 100th episode features the guy who goes back the furthest in Danny's fire life, LAFD Engineer Don Nash. Don was Danny's explorer post advisor at station 63 when we were teenagers. In additon to telling us some Danny history, Don also works with the LAFD historical society & breaks down all kinds of stuff we never knew about the layout of the LAFD throughout the years, station segregation, why certain rules exist (why does everyone HAVE to eat together?). We also learn the history of the Paramedic service in LA, including the original ambulance guys before paramedics were invented. Don even tells us about an old area hospital neither of ever knew existed, along with some wild stories about ambulance days in the 80's, and learn what its like being a firefighter at LAX. We go back to before turnout pants & automatic doors on this one. 

Comedian and former Pediatric Oncology RN Taquita Love joins us for a deep conversation about healing thru laughter, the resilience of children and the lessons she learned working in a Childrens Hospital and then in the Pediatric wing of the biggest cancer hospital in LA. We talk about work/life balance, & how you realize whats really important. She also tells us how her family got her into medicine and nursing, and then into stand up comedy. Danny also explains what happened to the station 63 Instagram page & we talk about Ben's new comedy special he just filmed. 

We talk about where we've been the last few weeks, Danny pays respects to a friends wife who recently passed & talks about how the fire family comes together at times like these. Then we discuss the LA mayoral race & the endorsement of Danny's union and how that process does and does not work. Finally, we get into our side gigs as Danny talks a bit about being a tv actor & some recent big auditions, & Ben discusses his upcoming half hour comedy special & the process behind that. 

We answer questions from the listeners/viewers. We talk about burn out, working with other departments and agencies on incidents, switching from a smaller department to the LAFD, what to do with all of your new money, & how to keep traditions alive in the Fire Department. We talk about horses, special cookies, proving yourself, learning tricks, rolling turds, wagons, yelling out of necessity, real estate investing, & more. 

We have former professional boxer & current LAFD civilan staff, Luis Mora telling us how he blew out his bicep during an intense session punching a heavy bag. The blowout was so severe that Luis had to have a donor bicep transplanted into his arm. He tells us the story of his journey from the streets of Northeast LA, trying (not always succesfully) to stay out of gangs, which led him to boxing, where he found success & a way off the streets, sort of. We learn about the world of pro boxing, bad promoters, getting fights, getting knocked out, fighting thru injuries, & all the people who show up to watch fights. We learn what its like growing up when your dad is a "knucklehead" & all of your friends are too. We also learn how Luis worked for the LA Mayors office & City Hall, while fighting as a professional boxer at night (his nickname was "The Mayor"), you'll be surprised when you learn what his job was at City Hall too. Luis is super interesting & a fun guest who knocks out this interview.  

We talk about all of the partners a paramedic & EMT has in the private ambulance world, & how its different from the FD. From the people who are passing thru on the way to another job, on to the lifers, guys who never sleep, magicians on meth, regular people on meth, weird company owners on drugs, drinking off duty, caffeine abuse, insane diets, old timers,random stations, posting for hours, the owners adult children, & all of the cool people you meet as well. 

We talk about the workday of a paramedic in the Fire Department with a partner for 24 hours a day. Whats it like working and living with a partner all day & night & having to depend on them when things get serious. How do you manage different personalities, styles, & approaches to work. We give examples of when it goes good and bad. Sometimes you wind up with lasting friendships. What kind of bond do you build by going thru tragic experiences together? What if your partner is going thru a hard time on their own? We cover it all. 

We're joined by Harbor UCLA Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner Suzy Velasco, who tells us all about Neurosurgery in a huge trauma center. We talk brains, drains, & automobiles, 80 year olds falling down, husbands getting drunk on roofs, corkscrews & knives thru the skull, gangsters shooting each other in the high C Spine, football injuries, all of the conspiracy theories that pop up in our comments section, drilling holes in skulls, & changing paths in life. You'll keep your head on straight after this one. 

Every 911 run starts with a caller, that caller is the first person on scene in most cases and the first rescuer as well. We talk to 2 bystander rescuers in a crazy incident from last week. Ripped from the headlines, actress Anne Heche crashed her speeding car into a house, with the car catching fire while the driver is trapped inside. Our guests, the Martin brothers (Beto & Fabian)witnessed the crash on their Venice CA street and sprang into action, helping the homeowner to evacuate and fighting back the flames and smoke to attempt to rescue the driver. This is a helluva story of neighbors stepping up to do the right thing and risk their own lives to help a stranger in need. We get all of the details and full rundown of this event first hand, and the thought process as you realize how much this incident changes for the worst so quickly. 

We break down Mass Casualty Incidents, what comprises one, how they look, & how to run one perfectly. We talk about how chaotic these incidents can be & why its so important to establish the MCI quickly and correctly, with a clear chain of command. We break down a recent MCI (bus crash) that we both worked on together, and the unique circumstances surrounding that MCI. We show you why although every MCI is really kind of weird and different, the job is always the same & must be done in the same order, for good reason. We talk about mutual aid, too many chiefs, too many jurisdictions, traffic, the news, and all of the other things that can go sideways. You also get perspective on how these incidents are run in a huge metro area like LA. Danny also breaks down some of the aftermath of a recent 4^th of July drowning save.

Responding to a shooting is one of the routine calls that makes a paramedic feel like a paramedic. Getting a shooting victim to tell their story has been anything but routine. It takes bravery to survive a shooting & talk about it on our podcast, & we finally found a guest who was shot, a lot, & also likes to talk, a lot (he's a comedian). Elias Zepeda tells us how he was shot 11 times (at a quincenera) & THEN was shot again in the head a couple of years later. If you're thinking he just has bad luck, its more that he was doing exactly what people who get shot a lot do to get shot. He tells us all about what it was like to be shot each time, how he remembered the paramedics, surgery, recovery, and rehab. He talks about dying multiple times, going to prison, being in a huge gang, boxing, being bullied, gangbanging in a wheelchair, and why little dogs love him. We also talk about your state of mind while youre bleeding from gunshot wounds

We have LAFD Firefighter Paramedic Tyrone Hurst @firedepartmenthumor who tells us about his hilarious videos and characters based on LAFD archtypes that are super accurate and funny. Tyrone tells us how he came up with his characters: Captain Quarters, Bull Engineer, the Rookie, & Senior Firefighter. He tells us how low department morale, along with the exaggerated outside perception of LAFD firefighters led him to start making funny videos to help build up morale thru laughter, and show that his department is actually a fun place to work. We talk about guys who are hammers, salty, cool, old school, jokers, and sometimes thats all the same guy. Tyrone also gives insight on getting on the job, how long and hard it can be, & what it takes to make it.  

Comedian and actor Jon Kondelik tells us an incredible story of an incident that neither one of us had ever come across in our nearly 20 year paramedic careers. He had a unique chemical burn while leaving his hand in what he thought was a  latex plaster mold being used for special fx in a student film. The mold begins to burn his hand as it hardens into solid concrete, trapping his hand in what he describes as a "deep fryer". What follows is a scramble to try and free his hand with a hammer and a screwdriver. Jon explains how panic sets in & no one thinks to call 911. Jon winds up freeing his hand and spending weeks in a burn center where they try unsucessfully to save his fingers. Jon shares his whole emotional journey while recovering from this event & all he had to overcome mentally to get to where he is today. We also get an incredible story of Danny saving a drowning victim at a 4th of July pool party that took every last trick in the book to get a pulse back. 

Sometimes the same person has to call 911 and have paramedics respond to them multiple times in the same year. Or same month, or same week, or same day, or same night after midnight. These people are known as frequent flyers. If there was a 911 rewards card, these guys are racking up the miles. Danny explains the different types of frequent flyers, why some are legit, some are a pleasure to serve over and over, some are not really legit but are still a pleasure, & some push the upper limits of your frustration threshold. We explain how there's no way to really stop frivilous use of 911 for medical issues, how these patients are also known, and either welcomed or dreaded, by the local ER's as well, along with the possible effects and ramifications of taking people to the ER who don't really need 911. We also talk about what its like to almost get to sleep over and over all night long but not actually sleep at all. 

We hop into the time machine & go back 23 years (that can't be right?) to our fire academy days when we were young whiipersnappers trying to get on the job. We give you all the tips it takes to prepare yourself, and we talk about how far the right attitude will take you. We talk about the stuff we were bad at, & how we improved, how to study, how the instructors act, how to get over your fear of heights, what PT is like, how to get the most out of your academy, & most importantly: how to take the most EPIC class pic & risk burning the back of your head. We also get an LAFD drill tower story. Listen to how we did it & know that you can do it too, or remember your academy days with us. 

For the first time ever, we have a PhD, & a Harvard grad on our show. Dr Chelsea Shover is an epidemiologist who headed the Covid 19 Vaccination program for LA county's unhoused population. That means more Skid Row stories. Plus we get into her journey into epidemiology. What's it like to become an epidemiologist right before a global pandemic hits? How do you get some of the hardest to reach people to get vaccinated? We cover a bunch of other stuff too; getting hit by a car, a town with only one business, journalism, hosting a radio show in New Zealand, encampments, threats, gift cards, pilot programs, concussions, CBD water, & more

We talk about the trials and tribulations of the probationary year of a firefighter and how to survive it and thrive. Danny draws from his own experience as a rookie with the LAFD, as well as his time as a veteran firefighter who's seen a lot of rookies do well or struggle. We hear about the guy who fainted giving a drill, the guy who fell thru the roof on his first day leading a Truck company on a structure fire, why you close the door behind you at an apartment fire, & a bunch of other things that can go wrong. But Danny breaks down a LOT of things that you can do right as a rookie to help you be successful, including how to go beyond the owners manual and power point to nail all of your drills, the importance of taking initiative, talking to old timers, and more. Don't miss this episode if you really wanna crush your probation year.

We talk to the author of "How To Be An International Disaster Volunteer" Michael Noone. He tells us how he went from Paramedic to Firefighter to Disaster Aid Volunteer to Disaster Service Analyst for LA and surrounding counties to Keynote Speaker to Published Author. He breaks down the crazy world that is the 3rd world after a disaster. He explains how to get deployed, how it works once you hit the ground and how a patchwork of people and organizations come together to offer aid.We also learn how Jolibee Restaurants helped save the Philipines and we say Katmandu multiple times.

We talk about the horrific elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Not just the details of the event, but what its like to respond to shootings with kids, shootings with multiple victims, active shooter situations, & the PTSD for the first responders that work these scenes. We talk about what its like to work in the neighborhood you grew up in, or still live in. The risk of having to treat your immediate family members. The fear of possibly making a mistake with someone you know personally on a 911 call. What if you have to triage a mass shooting, telling parents theres nothing you can do, & moving on to try to save more kids. What about finding out your own child died at the incident you're working at? We also get into the challenges leading up to this event, the respose, timeline, everything including how we feel as parents. 

We're joined by LAFD Battalion Chief Kris Larson. An awesome guest who candidly tells us her super interesting life story. Sure she was the 1st black woman Captain, Task Force Commander, & Battalion Chief in the history of LAFD. But did you know she was a 3 time All American on the legendary UCLA track team in the late 80's with Olympic legends like Jackie Joyner Kersee? Strap in as she takes us on a journey that starts in a small town in Washington & goes thru multiple firefighter assignments, the riots, rookies taking selfies at fires, recruiting, fire camps for girls, drill tower instrcution, covid testing 10,000 people a day, almost crashing in the engine, & working with our dad. Yes, Chief Larson rode with our dad for a couple of years & tells us some funny and cool stuff about working with him. You get a lot of great advice for up and coming firefighters here.  

We talk about some of the firefighter line of duty deaths in the LAFD that have hit home for Danny in his career. We explain the fire department traditions surrounding firefighter deaths, whether it be on duty, off duty, or in retirement. Danny remembers some of the Firefighter funerals he has attended, & explains the different levels of funerals that the fire department gives its members. He talks about reading about firefighters who died at stations he worked at, & the mini existential crisis when the dangers of the job really hit home. A lot of tradition and respect covered in this episode.  

We're joined by LAFD Inspector Roger Sackaroff. A former sports reporter and native New Yorker, Roger was inspired to join the fire service after 9/11 and wound up in LA. Roger tells us the incredible tale of a mystery illness that sent his 7 year old son into liver failure and put him on the transplant list. After multiple extended stays in Children's Hospital. Roger was finally told that his son had aplastic anemia, a rare blood disoder that affects only 100 Americans per year. Rogers' son needed a bone marrow transplant. There was only ONE exact match in the entire world. The fate of Rogers' son was in the bone marrow of a random stranger in Germany ! This is an amazing story of courage, perserverance, and love. The fire family came together to support Rogers' family and to get as many people as possible registered to "Be The Match" and donate bone marrow if needed. Plus a random stranger across the ocean stepped up to save a life he never knew. Everything had to come together perfectly to save Rogers' son. 

Danny describes his first big fire as a young firefighter in the Skid Row district of LA. The LA Produce Market is at least 2 full city blocks of all of the produce LA County can handle on a given day. On this given day, all it produced was a huge fire. Danny describes every detail, from seeing the loom up while on another call, to feeling poisoned by literal habanero chili pepper smoke. This is a crazy story of one of the most unique major fires, including a river of avocadoes & watermelons, rats, the LA Times pics of Danny, 50 gallon water tanks, & more. We also go over some of our favorite old episodes that seem to have been missed by the audience. 

We go back in time again to discuss the craziest part of Paramedic school; internship. Where the student who crammed a year of medical school into 60 classroom days & a month in the ER gets to be a real paramedic running 911 calls with the FD. We remember our time as interns and talk about our preceptors, their personalities, & how much that comes into play. We talk about all of the real elements you have to face out there for the first time in many cases, and for the first time as the person "in charge". We talk about sudden death & sorrow, drills, reading, sleeping thru calls, waking up your preceptor, overtime guys, first shift, last shift, zero shift, good shift, bad shift, swapping districts, & more. We give you more tips on how to pass this hard part & we also discuss the National Registry exam. 

We're joined by LAFD Drill Tower instructor and CAPS program director, Captain John Marasco. He tells us everything it takes to pass the drill tower at the LAFD training academy. He explains the culture shock and huge adjustment to entering the LAFD from any other job & the physical and mental demands. We talk about how the workforce and hiring pool has changed, & why the Drill Tower can be such a shock to their system. He tells us how this change led to the creation of the Candidate Advancement Program (CAP) which is an amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to join the LAFD. Captain Marasco explains how CAPs was developed, and how much goes into to transforming a prospective candidate into an LAFD firefighter who will pass the Drill Tower. We talk about crossfit, strength, beach muscles, fireground skills, the marines, how to get hired, & a LOT of physical fitness stuff. 

We take a trip down memory lane and tell you all about the ordeal of our paramedic school days from 20 years ago (that can't be right), as Danny begins precepting a new paramedic intern on his rescue. We break down the paramedic training landscape in LA, & tell you how we wound up at the toughest school of them all. We explain the academic insanity that is paramedic school (a year of medical school crammed into about 60 school days) & what it takes to prepare and survive it. You learn how to advance from the classroom and learn from the RN's in the ER, including how Danny almost saved the legendary Chick Hearn. Then we get into the craziest part, internship. We talk zero shift, freezing up, no doz, 5 am - 12 am school days, study groups, crazy instructors, IM's in the butt, failing, passing, drilling, BLS skills, & reading reading reading, & more reading. God we had to read so much. You get a bunch of tips on how to get thru medic school. Plus Danny gives a touching tribute to a mentor Firefighter. 

LAFD Public Information Officer & Captain Erik Scott joins us to talk about what a PIO is and does. We learn what it's like to be responsible for the messaging and social media brand of one of the most recognized Fire Departments in the world. We talk about special duty, all of the jobs you can do besides firefighting in the LAFD & Captain Scott shares his own injury story surviving a roof collapse in a structure fire that landed him on special duty assignments. He tells us how the Public Information section is broken down depending on the incident or issues, which incidents warrant an alert vs a press release, who decides what to post on the official social media accounts, & who monitors all of the content generated by fire department members? We hear about the challenges of this job, being sent to major incidents from home, being a contact point for the news media, & how that plays into responding to tragic events. We also cover the lighter side of FD social media, "selling soap", First Amendment auditors, hashtag watchers, & more. Plus we make our mom happy by not cursing at all in this episode. 

Our 1st episode of 2022 finds us reflecting on life & death on the job (mostly death). We talk about how often you witness sudden death, the aftermath of it & the toll that takes on your psyche. We talk about declaring people dead on scene in the field & Danny describes a gruesome stabbing incident where he recently had to declare someone dead. We talk about the LA County Firefighter who recently died in a structure fire, as well as the tragic apartment fire in the Bronx that claimed 19 lives. We also discuss 2 recent tragedies involving the LAPD. Omicron gets some airtime as well, as we discuss the current surge and its effect on the LA ems system. We offer tips on how to process all the death and tragic events you witness as a paramedic and firefighter.

We talk about what it's like to have one of the only jobs where you HAVE to work on Christmas some years & how the holiday staffing situation has changed recently. Danny shares his least favorite South Central LA Christmas tradition, & also gives you a bunch of Holiday safety tips. We talk about how many ways things can go wrong for you with all of these new holiday hazards, including mass casualty incidents over the holiday season. Then Ben tries to explain a little more about the LA County Medical Alert Center & goes into a mini recruitment pitch for one of the most unique jobs in EMS. We also plug the Spark of Love toy drive so you can do something good this year

This is it. We are giving you the goods for all of our listeners who are trying to get hired as a firefighter. We have recently retired LAFD Captain Chris Lewis, a 34 year veteran who has sat on countless oral interview boards, both entry level & promotional, even for other cities. He tells us all of the do's & do not do's of the FD oral interview, & there are A LOT. Danny also breaks down how to prep, what to wear, how to wait in the waiting room, how to walk in the room, how to greet the panel, how to shake hands, EVERYTHING. But the big prize here is this, we give you the tricks to a killer opening statement. The one that got us both perfect interview scores. We explain what an opening statement is, how to use it, & then show you how to write yours, practice it, & deliver it to knock out a perfect score. Captain Lewis also breaks down how to crush your zoom interview, including the difference in prep for zoom, getting your room ready, how to present yourself online. He also explains the main things that can get an otherwise good candidate bumped. We give up all the goods here to get you hired. Take notes on this one

We dive into substance abuse issues on the job, how easily it can creep up on you, then unique circumstances that lead first responders to it and how it can get out of hand. Danny goes in depth on his own personal struggles with this and explains how he hit rock bottom. We hear his personal journey of how he pulled himself out and the difficulties that go along with recovery. Once sober and back on track he is placed with a new partner goin through the same struggles with [pain pills after an injury. We talk about how often that scenario un folds in the fire service and how it can lead to tragic results. Danny recounts his former partners saga, which is a road mapper how these things are dealt with in the FD. This episode is full of honest introspection and personal accountability.

We're joined by LAFD Firefighter Paramedic Andrew Tom. Andrew was assigned to Rescue 9 with FF/PM Alex Saenz (Ep 49, The Boyd Street Incident) & was trapped in the building on Boyd Street during a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) that created a giant blowtorch in the building Andrew was working inside of with Engine 9. What's it like to have conditions turn pitch black in a fire & then hear what sounds like a freight train coming thru? To know you have one way out, & seconds to escape? What goes thru your mind when you don't escape? When your path is blocked? Andrew gives us the full details of every firefighter's nightmare, to be caught in flashover conditions. How did he get stuck? How did he finally escape? How did it feel to know he was alive? What was the scene outside? What happened next? It's a fascinating story from his perspective. He shares his real emotions and the PTSD that followed and how he dealt with it all. You will never forget this episode. 

We discuss the tragic events that unfolded at the Astroworld Festival 11/5/21 & explain how an incident action plan works, the command post set up, the crowd grid & how the medical assignments work, the chain of command, the kill switch, & how this all has to work together to prevent these tragedies. We talk about how and why crowd crushes and surges happen, including ones that we've experienced as concert goers. We get a lesson on the history of music festivals and raves in LA, & discuss how we had to stop the show at our own rap festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, for 45 minutes during a Post Malone performance to stop the crowd surge. We talk about what could've gone wrong at Astroworld & how this can be prevented in the future, & who bears what responsibility. You also learn how people die in these situations and exactly what a human crush injury is & how it happens. 

It's the "controversy" that won't go away. Our third and FINAL vaccine mandate episode covers the last things we didn't cover in the previous episodes. Mainly the deceptive facts and misinformation posted to social media by the top anti vax firefighters group. We explain how this bullshit works, why even though the staffing numbers in these posts may be accurate, they're blamed on the vaccine mandate when the truth is these numbers haven't changed for DECADES. We explain the real reason for these staffing shortages thru the years & show how this type of deceptive posting is actually part of a political media strategy ultimately designed to turn outrage into fundraising dollars. We explain how the goodwill built up over decades by the fire service is being hijacked and torpedoed for this "cause" & this can result in a negative outcome for the image of firefighters as a whole. We also talk about how a lot of these guys were actually friends of Danny & still considered great guys, only to now find themselves separated by this made up controversy. Don't wait for further research on this episode, get it in your system now. 

LAFD veteran Firefighter Alonzo Williams gives us a completely different angle to a story we previously heard in episode 44 (Shots Fired) when LAFD Engineer Kelly Kilmartin told us about a robbery and shooting of Light Force 50 at a structure fire during night one of the 92 LA Riots. Alonzo realized they were actually being shot at before they were robbed at gunpoint, then as they were being robbed at gunpoint their Captain actually refused to hand over their radios at first, and was nearly killed in front of the crew. Then when the decision was made to bail out of there, Alonzo was separated from his crew. A firefighter just off probation, who just escaped a machine gun attack at a structure fire, was now running for his life alone in uniform in South Central LA during the 1st night of the riots with no police in sight and no other firefighters around. Alonzo runs to the nearest fire station to find it empty and locked. He decides to run back to the scene of the shooting, with rocks and bottles being thrown at him and cars gunning their engines toward him if he tries to cross the street. He finally finds his crew hiding in a family's home nearby. This is a wild story that not only captures the insanity of firefighting during major riots, but also the racial undertones and tension of the LAFD in the early 90's as well as LA as a whole. It's also an incredible tale of survival in the craziest circumstances.  

We have comedians, podcasters (Common Ground), married couple, & new parents Rachel LaForce and Alex Gettlin along with baby Jonah, explaining how the baby made it through birth, then how his mom made it. Rachel goes in depth on her first-time mom journey. Everything is going great, so great that the baby won't come out. Rachel gets induced, has a long labor, delivers, then starts to severely hemorrhage & needs emergency surgery. In between we learn about doula's, birth plans, advocacy, massages that become vision quests, shaman women, why OB's are super chill all the time, how to stop a pregnant woman bleeding with your arm, NICU's, giving birth on the nurses last day at work, where to put placentas, what "Full Frat Dad" mode is, plus Danny tells some stories where a home birth went wrong. Rachel & Alex are great guests & really funny, & baby Jonah joins us for the whole show but didn't chime in much. This episode goes full term.  

LAFD Captain Enrique Graciano is a 20 year veteran firefighter, who also has 3 years as an LAPD officer under his belt. He tells us about the scariest night of his life. In September of 2003 he was a young firefighter on Truck 88, assigned to interior truck operations in a supermarket fire with flames and heavy smoke in the rear of the building. In a matter of minutes, conditions severely deteriorate, and when the order is given to pull out, he gets separated from his company, and is unable to find his way out. With time & air running out & the smoke and heat getting worse, Enrique realizes he may not make it out alive. He tells us in detail how the whole incident unfolds. How you can follow orders and procedures perfectly and still find yourself lost and trapped in a fire. We also talk about aggression vs caution, when and how to call for help in a fire, & what happens when that call goes out. We also talk about the importance of experience and knowing your crew, as Graciano's own guys from Truck 88 found him. We also talk about life in the "squirrel cage" at LAFD Fire Station 88, the biggest in the city. What's it like to have your life flash before your eyes? Or to barely escape a fully involved supermarket fire that still had customers shopping inside when you showed up? This is the definition of a close call with death.   

We're joined by LAFD Captain Donald "Dilly" Dillenberger, Pilot Joel Smith, & Firefighter Alex Salas. These guys were the 1st in Truck Company (Truck 73) on a man trapped in a vertical storm channel during a torrential downpour in May of 2015. These guys rush to find a guy hanging onto a wood plank for dear life with water rushing by at 25-30 mph. Firefighter Salas throws the guy a rope from a distance, in the pouring rain, over a fence, down in the river, and hits the guy square in the chest just as he loses his grip on the plank. They then attempt a rescue that is not advised in any manual, has not been attempted before, and is not practiced. They have to save a man trapped in a storm channel with completely vertical walls, NO rescue or access point, in rising, freezing, rapid water, in pouring rain, with no stable anchor points to tie off a rope. Firefighter Smith puts a harness on Dilly, who says an epic line and jumps in the storm channel and grabs the guy. Now the rest of the guys have to get Dilly and the victim out, with no time to spare, and the freezing water raging on both of them. Here's where the story really gets crazy & has roof ladders being lowered, & Smith almost falling in. We have audio clips from the incident (and video) & Dilly gives great insight into the Swift Water rescue plan and system within LAFD. Including the incident that set the whole plan in motion. We also learn why teamwork and knowing every part of your job as a firefighter is important. 

We update you on the ongoing lawsuits against the FD with the vaccination mandate deadline passing for city employees. Danny explains how the lines between official and unofficial FD business can get blurred at times. We talk again about why this vaccine controversy exists in the first place, why the logic behind it is flawed, and the lawsuit is going nowhere. We talk again about how good men can be led to believe that voluntarily quitting their dream job is not only logical, but their only choice. How principles aren't really principles without consistency, & the irony of giving up your career because you're being advised to refuse a life saving vaccine, by people who were vaccinated themselves. Then we look back after 60 episodes at some of our forgotten early episodes (the 1st 15) & break down why they deserve another listen (except the 1st episode we agree was a mess). It's a great insight into the early days of the pod when we laid some amazing stories on our listeners before people really grasped what we were doing. Danny marvels at Ben's ability to remember every episode and guest in order, & we tease an upcoming episode with guys who will expand on the craziest and most overlooked rescue story ever on the show.

We finally answer the number one question every paramedic is asked whenever someone finds out what you do for a living. Danny gives you a huge payoff to this question, as he shares the craziest childbirth story ever, along with multiple suicide stories including something you never really consider at the scene until you're there. Then he ends it by expanding on the story of his most personally traumatic response that put him on stress leave for a month and led to a PTSD diagnosis for him. We talk about the phases of a career, busy stations, stress on the job, the "map" in your head of all your worst incidents & how you can never really forget them, & why it's important to seek help and find hobbies outside of work. Also, these stories are seriously wild, can't really put more in the description. This episode deserves a vacation. 

Albert Sanchez was a 33 year old LA County Firefighter in great shape, with 10 years on the job, when he was hit suddenly with a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis after experiencing sharp abdominal pains at work. Albert explains his entire ordeal to us, from staying up all night researching his condition, to checking himself out of the hospital and getting into a cancer specialty center. Albert undergoes a risky surgery, then 6 months of chemotherapy, where he has a complete change of perspective on life and its challenges. Here is an otherwise healthy man who was given 30 days to live and is now completely in remission for years. This is an amazing story & Albert is totally candid and honest & gives great insight on what it's like to be hit with a deadly diagnosis at a young age & beat it. Everything that goes thru your mind is explored here as well as what happens to your body, & we learn how your own determination can save your life. 

We talk about where we were on 9/11/2001, & realize how old that makes us now. Danny gives insight into what the firefighters felt going into that building & how unique and dangerous the situation was for the FD. He also talks about talking to younger firefighters about that day & how those events changed his view of the job. We talk about the real reaction and feeling that day & week, as well as the layout & timeline of the events and reactions. We talk about the changes in the world since then, desensitization to mass death, effects on the course of history, defense contractors, Pat Tillman, the economy, Al Gore, Covid, old movie references, Danny's art skills, & more. 

Comedian Zach Miller tells us about an ass whooping, his own ass whooping. He explains a unique scenario, where he happened to be celebrating his bday on the same B Dubs patio as 4 marines home from Iraq, who wound up having alcohol fueled words with him. Those words soon led to an attack on Zach, who walked out the door & woke up in an ambulance after getting assaulted by the 4 men, in front of his former workplace and coworkers. We dive into this as well as a few other random assault stories involving dogs, married couples, gangs, homeless encampments, & more. We also talk about the changing streetfight landscape, & why we avoid them at all costs now. Plus we explain the transport decisions you have to make with assault victims & why you never know what you're getting into when you respond to an assault call. This episode needs a head CT. 

It's just the 2 of us talking about the latest controversy sweeping thru the FD ranks, vaccination mandates. Notably, we discuss a recent social media video posted by a member of Danny's department. We talk about the motivation behind these videos as well as pandemic clout chasing, checking sources, fake news, algorithms, doing your own research, & knowing who pays the person you're listening to. We talk about how misinformation works & spreads & why it's driving some FD members to extremes. We discuss the LAFD social media policy, the social media captain, the internet room, the Personal Standards Division, & we also debunk some of the most popular reasons guys on the job give for refusing to take the shot. This episode just got FDA approval. 

Comedian Tony Klein becomes our 1st two time guest (Ep 3 "Get the Jaws") as he tells us about his own motorcycle crash in Hollywood, one morning before work. Flying over the hood of a car, waking up in the street with his bike on top of him, he literally dusts himself off & goes straight to work at LA's busiest breakfast cafe with his chin split open to the bone. We talk about Tony's treatment odyssey with no health insurance. The lengths he went thru to try to get diagnosed & treated "unofficially" & how that changed his riding habits. We talk about how he developed those habits in Wisconsin, which has the winning combination of highest DUI rate & NO helmet laws, & the differences between riding in the Midwest vs LA. Plus Danny describes the craziest motorcycle crash call ever off of an LA Freeway interchange ramp, & he gives his own motorcycle crash story involving his wife and himself. We also get a good chunk of motorcycle riding affection in this one as well as real talk about the dangers and how that hits you differently later in life. We talk about different riding styles, do you like having someone riding with you, which helmet is best, street racing, electric bikes, & Ben explains why this lifestyle passed him by completely. This episode splits lanes.

Kevin Green was a rookie firefighter with the LAFD who was off duty one night out on a date when he witnessed a car crash on the freeway late at night. After pulling his truck over to help, a drunk driver crashed into the disabled vehicle, knocking it into Kevin & crushing his leg against his own truck. What happens after is a story of survival, recovery, & the importance of the fire family as Kevin frees himself from the wreckage, helps the original victim, then treats his own shattered leg. Once en route to the trauma center the firefighters treating Kevin notify his station as well as his previous department, the Compton FD. Members from both departments meet Kevin at the hospital with his family, and stay with him every step of the way. We talk about the multiple surgeries and attempted surgeries Kevin endured, as well as not knowing if he would lose his leg. He describes hearing conversations while he was supposed to be completely unconscious but was only paralyzed. We also talk about the long road to recovery that saw Kevin miraculously return to work in a year. We talk about martial arts, discipline, growing up in Compton, filming a reality show as a rookie fireman, Compton FD stories, LAFD vs CFD drill towers, fat guys with Black Belts, Serra HS career day, Ernie Reyes, & we get a mention for one of Ben's MAC trauma centers, Harbor UCLA. Kevin is an awesome guy & his positive outlook on life is infectious as are his stories about growing up as a karate kid in Compton. This episode stands strong. 

We're joined by Dr Bob Kilroy, a chiropractor who was teaching his daughter to surf one Sunday at Venice Beach when the unthinkable happened. On an otherwise clear day a cloud appeared & started a light drizzle with a single lightning strike that hit the waters of Venice Beach, right next to Bob! Struck by literally a million volts in the equivalent of a bathtubs distance, Bob goes into cardiac arrest & inhales some seawater. His daughter, who was knocked off of her surfboard but spared from serious electrocution, pulls him to safety where lifeguards and an ER Cardiologist who happened to be at the beach pull him out and begin CPR. Then our own Danny shows up after what he described as "a bomb going off" followed by a call for an electrocution, upgraded en route to a lightning strike, then to a full cardiac arrest. The lifeguards regain a pulse, then they're off to UCLA ER with Danny pulling off a risky intubation en route. Dr Kilroy makes a full recovery & he and Danny have a unique discussion as Danny is able to fill in the blanks for the 24 hours where the Dr was in a coma. We also talk about the incredible lesson Dr Kilroy took away from this experience as well as how crazy Venice Beach is on a Sunday, what a spinal adjustment is like, how to become a chiropractor, why both hosts like to see a chiro, how the nervous system responds to a lightning strike, what the recovery is like, & also HOLY CRAP THIS DUDE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AND LIVED & sat with us & showed us the tattoo he got to remember it. Dr Kilroy is super cool, & also has a great broacasting voice, kinda Bill Walton ish. This episode also has footage from the actual event as well as a shout out to Body Glove. 

We're joined by Santa Monica FD Training Chief James Altman. Who recounts a day he'll never forget as a HazMat Captain, working on a special security detail for President Obama's visit in 2013. Just 6 minutes after the motorcade passes thru a quiet Santa Monica, California neighborhood, they get a call for shots fired and a shooting victim over the radio, followed by a call for a structure fire in the same neighborhood. What follows is the aftermath of an active shooter rampaging thru the city while the president is in town, resulting in 5 separate crime scenes! These included a house fire, carjacking, bus attack, and a mass shooting attempt at Santa Monica College before being neutralized by police in the library. This is an incredible story of bravery but also of leadership and candid honesty regarding operations in situations you are not really prepared for. What happens when your department's resources are completely tapped out with 5 major simultaneous incidents with the President a couple of miles away. What does the Secret Service do? How do you deal with guys who refuse to go into an unsafe scene, or with police who refuse to stay back and protect the FD? How have policies changed since this incident? James also knew us as kids and gives a great interview that starts with old Westside memories & ends with a real insightful look at leadership in Fire service & what it really means, especially when things get wild. We also talk about what it means to really be ready for anything. 

We're joined by triple threat (Paramedic, Water Polo Ref, MAC guy) Jeffrey Molina who tells us about an ordinary high school water polo tournament where one match tried to go into sudden death in the 2nd quarter. A 14 year old boy struggled to get out of the pool during a substitution in the 2nd quarter. When he needed 3 teammates to pull him out, Jeffrey the Referee noticed something was wrong, & sprang into action. Realizing the boy was pulseless, he began CPR & started to direct the most bizarre full arrest of his career. With no equipment, no partner, & an entire water polo tournament around him, Jeffrey manages to get an AED & deliver a shock. After another shock, he gets a pulse back, & then things get crazy. What's it like to be completely on your own to save a kid with no gear? How do you switch from referee to paramedic, and keep control of the scene? How long does it actually take help to arrive? How do you delegate when people want to help but have varying levels of qualifications? What happens when the patient's family finally realizes you've been shocking their kid this whole time? This story has a great outcome & we also get insight to the world of water polo, how crazy it gets underwater, why the Europeans love it, & how hard the training is. Plus we get to hear how satisfying it is when victims survive and thank you later. We also talk about why kid calls are so tough, how critical stress debriefing can help with these calls, & more. This episode wears speedos. 

We're joined by LAFD Firefighters Alex Saenz & Ryan Ramirez. These men barely escaped a nightmare scenario, caught inside a BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion) that blew a huge fireball thru the building they were inside of and on top of for a full 33 seconds of constant flashover flames with 8 men inside the building and another 6 men on the roof. We get the full story of how a seemingly routine commercial structure fire in the busiest district of LA turned into a hellscape. On top of the firsthand accounts we have bodycam footage as well as video footage from a neighboring roof. We learn a lot of standard operating guidelines from the busiest fire company in the west, real insight into roof operations, & interior attack from the best guys to do it, what you look for when you can't see anything, the strange sounds & lack of sounds that preceded the BLEVE, what it's like to think you were the only survivor of a catastrophe, having to save your brothers once you've realized they survived, giving medications with burned hands, freaked out cops, homeless guys complaining about burning tents, being asked to leave the hospital while your brothers are fighting for their life, & more. We also get a real inside scoop on life at the Skid Row Firehouse, from the human litter box, to people jumping on the front and back of the engine, bleaching the sidewalks, people throwing themselves in front of the rig, learning from the best, no sleep, & MORE. This episode is long and has a lot of cursing in it BUT this is an incredible story everyone needs to hear. 

We get more firefighter life lessons as Danny breaks down a call that could've gone a couple of different ways but had a positive outcome as he got a meth addict into recovery. We also talk mentoring, what made each of us quit drinking and partying too much, the LAFD tattoo policy, why Danny tells patients he's from the hood, why you can't always cancel the engine or truck company on a "routine" medical run, tailgating, gun violence at Raider games, eating food from an Iron Chef (but Ben calls it Top Chef), being your best, good and bad energy, actually talking to patients, cool security guards, fitness, how to not get drunk when literally everyone wants to buy you a drink, & Danny seriously goes full motivational podcast host on multiple rants where Ben compares him to everyone from Highway To Heaven's Michael Landon to Russel Brand. We also hear about Danny's past as a personal trainer. This episode will pump you up. 

We talk code 3 emergency response driving, the do's & do not F&#%$ng do's for regular motorists, and all of the dangers involved with maneuvering giant emergency vehicles at a high speed thru rush hour traffic. We explain exactly how a tiller truck works, and how crazy it is to haul ass thru traffic sitting high up in that back chair with only a steering wheel. We talk about EVOC training (& a lack thereof), accidents en route, obstacles in the streets, the weird stuff people do INSTEAD of pulling to the right, why you have to pull to the right, collisions between emergency vehicles, instant justice, & driving to a hospital in a life or death situation. Plus, Danny tells the story of his worst accident ever in an ambulance, & it gets emotional. This episode comes to a full stop at red lights. 

We get some good firefighter life lessons from Danny for people starting out on the job who want to hear from an 18 year LAFD veteran. We talk about the levels of a fire career, how important mentorship is between young firefighters and veterans, what it's like when your dad has a big reputation with the department, how people are inspired by Danny on social media but not by Ben, Subway tuna, chauvinism, early relief, station intimidation situations, & individual fire station subcultures. Plus we hear a bizarre story about a scheduling mishap resulting in a misunderstanding, which led to Danny being public enemy #1 of an entire station which lasted for months. This episode is pretty LAFD specific, but the lessons are for people working anywhere.  

Comedian and podcaster Madison Sinclair (Madison PI) tells us her mystery medical history going back to when she 1st thought her dream of getting boobs had come true, only to find that they were actually full of benign tumors of an unknown cause & had to be removed. Then years later she moves to Hollywood, and begins having bad sinus problems and congestion, including black sputum coming out of her nose on a regular basis. After multiple tests & scans, doctors can't figure out what it is & also discover lung nodules. She actually solves the mystery herself & reveals it on the show. We also cover Florida, pet squirrels, Hooters, roast battle, the housing market, aligators, booty shorts, private investigations, beekeeping,Joel McHale, Red Lobster test kitchen, fake Taco Bell, & tiktok. You'll want the results of this one.

Retired LAFD Engineer Kelly Kilmartin tells us a harrowing story from the 1st night of the LA riots (4/29/92). Assigned to Engine 250, he began to pump water to a market fire in South Central LA, when he was approached by a man with an AK47 assault rifle who told him to let the fire burn. He proceeds to rob Kelly and his captain of their radios at gunpoint, then runs off. As Kelly begins to shut down, he hears the front of the truck get shelled by machine gunfire. He jumps in the cab and calls for help on the radio but is told that no help is available. Hear the rest of this incredible story, how Kelly and his crew survive? When does SWAT show up? Who hides them from the attackers? We also hear from his wife who randomly runs into the gunman years later on jury duty. This story is a wild snapshot of the craziest night in LAFD or American firefighting history. 

Comedian Grant Cotter (Comedy Central, MTV) joins us & tells us all about losing his ENTIRE KNEECAP in a scooter accident in Cozumel, Mexico during the Vans Warped Tour Cruise he was booked to perform on. Read that sentence again if you need to. Yes there was a Vans Warped Tour Cruise (they only did one) & it turned into a nightmare during a shore excursion in Cozumel, when Grant was talked into taking a ride on a vespa scooter with faulty brakes. Losing his whole kneecap is only the beginning, as Grant goes thru an ordeal with a Mexican hospital cleaning out his life savings after he first shows up at a Hooters, buying 500 Tramadols at the airport, months living with one working leg, using the bad leg to get his girl out of a DUI, & having 2 physical therapist comics rehab him back to health. We also discuss a tragic fire station shooting in LA County that shocked the community last week. 

LAFD Engineer Rob Medrano was the 3rd engineer to arrive at a fully involved, single family dwelling structure fire in south central LA. Entering the backyard to do some exterior fireground work, he discovers almost all of the occupants of the house in the backyard, barely escaping the flames. Then one resident tells him they're missing 2 people inside. Without hesitation, Rob enters the house alone, with no air bottle or mask, & locates 2 trapped victims inside. He makes 2 more entries, ALL without an air bottle into a fully involved house fire, & rescues a woman & performs CPR in the backyard. We hear this incredible story in full detail as well as Rob's hospitalization for smoke inhalation, & how this led to him receiving the LAFD Medal of Merit for his bravery. We also learn some more young firefighter Danny stories, the importance of working at busy stations, life as a firefighter in South Central LA, & a detailed breakdown of LAFD structure fire operations. Take a deep breath for this one. 

We are joined by LAFD legend, our dad, Benny Gonzalez. A 32 year veteran of the fire service, he breaks down how he wound up in LAFD instead of the Vietnam war, what the drill tower was like in the 70's, life in Downtown LA before gentrification, firefighting & living in the actual 1984 Olympic village, diversity posters, dangerous fire engine driving, & more. We also get a full breakdown of the famous Naval Reserve building fire which is now the LAFD headquarters named after the firefighter who died there, as well as a breakdown of the First Interstate fire, the most famous high rise fire in LA history, PLUS a firsthand account of the LA riots in 92. BUT THERE'S MORE, he also breaks down how he rescued Michael Jackson when he burned his hair filming a Pepsi ad. This episode is full of LAFD history that few discuss. Also, who is his favorite? Strap in.

We're joined by world-traveling LAFD Firefighter Dan Ferrari (@wander_man_dan) who tells us all about how he uses the flexibility of the firefighter schedule to plan solo trips around the world. We learn all about how to get to exotic locales usually closed off to tourists. How to find the best fishing, scuba diving, & adventure spots, and get the best tips from local guides. Dan tells us all about the different travel jobs he does abroad (scuba divemaster, sport fishing guide, lifeguard instructor). What's it like to train Ghanaian Marines how to swim in the ocean off the coast of Africa? What about traveling thru the Australian Outback? Sportfishing in the Kingdom of Oman? This guy has done it all, all while working as an LAFD firefighter. Get your passports ready. 

A 14 year old boy collapses on a baseball field. His stepmom calls 911, where she's given instructions on how to give CPR, which she relays to the boys mother, who starts chest compressions. What happens in those life or death moments when you're waiting for paramedics to arrive? We're joined by LAFD Firefighter Melissa Galleano who is assigned to the Metro communications division of the department. Melissa explains how Metro works, then gives a detailed breakdown of this amazing 911 call she worked as we listen to the tape. We also have LAFD Engineer Paramedic Trey Glennon who was driving the fire engine but was the first paramedic on scene. We get a full breakdown of the most intense call you can have as a paramedic, a pediatric full arrest. Plus a shining example of people who remained calm & worked together to save this boy. Not just the FD, the moms on scene who did perfect bystander CPR and saved their son. This episode is full of info of what you can do when calling 911, or taking a 911 call. 

For the 1st time ever we're joined by a blood relative as our cousin Nick Chavez talks about his job as the supply chain chief for the biggest hospital in San Antonio, Texas. We learn all about the challenges that a supply chain chief faces, & why every single one is really important to the entire hospital staff as well as the patients. He compares it to working at NASA mission control during Apollo 13. We learn how the supply chain was severely impacted by covid at a time when supplies were needed the most, and the lengths Nick had to go to to ensure every single staff member was protected, not just dcotors and nurses. We also get a first hand account of Snowvid, the great Texas cold snap that cut off power for days to millions of people. We also explain why Nick is actually the biggest celebrity in the family & why he was on tv before Danny or Ben. 

Ryan Talmo is a comedy workaholic who has hosted more hours of LA open mics and bar shows than nearly anyone in the past 7 years. He even kept on hosting shows while battling stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma for over a year. He talks to us about the whole ordeal. From early denial, to 12 rounds of chemo. From suicidal thoughts, to meeting his fiancee & having a baby after being told it was not possible for him after cancer. Now armed with a new lease on life, & a new comedy album, recorded whilst going thru chemo ("My Lymphoma"). Talmo's positive attitude on life and fatherhood fill this episode with a warm fuzzy feeling, as well as inside info on the LA comedy scene, being a new dad & stepdad after beating cancer, & what colors your bodily fluids change to during chemo. Get this episode checked right away. 

Ed Zubia worked 2 multiple year stints as a paramedic in a Federal Prison complex (FCC Victorville) & he tells us ALL about it. What does a prison medic do? How dangerous is it to be the only guy with pain meds & needles with hundreds of federal convicts? How do you make Pruno? How do the prisoners keep the peace? Why soap on the ground is dangerous, nortenos, surenos, & MORE. We even get a real prison break story AND Danny explains how a cartel kingpin tried a SWAT style "a million bucks to whoever breaks me out" thing in Downtown LA. This episode just got out. 

We have former NCAA Division 1 baseball player Adrian Nevarez (Loyola Marymount) who may be the only person in the history of sports to ever have half of their quadriceps muscle literally ripped out of their leg during batting practice. You read that right. He left practice with less leg than he started with. We learn how this happened & how you recover from a devastating injury that ends the career you've worked your whole life toward. The mental and physical strength it takes to make it all the way back. We also learn about the Mexican horse scene in LA, dating Miss Universe, performing at a huge live event in a major drug cartel city, college baseball life, chill medics, & more. There's even yet another Danny ride along story. This episode has it all, except that piece of leg.

We discuss current LA events & problems with homelessness & the police that came to a head last week in Echo Park Lake. We give the backdrop to this showdown between cops & citizens trying to block a homeless sweep. Danny weighs in with his experience working in areas with a big homeless population, & we offer causes as well as possible solutions. We also clear up some online misinformation about the event, & look at how easily and quickly it can spread. We also talk about how homeless sweeps work, & when they don't, how these huge encampments pop up, & where everyone comes from. This episode doesn't have an emergency story, just an emergency situation.