1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Traditionally, you're going to see a lot of guys in 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: the trades, and I'm sure in some communities and some 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: of our local communities we still have that. My fire company, 4 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: we've got a chemical engineer, lawyer, me as a teacher, 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: number of people in finance accounting it. 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 2: That's hilarious absolutely if you really think about that, I mean, 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: that is just people from all walks of life. And 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 2: the point is, you know, focusing on an army of 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 2: normal folks, that's some of everybody. Absolutely, and where else 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 2: are you going to get an attorney and a guy 11 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 2: right in a forklift on second shift on a line together. 12 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 2: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. 13 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 2: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father, 14 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 2: I'm an entrepreneur, and I've been a football coach in 15 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 2: inner city Memphis. And the last part it unintentionally led 16 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 2: to an oscar for the film about our team. It's 17 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 2: called Undefeated. Guys. I believe our country's problems will never 18 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 2: be solved by a bunch of fancy people and nice 19 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,639 Speaker 2: suits talking big words that nobody understands on CNN and Fox, 20 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 2: but rather an army of normal folks us just you 21 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 2: and me deciding, Hey, I can help. That's what Ellen Yarborough, 22 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 2: the voice we just heard, has done. Ellen became a 23 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 2: volunteer firefighter at a later than normal age, and of 24 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 2: course being a female fighter isn't as normal either. For now, 25 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 2: Ellen is helping to change the face of firefighting and 26 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: I cannot wait for you to meet her. Right after 27 00:01:47,600 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 2: these brief messages from our Genner sponsors, Ellen never thought 28 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 2: she'd move back to her hometown of Delaware County, PA, 29 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 2: especially after having lived in Warsaw, Poland as a child 30 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 2: and moving to the French countryside as an adult to 31 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 2: help start a school. But being divorced and raising two 32 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 2: kids in another country that ain't really eazy. 33 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: I decided to come back, and I said that I 34 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: really needed to be near family because it's hard to 35 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: be a single mom. So I got a job at 36 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: my old high school, bought my parents' house, my childhood home, 37 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: and yeah, so now I've been back. We've been back 38 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: since twenty eleven, twenty twelve. You know, it's weird. For 39 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: the first couple of years, I thought, why did I 40 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: come back here? Like I could have gone anywhere in 41 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: the States, Because one way or the other. I'm paying 42 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:53,920 Speaker 1: for the kids to go. 43 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: See their dad, and you can teat they're good schools 44 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 2: looking for good teachers anywhere, right. 45 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: And I'd lived in Colorado, in California and Idaho, like 46 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: you know, I could have gone anywhere, and I choose Delco. 47 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 2: So but there you are, right. 48 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: So for first couple of years, I was a little 49 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: frustrated with myself and it was hard. It was like 50 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: my wings were clipped. 51 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 2: I really like travel, uh podcasts, live in that life 52 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 2: and then back where you were. 53 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: Yeah. 54 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 2: Yeah. 55 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: And and to go from a really simple life with 56 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: my kids to the busy life of a metropolitan area 57 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: the United States is it's big for my kids. My 58 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: kids still are not TV kids. They can't stand commercials, 59 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: they're not big on social media and things like that. 60 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: Because it was just anesthetical. 61 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 2: Yeah that's awesome. 62 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, they're great travelers. 63 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 2: All right. So you're back, and you're I think you're 64 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 2: teaching social studies and psychology, right. 65 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm the gifted coordinator at my high school. So 66 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: and I'm a social studied teacher. So and I was 67 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: given this position the year after I got back, because 68 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: are then principal at the time, but she said, you 69 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: know these parents, you grew up here, you can kind 70 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: of speak their language. So she thought I could manage 71 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: these parents. Okay, and so far, so good. Fingers crossed. 72 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: Knock on your wood here, right. 73 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: I imagine there's not many. You know, this is not 74 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 2: a questions You're made of the story. But I'm gonna 75 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 2: ask anyway. Is I have coached and taught in very, 76 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 2: very urban areas, obviously everybody knows that story, but also 77 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,599 Speaker 2: in private schools and very suburban as you would say, 78 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 2: well held, wealthy airs. And the biggest difference to me 79 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 2: is not the kids. 80 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: Never, It's the parents, absolutely. 81 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 2: And I can hear the helicopter blades cutting through the 82 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 2: air in the back of my head the closer I 83 00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 2: get to suburbia. Does that exist in France? 84 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: Oh boy? So my kids went to village schools. I 85 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: don't know what that means, A local schools. They went 86 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: to French schools. I mean they got It was like 87 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: they just landed on a brand new planet. I taught 88 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: them a few words to get going because I was 89 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: learning French myself. And they started school and in three 90 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: weeks my daughter's coming home from her kindergarten class telling 91 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: me the school gossip. How do you know how you 92 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: don't even speak French, but she was just learning it 93 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 1: so rapidly and was such a great accent. So they 94 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: went to our local schools and then my school with 95 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: the largely Americans, we had some Central American students too. Honestly, 96 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: our parents were great. They were some big names, CEOs 97 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: of big corporations and airlines and things like that. But 98 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: they liked it too. They would fly out and I 99 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: mean celebrity chef's kids, all of that kind of stuff. 100 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: They would fly out and join us for Thanksgiving, and 101 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: they just settled into the village life too. They were 102 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: better dressed than everybody else in the village. But you know, 103 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: they rented nicer cars, so it. 104 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 2: Was nice to get away from the rat race. 105 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: I think so too. And nobody really cared. They were 106 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: just so and So's father mother absolutely, so we didn't 107 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: have that so much. I think the parents had a 108 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,280 Speaker 1: lot of trust in us, a lot of faith, which 109 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: was important when your kids are three thousand to six 110 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: thousand miles away for the Californians, but we were, I 111 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: mean it was twenty four to seven back in Call 112 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: so somebody called at two am because their son was 113 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: taking a six am flight and he can't find a suitcase. 114 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: I'm answering the phone. Yes, my phone is always on 115 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:37,160 Speaker 1: when they're paying that kind of money. Yeah, they used 116 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: to quick service. Yeah, but no question about grades or 117 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: their honesty or anything like that. We were in charge 118 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 1: and they appreciated that. It was nice. 119 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 2: So you get back into teaching and the American life. 120 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 2: And once back in the States, there was a tragedy, right. 121 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: So I coached my kid's local swim up swim team, 122 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: and my assistant coach was a nineteen year old twenty 123 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: year old I guess at the time, a college student 124 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: at Albright Chris and he was like a little brother. 125 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: I mean, he was a terrific guy and he still is. 126 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: And my kids really liked him a lot. All the 127 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: kids liked him. So he was away at school at 128 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: Albright and reading Pennsylvania at small school, and he swam 129 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: for their team there. He was a senior and there 130 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: was a house fire at his off campus house, just 131 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: a swimmer's. 132 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 2: House, like a dorm. 133 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: Well, it was just a rental property kids, a bunch 134 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: of guys. Yeah, absolutely, fraternity house without the fraternity aspect 135 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: of it, but the true fraternity of it, the lowercase, 136 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 1: not uppercase. So they had a fire, and actually I 137 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: never found out what the cause of the fire was, 138 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: but it originated in the basement. There was one boy, 139 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 1: a freshman who swimmer, who was in the basement at 140 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: the time, and his life was lost. Chris was in 141 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: a first floor bedroom and he couldn't get out, and 142 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: he succumbed to the smoke. But there were two firefighters 143 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: who you know, made their way in and got to 144 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: him pretty quickly and brought him out and then put 145 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: on a helicopter and sent him to a local hospital 146 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: burn center, and it was touch and go. And so 147 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: his room, it was his own room, I suppose it 148 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 1: had one window and there was an air conditioning in 149 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: it and screwed into the frame of the window. He 150 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 1: was trying to pry it out, couldn't get it out. 151 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 2: And then the smoke overcomes. 152 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: The smoke undercoot overtakes you absolutely, and then in that 153 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: smoke is all of all of the things, the byproducts 154 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 1: of the things we. 155 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 2: Choose to live. So it's toxic, absolutely precisely, and then 156 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 2: you pass out. You really don't those people don't burn 157 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 2: alive correctly. They pass out first then burn right. Okay, 158 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 2: So this guy survived that because these two first responders 159 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 2: heard his cause and basically saved his lot. 160 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: They absolutely saved his life. Yeah, and I believe they 161 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: heard him at first and then didn't hear him, but 162 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: they could locate where he was. Other boys in the 163 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: house had jumped out off the porch roof the overhang 164 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: of the front porch from the second floor and they 165 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: were okay. I think there was one other boy that 166 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: had some smoke inhalation, but his was significant injuries. So 167 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: but he survived. A few weeks later, my son. I 168 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 1: was always looking for things for my son to do, 169 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: especially with his dad, you know, four hundred miles away 170 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: and Cameron, and so he's he's thirteen at the time, 171 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,959 Speaker 1: So this is September, and he says, I want to 172 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: become a firefighter. So I took a left at the 173 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: next intersection and it brought me. I was within two 174 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: blocks of our local firehouse, and the chief was a 175 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 1: guy that I had gone to high school with. 176 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 2: Did you know that? 177 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: I did know that absolutely, And this is less than 178 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: a mile from my house. So we met with him, 179 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: and he said basically, come back when you turn fourteen, 180 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:19,440 Speaker 1: which was two months away. So as soon as he 181 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: was fourteen, he submits his application and then he's voted 182 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: in as the cadet. 183 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 2: A fourteen year old. What is a fourteen year old 184 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 2: doing at a fire firehouse? I mean, what could a 185 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 2: fourteen year old do? 186 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: Well, it depends on the state you're in, It depends 187 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,679 Speaker 1: on your locality. Fourteen year olds have to be with 188 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: an arm's reach of a senior member of the firehouse. 189 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 2: So thirteen year old can actually join a fire department. 190 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: It depends on your department. Absolutely, no kidding. 191 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 2: So your kid turns fourteen, well, all he's thirteen, So 192 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 2: he gets the thing from your friend who happens to 193 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,839 Speaker 2: be the chief, and fourteenth birth day, he's like Scar the. 194 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: Fire man, yep, gets it and he be helmet a cadet. 195 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: A cadet so you're not allowed. So let's say there's 196 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 1: a house fire. The cadet is not allowed on that property, 197 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: but they can be in a support role. So off 198 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:15,719 Speaker 1: of that, that kind of warm zone, you know, the 199 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 1: hot zone is the fire. The warm zone is where 200 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: everything's kind of getting prepared. Cold zone that's where another 201 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 1: truck might be. That's where the cadet is with the driver. 202 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: He might be pulling tools out to set up for 203 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:32,559 Speaker 1: the guys or women, and grabbing water for folks to drink, 204 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,839 Speaker 1: things like that. He could work the hydrant hook up. 205 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 2: And at fourteen, oh, absolutely, that is crazy. 206 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 1: Yeh, we've got fourteen year olds here now. 207 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 2: So he becomes a cadet. 208 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 1: He becomes a cadet, and what are you doing? 209 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 2: Well? 210 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 1: I was dropping him off and picking him up. No, 211 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: you know, I joked about it when somebody asked me 212 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: if I was joining, and I said that there were 213 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 1: there were three things I never wanted associated with my 214 00:11:55,360 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: name beyond recognition dental records or remember the third one. 215 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: But at any rate, it was along those lines, right right, right, 216 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: right right, recognizable parts whatever it is. So, but it 217 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 1: was also his thing. My kids and I had been 218 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,199 Speaker 1: glued to one another's hips for so long. You live overseas, 219 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: all the traveling we did, just the three of us, 220 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 1: we spent so much time together. I really wanted things 221 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: just for him, just for her. So they would invite 222 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: me to dinner, go to the firehouse, have pizza, et cetera, 223 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: et cetera. And I kept pushing them off, pushing them off, 224 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: and then the chief said, well, how about we need 225 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 1: somebody to take pictures on scenes? Would you do that? Sure? 226 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: So when it came in, if I could drop him 227 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: off at the firehouse, or even if he wasn't around, 228 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: I could take my car, park it out of the 229 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 1: way and then take some photos for them, things like that. 230 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,599 Speaker 1: So one night I dropped them off at the firehouse, 231 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: hung around for a little bit. They went off on 232 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: a call, and so I was waiting back there for 233 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 1: them at the firehouse, figuring the circle the block and 234 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: come right back again with nothing to do. But one 235 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: of the guys comes running in, who's our current our 236 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,200 Speaker 1: training officer, a former chief, and he goes, you want 237 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: to come? I'm sure, and I go to hop in 238 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: the truck. He goes, got to join first. So I 239 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: put in my application because I realized, whatever they're doing, 240 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: it's certainly cooler than what I'm doing right now is 241 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: standing in the firehouse. 242 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 2: Okay, how old you at that time? 243 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:28,160 Speaker 1: At the time? Hold, am I now? So forty four? 244 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 2: So you're forty four, You've been all over the world, 245 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 2: your dad's whatever it is you said, which is pretty crazy. 246 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 2: You go to pin you're way educated, teaching stuff, and 247 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:46,119 Speaker 2: now you're putting in an application to be a volunteer 248 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 2: firefighter in Media, Pennsylvania. Well that doesn't fit the profile. 249 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,959 Speaker 1: It does, but it doesn't track because I've always liked adventure. 250 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: I've taken my kids to the Sahara Desert. We've gone 251 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 1: up to Grimsey in the Arctic Circle. You know, We've 252 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: done all kinds of cool things. 253 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 2: I used to be simsy, What the hell is Grimsey 254 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:09,680 Speaker 2: in the Arctic Circle. 255 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: It was a little island off the coast of Iceland, 256 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: of course it is. And you can go and then 257 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: you can take a ferry and. 258 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 2: What do you do? Sit up there and freeze. 259 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: You basically hike up to the spot where you can 260 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: stand where it has one of those directional signs pointing 261 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 1: in every direction around the Earth, noting that you're at 262 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 1: the Arctic Circle. 263 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 2: No kidding, Yeah, it's kind of You did that with 264 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 2: your kids couple times, yeap, of course, don it once? 265 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 2: Why you can't do it twice? You hadn't done it once, 266 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 2: all right? So so you got an adventure shrink to 267 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 2: you and you think this sounds fun? 268 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, i'd grown up. I think this is kind of important. 269 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: So I'm the youngest of five, I'm the only girl, 270 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 1: and my father never said you can't do that, so 271 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: I never got this sense that I didn't belong. I 272 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 1: was never the odd man out. I played on boys' sports, 273 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: on girls' sports teams, but nobody ever made me feel 274 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: like an outsider. So I think there was just a 275 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: comfort level in it. And the company that I joined 276 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: at the time, we just hit our one hundred year anniversary. 277 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,920 Speaker 1: They had their first female member in nineteen seventy five, 278 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: first female firefighter. 279 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 2: Which is probably early for that. 280 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: Absolutely, and then their second is kind of my hero. 281 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 1: She came in nineteen seventy eight. She actually won Fireflight 282 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 1: of their Year award one year. Oh yeah, she's a 283 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 1: go getter. And then she became she's super cool and 284 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: she's black too, which now in a house, well, our 285 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: house was pretty diverse, but that's even more uncommon to 286 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: have a single black woman walk into a firehouse, a 287 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 1: volunteer firehouse, not already married or with somebody that brings 288 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: her in and says, I want to do this. I 289 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 1: think that's really extraordinary. So she what was her super cool. 290 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: She is a I don't know if she's still a lieutenant. 291 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: She's with the park Police, the County park Police. She's 292 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: tough as nails. 293 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 2: She's cool county park cop and a volunteer fire department person. 294 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: She's neat. 295 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I would not jack with that one. 296 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: Nah, No, she's super cool. 297 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 2: All right, So you go on that first ride and 298 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 2: you're hooked. 299 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: Well, he didn't let me go on that first ride. 300 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: He said you have to join first. So I had 301 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: to do the paperwork, and because everybody's a volunteer, it 302 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: takes a while for the paperwork to come through. So 303 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: I consider myself to have joined on this date, but 304 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: according to my personnel file, it's like three months later 305 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: because they didn't do the paperwork. And that's one of 306 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: the problems with volunteer firehouses is you have a very 307 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: small crew of people doing an awful lot of work, 308 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: not just running the calls and cleaning the equipment, maintaining 309 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: the equipment and the trucks and all of that, but 310 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: doing all the purchasing, taking care of the building. You know, 311 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 1: all the business of running a fire company falls on 312 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: those same volunteers. 313 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 2: And now a few messages from our general sponsors. But first, 314 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 2: I hope you'll consider becoming a Premium member of the 315 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:14,360 Speaker 2: Army at Normalfolks dot us. By becoming one for ten 316 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 2: bucks a month or one thousand dollars a year, you 317 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,639 Speaker 2: can get access to cool benefits like bonus episodes, a 318 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 2: yearly group call, and even a one on one call 319 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 2: with me. Frankly, guys, premium memberships also help us to 320 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 2: grow this army that our country desperately needs right now. 321 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,680 Speaker 2: So I hope you'll think about it. We'll be right back. 322 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 2: Got a few stats here that I think are interesting 323 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 2: that I'm sure you know, but I think it's important 324 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 2: to share because honestly, I'm a Memphis guy. There's no 325 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 2: volunteer fire department in Memphis, right Philly, you know, major 326 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 2: metropolitan areas. I think we take fire fighters, fire departments, equipment, 327 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:17,440 Speaker 2: hydrants everywhere readily available water. I think we and urban 328 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 2: areas take it pretty for granted. But I was really 329 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 2: interested to find this out Of total estimated one million, 330 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:29,680 Speaker 2: forty one thousand, two hundred firefighters in the country, six 331 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 2: hundred and seventy seven thousand are volunteer. So two thirds 332 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,920 Speaker 2: of the people in our country that are firefighters don't 333 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 2: make a time doing it, they're donating, they're tie and 334 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 2: risking themselves. Of the total of twenty nine thousand, four 335 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 2: h and fifty two fire departments in the country, eighteen 336 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 2: thousand are volunteer and three hundred and thirty five are 337 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 2: mostly volunteers, so there's evidently some that haven't. Some fire 338 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,399 Speaker 2: departments and maybe large arrowyers that have one or two 339 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,760 Speaker 2: full time firefighters, but the rest of the cruiser volunteers, 340 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 2: so they're mixed houses. I guess the time donated by 341 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:25,680 Speaker 2: volunteer firefighters saves localities and estimated forty seven billion dollars 342 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 2: a year. So these six hundred and seventy seven thousand 343 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:36,639 Speaker 2: volunteer firefighters in our country are saving taxpayers forty seven 344 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:43,160 Speaker 2: billion dollars a year, which is an enormous number. And 345 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,440 Speaker 2: given the obvious need that two thirds of our fire 346 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 2: departments in the United States are volunteer, almost every local 347 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 2: volunteer fire departments are struggling to meet staffing needs, which 348 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:58,159 Speaker 2: means when you call nine to one one because you 349 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:02,320 Speaker 2: have a fire or rack or need, more than likely 350 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,239 Speaker 2: your two thirds of the time of volunteer is going 351 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,680 Speaker 2: to show up. And if that person didn't given their time, 352 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:09,360 Speaker 2: You're going to burn or die. 353 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: We have something called mutual aid departments or mutual aid 354 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: agreements or other and that helps all of us. 355 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:17,199 Speaker 2: What is that. 356 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: So, so we'll have within a single department or municipality, 357 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: we might have two companies, such as with my department, 358 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:30,480 Speaker 1: and we respond automatically to the same calls. For the 359 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: most part, they don't come to our location. For cardiac arrests, 360 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 1: for example, we do that on our own with our 361 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:42,600 Speaker 1: MS partners, and then mutual aid are with other municipalities 362 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: and we'll send So there are things called run cards. 363 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 1: It's all in the dispatch that we'll be assigned to 364 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 1: go to commercial fires with a supply engine, hook up 365 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: to a hydrant and supply water to the attack engine 366 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: in one municipality. In another one, we're providing our rescue 367 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: truck for those issues, automobile accidents, people trapped in an elevader, 368 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 1: things like that. So we spread out based on anticipated 369 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 1: manpower and available apparatus. Who's going where in all of 370 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: those agreements. For anything that gets dispatched or upgraded to 371 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 1: a working fire, we have a group called the WRIT Team. 372 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,719 Speaker 1: It's a rapid Intervention Team, and that's an assigned department 373 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: that has dedicated members trained to come and they will 374 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:44,160 Speaker 1: stand by on scene, prepared with all the potential material. 375 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:49,679 Speaker 1: They need a stokes basket to pull somebody out with chainsaw, 376 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 1: the various tools, axes, halligans, all of that spare, air 377 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: cylinders and the like. And their job is to go 378 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,479 Speaker 1: in and rescue a fe firefighter who might call in 379 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: for a may day. So somebody who's trapped, they're going 380 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 1: to go in and get that way, they're fresh, they 381 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 1: have nothing else distracting them. That's their sole purpose. So 382 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: we have that as well. 383 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 2: Okay, so how's it work? You're a teacher, right, and 384 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 2: so you teach. I guess seven to four, whatever, pick 385 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 2: the time, whatever your hours are. You're lesson planning at home, 386 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 2: having a glass of wine, and somebody calls you up 387 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 2: and says, hey, we've got a fire, let's roll. How's 388 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:35,760 Speaker 2: it work? You got a beeper? What happens? How did so? 389 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 2: I've been visioning a volunteer fire department with a house 390 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 2: and a truck or two and all the equipment and 391 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:44,959 Speaker 2: one person there or nobody there, and a call comes. Well, 392 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,120 Speaker 2: the volunteer fire people aren't just sitting at the house 393 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 2: all the time, are they? No? 394 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: Well, and again it's going to differ from state to state, county, county, municipality. 395 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 1: We want to do so forth. So for us, we will 396 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 1: have one to two nights a week where we have 397 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: dedicated staffing. It's called a duty engine, So we'll have 398 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 1: four people who are qualified interior firefighters who will respond 399 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:12,399 Speaker 1: to within our fire district to their calls. But it's 400 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: like between six and ten pm. Well, most people are 401 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 1: available to run on these calls. Between six and ten pm. 402 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 2: Him, that's the well, now two. 403 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 1: Am, you better get up and go. It's the eight am, 404 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,720 Speaker 1: it's the three pm. Everybody's most part unless you've got 405 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 1: some workers the other working. If you have a firehouse 406 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: where you have people that do shift work, that's terrific, 407 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 1: or people who are independently employed, that's terrific. But for 408 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 1: our firehouse, we don't have that luxury. If there's somebody's retired, 409 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 1: that's awesome. We just lost our daytime driver because you 410 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,440 Speaker 1: moved out of state, and we're hoping that somebody else 411 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:54,960 Speaker 1: is able to fill that. But no, I mean, sometimes 412 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,399 Speaker 1: you're not sending anybody but the cards in the county 413 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:00,800 Speaker 1: CAD system are set up so that if somebody is 414 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:05,480 Speaker 1: not responding, they'll add another company onto the call. So 415 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: sometimes it can be kind of a patchwork of agencies 416 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:11,920 Speaker 1: and one engine might only have two people on it, 417 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 1: another might have six, and everybody ends up working together. 418 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 1: So on a fire, on an actual fire, which we 419 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: don't get a lot of, we're in a middle class 420 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:27,159 Speaker 1: residential area our local in particular, we have a nursing 421 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:31,640 Speaker 1: home and we have a couple of little, single story storefronts, 422 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: but really it's largely residential and it's middle class, so 423 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 1: things aren't going a light very often. But in the 424 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 1: event that we have one, and we had one this month, 425 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: it happened at noon on a workday, actually on Friday, 426 00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: on a Friday. So the only reason we had as 427 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:55,639 Speaker 1: many people show up from our mutual aid companies as 428 00:24:55,680 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: we did is because middle schoolers were doing ax service 429 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: at a number of different volunteer firehouses, and folks who 430 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:07,199 Speaker 1: were able to make themselves available from their jobs to 431 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: go and work with these middle schoolers and teach them 432 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: about the fire service happened to be in their firehouses 433 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,360 Speaker 1: that day. Wow, I was at my firehouse nobody else 434 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 1: in my company was available, and the tones drop, and 435 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,919 Speaker 1: I've got a pack of middle schoolers and one of 436 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 1: their teachers. They're waiting for their bus, and all I 437 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:28,240 Speaker 1: have is one of my cadets who I can't take 438 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: to a fire with me. I have to wait for 439 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,919 Speaker 1: them to leave, push the trucks back in from the 440 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 1: apron the end of the bay, and then I have 441 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,400 Speaker 1: to respond in my local as the only person from 442 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: my fire company. It was just about availability, but we've 443 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,639 Speaker 1: got We had a really robust response from our mutual 444 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,920 Speaker 1: aid partners and they did an excellent job. It's a 445 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,639 Speaker 1: little humbling though. You don't want to go alone, but 446 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:55,720 Speaker 1: somebody has to show up, right, So we show up. 447 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:57,200 Speaker 1: We show up, We do what we can. 448 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:04,520 Speaker 2: So what was your first firelight? A volunteer firefighter, a 449 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,480 Speaker 2: school teacher, been all over the world, your first fire? 450 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 2: You had to have been nervous. 451 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: So trying to think of I mean, I haven't had 452 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: a lot of fires. We don't get a lot of fires. 453 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 2: Okay, what was your first call to a wreck where 454 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:22,920 Speaker 2: you had to get somebody out of it and it's 455 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:27,920 Speaker 2: all mangled and stuff? Was your throat that stomach would 456 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:28,680 Speaker 2: be in my throat, so. 457 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 1: I'll only share a little bit about this call. So 458 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 1: I'll say that's that's the first dramatic one that I 459 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 1: went on. It was a call for a single vehicle accident, 460 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 1: and it was about four o'clock in the morning, and 461 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: three of us showed up. And that was something that 462 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 1: bothered me for a while that only three of us came, 463 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,159 Speaker 1: like everybody else slept. Two guys come, came from the 464 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: other company. Just people weren't available or had their pages 465 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,320 Speaker 1: off or whatever, or they're working because they're night shift, 466 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,719 Speaker 1: so their job. I can't hold that against anybody, just 467 00:26:56,760 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 1: like I wouldn't want it held against me if I'm 468 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: not coming. You know, we come when we can. And honestly, 469 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 1: the person was deceased and there wasn't a lot to 470 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 1: do for him as far as like something that is 471 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:13,359 Speaker 1: time sensitive. But the most difficult part of that was 472 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: the aftermath, because you go into it knowing that these 473 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 1: are the things that you're going to have to manage 474 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,879 Speaker 1: and deal with. The strangest thing that happened on that 475 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: call was somebody came from the coroner's office and it 476 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 1: was one of my high school friends. So that's our reunion. 477 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:33,720 Speaker 1: I haven't seen her since nineteen eighty seven, and she 478 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 1: looks at me, and I look at her, what are 479 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 1: you doing here? What are you doing here? And now 480 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 1: we have to do this work together to get this 481 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:44,679 Speaker 1: person into her van. The strangest thing was then I 482 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 1: went home and I showered, and I went to work 483 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: and I had to teach, and I'm walking around all day. 484 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 1: And I've done this on other calls since, and things 485 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: that have been that have hit closer to home because 486 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: they've been people I know walking around all day trying 487 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,439 Speaker 1: to deal with the daily life of high school life 488 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,640 Speaker 1: and the silliness of well, so and so was sitting 489 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,159 Speaker 1: in my seat, or I don't do my homework and 490 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,959 Speaker 1: you've got this thing on your shoulder kind of following 491 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 1: you around, like gosh, a handful of hours ago, I 492 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,440 Speaker 1: was doing that, and now I have to manage this. 493 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,399 Speaker 1: It's a tough transition. Sometimes it's got to be. 494 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:29,640 Speaker 2: Are you a volunteer of firefighters? Does the training address up. 495 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: Our county? And there are others just like it has 496 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: a really strong SISM program. So it's a critical incident 497 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 1: stress management group and it's made up of people who 498 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: are trained specifically for that, but are all active in 499 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,160 Speaker 1: fire police and ems. So these are people that also 500 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: donate their time when they're not doing something else. And 501 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: that former chief who helped me get my son into 502 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: the firehouse, he helps lead that for our county. And 503 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: in the event that there is a difficult call, then 504 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 1: the officer that is on that call will contact or 505 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: have Fireboard, which is our dispatch, contact the SISM team 506 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: so that they can send a member out. And I've 507 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: done that. I did that. We had a call where 508 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: we had to go in and look for somebody that 509 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,720 Speaker 1: hadn't been seen found in a while. So we found 510 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: them and the conditions in the house were pretty pretty grim, 511 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: and I had all young guys with me. They were 512 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: all nineteen year old guys, three of them, and I said, 513 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: everybody's going to go home a shower, and then you're 514 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 1: going to come back. I'm going to order pizza, but 515 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 1: you're coming back to the stations to just come home. 516 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: You're going to be back in thirty minutes. And I 517 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: called SISM, not because any of them were struggling with 518 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: it at the time, but I did it as a 519 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 1: preventative measure because I wanted to normalize talking about calls first, 520 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:55,240 Speaker 1: and the car accident that I told you about. I 521 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:58,000 Speaker 1: didn't talk to anybody about that afterwards, and it came 522 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: out sideways on somebody else a few weeks later, you know, 523 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 1: I got up and stormed out of the room because 524 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: someone's talking about not enough people showing up for a 525 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 1: pancake breakfast to help, you know, fundraiser, which is necessary 526 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,080 Speaker 1: in a lot of firehouses. And I thought, you're telling 527 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:13,160 Speaker 1: me I have to come to a pancake breakfast. Where 528 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: are you at three am on this road? 529 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 2: You know? So? 530 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:18,479 Speaker 1: And that wasn't fair to that person. They didn't deserve that. 531 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 2: But the point is this work doesn't come without its 532 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 2: stressors and trauma. 533 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: Absolutely, why do you do it? I don't know that 534 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,640 Speaker 1: love of adventure. I mean, I guess I know it. 535 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: I once you're in, and I think this is like 536 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: the magic of it. 537 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 2: It's like. 538 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,719 Speaker 1: You're outside the firehouse, you're outside the fire service, or 539 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 1: you're one two well maybe not one degree away, but 540 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 1: maybe two three degrees away. You understand it as a concept. 541 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: You understand that firefighters, volunteer firefighters go to some of 542 00:30:55,000 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 1: these horrible incidents, fires and car wrecks and cardiac arrests 543 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,480 Speaker 1: in the home and things like that. So you understand 544 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:10,360 Speaker 1: that academically, but it's then you walk in and you 545 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 1: do it and you take care of it, and you 546 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:15,960 Speaker 1: realize you are taking care of people in your own community. 547 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: And there's something that's really cool about that. You know, 548 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 1: there's like a level of trust. And I think, well, 549 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 1: I know, across the board, firefighters have a tremendous They 550 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: enjoy a tremendous level of trust from the public, and 551 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,400 Speaker 1: it's really it hurts me. It angers me. Actually, I 552 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 1: guess it hurts me too when people abuse that, when 553 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,360 Speaker 1: they're firefighters who abuse it, who steal from their stations, 554 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: who take advantage of people within their fire companies, their 555 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:41,520 Speaker 1: fire departments. You know, firehouse should be a safe place 556 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:45,040 Speaker 1: where everybody's equal, and sometimes that doesn't happen, And that 557 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: bothers me because I think we have so much trust, 558 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:49,640 Speaker 1: there's so much faith in us. They trust us in 559 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 1: our homes, they trust us with their loved ones. But 560 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 1: there's a reward that comes from that, which is is 561 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 1: kind of cool. So I guess it's selfish in a way. 562 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:00,280 Speaker 1: It makes you feel good about yourself. You know, doing 563 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:05,640 Speaker 1: something of value, even though you don't get paid for it, 564 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: you get paid in other ways. You get paid in 565 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,520 Speaker 1: the friendships you have. You know, the relationship I have 566 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 1: with my kids, who both got involved in it. Nobody 567 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: understands that. You know, I've been invited to go out 568 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 1: tonight with Memphis Fire and that's cool. 569 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:18,880 Speaker 2: Really? 570 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:22,560 Speaker 1: Yeah? Absolutely. I wrote an email. I said, hey, I'm 571 00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 1: in town. This is what I do, and if you 572 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:29,120 Speaker 1: have a firehouse, it's agreeable to it. I'd love to 573 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: ride along. So I got to call this afternoon. 574 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,600 Speaker 2: You're going to ride along with a Memphis firetruck tonight? 575 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: Yeah? 576 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 2: Why not? 577 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:40,320 Speaker 1: Why not? 578 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 2: And that concludes Part one of my conversation with Ellen Yarborough, 579 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 2: and you will not want to miss part two that's 580 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 2: now available to listen to, as we dive into how 581 00:32:53,320 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 2: she accidentally became this extraordinary recruiter of firefighters across America. Together, guys, 582 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 2: we can change the country. It starts with you. I'll 583 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 2: see you in part two