1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: Hey guys, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks. 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: And we continue now with part two of our conversation 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: with Ellen Yarborough, right after these brief messages from our 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 1: general sponsors. So have you been on a call with 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: your kid? 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah, So we went on a call to a 7 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 2: house in our township, but not our local, so our 8 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 2: other our sister company's local. And my son and I 9 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 2: are there and we've been on a few fires together, 10 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 2: but this one, this was great because we were on 11 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 2: a line together. We weren't first line in Again, it 12 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 2: takes us a while to assemble people. You've got to 13 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 2: get to the firehouse. None of us who are in 14 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 2: my fire company actually live very close to the firehouse, 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 2: so it's going to take a couple of minutes to 16 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 2: get there and then gear up and then and get 17 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: to see. So we don't take the first line, and 18 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 2: we pick up the second line and we go into 19 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 2: the house. Uh and uh. So I've got my son, 20 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 2: he's on the nozzle and I'm behind him, and we're 21 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 2: trying to push into the house, and of course all 22 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 2: the black smoke is coming out because it's a hoarder situation, 23 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 2: and it's just chock full of stuff, including old tires 24 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 2: and bikes. And I had to climb over a door 25 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 2: that was on the on its side in the middle 26 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 2: of a room and things like that. But as my 27 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 2: son's going in, somebody's upstairs or a window falls out 28 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 2: and lands on my son's head, you know, the glass shattering. 29 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 2: And he says, what was that. I said, nothing, just 30 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 2: keep going and keep going. And we go in and 31 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 2: and he said, you know, of course it's met with 32 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 2: black smoke. And he says, I can't see anything, like, 33 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 2: just hit whatever's red, whatever's orange, right right right, look 34 00:01:57,320 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 2: for the glow. So and at that point, I mean, really, 35 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 2: it's it's it's The problem is is every time you 36 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: move something, flames are gonna pua right, absolutely, so you're 37 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 2: just you're reigniting everything. And there was just a lot 38 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 2: of overhaul that we were doing. But it was just 39 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 2: fun to be with him. It was really cool. It 40 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 2: was hot work, but it was it was neat. I'm 41 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 2: doing that with my kid. How fun. We've done a 42 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 2: search for someone together before we had another fire. We 43 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 2: actually he and I were in different sides of the 44 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 2: building together. We did a roof rescue together. That was 45 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 2: pretty cool. 46 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: It's a roof rescue. 47 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 2: A roofer had a medical emergency, so we had to 48 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 2: package him and get him off of the roof and 49 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 2: into a window to be taken out by EMS. But 50 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 2: it's just neat because I know he's going to listen 51 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 2: to me and if I'm in danger, he's he's strong 52 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 2: as an ox and he'll just reach down yanking by 53 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 2: my collar and pull me out. And I trust him 54 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: and he can hear my voice. So, so. 55 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: How long was this program? The training program? 56 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 2: So we have county fire academies and to get your 57 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 2: initial certification fire one, which is just basic, you know, 58 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 2: enough to hopefully not do anything colossally stupid level, right, 59 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 2: but you go into it thinking like, yeah, this is 60 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 2: going to make me a firefighter, but it gives you 61 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 2: the cert that helps reduce insurance costs and things like 62 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 2: that allows you, you know, to then start the process 63 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 2: of becoming the firefighter that your department and your company 64 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 2: needs you to be. But really the most robust training 65 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 2: happens in house. So in order to get this initial 66 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 2: certification at the county level, well then recognize the state 67 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 2: level and then there's something called the pro board and 68 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 2: that's supposed to transfer state to state, although, as it's 69 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 2: true for most things the United States, it doesn't always 70 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 2: happen that way. You know, everybody has their own everybody 71 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 2: wants to have their own way of doing things. But 72 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 2: it's one hundred and eighty eight hours. 73 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: Wow. 74 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's pretty whop has your get's pretty demanding. 75 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 2: Our gear is purchased normally through we have a relief 76 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 2: organization and that's we add funds to that through as 77 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 2: we do for everything, through fundraising, through investments, through contributions 78 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 2: from the township. So we have a general fund, a 79 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 2: crew fund, the relief fund, and we get grants. We 80 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 2: write a lot of grants and grants will help pay 81 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 2: for equipment. For example, right now, we have a safer grant. 82 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 2: It's a federal grant for about four hundred and fifty 83 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 2: thousand dollars four hundred and twenty two thousand dollars maybe 84 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 2: over the course of the next five years for recruitment 85 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,279 Speaker 2: and retention. And part of that, for every new recruit 86 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:47,919 Speaker 2: who comes in that's going through the training, we get 87 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 2: a set of gear for them. So we've gotten other 88 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 2: grants that enable us to buy a second set of gear. 89 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 2: So if one set, if we are in a fire 90 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 2: or some other hazardous condition, that gear needs to be 91 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 2: sent off to be cleaned. We have a backup set 92 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 2: to wear. 93 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,159 Speaker 1: So I ask because I also found this, which I 94 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,799 Speaker 1: think is interesting, and I don't know if these numbers 95 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: are right. You can tell me if this is full 96 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: of prunes or not. But a helmet's three hundred bucks, 97 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 1: a coach's twelve hundred pants or eight seventy five boots 98 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: are three hundred. A hood that I think goes under 99 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 1: the helmets forty bucks. Gloves are ninety five. SCBA, which 100 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: I assume is a breathing apparatus is sixty three hundred. 101 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: A radio's thirty seven hundred, a thermal imager is twelve hundred, 102 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 1: and training is seventy eight hundred. I mean, there's twenty 103 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: thousand dollars in crap going on right there. To volunteer 104 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: your time, right right, And everybody has to have. 105 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 2: This right, everybody who's what depends on your level of training. 106 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 1: But to be a full fledged. 107 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, if you're going to be an interior firefighter 108 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 2: and respond to the most difficult calls, car wrecks and 109 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 2: things like that, and be an a hot zone, then yes, 110 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 2: you're going to need all of that equipment. 111 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: Every twenty three seconds a fire department responds to a 112 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: fire somewhere in the country, which means that every twenty 113 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: three seconds there's two thirds a chance somebody's volunteering their time, 114 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: their effort, their money, and potentially their well being in safety. 115 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 2: Well, I got to help out people that statistics. If 116 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 2: you look at those fires, how many of those are 117 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 2: going to be wildfires or even structural fires. They're normally 118 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 2: going to be in urban areas. So that's going to 119 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 2: skew your numbers a little bit. 120 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: Too, I get it. 121 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 2: But the point is with a lot of people doing 122 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 2: a lot of work. 123 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,840 Speaker 1: Yes, thirty eight hundred civilians I've lost their lives there 124 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: as a result of fire. Seventy five percent of all 125 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 1: civilian fire dusts occurred in residences. There were fourteen seven 126 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: hundred civilian fire injuries reported. Last year, there was an 127 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: estimated one point three million fires, and two thirds of these, 128 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: according to this were addressed by people like you, teachers 129 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: and line workers. 130 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 2: And I'd love a line worker to join us. 131 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: What are the occupations of the people in your house? 132 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: You got a teacher. 133 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 2: If you look traditionally, you're going to see a lot 134 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 2: of guys in the trades. And I'm sure in some 135 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 2: communities and some of our local communities we still have that. 136 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 2: My fire company, we've got chemical engineer, lawyer, me as 137 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 2: a teacher, finance, number of people in finance accounting it. 138 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: That's hilarious, absolutely, if you really think about that. I mean, 139 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: that is just people from all walks of life. And 140 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: the point is, you know, focusing on an army of 141 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: normal folks. That's some of everybody. Absolutely, and where else 142 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: are you going to get an attorney and a guy 143 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: right and a forklift on second shift on a line together. 144 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 2: And that's one of the things I really like about 145 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:25,119 Speaker 2: it is that we'll joke. Like politics, people will poke, 146 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 2: but everybody and you've got some of my friends will say, 147 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 2: how can you Some of my friends on one side 148 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 2: of the eise will say, well, how can you work 149 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 2: with that person? You knew who they voted for? I said, 150 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 2: because they will step over that campaign sign in somebody's 151 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 2: front yard safe to go put out that fire, you know, 152 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 2: to go take care of that family. 153 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: I'm so glad you said that. One of the things 154 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: I've said about this podcast is I don't care how 155 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: you vote, how you worship, what you look like, what 156 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: you think about politics, who you love. I don't care 157 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: any of that, because if you're doing something to serve 158 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: people in your community, regardless of all that other stuff 159 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: that I may disagree with completely, I can celebrate that 160 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: one thing about you. And if we can all celebrate 161 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: one another's service, regardless of who we are, what we 162 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: look like, what we come from, how we vote, how 163 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: we love, how we worship, whatever, that kind of starts 164 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 1: to create a foundation of respect and mutual appreciation that 165 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: now we can have those conversations in a civil, non 166 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: threatening way that aren't so toxic. And ironically enough, what 167 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: you're talking about the firehouse is a microcosm of what 168 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: I'm talking about could have been our country if we 169 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: just celebrated one another for the deeds we were doing. 170 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 2: Everybody gets a thank you for coming. We're happy you're here. 171 00:09:57,600 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 2: You know we needed you, We need you. We don't care. 172 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 2: I don't care who you go home to, how you vote, 173 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:05,840 Speaker 2: whatever you showed up. I needed somebody else on that 174 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:06,319 Speaker 2: truck with me. 175 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, if I voted for Trump and my house is 176 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:10,199 Speaker 1: burning down, and you voted for Biden and you put 177 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: it out and saved my child's life, and all of 178 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: a sudden, don't really care which politics. 179 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 2: Absolutely, and nobody cares that I'm a woman. I mean 180 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 2: the people that do that's more about them than it 181 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 2: is on me. Once I have my gear on, most 182 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 2: people don't know. So we were on a call and 183 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,200 Speaker 2: we brought our rescue truck because it's an airbank so 184 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 2: we can refill people's cylinders for them, and there. 185 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 1: Was a what do you mean you firefighter cylinders? They're 186 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: oxygen cylinders. 187 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 2: Well, if you're not carrying oxygen on your back into 188 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 2: a fire, that would be a bad thing. It's compressed air. 189 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: Okay, So but that's what you're talking about. Those things 190 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: that the guys bring through when. 191 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 2: They're contain breathing apparatus. 192 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,439 Speaker 1: Which is that scuba thing that's sixty three CBA. 193 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 2: Yeah right, yeah, don't leave that on scene. They have many. 194 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 2: So we went to a call far away, in fact, 195 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 2: we were on a car accident and this call came 196 00:10:58,280 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 2: in and we thought that this has got to be 197 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 2: a dispatch. This is all the way the other side 198 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 2: of the county. Why are they calling us. They wanted 199 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,679 Speaker 2: our rescue because we have the ability to refill cylinders 200 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 2: with air, so firefighters can go back in with a fresh, 201 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 2: fresh tank fresh cylinder, don't call it a tank. So 202 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 2: we're we're there and we're parked back out of the way. 203 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:22,680 Speaker 2: Folks are operating. There's actually an explosion. This house exploded. Nobody, 204 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 2: nobody was injured. It was miraculous. But so these guys 205 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 2: are working and every once in a while somebody will 206 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 2: come up with a few cylinders to be refilled. We'll 207 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 2: be doing that. So I've got my back turned to 208 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 2: the shoulder of the road and this guy goes, you know, 209 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 2: and now this is Delco. He's like, yo, buddy, Yo, 210 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 2: buddy yo, And so I turn around. He goes, oh, sorry, 211 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:49,559 Speaker 2: babeudy buddy, yeah, babe, and he says he just wants 212 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 2: to know what's going on. So I tell him what's 213 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 2: going on. So it's just kind of funny. So no, 214 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 2: I don't care, and the kind of and he's he's 215 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 2: an older guy, you know, he's just he's not being rude. 216 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:07,439 Speaker 2: He just wants to know what's going on. He's apologizing. Yeah, 217 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:08,440 Speaker 2: So I don't care. 218 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 3: We'll be right back, I as. 219 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 2: A teacher and a former student at my high school. 220 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: You know, yeah, because you bought you grew up in 221 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: so right now you're teaching at the same school you 222 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:31,320 Speaker 1: went to. Correct crazy. 223 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 2: So when I was a kid, when I was in 224 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 2: high school, every once in a while, there were boys 225 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:37,839 Speaker 2: their pagers would go off and they got to leave school. 226 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 2: And I was curious, but not curious enough. I mean 227 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:42,200 Speaker 2: I was busy, I played sports, you know, I had 228 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 2: other things. 229 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: Going on in high schools. That's a drug deal, right. 230 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 2: Right, Well, it is a dragon away, I mean it's 231 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 2: adrenaline rush, right, Yeah, they certainly get addicted to it. 232 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,320 Speaker 2: But those boys then at that time got to leave 233 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 2: school and go and respond to calls. Now that's not 234 00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 2: the case because of insurance liability for the school and 235 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:03,440 Speaker 2: all of that. And what I didn't appreciate was their 236 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 2: level of service at the time. And those guys that 237 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:07,560 Speaker 2: I remember still in and one of those was the 238 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 2: guy that later became our chief. And when my son 239 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 2: got involved. Now again, he's in eighth grade now, and 240 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 2: I see how much time and he's also an athlete, 241 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:18,599 Speaker 2: but I see how much time he's spending at the 242 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 2: firehouse and the things that he's doing, and at the time, 243 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 2: he was doing things that I would never allow fourteen 244 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 2: and fifteen year olds to do now, nor would the state. 245 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 2: But he kind of squeaked in and around some folks, 246 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,079 Speaker 2: I guess, to have a little more fun than a 247 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 2: boy should have at his age. But I just saw 248 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 2: how much time and how much learning was happening, and 249 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 2: the skills that he was developing, and the mentorship, the 250 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 2: teaching that these guys were doing, the absolutely responsibility what 251 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 2: he was entrusted with and how he managed that, and 252 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 2: even like soft skills of confidentiality, the things you see 253 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 2: the homes you go into Mum's the word. When you 254 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 2: come out and you want to talk about a call, 255 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 2: you talk about it with other folks here, but you 256 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 2: don't go gab about it, you don't take photos of it. 257 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 2: None of that happens. 258 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: And never even thought about that. But that's I've got 259 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: to be absolutely. 260 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 2: True, Absolutely that's that element of trust. And I thought 261 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 2: it was. And then now he's in high school and 262 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 2: he's still doing this, and he's recruiting a couple of 263 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 2: his buddies. So now we've got this little thing going here, 264 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 2: and I'm thinking why don't these kids get credit for 265 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 2: this at school? And none of the teachers really seem 266 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 2: to know, despite always having had volunteer firefighters in the school, 267 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 2: like every school around us, and half the guys who 268 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 2: are captains and chiefs and firefighters and the volunteer service 269 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 2: in my entire county started off as juniors and cadets, 270 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 2: so they've been doing this forever. But in order to 271 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 2: get that kind of credit, you would have to leave 272 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 2: half the school day and go to the vocational High 273 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 2: school for a votech program for a EMS fire police 274 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 2: class program which exists, which is tremendous, But then you're 275 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 2: leaving out the kids who do all of that stuff 276 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 2: on their free time, but don't want to leave school 277 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 2: for a tech program because they want to take AP 278 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 2: biology or they want to be on campus so that 279 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 2: they could go to wrestling practice right after school. So 280 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,000 Speaker 2: these were kids that were doing the work that weren't 281 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 2: getting credit for it. So I made a proposal. I 282 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 2: wrote a brief course description and justified it based on 283 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 2: Pennsylvania State Department of Education standards for Career and Technical education, 284 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 2: that they should get academic credit elective credit for the 285 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 2: work that they provide in the community with a firehouse, 286 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 2: and nobody said no. And I think that's been part 287 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 2: of my story, is nobody ever says no. So we 288 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,200 Speaker 2: went with it. And that was twenty eighteen. And what 289 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 2: was really cool and I was invited to do a 290 00:15:54,800 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 2: webinar in Maryland for the Maryland State Farman's Association on 291 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 2: recruitment of juniors. And what I showed on one slide 292 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:07,960 Speaker 2: was basically how one begets two, begets four. You know, 293 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 2: this kind of compounded growth, this exponential growth by bringing 294 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 2: in a single correct kid and him bringing in the 295 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 2: right friends. When I first approached guidance and teachers and 296 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 2: these are my friends generally, what I heard was and 297 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 2: firefighters are no good at denying this. What I heard was, well, 298 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 2: you know, it's kind of like the Marines. These kids 299 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 2: they need something they need, they need you know, kind 300 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 2: of ship up or shape or shape up or ship 301 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 2: out kind of stuff. And uh. And then you ask 302 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 2: older firefighters and they say, oh, guy, when I was 303 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 2: a kid, I was a Hellian, And well, would you 304 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:46,640 Speaker 2: want a Hellian in your fire company now in your firehouse? 305 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 1: Now? 306 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 2: Absolutely not. I don't want those kids. I don't want 307 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 2: the version of me when I was a teenager. I 308 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 2: worked hard, but maybe I play a little too hard. 309 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 2: So I had to I had to re characterize pain 310 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 2: a different portrait of who is suitable for a firehouse. 311 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 2: And you can't be someone who's failing out of classes, 312 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 2: your priority of school, that's why you're there. So they 313 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 2: had to be a student of some sort. They had 314 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 2: to be trustworthy, they had to be able to hold confidence, 315 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 2: you know, they had to be they can't be combative. 316 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:18,760 Speaker 2: If an adult says put your phone away, the phone 317 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 2: is away. There's no questions asked. Unlike in the classroom. 318 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 2: I fight that battle every day, but in the firehouse, 319 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:26,959 Speaker 2: I never fight it. Phones are up, let's go, and 320 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 2: the kids want to be there, so they don't do it. 321 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 2: So I kind of painted a new picture of what 322 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:39,160 Speaker 2: our ideal candidates would be. And my teachers, my peers 323 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,119 Speaker 2: have been great at recommending kids to me. I'll have 324 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 2: an English teacher with a freshman, send me a text. 325 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 2: I've got this great kid. He kind of has nothing 326 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:50,240 Speaker 2: right now. He's a big kid, he's a nice kid. 327 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 2: He's strong, but he's not playing sports, and he's friends 328 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 2: with this other boy. He's a firefighter. I'm wondering, Hey, 329 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,120 Speaker 2: maybe he can convince him to go to the firehouse. Fine, 330 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 2: send him to my office. I'll talk to him at 331 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,639 Speaker 2: fifth block end of the day. So now my teachers 332 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 2: are doing some of the recruiting for me, which is amazing. 333 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,919 Speaker 1: It is amazing because I'll go back to one of 334 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: the things I read earlier, which is many local volunteer 335 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: fire departments are struggling to meet staffing needs. Where better 336 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,200 Speaker 1: to get meet staffing needs by training them young, getting 337 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: involved and giving them credit for it, make them feel 338 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: part of something, and then all of a sudden you're 339 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: building literally an army of volunteers, you hope. 340 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,199 Speaker 2: So it all depends on where you live, too. So 341 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 2: the retention issue is big. I mean, recruitment is one thing. 342 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 2: So I can convince people to join, but how do 343 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 2: I keep them around? Because a lot of the kids 344 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 2: that I'm going after they have these are kids that 345 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 2: have any number of opportunities in front of them, including 346 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 2: my own two. So both my son and my daughter 347 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 2: are firefighters. But I recruited one boy. Actually I didn't 348 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 2: even recruit him. He just approached me and he said, 349 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 2: this was before is uh, I guess It was spring 350 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 2: of junior year. He said, I want to go to 351 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 2: the Naval Academy. Do you think being a firefighter, being 352 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 2: a junior firefighter will help me in that? I said, sure, 353 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 2: come on, I'll take I'll take anybody. 354 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: I actually believe it would. 355 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:15,880 Speaker 2: Absolutely it does. 356 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:17,680 Speaker 1: All those skills that you learn. 357 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 2: Yep, absolutely it does. And I said, not only that, 358 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 2: but if you're responding this much, then it's going to 359 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 2: go on your transcript. So they're going to say there's 360 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:28,679 Speaker 2: there's proof positive you're actually following through with it. And 361 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 2: now you have somebody who's going to speak on your 362 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 2: behalf to recruiters. I've had calls from police departments, fire 363 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 2: departments asking me about people who have gone through either 364 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,920 Speaker 2: with my fire company or one of the other neighborhood ones. 365 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 2: And the kids know me. They'll ask me, can I 366 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,679 Speaker 2: use you as a as a reference? I said, absolutely so, 367 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 2: and I track those kids. 368 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: And now you you you speak at conferences and you 369 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:02,560 Speaker 1: extraw and you instructed the National Fire Academy, and you 370 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 1: write for fire service publications and you advise LA based 371 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: production teams with how to approach the fire service for 372 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:18,000 Speaker 1: television series. I mean, what now. 373 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,359 Speaker 2: Some of that's luck. It's you know, the saying like 374 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 2: I know a guy, I had a guy, I know 375 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:26,920 Speaker 2: a guy, I always know a guy, or sometimes I'm 376 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 2: that guy. No, I think I've made the right connections. 377 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 2: So everybody's thinking too often about how can we build 378 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 2: a program, and how can we pay for this program, 379 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 2: who's going to staff it, who's going to do this, 380 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 2: who's going to do xyz? And my model. I'm trying 381 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 2: to just simplify, why are we pouring all this money 382 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:53,399 Speaker 2: into stuff? Kids have been going to firehouses teenagers, whether 383 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 2: they accept them at fourteen or they accept them at sixteen, 384 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 2: they've been going to firehouses for one hundred years at least. 385 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,960 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm saying modern fire service, not let's say 386 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 2: post World War two modern fire service. They've been showing up, 387 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,520 Speaker 2: but they've been showing up with their uncle, their grandfather, father, whoever. 388 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 2: But now they're showing up one kid at a time, 389 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:13,800 Speaker 2: or kid comes in and he brings another kid, Like 390 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,639 Speaker 2: we've had to go find the kids rather than the 391 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 2: kids coming to us, because it runs in the family blood. 392 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 2: And if that's not happening, then you've got school districts 393 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:29,120 Speaker 2: who want to create programs but don't have the funds 394 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 2: to fund another program, But they like community partnerships with 395 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 2: for their students. And you've got fire departments who want 396 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 2: to get into the schools, and they think that there 397 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,959 Speaker 2: always needs to be a formal class in the school 398 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 2: during the school day. And that works for robust school 399 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 2: districts that have that fund those funds, But what about 400 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:52,880 Speaker 2: the rural ones, you know, what about all these other 401 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:57,679 Speaker 2: groups and even in my community, And again my model is, 402 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,399 Speaker 2: what about the kids who don't want to give up 403 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 2: on certain classes because they're aiming to go to Carnegie 404 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:08,159 Speaker 2: Mellon or wherever, or the Naval Academy and they've got 405 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:10,959 Speaker 2: to take AP chemistry and AP physics. They can't have 406 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 2: half their day going somewhere else. So why don't we 407 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 2: just simplify it and just give them credit for what 408 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 2: they do out in the community. 409 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: All Right, So you're a teacher and your students know 410 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 1: that they're cool teachers kind of the spotfighter person too, Right, 411 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:32,400 Speaker 1: how's that go so? Well? 412 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 2: I guess most interestingly, sometimes I recruit right out of 413 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:41,479 Speaker 2: my own classroom. Yeah, and every anniversary of nine to eleven, 414 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 2: I show two videos. If you haven't seen him. I 415 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,919 Speaker 2: really should. ESPN did an extraordinary one called The Man 416 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 2: in the Red Bandana, and it's about a guy he 417 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 2: was a trader new to the job in one of 418 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 2: the towers. I can't remember which hold it. 419 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 1: I want to interrupt you and then tell it. We're 420 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,239 Speaker 1: going to tell this story on this. We're going to 421 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:04,919 Speaker 1: do a podcast on this about Wells Crowther, about the 422 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,359 Speaker 1: Man with Red Bandana. Okay, but you go ahead and 423 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,520 Speaker 1: tell it because this will be our lead in. In fact, 424 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: we may use the voiceover one day in a future episode. 425 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: But this is a great story. 426 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 2: Absolutely, So this is one of my favorite stories. And 427 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,360 Speaker 2: ESPN just does a top notch job on this. So 428 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,360 Speaker 2: you've got this young guy fresh out of college, Boston College, 429 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 2: and he's I believe he's a trader for some finance 430 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 2: guy in the World Trade Center. And he had been 431 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 2: a volunteer firefighter. He had been a junior, so he 432 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 2: started as a high schooler too, goes off to college, 433 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 2: plays ice hockey, plays lacrosse, et cetera, et cetera. And 434 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,639 Speaker 2: he had contacted his father shortly before nine to eleven 435 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,040 Speaker 2: and said, I don't want to do this. This isn't 436 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 2: what I want to do. I want to be a firefighter. 437 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:50,679 Speaker 2: And I'm sure his dad at the time, and he 438 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,679 Speaker 2: tells his story, it's really sad, and he's thinking, like, 439 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 2: what are you doing? You know, he just went to 440 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 2: college and. 441 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: Went to college. You're a trader. You're in the World 442 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:02,680 Speaker 1: Trade Center, in the mecca of Wall Street and everything. 443 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: You wouldn't give all that up to be a firefighter. 444 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:07,159 Speaker 1: But the kid was a volunteer firefighter. 445 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:12,160 Speaker 2: Yes, it's in his heart. So all hell breaks loose 446 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,199 Speaker 2: and he's in the position to help, and as his 447 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 2: father tells it in the story, he takes off his 448 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 2: trader's hat and puts on his firefighter hat, you know, proverbial, 449 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 2: and gets to work helping people out of the building. 450 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 2: And that ESPN short recounts that story, including interviews of 451 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,879 Speaker 2: people that recognized him because he carried a red bandana, 452 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,199 Speaker 2: which was a gift from his father when he was 453 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:41,879 Speaker 2: a kid. So that's a really cool story. So I 454 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:44,679 Speaker 2: share that the kids. Some will cry, you know, but 455 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 2: they now I've got them because to them nine to eleven, 456 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 2: two thousand and one, they weren't even born. And the 457 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 2: other one I show is about the nine to eleven 458 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 2: boat lift, which is a really cool story and it's 459 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:59,040 Speaker 2: narrated by Tom Hanks, and it's that in nine hours, 460 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,119 Speaker 2: all of the these vessels were called into service, and 461 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:05,440 Speaker 2: somehow the Coast Guard manages to wrangle these guys and 462 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:07,880 Speaker 2: their ferries and they're private fishing boats and all of that, 463 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:10,680 Speaker 2: and they managed to get five hundred thousand people off 464 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 2: of the south end of Manhattan in nine hours to 465 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,240 Speaker 2: all points, you know, at Staten Island, wherever, Hoboken, et cetera, 466 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 2: et cetera. So I love a feel good story, and 467 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 2: those are two really important stories. There's a tremendous documentary 468 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 2: that's too long to show and hold the student's attention 469 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,400 Speaker 2: these days by these two Frenchmen who came and are 470 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:36,679 Speaker 2: just following FDNY around and happened to be there on 471 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 2: a gas call when the first plane hits. 472 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:44,440 Speaker 1: Whose photos I saw three days ago in the nine 473 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 1: to eleven Museum when I was in Manhattan. They're on 474 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 1: the wall and on the whole back wall next to 475 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: the slurry wall. Those Frenchman's photos are in the nine 476 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,600 Speaker 1: to eleven Museum right now. I saw them three days ago. 477 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 3: I was there. 478 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 2: I was just up there about a month ago with 479 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 2: a friend. She was visiting from Idaho and never been. 480 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:02,399 Speaker 2: I said, fine, I'll take the train up. Let's go. 481 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 1: So when you go in that museum, now, being a 482 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: fire fighter yourself, how's it affect you? 483 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 2: Well, I think there were a lot of one. That 484 00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:21,920 Speaker 2: department lost an entire generation of leaders, not to mention 485 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 2: all the men that followed them in the buildings that day. 486 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 2: And I think, no matter where you work, the idea 487 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:31,000 Speaker 2: that at some point you're not going to be there, 488 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 2: it needs to be in your head so that you're 489 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 2: actually you learn something, you turn around and you teach 490 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,480 Speaker 2: somebody else. So and I don't know the whole story 491 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,680 Speaker 2: about how that department rebuild itself, but fortunately those guys 492 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 2: were teachers, and now these guys step into their boots 493 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 2: and rebuild the department. And I'm sure they shuffled plenty 494 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,239 Speaker 2: of people around, you know. But that's kind of an 495 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:59,320 Speaker 2: extraordinary story of rebirth for that department. But back to 496 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 2: showing these two videos. So I've got a kid in 497 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 2: my class and she's a senior. Again it's a first 498 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 2: week of school, and she's an ice hockey player. So 499 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:14,440 Speaker 2: now she's interested in this story because the ESPN story 500 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 2: because of Wells Crowther and I had said, is my 501 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 2: lead in that they knew. Most of the kids know 502 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 2: that I'm with the local fire company. I see them 503 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,920 Speaker 2: on calls. I go into their homes And at the 504 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 2: end of class she says, I want to be a firefighter. 505 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,399 Speaker 2: I said, fine, show up Monday night. So she shows 506 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:31,840 Speaker 2: up Monday night. We were doing a really fun training, 507 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 2: put her in gear, put a pack on her. She 508 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 2: went on air for the first time to kind of 509 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,639 Speaker 2: crawl around. It was simulating finding your way out following 510 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,640 Speaker 2: a hose line out of a building in darkness. So 511 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 2: put the mask over her or I'm sorry, the hood 512 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,200 Speaker 2: over her face over her mask, so she couldn't see 513 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 2: anything and had to feel her way out. And she 514 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:58,959 Speaker 2: loved it. And now she went to the Academy in 515 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 2: Massachusetts where she go to college. She's a fire science major. 516 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:03,200 Speaker 2: She wants to be a firefighter. She wants to be 517 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 2: a career firefighter. Usually when she's around, we don't get anything. 518 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,280 Speaker 2: But this summer she caught a nice brushfire on the 519 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 2: on a highway with my son. So I think of 520 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,440 Speaker 2: all the people that can be out on a brush 521 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 2: fire for four hours. I'm glad it was the two 522 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 2: college athletes and not not me and her are other gray, 523 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,680 Speaker 2: gray haired folks. But they had a great time. So 524 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,200 Speaker 2: they're just chasing brushfire, all right. 525 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: So then something happens and you provide testimony to the 526 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 1: Pennsylvania Legislature explain all that. 527 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 2: I don't. I'm not really sure how everything started to 528 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:57,520 Speaker 2: unfold like that, but it's been My trajectory is unusual, 529 00:28:57,680 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 2: I guess really, and you. 530 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: Were an than France. 531 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:05,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, but even this whole I mean, it's just kind 532 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 2: of truncated into this, this kind of sub career or 533 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 2: extra career of doing all of these things where my 534 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 2: name is ahead of anything I've done. Sometimes, you know, 535 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 2: like I want to do it first. And the other 536 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,640 Speaker 2: day somebody says, oh I heard about you. You're famous. 537 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:26,959 Speaker 2: I'm like, what did I do? And he's, oh, I 538 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,720 Speaker 2: just hear you're famous. So I don't know what that is. 539 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:30,640 Speaker 2: That a good thing? Is that a bad thing? But 540 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 2: it was just it was a guy who had been 541 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 2: one of my instructors when I went through fire one. 542 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 2: I just ran and ohim in the cafeteria the academy 543 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 2: the other day. But there's some good folks in the state. 544 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 2: I've made some really great connections. 545 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,160 Speaker 1: And Ellen, I'm gonna go ahead and say this for you. Okay, 546 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: I know you didn't seek it out. I didn't either. Yeah, 547 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:55,040 Speaker 1: I get it embarrassing, and I appreciate the humility and 548 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,360 Speaker 1: everything else. But a woman who's forty five, who's been 549 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: all over the place, that's a teacher who comes a 550 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 1: volunteer firefighter and then almost becomes the face of volunteer firefighting. 551 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 2: In that part of the world, that's well, I don't 552 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 2: know about that. 553 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 3: I do, We'll be right back. 554 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:34,440 Speaker 2: So I had mentioned my former principal who hired me 555 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:38,360 Speaker 2: back at my school. She moved on and she's superintendent 556 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 2: in another another county north of us, in another school district, 557 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 2: and she's a wonderful person. I'm going to have dinner 558 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 2: with her and a few friends here in a few weeks. 559 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,000 Speaker 2: And she's been a big supporter of me in all 560 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,160 Speaker 2: my endeavors, which is nice. So one day I get 561 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 2: a call from a guy who knows another guy that 562 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,680 Speaker 2: knows me. Yeah, I know a guy and he is 563 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 2: a chief at a fire company in this county, and 564 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 2: he said, we're really struggling with getting juniors. I've been 565 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 2: hearing about what you're doing down in Delco and Delaware County, 566 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 2: and we're wondering if you could come up and talk 567 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:18,480 Speaker 2: to us. And I said, what's your school district? And 568 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 2: he tells me and I said, well, you're not going 569 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 2: to believe this. I said, but your superintendent's a friend 570 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 2: of mine, she's my old boss. I said, don't worry, 571 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:28,800 Speaker 2: this is going to happen. And so I went up 572 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 2: to meet with them. So we organized a meeting. So 573 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 2: it was the school superintendent, my old principal, and then 574 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,520 Speaker 2: chiefs from these three different fire companies that all run together. 575 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:39,480 Speaker 2: And I brought my daughter with me, who was a 576 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 2: high schooler who was really reluctant to join the fire 577 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 2: department and eventually get sucked in during the pandemic because 578 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 2: there was nothing else to do. And now she wants 579 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 2: to be a therapist for first responders, which is extraordinary. 580 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: So cool. She's cool. 581 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:56,360 Speaker 2: So so we sit down at the table do the introductions, 582 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 2: and the superintendent said, so what can I do for you? 583 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,080 Speaker 2: And I thought the chiefs were about to fall out 584 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 2: of their chairs because here's a school district saying like, no, 585 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:09,560 Speaker 2: you don't have to do anything. What can I do 586 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 2: for you? Like, what do you need me to do 587 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 2: to get you juniors into the firehouse? And they hit 588 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 2: the ground running. They're off and running. They did kind 589 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,920 Speaker 2: of like a meet the Firefighter program at the school 590 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 2: hands on, brought a lot of equipment and then started 591 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:28,080 Speaker 2: recruiting and now they're building their junior program. So I've 592 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 2: done that locally regionally, I should say Lancaster County. They 593 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,240 Speaker 2: just got theirs totally up and going. I actually brought 594 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 2: my juniors out. They were running a summer camp for 595 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:41,160 Speaker 2: little kids a few summers ago, and I brought my 596 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 2: juniors with me to help run their day camp with 597 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 2: them for a couple of days. And they were really 598 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 2: impressed with my juniors at the time. So now they're 599 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 2: often going and a couple of our sister companies that 600 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,280 Speaker 2: I'll see on calls. It's actually helped me in some 601 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:59,960 Speaker 2: of my professional relationships with folks who will kind of 602 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 2: stare me down, but then they see what I'm trying 603 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:04,440 Speaker 2: to do for them too, and I kind of celebrate 604 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,800 Speaker 2: their junior's achievements. I share that on my social media. 605 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 2: Look what this department's doing and now those relationships have 606 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:13,800 Speaker 2: gotten a little bit stronger. 607 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: So you are now I think you're the deputy. 608 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,520 Speaker 2: Chief, right, Yeah, process of elimination. 609 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 1: You keep downplaying yourself. It's really bad. 610 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:30,960 Speaker 2: How many people get nominated one. 611 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:34,920 Speaker 1: Your debt chief and you're you're involved now in helping 612 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:38,560 Speaker 1: or teaching to train, to train how many of these 613 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: fire departments. 614 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 2: Well, so I've done some webinars for the State of Pennsylvania, 615 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:49,400 Speaker 2: and I'm on a group, like a kind of a 616 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:55,040 Speaker 2: focus group for the State Fire Commissioner's Office, and I've 617 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 2: had calls a lot of freebies. I've done a lot 618 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:02,240 Speaker 2: of free work. But locally there are one, two, three, 619 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 2: about ten or twelve nearby that I've had direct hands 620 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:11,720 Speaker 2: on that I actually have something in my pocket from, 621 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:15,040 Speaker 2: not that it ever balances out. But I didn't do 622 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,279 Speaker 2: it for the money. I just felt that it was 623 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:20,759 Speaker 2: the right thing to do to share this stuff. And 624 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:22,479 Speaker 2: it was a couple of friends of mine who were saying, 625 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:24,200 Speaker 2: if you're not going to make money off of this, 626 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:26,880 Speaker 2: somebody's going to steal your ideas and they're gonna take 627 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 2: it and they're going to run with it and they're 628 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:31,680 Speaker 2: going to make money. So I'm not a salesperson. I 629 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:33,359 Speaker 2: just think this is the right way to do it, 630 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 2: to find a population that we'd otherwise ignore. Why don't 631 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:42,279 Speaker 2: we recruit the top kids. Why don't we recruit kids 632 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:46,080 Speaker 2: that are taking all these classes that are three varsity 633 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 2: sport athletes. You know, why aren't we going for top 634 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:51,959 Speaker 2: notch kids? Why are people waiting for people to walk 635 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 2: in their door? And we get what we get. But 636 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 2: the neat thing is is our juniors are still across 637 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:01,600 Speaker 2: the spectrum. You know, We've got kids who struggle in 638 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:04,720 Speaker 2: school that were on them. I look at their grades, 639 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 2: the ones that are in my school. I can say, hey, 640 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 2: you know what's happening here. I'll have a math teacher say, hey, 641 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,799 Speaker 2: so and so's not doing so hot right now. You 642 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:13,400 Speaker 2: want to talk to them and I remind them that 643 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,400 Speaker 2: schools their job and things like that. But I like 644 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:18,520 Speaker 2: that that we have a diversity of learners because that 645 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 2: reflects the fire company too. And some of these kids 646 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 2: are top notch. They can tie knots all day long 647 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:27,239 Speaker 2: and create rigging systems that are extraordinary, but they're not 648 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:29,319 Speaker 2: going to take ap physics. It's just not their thing. 649 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,080 Speaker 2: Their hands on people they're not textbook people. 650 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:38,240 Speaker 1: So ten municipalities, kids all over the place, all kinds 651 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:41,879 Speaker 1: of training. It's not bad for a forty five year 652 00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: old teacher decides she's going to hang out with their kid. Yeah, 653 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:47,839 Speaker 1: run volunteer, eat. 654 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:50,080 Speaker 2: Some pizza, and eat some pizza. 655 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:50,399 Speaker 1: Yeah. 656 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 2: I tried to give it up twice. So every November 657 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:56,720 Speaker 2: is in the volunteer world, they call it silly season 658 00:35:56,719 --> 00:35:59,320 Speaker 2: because that's when all the politics come out and people choose, 659 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 2: they kind of, you know, jockey for position to be 660 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:06,440 Speaker 2: an officer. But our company is so small. There's I 661 00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:09,800 Speaker 2: don't know, maybe twelve of us who'll keep it moving forward, right, 662 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:12,440 Speaker 2: and so nobody else wants it. It's kind of a 663 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:15,440 Speaker 2: hot potato. So I tried to give it up, but 664 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:17,879 Speaker 2: there's nobody who is able to do it. And as 665 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 2: our president said to me one day, when I said, look, 666 00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:21,879 Speaker 2: I just I don't have the time. There are other 667 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:23,400 Speaker 2: things I want to do now my kid, I'm an 668 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:26,320 Speaker 2: empty nester. Now I want to do other things. And 669 00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:28,800 Speaker 2: he said, you're still going to do the work anyway, 670 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:32,200 Speaker 2: you might as well wear the hat. And then I said, okay, fine, 671 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:33,800 Speaker 2: but I'm not going to come to all these calls 672 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 2: maybe I won't even make twenty percent, and he says, 673 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:38,759 Speaker 2: nobody will care. Just do what you can do, which 674 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:40,600 Speaker 2: is all we ask of anybody. Just give what you 675 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 2: can give. We don't kick people out of unless we 676 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:44,399 Speaker 2: don't see him for a year. We're not kicking people 677 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:45,880 Speaker 2: out because maybe they'll come back around. 678 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:50,719 Speaker 1: I think your story is a beautiful answer to a 679 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 1: question an army and normal folks gets all the time, 680 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,960 Speaker 1: which is, I'm so inspired, you know what can I do? 681 00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:04,080 Speaker 1: What different can I make? I'm too young, I'm too old, 682 00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:11,880 Speaker 1: and you and your kids just to spell the notion, 683 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 1: one's fourteen, one's forty five doing the same thing, serving 684 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:20,759 Speaker 1: their community on a volunteer basis. And the answer is, 685 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:23,320 Speaker 1: you don't have to be part of some in geo. 686 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,839 Speaker 1: You don't have to start some massive five oh one 687 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,719 Speaker 1: c three. You see an area of need in your 688 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:33,239 Speaker 1: community and you feel it, and every day it's an 689 00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:40,000 Speaker 1: opportunity to do something. Alex reminded me of a guy 690 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:43,920 Speaker 1: who does a speech talking about go today. You're not 691 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,880 Speaker 1: too old, you're not too young. And I can't remember 692 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 1: the guy's name. Matthew Kelly. Yeah, Matthew Kelly, and I'm 693 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:54,320 Speaker 1: going to give him credit here so I don't get sued. 694 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:57,480 Speaker 1: But he says in one of his speech, do not 695 00:37:57,560 --> 00:37:59,640 Speaker 1: say you're too old. Do not say you're too young. 696 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:05,200 Speaker 1: Pablo Picasso fifty five years old when he paided Ernica 697 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,040 Speaker 1: and began a revolution in the arts. Don perry On 698 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,360 Speaker 1: was sixty years old when he produced a first glass 699 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:14,320 Speaker 1: of Champagne. Oscar Hammerstein sixty four years old when he 700 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:18,040 Speaker 1: wrote the sound of Music. Winston Churchill sixty five when 701 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:22,720 Speaker 1: he became Britain's Prime minister and stood up to Hitler. 702 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:25,480 Speaker 1: Nelson Mandela was seventy one years old when he was 703 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,160 Speaker 1: released from prison for more than twenty years in prison, 704 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:30,160 Speaker 1: and four years later, at the age of seventy five, 705 00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:34,319 Speaker 1: he became the President of South Africa. Michael Angelo was 706 00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:38,080 Speaker 1: seventy two when he designed the Dome of Saint Peter's 707 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:41,239 Speaker 1: in Rome. Benjamin Franklin seventy nine years old when n 708 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:45,879 Speaker 1: viented by vocals. Frank Lloyd Wright was ninety one when 709 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:54,360 Speaker 1: he finished his work on the Guggenheim. Dimitri I don't 710 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:57,000 Speaker 1: know his whole name, but this guy was ninety eight 711 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:01,440 Speaker 1: years old when he ran a marathon and he was 712 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:04,920 Speaker 1: ninety eight years old when he ran the Athens Marathon, 713 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:10,279 Speaker 1: and a guy named you Riah was one hundred years 714 00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:13,960 Speaker 1: years old when he climbed Mount Fuji. So you're never 715 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:19,160 Speaker 1: too old and you're never too young. Because Anne Frank 716 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:21,840 Speaker 1: was thirteen years old when she began her diary. Walf 717 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:26,080 Speaker 1: Waldo Emerson fourteen years old, we enrolled at Harvard. Paul 718 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:30,920 Speaker 1: McCartney fifteen years old when John Lennard invited him to 719 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:34,200 Speaker 1: join this little band. Bill Gates was nineteen when he 720 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:37,359 Speaker 1: co founded Microsoft, and Joe Demajio was twenty six when 721 00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:42,239 Speaker 1: he hit safely for fifty six consecutive games. You're never 722 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:45,160 Speaker 1: too old, you're never too young. And when people listen 723 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:47,320 Speaker 1: to an army of normal folks and they become inspired 724 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:51,200 Speaker 1: and they doubt themselves, these people that we just talked 725 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:57,320 Speaker 1: about from that speech, and you and your son show us, 726 00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:02,799 Speaker 1: and your daughter show us. Now your students absolutely show us. 727 00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:05,399 Speaker 1: You're never too young. You're never too old. And when 728 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:10,040 Speaker 1: you match a passion with the discipline and a place 729 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:14,040 Speaker 1: of opportunity, you can serve and you can not only 730 00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:18,880 Speaker 1: change lives, but in your case, save them. How a 731 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:23,920 Speaker 1: warning is that when you don't know all shucks humility 732 00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:25,719 Speaker 1: on this one when you just sit back for a 733 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:27,399 Speaker 1: second and think of the last ten years of your 734 00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:30,160 Speaker 1: life when you're forty five years old and took your 735 00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:33,040 Speaker 1: kid at thirteen to fill out that cadet form and 736 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:38,600 Speaker 1: then eventually volunteered to the meaningful work you're now doing 737 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:41,879 Speaker 1: that ultimately does save lives, and it feels a huge 738 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:45,160 Speaker 1: area of need because, as we know, two thirds of 739 00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:48,759 Speaker 1: our departments all volunteer, and without those volunteers, your house 740 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:50,719 Speaker 1: is burning down and nobody's coming to get you out 741 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:56,640 Speaker 1: of the red car. Have you taken just a second 742 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:02,480 Speaker 1: to think, Wow, look how awarding this is? 743 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:07,759 Speaker 2: Oh? Absolutely, I think again, it's been huge for me 744 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:13,280 Speaker 2: as a mother raising two kids who are that aware 745 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:17,840 Speaker 2: of the needs of others. My daughter called me a 746 00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:22,440 Speaker 2: flying home or after flying back to school. She said, well, 747 00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:24,600 Speaker 2: I had to take care of somebody on a flight. 748 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:26,280 Speaker 2: I said, well, what happened? 749 00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:27,799 Speaker 1: Are you kidding me now? 750 00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:34,239 Speaker 2: She said, poor kid? She said. The flight attendant comes 751 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:37,760 Speaker 2: over the announcements and said, do we have any medical 752 00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:42,000 Speaker 2: personnel on board? And it's crickets crickets And she's saying, well, 753 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:45,200 Speaker 2: that's not me. And again again, please, are there any 754 00:41:45,239 --> 00:41:47,480 Speaker 2: people who have any medical training on board? We have 755 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:49,600 Speaker 2: a passenger who needs some help and she's thinking like 756 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:54,160 Speaker 2: they are not talking about me. So the flight attendants 757 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:58,640 Speaker 2: walking past her, and my daughter who has just gone 758 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:01,120 Speaker 2: through the very basic she has yet to have a fire. 759 00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:04,719 Speaker 2: I think she had a multi fire one day. She's 760 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:07,040 Speaker 2: twenty and she doesn't want to be a firefighter. She 761 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:10,239 Speaker 2: wanted to get certified to be a firefighter to get 762 00:42:10,239 --> 00:42:14,400 Speaker 2: her empty because she wants to be able to be 763 00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:18,680 Speaker 2: a therapist for people. You know, the PTSD is extraordinary. 764 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:22,680 Speaker 2: I think we're doing a much better job of taking 765 00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:25,120 Speaker 2: care of our people and that preventative medicine kind of stuff, 766 00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:28,920 Speaker 2: normalizing talking. That's new for this generation, but folks have 767 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:30,919 Speaker 2: been in forty fifty years. You know how many people 768 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:36,160 Speaker 2: could we save from alcoholism, from divorce, from suicide because 769 00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:38,719 Speaker 2: they know that they had somebody who they could talk to, 770 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:41,399 Speaker 2: that would listen and that would understand. So for her 771 00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:44,040 Speaker 2: to have those SERTs on the wall, to have her 772 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:46,040 Speaker 2: helmet up there, a couple of pictures of herself whatever, 773 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:48,520 Speaker 2: that gives it some gravitas, right, It gives her some 774 00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:51,920 Speaker 2: legitimacy in talking to these people. So but here she 775 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,880 Speaker 2: is and she hasn't even tested yet for her empty 776 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:58,920 Speaker 2: so she just went through the class and she says 777 00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:02,040 Speaker 2: it to the tenant because this woman's kind of panicking 778 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:05,800 Speaker 2: or at least uncomfortable. She said, well, I have my EMT, 779 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:08,920 Speaker 2: but I'm just a student. She's a great come with me. 780 00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 2: She's thinking, what and Jesus, she's going to the back 781 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:15,839 Speaker 2: of the plane and she's saying to herself as she's 782 00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:19,120 Speaker 2: going back, please don't be a rectal bleed. Please don't 783 00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:26,040 Speaker 2: be a rectal bleed. Oh, absolutely not, and gets back there. 784 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,040 Speaker 2: And it was somebody who had a seizure, so she 785 00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:29,759 Speaker 2: knew what to do, she knew how to handle it. 786 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:33,200 Speaker 2: I've had a couple seizures in my life, so she 787 00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:35,600 Speaker 2: was comfortable with that. So that was in her her 788 00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:37,920 Speaker 2: scope of practice for sure to be able to take 789 00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:40,240 Speaker 2: care of this person, to say to somebody else, Nope, 790 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:42,360 Speaker 2: we're not giving her anything to drink right now, and 791 00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,719 Speaker 2: basically be there and help this person from continuing to 792 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:49,920 Speaker 2: injure themselves in convulsions until as they were taxiing coming 793 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:53,560 Speaker 2: back and having that person taken away by by more 794 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:57,920 Speaker 2: trained medical folks. Then that's still super cool. 795 00:43:58,120 --> 00:43:59,960 Speaker 3: So cool is that it's cool? 796 00:44:00,920 --> 00:44:04,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a long way from the south of France. Absolutely, 797 00:44:05,680 --> 00:44:10,480 Speaker 1: it's an amazing story. I gotta believe. I'm hoping people 798 00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:13,759 Speaker 1: listening to us, there's going to be some people to say, Hey, 799 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:16,240 Speaker 1: I want to be a volunteer Fride. That sounds school. 800 00:44:16,239 --> 00:44:18,520 Speaker 1: That's something I can do. And I'm not too old. 801 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:21,239 Speaker 1: I'm not too young. It's something I can do. If 802 00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 1: a divorced forty five year old mother or two who's 803 00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 1: a social studies a psychology teacher can do it and 804 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:29,399 Speaker 1: do all that you've done, I can do it. If 805 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 1: somebody wants to hear more and reach out to you 806 00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:35,520 Speaker 1: and get a little mentoring on it, how do they 807 00:44:35,560 --> 00:44:36,640 Speaker 1: reach you? Oh? 808 00:44:36,680 --> 00:44:40,680 Speaker 2: Absolutely well, I have for my consulting, I have this 809 00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:46,480 Speaker 2: Ellen at Schoolhouse to Firehouse dot com, and certainly that's 810 00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:49,120 Speaker 2: how I communicate with folks who are just starting the 811 00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:52,440 Speaker 2: journey of these partnerships with school districts. But I could 812 00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:56,160 Speaker 2: certainly take take some emails from folks that way. 813 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:59,680 Speaker 1: And if we have teachers that say or school administrators 814 00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:04,400 Speaker 1: say that's something we need, they reach out to Ellen. 815 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:05,320 Speaker 1: Do it again. 816 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:09,400 Speaker 2: Ellen at Schoolhouse too firehouse dot com. 817 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:13,160 Speaker 1: You're gonna leave here and go hang out on a 818 00:45:13,239 --> 00:45:16,520 Speaker 1: Memphis fire truck somewhere. Give us a shout. What house 819 00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:21,480 Speaker 1: Station two, Station Tree Battalion is that downtown? 820 00:45:21,560 --> 00:45:22,160 Speaker 2: That's downtown. 821 00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 1: Are you going to the right across from the hotel? 822 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:24,680 Speaker 2: Correct? 823 00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:27,759 Speaker 3: So she's staying with her in her hotel and she's 824 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:29,080 Speaker 3: literally going across the street. 825 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:36,200 Speaker 1: Is awesome? Well, uh, I hope nobody gets hurt, and 826 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:40,560 Speaker 1: I hope there's nothing, nobody loses anything, but I hope 827 00:45:40,600 --> 00:45:42,239 Speaker 1: you at least get to go out on a truck 828 00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:43,040 Speaker 1: with him first. Oh. 829 00:45:43,120 --> 00:45:44,399 Speaker 2: Absolutely, I'll be doing that. 830 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:44,960 Speaker 1: I mean it. 831 00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:47,080 Speaker 2: I'll be traveling with the Chief. The Chief. 832 00:45:47,160 --> 00:45:48,640 Speaker 1: It's a Memphis. Something's gonna happen. 833 00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:49,440 Speaker 2: Something's gonna happen. 834 00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:52,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, trust me, there's always something going on around here. 835 00:45:52,800 --> 00:45:53,720 Speaker 2: And it's just different. 836 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:58,080 Speaker 1: Be careful and have fun. And Ellen, thanks so much 837 00:45:58,120 --> 00:45:59,959 Speaker 1: for flying out and joining us. Tell us your story. 838 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:04,840 Speaker 1: It is really a cool story and hopefully a reminder 839 00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:08,200 Speaker 1: and an inspiration to the people that we hope join 840 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:12,080 Speaker 1: the army of normal folks that you're never too old, 841 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:15,759 Speaker 1: you're never too young, and there's always something we can 842 00:46:15,800 --> 00:46:17,760 Speaker 1: do to serve Yes, ma'am. 843 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:22,120 Speaker 2: So for somebody to want to join a fire company, 844 00:46:22,160 --> 00:46:28,080 Speaker 2: a volunteer fire company or fire department, when we say 845 00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:31,040 Speaker 2: there's never you're never too old for it. We have 846 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:35,160 Speaker 2: people the vast majority of the people are in support roles. 847 00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:37,879 Speaker 2: Just like moving an army along, you have so many 848 00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:41,239 Speaker 2: more people that provide the support that do for at 849 00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:46,359 Speaker 2: least for volunteer fire departments. The fundraising, the advertising, the recruiting, 850 00:46:46,840 --> 00:46:49,600 Speaker 2: all of that kind of stuff. Building maintenance, truck maintenance. 851 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:54,520 Speaker 2: There really is a job for everybody. So there are 852 00:46:54,520 --> 00:46:56,799 Speaker 2: going to be plenty of people, including somebody like me 853 00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:59,799 Speaker 2: who said, well I'll take some pictures on calls, who 854 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:02,799 Speaker 2: will come in and say, well, here's my limit, and 855 00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:04,759 Speaker 2: then they find that there are other ways that they 856 00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:07,120 Speaker 2: can get involved. So they might put their foot in 857 00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:08,560 Speaker 2: the door and say, how about if I just come 858 00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:10,799 Speaker 2: and cook for you guys one night a month. And 859 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:13,839 Speaker 2: we've had folks do that. That's a foot in the door, 860 00:47:14,160 --> 00:47:19,480 Speaker 2: And once we get them in the station, then it's 861 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:21,880 Speaker 2: limitless the kinds of things that they can do, and 862 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:26,040 Speaker 2: people find that it's a really nice place to be. 863 00:47:26,239 --> 00:47:30,280 Speaker 2: The kitchen table is the heart of any fire department 864 00:47:30,320 --> 00:47:32,399 Speaker 2: of any fire station. I hope to be sitting around 865 00:47:32,400 --> 00:47:35,239 Speaker 2: a kitchen table tonight, because that's where you really get 866 00:47:35,239 --> 00:47:38,879 Speaker 2: to know people and know why they do what they do, 867 00:47:39,360 --> 00:47:42,479 Speaker 2: and what they need and maybe how you can fill 868 00:47:42,520 --> 00:47:45,280 Speaker 2: in the blanks for them, because invariably, in any given 869 00:47:45,280 --> 00:47:48,279 Speaker 2: fire department volunteer, there's going to be some blanks that 870 00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:49,040 Speaker 2: need to be filled. 871 00:47:49,520 --> 00:47:53,040 Speaker 1: And even if you're serving the ones who are providing 872 00:47:53,120 --> 00:47:57,480 Speaker 1: the service, it's still serving, it's still filling in airy need. 873 00:47:57,600 --> 00:48:00,320 Speaker 1: I'm still being a part of an army of normal 874 00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:03,200 Speaker 1: folks seeing a place and need and filling it. And 875 00:48:03,239 --> 00:48:05,719 Speaker 1: what you're saying is you don't have to be on 876 00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:08,120 Speaker 1: the end of a hose. There's a plethora of other 877 00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:12,640 Speaker 1: opportunities inside a volunteer fire department serve your community absolutely, 878 00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:18,320 Speaker 1: and you want to make sure there's somebody that answers 879 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:25,520 Speaker 1: that call. So it's an opportunity for everybody. Ellen, awesome story. 880 00:48:25,960 --> 00:48:28,000 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for sharing it with us, Thanks 881 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:30,560 Speaker 1: so much for the inspiration, Thanks so much for reminding 882 00:48:30,640 --> 00:48:34,839 Speaker 1: us of the fact that you're never too old, you're 883 00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:38,920 Speaker 1: never too young, and there's never not there's never a 884 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:43,200 Speaker 1: meaningless job in the entire network of all of it, 885 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:50,239 Speaker 1: and what you've done to help kids to find an 886 00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:52,960 Speaker 1: outlet and another thing to do. The whole story is 887 00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:57,200 Speaker 1: just phenomenal, and again, be careful tonight. Thank you thanks 888 00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:06,400 Speaker 1: for joining us, and thank you for joining us this week, 889 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:09,560 Speaker 1: and to our friends at the National Volunteer Fire Council 890 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:14,040 Speaker 1: for recommending Ellen's story. If Ellen or another guest has 891 00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:17,360 Speaker 1: inspired you in general, or better yet, inspired you to 892 00:49:17,400 --> 00:49:22,000 Speaker 1: take action by bringing schoolhouse to firehouse, to your community, 893 00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:26,399 Speaker 1: by becoming a firefighter, or something else entirely, please let 894 00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:28,960 Speaker 1: me know I really do want to hear about it. 895 00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:33,439 Speaker 1: You can write me anytime at Bill at normalfolks dot 896 00:49:33,520 --> 00:49:37,279 Speaker 1: us and I will respond. And if you enjoyed this episode, 897 00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:41,680 Speaker 1: please share it with friends and on social subscribe to 898 00:49:41,719 --> 00:49:45,720 Speaker 1: the podcast, rate and review it, become a premium member 899 00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:49,040 Speaker 1: at normalfolks dot us. Do all these things that will 900 00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:53,600 Speaker 1: help us grow an army of normal folks. The more people, 901 00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:57,840 Speaker 1: the more impact. I'm Bill Courtney. I'll see you next week. 902 00:50:00,680 --> 00:50:00,719 Speaker 1: H