!Please Remain Calm!

We talk about the workday of a paramedic in the Fire Department with a partner for 24 hours a day. Whats it like working and living with a partner all day & night & having to depend on them when things get serious. How do you manage different personalities, styles, & approaches to work. We give examples of when it goes good and bad. Sometimes you wind up with lasting friendships. What kind of bond...

We're joined by Harbor UCLA Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner Suzy Velasco, who tells us all about Neurosurgery in a huge trauma center. We talk brains, drains, & automobiles, 80 year olds falling down, husbands getting drunk on roofs, corkscrews & knives thru the skull, gangsters shooting each other in the high C Spine, football injuries, all of the conspiracy theories that pop up in our comments s...

Every 911 run starts with a caller, that caller is the first person on scene in most cases and the first rescuer as well. We talk to 2 bystander rescuers in a crazy incident from last week. Ripped from the headlines, actress Anne Heche crashed her speeding car into a house, with the car catching fire while the driver is trapped inside. Our guests, the Martin brothers (Beto & Fabian)witnessed the c...

We break down Mass Casualty Incidents, what comprises one, how they look, & how to run one perfectly. We talk about how chaotic these incidents can be & why its so important to establish the MCI quickly and correctly, with a clear chain of command. We break down a recent MCI (bus crash) that we both worked on together, and the unique circumstances surrounding that MCI. We show you why although eve...

Responding to a shooting is one of the routine calls that makes a paramedic feel like a paramedic. Getting a shooting victim to tell their story has been anything but routine. It takes bravery to survive a shooting & talk about it on our podcast, & we finally found a guest who was shot, a lot, & also likes to talk, a lot (he's a comedian). Elias Zepeda tells us how he was shot 11 times (at a quinc...

We have LAFD Firefighter Paramedic Tyrone Hurst @firedepartmenthumor who tells us about his hilarious videos and characters based on LAFD archtypes that are super accurate and funny. Tyrone tells us how he came up with his characters: Captain Quarters, Bull Engineer, the Rookie, & Senior Firefighter. He tells us how low department morale, along with the exaggerated outside perception of LAFD firef...

Comedian and actor Jon Kondelik tells us an incredible story of an incident that neither one of us had ever come across in our nearly 20 year paramedic careers. He had a unique chemical burn while leaving his hand in what he thought was a  latex plaster mold being used for special fx in a student film. The mold begins to burn his hand as it hardens into solid concrete, trapping his hand in what he...

Sometimes the same person has to call 911 and have paramedics respond to them multiple times in the same year. Or same month, or same week, or same day, or same night after midnight. These people are known as frequent flyers. If there was a 911 rewards card, these guys are racking up the miles. Danny explains the different types of frequent flyers, why some are legit, some are a pleasure to serve...

We hop into the time machine & go back 23 years (that can't be right?) to our fire academy days when we were young whiipersnappers trying to get on the job. We give you all the tips it takes to prepare yourself, and we talk about how far the right attitude will take you. We talk about the stuff we were bad at, & how we improved, how to study, how the instructors act, how to get over your fear of h...

For the first time ever, we have a PhD, & a Harvard grad on our show. Dr Chelsea Shover is an epidemiologist who headed the Covid 19 Vaccination program for LA county's unhoused population. That means more Skid Row stories. Plus we get into her journey into epidemiology. What's it like to become an epidemiologist right before a global pandemic hits? How do you get some of the hardest to reach peop...

We talk about the trials and tribulations of the probationary year of a firefighter and how to survive it and thrive. Danny draws from his own experience as a rookie with the LAFD, as well as his time as a veteran firefighter who's seen a lot of rookies do well or struggle. We hear about the guy who fainted giving a drill, the guy who fell thru the roof on his first day leading a Truck company on...

We talk to the author of "How To Be An International Disaster Volunteer" Michael Noone. He tells us how he went from Paramedic to Firefighter to Disaster Aid Volunteer to Disaster Service Analyst for LA and surrounding counties to Keynote Speaker to Published Author. He breaks down the crazy world that is the 3rd world after a disaster. He explains how to get deployed, how it works once you hit th...

We talk about the horrific elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Not just the details of the event, but what its like to respond to shootings with kids, shootings with multiple victims, active shooter situations, & the PTSD for the first responders that work these scenes. We talk about what its like to work in the neighborhood you grew up in, or still live in. The risk of having to treat yo...

We're joined by LAFD Battalion Chief Kris Larson. An awesome guest who candidly tells us her super interesting life story. Sure she was the 1st black woman Captain, Task Force Commander, & Battalion Chief in the history of LAFD. But did you know she was a 3 time All American on the legendary UCLA track team in the late 80's with Olympic legends like Jackie Joyner Kersee? Strap in as she takes us o...

We're joined by social media star & content creator Yarema (@yarmatoocrazy) as he tells us about a nasty injury from a freak accident at home that he absoiutely needed to call an ambulance for and refused to, resulting in permanent nerve damage to his hand. He explains his whole reasoning to not call, & how long he wound up waiting for help. We go into how common this is, why people refuse to call...

We're joined by business owner, expert cake decorator, Krav Maga green belt. assistant to business titans, old school LAFD wife, & expert grandma; Linda Gonzalez. Not only is she our mom, she's married to our dad & tells the whole story of the life of a fire wife from the hiring process, to the rookie year, promotion, & retirement. She gives great insight into what it takes to make a relationship...

We talk about some of the firefighter line of duty deaths in the LAFD that have hit home for Danny in his career. We explain the fire department traditions surrounding firefighter deaths, whether it be on duty, off duty, or in retirement. Danny remembers some of the Firefighter funerals he has attended, & explains the different levels of funerals that the fire department gives its members. He talk...

We're joined by LAFD Inspector Roger Sackaroff. A former sports reporter and native New Yorker, Roger was inspired to join the fire service after 9/11 and wound up in LA. Roger tells us the incredible tale of a mystery illness that sent his 7 year old son into liver failure and put him on the transplant list. After multiple extended stays in Children's Hospital. Roger was finally told that his son...

Danny describes his first big fire as a young firefighter in the Skid Row district of LA. The LA Produce Market is at least 2 full city blocks of all of the produce LA County can handle on a given day. On this given day, all it produced was a huge fire. Danny describes every detail, from seeing the loom up while on another call, to feeling poisoned by literal habanero chili pepper smoke. This is a...

We go back in time again to discuss the craziest part of Paramedic school; internship. Where the student who crammed a year of medical school into 60 classroom days & a month in the ER gets to be a real paramedic running 911 calls with the FD. We remember our time as interns and talk about our preceptors, their personalities, & how much that comes into play. We talk about all of the real elements...

We're joined by LAFD Drill Tower instructor and CAPS program director, Captain John Marasco. He tells us everything it takes to pass the drill tower at the LAFD training academy. He explains the culture shock and huge adjustment to entering the LAFD from any other job & the physical and mental demands. We talk about how the workforce and hiring pool has changed, & why the Drill Tower can be such a...

We take a trip down memory lane and tell you all about the ordeal of our paramedic school days from 20 years ago (that can't be right), as Danny begins precepting a new paramedic intern on his rescue. We break down the paramedic training landscape in LA, & tell you how we wound up at the toughest school of them all. We explain the academic insanity that is paramedic school (a year of medical schoo...

LAFD Public Information Officer & Captain Erik Scott joins us to talk about what a PIO is and does. We learn what it's like to be responsible for the messaging and social media brand of one of the most recognized Fire Departments in the world. We talk about special duty, all of the jobs you can do besides firefighting in the LAFD & Captain Scott shares his own injury story surviving a roof collaps...

Our 1st episode of 2022 finds us reflecting on life & death on the job (mostly death). We talk about how often you witness sudden death, the aftermath of it & the toll that takes on your psyche. We talk about declaring people dead on scene in the field & Danny describes a gruesome stabbing incident where he recently had to declare someone dead. We talk about the LA County Firefighter who recently...

We talk about what it's like to have one of the only jobs where you HAVE to work on Christmas some years & how the holiday staffing situation has changed recently. Danny shares his least favorite South Central LA Christmas tradition, & also gives you a bunch of Holiday safety tips. We talk about how many ways things can go wrong for you with all of these new holiday hazards, including mass casualt...