Stories From the Road: First Responder Stories

Send a text “We gather, we tell stories, we seek advice. We do everything that we can think of like we would as a family because we think of ourselves that way — as a family. And that firehouse kitchen table is very important: it signifies the culture of the fire service.” – Chief Matt A kitchen table in a fire station is more than a place to eat or to rest a cup of coffee. While it may not be the...

Send a text “In their family’s eyes, and in our eyes, we’re kind of a new family. We really are. Not just friends – they include us in all the updates, and all the milestones, and celebrations, and everything. It’s pretty cool.” – Police Medic Rob S.                                                                                                                               To first responders, th...

Send a text “We take strange calls, we take funny calls, suicidal calls. Hearing gunshots over the phone – that’s so frustrating, because like I said, you beg them not to do it, and it doesn’t work. They do it anyway. The stress experienced by 911 dispatchers is what develops with listening to someone else’s absolute worst day every day. We listen to it every day, because people don’t call 911 whe...

Send a text “But that’s the thing about law enforcement. I would tell the people I worked with, especially the young guys, ‘There’s nothing that’s going to stop me from getting to you if you are in trouble and you need me. My brother, my sister – I’m going to get there.’” - Deputy Darrin There’s a lot to be learned over a 31-year career in law enforcement. For Deputy Darrin, it took just a few mon...

Send a text “The units get there. They confirm there is a jumper on the top of the tower of the Brooklyn Bridge. My first damn day on the road – I haven’t even finished the training yet. This is my luck.” – Detective Vincent A picture is worth a thousand words. Or, in Detective Vincent’s case, it’s worth about 277 feet. Whether it’s trench or elevator rescue, heavy weapons instruction, or dignitar...

Send a text “We’re all the same at the end of the day. Like we all have hearts to serve, and we all have the mindset to be the best that we can and to give our best efforts. And we got to be there for each other, because no one else understands these things the way that we understand them.” – Firefighter Blake When he answered the call to join the fire service in 2015, Blake wasn’t sure what his j...

Send a text “No matter where you are in your career, whether you’re at the top of the ladder as a chief or if you’re a brand-new rookie coming that day, sooner or later you’re going to depend on one another.” When a hiker falls and breaks his leg in the treacherous, 1200-foot-deep Tallulah Gorge, the warm and sunny winter day lends rescuers a sense of reassurance. But as the afternoon heat cedes t...

Send a text "Don’t let the job define you – at all.  You have to be the one who defines your role in the job. Yes, I’m a firefighter. I am proud to be a firefighter. I don’t even tell people I’m a fire chief — I say I’m a firefighter because I still love those calls, man." For some first responders, the most memorable story doesn’t stem from a single call. Instead, that story is collecte...

Send a text “I have no idea how to help. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to do. I just … all that I can do is be there. But in the background, we have two kids screaming. […] It’s like I can only be in one place at one time. It’s like I’m pulled in two different directions, so not really having the skills or knowledge or anything with how to help him other than to just be there and lis...

Send a text I'm excited to share that production of season two is well underway. Returning guests include fan favorites like Detective Vinny, who's back to share another adrenaline-pumping story from his time with the NYPD, as well as Police Medic Rob who, along with his partner, the other Police Medic Rob, share the story of how saving a young woman's life was only the starting poi...

Send a text “This podcast is, I think if it’s nothing else, it’s a tribute to the people that go out and do an incredibly difficult job and do it well. […] I hope that this brings some semblance of community, and that you realize that, you know, we all have the same scars.” If you put a couple of first responders together in a room, something interesting happens. Before too long, they’ll begin sha...

Send a text "We're the same kind of humans. We're the same people that are out there in the public.  We're no different, we're not built different, we're not wired differently, we're the same people with the same emotions." If it bleeds, it leads. In today's 24-hour news cycle, there's no shortage of hyperbolic headlines detailing massive car pileu...

Send a text "When all of this is going on, you just think, 'Oh my God, this is it. This is the moment where it's not going to be good.'" In a dangerous situation, it isn't uncommon to see your life flash before your eyes. But, what if the life you saw wasn't the one you knew you were meant to live? Vehicle accidents are often life-threatening but not always life-...

Send a text "You have these deputies who are screaming on the radio, ‘Bring more quick clot, bring more quick clot!’ So, it dawns on me, as I’m walking up to the house… these are the same deputies that were screaming, ‘Bring more fire extinguishers!’ last night." Every first responder has a call that sticks with them long after the final flame is extinguished or the last chest compressio...

Send a text "Soon as my hand went through the window, I felt a leg and I just remember my first thought being, 'Damn, they’re in here.’"  From navigating the route to a scene to getting on gear and operating equipment, first responders know on each call that an untold number of factors may be working against them. They’re programmed, both innately and through extensive training, to...

Send a text “And I hear somebody say, ‘ESU is here.’ And the firemen make a path. They clear a path. I say, ‘Holy cow, they made a path for us.’ And my partner and I walk up, and there’s this vehicle that they had just taken the roof off of…there’s nothing left of the vehicle.” From scuba diving operations to trench rescues and overturned tankers to suicide calls, the Emergency Service Unit is rea...

Send a text "Early on, you know when my kids were little…every once in a while, I'd get a little flashback. You know, I'd walk in and check on them. I'd shake them to see if they were moving because you look down and they're sleeping… and I'd get that vision of those three sleeping in their bed, too." When the unthinkable happens, many people are left to witness...

Send a text "We're getting ready to go out the door like we've done a thousand times before, and something just didn't feel right. [...] I always tell students trust your intuition. If something doesn't feel right, pay attention to what's going on. Look around - look for more.” As the duties and demands of a job become familiar, there is an evolution from the novel to...

Send a text “I started hitting the shoulder of my captain that day and he looks over and says, ‘Yeah, I know.’ From that point, we immediately started going to work.” Of all the things Captain Matt experienced that day in January, it turns out a snowstorm in Atlanta wasn’t the most unusual. For those in public service, many calls – house fires, motor vehicle accidents, and even medical emergencies...

Send a text “I was speechless. It was the first ghost I had ever seen from my career.”  On a snowy Sunday morning in January, host and former firefighter/paramedic Phil Klein sat down with friend and 28-year public service veteran, Thomas. Lieutenant Thomas served his community as a firefighter and paramedic, and he continues to share his knowledge with students in his training academy, Faithful G...

Send a text Camaraderie. Courage. Commitment. Join host and former firefighter/paramedic Phil Klein as he delves into the heroic and heartbreaking stories told directly by the men and women who work the front lines every day. Whether you’re a firefighter, law enforcement officer, EMT, paramedic, or simply interested in the lives of first responders, Stories From the Road presents a captivating, we...