The Washdown Podcast

Jim Giffen is a Firefighter working in the state of Kansas based in Johnson County. He has been in the fire service for over 10 years, being very active with Peer Support to better serve his fellow Firefighters. Jim’s primary focus in the fire service is mental wellness for those around him. He actively provides trainings, does routine check ups in the mornings with the crews, and he is very open...

Jermaine Kemp Sr. I am a compassionate, honest, and loving person, and I believe in helping others whenever I can. This is what drew me to become a firefighter, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my community in this way. For almost 26 years, I have been in the fire serviceand I currently hold the position of Shift Accountability Battalion Chief. I am proud to say that I am one of the...

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

John has been in the fire service for over 18 years and was recently promoted to the rank of captain. He joins us today to talk about leadership, mental health and the challenges of being a first responder with an autistic child. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Rob Hughes anchors “First News” on KMBC ABC 9/KCWE CW 29 in Kansas City, Missouri, weekdays from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m., and noon. He previously served as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor at KMBC's sister station, KOCO ABC 5 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Rob has worked as an anchor, reporter and producer at KSWT CBS 13 in Yuma, Arizona, KRGV ABC 5 in McAllen Texas, and KJCT ABC 8 and KK...

Ana joins us to talk about the challenges of having to change roles in the fire service/ems due to injury.  National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com  #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Steve Gillespie’s career as a first responder, police officer, and a firefighter began in 1983 with his first fatal motor vehicle accident as a seventeen-year-old volunteer firefighter. His paid career as a New York City firefighter began in 1994 before he retired after twenty-one years on the job. He served his entire FDNY career in The Bronx, one of the busiest boroughs of the FDNY. He served on...

Mark has been an EMT since 1993.  Fireman since 1994.  Promoted to Battalion chief in 2013.  Got medic in 2015.  Transferred to an admin EMS Division Chief spot last summer.   National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com  #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Josh Krasovec and Jeremy talk about how lowering standards effects first responders and citizens they serve.  National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com  #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Jarrett is a 15yr veteran of the fire service and also runs the youtube page, Tech under fire.   National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com  #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Matt volunteers as a chaplain and peer support for police agencies in Los Angeles. He also is a volunteer for nonprofits that support police officers in crisis, as well as those that are injured and disabled. Matt believes all first responders can have careers that provide deeper meaning and add richness to their spiritual lives if approached in the right manner.  Matt is a medically retired...

Jon Sabala is the Veterans Services Director with the Missouri Department of Mental Health. He is responsible for the statewide policy and program development, implementation and operation of supportive services for service members, veterans and their families. Co-lead for the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among SMVF. Jon is a Certified Peer Specialist and a retired U.S. Army Infantryman...

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Steve began his career as an on-call firefighter with the Township of Langley Fire Department in 1992 and five years later, joined the Coquitlam Fire Rescue full-time. He was elected to the executive board of IAFF Local 1782 (Coquitlam) in 2005 and was promoted to Captain in 2015. In addition, Steve is a VP on the BC Professional Fire Fighter Association (BCPFFA) which represents over 4,000 profes...

Cody Shea is a Firefighter Paramedic at Medic 5 on Tacoma’s Eastside and joined the Tacoma Fire Department in 2018. Cody also contributes photos and videos for the department’s social media and has a previous photo and film background prior to becoming a Tacoma Firefighter. He comes from a firefighting family with both parents currently retired from the Seattle Fire Department. Cody also works as...

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com  #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

GEORGE COWGILL        I was born in Birmingham, Alabama 49 years ago, still here.. probably going to die here, too..       I have a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter, three rescue pit bulls and two cats.     I sang for a punk band called Exhaust throughout the mid-nineties. We toured America coast-to-coast for two y...

Richard Hy, better known as Angry Cops is a police officer, Army Drill Instructor and social media personality with over 1.2 million subscribers on youtube, not to mention tik tok, instagram, and facebook.     @AngryCops   on youtube, instagram, and facebook    National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com  #NeverAloneAlwaysForwa...

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #Neveralonealwaysforward

Adam James has been a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Missouri, Adam attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School and Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. Adam attended Park University with an emphasis on public relations and broadcasting but reprioritized his career path after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.Adam began the Kansas City Fire Academy in July of 2003, following his fa...

Taylor Wilkinson has worked in EMS for close to 11 years for various agencies. She recently made a social media post that went viral about why she was quitting EMS.  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #Neveralonealwaysforward

Josh Krasovec is a retired police officer. After 15 years with KCPD came to a close after receiving a ptsd diagnosis, Josh went on to be a founding member of a non-profit providing behavioral health services to veterans, first responders, and frontline medical personnel. He is a Kansas City native and alumni of Pittsburg State University.    thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com    #nev...

A nearly 20-year veteran of the fire service, Zapp holds the rank of Lieutenant and owns Fire Rescue Wellness, a coaching business dedicated to elevating the mental and physical wellness of firefighters worldwide.  She earned a master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and is a National Strength and Conditioning Association CS...

In 1998, while stationed in Kitimat, British Columbia with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Laurie was shot in the right leg by an alleged sex offender wielding a sawed-off .303 rifle.  Damage was so severe that her leg had to be amputated 5 inches below her knee.  After only ten months of rehabilitation, Laurie passed the physical test standard for the RCMP and made an unpreced...