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We examine 3 significant recent cases that made national news involving PD & EMS that had tragic outcomes. The first case happened right by Danny's station in Venice, CA. LAPD struggle with an agitated guy after a traffic collision, who dies hours after being tased multiple times. We discuss whats seen on the extensive body cam coverage of the incident, as well as the different ways this incident was shown in social media. We also discuss the horrifying Tyre Nichols video, and why the EMT's who responded to help him were rightfully fired from their jobs. Then we discuss an incident in Ohio where the responding paramedics have been charged with first degree murder. We break down what went wrong in all of these cases and where the mistakes were made. We also talk about how you can do the right thing as a first responder no matter what is happening before you arrive on scene.  

Our 100th episode features the guy who goes back the furthest in Danny's fire life, LAFD Engineer Don Nash. Don was Danny's explorer post advisor at station 63 when we were teenagers. In additon to telling us some Danny history, Don also works with the LAFD historical society & breaks down all kinds of stuff we never knew about the layout of the LAFD throughout the years, station segregation, why certain rules exist (why does everyone HAVE to eat together?). We also learn the history of the Paramedic service in LA, including the original ambulance guys before paramedics were invented. Don even tells us about an old area hospital neither of ever knew existed, along with some wild stories about ambulance days in the 80's, and learn what its like being a firefighter at LAX. We go back to before turnout pants & automatic doors on this one. 

Comedian and former Pediatric Oncology RN Taquita Love joins us for a deep conversation about healing thru laughter, the resilience of children and the lessons she learned working in a Childrens Hospital and then in the Pediatric wing of the biggest cancer hospital in LA. We talk about work/life balance, & how you realize whats really important. She also tells us how her family got her into medicine and nursing, and then into stand up comedy. Danny also explains what happened to the station 63 Instagram page & we talk about Ben's new comedy special he just filmed. 

We talk about where we've been the last few weeks, Danny pays respects to a friends wife who recently passed & talks about how the fire family comes together at times like these. Then we discuss the LA mayoral race & the endorsement of Danny's union and how that process does and does not work. Finally, we get into our side gigs as Danny talks a bit about being a tv actor & some recent big auditions, & Ben discusses his upcoming half hour comedy special & the process behind that. 

We answer questions from the listeners/viewers. We talk about burn out, working with other departments and agencies on incidents, switching from a smaller department to the LAFD, what to do with all of your new money, & how to keep traditions alive in the Fire Department. We talk about horses, special cookies, proving yourself, learning tricks, rolling turds, wagons, yelling out of necessity, real estate investing, & more. 

We have former professional boxer & current LAFD civilan staff, Luis Mora telling us how he blew out his bicep during an intense session punching a heavy bag. The blowout was so severe that Luis had to have a donor bicep transplanted into his arm. He tells us the story of his journey from the streets of Northeast LA, trying (not always succesfully) to stay out of gangs, which led him to boxing, where he found success & a way off the streets, sort of. We learn about the world of pro boxing, bad promoters, getting fights, getting knocked out, fighting thru injuries, & all the people who show up to watch fights. We learn what its like growing up when your dad is a "knucklehead" & all of your friends are too. We also learn how Luis worked for the LA Mayors office & City Hall, while fighting as a professional boxer at night (his nickname was "The Mayor"), you'll be surprised when you learn what his job was at City Hall too. Luis is super interesting & a fun guest who knocks out this interview.  

We talk about all of the partners a paramedic & EMT has in the private ambulance world, & how its different from the FD. From the people who are passing thru on the way to another job, on to the lifers, guys who never sleep, magicians on meth, regular people on meth, weird company owners on drugs, drinking off duty, caffeine abuse, insane diets, old timers,random stations, posting for hours, the owners adult children, & all of the cool people you meet as well. 

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 do you build by going thru tragic experiences together? What if your partner is going thru a hard time on their own? We cover it all. 

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 section, drilling holes in skulls, & changing paths in life. You’ll keep your head on straight after this one. 

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 crash on their Venice CA street and sprang into action, helping the homeowner to evacuate and fighting back the flames and smoke to attempt to rescue the driver. This is a helluva story of neighbors stepping up to do the right thing and risk their own lives to help a stranger in need. We get all of the details and full rundown of this event first hand, and the thought process as you realize how much this incident changes for the worst so quickly. 

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 every MCI is really kind of weird and different, the job is always the same & must be done in the same order, for good reason. We talk about mutual aid, too many chiefs, too many jurisdictions, traffic, the news, and all of the other things that can go sideways. You also get perspective on how these incidents are run in a huge metro area like LA. Danny also breaks down some of the aftermath of a recent 4th of July drowning save.

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 quincenera) & THEN was shot again in the head a couple of years later. If you're thinking he just has bad luck, its more that he was doing exactly what people who get shot a lot do to get shot. He tells us all about what it was like to be shot each time, how he remembered the paramedics, surgery, recovery, and rehab. He talks about dying multiple times, going to prison, being in a huge gang, boxing, being bullied, gangbanging in a wheelchair, and why little dogs love him. We also talk about your state of mind while youre bleeding from gunshot wounds

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 firefighters led him to start making funny videos to help build up morale thru laughter, and show that his department is actually a fun place to work. We talk about guys who are hammers, salty, cool, old school, jokers, and sometimes thats all the same guy. Tyrone also gives insight on getting on the job, how long and hard it can be, & what it takes to make it.  

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 describes as a "deep fryer". What follows is a scramble to try and free his hand with a hammer and a screwdriver. Jon explains how panic sets in & no one thinks to call 911. Jon winds up freeing his hand and spending weeks in a burn center where they try unsucessfully to save his fingers. Jon shares his whole emotional journey while recovering from this event & all he had to overcome mentally to get to where he is today. We also get an incredible story of Danny saving a drowning victim at a 4th of July pool party that took every last trick in the book to get a pulse back. 

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 over and over, some are not really legit but are still a pleasure, & some push the upper limits of your frustration threshold. We explain how there's no way to really stop frivilous use of 911 for medical issues, how these patients are also known, and either welcomed or dreaded, by the local ER's as well, along with the possible effects and ramifications of taking people to the ER who don't really need 911. We also talk about what its like to almost get to sleep over and over all night long but not actually sleep at all. 

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 heights, what PT is like, how to get the most out of your academy, & most importantly: how to take the most EPIC class pic & risk burning the back of your head. We also get an LAFD drill tower story. Listen to how we did it & know that you can do it too, or remember your academy days with us. 

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 people to get vaccinated? We cover a bunch of other stuff too; getting hit by a car, a town with only one business, journalism, hosting a radio show in New Zealand, encampments, threats, gift cards, pilot programs, concussions, CBD water, & more

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 a structure fire, why you close the door behind you at an apartment fire, & a bunch of other things that can go wrong. But Danny breaks down a LOT of things that you can do right as a rookie to help you be successful, including how to go beyond the owners manual and power point to nail all of your drills, the importance of taking initiative, talking to old timers, and more. Don't miss this episode if you really wanna crush your probation year.

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 the ground and how a patchwork of people and organizations come together to offer aid.We also learn how Jolibee Restaurants helped save the Philipines and we say Katmandu multiple times.

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 your immediate family members. The fear of possibly making a mistake with someone you know personally on a 911 call. What if you have to triage a mass shooting, telling parents theres nothing you can do, & moving on to try to save more kids. What about finding out your own child died at the incident you're working at? We also get into the challenges leading up to this event, the respose, timeline, everything including how we feel as parents.