After serving in the US Airforce and working two jobs in near his hometown of Petersburg, VA, Roland Stokes didn't want to make the move further south with his company so he took the test to become a Chesterfield Firefighter. He was the first African American to become a career firefighter and one of the first career members to be assigned to a tru…

A Bonus episode, the conversation after the conversation with Gary Honold from episode 66 last week. And, come try Jiu Jitsu on November 17 at 6:00pm. Aegis Jiu Jitsu is hosting a public safety only free trial session. Visit www.aegisjj.com and contact them for the details and to save your space on the mat. Support this podcast at https://patreon.c…

Gary Honold spent more than 23 years as a firefighter in Montana and 20 as a career firefighter and captain in the City of Missoula. His experience in working the fire service, along with 27 years volunteering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and his on health challenges have provided him a unique perspective on life and how to live. Suppor…

In part 2 of my conversation with Jeff Hudson (make sure to listen to episode 64), Jeff talks about how he became fire chief and the challenges of being the chief in a department where he was a firefighter as well as the lessons learned from a line of duty death. Support this podcast at https://patreon.com/firehouselogbookpodcast Comments or sugges…

An early morning fire at a neighbor's home started Jeff Hudson on the path to become a volunteer firefighter, career firefighter, fire marshal, and fire chief before joining the National Fire Protection Association as a Regional Sprinkler Specialist advocating for residential sprinkler protection in new homes. This is part one of his journey that t…

Rick Bucher is a 27 year veteran of the Scottsdale, AZ/Rural Metro Fire Department who had to retire following his experiences with Post Traumatic Stress and a suicide attempt. Now an writer, advocate, and storyteller, he has published a book on his experiences, "Flame and Fortune - How the Fire Service (almost) Killed Me" and travels to speaking e…

Greg Cade was a member of Recruit School 1 in Prince Georges County, MD. He went on to become the Fire Chief in Hampton, VA; Fire Chief in Virginia Beach, VA; the US Fire Administrator under President George W. Bush, and to positions with the National Fire Protection Association. Greg's experiences in those positions spans more than 50 years. Suppo…

Harry Baird went from small town garage band drummer, to CPA student, then he discovered an EMT book. From that point on, his fate was sealed to become the BLS Program Manager for Chesterfield Fire and EMS. He went on to teach literally thousands of students both basic EMT and ongoing CEU classes. Along the way, he became best of friends with Mike …

The fire service and families are both filled with traditions. Sometimes they are one in the same. Weet Baldwin - a frequent co-host - joins me in this episode with his son Caleb. At the the age of 10, Caleb was training to fly helicopters and to be a firefighter thanks to his family connection to aviation and the fire service. Now, after attending…

It seems to have all started at 3 years old when a young New Zealander asked his parents for a fire helmet. After traveling nearly around the world, working in the service industry, turning wrenches on race cars, and doing machine work, Ben will be starting his fire service career with the Henrico County Division of Fire later this month. In this e…

Kaitlyn Batten is one of the absolute newest of recruit firefighters in Chesterfield County. With an official hire date of June 26, she is starting off on her fire service career. In this episode, we explore what started her down this path and her experiences going through the application and testing process. Kaitlyn isn't the only Batten in Cheste…

Before joining Folly Beach SC Fire Department, Chief Lloyd was part of a family tradition with the Charleston, SC Fire Department that has gone on for five generations. In this episode Keith Brower and I talk with Chief Lloyd about his family history, relieving his own uncle on his last day in the fire station, and one of the worst fires in history…

Episode 55 had some great stories from the 211 years of collective wisdom from CFEMS Retirees. But the stories didn't start or stop there. The record button was pushed and stayed on long after the official end of Episode 55. After some pretty heavy editing, some of those stories can be heard here. Enjoy - Support this podcast at https://patreon.com…

I had the honor of sitting down with eight Chesterfield Fire and EMS legends to share some wisdom, history, and humor in this episode from Plant City, Florida. Some live there, some come for the "winter" weather, but all have collected lessons learned (and some humorous stories) along the way that need to be shared. Enjoy this first episode of 2023…

A young kid from Ohio moves to the tourist town of Tarpon Springs Florida, joins a church band, goes to a volunteer fire department meeting and the rest is history! Rick Butcher joined the Tarpon Springs Fire Department as an 18 year old volunteer and rose to the rank of Fire Chief serving the community for 38 years. He continues his service to the…

Melvin Stone's 40 year career in the fire service ended with his retirement from the position of Assistant Director of the Florida State Fire Marshals Office. His career began in Tampa, Florida to simply provide for his family after loosing a job, but quickly became a passion with a history of being the first African American to hold many of the po…

Julius Halas is a 48 year veteran of the fire service, starting out as a firefighter in Sarasota, FL and working his way up to Fire Chief, then consolidating his way out of a job - one of the most humble, team focused, and mission driven people I have ever had the chance to meet. Ultimately rising the to the position of Director of the State Fire M…

Specialization in the fire service isn't anything new, but Crash Fire Rescue, or Aircraft Rescue Firefighting is a specialty all in its own. In this episode, I spoke with Jim Nilo who was instrumental in developing and improving AFFF training in Virginia, all because he washed out of one Marine Corps training program and wanted "the shortest school…

On this special episode, I compiled a few of the past year's guests memories and reflections on the attacks of September 11, 2001. When I started asking that question, I had no idea I would come across some amazing and still emotional stories of our experiences. May we never have to go through that again. Support this podcast at https://patreon.com…

Archibald "Mac" McFarlane started his fire service career before he was legally able to, but has gone on to accomplish some great things and continues to do so today. See all of Mac's work here https://www.facebook.com/belizeheroes.org Support this podcast at https://patreon.com/firehouselogbookpodcast Comments or suggestions? Contact us at: Email …

Brian Rothell or "Skeletor" as he was known in the department, is a retired Chesterfield Firefighter who probably has more life saves off duty than he did when he was on duty. He also worked as a contract firefighter in Iraq and Afghanistan and he's an avid outdoorsman who enjoys kite surfing and stand up paddle boarding on the river. Support this …

How does a firefighter who never worked in fire prevention or codes end up speaking on behalf of the IAFF at national and international code development hearings? It involves rugby, free beer, and a dare. Sean DeCrane is a retired Cleveland, OH Battalion Chief who shares some stories of the legends of the Cleveland Fire Department and them mentors …

I am delaying this weeks episode due to the tragic loss of a Chesterfield Fire and EMS Firefighter during swift water rescue class on the Nantahala River in North Carolina. Firefighter Alicia Monahan was an 11 year veteran of the department and active with the Virginia K9 Search and Rescue group. She leaves behind two teenage boys and a fiancé. The…

A few years before Johnny and Roy of EMERGENCY! fame, there was a group of groundbreaking EMS providers delivering ALS care to the Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA. Their story has largely gone untold, but John Moon, retired EMS Assistant Chief from Pittsburgh EMS and Freedom House Paramedic is on a mission to get the stories of these first ALS prov…

FF/P Bill Crump and FF Terry Newcomb are both retirees of Chesterfield Fire and EMS and are still in amazing shape riding road and mountain bikes, canoeing wild rivers, lifting heavy weights, and still telling stories. Bill, Terry, and I talk about some of the greatest supervisors and firefighters we worked with over the years - some of whom are no…

Chief Russ Sanders of the Louisville, KY Fire Department spent 55 years in this business, but it was the influence of his first company officer that put him on a path to success. With his first call a fire fatality within hours of coming on duty with no more training than to "hold on tight" while on the tailboard, to becoming the fire chief and cha…

A fire breaks out in a theater and kills more than 72 people - including Virginia's Governor, prominent Richmond leaders, farmers, and slaves. Meredith Henne Baker is an independent historian who literally wrote the book on this fire. Visit her website at www.theaterfirebook.com to lean more that we could talk about in this episode. Support this po…

Assistant Chief Nick Dinges is a third generation firefighter/paramedic from the Sublette, IL Fire Protection District who has served urban, rural, and college communities. He's also a successful entrepreneur with the hashtag #GSDT. In this episode he shares a couple of amazing stories of a preemie respiratory arrest with a 4th generation family me…

March 19, 1982 - A fire in the City of Petersburg, VA results in an explosion that injures dozens and takes the lives of one citizen and one firefighter. Some of those who responded that day were able to share stories of their careers and the story of SGT/FF Mike Goff who was killed that day. So we may we never forget.... Support this podcast at ht…

How does an aspiring drummer and band director get into the fire service? A brutally honest music teacher shows the way. Serving in the fire service for more than 59 year - and still serving at his home department, the Plainwell (MI) Department of Public Safety - Ron Farr has been a leader at all levels of local, state, and national organizations. …

How does training Jiu Jitsu make you a better firefighter? Two current firefighters from Henrico and Chesterfield, Virginia along with a Lieutenant from Washington, DC join me to talk about their experience with how this martial art form can improve your ability to remain calm under pressure, reduce stress, and prepare you for failure. All the whil…

February 20, 2003 - A fire breaks out on the stage of a nightclub where the band Great White was playing resulting in the death of 100 people and injuring 230 more. Retired ATF Agent John Pijaca joins me to talk about the ATF and his involvement as part of the National Response Team that investigated this fire. You can watch the video of this fire …

This is going to be a short one - just a quick update on the Logbook and a big thank you to everyone who has listened, commented, and shared these episodes over the past year. To become a Patron, go to https://www.patreon.com/FirehouseLogbookPodcast Email - FirehouseLogbook@gmail.com Twitter - @FDLogbook Instagram - @FDLogbookPodcast Facebook - www…

In the early 1980's, Boston became known as the Arson Capital of the World thanks to a group of serial arsonists who set more than 260 fires and were responsible for 200 firefighter injuries. The story of this group of "twisted Robin Hoods" is told in the book, "Burn Boston Burn" written by a member of the Arson Task Force that investigated these c…

Fred Crosby started his public safety career as a Junior member of Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad following in his brother's footsteps. But ultimately, he blazed his own trail as one of the original EMS Med-Flight I Flight Paramedics, the First EMS Directors for Hanover County, and ultimately as a fire chief in two different states. There are a lo…

Henry, Weet, John and I get together again for what we are calling the First Anniversary Episode. It is dedicated to our first guest and one of the inspirations carrying us forward - R.C. "Tiny" Dawson. We also dive into some history - January 7, 1950 in Davenport, Iowa, a hospital fire claimed the lives of 40 patients and one staff member. We disc…

Generally, the first person the public interacts with during an emergency is the other person on the end of the 911 call. Responders rely on these professionals to get accurate information and pass critical information to the responding police officers, firefighters, and EMT's. Lee Gilbert started in the fire service as a Cadet and moved into a com…

Frank Chinn has been a fixture in Virginia EMS for almost 50 years, and is still providing care and training the next generation. He's trained EMT's who have gone on to become doctors and fire chiefs and held them all to a high standard to ensure they can do the job. Comments or suggestions? Contact us at: Email - FirehouseLogbook@gmail.com Twitter…

Karl Thompson got his start as a 16 year old volunteer firefighter in Maryland. Today he is a 50 year veteran of the fire service with experience in 4 states and multiple departments. His daily history emails are distributed far and wide to educate those in the fire service of historic fires that have shaped the service. Everyone can view those his…

Bobby Luckett got his fire service career started as a young boy watching the firehouse when the crews were out on calls. Near the end of his career he put the handcuffs on one of the most notorious arsonist the DC area has known. I got to catch up with Bob - a Fellow VA Fire Marshal and a fire marshal academy classmate to discuss his career and hi…

Welcome back to the second of two parts where Chief Burch finishes up his stories in Hanover and how being the Fire Chief is different than any other job he has held. Make sure you listen to part 1, episode 27 first. This episode picks up where we left off, and if you've missed that, you will miss the entire story. Comments or suggestions? Contact …

This legend's career and family history is so long it's going to take two episodes to get it all in! His Grandfather started the Family Tradition in the Richmond (VA) Fire Bureau when horses pulled the engines, his father started the Richmond Flying Squad, and he was instrumental in the evolution of two Virginia fire departments into the 21st Centu…

Rehab is an important safety function on the fire ground. At the same time, it can provide a conduit for members of the community - including retired fire service members - to remain involved and give back to the service. Meet Chief Steve Korb and Lt. Steve Meyenberg of the Richmond Metro Flying Squad. Learn about their personal histories, some his…

This is it! Proof that JP Jones WAS involved in some of the pranks and practical jokes that happened in CFD. JP and I were Recruit School classmates, I worked for him as a firefighter, he worked for me in the Fire Marshals Office, and he was one of the most responsible and dedicated officers I know (no practical jokes on PPE - among other things). …

This episode is with someone who wanted to be Marine Biologist, but ended up as a fiction writer after working as a councilor in a correctional institution, then went on to a career as a Firefighter, Paramedic, and Senior Capitan in Chesterfield Fire and EMS. Mike and I got to travel around Mount Rainier in Washington and paddle canoes in the rugge…

There are a lot of legendary stories in the fire station that have outlasted the careers of the members involved. In this episode you get the real story of getting left by the fire chief on the side of the road (or not), E-102 airborne across Hull Street Road (or not), Playboy Magazines on the tailboard (or not), and how pre-planning used to be don…

Bubby Bish was destined to be a member of the Southside VA Emergency Crew, his mother told him so when he was 4 years old! With more than 50 years of service at SVEC, Bubby has been a member of the Governor's State EMS Advisory Board, responded to the Pentagon on 9/11, and is an inductee into Virginia's Rescue Hall of Fame. A quiet and humble leade…

When I think about some of the best people in this job, Brett is one of those on the top of my list. He has worked as a volunteer and career firefighter/officer in four different fire service organizations, and each of them would be eager to have him back on their roster today (and he's back on one of those for a third tour). Brett has more fire se…

A lot of fire and EMS professionals got their start as volunteers, some at a very young age. My three guests on this episode started at age 15 as Junior members of the Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad in Henrico, VA and went on to great public safety careers in Fire/EMS and Law Enforcement, but not before they made some history as junior members. Th…

The third and final (for now) "Young Guns" episode features Liz Fuentes, firefighter/paramedic with Chesterfield Fire and EMS. How does an event that happens thousands of miles away motivate a dedicated school teacher to dive into the Fire and EMS Field? You will find that answer here, and how she literally packed everything she owned in a small ca…