And so those turds that have been in position now of all that membership, I say it like my goal is to make it uncomfortable for them to stay. And it is going to increasingly become uncomfortable. They can't. They just can't talk their way out of it. There's no stats, there's no science, there's no nothing other than cowardice. And it's catching up with them.
SPEAKER_01Firehouse Vigilance presents the Weekly Scrap, a podcast dedicated to the never-ending fight against complacency.
SPEAKER_02Corley Moore, Firehouse Vigilance. It is Weekly Scrap. Number 355. My guest tonight is the one and only Cody Treshl. He has over 30 years in the great fire service, taking the oath in 1995 at a small accommodation department in Washington State. He then followed his dream and was blessed to work for the FDNY, where he was assigned to ladder 119 in Brooklyn, then on to Squad 1, also in Brooklyn. He left the FDNY, putting his family first and returned home, where he recently retired from the back step of Portland Fire Engine 31 after 15 years. He is the founder and an instructor with the training group Brothers in Battle, and has lectured and taught hands-on training nationally and internationally. He is also the founder of the Firemanship Conference. He's a man of faith, happily married for over 26 years to his incredible wife, Andrea. They have two beautiful daughters, two great son-in-laws, and three amazing grandsons. It is my absolute pleasure, Cody, to have you on once again on the scrap. Cody Treshler, welcome to episode number 355.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, buddy. Thank you, Corley. Thank you, Sam.
SPEAKER_02Thanks for having me again. Excited to be here. All right. I'm just checking to see and making sure everybody can hear us. It looks like looks like everybody's saying they can they can hear it. Yeah, hit that thumbs up if you can hear us. Let us know that it is working. Uh Cody, is there anything I left out of the intro? Anything you want to add?
SPEAKER_04No, brother, you hit it all. Everything that matters.
SPEAKER_02Good, good deal. People are excited. There are smiley faces flying. There is a lot of LFGs, a lot of, well, a lot of we can hear you now going by. So with that being said, the audience is getting their questions ready. Get your questions primed and ready to throw at Cody. This is going to be a fun one with lots to discuss, but first we're going to do those beautiful, beautiful sponsors and then get to the scrap. Everything in the fire service gets tested. Training, instincts, equipment. That's why Snaptight designs and builds its fire hose to perform no matter the challenge. Durability, kink ability, uh packability, kink resistance. Every single line is tested before it leaves the factory. So you know you can count on it. Snaptight is American-made, firefighter trusted. Visit Snaptighthose.com to learn more or find a distributor near you. Firefighter safety and accountability starts with being able to quickly find and identify individual firefighters operating on the fire ground. Identifier safety combines the best in photoluminescent materials for durable firefighter identification solutions that can glow for up to 20 hours, no switches, no batteries, which means being able to rapidly identify firefighters by name, unit, or assignment, even under hot fire conditions, and all specifically designed and tested for the rigors of the job. Use code Vigilance when you go to get stuff. Code Vigilance, V-I-G-I-L-A-N-C-E, Vigilance, and get 10% off any order. Be seen, on scene, identifier safety.com. And of course, you know I love Flame Decon. So absolutely get the nasty stuff off you. Shower within the hour. Get use flame, get the nasty stuff off you. And if you're not a vigilante, why not? If you're not a vigilante, that's all I can ask you is why are you not? All right. So there we go. We've got it done. We've got Cody. We've got a live audience. We've got sound, hopefully, apparently. And so Cody, last time, as always, every time you come on, you send me a beautiful list of topics we want to discuss and talk about. And then we we try to get to them. We try to. But of course, the audience is here, and the audience asks beautiful questions. Uh but uh today we're kicking it off with one we wanted to get to last time, and it's something that's very near and dear to your heart, and it's the six musts for them. Yeah, let's let's kick it off with that and and let's just start there, and then we'll see where what audience questions come in from there. So go for it.
SPEAKER_04All right, brother. Um yeah, so the six musts originally started for me as a personal accountability thing. Um, it was never meant to be like a catchphrase type thing or a list of things we have on a banner now or a decal or anything like that. Um, it actually goes back to probably 2005, 2006, 2007. At that point in my career, uh, I was identifying things on the fire ground that I wanted to take ownership in, that I wanted to be able to maintain my skills and uh, you know, being able to mask up quickly, being able to force the door and use the tools of our trades, uh, be good at stretching lines and flowing lines and uh using ground ladders and throwing ladders, and uh, you know, when it comes to search, uh just being passionate about search and where and when and why and stuff like that. So it was really just a personal accountability system, if you will, of stuff I wanted to focus on. And then over the years, and especially after I left the FDNY and was hired by Portland and started there, uh, it increasingly became something I was passionate about and felt I had to own these skills from a standpoint of it's just leadership one-on-one. You got to be able to lead yourself before you can ever expect to lead others. Right on. And I'm talking informally, not as a formal leader, but just like even to have any influence. And back in that time frame, um, when I was first starting with with Portland, you know, I've talked about a little bit in previous scraps. I was I was desperate to try to find other brothers and sisters around me that were like-minded and putting in the work. And I felt like if I was willing to own those skills, put in the time uh training-wise at the firehouse, regardless if I had support, regardless if I had buy-in, uh, if nobody else wanted to come out and do these things and train on these things, I could put in the time, the sets, and the reps uh to own these skills. And eventually, you know, my goal was to be able to be able to be proficient, but get buy-in from others wanting to join in on those things and not just join in on those things, but I truly felt in my heart, like if man, if we were accountable to these things, um, like we're winning on the fire ground, you know, period. And you know, it just kind of started to morph into as breaking those down and putting the time and the work into those things, it became something that on shift, and if your shift buys in and your firehouse and your battalion and out of training, like where's the bulk of your time going? Where's the meat and potatoes, if you will, you know, and uh where are you putting that time? And I believe in my heart, if you're focusing on these things, these six things, um, it's never ending, always compounding. And if you're owning these things uh and you're loving doing it, and I like to say, you know, many of us have heard it, it's it's hard for others around you to not love the job when you're loving the job. And when you're putting the time and the work into these things, um, it's hard for others not to want to. And when that's happening, it's definitely exposing them and things and chinks in the armor, if you will, uh, you know, and issues with morale and training and all of that stuff. So yeah, man, that was kind of the the genesis of it, if you will, is personal accountabilities that I wanted to take ownership in. And then it morphed into um, I wanted to be able to to lead and influence and impact um others, you know, and uh yeah, that was kind of the start of it.
SPEAKER_02Right on now, have had has the six musts have they have they changed over time or are they the same original six?
SPEAKER_04No man, same six. It's kind of uh a broken record here with a lot of what we do, brothers in battle and uh my mindset with stuff and approach to stuff with our mission and a lot of what we do. Um, it really hasn't changed. Um, I think it's there's kind of emphasis, it it's changed in the context of it was personally for me things, right? But then I found it, you know, um the ability for it to be able to impact others around me. And it it I truly believe it as long as you're right in the rig. Like if I'm not willing to be out there with my crew and my guys and brothers in battle and you know, everything, and I'm not putting in sets and reps, and I can't mask up and I suck at masking up, then how the fuck am I supposed to be teaching this and inspire others to do it, you know? And if I suck with the halligan and I can't stretch a line, you know, and I can't throw a 24-foot ladder by myself, you know, these types of things and wonder like how am I expected to teach it uh if I can't do it? And not only can I not not do it, but these are all things that I believe um are the so-called basics of what we do, if you will. And uh I truly believe there is nothing basic about what we do uh at two o'clock in the morning when lives are on the line. Like it's what we're expected to do, but there's nothing basic about it when people are screaming outside, grabbing a hold of you, shoving you, smokes pouring out, sirens are blaring coming in like this. Nothing basic, but that's what we do. And you gotta own these things. And I think if we own those things, that's what allows us to absorb the friction, the fire ground friction that's coming at us, right? And I don't even have to think about masking up. And how do I force this door? You know, and I want to bring up a quote um that I use that a mentor and a friend of mine, um, Jim McCormick from Indianapolis Fire retired in FDTN, which all of you should know. But he's got a great quote years ago. I heard on a podcast, and I don't even remember which podcast, but that quote kind of it just it framed the six months beautifully of how I think about it. And his quote is in regards to training, don't think it's the facility alone, is what you need. You need a good grasp on the material, and then find ways to do it every day. And to me, that's basically saying own our skills, the so-called basic, know it in and out, find ways to do it, no fucking excuses. Don't make excuses. I don't have a door prop, I can't train. Well, you could put a halligan in your hand and do the dance at a door and talk through a door and those types of things. You can stretch lines, you can mask up without having everybody around. Like we you don't have to go out of service, you don't have to go out to a training facility, you don't have to do these things. Um, you know, have those things in place in order to own these things, those are just excuses. So my six months are mask up quickly, no excuses, make the force, no excuses, make the stretch, no excuses. Make the push, no excuses. Make the throw, no excuses, and make the grab, no excuses. You know, and within that context, man, go out and find ways every day to do it. Daily stretch, daily throw, your training, your drills. It's a bulk of what we do with brothers in battle. You know, all of our classes encompass aspects of that. And uh, we don't do anything other than what's within the context of that because it's what I know. Um, it's what we know, it's the fire ground bread and butter operation, if you will, uh the so-called basics, and uh it's what I have experience with.
SPEAKER_02So you know it's beautiful, man. No, I think it's a great way to open up the scrap and get get the questions coming in from people. Uh mask up quickly, force the door quickly, stretch quickly, make the push, throw, and make the grab.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, that's beautiful, man. And I love it. I absolutely love it. Like I said, yeah, I love the six months. That's what Matthew KFD is saying. Love the six months. Hell yeah. Uh, there's a lot of these flexing arms and some fiery emojis coming by in the chat. So I absolutely love it. Are you ready for some questions coming at you from the audience? Because this is always there's always so much, and there's a they're coming at you from different directions today. So I'm anxious to hear what you think. Yeah, hit me, brother. Kyle Piverall, always asking good questions. He wants to know in your experience, what is the biggest difference between East and West Coast departments and what was it like going from one to another?
SPEAKER_03Oh man, biggest difference.
SPEAKER_04That's hard because I think it can be localized and regionalized. I'll bring up a couple of things. It was definitely hard. Um, it was a very hard transition. I've talked about that in the past, so I don't want to get too deep in the weeds about that, but it was a lot harder than I expected. Um, I was coming back to my hometown area, if you will, and uh knew a lot of people, but um my first three years, I was on the struggle bus real hard. And uh it took me some time to find like-minded brothers and sisters and to find my groove um with a lot of people that were mission-mindset, like I am, wanted to put in the time and training and the passion into that. Not that it wasn't there, and I'm just speaking again of my own department and my own experience. So uh that's what I mean by localized, like that's my experience. Um, so it was just very different culturally um coming there, you know. And I had just come from an environment, it was hard. My last four years in the FDNY was in special operations command uh and assigned to squad one. So everybody was into the job, you know. Every we, you know, you trained every day and sometimes all day, and that's what she did, you know. And the mission, you didn't even question it. It wasn't even thought like it is now. Um, you know, mission first and them and these types of things, and owning these skills. That's just what we did. It was just the baseline, it was just the games. Yeah, and so that that part of it was definitely a struggle transitioning over. Um, let's just uh I'll I will bring up one specific thing that I do think is kind of funny and seeing it. I would say uh saw operations is one, uh, and I reference it in our classes a lot. I think the West Coast is unbelievable at chainsaw work and operating chainsaws. Um, and a lot of that comes probably early on from the blue-collar logging community and logging, you know, where I came from, the communities of logging on the West Coast. Um, but then you know, the West Coast way of things with heavy vertical ventilation and saw work and stuff like that. So chainsaws, phenomenal uh work done by West Coast firefighters. Uh and then I would see like you put a cirk saw or partner saw in their hands, and it was like a fucking fish out of water, you know, and they're trying to operate it like it's a chainsaw, which is complete opposite, you know, and so the training fails you if you're only trained how to handle and operate a chainsaw, everything is completely opposite with the partner saw, you know, and so I would say on the East Coast, brothers and sisters on the East Coast, man, you know, there's nobody better at operating partner saws. Um, so that's definitely a difference that I've seen on my fire grounds, you know, in training uh with that with just specific to saw work, but yeah, man.
SPEAKER_02I love it, man. I absolutely no great, great question, great answer. I know you've talked on some of this stuff before, but there are some people probably who haven't seen some of your earlier stuff want to know. Maddox has two questions, kind of you can tie them together, but and you've kind of hit on it already. But he says, What was it like having to make a decision to put your family over your dream career? And then on the previous, did your experience did you get any backlash from the guys when you told them you were leaving for family?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, um, yes, uh so it was definitely the right thing, you know. Um, was it hard? Of course, it was it was hard, you know. I'd be lying if I was sitting here saying it was easy to do. Uh, I missed the job tremendously. I missed my job in Portland and I missed a job in the FDNY um as well. Uh and left a great company, a great environment. And, you know, it was my dream leaving, you know, small town USA in uh Battleground Washington to head out there for my dream job and the brothers in battle tape that was there. You know, I was I feel like I was living my dream, but I also was a family man, you know, and I'm my wife and my daughters, I asked a lot of them to move out away from everything they knew. Uh, before Andre and I got married, she said there were only two places she never wanted to go, and that was Africa and New York City. And then shortly thereafter, I was like, hey, baby, move to New York City. Uh, and so yeah, we spent nine years in total out there um raising our girls up with no family around. And uh that was hard, and it was just for me to do the job, and it's the hardest years, too, probably for eating a support group. Yeah, man, we spent all of our 20s out there, you know. Most of our friends that we hung out with a lot were in their 40s and had kids our age, but we were definitely babies with babies out of our element and environment. Um, and so it was great. I learned a ton, uh, but it definitely was one of those things that I knew it was pulling on Andrea's heart. Um, and even mine, like I could just sense I knew the quality of life for the girls wasn't as good with um what we could get them family-wise with everybody around, you know. So it just kind of became time and it was hard. I'm very fortunate to have had a leave of absence from the FDNY, which I took just in case when I got hired with Portland. And then I actually uh asked uh permission from the chief of department to extend it to a second year because I was really struggling, and it got approved. Um, and I just stuck it out. And thankfully, for my wife and kids, uh, you know, looking back on it now, it was definitely the right decision, uh, you know, for us and my family and career-wise. Um, but it was hard for sure. Uh, but I get asked that a lot. In fact, probably in the last couple of days, I've received two or three messages from people around the country just asking about transitioning to sure, sure. And so I'll just add one more thing. Um, one, I truly believe if you're putting family first, you'll never go wrong. Uh, you just can't go wrong. And so the job does change, it goes from being, you know, all about going to jobs in that experience. And then, like I say, there's a lot of life outside of the job, and any given day, the job can be taken from you uh for a variety of reasons, and you're no longer able to do it or can do it, but your family will always be there, hopefully. But that's a myth too. Family's not always going to be there, you can alienate and lose your family, you know. Um, so I do think it's important to prioritize your family. And ideally, if you could get those two things to line up family and the job, um, you know, dang, you know, you're you're doing it there. But yeah, it's hard, but you'll never go wrong putting your family first, you know, pursuing the job. And then, you know, the mindset also of everybody always has a tendency to think the grass is always gonna be greener, you know, on the other side. That's not always the case, but it can be. So I would say don't always expect to, um, especially if you're already on the job someplace, you're not gonna recreate those good things that you have. And I have this conversation with a lot of people, and I think for myself too, like, you know, you want that those years that you had in whatever company and doing that time and with that crew and on that shift, and you want to replicate that, yeah. But it's like reading a book, man. You're turning the chapter, it's gonna be a new chapter, and there's no guarantee that it's gonna be a great chapter. It's no guarantee it's gonna be a shitty chapter, it's just another chapter. So, you know, it is perspective and it can be great, but it might not be. And it might take two or three chapters to be able to come back to it and look that it was like, yep, that was an important decision. That was hard. I'm glad I made that decision. We got through it. I learned these lessons, you know. Uh went through those trials and you know, came out the other side, and now all of those things are what make you who you are. So, but man, I always tell everybody put family first, especially young dudes. I see it, you know, this job will eat you up, you know, it'll eat up your families and uh in a lot of ways. So put your families first.
SPEAKER_02Beautiful. No, great, great, great. Uh hey, great questions. And I know you get that a lot, and and that's uh, but yeah, absolutely crushing it. There's a reason you get it a lot. Uh uh Colton Crable wants to know what was the process for making it to squad one at FDNY?
SPEAKER_04Oh uh back then it was interviewing with the captain, senior man, guys in the company showing up and just going in and talking to them, letting them know you wanted uh you're interested in uh coming to the company, and then them talking to your captain, your senior man in your company, your crew, you know, things like that. There's definitely an element, and there was then of you know, guys with hooks, if you will, and you know, knowing guys to get into companies and having a hook to get in someplace, and that's Definitely was a part of things then. Um, I think still is. I'm a little out of touch with exactly what's going on, but uh I'm sure still is. Um, but it was also more so, especially for guys that didn't have hooks uh in us. It was if you had a good reputation in your company, you worked hard. Um, you know, you went and you showed up at training and drills in the firehouse, your face was showing, going and talking to the officers, the senior men. And yeah, that was uh that's how it was then. There was no application, there was no, you know, nothing really. What changed actually after I got in a couple years is it there used to not be specialty pay, and uh everybody was there because they wanted to be there, you know, in those sock spots and doing the extra training, the extra work, you know, all that stuff uh without any pay. And then I don't remember exactly, but maybe it's my last year there or so. Um put in and I uh special operations got 12% specialty pay. And as soon as you start tying money to things, naturally it muddies the waters. So uh, you know, it's got to be accessible to everybody and you know, more of a system which you know just is what it is. But yeah, when I got in, it was uh yeah, the company, you know, invited me to come in, you're put on an onion skin or a trial period, and that could be anywhere from six months, nine months, a year and a half, and you're basically being tested. You know, you're on trial. Do you fit with the company? You fit on the fire ground, your train drills, you know, do you got that reputation with your old company and them? And if so, they'll extend you a permanent spot in the company, you know. But you're on an onion skin, uh, and you're essentially trying out for the company, you know, based on uh your performance.
SPEAKER_02Right on. No, and like you said, once they start tying the money to it, then all of a sudden now you're gonna have people who want the money as opposed to the people who just wanted the work because that's what it was the the first time was oh, there's extra work and no pay. Okay, sign me up.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so and I don't want to speak into I don't know formally what the process is now, it's been since 2007, you know, but it started it started muddy in the waters initially, and what that was looking at, and you know, and I think still think you get phenomenal brothers and sisters that want to do work, but it definitely it changed it changed the game, yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, without a doubt. Uh Fergie coming at you says, What would you say is the best way to get buy-in to something like the six months from the bottom up as the newer guy at a department? Yeah, I know you've never had this question before.
SPEAKER_04So I kind of alluded to it like that's that's that's exactly what transitioned when I got hired by Portland, you know, and I was starting from scratch. It was no lateral position. I was playing the game, keeping my mouth shut, you know, not telling them where I was from. And I just wanted to own those skills. So again, I think you got to be able to lead yourself before you can expect to lead others. And by lead, I mean impact others and around you, right? And so, um, first and foremost, own all of this stuff, you know, understand the oath you took, uh, be passionate about the mission, unapologetic, you know, develop those convictions of your why. And uh regardless of what's going on, you know, don't ever, ever, ever tread on those or be willing to turn on those, you know, things. And I think if you have that foundation of the why, um, you know, that's your foundation and keeping the oath, you know, and then it just translates into those six things. You own it, and that was my goal. Uh, I've worked with guys, Adam Air's Engine Zero, and guys who are out doing things, lots of guys all over the country, right? Stretching lines, masking up on the bay floor, out back throwing ladders by themselves. And that was me. I was just willing to do it every day, you know, putting in the work, putting in the time to own the skills myself. And I was just praying that you know, eventually I would end up, you know, because you travel early on in Portland, so you're working everywhere, filling in slots. And it's like, well, I can, you know, hopefully get somebody's like, hey, I want to come out and bang ladders with you. You know, hey, what are you doing? Why are you masking up with gloves on like that? You know, oh, look at this. What do you, you know, you're stretching lines and spare line and off the hydrant or you know, whatever it is you're doing with the rig, you're out doing something. Basically being into the job and not, you know, sucking and you know, falling into line just to try to fit in and adapt to that environment if it's contradictory to what the mission is. And so that's what I did, man. And that's what I say there's a lot of friction early on, you know, there's a lot of friction. Uh, but ended up finding some amazing brothers uh early on, and sisters, and many of them became early brothers in battle members, you know. Uh Chris Fukai, Anthony Braxton, Jason Stensgard, Ryan, you know, Mills, Matt Fullerton, Maggie Blackwood. You know, there's a ton of these are early OG brothers and battles that uh Codre that just came in and you know bought into that. And you know, a lot of it started with just putting in the work, you know, of of those skills. And so I think there's a time to to put in the work, own that first and foremost. Hopefully you start to influence, but then you got to figure out what that timeline is, man. And if it's I've had these conversations too, if it's a toxic environment, uh, if it's a shit team, how long are you willing to play on that shit team? And I hate the answer. Wait out the dinosaurs and let them retire and do all like, man, there's a lot of life to live, and I don't want to waste any minute of it. Uh, this can all be taken away from you. So that's different for everybody, what that looks like, but uh you gotta figure out if you know it's time to make a change to a different environment, you know, different department, different shift, different house, um, or stay and grind it out. It's a very personal thing.
SPEAKER_02Very, very no, and there is uh for the vast majority of of the way I knew the fire service, and I'm a I'm very recently retired, but uh it was you you got on one place and you stayed there forever. It was very unusual to move, you know what I'm saying? It was a it was an out of the ordinary thing. And I think over the last I would say 10 years, but especially the last five years, yeah, it has become very common to lateral to slide. And and I and I'm wondering, is it a you know, at first I'm like, man, that's terrible for the fire service because there's no longer the 30-year person at one place. But I also think it's a very good thing that it's not as like if you're not trapped there for a 30-year career and you can go somewhere else, especially laterally, like you can vote with your feet when it's a when it's a shitty culture, when it's bad leadership.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, man. I agree, and that's why I love like I love the senior man culture, you know. And I I didn't promote as senior man, you know, on the back step. My grandfather retired from the city of Vancouver fire department with 35 years on the back step and was a senior man. Uh, I love that culture in the FDNY. Uh, it wasn't quite in Portland like it was in the FDNY, it's developing and it's getting better, but I mean that's a part of it. Like, you know, Mickey Comboy just retired from rescue three, you know, 42 years. That's unbelievable. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I love that, but not everybody has that where you're at. So again, you know, it's it's all that's what I'm saying, it's personal, you know, you got to make those decisions. And I encourage you guys, like, don't why would you stay and play for a losing team? It sucks the life out of you, you know, it's taking the morality, there is no mission. Um, you know, we've got suicide rates through the roof, uh, divorce rates, alcoholism, drug abuse, all of these things that, you know, I just referenced, which is hard to say and bring up, but I talk about in a lot of my classes. But the state of the American fire service is literally killing us, you know, and that's a part of it. A lot of these toxic environments and that attitude, it's like, I gotta be loyal to that department and stay there and give them 30 years or give them 10 years. And there definitely was that mentality, you know, back in the day. But I think some places, uh, if they're accountable to the mission and the purpose and you and that, then yeah, great. But if not, I gotta hold them accountable too. And you know what? A lot of this environment though, I'm seeing it as a positive. Some could take it as a negative, but I I'm of the mindset that leave. And when you just you have all turds at your department, you're gonna know it, and nobody wants to be there, and you're a stepping stone, and everybody is leaving. Well, why is everybody leaving? You know, and where are they going? And there's great places out there all over the country, yes, you know, and there's departments that are going out and seeking, you know, these people. And I I'll go back to you know, a mutual friend and mentor, you know, Chief Scott Thompson. I still remember him being on stage in firemanship the first year he came out, like 2017 or so, and standing on say stage as chief of department of the colony, say, I'm here, I'm here to steal you away. I'm recruiting. This is my recruitment base. Like, this is who I want to bring in, you know. And he's like, Yeah, I'll I'll take you. If you're into the job, you're into the mission, you're into the oath, you want to put them first, you know, then come. And I like that mindset.
SPEAKER_02I love it. I love it. I've always I've always said this, and uh, which is if fire chiefs had a win-loss record the way head coaches did, they'd be fired all the time for their shitty teams. But there's no accountability, you know what I'm saying? Oh no, I and I think that's so good.
SPEAKER_04I've never thought about that analogy, but uh I couldn't imagine. I mean, the face of the fire service the way it is wouldn't exist.
SPEAKER_02But if if people vote with their feet, then then it then it then it's starting to it's starting to make a difference. I really is. It really, it really is. Now I understand it everybody doesn't have that option, and like you said, it's a very, very personal choice, and there's so much to it. It's not as easy as oh, this is bad, I'm leaving. I mean, it's if it was, I think people would make the choice a lot different. Um all right, I got more questions coming in. No luck rescue. No luck rescue. Let's get some tactics here. He says, when it comes to VES operations, what's your opinion on the officer following the back step into the structure to assist and make go no go decisions to continue the search?
SPEAKER_00Uh it's kind of a hard thing.
SPEAKER_04Uh yes, they should be in the structure. Uh so they're a company. I mean, that's that's like kind of the first thing. And I understand every department operates differently, but sorry. Sounds like a company. You're not a truck company officer, you're not an engine company officer if you're not fucking going inside. So uh yeah, you're a part of the operation, you know, and we shouldn't be having pancake feeds and all of these things and fighting for staffing, and we're just leaving members outside, especially company officers. So, one is yes, they should be a working part of the crew, um, and inside. Two, it's a training failure if everything has to be hinged on that officer to make the decision. Yeah, I love that. So, um, you know, we should be trained to the standard of you know, building construction, layouts, fire behavior, all that making decisions, isolation, flow path, areas of refuge, getting into them, taking windows, knowing there's a ladder. There, is there a line in place? Is there not a line in place? But I mean, from an early on point in my career from the FDNY, you got members, young members going in on the outside team, remote operating independently of an officer and making those decisions and going in off of a fire escape or venting a roof and coming down and you train to make decisions, you know. Portland fire, we train our guys too, actually, very young outer probably school to do those things and to split search. Um, I say it all the time: like Brothers in Battle doesn't teach oriented search. I don't teach it. Why? Because I've never done it, I don't understand it fully. Uh, as far as the oriented search being you've got somebody or a company officer in a hallway camped out with the tick directing traffic. I mean, if you've got to do that in a multiple dwelling, single-family dwelling type environment, residential setting, again, that's training. And call us, brothers in battle, we'll come. But if you've got to leave a member doing that, you ain't putting them first because time is the enemy. Uh, and if you can't split and have a member in a bedroom, you're in another bedroom, or a member in a bathroom and doing those types of things, again, it's a training thing. And it can be training from out of the gate early on. I mean, we put rifles in Marines' hands, so uh at 18 years old. So right on. I don't, you know, it's kind of a hard kind of a hard question.
SPEAKER_02I think you hit all the the the big points because it almost sounds like I don't know the the it almost sounds like their policy is is the officer stands out on the ladder and and and directs things from the window, which which is the way I learned VES 15 years ago, you know, when they first started calling it VES, you know, and giving it that. But uh again, I think I think you said it best when you said it's a training failure if the fireman has to wait for direction. You know, if you're yeah, no, beautiful. Um Ryan Woodruff back to passion and dedication, back to spreading the poison. We get a lot of questions on this because I think it's a problem in the fire service as people try to find the answer, which is how do you pass passion and dedication down to the newer generations that are coming in? What's the role of the company officer or senior man?
SPEAKER_03Um, how do you pass say that again? So, how do you pass it?
SPEAKER_02How do you pass passion and dedication down to the new generations?
SPEAKER_04I think that's the easiest answer. I think the hard question is how do you pass it up to the to the members with time in the company? And twenty-that's what we're fighting against right now. Um, the young members, you train them out of the gate. That's all they know. A Marine is a Marine, like this is your rifle. Uh so if you if again your foundation, I am very foundational, your why, understanding our why is the key to unleashing audacity, right? And if we know these things and we have a why and the oath means something, that's the foundation of accountability for all of us. And then off of that, if we're if we've all taken that oath and we have that accountability, now we get to maintain that with each other, hold each other accountability accountable for the entirety of our careers. And so I'll see, I'll just say, like in Portland Fire, that was very, very hard transition. Um, uh, and it was a hard transition for the old guard and people. And I would say now, man, I remember it might have been five or six years ago, we did uh Northwest Truck Academy, uh, Fire Nuggets did. And without me pushing anything, without brothers in battle pushing anything, I think we had 15 Portland firefighters show up to that academy, various classes going on all over that I had no idea were gonna be there. And they all probably had four years or less, like young. That was the inspiration, and I was like, I was damn near in tears. I really was because only a couple years previous to that, I was I begged at firemanship to get Portland firefighters to come. Free training, free. We'll try, I'll give you as much training as we can in your area. We couldn't get anybody to go to any outside training, but man, we got young dudes that are brothers in battles, you know, now and those types of mindsets and guys that came in 31s. I'm proud to say, uh, you know, when I left and retired from there, you know, guys were wanting to come out to the company and one of our busiest companies in the city and get their balls kicked in on a regular basis. Why? Because we had great morale with it. We trained, we were mission focused and all that, and all the young people wanted to come, you know, out there, and then it becomes an arm. And you know, we've just done some recent training again at conferences, uh, the Trails West Conference in Clackamus uh a couple weeks ago. And there are multiple young Portland firefighters. I'm talking with three, four years or less, uh taking classes on their own. And those days I would have never seen that before. You know, we were the big kids on the block, we knew it all, we seen it all. We don't go to outside training, and man, so I don't know. I I I think if you start out and you build up that training, you take an oath, which I'm passionate about.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_04And I've only found out in the last year or two, really, that not everybody takes an oath. We all assume everybody's taking an oath, and so I actually I encourage in our lectures that I do, you know, classes to hey, if you haven't done it, create that moment, that environment to get buy-in. Uh, and there's many departments that have created great oaths and pledges and what it means, you know, and create those moments for your organization to do that. And it does create buy-in and accountability and to reference that, you know, and that's a great starting block. But I think getting the younger generation is the easier answer. The harder part is, you know, transitioning now into you know, members with the, you know, that are set in their ways, if you will, especially if they contradict that. And that's been the battle of the fire service for years now that we're all talking about, and we're seeing the pendulum, you know, shift, I would say. And so maybe I'll just take this moment to take a stab uh at not all chiefs in departments, but we're coming into some crazy times as a fire service, and I no longer believe the liability is in you going in and two in and two out, and you're inside operating, like the liability for these chiefs not operating and occupying the interior, not doing window-based searches, not flowing and stretching and all this stuff because of UL and FRSI, because of Rescue Survey, because every fucking regional conference around the country, because of Chief Roads, because of everybody, because it's the mission of what we do, they're chiefing themselves out of a fucking job. And we're making it really, really uncomfortable for them. And so those days, those those turds that have been in position now of all that membership. Um it, I say it like my goal is to make it uncomfortable for them to stay, and it is going to increasingly become uncomfortable. They can't, they just can't talk their way out of it. There's no stats, there's no science, there's no nothing other than cowardice, and it's catching up with them.
SPEAKER_02Okay, hold on, I gotta write down the time. I'm always looking for what I'm gonna put at the front of the scrap as well as the sound bite. Uh, and anytime, yeah, and when when Cody gets fired up, you gotta you gotta write down the times. Yeah, freaking mic drop. Fireman Piv said it. Uh absolutely time freaking stamp from again. Absolutely. Another fire office, yeah. Uh, dude, 100%. Okay, Michael Anderson, getting an ity gritty. Says, how do you create an oath or something similar when your department doesn't have one? Any advice for that?
SPEAKER_04So, yeah, email me. So, a couple things. Um, I mean, reach out to members online. That's the beauty about social media. Hey, who's got put up a post? You know, who's got great oaths within that? Um, Chief Scott Thompson, again, I bring him up just because he's a tremendous leader, friend, and mentor. He came to firemanship last year and uh was our closing uh speaker on day three at firemanship in Aurora, and he brought it and he printed out the oath and on stage had everybody that wanted to to take an oath there. And so I'll just reference, like in my class I bring up recently, I was in Roseburg last fall, and the city of Roseburg, Oregon didn't have an oath either. And I gave them a couple examples, talked about the importance a little bit more in depth than here now, but of creating that moment for their organization. And they went in and they wrote some on their own with references, but they actually came up with two, and I could share them too because I got permission. So if you reach out to me afterwards, um I'll email them to you. But I use them in my slides and they created an oath, if you will, for the members coming in and the uh on the line, but they also created a leadership oath for their administration to follow the mission, support the mission, provide training, funding, resources, mission first. That is different, and I'd never seen or heard that either. And so they've done some really good things, but um, yeah, there's I would say use social media and just put up a post. Hey, who's got great examples of this, you know, or put a committee together, or a couple guys, or whatever of what sounds good, what does this look like, you know, with you? But since we're talking about that oath, um, it could look like a variety of different ways. But I use that slide in my presentation actually, in a picture with my drill instructor, Joe Higgins from the FDNY. And I love words, uh, and the definition of an oath, just to put weight to this, here's the definition of an oath a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness regarding one's future actions or behavior. And that right there, I mean, that that's your foundation and that's your accountability.
SPEAKER_02Base it off that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh, dude. Yeah, I love it. And the other thing I'll throw on there is I always push on the vigilantes, but I'm telling you, they are the best group of people. And the Discord server, you can go in there and ask that question. I promise you'll get like 20 or 30 examples of an oath from some of the best people around the country. So I'm always it. I don't push the vigilantes just because uh they're the vigilantes. It is the best group of people. And if you're not one, I just have to ask why not? Why not? Uh great question. Great, even better answer. I love your answer, Cody. Um, especially that that quote from your drill drill sergeant or the instructor. Um I like this one from Kyle Piv coming at you. What's your opinion? Your opinion is it better to spread the go-getters out across the department so you can keep uh or or to keep them together in the busiest houses. Which one do you think is better? Spread them out to yeah, I know it's tough, so yeah, man.
SPEAKER_04I don't know. Um, I don't really have a lot of experience with this, to be honest, so it's kind of hard me for me to to speak of. Um the bulk of my experience is within large urban departments, and uh those departments are like everywhere else. I would say that there are, you know, the FDNY is full of a bunch of fucking turds, so is Portland Fire, and the FDNY is full of a bunch of pipe hitters and names that we know and phenomenal firemen. Um, so is the city of Portland, and every other department across this country has got good and bad. So there's busy houses, slow houses, houses that go to jobs, houses that focus on hazmat, tech, all of that stuff. So I do believe that within our trade, you know, you can navigate realms of um, you know, what you're looking to, you know, focus in on or train in on that time um within our trade. But I think some people, I it's hard for me to uh I was passionate about my company 31s. I love the time I spent there. We were busy, we got our balls kicked in, and we had a great environment. Uh, we wanted to be there, we wanted to train, we wanted to work hard, we were about jobs, we were about having fun. And uh there were a couple different times that Portland floated the idea of um from the union standpoint of actually sleep wellness and safety, of transitioning guys out and maybe rotating a couple months or having a a sister firehouse in a slower company. And um while I I think health and wellness is important, uh I was dead against that, you know. Uh that would have fucking killed me. Uh, and I think it's different for everybody. I stayed there and I would have still stayed there and been there um if things hadn't taken place the way they had. But uh, so it's hard for me to say. And I I think you naturally guys gravitate where they want to end up, and it's not just jobs, right? It's personality and what people do, and we know things that matter, family and things outside, and so you kind of see that natural uh gravitation of people to different companies, and you know, I'm all for that. Uh, I hate the idea of just putting people, especially go-getters and you know, just pipe hitters into the job in slow companies or places that necessarily are a cancer all the time because that could turn into a cancer and be a morale killer for them, you know. And I I thought at Portland we traveled early on, and oftentimes our youngest guys got the shittiest firehouses and start out their careers in the slowest firehouses. And to me, that's a cancer. That's where you develop the bad habits, the attitude, lack of morale. Now all of a sudden you are just showing up to fucking collect a paycheck. You're worried about your side gig, your boats, you know, your chair time, and those types of things. And um, that takes precedence. So that's not the environment that I came up in. I always wanted to be, you know, around the best that were into the job, you know, training and doing those things. Didn't necessarily have to translate call volume-wise, but I would say more, you know, firehouse-wise and culturally and and click-wise environment, if you will, with the guys. So I don't know, man. Again, that's personal. I don't know if I like spread in and out because I think uh if you're isolated and an individual is kind of like a wolf pack, you know. If you're like if you're alone on the island, that's a fucking tough place to be at times, you know, versus around like-minded brothers and sisters.
SPEAKER_02So and I'll springboard because I just want to add a little bit because I because I'm opposite from Cody. I did not work in busy urban departments. I worked in a in a in a I would say, I don't want to say quiet, but in a suburban, uh, smaller department. And I firmly believe that you you you how I want to say this, I want to say this correctly. I don't want to butcher this, but when you take a go-getter and put them into a slower house or put them somewhere to spread the the passion, you you were putting someone in a vent-limited environment and expecting them to burn. And I think there's a way bigger danger that they're gonna go out and you're gonna snuff that passion. Whereas if you stick them together and let their let them feed each other like oxidizers, and then you start, then the heat starts affecting people around them. So and it just man, like like Cody said, there's so much nuance to it.
SPEAKER_03That's beautiful, man. If I only had if I was only a wordsmith like you, that's what I was trying to say.
SPEAKER_02No, but yeah, no, no. Uh I think uh thanks for the question, Kyle. And even better answer from Cody. Uh Steve Mouse wants to know, Cody, will you be taking Nisbet's chorecoat back?
SPEAKER_03Nisbet doesn't even know that it's gone already.
SPEAKER_02I'll leave it there. What can you do? Oh, let me see to see. Ryan Sellett coming at you. Cody, on the last graph, you gave a great explanation of the first two engine always having to do to deal with the fire problem and not just searching without dealing with the fire problem. When on an engine, if ever, would you use the can to address the fire problem versus stretching?
SPEAKER_04Oh, great question. And that was kind of one of the the things that gave you to talk about again because it's just man, it seems to be one of those hot topics in the fire service. Um, and part of it is I I think there's been such a focus, you know, on search, search culture, them, them, them, you know, and I'm definitely a part of that because we've seen the pendulum swing too far to the other side, you know, just like ventilation in my day. I think we've gone too far anti-ventilation, and we're trying to correct that with firemanship and discipline and when and why. Um, and I would say this is the same conversation that is taking place uh right now with the first new engine. And yeah, I hit it last time, and even just coming back from the Trails West conference, Trails End conference, um, and doing our DO DIY engine class last week. Um, this question came up with a lot of people in the class and a lot of hands and a lot of conversations with the idea that they're not stretching the line, you know, if there's reports of people tracked and they just had, you know, talking around the kitchen table, and as a crew, they're for going stretching the line. So, one, because I already made that stance clear in my last episode, but I'm willing to talk about it again because it is becoming a problem. Um, the times that you should be pulling up to a building on fire or a house on fire, not stretching a hose line as a first due engine company, in my mind, are this many. So we're gonna have to really sit down and sip some whiskey, and you're gonna have to really sell me on the times of when you would do that. Um, but to specifically answer your question, Ryan, about a can, I do think the can is tremendously valuable and coming from you know a department where it's a whole position dedicated to the can and the can man. Um, I know the value of it seeing it, but I think on an engine company that typically comes into smells and bells for us, alarms, things like that, investigation type things where we've got a can. I think a can has to be a part of that tool complement when we're investigating and you don't have a truck, and most of the country doesn't have a truck type company there, but you've got to fill those functions there, and you've got to have a tick, you've got to have irons, you gotta have a and you gotta have a can with you when we're doing those types of things. And um, that would be like initially being able to put a can on it, but to show up to visible smoke showing from the eaves from a window, fire showing from something and a building on fire. Um, as an engine company, that's not coming initially. I mean, that's why we stretch lines, but I do think it's a valuable tool for the chauffeur uh or the driver to think about in your tool complement and being proactive and bringing stuff up front and staging stuff or throwing ladders or looking for horizontal vent up operations off the front type stuff, is to bring a can in case there is an issue or something is needed or a company comes up, you know, our line shuts down, it's kinked up, and we can grab the can there. So I love the idea of bringing a can up um by the driver at that point. But for building on fire, we stretch lines, you know, all other cases, you know, and there's a variety of them. Um, the can should be going 100%.
SPEAKER_02Great, great, yes. The uh I want to I want to pivot here off the questions from the audience, and I want to get talking about one of my favorite topics, which is firemanship, because you are the founder of firemanship. It's been you've had the Portland run, now the Aurora run, and this is this is this the third or fourth year? This is number three years enough that I'm trying to keep track, but uh I'm not I know you don't change for the sake of change and all that kind of thing, but what are you most excited about for what you're doing with firemanship this year? What do you want people to know about? Uh I mean it's unbelievable lineup of instructors every year. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And I personally, man, I think the environment is like everything else, it takes time to create it and build it. And I've been guilty of this, and we've referenced it earlier when you try to recreate something. And again in Portland, you know, we had a great run. It was incredibly special and it had an incredible vibe or environment in the building. And um, I think a lot of people's, including my own and Andrea's and others, were you know, at times you challenge it, that it's not what Portland was. And it's not that say it's gonna be even more awesomer or it's worse, it's just different, it's a new chapter. And what I love about firemanship happening now, coming into year three, is it does it take a year or two to start feeling it out. What does this look like? The environment, the venue, the vibe creating, and we're very purposeful in our mission of faith, family, and firemanship. And uh, I love it. I'm extremely proud to be a part of it uh with Jeff and Ashley Bryant and everybody else. You are a part of our family, and I and I don't say that lightly, the red shirt family, because it is all volunteer and everybody, you know, about the mission and for those purposes. And so I think it's developing now its own vibe and environment, you know, and we're seeing people come back again, year one, year two, year three. And we're seeing people bring their spouses year two, year three, bringing their spouses in that environment. And we're very purposeful with that. We're not looking to be every other fire conference that's out there, not that it's a bad thing, um, but we're very specific with faith, family, and firemanship and that environment. And uh, I'm excited that that is taking place. Um, to hear people talk about it, traveling and teaching, you know, listening to other people talk on podcasts and things like that. When they bring up firemanship, it's the thing they're looking to do in the summer. Their only vacations, time are being planned around it where especially they can get their spouse to come. They've got child care to do it, and they're putting in that commitment to come out for a week. Like, man, that's that says a lot. So um I I like the vibe that we're creating with that because I think we're just killing the firemanship side of it. I think we're killing the family side of it, I think we're killing the face side of it, and just showing that we can bring all of that together with you know, three days of incredible lectures and speakers all under the same roof, the spouse series, socials, you know, in the evening where everybody's coming together and auction time and pumper pull. It's just man, it's fun, it's a fun environment, there's no ego. Um, and yeah, uh, I'm looking forward to this year just again because to see, you know, on the personal side of things, afterwards always is like a toll, and you're exhausted and sure worse. I can only imagine, you know, and talking with Jeff and Ashley, and it's like and Andrea, like, are we doing this again or not? You know, and it's like it's a lot of work and it's a lot of time, uh, by a lot of people, and it truly takes a red shirt army. But like this year, it came back to it's like, man, the winds and that feeling when you're impacting lives. And when I tell you, and I'm not exaggerating, that literal lives being saved from eating guns and marriages being saved and dudes being baptized and these types of things that's like, oh, we're having these conversations at a fire conference, and yeah, that's real that to me, that's real impact, and that's what it's all about, and that's why it's worth it, you know, for all of us. Uh, because I can 100% tell you that those things have happened and are happening, and we still have relationships and conversations with people uh from the faith side, from family side and marriages and canceling, all the way to our firemanship side and just being into the job and training and things like that, you know. Uh uh, so I think it's special and I'm looking forward to it, man.
SPEAKER_02And it is on in July, July 20th through the 26th, roughly, or those that week. July 20, the week of July 20th. Yeah, yep, yep. Make sure we get it.
SPEAKER_04Man, and we still got lots of spots. So again, the Paramount Theater is an awesome venue, you know, and we can pretty much fill it out. So there's unlimited lecture spots all three days. Um, tremendous speakers, and it's kind of cool. We're doing you know, we do 30-minute fire nugget spots, if you will, firemanship. Uh, we've got a faith family firemanship spot. We do keynotes this year. We are new to this year, bringing back a nod to the Portland days. Of we're gonna instead of like a closing presentation, we're gonna have a storyteller session uh each day, each of the three days to nod back to that and um get some of that info. And we've got some incredible storytellers lined up. Jay Camella uh from Oakland Fire, um, and OG and Daryl Liggins is gonna be up there on stage with them pulling nuggets and sure stuff out of him. Tom Saragusa retired from San Francisco fire, uh Chief Dave McGrill from Denver fire, you know, you know, out of that normal fire environment and doing that stuff. So yeah, I'm looking forward to bringing the storytellers back and uh exposing that to new uh registrants coming that have not seen that aspect of it, you know. But yeah, there's a grabs component of it. We do every day there's a uh grabs component with uh recreating a live grabs podcast, and it's good, man. No, it's about every hot flash you could think of.
SPEAKER_02Dude, the logistics alone and the build-outs, I can only imagine. I can only imagine the work that goes in by the army. And so it's it's phenomenal what you've built, uh, not only the first time around, but now this new evolution, and it's taking on, like you said, a vibe of its own and it's coming into its own. So uh it's amazing the impact that it's having, and not just on the fireside, but the faith, the family. And those are all matters, those all matter. So that being said, I want to transition to book or books that you think firefighters should be reading. I love asking this question, and you've had this question a few times, but I know I always want to hear, and I'm always looking for new books, so go for it.
SPEAKER_04Oh man, I think I said this last time.
SPEAKER_02It's like that's okay because there's a lot of people findable books, um but uh Joey Martin and the name name of the book is what? Stand Firm and Act Like Men.
SPEAKER_04Stand Firm and Act Like Men. That was the most recent book I've listened to. It's actually been a few months uh when I was rucking, but I couldn't remember his name. Pretty good. Pretty good. That was a great book. Yeah. Okay. You know, lately about our roles as men, you know, with our families, you know, in society and our jobs.
SPEAKER_02Oh, especially in modern society and and how they look at men and and it's the roles and and everything and the yeah, the traditional roles of men and and under attack and what what how how people society's reacted to that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. So I I had never heard of him before. I think he's a pastor down in Florida, uh, who wrote it, but yeah, great book.
SPEAKER_02I will I will have to add that to the listen list. Okay. Perfect. Okay, so we do a thing here, and you've done it many times, and it is called Five Questions for Firefighters. You've had some of these questions before, but not all of them, because they do change and they do rotate in and out. I'm getting ready to change them again and update them again. But for now, we've got the quest five questions for firefighters version 5.0. The answers are completely your opinion. There are no right or wrong answers, and the points are arbitrary, passed out by me with the help of the YouTube audience. So, Cody Transferral, are you ready for the five questions for firefighters? From the peanut gallery. Perfect. Okay, yes, yes. Number one, you can be anything in the world except be a firefighter. What would you choose to be?
SPEAKER_04Classic fashion. I've got two answers, two phases. One is early on, because all I've ever wanted to do is be a fireman. That's it. I mean, my early I have papers from elementary school, like, and my grandfather and uncle, that's all I've ever wanted to do. So I've been very blessed uh to do that. But I don't have regrets. I can't remember if I brought this up before or not. I've never really had another job I wanted to do. If I was going to do anything, I almost joined the Marines. I had I come from a military family. Um, I have tremendous respect and appreciation and love for uh our American warfighters. And I was about ready to join. And my training captain at the time uh back in Battleground had talked me out of it um because things were moving already. The ball was rolling with the FDNY and things like that, that transition, and was like, uh, so I don't really have regrets, but if I did have a regret, it would not be doing uh, you know, any military time and uh being a Marine and seeing what that, you know, where that led my life. So that would be job wise. Otherwise, I don't really have another job where now me, like if I could also go back and it could be a sweet kick-ass job, it'd be a hunting guide for sure. Hunting guide, yeah, yeah. But I didn't grow up hunting or doing that, and it's really only in the last four or five years that I've really gotten into it and fallen in love with it. Okay, due to a lot of friends and my son-in-law and stuff like that, and a passion for it.
SPEAKER_02But bow, black powder, gun, rifle, like like all of it, what America. Come on, America, okay.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so other than that, yeah, there is nothing else I would want to do.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I love it. I absolutely love it. Number two, let me see. Yeah, number two, it's job town, it's time. I think you've had this question before. It's that song while you're in route. That song while you're in route. What's that song for you? Like the scene from Backdraft. What's that song for you?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, uh, I am gonna uh I can't remember if I'm changing it up fully, but a lot of our BIB guys will know it's absolutely Phil Collins uh in the air tonight. In the air tonight. Like, come on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's hard to knock. Hard to knock, man.
SPEAKER_04The uh last time you had the the you the yodeling, uh I know that's I which I also love tremendously.
SPEAKER_02That's that's a the funny part is is that you know that there is there is a what's that? Did you ever look that up that no, uh absolutely, but the there's a Spotify playlist that has every song on it. And the the funny part is is sometimes you know, like when I'm riding from the airport, someone picks me up from the airport, they'll have the Spotify playlist playing. And I don't notice it at first because it's like Metallica, you know, and it's like some in uh in the air tonight, you know, I can feel you know that kind of stuff, but then that song will come on, or and and that's like, wait a second, that doesn't that doesn't play with this. Like that's not normal. Normally that doesn't play. You know, in the background. So anyway, it's quite funny. Uh there you go. Number two. Uh is that first Phil Collins? I think so. Oh. I'm waiting to see what Sam says. I don't know if in the air tonight's ever been on there before. I can't think of another I can't think of another Phil Collins song. Let's see what Sam says. Okay. Never mind. Someone is it was not, it was been on there before. Cody was correct. All right, number three. It's a cold weekend at the station. The rig checks are done. Training is done. PT is done. Food is cooking in the crock pot. The town is silent. So you're not being lazy. It's just one of those lazy days. Yeah. You're clicking through the TV. What is the movie that when you see it, doesn't matter what channel it's on, doesn't matter how many times you've seen it before. What's that movie that you stop right there and you finish that movie? No matter what how yeah, what's that movie for you?
SPEAKER_03Sound of music.
SPEAKER_02Like the original Sound of Music, Julie Andrews. Julie Andrews, yeah. In the the Von Trapp family music movie. Yes. Like okay, that's that that's the movie.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, my child, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Okay. No, I I was not expecting Sound of Music. I was not expecting a musical.
SPEAKER_04Dude, if that's playing in the background, you're telling me you're walking right by it. No, it just sucks you in.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Hey, I was not, I was not expecting that one. I don't know. I mean, I went and saw it with Amanda. We went and saw they had the actual musical came through, and it was pretty awesome. Like it was a pretty awesome musical. We went and said, Yeah, it was can I throw a TV series too?
SPEAKER_04Because that I'm gonna I'm just gonna throw it out. The wire. The wire. That's the wire. A lot of people might not know the wire, but the wire, cops, baltimore city. Oh, yeah. Back in the day, great show. Probably at 31s, we probably recycled that series a dozen times.
SPEAKER_02I believe it. No, the wire is one of the original HBO uh like short, like one gritty dramas that was started them on that down that road. Uh, number four, this one is on the clock. If you go over, if you go over, no points. If you talk afterwards about it, no points. Okay, but anyway, it's Mount Rushmore of the fire service. You get to put four people on your Mount Rushmore of the fire service.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Easy. Jake Farland, my grandfather, retired Portland Fire senior man backstep. Joe Higgins, my drill instructor, FDNY, ladder 111 nut house, John Vigiano, the Vig. Uh, and then Joe's father, uh from the FDNY. Um, yeah, just a uh Bushwick fireman, ghetto fireman. I think that'd be a sweet company to work in.
SPEAKER_02No doubt about it, man. Grandfather, Joe Higgins, Joe Higgins, Daddy Higgins, and Don Vigiano, man. Dude, I'm telling you. Uh killer, killer max points on a on a on a 21-second Mount Rushmore. So that's pretty badass for Cody. Uh the final question. It's the same question. It's always been there. Heavy fire, searchable space. Would you rather be assigned to the nozzle or first in on VES?
SPEAKER_03That's easy.
SPEAKER_02All day, every day, man. Going through the window. And he keeps it consistent. Cody Trestrel, everybody. Max points on number five.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, absolutely, but again, it's ultimate firemanship, man. That's when it all comes together. You're like, fuck around and find out going through the window. Like, does you gotta bring it all together?
SPEAKER_02No doubt about it, brother. No doubt. I love, like I said, I I respect all answers, but that is my answer. So that's the reason I love it. Max points on number five. Uh, absolutely, that puts 355 scraps in the books. Cody, Terrestral, first of all, thank you for spending your evening with us. I know you've, I mean, it's been a whirlwind for you uh the last few months. So I know setting aside an evening to do this, it means it means the world to me and to the and to the people that tuned in to check it out. Uh, absolutely crushed the answers. But if someone wants to get a hold of you, get more info, sign up for firemanship, tell them how to do those things.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I'd tell you first website, you know, uh firemanshipconference.com. Uh yeah, we still have plenty of registrants, spots for the lecture series, a lot of hot classes, have spots, I mean, great classes, and get on the wait list of a sold-out class because as it gets close, we open registration so early that life happens and a lot of changes happen. So get on a wait list, you know. And now in this next month and a half or so, we start to see a lot of changes, but a lot of great opportunity to come out, uh, you know, for family and firemanship there. So look it up, follow us on the socials and all that stuff. Uh, Ashley and Jeff and Nate Miller helps with that too a little bit, throwing stuff out there. Right. So um keep an eye on that stuff. But otherwise, yeah, brothers in battle llc.com. Um, you know, it's our website with stuff, class stuff, class requests. My stuff's all over social media, the website, my cell phone's up there. Um, my email, Cody T at brothers in battle llc.com. And uh yeah, that's it. Reach out, you know. I share everything I got. And uh yeah, appreciate you, brother. Appreciate you, Sam. Uh, the impact that you're making on the fire service, along with your peanut gallery here, uh is pretty amazing, man.
SPEAKER_02They are. They are. Uh uh the the the peanut gallery, which I don't know, the the front row gang is we like to call them the vigilantees, okay, the scrappers, the scrappers. So, but absolutely, absolutely, they make the scrap what it is. They ask the best questions, they send them right across the plate so that the guest can crush them each and every week. And I uh I say it every week. I love them. Uh, if you're not a vigilante, go be one patreon.com slash the vigilantes. The discord. Uh like here's the deal becoming a vigilante, that's easy. Anyone can do it if you're if you're willing to jump through some hoops and sign up. Now, after you do that, the hard part is getting into the discord. It's actually a gatekeeping process. Only about half the vigilantes are in the discord. I don't know why, because the discord is unreal. Uh, it's it's an amazing resource. Not the point, I won't beat it up too much. Next week on the scrap, coming on to discuss Vest Violent Encounter uh Jake Hecked. And we're gonna discuss preparing first responders for violent calls. I think it's something we don't talk about a lot. I think it's a uh I think it's gonna be a very good topic for us to spotlight next week. Uh, two weeks from today, it is the return of Chief Tom Richardson. And if you caught the first appearance, man, you know this one you will not want to miss. He sent me a list of topics today, and I was just like all excited about what he what he sent, man. So enough jabbering for me. We're gonna do the after party. Cody's invited, he's not required to come, but he is invited. Always, uh, I want to say it, I say it every week. I love the vigilantes, I love the scrappers that show up, watch the show live, and ask the great questions. Without you, it's just me talking to Cody, which don't get me wrong, I would love it. But without you, you guys are what makes the scrap magical. And a little bit from the guy Sam who's who's who's making it run. So for all that being said, all that being said, thank you for tuning in live each and every week. I hope, uh, yeah, I hope the tone stays silent unless it is burning. This job will never be safe. So stay smart out there. Thanks for listening to the weekly scrap. Please subscribe and please share. We'll see you at the next episode.