Storm Before the Podcast Episode 12: Storm Chaser of the Year Brandon Copic

In this in-depth interview, veteran storm chaser Brandon Copic shares his journey, experiences, and faith that have shaped his career in extreme weather chasing. Discover insights on perseverance, safety, and the profound impact of faith in overcoming adversity. In this heartfelt interview, Brandon Copic shares his experiences as a storm chaser, the importance of ethics in documenting damage, and the value of community, humility, and family support. Tune in for inspiring stories, practical insights, and a call to treat each other with kindness.

Guest links

• Twitter.com/BrandonCopicWx 
• YouTube

Keywords: storm chasing, Brandon Copic, weather, resilience, faith, storm safety, tornado, storm chaser of the year, extreme weather, storm chasing community storm chasing, ethics, community, family, storm photography, life lessons, humility, social media, safety, inspiration

Transcript

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Welcome back to another storm before the calm podcast. My guest today is Fox Weathers exclusive storm tracker and national storm chaser summits, 2025 storm chaser of the year. Brandon Copic has tracked storms for over a decade. Welcome to the show, Brandon. Thanks so much for having me. Your Twitter bio says you are a sinner saved by grace, veteran storm chaser, and you're trying to leave a positive mark on this world. And I love that. That's always what I've seen about you. And, and that was one of the reasons that it drew me to you and wanting to have that chat with you. Cause this is a little different. Yes, we talk about weather, but we also talk about extreme sports and all these other different things. But I really wanted to get to, I wanted people to get to know you and to see. how you've kind of navigated the adversities of this world, but also being a fricking extreme storm chaser for, what is it, 10 years or more than that now, right? this year's like 15 or 16, something like that. Ever since I got my driver's license. Oh yeah, 2010, May 7th, 2010 was my first storm chase. May 7th? Yeah, May 7th, 2010. HP Supercells in Northwest Ohio. No way. So, so Brandon, I'm going to be real with you. I, I mentioned the storm chasers show and everything. talk about like everything just working out the synchronicities of things. But as I was watching, I came upon, uh and I just finished storm chasers again for like the 20th time, but as I was watching. Right. I mean, it's so good. It's so good. And it gets me excited. I watch it every year before chase season. I I'm, I'm a nerd. get it. it. We all are. I got to the part where, the loss of Matt Hughes and his death really shook things up. And I've always been, every time I see that, always, I'm really touched by that and it moves me because. And that's what this is all about. Like storm chasing has healed me and has brought a lot of good things I was looking at Matt Hughes's obituary and I there were a lot of people who left comments in the guest book. And I came upon a guy named Brandon Coppick. Did you know that you remember leaving that? I honestly don't remember it, but I can definitely tell you, him and Brandon left a very positive impact on my life. And I actually am still friends with Matt Hughes's sister, Kristen, and his mom, Cindy. I'm so glad to hear you. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? know a lot of people know you from Storm Chasing, from the live streams. from seeing you on Ryan Hall, y'all, and all these other different streams, uh and your own live stream where you just had a bird fart tornado a couple of, was it yesterday? It was yesterday, right? So you already are on the book for 2026. Can you tell people who might not know who you are? Just a real quick, uh just a summary of who you are. Who is Brandon Coppick? I am just a veteran storm chaser like my bio says I just want to go out there and make the positive difference in the world whether it's you know helping people that I come across while I'm in the field whether it's chasers or just you know Ma and Pa who got a flat tire you know a lot of people joke with me and call me triple-a because of it and a lot of people hate the whole light bar situation but that's a big reason why I have lights I just love to help people and I want to be safe doing it But yeah, I've been doing this. believe this is my 16th season of Storm Chasing and like you referenced that Matt Hughes post. I was only 16 at that time. I was 16 years old. know, Matt and Brandon were really true inspirations for me. And of course, Reed as well. You know, those three were really, you know, rooted in what made me where I want to be and how I am now. You know, when I turned 18, believe it or not, I met a guy named Steve Green, actually I want to say it was 2011, so 17. Met a guy, a former NASCAR driver, Steve Green, and he is the originator of the Tornado Attack Vehicle. was one of the, I believe it was the first vehicle to be built to drive into tornadoes. And this is back before the TIV and the Dominators. I mean. 2011, don't get me wrong, 2011, all that stuff was around, but Steve actually intercepted the Mulvane, Kansas tornado in, what was that, 04, with tornado attack. So ironically enough, that all happened. I forecasted for him for chasing in Ohio, because he lived a couple hours from me. And that's ironically enough how I got Reed's number as a 17-year-old, was he gave me Reed's number, and then... Text read one day just mess him with them joking about how it's closer to a tornado never talking to him in that way before and And I told him that Steve Green gave me his number and he's like, yeah, just don't tell him this is still active Oh, yeah, yeah read it read really took me under his wing and I mean he reads always been incredible, you know, he really Connected with me in my younger years, you know, and it was incredible, you know, I wouldn't honestly wouldn't be here without him I mean honestly and that's it twice soon as they you know an outchaser of the year I immediately gave him a hug and everything and and he's all he's been a great friend of mine since pretty much the origin of my storm chasing years and I mean I saw his website and interacted with him for the first time and seven back before he was even on storm chaser. So it was pretty cool to huh? Yeah, good old TVN days. I mean, that's where I learned. That's where I learned so much of this stuff. I was good friends back then with James Gustina and believe it or not, Andrew Lyons from the Storm Prediction Center. The three of us really learned from the TVN forums back then. but we all learned from each other and the TVN forums and that got us to where we were. How freaking cool is that, man? And looking back at young Brandon, I mean, how does that make you feel now? Did you think that you would be doing the chasing your dreams? You know, when you were that young watching this stuff happen on TV, man, you get to see them doing this and now you're doing it and people are looking up to you, man. You were Storm Chaser of the Year at the National Storm Chaser Summit just last week or is it two weeks ago? I know, right? other job, but storm chasing. don't like get the whole Monday through Friday. The only way I figured out is my kid's school. So that's the big thing. But I mean, it definitely is a surreal experience. I'll tell you what, back in 22, I believe 2022, I drove Dominator one for like three chases. And that was a whole like. coming around experience. Like I grew up watching Reed intercepting in Dom 1 and here I am working on it and driving it. We didn't get anything too cool with it, but it was so cool just to drive it and chase in it. Me and Jayden Pappenheim were the ones in Dom 1 for those couple chases and it was a hoot, but no AC in that thing was brutal. mean, you got two layers of windshields and then you got all the heat from the motor and everything coming in between the armor. and the car itself so it just funneled straight in the car like we had gallons of water sitting in there just trying to stay hydrated but it was awesome. There must be a bucket of rust and bolts too now at this point right? I mean it's it's still pretty good I'd say D1 is probably the better between D1 and D2. D2 doesn't start right now but uh D1, that thing drives like a Cadillac. Like you wouldn't believe it's built off of an 08 Tahoe and it drives like a Tahoe too. Except the armor when it drops a little bit too low and then you hit a bump and you just hear the metallic scrape on the ground. Gosh, that would be cool though, man. I would love a chance to do that someday. Maybe it'll happen. And it's been surreal being friends with Reid. He's been an incredible friend. He's helped me through a lot in life He's kind of like an older brother. He He's almost old enough that he could be my dad. He always jokes about that, but I'm like, dude, you're like an older brother to me. And, uh, know, he's just incredible. I will never forget. Um, back in 2013, I did a, I believe it was a week long chasing trip. Uh, that's actually how I met my wife and you know, she came out chasing with us and she got to meet Reed. Uh, we also met Tim, Paul and Carl, uh, three days before their passing. And like it was a whole like a whole experience. Honestly, it was so cool because you know, at that time I was just good friends with Reid. So was like, hey, what's up, buddy? And then meanwhile, Valerie, my wife, well, wasn't my wife at the time, but, you know, she walks up and she's like, my gosh, that's Reid. And I was like, he's an idiot, but I love him. And just it was, it was such a cool experience. And, you know, I'm grateful for that and the friendship that we've remained. you know, through the years and decades and, and, know, even meeting Tim, Paul and Carl was just such a surreal experience. mean, I don't even, it was honestly something that I think bonded me and my wife together as well, you know, because we had that trauma right after we, I remember specifically it was me, her, Aaron Rigsby, Jake Thompson and Kim Howell. We were all chasing together and we were driving back home. on June 1st when the news came out and we were outside of Bloomington, Illinois and we just pulled over on the shoulder and all just bawled Because we had just like just met them and when people say Tim was a genuine guy, he truly was like he. I remember walking in, we were at a McDonald's in Concordia, Kansas. This was May 27th, 2013. And we walk into this McDonald's and Jake like elbowed me and he's like, Tim Samaras. Oh, man. we walk over to him and I don't know if it is my audio cutting in and out. Okay. Okay. So yeah, I, was looking at him. was like, okay, well let's, let's go over, introduce ourselves. They were eating him, Tim or Tim, Paul and Carl were eating sitting at a booth of the McDonald's. And, I was like, okay, well, Getting this cheeseburger. hi. Yeah. They had ironically enough, their cheeseburgers and a bunch of French fries. And we went over and we're like, Hey, we just want to go say hi. You know, it's an honor to meet you. We, just didn't want to bother you. We just wanted to come say hello. And they were very cordial with us. So nice. And to the point at which people probably don't believe this when I say it, but Tim literally offered us the food off of his plate. Like He had a tray of French fries and he's like, you guys want any of it? I'm not going to have anymore. If you guys want some, you feel free. And we were like, no, we're good. And we're like, we didn't want to bother you. So we're going to, you know, take off. Good luck today. And as we're turning around to walk away, he's like, you guys want to see the lightning truck? And we were like, why? So I can't remember. It was called the big Kahuna or something like that. And he showed us the lightning truck and Jake Thompson had a video of that. my goodness. excited to share that with us. Like he was so excited to talk about everything. And then we all took a picture in front of the, the lightning truck and all. can send you that picture too. yeah, could send that. yeah. Yeah. It was, it was incredible. can't remember. think he said it was like a million frames per second was this like, it was incredible. And you know, I was just like, wow. And it was just so cool. You know, everybody sees Storm Chasers and they know it was like drama. You know, there's a lot of drama that was pumped into that show. But Tim was not that kind of guy. You could tell. And he was just so humble. He didn't act like he was better than anybody. He wasn't ever like, I was the guy on Storm Chasers. Him, Paul and Carl were just like most down to earth guys ever. So was such a honor to meet them before, you know, everything happened with Al Reno and all that. But it just. Truly incredible experience. Absolutely. You know, thank you for sharing that. did not expect that you were going to have a story like that to tell. And that's just that's personal to me. My favorite book of all time, nonfiction book, is The Man Who Chased the Storm. And I always looked at the three of those guys and the whole team, the whole Twisdex team. And yes, I uh got excited when I was when I was younger, not a kid, because I'd seen the show when it first came out. But I was excited then. and When I you know when I was young I wanted to to, when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech at the time because they were tornado chaser trackers or whatever they were called. was a at Texas Tech, a meteorology team that wanted to do that. Life at the end of the day. It's about getting home safely, whether it's chasing or whether you're in law enforcement. All you're trying to do is get home safely. You're not trying to stop somebody else from you're just making sure you are. like just darkness. And then you just see this wedge coming right towards them. And it was crazy that, I mean, I don't know why they sent it to me, but they did. And it was just wild. you, you did you. So, so tell me about the Barnstall Oklahoma tornado. So if I recall correctly that day was a high risk I'm pretty sure it was mostly busted off to the west it didn't end up being a big tornado outbreak like it seemed it was gonna be yep every there was I think there was just a lot of forcing I remember saying that. in the afternoon, I was like, all right, well, I don't think this is gonna, this is gonna do it over here. So I'm gonna start going east. I saw some rain showers form into the east. I'm like, well, if anything's gonna be discreet, it's gonna be that stuff out there. So I'm flying east out of, believe I was up near Perry to start. And as I was continuing to go east, I saw the storm start to get its act together. And then I was like, this is gonna be the one I've got to get on it. And ironically enough, which it probably saved me, I got stuck in a one lane construction zone trying to cross a river north of Tulsa, I believe it was. So I sat at a traffic light for like five or six minutes, one of those one lanes that we all hate. and I sat there and then I saw the tornado as it came into Barnesville with all the power flashes. And I came into town and I, there was no damage. I was like, I think, I think it missed town. And then I'm going through town, downtown's fine, everything's fine. And then I get to the east side of town and there it is, just everything. Damage everywhere. It wasn't too bad from what I saw, you know, probably like EF1 to start was what I was seeing, what I thought. And then a neighbor came out as I was like, Hey, is everybody okay? And he was like, yeah, I don't think they were home. And I was like, who? And he's like, the people that live right there. And was like, there's nothing there. And he was like, there was a house. And thankfully they were all, you know, they had fled actually, but it was a really surreal experience. I was one of the first on scene and you just kind of got to take over and do what you can to help. I remember specifically one of the fatalities. I don't know if it was the only one. think there, I don't remember if there was more than one, but yeah. I remember specifically doing search and rescue on the east side of town. were unburying people and we found this pickup truck with its lights on. Didn't look too bad. The wind had clearly like ripped the door to the front, know, it bent it the wrong way and the lights were on and I was like, no, please tell me nobody was in this truck. And the house, the mobile home, right? Which was right in front of it was completely gone. And Then the neighbor came out and said that that was a guy named Wayne. He was in his 80s, I believe. And they're like, yeah, Wayne was trying to get to his car to flee from the tornado. And we don't know if he tried to run back in the house or what happened. But we started searching for him. We didn't end up finding him that night. They found him in the creek or river that runs right next to his house down the street. a little ways, but it, it was a surreal experience because like getting there, you could just tell you could feel it. You're like, he, didn't make it. Like there's, there's no way. And it just broke my heart. I reached out to the family to, you know, I, I always try and connect with families that I interact with whether, you know, their family was injured or they were lost. so it definitely was a surreal experience and I was all alone. Well, it was the hard part, you know, There were other chasers there, but typically I coordinate with people that have that type of experience like Vince Welty and a lot of my friends and I coordinate with them like, guys, this is happening. We need help here and we all just converge. I was the only one there that night. Everybody else stayed West. They're like the day's over. I was all by myself. I didn't have anybody else. It was just me, my trauma kit. And there were a couple of guys, I believe they were from Fox 28 and Tulsa. One guy was a firefighter and he was searching and I just kind of went out on my own and then found a group of people that were looking as well and we just kind of banded together and just started searching and helping where we could. it was definitely a surreal experience to say the least because the first thing we did was go to a nursing home that was damaged and we were trying to get everybody out. And it was a very much overwhelming experience when you're just all by yourself. trying to figure this out. And I'm like, I've got my radio that everybody, everybody knows about my radio system, but it's a network based radio from Motorola. So I can chat with anybody on my network across the country. So I'm sitting there, I'm trying to key up on the radio telling everybody there's devastation and Barnes doll, please like relay that we need help here. And then, you know, nothing against Corey or anything, but then he comes, he comes over the radio talking about wanting hot dogs from love. And I'm sitting here like, we need help. And he's like, I think I'm going to go get a hot dog, but I don't think he heard my transmission. was in like bad data and everything. So it just, was a surreal experience, but unfortunately it wasn't my first and definitely won't be my last. Yeah. You know, I, I've seen, I've seen different things online and it seems like you, when I first started watching your live stream, think it was random or whatever. was looking. okay, oh, it's Brandon Copic. Okay. Well, And like this giant tree, this, this road to this family, I guess, had, uh, I guess the tree was knocked down by the tornado or some strong winds and you stopped your chase. You stopped the excitement of the chase and you it looked like the storm was really clear right in front of you. Oh stopped the chase. I know Vince. always messed up, mess up his last name, Wild T or whatever his name is. Sorry, Vince. Wild T. Okay. Sorry. I messed that up. But I know he was also helping somewhere close as well. And I think you guys were communicating, but you got out. you were just getting blasted by wind and rain and everything, but you took out, did you have a chainsaw or did you get somebody's chainsaw? I thought so. with me know everybody doesn't do that and everybody has their own decisions to make, right? I've always respected you for that because you've made mistakes. I've seen some of that stuff too. I lie like, oops, oopsie. yeah. Live streaming. You're going to make mistakes. We are. mean, you're putting yourself in the public eye when you live stream as much as I do. You know, there's been incidents, you know, chaser safety and driving and all that is always a hot take, you know, in this community and how things are done. And, know, there's going to there's there's been times that I've missed a stop sign and I own up to it. I'm like, guys, I even if they didn't see it, I'm like, I just went through that stop sign. You know, I screwed up. If anybody draws, you know, pulls us up on social media, I own it. It was a mistake. And, you know, things like that. And that's the key. Yeah. And that's the wild thing about social media too. You know, one of the most broadcast, I don't know that I'd call it a mistake, but one of the most broadcast things that happened to me was that car accident in Louisiana in 2022. There was a 17 year old driver on I-20 just stopped. in the left lane of traffic on the interstate. And I didn't see him till the last second. And I swerved to try and avoid him and I hit him. No brake lights on nothing. The guy had nothing on and I smoked him. It ripped the axle out of my car. And the troopers were shocked that I was unhurt. Like no injuries. The guy wasn't hurt or anything. You know, I grabbed my radio and I'm like, Vince, I just got in an accident. I need help. The car was smoking on the inside and the door was pinned. couldn't get out. So I had to kick out the passenger door. And long story short, you know, back then, before I really had a following to, whether Twitter tried to cancel me and said it was all my fault and immediately, you know, the state police came up to me and they're like, all right, well, he tells us that he was just driving slow and you hit him. So technically you're at fault unless you can prove otherwise. And I showed him my live stream. was like, well, this happened live. And they're like, yeah, clearly he wasn't moving. He's at fault for this. And the guy had left the scene too. Vince smelled alcohol on the guy, 17 years old. And Vince smelled alcohol on him. And then he just disappeared. And I was asking the troopers, was like, where's he at? And he's like, I don't know, he left. Like he didn't leave with an ambulance crew, he just left. And he ended up. going to get checked out, I guess, at the hospital and then got home. And I asked the trooper, I was like, did you guys do anything for potential DUI or anything? And they're like, well, technically he was home. So we can't verify whether or not he started drinking at home or anything like that. So they're like, we can't do anything like that, but you're clear to this accident. So don't worry about it. So that, that was something that was really a, yeah, it was, it was a pivotal time for me, honestly, because I. I don't know what it is about me, there's times that it hasn't been much lately, but I draw a lot of hate and criticism whether I'm getting called a police impersonator, AAA. Some people say I'm the most reckless driver in the history of storm chasing. mean, and that doesn't happen much anymore. You see me on social media. I'm very cordial with people. I own my mistakes, but it was astounding at that time. that you know everyone's like nope you're done your your goose is cooked like you don't need to be chasing anymore and it always it put me in a really dark place honestly i i won't say it out loud because my kids are on but i had some very dark thoughts and and i was like all that because of this ridicule on social media for something that was deemed not at fault for you know toxic out there man it can be But I'm also working very hard to turn that tide too. Even the people that I don't see eye eye with, I still go out, I wanna see them succeed, I wanna help them how I can. Even my technical competitors, I wanna help them succeed and be the best they can be and that's just who I am at the end of the day. Well, I might not know your history or your past or anything. All I know is what I've seen over the last couple of years and I've just been, I'm really honored to be able to chance to just sit and talk with you. Um, especially in your busy schedule, you just got done chasing yesterday, you know, your, your work with Fox weather I just wanted to get to know you more because you embody what, you know, the kind of chasing that I want to do when I go out there I'm willing because of my experience I in law enforcement you see a lot of accidents as well and I've heard a lot of stuff and we're there and the helicopter shows you know that the life flight shows up and I've, I help, you know, we try to, to put the lady onto the stretcher and then onto the helicopter. And I look at the EMT and it gives me the, and you, you start knowing, right? We start, there's this language as you're dealing with. with traumatic issues. Yeah. And it's tough. I want to be able to be I want to be the one that's also taking that step to actually help if I can encounter it. Great. But it's the cross we bear. Yeah, it is, and it's a choice that each chaser has to make or whatever you want to do. but bottom line is, through all of that though, you're not afraid to talk about your faith. their faith, I think of Tanner Charles. He's always so just buoyant. But he's not preachy though. He's just living the life. He's saying something like, hey man, I love Jesus because he saves me. me. people will probably lash out. Some people, I don't care. it's integral to who you are as a person, as a father, as a husband, but also as a chaser and you're not afraid to talk about that. uh did uh your faith help mold you into being someone who has gained that resilience through the years? if that makes sense? yeah, no, I get it completely. It's, it's kind of difficult because I was a little rocky with my faith early on and, I don't know. It was just when I believe it or not, I actually, my moment of like coming to Christ and accepting Jesus as my savior actually happened at a tornado. sorry, I got a cough coming Yeah, so my real like coming to Jesus moment was actually on June 20th 2011 and it was a huge outbreak of tornadoes. It was my first time leaving the state of Ohio to chase. I went to Iowa and I remember it specifically. We're near a small town of Mingo, Iowa, multi vortex tornado and it was heading straight towards this town and then it lifted right before it hit the town and I don't know what it was. But it was in my testimony at my church that, you know, it clicked in that moment that, you know, God's wrath is that tornado going towards that town. I'm that town and accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior is what stops that tornado from impacting me. And I remember that moment specifically. was June 20th, 2011 at 1159 PM. I remember that specifically because it was very short-lived tornado. but that was my true coming to jesus moment and um... you know i i'm very profound and out loud about my faith but i never want to shove it down people's throats or anything like that yeah when when people have questions and stuff i try and answer to the best of my ability i am not a perfect christian by any means i mean none of us are but you know i actually faith in my own life has has God has never left. Right. Nobody can take that away. Nobody can, And that's what's incredible is everybody's individual journey to their faith is up to them. It's how they interact. It's how they live their lives. But at the end of the day, you gave your heart to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And that's all it matters. Nobody. That's what always gets me is you'll get those random people that are like, well, you're going to hell. you're like, well, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And I meant that. So I'm not worried about what you have to say. The judgment at the gates comes between me and the big guy, not you. us. Bottom line is, life is short for me. You know, I've been in some serious near-death encounters, law enforcement. I've been struck by lightning and I'm still here today and there's a reason for two years, even I have, I have a feeling it, um, Your wife and kids have a lot to do with that. Am I right on that? Yeah a lot of it I mean obviously, you know my wife is the biggest reason for all of it You know, she has supported me in my darkest moments and I've gone through, you know a lot of trauma in my life, you know, it's in 2015 my dad took his life and that was difficult because that I had just turned 21 and I was actually getting set to go into the state patrol in Ohio. And that took me away from that, which is why I always have, you know, a strong bond with law enforcement and my friends that are cops and just in general, you know, I can't tell you how many times I get a cop that'll be like, are you a cop? And like Zach Hall, Zach Hall, if you know, if you know that call great guy, used to be a police officer in Fort Smith and he just sent me a message one day. And he's like, Hey, are you a cop? I'm just curious. And I was like, no, like, am I doing something to make people think that? And he's like, no, it's just something about the way you carry yourself. And I'm like, okay, well, that makes me feel better. There's a look and there's a code. Even now that I don't wear no longer wear a, you know, a gun belt. my hips, other people do it too. Yeah. And I think it's awesome. I think it's incredible the amount. It just that we got so many diverse and great people in this community. And that's what I love. I did too. I love that we're such a diverse community. Sometimes we're not a community. Sometimes we're just little factions, but that's okay. And I wanted to, I role has has perseverance played in your pursuit of extreme weather? Because your faith clearly plays a role. yeah. How did you get through it all, man? What else did you do to keep... All I can say is I'm just kind of... I feel we're all out here for a purpose at the end of the day. And it gets tough seeing some of the things that I've seen. you know, whether it be the people that didn't make it, the injuries and things like that. But at the end of the day, like I said earlier, it's the cross we bear. You know, some of us are built to handle it better than others. And I take that upon myself, you know, Vince Welty, whether you like him or hate him, is an incredible medical professional. And I still call him a friend. We might not be as close as we used to. But whenever something happens, when there's damage in town, no matter what, whatever issue we have between us, we don't care. He knows that if I show up, I'm following his lead. I'll do whatever he needs me to do. I don't hesitate, you know, and that's the great thing. You have to kind of have that group of people, you know, like the Enderland night, I roll up, you know, the Storm Runner media guys had called me and they're like, Hey, there's a home that's destroyed. Freddie's got victims. So I roll up to the house, Freddie's got the aunt and uncle, or not the aunt, they were the nephew and the niece of the people at that home, and the home was gone. mean, it was just, knew, when we didn't find them around the house, we knew what the outcome was gonna be. And so we were standing there together and Vince told me, like literally in that moment before we even started searching, because Freddie's like, am I cool to leave and just take them? They know what's going to happen here and they don't want to be here for this. So can I just go? And I was like, yeah, of course, Freddie, you know, and Vince just looks at me. I've got my trauma kit and Vince is like, I'm glad you showed up because like it knowing how we both operate, it's just, it's crucial in those life or death moments. And, you know, obviously it led to the fatalities that were found and, Aidan actually, was me, Vince and Aidan. and Aidan O'Brien. And Aidan was the one that found both of them first, but then obviously we walked over to verify. But, you know, just, it's, regardless of how you feel about people and stuff like that, you know, we all have our skillsets. I'm definitely far from a medical professional by any means. I've just got basic trauma training. My brother-in-law was in the 82nd Airborne. He was a paratrooper. So he taught me. how to stop the bleed and stuff like that. And that's what I carry in my medical kit because typically as unfortunate as it is to say, Vince said it best, is if it's not stopping the bleeding, then more than likely it's not something we can fix. It's not someone we can save, unfortunately. Yeah, there's specific areas that you can use compression gate, more than anything, learn and keep a tourniquet. I'll tell this over and over again. There you seconds, maybe 30 to 60 seconds before you lose consciousness. And I always say this and I'll brush. I'll show you this, this hat again. I'm not wearing it again today, but nobody is coming to save you. So I know we're talking about, about faith and Christ saving, but that's not what I'm talking about. Nobody's coming to save you. Different subject. Yes, but But but always at least at the very minimum, just throw it to the tourniquet in your car. You never know if you might need that someday and they're not expensive. So I'm glad you've got eight. Yeah. thing is it's it's weird how the community is kind of transitioned away from wanting to go do search and rescue. You know, a couple of years ago, everyone's like, if you didn't stop at that house, what's wrong with you? But now we've got people arguing against it. You know, at the end of the day, for me, I'm just like, you know what? If you can do something to help, go ahead. You know, even unfortunate as it sounds. Even just being there for somebody in their last moments is a huge difference. But you also have to understand you carry that with you for the rest of your life. Right. No, exactly. And honestly, know Jay Piersoff has spoken on this as well. If you don't have a certain level of training. you should not be trying to pick someone up off the ground who has a neck injury or yes. Yes. You I'm there, I always defer to Vince. Vince was in the EMS, you know, he was in an ambulance. I don't think it was, he was an EMT. He wasn't a paramedic, but he was an EMT. And, you know, like I said, Vince is kind of a hot topic in this industry because some people like him, some people don't, but at the end of the day, like, I've always appreciated the things that he's taught me because I'll say, for example, the Greenfield tornado. we actually, Ryan Schull had picked up a family with a baby that had, that had a head injury and Ryan waved me down. stopped and I yelled at Vince. Vince was more experienced. We're like, okay, we need to get this baby to the hospital. It's got a head injury. It's not crying. It's not responding. This isn't good. Like it was alert, but it wasn't crying. And you know, that's not typical. So We're like, we need to get it to the hospital and we're racing to the hospital. We didn't even know Greenfield was hit and the hospital was in Greenfield. So we get into town and long story short, we get the baby, the help, everything was okay. But me and Vince grab our trauma kits and we start doing search and rescue. And I think one of the most incredible things that I'll always remember is, know, like I said, whether people like or hate them, I'll always appreciate that in the moment. we had a group of us and we had unburied a guy from his house and he had an injury. can't remember if it was his arm or his leg. It's all blurry now, but you know, he had an injury, invincible brain and get over here and watch how I'm putting this on. That way, if you're by yourself, you can do this. Like in the moment, this guy's house is destroyed and he's actively helping the guy and vanishing him. And he's like, come over here that way. If I'm not with you next time. you can do this on your own. know, so I know and like anybody in law enforcement or, or, you know, medical professionals, EMS, whatever it may be, first responders in general, they don't go out there for the glory. They don't go out there to be like, Oh, well I did this or I saw this. And that's why it's always something I don't necessarily like talking about, but I also like to, right. And it's, I enjoy the experience that that gave me. You know, like I said, a lot of people have different opinions about him, but that was a side of him that I didn't see until that moment that I was just like, wow, you know, that really meant a lot that he was taking the time in the heat of the moment to make that difference. Like you could have the opportunity to save a life doing this next time. So I want you to have the skills. And isn't it funny that we are so quick to judge people for very little part, a little snippet that we know about them in their life. based off of their Twitter account or their live stream. I don't know you, I still don't know you. I know of you and I've seen that you've always been, at least to me, relatively kind to as many people as I know you are. And you're friendly and the Storm Chaser Summit. I saw you in every picture, okay? Like you were taking pictures with That was exhausting. I was socially tapped out after that. But that's whole reason I went, so. Absolutely. to go to the summit at all because I just, I'm not good for big social things. But Lucy Young, she's a young woman. She's from St. Louis and she just kept getting at me. She's like, you gotta come here. Do it for the next generation. I'm like, you know what? When I grew up, I didn't have that. didn't have, aside from don't get me wrong, after I started talking with Reed, Reed was the only real role model I had. to really get mentorship because back then, I would ask somebody who was my age when I would say Lucy's age, 16 or so, and they would tell me, well, if you don't know what you're doing, then you shouldn't be out chasing in the first place. You don't belong out here. And I'm like, well, how am gonna learn if somebody doesn't teach me? So that's why I always go out of my way to help the next generation and try and teach them and be one-on-one with them. I don't know. I don't know why people seem to think I'm famous or something like that. I've had like kids come up to me like shaking and I'm like, why are you shaking? Dude? I am the same. Um, but I'm like, why are you shaking? And they're like, it's just such an honor to meet you. And I'm like, dude, I am no different than anybody else. Don't ever the biggest piece of advice I always tell people is never treat anybody like they are better or more important than you. Otherwise they will act that way. Paige get the help that she needed. So Lucy, you are Lucy. are I'm to have to have you. I'd love to have Lucy on the on the podcast because she's young and she's she's that's yeah, we'll follow up on that. You know, I wanted to switch gears a little bit, but, know, we've got a few minutes left here, but I also wanted to ask this seems to be a a hot topic today by the time this releases. going to be a hot topic. And by the way like when it comes to online you might be hated yet one day Brandon and the very next day there's I always just say don't worry about it. Let them let them diss me and hate on me whatever the very next day there's going to be somebody else that steps up to the plate that's the the soup du jour and like in a week people are gonna be like what did Brandon do? Did he like? like, didn't he like curse somebody or something? Yeah. Yeah. You know, or something and you're going to be like, wow, okay, I guess I'm not that relevant, you know, because people are so quick to move on. It is. works. We're all human and we all make mistakes at the end of the day, right? So that's why I'm always just like, you know what, I'll own my mistakes, but I don't dwell on others' mistakes. That's just how social media works. But everybody just transitions so quickly. ended up shutting it off and then sharing it later because they agreed to it, you know, and they were, it became a beautiful story. I was crying when he saved those people. uh but they're Freddie is such an incredible person. I'm glad that, you know, we he didn't go out there like like any of us out here. We didn't go out here for the glory of it. You know, we don't. But in that moment, you know, Freddie did the right thing. Freddie is truly incredible. We talk about faith. Freddie's also a very faith based person. His dad, John McKinney, is a pastor. Is he really? Wow. yeah, he's got an incredible family. And the big thing for me is I, it's hard because, actually it's not hard, it's just being in good taste, like filming people that are mangled and stuff like that, that crosses the line for me. You know, that are hurt, things like that. You know, there's plenty of times that I have a camera on me, whether it be, you know, something I'm wearing or something like that. I try and document all things, but it's also about, you know, anytime that's happened that like, I I've got a camera on me. And then I go into a damaged house or something. Then I'm like, okay, I got to make sure like, if there's somebody hurt, I've ripped the camera off, it on the ground, whatever it may be. I don't like, I'm not saying carrying a camcorder, but like a GoPro strap in my chest or whatever. you know, it's more about just being in the, in the taste for the people because How would you feel if somebody documented your worst day and was just showing the world? Like when it comes to my live stream, I don't think about it too much because I don't, once I'm out of the car, I don't think about the stream. Like once there's damage, I just park the car and I gotta go help. And that's all I care about. You're just trying to help someone. Yeah, exactly. I have two of these now, the Deosmos. uh I know what I'm going to do and what I'm, what I won't do, you know, when I'm out there, but I mean, I actually just, it's this POV. You can put it here. You can, I can make a broach. No, it's an airplane reference, but you know, you can, you can attach it to the. can do some really cool things with it. But I'm learning to get more POV stuff. And I have lots more that I'll eventually be sharing on my own channel later. But it's really cool stuff that we can actually carry small cameras with this all the time. But where do you draw the line? You're basically saying. you know, you just don't want to, you don't want to be in the presence when someone's at their lowest and record that basically what you're saying. I see the thing for me, especially as I typically don't record anything. Typically, it's all the live stream. it. don't like my camcorder on my windshield does not have an SD card in it. Like it's all pulled off my live stream. So, you know, typically in situations that something traumatic may have happened, like I had to, After Hurricane Debbie when we had come upon a car accident where people unfortunately didn't make it, you know get out just going out there to help them and You forget about it in the moment and then I was like, crap I got to turn this camera away because it wasn't as easy to show off the stream on YouTube I got to log on the computer. I got to go to YouTube hit end stream. I had too much stuff to do So I'm like, alright, well, I'll just flip the camera away from the scene that way people don't see what's happening and uh You know, that's that's crucial for me. mean, everybody has their different opinions about it because at the same time, damage does need to be documented. People, it brings attention to the communities impacted. But at the same time, I just don't see like when people are on stretchers or you got somebody that's significantly injured that we shouldn't be shoving a camera in their face like that. That's in their worst moment. Should we really be focused on documenting that? No, we should be focused on helping. Yeah, exactly. So. I know a lot of the topic comes from drones and legally speaking, some of the things people do with drones are legal. Was it ethical? I mean, I guess that comes from person to person, but I remember the Greenfield day when Vince and I were with this group of people digging that guy out of the rubble, a drone was hovering over us and we're like, are you kidding me right now? As we're doing this, but it's hard because in the chaser community, Like we all judge each other just like that or everybody does it, you know, law enforcement and it comes down to for me, like I've learned so much that I've brought over from my experiences and my career, my training. And it's the can you should you write? Right. Can I shoot this guy? Should I shoot this guy? Right. Or can I use other less lethal? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. The force continuum legally, he is pulled out a knife or whatever. am. Yeah, but he's. know, 30 feet away and at this point I might be able to use a pepper ball or some other sort of, yeah, same thing applies to, you know, whatever. Can I or should I? You know, I'm using a drone. I see somebody, I don't know. I don't want to get into the drone, the whole drone issue, but can I and should I? Yeah. there's ways that if you're just showing the damage because everybody like we know how important it is to do that. If you're just I because I know Jordan Hall, of course, is a hot subject with everybody. But Jordan Hall. I'm not picking on Jordan by the way. I'm not picking on anybody actually. That's not even what I... The whole purpose of this is to just try to find the common ground, maybe find some common sense as well. And everybody's gonna have their own opinion. So I'm not trying to say one opinion is better. I'm saying... I definitely wasn't saying anything bad about him. I was just saying for, he comes from like a, he's really cinematic with his drone. So you might see it up in the air, but it's not like zoom gone. Yeah. But he gets really wide angles up. Yeah, he does. is important for like news coverage. That way people know what's going on. But the people that hover over a house that's destroyed as you're digging somebody out and zoom in as you're doing it, it's like, that stuff bothers me. But I mean, I guess it falls under the legality and what people think, you know, everybody's out here to make a buck. So there are some people just focus more on that than their ethics and morals and to each their own, I guess I can't control that. You know, for me, it comes down to if the walls were there, would that person want that stuff to be seen? You if my if my roof is yeah, if my roof is pulled off and I'm sitting here, you know, like in the rubble and someone's and I hear the drone and there's a drone just taking pictures of all the stuff in my house and whether I an open book or not, that's nobody's business. It's privacy and stuff. So I don't know. It's a hot topic and everybody has their own opinions. not trying to judge anybody. I just think that there has to be some sort of an ethical decision that each one of us has to make. And you know, there is social policing, you know, that's what Twitter is about and that's what I don't really like about it. Yeah. So. mean everybody like I said it comes down to everybody's morality how do they feel about it some people are more willing to stretch that to make a buck like some people want to do that and you know what to each their own but at the same time like that also reflects on you as an individual. and all that and that's what you have to keep in mind. can't just be doing everything to make a quick buck. Like, you know, my live streaming, do, I, you know, I, that's how I make my income for the most part is my streams on YouTube and all my great viewers. But at the end of the day, you know, I don't go out there and help people on the side of the road because I'm live on YouTube. do it because that's who I am. And then people, you get those random people that are like, he's only doing this because he's streaming. I'm like you clearly haven't seen me when I'm when I'm not like so I mean that's all there is to it. Let people think what they want to think. People can think whatever they want to think. I'm going to do what I think is the right thing to do. And I'm going to make mistakes too. We're all fallible. It's so easy to judge. Get online and be a keyboard warrior. When you're chasing, there's a lot of elements that are going on, lot of dynamics. But I do want to shift gears really quickly. I know we're pretty much out of time here. I want to shift gears really and make this end on a high note because I know we've been talking about and I'm glad that you've been willing to share about these tough situations because it is, right? It does leave a lasting impact on you. But I wanted to talk about what is your most exhilarating moment that you've ever experienced in your adventures and like in a positive way, like when you were doing an Irish jig or something, you're jumping up and down, you know. I know I honestly it's hard to say I can't really say because I mean I, you know what, if I had to say anything, the most like the proudest moment we're talking about chasing, right? Obviously, because I was, I mean, obviously, my proudest moment is the moment I married my wife. But the second moment that I would say is probably the most proud of thing in my like, chasing career, which isn't really a big brag. But now that you make me think of it, because I don't I'm not the bragging type. But You know, the one thing that only came to mind, because I literally was like drawing a blank. The one thing that came to mind was getting my wife her first tornado seeing her seeing her face light up. seeing her first tornado, was the Bennington, Kansas stationary EF4 in 2013. That honestly is probably the one moment that I would say is my biggest highlight of my chasing career is that because that everything else I don't like to get excited. well, I saw this tornado or I saw that tornado. I don't really take that in the level of excitement. But when you said that the only memory that popped into my mind was the moment that My wife saw her first tornado and I mean that I'm pretty sure that was the moment I fell in love with her, but now she's stuck with me. Yeah. Stuck like glue. Yeah. I wouldn't be anywhere without her. There's a, there's no doubt about it. She has pulled me out of my darkest places. She's never given up on me when everybody else has. I mean, she's the only reason I am where I am today. There's no doubt about it. When I was considering doing this full time, I didn't want to do it. But she told me, she's like, I believe in you. think you should take this chance and it'll be better for our family. It'll be better for you. And at the end of the day, it came down to her and my son, Cooper, which was just a couple of years old at the time. I was like, you know, how can I look at my son growing up and tell him to chase his dreams when I'm too afraid to even try to chase mine? And here we are. It's scary. You're making a lot of was, it definitely was scary to take that leap. It was a. It was difficult, a lot of financial troubles and all that that I'm still trying to correct. But it's still, I'm grateful for the opportunities it's given me. Yeah, it's definitely not cheap. I can say that much. It's not, I mean, I go through a vehicle every year, so it gets to be much. So it truly is an experience I'm grateful for and I wouldn't have it without my wife. Like she just, she has made so much of my life, every aspect of my life better. And I love to hear that. I don't think that we give our spouses enough credit for us leaving spouses, you know, friends. yeah. people Being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job whether people want to acknowledge that or not that gets me all the time and she whether I'm Driving a hundred thousand miles this year or not She is putting in more work every day with the kids than I am every day out there technically making the money She's the one actually caring for our family You know, obviously when I come home, my first goal is to give her as much of a break, you know I drew I was exhausted last night But I wanted to drive home and get home so she could sleep in today. And, you know, just because she supports me in every way that whenever I'm home, I want to support her to the best of my ability. I love it. I love that we're kind of closing on that. I'm just, know, the fact that they give so much as well, our spouses give so much to you and it's thankless, you know, I mean, especially live when she watches me live and she's like, no. What's happening? You're getting close like, or the feed goes down right when I'm next to a tornado. You know, weirdly as it happens, it disrupts the cell signal where it'll actually cut my video feed when I'm too close to a tornado. I'm going to bring this up because last year I was watching your feed. I can't see, I can't point it. have a giant TV up here too. I used to a computer over here, but I had two monitors and this and you were up on the big one and I'm like. Oh my gosh. And you're just talking to people are like, yeah, guys, you know, I'm here in Morton and you're, just watching this. And I'm like, this is cool. That storm is really dusty. And all of sudden everything behind the car, I think you spent the camera around and I just see this. and everything just starts to turn and spin, and I was like, oh my gosh, dude, you are right underneath the circulation, get out of there, and you did some maneuvers, it was great. was like, it was, it was watching twisters, you know, or twister. I was just like, dude, get out of there, man. It was, it was fun. biggest goal of my live stream is to envelop the viewers in everything I do. You know, I start my stream on average three to four hours before initiation. That way I can interact with my audience. And then, you know, then the chase goes on. But you know, that I remember that day specifically because I remember specifically turning my roof camera around. And then I see the dust swirl and I'm like, no, I need to get south. this is not good. of tornadoes or yeah the west side as they're going away because then you can get more close range and you don't have to worry about it as much but uh you know it's the same thing like the Lake City tornado everybody brings that up that's actually what I was told why I won Chaser of the Year was because of the Lake City intercept everyone's like oh you know we thought you were a goner but you were just everybody's like how are you so calm Right. You've seen him enough? you lose your situational awareness and then your safety goes out the window. So I've just learned how to hone my adrenaline to my benefit to help me focus my senses and stuff like that. it's a blessing to be able to do this job. It really is. After the chase is over, have to have that rush come down, right? mean, I'm sure it will go over. Yeah, it's an adrenaline dump, right? Typically, well, honestly, the funniest thing is right after my chase is what I typically do, you know, aside from Applebee's is, is I like to go back through my live stream and like, I definitely have that adrenaline crash and want to go to sleep. But I like to go through my live stream, like right after the chase, my stream, Fox, Ryan's, and I like to see how I did things and if there's a way I can improve. Like Lake City Day, for example. You know, I told two truckers to flip around because the tornado was heading straight for him and You know, unfortunately, I thought they both made it out fine. One of the drivers ended up getting sideswiped. Thankfully he was I mean he was injured he survived But I didn't realize that so I looked back at my feet and realized that I didn't see the second truck get flipped ah You know, unfortunately or fortunately enough Yeah, fortunately enough, I told him to turn around and start moving east because the tornado, mean, if it would have hit him where he was sitting, there would have been no hope. And he just got caught in the outer circulation, thankfully. But I went back and looked back on that and I was like, okay, you know what? Next time if that happens, you know, they're pulling a 53 foot trailer. I used to pull doubles and triples. I know what it's like to drive a semi. So I was like, next time if I see that happen and know they've only got like two minutes. I'm telling them to get out of the truck and get in my car to take back and reflect in that moment to be like, okay, this is what I should have done better in order to make things the best as they possibly can be. You know, that's a law enforcement thing too. That's a first responder thing is debriefing is, is, you know, going through and it's okay. You in law enforcement. Yeah, I have a habit of beating myself up. That's my biggest problem is when I, like the Lake City day is another example. I was so focused on the tornado and its motion that I didn't realize it had hit a house. like it was probably 300 yards in front of me or something like that. And the house was gone. That's why I didn't realize it. The house was completely gone. There was no evidence of the house. So when it crossed the road, I was like, okay. And then I looked back on that. Thankfully nobody was in the house, but I looked back on that and I'm like, okay, I need to remember to keep my eyes peeled. Like I was at that point too focused on the collar cloud. trying to make sure that I wasn't going to be within the tornado's deviant path. I always watch the collar claw to make sure if it starts to overtake me, that means the tornado can shift and impact me. So I need to stay away from that. So in that moment, I was focused on that too much and not enough on the people, which I mean, obviously I've got to be safe. I don't need to be a casualty on a casualty, but it really opens my eyes to, okay, well, my adrenaline was pumping. That's another thing I need to learn to focus my adrenaline on. I need to split it. Because at that point, was handling Fox. I was live on air with Fox as the tornadoes crossed in front of me. And people loved that moment because lightning struck like 50 feet away from me. And you hear it on air on Fox as I'm talking to them. And I'm like, crap, sorry, lightning anyway. And then just kept going. um there's just a lot to manage. But I always look back on everything I do and try and reflect because I mean, The key to success in life is continuous improvement. The moment you go stagnant and stop being the best you can be is the moment you're no longer. I don't even know what to say. Like you just get, you've given up on yourself pretty much. Like, and I'm just not that kind of person. need to be the best I can be for myself, for my family, for the public that we serve when we're live streaming and getting that awareness out. You just need to have that continuous improvement in life. Brandon, you still love this stuff. Don't you? tell the way you're talking about it. You're like, let me tell you this story. I love that. You still love the chase. so much is yeah, that's that's my thing. I just love it now. I started streaming in 2011 after the super outbreak when James Spann said I explicitly was the reason why I started live streaming. If you show people a tornado, they'll react. But if you show them radar, they see it as nothing more than a bucket of spilled paint. And when that happened, was like, I want to do that. And ever since then, you know, I've been live streaming and I really enjoy the experience of bringing the viewer. I don't know if you've ever watched live on patrol with with, you know, Sheriff Fletcher, he's actually a good friend of mine now that when I was watching that, I kind of enveloped part of that into my how I do things. um And now I call people my back seaters because you're giving them that. front row experience without them having to be there. Yeah. I wanted to share this by the way, too. Like share this, this photo of yours of that you had sent me. actually got a sneak peek before everybody else did. You revealed it with Ryan Hall. But uh so tell me about this, this new rap. is so everybody's going to know who you are now, buddy. Like, yeah, who you are. But now with the rap, now it's going to be so much easier to get me canceled on the internet. Right? I love it. I honestly, you know, I go out in the field a lot and I've got, uh, 336,000 subscribers on YouTube and a lot of people meet me in the field and they're like, I didn't realize you were nearby. And my audience is the reason why I get to do what I get to do. If it wasn't for them watching and stuff like that, then, you know, I, I wouldn't be out here doing what I love. So. Yeah. I wanted to make the vehicle something because I get people that, know, even before it was wrapped, people want to come up, take a picture with me and take a picture with the car. And I was like, you know what? I want to have something that people know it's me. That way they're like, hey, I watch you. Like, I want to come say hi and and stuff like that. So that was really a large part of it. But the biggest part of it actually was my son, Cooper. ah He was the you're looking at me, but ah he told me that he wanted another colorful car. So back when he was little, the Stormseeker, everybody remembers those, same exact wrap, except it said Stormseeker on the side. ah He wanted to have another car like that. Obviously I lost that car in the car accident. And he's been telling me for years, he's like, dad, you gotta get a colorful car. Dad, you gotta get a colorful car. So I was like, you know what? Like it's time for me to publish. Back in those days, the car was wrapped and it had Ryan Hall y'all on the side because it was promoting Ryan. And I was like, you know what? need to bring something to promote my brand and something to show the viewers like, all of your guys's support led to this. And I want to thank you guys. I want you guys to feel comfortable. Like, Hey, that's brand. I want to go say hi to them and stuff like that. Take pictures, whatever, you know, everybody when they see it, like, you know, just the first case with it yesterday. yeah. Yeah. I mean, just yesterday people were like, Hey, can I take a picture? I was like, the whole point of the car is to be visible. So of course you can take pictures. You know, I love it. I love that, that you're still passionate about this brand. And it just excites me too. Cause I, I, you know, I'm older, right? I've waited, I waited to retire. My kids are no longer kids. They're, they're in their twenties, you know, and one's in college and the other is doing some other cool stuff. And I get to chase now. I get to chase my dreams. It's not too old. And I struggle with that mentally each and every day. Like, Just give up. Why are you going out there? Look at all these young whippersnappers that have more, they have the agility, they have the memory, have the endurance. Yeah. I could stay up for a day and a half. Now if I drink a Celsius, I can still barely stay awake. But you know, you know, as much as I do, once you become a parent, like your life changes, the way you sleep changes, everything changes. You've got that additional layer of anxiety and always wanting to care for them, make sure they're safe and you know that's always with me. And you have to come home and to your wife and your kids too. have to make sure that whatever you do that doesn't end up costing you. And I know that what you're doing sometimes you put yourself in someone's way to help others. I don't care if other people judge you for it or judge you for whatever reason. You're really cool in my book. I'm honored to be able to know you and to get to talk to you a little bit more. Well I feel the same about you. Thank you. And I'll take a hug too if you see this tall person get out of her little forerunner. So maybe I'll see you out there as well. spilled on a car, that's me. Yeah, that's actually. Everybody's been saying it looks like Jeff Gordon's old paint scheme back in the NASCAR days back then. was like, that's different, but I'll take it. Compliment. So Weatherwise, see you've got Weatherwise uh wrap on there as well. How can people get a hold of you, man? What's the easiest way to find Brandon Coppick? Duh, Google. mean, yeah. You can find me on YouTube. My channel is always StormChaser Brandon Coppick. Obviously, I work with Weatherwise, a great free radar app. That's what I always tell people. I'm like, what's your excuse for not trying it when it's free? I mean, that's the big thing. It's a phenomenal radar app. I am the kind of person that won't Genuinely support an organization or a business unless I genuinely like the product So that's you know, that's how I stand on that and rather weather wise is just incredible and they've got a great leadership team and great people there But aside from weather wise and YouTube obviously on X at Brandon copy WX you can find me there I've got a Facebook page, but I don't really use it. I'm not on Facebook much but uh, you know, just anywhere on social media Everybody's always welcome to reach out tweet me DM me I might not respond quickly you've learned that but my social media is just kind of chaotic and what yeah when I get home I just like to disconnect I'm like all right I got to shut all this off I love it and you the fact of the matter is you even shared something so personal you were with Fox Weather you're part of the Fox Weather team you shared something and I can't share because I'll probably get a copyright restricted but you walking to your door and your kid tells you slip on the ice dad. And what does dad do? Whip and you ate it right in front of the, the rain cow. Well, think, yeah, you can play that video up. I don't even know where it's at right now. But you're more than welcome to play that video with us. yeah, I wouldn't. I can send you the clean one. No worries. But yeah, I remember that day. I got home. I parked my car in the grass because I was having all sorts of car problems. And, I explicitly remember Cooper telling me, he's like, dad, be very careful on the ice. It's icy. And I was just like, okay, you know, kids, kids being kids. And then I just ate it. Yeeted my keys into the yard and just straight down and just laying on my stomach. I just started laughing and I'm just like, well, yeah, exactly. So I love it. And you know, I love that that you maintain that positivity. but you also trying to elevate everybody. You're not everybody, but you know, the people that you encounter, the people that you meet, you, can, I can see that you, you, uh, you put your money where your mouth is and it's an honor to meet people like you. And I hope that we, you know, I hope that we can all. realize that life is short you know and whatever you believe however you believe that if we treat each other with respect kindness and dignity I think that's the basic for everything and if this community can even go there I think we can think there's a chance that we can really do some amazing things together I have some plans for for this year and in my project and I'll talk more about that I don't know. I hope you and other people will be will be a part of it, but it's a community project. It's something that we all can do. And the question is, can our little community can we make this country better? Can we meet people? we can. I think it's difficult because there's a lot of hostility in this community. You know how it is. But honestly, the biggest thing I always say is we need to learn to give each other grace. We all make mistakes. We don't need to be trying to cancel each other for it. You make a mistake, you own it. We move forward. And that's all there is to it. We don't need to remember everything that happened five years ago for somebody like we, you know, unless it's something horrible. Don't get me wrong. Yeah. you know, at the same time, you know, we need to spend our time out here giving each other grace because we all make mistakes. We're all human and we should just treat each other how we'd want to be treated. If I make a mistake, I would like people to give me grace. So I shouldn't be trying to cancel this guy for making the mistake. know, you actively try to try to bring down the heat when there's stuff going on. Yeah. And very suspicious ways on X. Definitely. just ignore it man, like don't worry about it. So Brandon Copic It's been such a pleasure having you on the storm before the the calm podcast I just think that honestly as I end would you just please let your wife know that that we all appreciate her for loaning you to us as you get out there and chase storms and make more stories like the Morton Tornado and make us, entertain us as well, because it is entertainment as well. thank you for that and a break from me too. We all know how that is. But she's incredible. Yeah, she is such a incredible woman and incredible blessing. And I thank her so much every day for all that she does for our family and the incredible mom that she is. Even more incredible wife she is. I wouldn't be anywhere without I'm going to end it there because that is fantastic and I hope that we all can look at our spouses or our significant others and just give them the love and the kindness and dignity that they deserve as well. So Brandon, it's been wonderful. Thanks so much. We went way over, but I'm going to publish most of it except that little part that she told me to cut because, cut. uh that was me talking faster than I could process it in my brain. I think we all do that. know, seeing your... seeing your passion, it gets me excited. It gets me excited that I can do this too. Talking about Tim, you know, was such a blessing to get to know and like, like I said, even having you, uh, finding your, your, your comment that you, you made in Matt's, guest book, you know, just. I did not remember that. And that was, you know, 2010. That was 16 years ago almost. It's a small world. I've doubled in age. There you go. So everybody thanks so much for coming on the show Brandon and um everybody else thanks for listening in. I hope that you listened to the whole thing. I'm gonna, did you say Lucy Luna? What is her name again? Lucy Young. I'm gonna have to reach out to her because she's been on this, she's been talked about twice in a row now on this podcast. And anyways I hope you all uh gain some really valuable, cool stuff, especially from the life lessons that Brandon shared and his faith. all the good stuff. Let's all focus on the good stuff that each and every one of us has and ah shine your light while you can. think that's what I've been saying a lot. Life is short, shine your life while you can. And we're going to end it at that. Again, I said this before, but Brandon, thanks so much. I'm blessed this evening. to seeing you. Thank you guys. Take care and we will catch you at the next episode. Later nerds.