Welcome back to The Cool Fireman Podcast! In this episode, Freddie makes his glorious return to the mic—and it’s pure gold from the jump.

✅ What’s Inside This Episode:

👨‍🚒 Freddie’s Return
• The crew celebrates Freddie’s comeback (with very gentle Canadian detention jokes)
• The usual banter—gray mustache tips, PB&J wisdom, and why Unkie’s Seasoning is the gift for every firehouse cook

🔥 Sponsor Shoutouts
• Unkie Seasoning – Get your grill game right. Garlic & Herb? Chipotle? They love you back.
• The Burn Box – Doug gives a top-tier unboxing of this month’s firefighter-themed goodies, including their all-in-one koozie/tumbler (with a built-in bottle opener!).

🌊 Special Assignments & 4th of July Staffing
• How different departments prep for fireworks, floods, and wild weather
• Real talk about regional and state-level rescue teams: USAR, Swiftwater, HazMat, Tech Rescue
• The truth about upstaffing for fireworks shows and population booms

⚠️ Texas Flash Flood Disaster
• Discussing the devastating flash floods that hit kids' camps in Texas
• The challenges of sudden water rise, rescues, and National Guard deployments
• Real-time reflections on how fast tragedy can hit

🚑 Firehouse Culture: Safety and Situational Awareness
• The Idaho firefighter ambush tragedy: why situational awareness matters
• Wearing ballistic vests on calls—why more departments are investing in them
• How past tragedies shaped incident command, response protocols, and safety policies

🎯 Pro Tips for New Firefighters
• How to pick a department that offers specialized teams (USAR, HazMat, Swiftwater)
• What to ask in interviews—don’t just say "No questions"!
• The value of station visits and learning from every experience

🕯️ Moment of Silence
• The crew pauses to honor victims of the Texas disaster, fallen firefighters, and those lost in the line of duty.

👥 Callouts & Community
• Big thanks to listeners who comment, share, and help the podcast grow.
• The team discusses the importance of spreading awareness and supporting fundraisers.

🎙️ Join the Conversation!
✔️ Drop a comment on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts.
✔️ Ask us your firefighter career questions—we’ll answer them on air.
✔️ Help us grow by sharing, rating, and reviewing.

🔥 Listen Now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Watch on YouTube!
👉 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube for behind-the-scenes banter, gear unboxings, and more firehouse stories.

firefighting, Texas floods, firefighter safety, emergency response, podcast, fire department, community service, special assignments, interview tips, firefighter training

🔥 Welcome to The Cool Fireman Podcast – Episode 113 (Even if Doug Thinks It’s 109)! 🔥

This week’s episode is packed with real firefighter stories, firehouse humor, and critical fireground safety talk. Whether you’re on shift, off-duty, or just love fire service culture, tune in for a wild ride:

✅ Doug’s Backwoods Adventures

• Tractor life in straw hats and Farmer Fran overalls

• Why everyone thinks he's from Louisiana

• The “nip slip” picture controversy

✅ Firehouse Fun & TikTok Challenges

• Planning one-shot TikTok stitches for the podcast page

• Photo-to-song matching trends

• Robot dance-offs and lip-syncing fails

✅ Extreme Heat & Firefighter Rehab Units

• Nationwide heat wave impacts

• Richmond’s 3-alarm fire in brutal conditions

• How departments use Mobile Service Units (MSU), misting fans, cooling buses, and rehab squads

• Best practices for firefighter safety in extreme heat

✅ Hydration Tips with Megan Lautz of Rescue.RD

• Unkie’s epic PowerPoint presentation

• Essential hydration strategies for firefighters

  • 90–125 oz daily fluid goals

  • Caffeine myths busted

  • Cold drinks for core temp cooling

• Hydrating foods: watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, oranges

• The black pepper on cantaloupe debate

✅ Coffee Talk: Black vs Flavored Creamer Wars

• Legendary firehouse quotes: “Flavored creamer ruined the fire service”

• Team black coffee vs hazelnut creamers

✅ Real Fire Service Stories & Callouts

• Honoring line-of-duty deaths in North Carolina

• Remembering Alicia Monahan

• Personal stories of heat exhaustion on scene

• Rehab protocols from different departments

✅ Special Shoutouts

• Megan Lautz at Rescue.RD for top-notch firefighter hydration tips

• Unkie Seasoning – Get that Chipotle rub!

• The Burn Box crew for epic monthly firefighter gear

✅ 🔥 CALLS TO ACTION 🔥

• Drop a comment: Are you team black coffee or team cream & sugar?

• Share your department’s rehab protocols for hot weather.

• Post yourself doing the robot dance and tag us for a special prize!

• And don’t forget to FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, and COMMENT wherever you listen or watch.

This episode delivers laughs, real fireground strategies, hydration hacks, and classic firehouse storytelling that'll make you sweat.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube!
👉 Link in bio!

Special Guest:
🎙️ Chief Darick Fisher – Navy veteran, retired DOD Fire Chief, small business owner, and published author

In This Episode:
The guys sit down with long-time friend and mentor Darick Fisher to talk about:

• 🔥 His journey from Navy engineer to DOD firefighter and fire chief

• 🧠 What retirement really looks like (“I’m just as busy now, I just don’t punch a clock!”)

• 💬 Why leadership is about empowering others — not barking orders

• 🧍‍♂️ Being your own kind of leader: “Lead by example — your example.”

• 🙌 His clothing brand, FAT Apparel (Faithful. Accountable. Teachable.)

• 📖 His book Beyond the Doors — and the power of purpose-driven storytelling

• 🧠 The meaning behind his “PAR Check” shirts and devotionals on mental wellness and accountability

Key Quotes:

"You don’t need a title to lead — just character."
"Retired doesn’t mean stopped. I still live to make a difference every day."
"We’re not here to be served. We’re here to serve — and that’s how you leave a legacy."

Highlights:

• The importance of mentorship in and out of the fire service

• Fighting fires in dungarees in the Navy 😳

• How a simple men’s group inspired a movement

• And yeah…Unkie might get emotional 🥲

Where to Find Chief Fisher:
📖 Featuring his book Beyond the Doors

👕 faithfulaccountable.com – Clothing, merch & resources

📲 Follow him on Instagram, TikTok, Etsy, and more

🎥 WATCH the full video podcast on Spotify & YouTube
💬 Like, comment & share to support the show
📦 Bonus: Comment on Episode 110 for a chance to win Matt’s June Burn Box!

#TheCoolFiremanPodcast #Episode112 #FaithfulAccountableTeachable #DarickFisher #FirefighterLeadership #RetiredNotDone #BeyondTheDoors #FireServiceWisdom #PARCheck #LeadByExample

🎙️ Hosts: Matt, Doug, Unkie, and Brian

📅 Episode Drop: Friday, July 20th

In this lively episode, the crew is back with full firehouse chaos — and that means turkey calls, wizard hats, and a little metric system drama.

Highlights include:

• 🦃 Doug just can’t help himself and drops another turkey call. Natural talent or firehouse curse? You decide.

• 🎩 Unkie shows off his 100oz Taylor’s Tins mug... on his head. The Tin Man lives!

• 📏 The guys roast Doug for hating kilometers. Who needs the metric system anyway?

• 🚓 And the age-old debate — who’s responsible for traffic control on car wrecks? Fire or PD?

All this while hyping the release of Episode 111, dropping Friday. Tune in, laugh with us, and don’t forget to subscribe!

💬 COMMENT ON YOUTUBE or SPOTIFYWhat’s your take on the traffic debate? And how would you rate Doug’s turkey impression?

📦 Don’t forget: You could still win this month’s Burn Box giveaway!

This week’s episode is unlike any other. We pause the usual firehouse banter and storytelling to honor and reflect on the life of someone who truly embodied what it meant to be a “Cool Fireman.”

Jay Lyons—known to many as @he_fights_fire on TikTok—was more than a content creator. He was a passionate firefighter, a devoted father, a loving partner, and a brother to so many in the fire service. Tragically, Jay passed away last week while on vacation, and his loss has deeply impacted our podcast family and the fire community as a whole.

In this special tribute episode:

🔥 Unkie shares personal memories of meeting Jay at SAFRE and reflects on how Jay reignited his love for training.
🔥 Brian, Doug, and Matt talk about the ripple effect Jay’s passing has had across departments and friendships.
🔥 We discuss the importance of leaning on faith, family, and brotherhood in times of grief.
🔥 We replay Episode 69, Jay’s original guest appearance—his first-ever podcast—so listeners new and old can hear directly from the man himself.
🔥 Information on a GoFundMe for Jay’s family and updates on efforts to bring him home from overseas are discussed. (Link in bio/show notes if available)

🙏 Join us in a moment of silence, and take a second to reflect on what makes this job—and this community—so special.

💔 Jay was only 25. But in that short time, he made a lasting impact.

How You Can Help:
If you’d like to support Jay’s family, please check the link. Any amount helps.

https://gofund.me/8fa5c7be

🎧 Listen now. Share. Remember.
Let’s all strive to be more like Jay—dedicated, kind, passionate, and funny as hell.

#TheCoolFiremanPodcast #JayLyons #FirefighterTribute #HeFightsFire #ThinRedLine #Brotherhood #FireServiceFamily #LineOfDuty #HonorAndRemember #FaithFamilyFire

🚨 Complacency Is Creeping In... 🚨
Have we convinced ourselves that nothing big can happen again? That regulations alone will save us?

🔥 This week on The Cool Fireman Podcast, Brian questions the mindset that's settling into the fire service—and we bring the perspective of someone who lived the worst-case scenario.

🎙️ Chief Deral Raynor, Incident Commander during the West Pharmaceuticals explosion in 2003, joins us to share what really happened during the 6-day incident that shook the fire service.

🗓️ New episode drops TOMORROW!
This one’s a reminder: complacency kills.

Visit

Email: thecoolfireman@gmail.com

TheCoolFireman.com for merchandise and more

Instagram: @thecoolfireman

Tiktok: @thecoolfireman

YouTube: @thecoolfireman

Special Sponsors:

Unkies Seasonings https://unkiesseasoning.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopye_NRki8Ev9I4qy6ACkI3dw59rhjleSp0Bw-ilcB-lmT3M_G-

Burn Box https://www.theburnbox.com/

WestBroad Apparel https://www.westbroadapparel.com/

#TheCoolFiremanPodcast #FirefighterPodcast #ComplacencyKills #ChiefRaynor #WestPharmaceuticalsExplosion #StayVigilant #FireLeadership #IncidentCommand #PodcastDrop #FireServiceLessons

📦 Sponsored by: Unkie Seasoning — Use code DAD25 for Father's Day!

In this episode, the crew gets off to a classic, chaotic start as Doug unboxes his latest FD Collectors Club coin live on the show. They dive deep into everything from coin girth to grocery store fire lane etiquette — yep, it gets heated. The gang debates whether fire trucks should park in the red while shopping and reacts to the viral TikTok clip that stirred up some serious comments online.

🔹 Topics Covered:

• 🔥 Unboxing FD Collectors Club coins — Houston FD & Vincennes, Indiana

• 🚒 Should firefighters park in the red at grocery stores?

• 👨‍👧‍👦 Life updates on Freddie and Nick — family, priorities, and support

• 💬 Listener feedback and social media controversy

• 🧠 Critical thinking in EMS and the importance of pre-planning

• ❤️ Why we love the job: helping people, playing with water, and the camaraderie

• 👮‍♂️ Firefighter commentary caught on bodycam – what’s too far?

• 🩺 The reality of EMS-heavy workloads in today’s fire service

• 🏥 Community paramedicine and managing frequent callers

• 🧯 The evolving role of firefighters in a changing world

🔹 Quotes of the Day:

“Fire trucks belong in fire lanes. It’s called branding.”
“Be respectful. And have an answer if someone asks.”
“Never grow up and you get to play with water — that’s the fireman life.”

The team takes a brief pause to honor fallen firefighters across the nation.

Have thoughts about parking the engine up front? Or how your department handles medical vs. fire calls? Let us know on Instagram or drop a comment on our latest TikTok post!

Memorial Day reminder to never forget why we enjoy the freedoms we do. Also, Doug’s building a massive pole barn — you’ll hear about trusses, trailers, and Facebook Marketplace deals you didn’t know you needed.

🎧 Listen Now:
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your earful of firehouse banter.

🚨 Moment of Silence💬 Sound Off🔥 Closing Notes:

In this week’s episode, Matt, Doug, and Unkie get real about burnout, passion, and what it means to stay motivated in the fire service—especially after decades on the job. Doug’s allergies are flaring up, Adam’s pulling full-time dad duty, and Matt’s stuck in a hotel… but the mics are on and the conversation is solid.

The crew checks in on themselves and each other, digging into the leadership traits they admire most—and the ones they struggle with. From fading passion to professionalism, from firehouse vibes to fireground performance, it's a raw, reflective look at the human side of firefighting.

🔥 Can passion survive politics?
🔥 Does communication solve the “loud dog” problem?
🔥 Should we really be parking in the red while buying groceries?
🔥 And why is Unkie’s four-minute home rule changing the game?

Also: shoutouts to Unkie’s Seasoning, Burn Box, FD Collectors Club, and a quick dive into arson investigation training from Pinehurst.

Whether you're a rookie, a vet, or somewhere in between, this one’s for the ones trying to keep the fire lit.

Visit

Email: thecoolfireman@gmail.com

TheCoolFireman.com for merchandise and more

Instagram: @thecoolfireman

Tiktok: @thecoolfireman

YouTube: @thecoolfireman

Special Sponsors:

Unkies Seasonings https://unkiesseasoning.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopye_NRki8Ev9I4qy6ACkI3dw59rhjleSp0Bw-ilcB-lmT3M_G-

Burn Box https://www.theburnbox.com/