Welcome to another episode of the Dragon's Den Podcast. Today we have on Justin Spanka and Caleb Shetler. I first met Spanka when he came to teach at the Central Acadiana Fire Symposium with Sean Ryan and the Animal House cadre. I tried to get him onto the podcast pretty early and he kept saying no, but I was finally able to convince him after he and Shetler completed the Oklahoma Smoke Diver program. They are the first individuals in Virginia to complete either the Georgia, Indiana or Oklahoma program. I knew that they both had good experiences and something to offer, with both being unsuccessful the first attempt and then completing it the second attempt. I was absolutely correct. There was so much in this episode that resonated with me that I bit my tongue on many occasions so that they could get there thoughts out. I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. Thanks for listening.

Spanka Bio:

Grew up in Virginia Beach. Went to college in central VA to play volleyball and ended up getting a bachelors degree in kinesiology. Found the fire service due to interest in medicine and realized the fire side was way cooler. Self proclaimed exercise and wellness nerd. First VA Smoke Divers to complete OSD, GSD, or ISD (Shetler as well).

Shetler Bio:

Raised in central Virginia and found the fire service as a volunteer at an early age. Left for the midwest and attended Union University where he received a Bachelor of Science in International Rescue & Relief with an emphasis in paramedicine. Worked briefly in Washington, the state where his beautiful wife Jennifer is from, before deciding to start their family back home in Virginia. Currently assigned to the training division as a FF/Paramedic. Graduate of Oklahoma Smoke Diver Class #5

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Welcome back to another episode of the Dragon's Den Podcast. Today it is my absolute pleasure to have on both of the Stone Brothers. Chief DJ Stone and Chief Shannon Stone. DJ currently serves as the Training Chief with South Walton and Shannon currently serves as the Fire Chief for Midway fire. They both have very extensive bios, so I'll leave those in the show notes if you want to read them. While making an impromptu stop in the Pensacola area, I was lucky enough to get both of the brothers over to our rental house and have conversation about fire stuff. We talked about many topics, including why they started the 850 fireman, PTSD, the importance of training, their experiences with teaching on the circuit, both of their recent position changes, mentorship and much more. We recorded this on the patio, at night, so the lighting wasn't great, but the audio is good and you can tell who is talking if you do watch the video. This was an extremely easy conversation because all I had to do was get the ball rolling and they took over. There's so much in both of their minds that we didn't struggle for conversation at all. Once again, it was my honor to be able to record this conversation. I hope you enjoy it.

Welcome to another Episode of the Dragon's Den Podcast. Today's guest is Chief Dennis Reilly. I'll probably say this until I shut this podcast down, but I'm honored to have such a distinguished guest spend his time talking to me about the job. Chief Reilly has a very extensive bio, but the highlights are this. He's got over 50 years of experience, deployed combat veteran, responded to 9/11, has been the Fire Chief of multiple departments, has a masters degree from Penn State and has taught all over the country, including at FDIC this year. He's seen a lot and done a lot and I'm so glad that he drove over from his home in Navarre to hang out at the pool, eat some crawfish etouffee, and talk about the job. I hope you enjoy.

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