Welcome to the first episode of the Firefighter WTF Podcast—released on July 4th to mark the start of something new.

In this episode, we dig into:

• Why Independence Day is the busiest day for U.S. fire departments, with skyrocketing calls for fireworks accidents, grill fires, and wildfire response
• A tragic update on the Idaho sniper ambush that took the lives of Battalion Chiefs Frank Harwood and John Morrison
• How some organizations are already using artificial intelligence (AI) to lure people onto their websites—tied to a recent Indianapolis firefighter electrocution case
• A tribute to Anne Burrell, celebrity chef and longtime friend of the fire service through the Leary Firefighters Foundation

We close with a few personal thanks to the creators who inspired this project.

Special Thanks:

Diane Jennings – youtube.com/@DianeJennings

Juan Browne – youtube.com/@blancolirio

Shawn Ryan – youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow

Julian Dorey – youtube.com/@JulianDorey

Show Notes Links:

• NFPA Fireworks Reports: nfpa.org
• U.S. Fire Administration Holiday Safety: usfa.fema.gov
• Leary Firefighters Foundation: learyfirefighters.org

🚨 Welcome to the Firefighter WTF Podcast – Episode 000

This isn’t your average firehouse-friendly PR show. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s long overdue.

In this intro episode, we break down what Firefighter WTF is all about—from dark humor and burnout to gear talk and leadership breakdowns. If you’ve ever said “If I told you what really happened, you wouldn’t believe me…” — this is your space.

🧯 Segments previewed in this episode:
🔥 Where’s The Fire? – Real incidents and lessons learned
🔥 Water, Tools, Fire! – Gear talk, tactics, and innovation
🔥 Who’s The Firefighter? – The people behind the badge
🔥 What’s The Fix? – Fixing what’s broken in emergency services
🔥 Win the Fireground – Strategies, drills, and leadership
🔥 Wrecked, Toasted, Fried – Burnout, dark days, and survival
🔥 Way Too Familiar – Broken cycles and patterns
🔥 We’re Totally F**ed – Close calls and WTF moments
🔥 Firefighter WTF: Overtime – Uncensored bonus conversations

🎙 Host: Tom
🎧 Full episodes dropping June 2025
📅 New drops every Tuesday (and Friday once we’re rolling)

💥 Join the Founders Tier on Patreon and help shape the show:
👉 https://www.patreon.com/firefighterwtf

📬 Got a guest idea? Training topic? Story to share?
→ talk@firefighter.wtf

🌐 More: https://firefighter.wtf