Retired firefighter Keith McMillan shares his raw, powerful journey of leaving a 26-year career due to physical injuries, only to discover his deepest wounds were from PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury). Now a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for his own HOA, he details his new mission: protecting his community, educating homeowners with a firefighter's triage perspective, and championing the life-saving importance of "crew checks" and mental health vulnerability.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• A New Model for HOAs: How a private community hired a full-time wildfire expert to manage its 5,000 acres of open space.

• Triage for Your Home: How Keith uses a fire captain's triage criteria to show homeowners their real-world risk.

• The "Crew Check": A vital, non-negotiable check-in for first responders to share their emotional load before a shift begins.

• A Personal PTSI Journey: Keith's moving story of how COVID-driven isolation forced him to confront years of suppressed trauma.

• Life After Fire: How he found a new, fulfilling niche as a part-time park ranger and mitigation specialist.

• From Woe to Go: The importance of proactive evacuation planning, from safe zones to using your car's "biohazard mode."

FYREBX founder Sean Henry tells the incredible story of how getting bored in retirement led him to invent a revolutionary piece of firefighting hardware in his barn. Discover the FYREBX, a multi-tool attachment that turns any compact track loader into a dozer, a 500-gallon water cannon, and a hydro-seeder, and learn how his grassroots strategy of letting firefighters discover its value on their own terms is driving its rapid adoption.

https://fyrebx.com/

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The FYREBX Innovation: How this patented attachment combines a dozer blade and water tank for incredible stability and effectiveness.

• The "Street Cred" Strategy: Why Sean sold to loggers first, letting CAL FIRE and other agencies discover the product organically.

• Real-World Success: Stories from the field where the FYREBX did the work of multiple engines and saved a dozen homes.

• Feedback-Driven Design: How a suggestion from a CAL FIRE veteran led to the "Hyder Pump," an innovation for rapid refilling.

• The Machine as the Monitor: Why a nimble track loader can be more efficient with water than a traditional engine with long hose lays.

• The Future is Remote: How FYREBX is partnering with tech companies to create remotely operated and even autonomous firefighting machines.

• From Pools to Pulaskis: How Sean's background as a high-end designer and artist informed his engineering process.

LA County Fire Captain Ed Monroe shares his candid, powerful insight into PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury), emphasizing why mental health must be treated as a physical injury and why help must be sought proactively. Drawing on 17 years of service, he discusses the critical role of peer support, the shock of a firefighter being shot, and the unique challenges and rewards of leading wildland inmate crews.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• PTSI vs. PTSD: Why "Injury" is a more accurate and helpful term than "Disorder."

• The Inmate Crew Program: How this initiative gave men a mission and a path to turning their lives around.

• Peer Support is Essential: Why first responders trust those within their circle and how LA County Fire is utilizing peer mentorship.

• The Warrior's Code: Why the reluctance to ask for help is a dangerous mindset that must be overcome.

• The Retirement Cliff: Why veterans and former first responders are most at risk after losing their daily peer support network.

• The External Threat: The chilling reality of firefighters being targeted while responding to incidents.

• The Fire Culture Shift: Why it's now safer and easier than ever to seek care without career reprisal.