Shows
When The Smoke Clears27 - Battalion Chief Michael HamiltonBattalion Chief Mike Hamilton holds the record of having served the longest in the fire service out of all of the people we have interviewed so far...45 years! During that time, Mike did A LOT. From working at the 911 call center, being on the apparatus committee, working in code enforcement, and working in virtually every battalion in one position or another, Mike Hamilton had a very full career. He was on the scene of several fires that easily could have resulted in line of duty deaths, and they had a profound effect on him.His career came to...2025-05-121h 55When The Smoke ClearsBattalion Chief Derrick AnthonyDerrick Anthony joins us to discuss his 30+ year fire service career. Throughout his time in MCFRS, Derrick was involved in many things, including teaching at the training academy, helping with the Critical Incident Stress Management Team, being the In-Service Training Coordinator at the training academy, helping the department acquire accreditation, and more.Once he retired, he continued working in a variety of jobs, being very thankful for the skills he acquired working for the fire department, and savoring the memories he had riding the fire trucks and serving the citizens of Montgomery County.Derrick can b...2025-04-281h 51When The Smoke Clears25 - Master Firefighter Ricardo "Rico" ShepherdRico Shepherd never grew up with any aspirations to join the fire department. However, when he saw an advertisement in the newspaper about MCFRS hiring, he applied, got hired, and the rest was history.Rico spent a good part of his career in Cabin John on the swift water rescue team, and another large chunk of it in the fire code enforcement section where he eventually retired as a Master Firefighter. After retirement, his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he started a bulk trash collecting business.Rico can be reached at rescuebulktrash@gmail.com or at...2025-04-141h 30When The Smoke Clears24 - Master Firefighter Walter BalmaWhen Walter Balma had his first encounter with the fire department, he knew immediately that he wanted to be a firefighter. Growing up in Prince George's County, MD, he wanted to be a PG firefighter, so he became a PG volunteer. However, when applying for full-time fire department jobs, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue hired him first. Walter enjoyed a 20+ year career in Montgomery County before eventually retiring and joining the Prince George's County Fire Department.Walter shares about his time in both departments, as well as his time working in the fire code enforcement offices of Roc...2025-03-311h 29When The Smoke Clears23 - Captain Stacey JonesStacey Jones never had any ambition to join the fire service when he was young, but through various twists and turns of life, he found himself joining the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service as a member of Recruit Class 6. Along the way, Stacey never had any formal mentors to teach him about the fire service, and at times he struggled. But he ultimately forged his own path and ended up retiring as a Captain and as an EMS duty officer.Stacey shares with us the importance of mentorship in the fire service and how it is des...2025-03-171h 17When The Smoke Clears22 - Fire Chief Scott Goldstein"Retired" Fire Chief Scott Goldstein joins us on the show to recount his 30+ years in the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, including eight years as its Fire Chief. We say "retired" because Chief Goldstein is actually still on the job! He currently serves as Fire Chief of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue in Kelso, Washington.Chief Goldstein has lots of great insights to share about his time in Montgomery County, and especially about his time as the fire chief. His mentality towards being the chief was entirely geared toward providing the men and women he led with the...2025-03-031h 48When The Smoke Clears21 - Division Chief Mike Love - Part 2Division Chief Mike Love returns to share with us the rest of his story. If you haven't listened to part one, please do yourself a favor and do that...otherwise you'll miss out on a lot!Chief Love picks up from where he left off...getting promoted to Sergeant in the Silver Spring Fire Department. His career then took him through the ranks all the way up to Division Chief. Along the way, he saw the department change and grow leaps and bounds from what it was when he first started volunteering.Mike Love can be...2025-02-171h 01When The Smoke Clears20 - Captain Clifford BillingsleaCaptain Clifford "Cliff" Billingslea joins us to talk about his career. Growing up, Cliff met several people in high school who would eventually become his fire department colleagues in the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. Once he got into the department, he spent his initial few years in the more rural areas of the county before transferring to Takoma Park. From there, he spent the rest of his career working in various stations in Battalion 1.Captain Billingslea shares many stories with us, including one powerful experience at station 2 that shaped the rest of his career.C...2025-02-031h 23When The Smoke Clears19 - Captain Pete CorteCaptain Pete Corte is another individual who wanted to be a firefighter from the very beginning. He achieved his goal by becoming a volunteer firefighter at first, then getting hired by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. Pete worked in Takoma Park, Bethesda, Glen Echo, Glenmont, and Chevy Chase, rising through the ranks. He also spent some time as a safety officer.After some injuries caught up with him, he knew it was time to hang up his helmet. He has since moved down south, where he now works for the Georgia State Fire Marshall's office. Since retiring, he ha...2024-11-111h 27When The Smoke Clears18 - Firefighter Marshall MoneymakerFrom the time he was first introduced to the fire service in high school, Marshall Moneymaker knew this was what he wanted to do with his life. However, the road to get there definitely was not easy.Eventually he did manage to get hired by the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, and made his way to station six in Bethesda...working in the high rise district of southern Montgomery County. It was there he got to drive and tiller Truck 706, a position he greatly enjoyed for many years.Unfortunately an injury cut his career sh...2024-10-281h 28When The Smoke Clears17 - Lieutenant Alex AquinoAlex Aquino has always had a heart yearning for adventure, and all of his immediate family members were the same. So it was no surprise (kind of) that he ended up in the fire department.After an almost 30-year career, all of his adventures, both on the job and off, caught up to him physically. It was his desire to continue having adventures with his family that led him to hang up his turn out gear.Alex can be reached at fishtripn@yahoo.comSupport the podcast here:2024-10-141h 37When The Smoke Clears#16 - Division Chief Mike Love (Part 1)Retired Division Chief Mike Love sits down with us for part 1 of a two-part interview. Chief Love is a treasure trove of valuable historic information on the early days of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. He talks about his upbringing in the 50s and 60s...how he first got involved with the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department as a young kid, spending lots of time at station 18, and how that led him to become a volunteer firefighter and eventually a career firefighter. Chief Love then tells us about some significant fires that he got to run, all the way...2024-09-231h 30When The Smoke Clears#15 - Captain Marc WortonRetired Captain Marc Worton was destined to be in the fire service. Having two parents deeply involved in volunteer fire departments, he was practically born into it. Marc shares his story of becoming a volunteer firefighter as a teenager, eventually getting hired as a full-time career firefighter in Montgomery County, and having a robust career that took him from the fields of Sandy Spring to the high-rises of Bethesda. He answered calls at the 911 center, joined the county's technical rescue team, and so much more.In retirement, Marc helped to found the Montgomery County Career Firefighters Charitable Fou...2024-09-091h 39When The Smoke Clears#14 - Division Chief David SteckelFrom the time he was a six-year-old boy hearing the fire house sirens sound near his home in Montgomery Village, MD, David Steckel knew he wanted to be a firefighter. When he was finally old enough to join the fire cadet program in high school, his love for the fire service was confirmed and there was no looking back.After he was hired as a career firefighter in Montgomery County, Maryland, Dave quickly rose through the ranks, becoming one of the youngest officers the department had at the time. After eventually promoting to Battalion Chief, he took an...2024-08-261h 29When The Smoke Clears#13 - Division Chief Diane ZuspanFor our first female guest on the podcast, we have none other than retired Division Chief Diane Zuspan.Chief Zuspan originally had no desire to join the fire department. However, she entered the EMS world as a young adult and fell in love with it. Her journey as a paramedic took her from the west coast, to the middle of the country, and finally to the east coast, where she became a full time career firefighter and never looked back.Diane shares about what it was like to be a woman in the fire service, an...2024-08-131h 27When The Smoke Clears#12 - Captain Tony RankinCaptain Tony Rankin is another firefighter that both Russ and Tony have personal experience working with. When Tony Rankin was a captain in Hillandale, Tony Bencosme was his lieutenant and Russ was one of his firefighters.Tony shares with us about his upbringing growing up in Montgomery County, how a chance encounter with a former schoolmate-turned firefighter led him to become a volunteer firefighter and eventually a career firefighter, and how his desire to seek adventure led him to a very unusual hobby.Tony also shares about a struggle he had once he stepped away f...2024-07-291h 29When The Smoke Clears#11 - Firefighter Adrian LaceyAdrian Lacey joins us to discuss his career with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. Adrian was a collegiate soccer player before discovering the fire service. The majority of his 20+ year career was spent primarily at a single firehouse...Hillandale Station 12, and primarily on a single shift...A shift.Adrian shares about his passion for soccer, how he spent many years as the primary tiller man on Truck 12, and the importance of taking care of your mental health if you are struggling with anything.He can be reached at futbolskillz@gmail.comSu...2024-07-151h 22When The Smoke Clears#10 - Master Firefighter Eric "Fez" FessendenFrom volunteering at the Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department to getting hired by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, working his way up to be the primary driver of Truck 25, retiring because of various injuries, and having to deal with some mental health struggles, retired Master Firefighter Eric Fessenden's story is incredibly powerful. He holds nothing back as he shares about the dark place he found himself in after retiring, and he has since become a strong advocate for firefighter's seeking peer support if they are ever in need because of trauma incurred on the job or life difficulties faced o...2024-07-021h 29When The Smoke Clears#9 - Assistant Chief Michael ClemensAssistant Chief Michael Clemens dedicated more than 40 years of service to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. Starting out as a teenage volunteer with the Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department, and eventually getting hired by that corporation, Mike served the majority of his career in the Silver Spring area, before promoting to chief and eventually becoming the training chief at the Public Safety Training Academy.Chief Clemens was in charge of designing and building Montgomery County's current training academy...and even though he has been retired now for several years, he still continues to fight to g...2024-05-301h 36When The Smoke Clears#8 - Assistant Chief Michael PreteAssistant Chief Michael Prete joins us on the podcast today. Listen in as he talks about:- The very unusual way he got into the fire department- What it was like as a volunteer/casual labor employee before the county took over the fire department- How he influenced the department bring in the 24/48 work schedule- What he believes was his most influential rankMike Prete can be reached at mprete@firehero.org or 301-318-9755Support the podcast here:buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclears2024-04-291h 09When The Smoke Clears#7 - Battalion Chief Bill KangRetired Battalion Chief Bill Kang joins us on the pod today. He shares about his life growing up in a traditional Asian family, and his parent's reaction to him joining the fire service.Chief Kang's career took him all over Montgomery County...from the urban streets of Silver Spring to the rural landscapes of Damascus and (at the time) Germantown. He finished his career as a chief officer, but even after he left the fire service behind, he still stayed in the emergency services world.Chief Kang shares what he treasured most about his time in...2024-04-231h 08When The Smoke Clears#6 - Master Firefighter Darren CarterMFF Darren Carter sits down with us to talk about his career. He walks us through his early volunteer days at the Burntonsville Volunteer Fire Department, getting hired by the county, working at stations all over Montgomery County, and his final assignment as the C shift scheduler.Darren then breaks down his life after he stepped away, his perspective on the job now that he's retired, and the things that bring him the most joy in life.Darren can be reached at wdcmc730@gmail.comSupport the podcast here:buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclears2024-04-081h 01When The Smoke Clears#5 - Battalion Chief Tony ColemanWe speak with retired Battalion Chief Tony Coleman about his career with MCFRS. Tony shares with us about his upbringing as a native Montgomery County kid, what drew him into the fire service, his career spanning several decades leading to his final rank of battalion chief, and how he approaches life on the retired side of the fire service.Tony shares some great information about things he learned as the chief in charge of FROMS (Fire Rescue Occupational Medical Section) and how those lessons continue to serve him well in retirement.Chief Coleman can be r...2024-03-071h 01When The Smoke Clears#4 - Chief John TippettRetired Chief John Tippett joins us to talk about his career...how he started out as a volunteer firefighter and the became a career firefighter not too long after.Chief Tippett worked many years for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, ultimately retiring as a battalion chief. However, his career did not stop there. After retiring from MCFRS, he was hired by the Charleston Fire Department as a deputy chief. This was not long after the tragic Sopa Super Store fire that resulted in the line of duty deaths of nine of Charleston's bravest.Hea...2024-02-191h 18When The Smoke Clears#3 - Captain Pedro Meneses Jr.In this episode we speak with retired Captain Pedro Meneses Jr.. From coming to the United States from his home country of Nicaragua, to his eventually joining the fire department, Pedro shares about all of the twists and turns his life took to eventually lead him to the career that he fell in love with.Pedro also shares about his leaving the fire department sooner than he thought he would, and the struggles that came along with that. Now "fully involved" in a successful real estate career, Pedro shares how he's trying to reconnect with the fire de...2024-01-311h 10When The Smoke Clears#2 - Battalion Chief Kelvin ThomasFor our very first interview, we speak with retired Battalion Chief Kelvin Thomas. Kelvin walks us through his upbringing, what led him to pursue a career in the fire service, the assignments that made the most impact on his career, and how transitioning to the retired life has had an impact on him.Chief Thomas can be reached at Kelvin702@me.comSupport the podcast here:buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclearsBuy When The Smoke Clears Merch here:https://form.jotform.com/2417874983881772024-01-221h 14When The Smoke Clears#1 - Tony and RussWelcome to When The Smoke Clears! In this introductory episode, Tony and Russ introduce themselves and explain what this podcast is all about.Support the podcast here:buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclearsBuy When The Smoke Clears Merch here:https://form.jotform.com/2417874983881772024-01-1122 min
When The Smoke Clears PodcastShe Hulk (again!), Day Shift and LOTR:The Rings of PowerAnother session of random chat and opinions that were not requested.
#LOTR #SheHulk #Dayshift #Snoop #JamieFoxx2022-09-201h 04When The Smoke Clears PodcastShe Hulk, House of The Dragon and The SandmanJoelle, Joshua and Rachel are back. There was a lot to talk about so enjoy this extra long episode.2022-09-021h 03
When The Smoke Clears PodcastThe LeftoversA few of the bits that didn't make the cut at the time. Take a listen to the randomness.2021-11-2730 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastLOKI - RUBBISH OR WORTH A WATCH?A review by the When The Smoke Clears team of the series so far. This was recorded when episode 3 came out.2021-07-0128 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastYASUKE AND CLOSE ENOUGHRachel, Joshua and Joelle give their honest thoughts on Netflix's two releases. The conversation drifts into our opinions on other cartoons including Big Mouth, F is for Family and King of The Hill.
To watch the animated video of the podcast go to https://youtu.be/CTbgE6LCa6w2021-06-1842 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastFALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIERSoo.. We recorded the first part of this podcast BEFORE we saw the final episode of Falcon and the Winter Solider. Needless to say we had to run back and record the second half as soon as we saw it.
To watch the animated video of the podcast go to https://youtu.be/LdCTvBQJChc2021-05-131h 07When The Smoke Clears PodcastINVINCIBLE!Rachel, Joelle and Josh chat about the Amazon prime release of Invincible.
To watch the animated episode copy and paste https://youtu.be/6nJgABPpAKo2021-04-2420 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastWHY DOES FLASH?Continuing our random questions about superheros, this time Rachel has a few things that bug her about Flash. Cue random questions and pure speculation!
To watch the animated episode follow the link https://youtu.be/xbq_WLSh1cg2021-04-2239 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastHOW HEAVY IS HULK? AND WHY IS BLACK WIDOW SO SPECIAL?This time, we get into it over the different aspects of Hulk and then get into why Joelle likes Black Widow!2021-03-3131 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastWHY IS SUPERMAN SO SPECIAL?We're back for a new season! Kicking off with a look at Superman. Is he really all that?
To watch the animated episode go to https://youtu.be/tAUwrM8O99w2021-03-0731 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastWANDAVISION WHAT DO WE THINK SO FAR!Rachel got herself stuck underwater, apologies for her sound! This time the team are chatting about the new WandaVision series as well as giving their thoughts on some up and coming films.
To watch the animated version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/1hYiAOoL4kQ2021-02-1030 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastWONDER WOMAN 1984 AND THE OAYou can imagine already what the conversation is going to be like for Wonder Woman 1984!
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/sRVZecEVXbc2021-01-2624 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastTHE MATRIX, COPYCAT HOLLYWOOD AND THE FUTURE OF CINEMAHappy New Year!! What happened to the woman who claimed she wrote the Matrix and Terminator? What about Battle Royale? Is Cinema done out?
To view the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/a-Swj9b0hqc2021-01-0134 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastTENET AND TOWER OF GODWe give our opinions on Christopher Nolan's Tenet and the anime Tower of God.
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/g6QzUL_mWjQ2020-12-2126 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastRETRO GAMING AND THE TROUBLE WITH APPLERandom chat about the games we used to play growing up.
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/OcX7DCCiq-02020-12-1418 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastLOWER DECKS AND THE BEST AND WORST FILMS INFLUENCED BY GAMESDo films based on video games work? What do we think of some of the current animated shows out there?
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/-Wv05H1udfU2020-12-0733 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastLISTEN TILL THE END! - PRIMAL BY GENNDY TARTAKOVSKYThis week the discussion is around the critically acclaimed animation Primal.
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/gAlPbv3k7g02020-11-3027 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastGHOSTBUSTERS AFTERLIFE, CANDYMAN AND SPIRAL: BOOK OF SAWWe take a look at the trailers for these upcoming films and give our views. There is the usual clash of opinions!
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/lbzFJzuo0Oo2020-11-2317 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastBLOOD OF ZEUSWe spend some time reviewing the newly released Netflix animation Blood of Zeus as well as discussing Altered Carbon, Bojack Horseman and the OA.
To watch the animated version of the episode go to: https://youtu.be/m5hgXHLXleU2020-11-1624 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastSPIDERMAN AND THE MCUIt gets heated as the discussion is around the new proposed Spiderman film and everybody debates the quality of super hero movies over the last 20 years.
To view the animated episode go to: https://youtu.be/NNCAFEKWLok2020-11-0933 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastUTOPIA (UK) AND THE UMBRELLA ACADEMYJoelle, CD, Josh and Rachel are back with another one. This time we are chatting through our opinions on the UK version of Utopia and the last 2 seasons of the Umbrella Academy.
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/wdHO62IL0bg2020-11-0223 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastTHE MANDALORIAN AND OTHER STUFFIntroducing cousin CD. Rachel, CD, Joelle and Josh discuss The Mandalorian, Black Panther, The Boys and new shows. It gets heated but its all in love!
To watch the animated episode go here: https://youtu.be/wPs17L_6oEc2020-10-1926 minWhen The Smoke Clears PodcastMARVEL V DCThis episode was recorded over a bad Zoom connection, so the sound quality isn't great! Joelle, Joshua and Rachel usually get together to talk about comics, anime, gaming and films. Sometimes they speak facts, sometimes opinions and other times its pure rubbish. It's what you do when you're chatting. Enjoy!2020-05-0827 min