PIO Podcast (01/08/26): Captain Scott Abraham & Recruit Braeden Weeks
San Bernardino County Fire: PIO PodcastShow Notes
Host Captain Shawn Millerick is back in the field and in the studio to inform, educate and entertain with Episode 22 of the PIO Podcast.
Episode Highlights
Training Division spotlight with Capt. Scott Abraham Shawn catches up with Scott for a behind-the-scenes look at what’s new in Training: digitizing task books and textbooks, tightening up certification tracking, coordinating state fire training, and building a more organized department training calendar. Scott also breaks down how task books standardize skills across positions and apparatus—and shares what’s coming next, from driver/operator needs (including water tender shortages) to a new Vector Solutions training rollout.
Pipes & Drums: tradition, recruitment, and big events Scott switches gears as the Pipe Major for the San Bernardino County Fire Pipes & Drums, sharing the band’s history (founded in 2012), how the department and union band support each other, and why they’re actively recruiting—especially new pipers. He explains what it takes to get started (practice chanter, short daily practice), what’s required to audition, how practices ramp up ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, and what it’s like honoring fallen firefighters at the massive Colorado memorial where hundreds of musicians come together.
Tower 20 check-in with Recruit Braeden Next up, the crew pulls Braeden out of Tower 20 for a real look at academy life: week 12, rapid intervention crew training, and what it’s like coming into the fire service as a career change at 30. He talks about the steep learning curve without a prior fire academy, what he’s enjoyed most (forcible entry and wildland), and how his skateboarding background taught him resilience—pushing through frustration until skills “click.” He also shares practical advice for future applicants: be teachable, put in the work, and build real relationships in the firehouse.
“This Day in History” with Ai Ryan The episode keeps things light with "This Day in History" fun facts about the Mona Lisa (and a few jokes), Ai Ryan visits the studio after “the real Ryan” moves to Planning, and a musical closeout featuring the 935 band.
More from San Bernardino County Fire: PIO Podcast
This episode marks a milestone, the show’s 40th installment, and it comes together in an unusual way. Part of the conversation was recorded back in June, and part was recorded this October, so the show jumps between the two recording sessions, almost like time travel in a movie, to bring five different segments into one episode. The show kicks off by digging into a box of old VHS tapes, including a mystery news clip from 2006 that has the studio trying to guess which current department member is on screen. The real news of the episode is the announcement of this year’s Salute to Service award winners. The crew walks through every category and announces this year's winners: Sustained Superior Performance Champions of Change Awards (Mentorship Excellence, Synergy Star, Rising Phoenix) Legacy Award Exceptional Service Award Annual Awards (Ambulance Operator of the Year, Fire District Employee of the Year, Firefighter of the Year) Fire Chief’s Distinguished Service Awards Medal of Valor Award Tech Corner covers two drones now in testing, one built to drop water on hot spots and another designed to fly hose packs up to firefighters on steep terrain, plus a new robot dog making its debut around headquarters. The episode wraps with surprise phone calls to a retiring 20 year veteran on his way out the door and a firefighter with a wild past life as a Dodger Stadium visiting clubhouse bat boy, along with groundbreaking news on Fire Station 227 and updates on several more stations in the pipeline.
CAL FIRE Battalion Chief David Acuña joins the PIO Podcast to walk through a career that started with the Orange County Fire Explorers back in 1986 and wound through paramedic work, a stretch away from the fire service entirely, and stops at Riverside County Fire, CAL FIRE, the Emergency Command Center, and now statewide Battalion Chief and Public Information Officer. He breaks down what a CAL FIRE PIO actually does day to day, covering a coverage area that stretches from Siskiyou to San Diego, and shares a crash course in fire weather and behavior fundamentals including LCES. Acuña talks about Aware California, a platform set to change how agencies share incident information, and talks candidly about the personal impact of the 2020 Creek Fire. The conversation wraps with his thoughts on mentoring and recruiting the next generation of firefighters.
Second District Supervisor Jesse Armendarez welcomes the PIO Podcast into his own office for a conversation on Fontana roots, public service, and building opportunity from the ground up.
Vice Chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. joins the PIO Podcast for a wide ranging conversation on family, public service, and what's coming next for San Bernardino County. Baca, Jr. talks growing up in Rialto, his years as a teacher and softball coach, and how those experiences shaped his approach to representing the 5th District.
Host Captain Shawn Millerick is back in the studio for a conversation with San Bernardino County’s Third District team: Chairman of the Board Dawn Rowe, Chief of Staff Claire Cozad, and Communications Director Scott Ward. Chairman Rowe shares her path to the board, from losing her husband in Iraq and staying in Yucca Valley to raise her kids, to land use frustrations that led her to the planning commission, town council, and eventually the county board. She talks about the steep learning curve of representing the largest district in the county, which touches Arizona, Nevada, and LA County and has been ground zero for the El Dorado Fire, the Line Fire, Hurricane Hilary, and Snowmageddon. Chief of Staff Claire Cozad discusses her work on Capitol Hill, her experience as a chief of staff managing a team of twelve, and the advice she would give any young person starting out. Scott Ward reflects on more than three decades in radio at KFROG, including a Blue Angels ride that produced a memorable barf bag photo, and the transition to public service communications. The group also digs into county budget priorities, the importance of Starlink in remote desert response, leadership lessons, and a mass casualty incident exercise that turned into an accidental rescue of a county supervisor stranded in the desert with a group of high schoolers.