PIO Podcast (06/11/26): Firefighter/Paramedic Memo Monreal, Firefighter Paramedic Justin Sparks & Retired Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Lisa Baker
San Bernardino County Fire: PIO PodcastShow Notes
Host Captain Shawn Millerick records live from Station 226, RODECaster on a trash can and all, for a conversation packed with brotherhood across borders, a full circle career story, and a mentor who showed up when it mattered most. ⸻ Firefighter Paramedic Memo Monreal: Mexicali Training Exchange Firefighter Paramedic Memo Monreal of Station 226 shares the story of County Fire's recent training trip to Mexicali, where a four-person team trained approximately 60 firefighters from seven agencies. For Memo the trip was personal. Both of his parents are from Mexicali, and bringing his expertise back to the city where his family is rooted meant far more than the training itself. He shares the moment his cousin sent video of Mexicali firefighters throwing a 24-foot extension ladder solo after just one day, the story of driving the tiller truck to surprise his grandmother, and what it meant when the Mexicali battalion chiefs told him she was now under their watch. A potential next trip to Mazatlan is already in the works for November. ⸻ Firefighter Paramedic Justin Sparks: From Victorville to Station 226 Firefighter Paramedic Justin Sparks of Station 226 B shift grew up between San Bernardino and Victorville, got into trouble in high school, and was sent by his mother to live with his uncle in the Central Valley his senior year. Basketball became his focus, a scholarship to Simpson University followed, then a business degree from Fresno State, three years at Honda Finance that he describes as absolutely not for him, and eventually a career as a personal trainer. That is where he met his mentor without knowing she was a retired fire chief. He quit his job, drove Lyft full time for a year to afford EMT school, connected through Chief Munsey and Firefighter Dave Colombo to a ride along at Station 224, started at the fire camp in 2021, and came on suppression staff in 2022. His mentor surprised him at graduation and he had no idea she was coming. ⸻ Retired Oakland City Battalion Chief Lisa Baker: Women in Fire and the Mentor Who Showed Up Shawn calls Lisa Baker, the retired Oakland City Battalion Chief Lisa Baker who mentored Justin at the gym without ever advertising her rank. Lisa spent 28 years with Oakland Fire and has served as the Women in Fire southwest trustee since 2016. She talks about the organization's inclusive mission, hands-on conference training covering nozzle forward, ladders, extrication, and ventilation, and classroom sessions on promotion, pregnancy policy, and leadership. ⸻ Department Updates Shawn recaps the CAPIO conference and an upcoming ADA compliance change that will affect social media platforms. Nancy Preciado shares an SBCFuego update with new content on the way. Shout outs go to the Green Valley paid call firefighters and BLM crews. County Fire resources responded to the Bain Fire in Riverside County with one house sustaining severe damage. Fire season is active and vegetation fires are increasing across the region.
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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.