Show Notes
Host Captain Shawn Millerick is back with Episode 20, this time recording from Fire Station 26 in the mountains near Crestline and Twin Peaks, with firefighter Ryan Lopez and a special call in from Jason “J Mac” McLaughlin to talk about the Spark of Love Toy Drive.
Episode Highlights
Mountain station talk at Station 26
Shawn and Ryan kick things off on a Sunday afternoon at Station 26, mixing humor and real talk about life in the mountains, the station culture, and what makes County Fire unique whether you are in the city or working the hill.
Ryan Lopez from AMR to County Fire
Ryan shares his path from ten years at AMR, including five years as an EMT and years as a medic, to earning his medic license internship at Station 26 and eventually getting picked up by the department. He walks through probation, mentors, and what it meant to department shop until he found the right fit.
Culture probation and why people stay
The conversation digs into probation experiences, comparing different departments and what makes a firefighter become a lifer. Ryan talks about how the people around you shape your growth, and why being surrounded by strong crews makes all the difference.
Tactical Games and competitive shooting
Ryan gives a deep dive into the Tactical Games, an intense CrossFit style athletic competition combined with shooting fundamentals. He explains the community, the grind, traveling across the United States, and why it is the hardest and most addictive competition he has ever done.
What is different about fighting fire in the mountains
Shawn and Ryan break down the realities of mountain operations, long hose stretches, steep terrain, access challenges, multi story homes built into hillsides, exposures, and how fast tactics change when you are working rugged ground. Shawn also highlights Ryan GoPro POV footage that captures what these incidents really look like.
Advice for private ambulance medics looking to level up
Ryan offers honest perspective for anyone working private ambulance who wants the next challenge. Do not get stuck at a low stakes table, seek stimulus, surround yourself with people who sharpen you, and be ready to commit when it is time because this job is a lifetime of learning.
Spark of Love update with Jason “J Mac” McLaughlin
J Mac calls in with a full Spark of Love update, how ABC7 supports departments with materials and promotion, how local fundraising and toy collection works, and how distribution happens across the county. He shares recent events like Film with the Firemen, kids, dinner, a movie, meeting Santa at a fire station, and a community toy giveaway partnered with Amazon complete with activities, food, Santa, and gifts for kids.
Countywide coordinators and the work behind the scenes
J Mac shouts out the division coordinators and teams who keep the program moving year round, emphasizing how much coordination, sorting, pickups, and shopping goes into making Spark of Love happen. Reminder, toys are collected at fire stations up through Christmas Day.
Christmas fun and This Day in History
The episode wraps with a holiday joke, then This Day in History featuring notable Christmas birthdays, Rod Serling from Twilight Zone, Jimmy Buffett, and Annie Lennox, plus a quick holiday story from Shawn about visiting the historic Tam O Shanter pub and closing out with the sounds of carolers.
As always, the episode blends firehouse humor, real world insight, and community spirit, reminding everyone to take care of each other, stay safe, and keep the holidays merry and bright.
Links Mentioned in the Episode: The Tam O’Shanter Pub Tactical Games Spark of Love Documentary
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.