PIO Podcast (01/27/26): Captain Justin Weber & Engineer Mike Demoff
San Bernardino County Fire: PIO PodcastShow Notes
Host Captain Shawn Millerick is back in the studio (and out in the field) to inform, educate, and entertain with Episode 24 of the PIO Podcast—alongside Bobby and Kyle for another round of station talk, real-world interviews, and classic dad-joke chaos.
Studio Updates: Mercury Warnings, Promotions, and a “Secret” Deployment Drill The crew kicks things off with a strange sight at the Bloomington post office—an official warning to not mail mercury—and the inevitable rabbit hole that follows. From there, Shawn shares department updates including the latest on testing and interviews, solid participation in the captain’s exam process, and a first-of-its-kind surprise drill simulating a California Regional Task Force 6 deployment. Tower 20 gets a shoutout too, with training content getting love from California State training.
MLK Day Reflections & Memphis History In a thoughtful segment, the guys reflect on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with two standout “did you know?” moments—plus a powerful discussion about visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and how immersive history can change perspective.
In the Field: Captain Justin Weber on Culture, Retention, and Finding Your Place Shawn catches up with Captain Justin Weber (newly assigned and newly promoted) for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with hilarious rumors—passport theft, last names, and car-washing allegations—and turns into an honest story about upbringing, identity, and why he’s all-in on County Fire. Weber breaks down why retention matters, what makes the department unique, and how treating people like humans (even on probation) is a core part of the culture worth protecting.
Aviation Spotlight: Alpine Rescue Training from the Top of the Tower Next, Shawn heads to the top of the Richard Sewell training tower with Aviation’s Mike Demoff, who explains the growing, more formalized rescue training program designed to keep crews safe in alpine and mountain environments. Mike shares how the program evolved after a tragic incident, why policy + training matters, and how other agencies are now taking notice and asking to learn from the model.
“This Day in History” & Joke of the Day The episode wraps with a lighter touch: Guy Fieri’s birthday gets a “firehouse TV” shoutout, followed by some truly committed dad/son acting and a groaner of a joke about trees… being shady. As always: stay safe, take care of each other, and thanks for listening. 🎙️
Links Mentioned in this EpisodeMLK Speech Kept by Body Guard for Decades News StoryClip from Bobby's Motown Documentary Highlighting the Motown Recording of "I Have a Dream" Speech Aviation Technical Team Training Video featuring Original Composed Music by Shawn Millerick
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.