There was a blood trail from the ambulance bay into the ER.

Tony Smith is a former firefighter/paramedic who transitioned into flight medicine — and he was the critical care medic responsible for transporting Dom after his line-of-duty shooting.

Before anyone confirmed it, Tony knew it was a cop. The police presence was overwhelming. Drones overhead. Helicopters in the air. When they landed at Bolingbrook, he remembers walking into the hospital and seeing blood leading into the trauma bay.

While Dom was in CT, Tony and his partner split roles. One reviewing live scans. The other priming blood, preparing TXA and calcium, setting up the ventilator — working toward their 15-minute transfer goal. Their mindset is simple: if a patient has a chance, they move fast to get them to the highest level of care available.

He remembers Dom fighting the tube. Moving all four extremities. A sign that there was still a fight left in him.

For the first time, Tony sits across from a former patient and revisits that night from inside the aircraft cabin. This episode isn’t about the gunfire. It’s about what happens after — when speed, training, and controlled decision-making determine whether someone makes it.

Still Here 🤙🏻

He saw Bin Laden before 9/11.
He pulled the trigger on the first Hellfire ever fired from a drone in combat.

Colonel Scott Swanson spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force — from flying Pave Hawks in Desert Storm to helping pioneer armed Predator drone operations in Afghanistan. In 2000, he watched Osama bin Laden walk out into the open. The strike never came.

One year later, after 9/11, Scott and his team became the tip of the spear — arming the Predator, hunting Taliban leadership, and firing the first Hellfire missile ever launched from a UAV in combat history. He was also overhead during Operation Anaconda and the Battle of Roberts Ridge, witnessing the events that would later lead to John Chapman receiving the Medal of Honor.

This episode dives into:

• The mission that almost changed history before 9/11

• The first armed drone strike of the War on Terror

• The psychological weight of “combat to cul-de-sac” warfare

• Watching war in high definition… then going home to dinner

This isn’t a tech story. It’s a human one. About responsibility. Restraint. And living with the “what if.”

Still Here 🤙🏻

🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpod
🛒 Shop Merch: https://www.BeyondtheDispatch.com
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4g

👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.

We went live during the Project Fire Buddies Gala setup to capture the heart of the mission before the doors even opened. This episode features conversations with the people who help make Project Fire Buddies what it is today.

We sat down with Kevyn Holdefer, Ryan Ballard, Kelly DeGroot, Kurt DeGroot, and actor Matthew Willig to talk about how Project Fire Buddies was built, why it matters, and the powerful impact it has by pairing firefighters with children facing serious medical challenges.

At its core, Project Fire Buddies is about connection, consistency, and showing up — creating lasting bonds and more good days for kids and families who need them most. These conversations set the tone for an incredible night and an even greater mission.

Still Here 🤙🏻🎧 BTD Website: https://www.BeyondtheDispatch.comBTD Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4g

This wasn’t about starting a podcast.
It was about helping people before it was too late.

One year ago, two first responders sat down with no roadmap, no audience, and no sponsors — just a shared conviction that silence was killing their peers faster than the job ever did. This episode is where Beyond the Dispatch began. Not polished. Not perfect. Honest.

In this first conversation, Cary and Dom lay it bare: the injuries that ended careers, the trauma that followed them home, the families who carried the weight, and the moment they realized that if they didn’t create a space for these stories, no one else was going to. This show was never meant to be entertainment. It was meant to help. Even if it only reached one person hanging on by a thread.

A year later, this episode hits harder — because everything said here still matters. Because the numbers haven’t gone down enough. Because people are still hurting. And because the mission hasn’t changed.

Still Here 🤙🏻

🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpod
🛒 Support the mission: https://www.BeyondtheDispatch.com

👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.

In this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, we sit down with Dr. Carrie Steiner, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of First Responders Wellness Center. Carrie spent 13 years with the Chicago Police Department, where she experienced the realities of policing firsthand, including a police-involved shooting and the loss of her partner while off duty.

After leaving law enforcement, she transitioned into psychology, focusing her work on first responder trauma, PTSD, and nervous system regulation. We talk about why she made that shift and practical tools first responders can use to better manage stress and trauma.

Still Here 🤙🏻🎧 BTD Website:

https://www.BeyondtheDispatch.com

In this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, we sit down with Mario Elias, a retired law enforcement veteran with 30 years of service at the Elgin Police Department.

For 20 of those years, Mario served as a Task Force Officer (TFO) with the Drug Enforcement Administration, operating deep undercover across the globe. His work took him from California and Chicago to Spain and beyond, embedded in high-level narcotics investigations that most only hear about long after the cases are closed.

Mario shares firsthand insight into the realities of undercover work, the mental and personal toll of living multiple lives, and his involvement in major cases tied to international drug trafficking organizations — including El Chapo and the Flores brothers, Pedro and Margarito.

This is a rare look behind the curtain from someone who lived it.

Listen & Support Below:

BTD Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4g

BTD YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpod

BTD Merch:

https://www.beyondthedispatch.com

In this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, we sit down with Chris Bingham, the handler and partner of retired explosive detection K9 Tambo.

Chris shares what it truly means to work alongside a K9 at the federal level — the trust, the pressure, and the bond that forms when your partner is responsible for keeping people alive. We talk about Tambo’s years of service in explosive detection, what life looks like after retirement, and the reality many working dogs face once the uniform comes off.

The conversation takes a hard turn as Chris opens up about Tambo’s cancer diagnosis and the emotional toll of watching a partner who gave everything now fight for his life. We also discuss the lack of long-term support for retired K9s, why organizations like Project K9 Hero are so critical, and what needs to change to better honor these silent professionals.

This episode is about loyalty, sacrifice, and the unseen cost of service — not just for the handler, but for the dog who never hesitated to step forward.

Listen & Support Below:BTD Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4gBTD YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpodBTD Merch:https://www.beyondthedispatch.com

In this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, Dom’s mom, Connie, joins us for one of the most personal conversations we’ve ever had on the show.

We talk about Dom’s childhood, his decision to join the U.S. Coast Guard, and eventually law enforcement — and what it’s really like watching your child choose a career built around danger and service. Connie opens up about the constant worry, the silent fears, and the emotional toll that comes with being the parent of a first responder.

This conversation goes even deeper as we walk through Dom’s shooting in the line of duty and the impact it had not just on him, but on his entire family. Connie shares what that moment was like from a mother’s perspective, how it changed her, and what the recovery process looked like behind the scenes — the uncertainty, the strength, and the moments no one sees.

We also talk about Dom’s recovery, resilience, and how the family navigated life after everything changed.

This is a raw, honest, and emotional episode about family, fear, strength, and the bonds that hold us together when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

Still Here 🤙🏻

👉 Follow Beyond The Dispatch for real conversations with first responders, military members, and their families — the stories that don’t always get told.

Listen & Support Below:

BTD Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4g

BTD YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpod

BTD Merch:
https://www.beyondthedispatch.com