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In Episode 3, I talked about everything the fire service has given me over the last 15 years.

But there's another side to that story.

In Episode 4 of Second Alarm, I take an honest look at some of the things this career has taken along the way—the time away from family, missed holidays and important moments, difficult calls, stress, frustration, and the way years in the fire service can change you without you even realizing it.

I also talk about leadership, promotions, morale, and how some of those experiences have changed the way I look at my career and what I want from the years I have left in it.

This isn't about regretting the fire service. I wouldn't trade away everything this career has given me.

It's about recognizing that a career like this comes with a cost—and after 15 years, I'm starting to understand that cost differently than I did when I was a rookie.

The question I'm beginning to ask isn't just whether it was worth it.

It's what am I going to do with the time I have left?

Second Alarm — Life, Work, and What Comes After the Firehouse.

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In Episode 3 of Second Alarm, I take a look at everything the fire service has given me over the last 15 years.

This career has been about much more than responding to calls. It's given me another family, lifelong friendships, a sense of purpose, leadership experience, confidence, and memories that I'll carry with me long after my last shift.

I talk about the station life that's difficult to explain unless you've lived it, the people who helped shape the firefighter and lieutenant I've become, and why helping someone on one of their worst days can make all the frustrations of the job worth it.

The fire service has also become a big part of who I am—which raises an important question as retirement gets closer: when so much of your identity is tied to the job, what happens when it's time to walk away?

Before we can talk about what comes after the firehouse, we have to understand what we're leaving behind.

Second Alarm — Life, Work, and What Comes After the Firehouse.

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In Episode 2 of Second Alarm, I go back to where it all started.

From thinking I might join the military after high school, to joining a volunteer fire department and eventually deciding to make the fire service my career, I talk about the road that led me to my very first shift as a career firefighter.

I still remember walking into the station after graduating the academy—nervous, overwhelmed, excited, and having no idea what the next 15 years would bring. I was the rookie, trying to learn the station, understand what was expected of me, fit in with a new crew, and prove that I belonged.

Looking back now as a lieutenant, that first shift means something completely different.

In this episode, I talk about those early days, what it was like being the new guy, and some of the things I wish I could go back and tell that rookie firefighter walking into the station for the first time.

Everybody in the fire service has a first shift.

This was mine.

Second Alarm — Life, Work, and What Comes After the Firehouse.

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