When The Smoke Clears
What happens to a firefighter after they've spent decades running into burning buildings and rescuing people from sickness, injury and death? When they walk away from the job, how have they changed? What lessons have they learned? What type of person have they become?
Podcasting since 2024 • 17 episodes
When The Smoke Clears
Latest Episodes
17 - Lieutenant Alex Aquino
Alex Aquino has always had a heart yearning for adventure, and all of his immediate family members were the same. So it was no surprise (kind of) that he ended up in the fire department.After an almost 30-year career, all of his a...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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1:37:53
#16 - Division Chief Mike Love (Part 1)
Retired Division Chief Mike Love sits down with us for part 1 of a two-part interview. Chief Love is a treasure trove of valuable historic information on the early days of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. He talks abou...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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1:30:24
#15 - Captain Marc Worton
Retired Captain Marc Worton was destined to be in the fire service. Having two parents deeply involved in volunteer fire departments, he was practically born into it. Marc shares his story of becoming a volunteer firefighter as a te...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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1:39:19
#14 - Division Chief David Steckel
From the time he was a six-year-old boy hearing the fire house sirens sound near his home in Montgomery Village, MD, David Steckel knew he wanted to be a firefighter. When he was finally old enough to join the fire cadet program in high s...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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1:29:43
#13 - Division Chief Diane Zuspan
For our first female guest on the podcast, we have none other than retired Division Chief Diane Zuspan.Chief Zuspan originally had no desire to join the fire department. However, she entered the EMS world as a young adult and fell...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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1:27:06