Life After The Fire

In the 17th episode of Life After The Fire, Chris welcomes Bill Banks from FIRE TEC, Inc..

FIRE TEC, Inc, based in Margate, Florida, is a leading provider of fire protection services and equipment, dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of businesses and properties. With a strong focus on quality and reliability, FIRE TEC offers comprehensive solutions, including fire alarm systems, sprinkler installations, and fire extingu...

In this episode of Life After The Fire, Chris welcomes Adam Church to the show to discuss Coastal Fire Training. 

Coastal Fire Training is a company that focuses on training firefighters on respectful entry techniques that help protect property when the situation allows. The company focuses primarily on in person, customized training sessions for fire departments but also offers education opportunities through methods such as blo...

After generating a number of questions from listeners, Chris welcomes Rickey Rodriquez back to the Life After The Fire podcast to take a deeper dive into his real estate investment journey.

In the episode, Rickey outlines how he got his start in the industry, his portfolio growth over the years, as well as strategies for acquiring new properties. Rickey also briefly highlights his real estate investment group that meets out of Po...

In this episode of our Life After The Fire, Chris sits down with fellow retired firefighter Steve Campana. In this powerful episode, Steve opens up about his past struggles with addiction and the impact on his career and family. 

As Steve details his past history, he highlights the importance of having a structured program like AA has played in his sobriety, the disdain he felt from some of his coworkers after completing his reha...

In this episode of Life After The Fire, Chris sits down with Captain Mike Zingaro, a firefighter who, on his off days, has a second career as a real estate agent. Mike talks about the learning curve he faced in making the transition from fighting fires to selling houses as well as how his firefighting skills has prepared him for his new career.

Mike shares with Chris and listeners the path he took to get into real estate, some of...

In this week's episode of Life After The Fire Chris sits down with Dave Markle of SHOOT-DA-GATOR OUTFITTERS GUIDE SERVICES. After briefly recounting their past histories in the fire service, Dave discusses his current project which he is building out during his final few years in the fire service. 

Dave runs a guide service out of Florida that specializes in offering guests a once in a lifetime experience on both land and sea. Da...

In this episode of Life After The Fire, Chris sits down with retired battalion chief Steve Neible. Chris and Steve’s career paths merged when they both served as volunteer firefighters in the Nashville, Tennessee area after they both served long careers in the fire service.

After spending 25 years with the fire service in Illinois, Steve retired and made the move to Tennessee. As with many firefighters, during his time in the servi...

In this episode of Life After The Fire, Chris sits down with long-time friend and fellow retired firefighter Jimm Walsh. Jimm's story is truly an inspiration and a testament to his resilience. Chris and Jimm spend a portion of the podcast discussing their history and Jimm’s influence in the conception of the Life After The Fire podcast. The majority of the time, however, is focused on Jimm’s recount of the tragic stroke that premat...

In this episode of the Life After The Fire Podcast, Chris is joined by retired firefighter and owner of Town Management Services, Peter Codispoti. Town Management Services is a property management firm in Palm Beach County, Florida that also has a number of construction projects associated with its name. Peter started his journey in the property management realm as a young firefighter when he put an ad in the paper looking for oppo...

In episode eight of the Life After The Fire Podcast, Chris sits down with retired battalion chief Tom Murphy. Tom and Chris have known each other through the fire service for over thirty years when they were still volunteers. After reminiscing briefly on their past experience, Tom focuses on highlighting the importance of budgeting as a young firefighter.

Falling in line with many of the guest that Chris has featured on the podca...

In episode seven of Life After The Fire Podcast, Chris welcomes his first non-firefighter guest, Randi Eisenshtat of Northwestern Mutual. In a unique episode, Randi speaks heavily on her experience in the financial services industry. As she mentions in the episode, many firefighters are retiring at a younger age and are not prepared for the number of years they will be out of the job.

Randi spends the majority of the podcast layi...

Life After The Fire Ep. 6 with Jason Patton

In this week's episode Chris sits down with firefighter / comedian Jason Patton. Jason currently serves as the vice president of Fire Dept. Coffee, which is a veteran-owned company that was inspired by the vital role coffee plays in ensuring first responders stay alert throughout the course of their shift. The company also supports fellow firefighters through the Fire Dept. Coffee found...

In this episode of Life After The Fire, Chris sits down with former coworker Mark Wechsler to relive old memories, discuss Mark’s current projects, and offer up advice to the next generation of firefighters. Both Chris and Mark had the opportunity to serve on the pension board during their time in the fire service and shared a passion for ensuring that their fellow firefighters were financially supported post-retirement.  Mark’s po...

In episode four of the Life After The Fire Podcast, Chris sits down with retired EMS captain Shaun Fix. After spending over 35 years in the fire service, Sean retired and pivoted toward medical training for first responders and doctor's offices. After originally founding the company while still working in the fire service, the company has since grown to over 120 instructors training 20,000 participants per year.

Shaun and Chris t...

Life After The Fire Ep. 3 with Rickey Rodriguez

In this episode of Life After The Fire Chris sits down with former co-worker Rickey Rodriguez. While Rickey has not yet transitioned into retirement this episode highlights how he has taken steps throughout his career to better prepare himself for his life outside of the fire service. 

After reminiscing over shared experiences during their careers Rickey explains the role educatio...

In this episode of Life After The Fire, Chris sits down with former co-worker and longtime friend, retired EMS Captain Jules Tuman to discuss their past work history and catch up on what she has been involved with in her time since leaving the fire service. Jules explains how she leveraged her career in the fire service and the benefits provided to firefighters to find a sense of financial security in retirement. 

Strong planning...

Ep. 1 with Sam Eaton

In the inaugural episode of Life After The Fire, host Chris Phelps sits down with Retired Battalion Chief Sam Eaton to discuss a life following a career in the fire service. Sam discusses the various health concerns firefighters face while in the line of duty that may not be an immediately apparent danger. Eaton give insights into how firefighters can protect themselves and highlights organizations that raise a...