004 - Cal Fire Captain Drew Rhoads (Rescue Swimmer/Crew Chief)

03/12/201803/15/2018

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:18 — 47.9MB)

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We are joined this episode by Fire Captian Andrew Rhoads of the Cal Fire Mendicino detachment. Drew serves as a rescue swimmer, crew chief, salvage/rescue diver, firefighter, and as a member of multiple water rescue training cadres. Drew lays out how he steered his career towards the water, the sacrifices he made early on to gain experience in a marginalized field, and speaks frankly about the challenges first responders face balancing work and family life. For aspiring firefighters, rescue swimmers, divers, and first responders this is an absolute must listen. If you would like to participate in a CAP Class or have any further questions about this interview please click here.

Drew uses every type of water rescue tool to keep the coastline and inland waterways safe.

There are many routes to working as a rescue swimmer, but every route requires self sacrifice and discipline to achieve success. We would like to thank Captain Rhoads for taking the time to lay out the path to a rewarding career as a rescue swimmer in Cal Fire.

Drew’s skill set enables him to reach people in distress from virtually every rescue platform.

Jesse Pittman was born and raised in the redwoods of northern California. As a young man, he spent two seasons as a wildland fire fighter with CAL Fire before he joined the United States Navy to become a SEAL commando. After completing his third deployment, Jesse volunteered to do another back-to-back. Jesse had a saying among his teammates, “I don’t run, I charge.” On August 6, 2011, Jesse was one of 31 American heroes lost in a helicopter crash over Afghanistan. Jesse died while living a life dedicated to service and conquering challenges. His next goal was to attend college and earn his bachelor’s degree. Now, Jesse’s wish will carry on with you.

The Jesse Pittman Fund will be hosting the 7th annual Jesse Pittman Memorial 5k Run/Walk on June 17th, 2018 in Ukiah California. more information can be found at www.jessepittmanfund.org (live link)

Sign up for the race HERE (The JPF allows people to virtually participate so you can support this worthy cause without traveling to Ukiah. This is an incredible cause. We urge any of our listeners in the area to participate and post your results for us to share.