We recently had the pleasure to chat with Dave Ferguson, retired Battalion Chief from Washington State, about his journey into the fire service and his succesful career through the ranks.

The special title he chose for his episode: "Don't ever give up!", a reference to basketball coach Jim Valvano's speech in the 80s, that became Dave's life motto.

As a member of the motorcycle club the Axemen, he is supporting the charity "Veterans for child rescue", a non profit dedicated to exposing and eradicating child trafficking in the USA, lead by Craig Sawyer. Please check about their amazing work, and consider donating on Dave's name.

In this powerful episode of Chats with Firefighters, Craig, a former Fire Captain from Kansas, shares his deeply personal story of service, struggle, and recovery. He opens up about the challenges he faced throughout his fire service career and how seeking help at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Center of Excellence transformed his life.

By sharing his journey, Craig hopes to reach fellow firefighters who may be silently battling PTSD, burnout, addiction, or the weight of the job.

Craig also talks about the next chapter of his life, the challenges that come with it, and why, for deeply personal reasons, he has chosen to support the Ronald McDonald House as his charity of choice. Learn more and support their mission here: https://ronaldmcdonaldhouse.org/.

This is an honest, inspiring conversation about resilience, recovery, and finding hope after some of life's darkest moments, following Craig's life motto that now guides and motivates him:

"The shortcut to having what you want, is to want what you have."

If you know a firefighter who may be struggling, please share this episode with them. Sometimes, hearing someone else's story is the first step toward asking for help.

Because "it's okay to ask for help".

To learn more about the IAFF Center of Excellence, visit: https://www.iaffrecoverycenter.com/.

What a pleasure to chat with former Arizona fire chief, Scott Freitag!

Even after an unexpected twist near the end of his career, Scott looks back on a long and successful journey to fire chief with pride, and shares the life motto that keeps him going: “Never give up.”

Join us for a really interesting conversation!