Latest / The Weight of Fire / Episode 2 "Eddie Munchel"

Transcript

Episode 2 "Eddie Munchel" · The Weight of Fire

• Thiago Novaes: Alright guys, this time we didn't do the intro before we started the workout. We wanted to get deep with it, feel the pain before we actually started talking. So decided today to do a gear workout. We probably wanted my right-hand men in the fire department, my driver on engine one. Nasty old man, solid dude. But we decided to do run 400 meters, lunge 400 meters. Run four hundred meters. Overhead carry with the forty-five plate. Four hundred meters. Run again, another four hundred, and we're gonna finish off with the farmer's care. So we just getting started. Let's get every fire needs fuel. Every wall needs to come down before what's underneath can breathe. This is the way to fire. Faith, fitness, and conversation. Featuring common people. with uncommon stories. Every episode we're going to bring someone new. First we sweat because something happens when you're tired and honest at the same time. The wall comes down and that's when the real conversation starts about faith, about God, about the job, and about the why behind it all. I'm your host, Tiago, and this is the way to fire. Let's get to work. All right guys, here we are again with another episode of the Way to Fire podcast. Here today brings my heart full of joy. The dude that I have sitting next to me, the one, the only, Eddie Munchel, Munchie known by many, probably one of the best dudes that I've ever had the honor of knowing and working with and truly calling the friend a brother. ⁓ which not a lot of people hold that title with me. I think that title is up there for me. But Munchie is a veteran in the fire service, is a fireman with the city of Ocala. He's been there for 12 years now. We got hired right next to each other right there, obviously with the same level of skills. I was twenty, he was thirty five, so but we brought the same level of skills to the to the table. ⁓ not different areas. Yeah, but ⁓ it's been a pleasure just to grow in the fire service, to learn so much from this dude right here to my left, not only as a fireman, not only everyday stuff around the house, but just like a good father, I think. Just a great overall dude, you know what I'm saying? Guy that I I constantly have daily conversations with on what to do in certain situations that I put myself into. And he's probably the reason I know he's probably the reason why I know how to do half the stuff I know to do around my house. So my wife is very happy about it. ⁓ but to my left is Eddie Munchel. And before we get too deep with Munchie, we're gonna start off with a prayer. You good with that, brother? All right. So Dear God, we want to say thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to sit in against across the table from each other. Thank you for having this this great chance to just have a conversation, have a time where we just quiet down, we don't listen to anything, but we just have the chance to come sit, talk, and share a little bit of our life experiences, a little bit a little bit of the things that we've gone through that we learn from, and that we may be able to t just touch one person out there that we may be able to just share a little bit of some positivity, some great stories. And get some good laughs out of it. So for that we wanna say thank you, Lord. Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Awesome. So take it over, Munch. From the beginning? Like what do you want to go through? Tell us a little bit about yeah, like your beginning, dude. I know I know you grew up in York, Pennsylvania. So let's start with that. ⁓ Chaotic ⁓ childhood, always into something. Always had a brother that would get you into some kind of trouble. And we had a a little sister that would try to keep up with us and and just made a chaos twenty four seven. So super busy family. We were always doing something, always had to go somewhere to do something. But mom and dad worked ⁓ together in a jewelry store growing up and ⁓ so they were always busy so we kinda raised each other. So it's kinda weird. My dad said after I think the fourth kid we kinda just took over and raised ourselves. So it was nice total chaos. How spread out are you guys? ⁓ everybody's about ⁓ Probably eleven to a year and a half apart, or super close. ⁓ wow. And it's five boys and one girl. Four four boys, two girls. So two girls. My brother, my my twin brother. So, you know, we're close. So my oldest brother's only eleven months apart. My younger brother's about a year and a half. And then my oldest sister's actually a stepsister. She's probably she might be closer to two yeah, she's about two years older than than us. And then my my little sister's about a year and a half younger than my my youngest brother. So four boys super close or whatever, always getting into something, building forts to racing cars and stuff like that, like always doing something dumb. So that's all I didn't know your parents had a jewelry store. Well it was my it was kind of more my dad's thing and my mom was busy raising the kids, but she would also help do the books and things like that. But they worked it together. But my dad was always there. Okay. So that that's where you basically you guys got that background. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. My dad started out, ⁓ he worked a few jobs or whatever and did like coin shows and stuff on the side and then kinda there my My two other uncles kind of rolled that in together and and winded up doing jewelry. And so my dad always ⁓ favored the coin side of it. He's a little bit more in depth and a little bit more nerdy that way. So they ⁓ they they just combine everything and just kinda turn it into a jewelry store. That's awesome. Was that common back then for you to be able to do that, like jewelry and coin store together or they they're kinda hand in hand, gold and silver, you know, they kind of they kinda work together and I think I think there's multiple stores that'll do that. Some try to separate it, but There's definitely more money retail and jewelry. The coins thing, there's not a lot of markup to it. It's a a a lower percentage of ⁓ retail profit, I guess, you know. So it's makes it easier dealing jewelry than and having coins on the side. So you said you have a twin brother. ⁓ you guys, you have how many older brothers? You have one older sister, you said one older sister and then an older brother who's yeah, he's eleven months older. And then the two of you and everybody little brother Chuck and then then my little sister Kathy, who pass she passed away when she was sixteen. Sorry to hear that, but but yeah. All right. So that that that's pretty awesome. So throughout your life growing up, obviously I know a little bit about the chaos, a little about the adventure that you guys would get yourself into. ⁓ but how was it growing up? Like we grew up with with my mom too, that she was constantly on the go doing her business side of things. And my dad was mainly doing his own thing on on on the other side. So we either had somebody that was l watching over, which was either a stay at home nanny or something, or it was just the four of us too. So I can relate a little bit to that to the little bit of chaos and my brother being the older, me being the second, we kind of took care of ourselves like and we didn't know anything. We just figured it out. Right. So how was that? Well, I mean it's like that saying whatever you give enough rope to hang yourself with, you know what I mean? You're just gonna get in trouble if you're given that much freedom. So idle hands of the devil's workshop. So yeah, we had plenty of Plenty of times ourselves, too much time. So we were kinda we learned on our own and then and then ⁓ my mom once my mom and dad got divorced, then it was total chaos 'cause my mom was stepping up to work, whatever, to pay pay the bills and that's when we started getting in trouble. How old were you guys? ⁓ it was ⁓ from ten to fourteen, I think my my sister was when when they got divorced. So so then we're really on our own. So I mean from food to everything. There's just no guidance. You know, mom was just busy working paying the bills, but But growing up I I mean I I I have two girls and ⁓ I I loved having brothers and sisters around. Like it was just you didn't need friends, you what I You always had somebody to go play with you and somebody you could rely on, you know what I mean? My my my older brother, like it didn't matter. Like if I got in trouble, he was there, he was getting me out of it. You know what I mean? So I was never scared or worried about any kind of bullying in school, you know what I mean? And and same thing with my little brother. My little brother was my little brother was the worst because he knew he was untouchable. You know what I mean? So we we we took care of him and nobody was hurting. So but that was cool having them. My my two girls having each other. I they're close, that they get along and stuff like that, but it was nothing like having two or three people always there to play with and stuff when you're growing up. Being in school with my brother, I remember as we grew up, because I was more of the the one that liked to get in fights and whatnot in school. So it always brought me a little bit of peace having my brother there because usually when I was getting my my butt whooped he would stuff after I got it whooped for a little bit, he would jump in and and stop it, right? But so it gave me that little bit of sense of protection a little bit. Like when he saw that happening, he would kinda kinda help me out through it. But that that that's awesome, dude. And ⁓ all of them still live around. Like you guys still hang around with each other. I mean, ⁓ Chuck I'm probably the closest to 'cause he just lives in Lakeland. So I see him quite a bit. ⁓ my brother Jack's in Pennsylvania and then Joe's way out in in Seattle and Washington, so I don't see him that often. But ⁓ my my older sister lives in in ⁓ Lakeland as well with with Chuck, but We were never close, she was always a little bit older, you know, and then being a ⁓ stepsister, I don't she's kinda I don't think she felt like she was really part of the family, but she kinda distanced herself a lot, but still talk to her and see her and stuff like that and and see her kids and stuff, but but definitely closest with Joe just being my twin or whatever, but Chuck I get to see quite a bit. Awesome dude. So from what I've witnessed with you like I even joke with my wife from time to time and at it's at the point that she jokes. With me. Like every time we do any type of home project or we do anything around the house, the first question out of her mouth is not, Do you know what you're doing? Is Did you call Munchal? Right. So for me, I've I've you you became that person, right? Not only that that that that model, but also a teacher. You know what I'm saying? You've taught me a lot of the things ⁓ that I that I know, that I've learned and how I am nowadays. I think there's a little bit of a a little bit of a munchie in it, you know what I'm saying? So did you have somebody like that? Growing up. Yeah. My ⁓ my dad was busy doing his his jewelry stuff and and he kinda forced us into it. And you know, as a kid if you're kinda forced into it you kinda rebel, you don't want any part of it. So I didn't really want to I didn't like it. I I didn't like being at the store. It it was awkward, you know what I mean? Like we were eight and ten years old and he'd have us like wait on customers, like it was it was never a good like experience. So so I rebelled from that and and and ⁓ my dad was never really a teacher in life. So So but the one good thing he did, he let us pretty much destroy anything we wanted to. Like he was like, take it apart and see what makes it work. So so as kids we we we skateboard and biked and and every now and then we get like a dirt bike and stuff, but if it didn't work, we didn't have it. So we take it apart, fix it, you know, build ramps, build tree forts or whatever. Then he kind of gave us that freedom, but never really taught us. We had to figure out our own. When I was older, I was always kind of mechanically inclined and liked doing stuff with my hands, but ⁓ my ex wife's father was the one that ⁓ I mean if it if a a man built it he could take it apart and fix it. You know, anything with the house, plumbing, electrical, mason area, you name it, roofing, like he would do it. And he was kind of that guy that ⁓ if I'm like, hey man, I don't know how to probably like how you do to me. It's like, hey Jim, I don't know how to do this. What what you know, what does take? Yeah. And he'd walk me through it. So you never you're never scared to try something new if you have somebody that knows how to fix it. You know what I mean? So back in the day you used to page him. Yeah like I text you now. Hedge pigeons up to get his attention stuff. So but yeah, he was that guy. He helped me ⁓ learn the home repair stuff. Okay, cool. Yeah. Did you take that knowledge and apply it into any jobs before you became a fireman? I know you had the jewelry store. Not in jobs. I I I've done it all growing up or whatever, but ⁓ most of the jobs were were labored jobs from washing dishes, fast food, didn't last very long. worked in warehouses, cut grass, did tree work, but the later in life doing ⁓ with the ex wife was rental houses so fixing them up or whatever. We actually our our f our f one of our first houses we had, we had it was a total gut job and had to kind of do everything on our own. So yeah, it was ⁓ it was a a lot of trial and error. That one like probably taught me probably ninety percent of what I know today. Just so that you know 'cause we did everything from electrical plumbing, drywall. Did you enjoy doing it? Yeah. I I did. I w I like I would like to do it for for work, but I was never fast. Like I would get involved with it or whatever and try to I always over engineered stuff and and did it, you know, probably way way more than what it needed to be done. You know, so but ⁓ yeah, I enjoyed it, you know, to a certain extent. But ⁓ doing it non stop kinda wears you out tooars. Wears you out a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. I got you. Okay. So with that in mind, what transition I know From doing all that, doing the rental properties before you guys did the jewelry stuff, right? And that was Well kinda kinda afterwards. We like ⁓ my ex-wife was going to law school. I I've worked everywhere. I was driving ⁓ trucks in Pennsylvania while she was in law school. ⁓ kind of another mindless job, no you know, just not a satisfying job. Semi trucks, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So so I was doing that and then I was like, you know what, the family business isn't that bad. You know, I worked enough crappy jobs, had enough crappy bosses that it didn't ⁓ it was just like, ⁓ maybe I get involved in a family business. So while she was in law school towards the end of last year I went to a watchmaking school. T 'cause my grandfather was older and I knew he was getting ready to retire, so I was gonna transition into that and pick up where where he left off. So I did that and came back and and worked in the store and and ⁓ Liked it. Love again working with my hands pretty much, doing a lot of, you know, counter sales and stuff like that as well as like taking in repairs but working on on the small watches and and clocks and stuff. But ⁓ still was never really satisfied with it. So working with family. It was a family business with three brothers and cousins and stuff. Your dad held the business the whole time? No my well, yeah, it was so my dad was ⁓ he battled with alcoholism and stuff like that. Him and my mom Like he was abusive to her and my mom finally had enough and ⁓ she left. So he kinda dropped the ball. Then he he got I have a problem with religion because of the way my father taught me religion. Okay he would he would turn the Bible and kind of turn it into what made him righteous or made what he was doing. He would look ⁓ it says it's okay 'cause it's in the Bible. Like he felt like a woman should be submissive and it they there is part of that that's true, but to a certain extent, you know what I mean? You can't just be abusive and expect your wife to be submissive to you. So he would find where he would justify his what he did by that. You know, so he would go and he would we would move into an apartment, my dad would show up and and like break in, try to get my mom and stuff like that. And then he would go to jail. He went to an insane asylum. I mean he was in and out of jail constantly for years. So they were married, I think, fourteen years and I think he spent about that same amount of time chasing her, trying to get her back. So he kind of hearing his side of religion kinda pushed me away from away from it. Yeah. Yeah. So in the meantime, my uncles would pick up the slack on the business and and keep everything going for him. Then he would come out of jail, work at the store in Lakeland for a little while. He had a store in Orlando. Okay. I got divorced and then moved around and they all kinda went back to Lakeland and built that business up there. So he was in and out of jail and ⁓ just helped build it up when he was there and then he would go and chase my mom and then he'd get arrested again. ⁓ how was your mom in regards to like her faith? Since your dad was using the Bible. Yeah. My mom was never really r the religious one in that aspect. We would go to church Easter and Christmas. You know what I mean? That was kind of our our our whole thing. Never really said prayers at dinner and stuff like that. Like we didn't have that sort of like ⁓ guidance in with religion. It was all just the only time I got it was a little bit of church and then when my dad's sitting there going how my mom should be married to him and he doesn't allow her to be divorced so I it kind of turned me off from it. Yeah. I mean I had to had to really like seek it out and and ⁓ find out religious on my own and kind of have my own relationship because what I was taught didn't make sense to me. I got you. What what do you think 'cause it could either go two ways, right? You can get that type of exposure, you can live that lifestyle and either you basically become your dad. Right. Or you become the complete opposite of it, right? The the the the learning I did from my dad, he he's he's not a bad guy. I'm not trying to paint him in a as a bad guy. He's given me a lot of sound advice over the years, but I learned a lot by doing the opposite. Like I saw how alcohol influences life, how him and my mom's relationship was affected by it. Mm-hmm. So I'm not a big drinker. I've never been. Like I I if if I get start drinking, I get drunk, it just immediately goes, I'm gonna turn out my like my dad. Yeah. I mean I can't shut it down. So ⁓ I mean I've learned that way and and then like with the Bible I go, that's not how you're you're not a religious person, you're not a follower of God. If you if you look for reasons to justify what you did. You know what I mean? When you when like me I feel like it's wrong, but you can't justify just 'cause it's written in in a word and you kind of, you know, mess around and make it seem Usually lot of people take the the some of the scripture out of context. Yes, exactly. You know what I'm saying? So they use verses but back in the day or the context of that verse is written on there's other things behind it. But but my dad is a he's He's not a genius, he's borderline genius. He's a very, very, very smart man and and if he was here, he could show you where he was right. You know what I mean? Like it's not just like this little bit, he's like verse he would bounce all over the place from this verse here. It says and he could you know construe it or manipulate it. Manipulate it. A bad introduction to religion. ⁓ Okay. So fast forward rental houses, jewelry store, what was the switch for the so so that th like having the family business and the the other uncles and stuff like that and cousins, you were always kinda held back by what other family members were doing. So I was trying with my twin brother, he was there as well. Me and Joe worked together. Chuck was there too. And ⁓ but Chuck was kinda not really ambitious that way. He didn't really want to go out on his own or do anything. Me and Joe were always like what can we do to make this better? What can we do to to make more money? So we were always held back, well, if we do something to make more money, how does this cousin benefit from it? It's like, well, if that cousin's not putting in the work, why would he benefit from it? Like, you know, so ⁓ me and Joe started looking into they started doing those buying shows and stuff like that. Where where when gold had that first run back in what, two thousand five, two thousand six, I guess. Once it made that run, we would go out on our own and do buying shows. So we were we just killed it. We w every weekend we'd be doing a shows and stuff and we even tried like my dad of course helped us a little bit, gave us guidance. I think even probably set up ⁓ people s to ⁓ to sell stuff or or to get more income different ways. So we just grew it and got on our own and we tried to eventually do it with my my other uncles and stuff and could never figure out a way where it was fair for everybody. So me and Joe were just like, we just gotta go. We gotta do this on our own and like, hey Chuck, come on man, let's let's let's go. So we took Chuck and and ⁓ opened up a store that was in if you know Lakeland, the Lakeland area, there's little town called Barto. So we kinda opened up a jewelry store that was about an hour away, okay, close enough to where we all didn't have to move so we could set up kind of shop after we did enough buying shows to have enough money to afford it. So we did that one, opened up another one in Claremont. How did the family take it? They were pissed. Okay. Yeah, they were they were extremely yeah. So I mean, but there was always conflict. They were always mad. Didn't didn't matter. Everybody it's funny, like if depending on who you talk to in the jewelry store, their idea is what made it successful. You know what mean? So so it's not it's not a conglomeration of everybody. It was, ⁓ well, they did this and got them in the jewelry or they they found this way to make money, so doing jewelry repair or something. So every family kind of has their own ⁓ way that it it grew. But it was all three of them together combined that really made it what is today. It's a huge store. It's a it's a awesome business. My uncle Bill, the oldest brother, he's kind of the glue or not he's not the oldest. The ⁓ my dad's the oldest. The second oldest was kind of the glue that held it all together. So my dad was off doing his thing with my mom trying to chase it. My other uncle had some problems and stuff too, but ⁓ he kinda held it together. But all three of them together it was it was kind of unstoppable. And you kept in contact with your dad throughout the whole time? ⁓ not really. My dad, I mean I'll talk to him but I never I never really I what watching him what he did to I mean, I was abused a little bit, but it wasn't bad. You know what I mean? Compared to, you know, real real you know, I say real abuse, but but you know, he'd you know, beat you a little too much, you know what I mean, stuff like that. And just wouldn't explain stuff, just wasn't very pleasant to be you know, to be around or whatever when he was drinking heavy and working all the time. Was he completely different from when he was sober and drunk? When w the only time we really saw him sober was we would in the morning, like before he went to work. But then like he would he would come home late and stuff like that and we would never see him. He would be sleeping, we'd leave and he'd get home while we were we were already in bed. So he just worked all the time. And we'd come home real drunk and then my mom would get into it or whatever. We'd see him fight and be abusive to my mom and stuff like that. But he wasn't really bad to us. It was it wasn't the greatest childhood, but the the man he is now is totally different from Man he was then, but but it's like the man he is now is what we needed when we were kids. So it kind of stinks watching him be a father to another family. Like that's what we needed. And and me and him are still kind of at odds because after I had children, I was like, I there's no way I could do what he did. You know what I mean? To my own children, and it really kind of messes me up. And and I'm not mad at him, but I I just could never really look at him and go, You're dad. You know what I mean? The things he did wasn't very fatherly. So I never really like I don't have that connection with him. If if if I needed something like in the when we had our jewelry stores and stuff, call him and he'd love to help and it was kind of that was a nice way to connect, but I have nothing in common with the guy, you know. So he just wasn't there and I just don't have that bond with him. But I'll go see him, I'll talk to him and everything, but just doesn't feel like a dad. Yeah. Well You learn what not to do, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Basically ready to do it. Like the one the couple of things he taught me or whatever, it's it's it's like ⁓ how I kind of live my life. whatever. He goes, if you borrow something or you do something, you leave it better than what you found. If you get a tool, you don't return it with a dull blade or something. You sharpen the blade and give it back. You know what mean? So I always do that with with life. If if if I'm involved with it, I'm gonna try to make it better than when I when I got when I got there or or or how it is now. So that's how I kinda run it that and then the other one that I learned was ⁓ he'd always tell me, he'd go, You follow your conscience and keep your nose clean. That's all it is. So I mean that's Solid advice. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. So between that and ⁓ and the other one, he he's taught me a couple of good things, but I learned mostly from him by what not to do. Yeah. That's good dude. Then then Fire School. So what age do you go to fire school? We were doing we were doing the buying shows and stuff and and you know, like when someone says, you know, money that can't buy you happiness, like you're like, yeah, it makes it easier though, right? Mm-hmm. So I mean we made we made plenty of money. We were we were doing really good, but it didn't fulfill me. Like like I all the jobs I had I was always looking for some kind of fulfillment or or look for something that was never there, with any job. I mean I've I'm I've done it all from yeah, mowing grass, tree work to warehouses. I I literally have done every job. And just like, this sucks. I'm not doing this, I'm out. You know what I mean? So I I never, you know, never stuck around long enough in a job because it just didn't feel good and it was I can go make money somewhere else. So I we were doing the jewelry stores, we were we made plenty of money, had stuff paid off. We were starting to like a little bit with the rental properties ⁓ and ⁓ I was like, I gotta do something. Like I always wanna do the firefighting thing. And I had a record or whatever when I was young. I I did a lot of lot of bad stuff and it caught up with me and ⁓ so I never was like, I can't do it because I have a record. They're gonna they're not gonna hire me. Yeah. So my ex wife's an attorney and she was the one that figured out. She was like, Well the the time, it's been over t a decade, you know, it's longer than that. She's like, If you have ten years since the incident happened and I've had no history, no runnings with the law or anything, you can get a pardon. I'm like, A pardon? Like that's crazy. Like who Who parts is like, no, the governor will do it as a clemency board to go through process. So we did it. And ⁓ once that was, they're Yeah, your pardon. I didn't have to go to the hearing. They just, they just waived it. So I was like, once I have that, I'm like, well, nothing's stopping me now. My my buddy, but I grew up with this guy, Tom Denner, he works for ⁓ Orange County. So awesome dude. And always like he went and did it. I'm like, man, that'd be awesome. That'd be a job that would have meaning to it, you know. But with the record, I I was like, I can't do it. So constantly talking to him and stuff and and always kind of good friend and and ⁓ I was like, you know what, I better it's time. I'm of that age or whatever. I'm I but better do it now or I'm never gonna do it. Yeah. So we were had the jewelry stores making good money and I'm just like, hey Joe, let me sell you these businesses. I'm out. I'm just gonna do this. So I went to ⁓ fire school and I was thirty four, thirty, just like maybe just turned thirty five and I was like, Man, this is gonna be rough with eighteen year old kids, but I wasn't the best, but far from the worst. You know what I mean? Like slightly above average and that's kind of always what I strive to be. And ⁓ went through it and and and loved it. It was awesome. Awesome. Was Ocala the first place you applied for? No, no. I went to school in in Polk County. There's this a little school called Ridge Fire Academy. Went through there and Is it online? Yeah, yeah. No, it's not that bad. It's not that bad. It's not in the Florida State Fire College, but ⁓ it was a good school. They they ⁓ they they did what they could, their kind of hands were tied, kinda like kind of thing with the like the Florida State Fire College is now. I don't think they have the permission to like free reign, like work these kids like they they should. They had the same problems there. We couldn't do workouts. It had to be related to the fire service and had to dial a lot of stuff back. But a lot of good instructors and ⁓ made some good contacts there. So I kind of figured I would stay in the area. I would work, ⁓ I applied to Hillsborough County, I applied to Lakeland, I applied to ⁓ everywhere around there and then on the what is it, national teams network, whatever that is. National testing network. Yeah, yeah. So I looked at them and O'Cala was on there. I'm like, Yeah, I'll apply there, see what happens, you know. And ⁓ I had a bunch of interviews and then Lakeland called me, I did their their testing process. They were the first ones to call me and offer me a job. So I I go, you know, I don't know what the what's guaranteed. It's two hour drive from Lakeland. I go, I'll just work there until something better comes up. And ⁓ I started working here and ⁓ But not Lakeland was the first one to call you. ⁓ Cal Cal was the first one to offer me a job. I w I did a I did a interview at Hillsboro and a couple like smaller departments. I had an application even in Claremont and ⁓ some other places, but I got put on like a waiting list, a Hillsboro. I did a I did an interview there eventually, but they were the first ones to offer me a job. Cool, cool. So took it and ⁓ fell in love. I'm like this is a like O'Cala's a cool little town. It kinda reminded me of Lakeland when I was a kid, like growing up in Lakeland. And ⁓ I was you know, the family still were at odds with, you know, leaving them, starting my business and stuff. So kinda didn't want to be around Lakeland. It was nice to get a fresh start and ⁓ kinda start on my broth was your brother upset when you left? A little bit. I think he he kinda felt like I I was I was leaving him, you know what I mean? And ⁓ but I think he was okay. I didn't you know, that we worked out a deal together and we were both happy with or whatever, so it wasn't I don't think he was really truly mad or whatever, maybe disappointed that I want to leave him, you know. He understood, you know what I mean. He knows being your twin brother he didn't want to go to fire school with you? Yeah. I you know, ⁓ Joe Joe was actually a whole nother story. We probably talk about him for a a whole nother podcast, but he was shot in the head. He was shot as a kid. It was part of the trouble I got in. We were playing with guns and shouldn't. And ⁓ Joe was shot kind of behind the the right ear. And ⁓ it messed with his vision. It ⁓ some I think some cognitive functions or whatever is not there. So he's always kinda limited. You wouldn't know it unless you told him his vision is is terrible. Like he he can't see. Thank God he has a Tesla now. So you know what I mean? So he keeps that thing on self drive. Yeah. So ⁓ but so I think that limited him and I don't think he'd he'd wanna do it. You know what I mean? Like I think he would worry about it. He has like a plate in his head, everything's good, but I don't think he would wanna like risk like I would. You know what I mean? He's not as much of a daredevil. I go s skydiving, ride bikes and stuff like that. And he'll do the same thing, but he's just a little bit more reserved. I just go all in. But ⁓ yeah, he he didn't wanna I don't I never really even asked him. It's something I should ask him why I didn't try it, but ⁓ but ⁓ he loves doing ⁓ like the Ironmans and stuff like that. He challenges himself with that, but he could do the job. But ⁓ Yeah, don't know. I don't know why I didn't do it. But I don't think he was mad. He he understood. He understood that you you guys probably talked about this before he knew that you guys know. Like kinda I do things on the fly. Like that was just one day I'm like, I've had enough. You know what I mean? So I was like, I'm I'm going to fire school. You know what I mean? And he just he was like, Okay, we'll figure it out. So you're the bad boy of the two. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He I'm the bad twin. He's the good one. No, no, not bad twin. Well. The bad boy. Yeah, yeah, he's called bad twin. Yeah, for sure. He's always a reserved one. He always did good. I was always in trouble. doing things I shouldn't be and but he had a ⁓ he ⁓ met a girl and they they've been married for f a hundred years now and ⁓ he had a child young and stuff like that and he was father role immediately, you know what I mean? So yeah, he's a awesome dude and and ⁓ and great dad and yeah always make good decisions. I like to make bad decisions. Yeah, we had him over at the at the station doing the ride along with us one time and it was it was a good time. It was awesome. See a different same person but a different person. You know what I'm saying? But Right, dude. So here on the podcast, obviously you've been doing the job for twelve years. You've been holding a standard that I think very few people hold in the fire service, you know, for the twelve years. So we like to ask specific questions here on and one of our first questions that we that I would like to ask you today is what's your why? What keeps you what keeps you driven, what keeps you holding that line, that standard, what's what's your why? Yeah, I I think that that's just the person I am. the why is is I love helping people. I mean this job is is one of those jobs where you can actually be rewarded by just going to work. You know what I mean? Like being there in someone's worst moment, like just trying to make something a little better for ⁓ you know, is is the why. I just wanted to help, just having that that rewarding feeling. You know what I mean? Just keeps me going and and ⁓ not every every you know call comes out where it's better, you know what I mean? But just being there To be able to help, you know. Yeah. I is is the why. And then they then like turning it into like going to like task force eight stuff, being deployed and stuff like that, like like that's that's awesome to be there when when when it's really bad. You know what I mean? I try to make things a little better is is what I want to do. And that that's one of the things like that's instilled in me, like leaving it better than you found it. Yeah. I mean that's that's what I'm trying to do. Leave the world a little better. That's all. So you've always 'cause like for example, you You're usually a phone call away and every time somebody calls you you're like, ⁓ you need help doing this, you need help doing that. Yeah. I'll be there. Give me give me twenty you what I'm saying? So I think you've always been that way. Yeah. So you've always had this why? Mm-hmm. Or is this something that this this is probably started maybe after my little sister died. It was super like out of nowhere she died in a car accident. It was it was instant like just get a phone call, hey, your sister's dead. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. Like it was bad. Like I I w we were at It was crazy. and my ex wife were at Bush Gardens. Like we were I think we're getting like a caricature like drawn. They were like over the intercom, Hey, you got this a call. ⁓ no way. So we're like, What that's crazy, like who's calling us now? And then getting hit with that news, it was like it was the worst experience of my life, like getting that news or whatever and ⁓ I immediately like just broke down. Like I just couldn't handle it, like couldn't process the information. ⁓ and I was just up to visit her. She lived in Pennsylvania and ⁓ I went up to visit her and I had a had a Mustang in It wasn't anything special. It was a nice car to me. I fixed it up. You know what I mean? It was it was cool when she was like, Hey, can I drive it? I go, Pfft, No. You know what I mean? And and like I I would joke with her and stuff, like, No, you're not driving my car. And that was the last time like I saw her. Like, you know what I mean? Like we we talked or whatever and having that like she's here right now and I have like something that means nothing. I don't you have the car anymore. It didn't it you know what I mean, didn't have it that long. And like telling her no. And then that was like the last time to see her. And then not giving her that experience and driving a stupid car like telling her no, it affected me for a long time. Like it's hard to even talk about it. Like it it really was was crazy that I wouldn't let my little sister drive a car that meant nothing, you know what I mean? So I look at that like with everything. Like if you wanted like if I had a car with somebody someone drive, here drive it. Go nuts. Here's the keys, man. Go You need help doing your roof, whatever? Yeah, I'm there. You know what I mean? Because you having that experience of of thinking you have the rest of your life to be with somebody or or we we have plenty of time to do whatever. It's like, no man, like life's not promised. Like we're everything's good today. Tomorrow, your whole world can be turned upside down. And and having that, so I've always tried since then. It's like if somebody wants something, if somebody needs something, it's like I'm here, I'm here now. Let me let me help you. You know what I mean? So But yeah, that that it it it really kinda woke me up to what what life's about. You know what I mean? Like we should all be there to help each other out and and ⁓ 'cause you don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. You know what I mean? If something might be important to you today, you might not be able to experience that with somebody tomorrow. You know what I mean? Absolutely. And having that ability to help somebody is probably what makes us human. You know what I mean? Like if you have something that that ⁓ you can better somebody else's life, man, spend the time. You know what I mean? You don't give your money away, but if you give a little bit of your time to somebody, it it means so much more. Yeah. Teaching somebody to do something or or just being there as somebody to talk to, you know? But yeah, that that that changed me with the whole aspect of that. I'll I'll be the first one. Let's go, man. Yeah, I'll I'll be there if I can. Try not to let it affect it was always hard with the with the relationship with the ex wife, you know what I mean? She didn't appreciate it every time I would jump and and do something 'cause it's tough, man. But But to me it's like I'd rather help you work on your roof than work on my own roof. You know what I mean? Because when it gets hot or gets crappy, it's like, see ya, you know what I mean? I'll be there for the fun part and I'll dip out when it's time to clean up. You know what I mean? But ⁓ so I I just love helping people, man. It's just fun. It's just a fun experience. Yeah, for me there's a like one big part that I still love about our job is sometimes the little helps. Yeah. Like I I know some dudes get burnt out, I know some dudes get over it fairly quickly, but like when we go to help an old lady up. Even if it's just helping her up, but helping her get to her chair. Only God knows how long she's been laying there on the floor, right? For some people they're overrunning that call. But when you get that that old lady up, you put her in her chair and then you can see a smile, you can see her happy, you can see she's out of that whatever, uncomfortable because half the time they don't want us there. They're embarrassed that they called us, you know what I'm saying? So even those little calls for me become have have gotten such a great impact in me because Man, she really had nobody else that she could call. So she she we have the ability to show up for something so small and so minor as let me just help you up, hun. You know what I'm saying? So it causes I think we we have the opportunity impacting a lot of people, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. So Yeah, that's what that that's one of the things I love about the job is is is seeing those people that that really need it. And then you you go to some NFL and like, when did you fall? ⁓ yesterday, you're there at ⁓ three in the morning. She's like, I'm just getting so cold. It's like, why don't you call us? Like Yeah, yeah. Yeah, those are nice, you know, those are rewarding for sure. So let's hop on to what keeps what keeps you going, like what keeps you holding the line. ⁓ I I guess ⁓ I mean I do everything to the best of my ability. If I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do it a hundred percent, you know, and and and I kinda bring that to the fire service. I I I'm not the I'm the filling out of smoke diver, I'm not the most fit guy, but I still think I can do the job. And if if if I thought I couldn't perform in one way, I I would change it immediately. Like like I I you know, if if I couldn't raise a ladder or something, I I would really tear me apart. You know what I mean? Same thing like when I mess up and don't find an address or whatever. Like it it it tears me apart. You know what I mean? I always just wanna do the best you can, you know what I mean? And I I think we're losing that in this this new generation of having that pride and and doing a good job, you know, but I don't know. I just something inside me that's like if you're gonna do it, man, do it right. You know? Yeah. Why half ass it? I mean d go full full send, a hundred percent, you know, give it all. Especially in a job like us like our job, right? Yeah, yeah, when that little bit might might mean something, you know. Yep, yep. All right, so if you do have like one piece of advice of somebody going through some rough times, ⁓ what what might that be? That's a tough one because it really depends on the situation. You know what I mean? Like I I I thought about that a little bit and ⁓ the only advice I could give is is is don't take it so serious. You know what I mean? Like i anything that happens, like time will fix most of it. You know what I mean? And you just take the time to sit back, take a look at the big picture. Yeah. And and and i if you're making progress in anything, any part of life, the the one thing isn't gonna stop you from from succeeding in life. You know what I mean? Like people dwell on the one thing that's gone wrong and and ⁓ if you just take a step back, just look at the whole picture and just do a little better every day. Yeah. And and you'll get through anything. Not possible. Give it time. Yeah. Times are easy, give it time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Life is easy, give it time. You know what I'm saying? Everything is good, give it time. Ever everything. So yeah, man, I agree with that. A hundred, a hundred percent. so to finish us off Do you have a Bible verse that like really sits in your heart that you really maybe it's a go-to Bible verse, something that that you wanna share with us? Yeah, the the one I always go to or whatever, it it kind of hits me pretty deep or whatever. It's what is it, Palms 23? I walk through the valley of shadow of death. Yeah, Psalms 23. Yeah. Yeah. So that one kind of works for everything in life. You know what I mean? I if you read the whole verse, i if I'm scared, you know what I mean? Like I I don't think I can do something. I I I read that chapter, I just kinda brings me a little bit peace and and ⁓ just takes away the fear because you know that that there's something higher than us that's that's watching over us. You know what I mean? They're just it's just like a a little hand on your shoulder is like we got this. Yeah you can get through it. So yeah. That's also you want to read it for us? Sure, sure. All right. Pull it up, big guy. You want the whole verse or just the part that ⁓ whatever you feel comfortable with. You can edit it or whatever. I'll I'll I'll mess this up. We'll do the whole thing. So the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters, he restoreth my soul, he leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Ye though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine mine enemies. Thou anoint anointeth my head with oil, my cup runneth over, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the home of the Lord forever. So I mean that that says it all. It's powerful, dude. Yeah, yeah. You can use that in anything at all. Did you watch episode one? 'Cause you know that's my verse too, right? Yeah, yeah. Not in that but I mean that's that's a powerful one to me and just kinda works for every situation. If yeah. If you're lost in something, that one just kind of brings you back. Yeah. I I like you guys saw in episode one, that's that's my go to as well. So again, Munch I have the pleasure of working with you every third day, do so pleasure's pleasure's all mine, man. I I I I I I wanted to be when you became captain or whatever, I told you I was like, You're the guy I wanna be with until you be a B C, you know what I mean? So you have that same sort of standard that that it's hard to find in a lot of people or whatever and I I respect it and and ⁓ I'm I'm always there for you, man. I I love working with ya. It's it's awesome. It's it's good to see somebody else have that same passion and and and not scared to push it when it it it's it's Hard. So it's good every day I come to work and I'm I know I'm gonna be taken care of too. And happy. I for me I don't I don't think I don't remember the last time I've worked. You know what I'm saying? For the twelve years I've I've shown up to work and Doing what we do and and and being around, especially now with the crew that we have. It's been nothing but a blessing, brother. That's a good job. Appreciate you coming on the show, dude. This was phenomenal. You know what I'm saying? I think this still you're you got a powerful story, brother, and I think it's awesome. I appreciate you sharing with us today. Absolutely.