Confident Risks

[🎬 Episode 60] Instructors With a Mission 🔥

2nd Due didn't start as some grand plan. It started with a group of instructors who just loved to teach.

Back in 2014, Justin was teaching for the state alongside a crew of guys: Brett Lynch, Rick Clutter, Jim Oxenrider, Mike Bass, and Chief Jeff Welch. They were teaching all around the area, and then they got asked to teach out of state. To do that and get insurance, they needed to form an LLC.

So 2nd Due was born.

From there, they started traveling and teaching everywhere: Utah, Washington, Oregon, Montana. For the first eight years, it was a lot. A lot of miles, a lot of weekends away from home.

But life changes. Justin's kids got older and he didn't want to travel as much. Rick Clutter was retiring. The original crew didn't want to teach as heavily anymore either. And so 2nd Due was headed for the end.

They were ready to shut it down and be done.

Then Steve stepped up. He'd been teaching for them already, and he said he'd love to keep it going. Justin told him he'd stay involved as long as he didn't have to do all the traveling and weekend stuff away. And just like that, 2nd Due got a new chapter.

That's the thing about a mission that matters. It doesn't belong to one person or one era. It gets passed from the people who built it to the people ready to carry it forward.

What started as a handful of instructors needing an LLC became something bigger than any of them. And it's still going, because someone cared enough to keep it alive.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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[🎬 Episode 60] Keeping the Training Local 🔥

Steve and Justin have been doing this together for a long time, and they share a lot in common. But one of the biggest things they share is a mission to change a frustrating part of the culture.

You know the one. The idea that you have to travel 50 or 100 miles in any direction before people will actually start to listen to you. Like the expert down the street somehow matters less than the one who flew in.

They're flipping that.

Through their Fools organization, in conjunction with the 509 Fools, they put on the Truck Academy. It's heading into its fourth year, and it has sold out every single year.

But here's the part that matters most. The whole goal was to build it around local instructors from the general vicinity. At last year's Truck Academy, the furthest instructor they brought in was from the Tri-Cities. Everyone else came from right here: Spokane City, Spokane Valley, Northern Lakes, District 9, Coeur d'Alene Fire, Kootenai Fire.

Slowly, little by little, they're proving something important. The talent was here all along.

And that's a lesson that reaches way beyond the fire service. Too often we assume expertise has to come from somewhere else, that the people closest to us can't be the authorities. But when you invest in your own, develop local talent, and give them a platform, you change the whole mindset.

You don't always have to look 100 miles away. Sometimes the best people are standing right next to you.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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[🎬 Episode 58] Never Promoted Until I Was Ready 🎯

In a world where everyone rushes to climb the ladder as fast as they can, Scott did the opposite.

He never promoted until he was ready.

He spent 13 years driving a ladder truck, and he wouldn't take the captain's job, because he felt there were still things he wanted to learn, get better at, and pass on. He wasn't chasing the title. He was chasing mastery.

And that same feeling followed him all the way to retirement. He retired as a captain working in training, but in his own honest words, he didn't think he was as good as he knew he could be. Part of it was self indulgent, he wanted to keep getting better on his own terms.

But then something happened.

He got out into the bigger world, traveling the country, and realized there was a whole lot of knowledge in his head worth passing on. He found real passion in the little things he'd picked up over his career, the details some younger firefighters hadn't learned yet, or that certain departments weren't practicing.

His mission became simple: if he could find just one or two things to pass on to each person or each department he worked with, he would.

And once he got out there helping the industry, he realized just how much he had to offer.

There's a powerful lesson in this. Rank isn't the goal. Mastery is. When you slow down and truly master your craft before chasing the next title, you become the kind of person who has something real to give.

Don't rush the climb. Get so good at where you are that when you finally move up, or move on, you're bringing genuine value with you.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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[🎬 Episode 54] The Hardest Thing I Ever Did Was Ask for Help

Darren ran into burning buildings. He's performed rescues. He's told a mother her child was no longer alive.

But he says the hardest thing he ever did in his entire life wasn't any of that.

It was asking for help.

In his own words, it was honestly easier for him to deliver the worst news imaginable to a grieving parent than it was to raise his hand and admit he was struggling.

Think about how heavy that is.

And here's why it runs so deep for first responders: Their whole life has been about fixing things for people. Helping people in their worst moments. Being the one others call when everything falls apart.

So when they're the ones who need help, it feels like something's wrong. Like maybe if they have to ask, they're not good at their job. Like the person whose entire identity is built around helping others shouldn't need help themselves.

That mindset keeps so many people suffering in silence.

But here's the truth Darren learned: Asking for help isn't weakness. It's not a failure. It doesn't mean you're bad at your job or bad at life.

It's actually one of the bravest, strongest things a person can do.

The people who spend their lives carrying everyone else deserve to be carried too. And reaching out isn't giving up. It's the first step toward healing.

If you're struggling, you don't have to fight it alone. Asking for help might just be the hardest and most important thing you ever do.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Call or text 988.

[🎬 Episode 55] A Toddler Trapped 🚒

1:30 in the morning. The call came in. A working fire not far from the station.

As Scott's crew raced en route, word came across the radio. A toddler was trapped on the second floor. His officer turned to him and said, "Scott, this will probably be you."

That's a lot to carry in a single moment.

Scott sprinted from his seat, face piece on, turning his air bottle as he ran. A high population neighborhood meant people everywhere, screaming that she was still inside, police lining the scene. He moved through all of it locked on one thing: get to her.

And then he was inside. Alone. Zero visibility. Deafening noise. Feeling his way through a burning home to find a child, in conditions most people can't even imagine.

It's one of the hardest calls of Scott's career. One he says is still difficult to talk about.

We share stories like this not for shock, but because they reveal the weight first responders carry. They run into the worst moments of other people's lives, and they carry those moments long after the fire is out.

Scott's courage, and his honesty in sharing something this painful, is a reminder of what we ask of the men and women who answer these calls. And why their mental health and support matter so much.

We honor Scott, and every firefighter who has carried a call like this one.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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If you're a first responder carrying the weight of calls like this, you don't have to carry it alone. The 988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Call or text 988.

[🎬 Episode 56] Last Call After 27 Years 🚒

January 11th, 1999. Chris walked into the fire academy for the very first time. It was also his 25th birthday.

January 11th, 2026. He walked out for the last time. His 53rd birthday. Twenty seven years to the day.

And how he chose to close it out tells you everything about the leader he was.

He was on shift that final day, so he made a plan. At 5:00 he'd take vacation, bring a taco truck to the station, and run his entire battalion through to say goodbye. He asked his boss, Bob Luby, for the coverage to pull it off. The response: "Dude, I'll support you."

So that night, Chris brought everyone through. He bought dinner for his whole battalion off the taco trucks. Hugs all around. Families stopped by. His own family stood right there with him.

Then at 5:00, the last call came over the PA. Chris says he can't even remember exactly what he said. Only that it was emotional. How could it not be?

A last call is one of the fire service's most sacred traditions. The final radio transmission honoring a firefighter's service. An entire career acknowledged in a few short words over the air.

Twenty seven years. Thousands of calls. Countless people trained, mentored, and brought home safe. All of it captured in one final goodbye.

That's a career worth celebrating. And proof that when you pour yourself into your people, the goodbye isn't an ending. It's a testament to everything you built.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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[🎬 Episode 60] Spread Like Wildfire 🔥

Before Taylor'd Systems was building training facilities, they were just renting and selling shipping containers.

Then a chief from Airway Heights sat down at the table and said, "Hey, we need to build a training structure. Here's what we need."

That was the first time Taylor had heard anything like it. His answer was simple. "Okay, yeah. We can do all of that."

That one conversation became the first training structure. Then it migrated over to KCFR. Then Newman Lake. Then District 4. In this area, it spread like wildfire, and a lot of that had to do with getting connected with KCFR and the firefighters who were willing to sit down and say, here's what actually works on the drill ground.

From there, the smaller props started getting tested and experimented with all over the country, mainly on the East Coast. And every time a crew came back with feedback, the props got better.

Here's the part that matters. The feedback from firefighters like Steve and Justin, on every one of those props and facilities, has now affected literally hundreds of departments across the country.

That's not a sales story. That's what happens when you listen to the people who do the job, build what they actually need, and let their feedback shape the next version.

One chief. One conversation. Hundreds of departments.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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[🎬 Episode 60] It's Okay to Ask for Help

Steve wanted to make sure one thing was said out loud on this episode.

If there's anyone out there who's struggling, there's help. And it's okay to ask for it.

He and Justin are doing everything they can to normalize those conversations, so first responders can have them right at the kitchen table, the way they'd talk about anything else. They'd happily listen. They'd happily point you toward what they think might help.

Because the last thing they ever want to see is someone out there struggling who just needs somebody to talk to.

And here's what gives them hope.

Ten years ago, the answer was "not a chance in hell." You had to be careful your administration didn't find out you were seeking help. You hid it, or you didn't go at all.

Fast forward to 2026, and it's getting more normalized. Firefighters and first responders are now the ones encouraging each other to go. People are having the conversations. People are getting help when they need it.

That shift didn't happen on its own. It happened because people like Steve were willing to say, out loud, that they'd been there too.

If you're carrying something heavy right now, you don't have to carry it alone. Reaching out isn't weakness. It's the strongest move you can make.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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Visit firstresponderhelpidaho.com for clinicians, mentors, and resources built for first responders.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, the 988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Call or text 988.

[🎬 Episode 60] No Commission. Just Better Props. 💯

Full transparency from Steve and Justin: they're not sales guys.

They don't get paid by units sold. That's not what they want to do, and they don't want to be part of it.

So why are two working firefighters so involved with a company that builds training props?

Because the only part they want to be involved in is making the props better for the fire service.

That's it. That's the whole motive.

They take the props out to real classes and real drill grounds. They continuously try to come up with new ideas on how to use them differently. Then they film it, so other departments can see exactly how to run the drill. The vehicle into the building. The window to door conversion. All of it.

And then they hand over the plans. "Here's how you build it."

No pitch. No upsell. Just firefighters giving feedback and sharing what works so the next department doesn't have to figure it out from scratch.

In a world where everyone seems to be selling something, that kind of honesty stands out. The goal isn't the sale. The goal is better training for the crews that need it.

That's what it looks like when the fire service takes care of its own.

Stay sharp. Stay resilient.

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