Episode 27 - Meet the New Guys Pt. 1 - Ventura City's newest firefighters Rocky Sanfilippo and Jon Ellis
Part 1 of a discussion with Ventura City Fire's newest firefighters. Just finshed with their probationary period, five new firefighters-Gurshan Bajwa, Jon Ellis, Jeremy Hinman, Stephan Parrish, and Rocky Sanfilippo-talk about what brought them to Ventura, differences between Ventura City Fire and their previous departments, their career plans, and the suck of 30 minute burpees.
Transcript
Peter
Welcome to the Firehouse Roundtable podcast, brought to you by the Ventura Fire Foundation. My name is Peter McKenzie. I'm one of the hosts. I'm retired fire captain with the city of Ventura Fire Department.
Jason
And I'm Jason Kay. I'm an active fire captain also with the Ventura Fire Department.
Peter
And we are excited that you are going to spend some time with us at the kitchen table learning about Firehouse issues that we're trying to bring awareness to.
Jason
Thanks for joining us. As we discussed the issues of being a firefighter both on and off duty and how it affects us.
Peter
Let's get right.
Jason
All right. Welcome to the show, Pete. It's good to have you back. I'm excited about today's show. I thought I was thinking we could do either a series or one show and just. See how it. Goes as guys get off probation and they feel more comfortable kind of talking and telling us their story. And knowing they're not kind of afraid for their careers, and if they could get fired any second and being on. So today we have Rocky. San Filippo go ahead and give us a little brief intro and tell us about.
Rocky
Yourself. I'm rocky. I grew up in Los Angeles. My dad was LA city fire for 32 years. So that's kind of how I got in the fire service. I'm a lateral transfer from Portland, ME. I was there for about 6 years and then I've been with Ventura City now for about a year and. Five months.
Speaker
All right, all right.
Jason
Glad to have you so. Let's just kind of get into. It you grew up in southern? California. Is that right? Yeah. And then you. Went all the. Way to the other end of the country, about as far as. You could get from Southern California and still be. In the United States, So what is it that? Brought that took. You all the way out there and then eventually what brought you back?
Rocky
So initially how this whole thing started was in fifth grade. I was assigned to Maine as a state report. And growing up in LA, I thought that was like the most interesting place. It was just so opposite from Los Angeles that I wanted to go and live there for a little while. And so then when I was about 23, I think I moved out there. I was a live in student firefighter for a little rural department called Goodwins Mills. And So what I did was I lived at the station full time and you had to do like like 20 on duty hours. So in uniform and then 60 available hours. So you just have to be at the station available for calls. But you'd have to pay any rent or anything. It was you had to be a student. You. Had to go to school, which was pretty cool. And then? From there I got hired to Portland.
Jason
Did you have to be like over 18 or what age did you have to be? It was during. College. Is that right?
Rocky
Right. I mean for a living student that was old, that was like 23 and it's pretty common to be right out of high school. So 18 to. 21 ish.
Jon
Did you need?
Jason
Any certifications before you were able to start there?
Rocky
Don't think so. I had an interview and I had to apply, but they liked that I was already an EMT basic. I had a college degree at that point, I think. And I did. I had a college degree, and then I had a couple of fire science classes under my belt as well. Unheard of for a living student. I was definitely on the older side. I don't know if anybody talked that.
Jason
How long were you there before you became a full time firefighter for Portland, man?
Rocky
I was in Maine for two years. I was never going to stay in Maine. That was never my plan. I just wanted to go and see it and live there for a while. So I first got to Maine. I applied. For Portland, and then didn't here for like 2 years, and I had decided I'm coming home to California, I had a one way ticket back and then the chief called me and said he's still interested.
Peter
Is Portland, like the big? Is that the big city fire department in Maine like the biggest? One or not?
Rocky
Yeah, it's the biggest, biggest city and biggest fire department.
Peter
What? Give us some numbers context.
Rocky
So Portland, we had nine stations, 5 ambulances. We did have 5 engines. 4 trucks, 3 arc trucks, 3 fire boats, and then we also did Station Island coverage with a couple of islands.
Peter
Oh wow. Interesting.
Speaker
That seems like a.
Jason
Ton of units for 9 stations you guys were.
Rocky
Yeah. Yeah. The biggest station we had was Bramhall Square, and it had like 13 people.
Jason
Packed in there.
Rocky
Because they had an ambulance, some Italian chiefs, an engine, the heavy rescue and a ladder truck.
Peter
What's the difference between the fire service on the East Coast and the West Coast? Is there any glaring differences? I mean, obviously you live both of them now, So what? What are? What's your opinion on that?
Rocky
Yeah. I think the biggest difference is the East Coast. West Coast guys aren't gonna like this, but I think the East Coast. Guys seem a little more blue. Miller, like I was, I was in Maine. I was in Portland for six years, and when I decided to become a medic, they were like beside themselves. You know, everybody here is a paramedic and Ventura.
Jason
Really upset. Upset with you? Yeah, a.
Rocky
Little bit, they're like, I don't know, they just giving me a hard time or what? But it was like I was running the fire service. Like becoming a paramedic because all of a sudden it was me versus them.
Peter
Are they? Are they more tied to like tradition and and? Things like that or no?
Rocky
I would. Say it's probably comparable to hear in tradition wise.
Peter
Gotcha. So no real like big glaring differences other than what you just? Said or OK.
Rocky
Yeah. I wouldn't say there's crazy differences. You have FD and Y in your head, Pete, I'm sure, yeah.
Peter
Probably probably.
Jason
So you went to medical school when you were still in Maine. Is that a a completely different program than out here? I know some of them are like 2 years and. You get a degree and where'd you go to school?
Rocky
Yeah. So. Portland made you become an advanced ENT within your first year of probation, so I got hired as a basic they sent me to advance. And then from there, there was a bridge program from advanced to paramedics. It was only nine months, which wasn't bad compared to like what I had. These guys go through at UCF.
Jason
So a lot of what we do with the foundation of the board, we talked about mental health, we talked about taking care of each other. Did they have peer support teams or would they, would you say they're less or more advanced in that aspect than we are out here on the West Coast?
Rocky
I would say when I first got hired, there was no real peer support. Remember, we had a call where I was on probation. I was brand new. We had some guy like jump off a building and he was still alive and we got on scene barely. And then the extent of the peer support on that one was like the Battalion Chief stuck his head in the ambulance. Said are. You OK? Yeah, I'm good and that. Was it? But then from there?
Jason
Yeah, everybody says.
Rocky
And I think yeah. From then on, I think.
Jason
They're good, right?
Rocky
We got a little bit better and had a peer support team and there's there's definitely avenues to. Talk if you needed to.
Jason
Yeah, that's probably really close to how we are here because I think peer support evolved right around that time too. Maybe five years ago. Maybe a little bit more of my. Time went off. So tell. Me. What at? At that point, you had been there for six years. Your plan, it sounds like, was always at some point to get back to Southern California is.
Rocky
That right. But it wasn't, it wasn't it? It was. And then it wasn't. And then? You know, being away from home for eight years and. I felt like I was missing out on a lot and my my dad got. He's got going through some cancer issues, so I just felt far too far to. You know, help or do anything on the West Coast.
Jason
And then when your dad was having his health issues, is that when you kind of decided I'm going back or it was just random, you're always applying? Or how did that happen?
Rocky
So I applied for a while when I was still a I guess it would have been a basic here in California and it didn't gain any traction because everybody wants paramedics. So then I stopped and then as soon as I got my paramedic and applied again when my dad was having some cancer issues, then everybody and I started getting. Calls from everybody and started having. Come out here and.
Jason
Interview. So why'd you pick Ventura up?
Rocky
Ventura, I mean, I've always wanted to work in a beach town. I. Thought that was really cool. Big draw for me was to be on a tow truck. I'd like to. Everybody wants to be on a tow truck for a while. That was another big draw. It just seemed like a progressive small department. That was kind of over. Like the big department, even for Maine, we had 250 members. So you kind of knew everybody kind of didn't know everybody, whereas here you have pretty much face to face with everybody at some. Show lights.
Jason
I think that's one of the biggest benefits of Ventura City is being able to know everybody go.
Peter
Ahead. Yeah, I was going to say 9 stations, 200. And 50 people? That's insane.
Rocky
Well, we had a fourth platoon with four shifts.
Peter
Yeah. Well, I rocky, I got a. And I don't know you very well because you came on after I I left, which is weird for me. But you hear all the retired guys say that I don't recognize anybody anymore. Like, nobody knows who I am, but. You've been around the fire service. You did some time on the East Coast. You you're off probate. When did you get off probation here? May. OK. So you you know a thing or two about the fire service, you're not brand new out of the Academy, don't know. You're just bright eyed. Look happy to be on the fire engine like you got some. Experience under your belt.
Speaker
You've got to be you've.
Peter
Got to look at. Your career, like in a long chunk, right? Like it's a long career. You've already kind of passed the initial new guy stage. Holistically, not just that, Ventura, but in general and where do you what what are you doing? Where is your career going? What are you interested in? Where are you going to make your mark? Because I think where? The fire service in general is we're having we have trouble with people like trying to get involved or trying to to make a real impact. And my question to you is, have you given that any consideration and if you have, you know what, what does that look like? What are you are you having these thoughts like is stuff you're considering or not?
Rocky
Like where? Where I see my career going. Is that kind of? Question. Yeah. Where you see your career going and what you're?
Peter
Going to do.
Rocky
Well, I mean, I just signed up for Hazmat, so hopefully I get that and then I'd love to be on the truck for a little. You know, but currently after I got off probation, I'm now a mentor for the next oncoming group of individuals. I've been working with them and trying to gain some traction that way. Trying to give these guys a foundation for their careers in ways that.
Speaker
Nice, nice.
Rocky
Maybe I didn't have when I first started.
Peter
Gotcha. I know that. And I'm not speaking from like a position of authority because I don't have anything figured out. I feel like I got more traction and clarity in my career at that. Towards the end of it when I started. Getting more involved in. Like specifically like with the foundation, but I think it's important. Especially in a small department where there's so much work to be done and there's so many things you. Can get involved in. We don't have the luxury of having 250 members to wear, you know, 50% of them do nothing. It's not that big of a deal. There's still 125 other people who put even if 10% of those people involved got involved, right, we don't have that luxury. So I think what I want to impress on you and and new new guys that are starting their career. And girls is. Think about where you're going to make the most impact and focus, you know, focus and clarity on fewer things is better than trying to do everything right because you could like lean into peer support, hazmat use are. The foundation you can try to do it all and we do have those people, one of them right here on the podcast with us, and that's good. But I think that it leads to burnout. It leads to not being as effective. If you picked like one thing or two things. And I think it, it leads to a better work life balance for the person, right. Which is important. But that's that's the the what I would advise like find something you're passionate about and you might not even know what it is, but I have a hunch you've been in the fire service long enough. You kind of know what you like. You kind of.
Speaker
You know.
Peter
With the direction you might go and then lean into it and then and then be good at saying no to all the other things because you don't, in my opinion. And now, Jason, I don't necessarily agree on this. You don't want to do all things for. Everyone because it. Makes for a tough life. I think so. Anyway, Jason, try man I.
Rocky
Know that it kind of threw a lot.
Peter
Miss all that too, but.
Jason
I actually I. Actually agree with you and I think that you know everything is shiny and new, especially when you first start like Rockies been on 6 like 7 1/2 years Now between fire departments maybe plus the living stuff. If you can focus and decide what you're good at and what you enjoy, it's way better than going. I'm not. Sure, what I want. So other people are gonna tell you where the needs are and I don't really love that stuff. And Peter's putting on his mentor. Captain hat. And talking to you now, I. See that happening to you? One other thing before we let you go, Rocky. I know you touched on your dad's health problems. I don't know if you're open to sharing any of that with us. Was your dad? Did he get job related cancer from from the LA City? Sure thing.
Rocky
I would I I don't know how they classified it, but I he's had skin cancer towards the end of his career. So before he retired, he was going through that and then. After retire, he's going through some prostate cancer issues, which I think both are pretty high for firefighters.
Jason
Yeah, I think you're right. I think those for sure skin cancer is presumptive, that it's job job related and I know just the lack of sleep and the constantly being in those atmospheres of of ID LH immediately dangerous to life and health stuff that we. So with it just kind of leads to that so. Before we let you go, is there anything else? You want to talk about or hit on.
Rocky
I thought another big difference that these West Coast guys don't know anything about is that after we had after we had a big storm in Maine, we were responsible for shoveling all of our hydrants.
Peter
It's here, yeah.
Jason
Ohh appreciate what you.
Rocky
And I think every truck had about.
Jason
Got out here.
Rocky
Yeah, I think every truck had about 160 hydrants. They were responsible for. Make for a long day between running calls.
Peter
One day, 160 hydrants. Yeah. Ohh man, that sounds sounds brutal.
Rocky
There's a lot.
Peter
How long would it take to how long would it? Take to shovel one hydrant.
Rocky
Both depends on the storm. I mean there are some some storms that we had to bring the axe out. Because they were iced over. So you rarely did you get the nice powder snow. That was easy.
Jason
I actually just got back from Boston a couple weeks ago and I loved it. That's such a different atmosphere, it feel and the way people treat each other. And man, I dug it up there so I'd be I could totally see myself living in New England. And then when you talk about the ice storms like freezing. Or I think it's better to work out here. So vacation out there is perfect anyway. Pete, do you have something else?
Peter
Yeah, yeah. Real quick about the hydrants. So do what do you guys maintain them like in the summer time as well? Is there any other maintenance that goes? Along with the hydrants.
Rocky
No, as far as I understand that we rent them from like the Department of Water and Power.
Peter
OK.
Rocky
But we were responsible for cleaning, so we didn't test out leaders. Cleaned them. Yeah, you're janitors.
Jason
That's a good question, Pete, because I know a lot of the other laterals. That's a lot of the other departments you got to. Road, mark them and test them and Ventura.
Peter
Well, I was bringing. Yeah, I was bringing that. I was bringing that up because we used to do a lot of that at Ventura and like, I used to hear the old time guys going out to twist stems or something. They had like, a term that they used to do it, which I don't know if it's progress or or regression, but thankfully that went away for us.
Jason
Yeah. Yeah, the water department does it.
Peter
Anyway, but I think couple of generations before, yeah.
Jason
And I used. To do it when I was a cadet with LA. With Ventura County, I was doing that too, but.
Peter
Rocky, welcome to the department. Nice having you. Come on. And we look forward to. Watching your career and seeing kind of what?
Jason
You do? Yeah. Thanks for being here, man. I appreciate you coming to our kind of first intro talk about yourself episode.
Rocky
Thank you, Sir. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 5
Hi I'm Austin folk, an engineer with the Ventura City Fire Department. I'm also on the board of the Ventura Fire Foundation, an organization that supports firefighters and their families. The foundation produces this podcast as part of our mission, I worked with the foundation because I was. Witness to the help that it was able to provide to my family. The foundation needs your help. First, please subscribe and rate this podcast on your podcast platform. This helps us get a higher ranking and more visibility for the show. Second, if you support the podcast and the foundations work, please consider donating. Every dollar helps us support firefighters and their family. There's a link in the show notes where you can donate through the website at www.venturafirefoundation.org. Thank you for listening. Hey, we're going to.
Jason
Do another episode today. With kind of like meet the new lateral that we've been doing recently, we're going to tie this in I think to the other episodes where we had on some of the levels that came over. Today we have John Ellis with us. John, welcome to the show.
Jon
Thanks for having me.
Jason
Yeah, absolutely. So we're going to kind of do with you what we did with the other few guys that we had on recently, which is just kind of tell us what brought you to Ventura City first. Maybe start with what, why you want to be a firefighter, where you grew up, where you came from, what led you to that? And then? You're a lateral. So what made you come to Ventura City specifically? And then maybe. You know, we'll talk from there and have conversation about comparing and contrasting your your department from where you came. From and now.
Jon
Cool. So I knew I wanted to. Be a fireman. When I was around. 11 years old. I was at that age when 911 happened and that was the first imprint. So I started kind of looking into this world in. High school and then more or less immediately. Got into it. At that face moved around a bunch, and so Cal I grew up in Santa Clarita, which is on the northern side of LA. Got my first career opportunity. Up in Sacramento city fire. But the last place we lived before we went. Up there was. In Ventura, actually, and we moved eight or nine times in eight or nine years I had already met Amanda, but we loved Ventura and that was where her first teaching job was. We went up to Sacramento, thought we were never going to move. I loved it, loved the department up there. We had a good lifestyle, a good family system. Everything set up up there. But once we actually started having kids. Down at the support network wasn't really we were struggling, which I think a lot of people when they have kids, find that and we were, we were no different and then we did a Hail Mary to move down to Ventura because we loved it down here and we have a pretty good network down here. Of friends and family. And then I knew all the departments down here. From ambulance companies and work in one way or another. But. My mission at that time was to keep everything as small and community based as possible. And so that day, when I decided to leave Sacramento, I looked at Ventura City because that's where I was living, and they had, according to the post, opened up the laterals just two days prior. So I took it as a sign. It was the department I applied for, and I luckily was given an opportunity. Now I'm here.
Speaker
So you only applied.
Jason
To just Ventura City, when you were when you were looking to be maybe? Leave Sacramento city.
Jon
Yep, that's it.
Jason
Wow, good for you in SAC city. I don't know a. Ton of knowledge up up there, but that's different than SAC Metro, right, which? One's bigger.
Jon
Yeah, by geographically Metro is bigger, but by personnel and call volume etcetera cities, bigger tech cities that the city, I think it's 114 square miles. All the stations are have at least six if not 14 goods in them. It's a dense populace. And then Metro is the county surrounding. So they have three O staffing will be 1 engine, only three guys per house. It's more spread out. It's a county system.
Rocky
OK, OK.
Jason
So you said you moved. 8 times and then you ended up living. I think you said. And I I I believe. You lived in Ventura and worked. In Sacramento? Tell me. Tell me about the. Moves and how that commute. Went for you guys, were you? Guys on a 48. 96 up there. Did that help you?
Jon
Yeah, we were. 4896 and our moves up in stack, I mean actually maybe we moved more than eight times because that wasn't counting those. But up in SAC, we're just kind of doing that whole week we don't own yet thing. So we're going from rental to rental, trying to keep things affordable and saving up for our first house. And then we got into our phase of. Well, we are in a phase of buying a piece of land and we were going to build the home ourselves. I was going to do on a builder and then we did our first home, which we did a full rental on and flipped and started having babies and we wanted a home that was a little safer. We did that whole process, but before we even made the transition to Sacramento, I was always chasing the best experience. To try to get my career job and Amanda was teaching and we always try to get our lives together. So even when I was living in Ventura before I got hired and sack, I was commuting 4 hours to Palm Springs to work at AMR out there. And working in a small reserve department and I like called La Habra Heights. So that was where my commuting really, really that was the first biggest ones. That's four hours. Each way, then in Sacramento, my commute. Was always about 20 minutes, which is beautiful. I think it's a great number, but then for yeah, for six months when we jumped ship, we sold everything we owned and we moved to Ventura. Made a big family leap. I was planning on commuting the rest of my life to Sacramento for a while there and it was six hours each way, so I would the kids would go down at 8. I'd be in the car at 8:30 in Ventura. I would get to a recliner at Station 4 at about 2:30 AM that station runs anywhere from 20 to 30 calls every 24 hours. So between 2:30 AM and 6:30 AM, the bells are normally go off two or three times and I wake up at 6:37 and start my 48 or 72 and then I would immediately get in the car and drive six hours back. It was 3 Red Bulls on the way up, 4 Red Bulls on the way down.
Peter
That's that sounds terrible for you.
Jason
Yeah, I agree.
Jon
Great experience I loved.
Peter
It. Yeah. John, I want to interject here with so you you guys fill out these pre show questionnaires and one of the questions is, do you have any interesting facts or stories that we should ask about? And I? I have to say that your answer is not what I would have expected from a typical new firefighter. I'll just read it just so everyone knows what it says. It says real estate slash investing to leverage ourselves to a better financial position to allow for a single income California lifestyle. So I would say that is very specific and niche. Let's talk about that, what what's going on there.
Jason
Now we're Peter. 'S podcast so I'm I'm just. Gonna leave? No, no, go ahead. I.
Speaker
Want to hear the story too?
Jon
For all listeners out there actually work with Jason, I just got off his shift so he knows a lot more about the stuff than I do. He's just playing coy. Yeah, I when I was, I'm about 34 now. I'm 34. When I was 25 or 26, I figured out that money is really important for a family. And that was going to be my. Responsibility and that I knew nothing about it. So I started having a lot of anxiety and dove into that and that kind of. I think if when you get into this like trying to be better at things world, you find out that lots of times what you end up being really good at is what you initially were the worst at and the whole crowd because it's what you try to shore up so much. I spend so much time doing it actually turns into a strep. And for that for me, I was finance stuff. I started reading a ton of books. I attracted people into my life that own rentals and businesses. I started learning from them. So now a big passion of my life like I love. The fire department I love. Serving community through that, but also like. I have a lot of sympathy and empathy for people on their journey of just trying to have a financially stable households that they can have a better family and a better life and and and not be as on the ragged edge of just trying to to make this wheel turn as we all are in our own battles. So it just it excites me in any way that I can help. People's life, you know, just be a little bit better in that department, which we all we all breathe there. We all eat food and we. All exchange money so.
Peter
Yeah, yeah, I like it. I like it. I think that doing. This early in. Your career is incredibly smart. Most stereotypical firefighters, they get the job, they get off probation by the 4x4, the boat, the motorcycle, motorcycle, whatever you insert, whatever you want here fun toys. And for, I think. A new firefighter to have some self-discipline to not go out and do that to instead take the same dollars that you would spend on those things and invest in either yourself or real estate or something that's going to generate. Income, you know, or an an increase to your net worth is the is the smart move right because you can continue to sacrifice for another couple of years you know to set yourself up for the future. And then once you do get to the spot. You've had that money working for you. You've you've built your net worth, built your net worth up in, in the beginning of your career. You're going to. You're going to reap the rewards. You know tenfold towards the end of your career and be in a position where you know that that stuff the the money part is the easy part. And you already said you're a student of of money, and you knew that. You took your. Responsibility. Seriously. As you know, husband, father, provider. I think that's commendable for sure. Sure. Yeah and. I think becoming a single income, California. Lifestyle is not easy to do either, cause you know, as you know, it's really. Expensive to live in. Our area, So what? What? And I'm sure you have this planned out just from based on the limited interactions I've had with you. When does when do we execute the single income part of your plan?
Jon
When did I or when should somebody understand?
Peter
No, no. When when are you going to? Cause I is. Is your wife still teaching or are you already?
Jon
There no, we're there. Ohh.
Peter
You're there. OK. Awesome. Congratulations.
Jon
Yes, thank you. Yeah, these are all wins, right steps up, so I mean.
Peter
Absolutely, yeah.
Jon
It's all numbers in numbers out, and Amanda was a teacher. She taught all kind of grades along her journey. I think she did it for close to 10. Years the last. Age group that she taught was early high school. I think was 9th. Or 10th. Grade and it was really fulfilling for her. But right on the time we were thinking about having kids, she was already kind of projecting. That if we had to weigh out our options and I was already being real with her income, we we reached that financial tip over that a lot of firemen reached of, OK, well, a couple of overtimes for me or a few overtimes. Kind of minus childcare. If you were to work all these numbers kind of blend to a couple other times will be the same style of living. With you staying home as opposed to. Paying for childcare. We saw that before we had kids because again, all I do all day long is have anxiety about the future and. Think about money. You know it is what it is and I I find comfort in it. So before we had kids, we took her out of work and she got into she did a small side business. She did. Launch in at MLM. She did a couple other things and and worked on herself. Went to therapy which is a big part of the equation too for a lot of people, but the long and short of it is we prepped for it financially for about a year and a half, two years before. Before actually it was baby time.
Peter
And when you got there financially, did you find? It to be what you. Expected more difficult, less difficult? What did that? Look like once you pulled the trigger.
Jon
It's really hard to change. It's it's like any new waters. You're like, this is uncomfortable. I'm not used to this temperature. And then after about a few months, the habits set in, and then it's just your new lifestyle and you wouldn't know any different. And it's it's been no different for that than any other phase of our growth. It was most important one though. They actually came up on the topic last night. If anyone out there hasn't heard of. Ramsey, I have a lot of mindsets that I follow, but his ability to simplify frugality and expenditures is is a pretty solid one. So that was our starting point. Just to control our numbers and numbers out.
Jason
I had a lot of discussions with you about different entrepreneurial stuff. You were looking. At and money and it's it's always impressive to.
Jon
Me that you are where you are.
Jason
In your head is. Kind of open to all that stuff so early in life, I'm not going to let you skip over the part where money is probably kind of important to you because of where you live during medical school. Is that something you're willing? To talk about.
Jon
So when I went to medical school, I wasn't planning on going to medical school yet, so I had enough money to save, save it up to go for the Fire Academy and then for kicks and giggles. I thought it would take me a couple rounds to get into medical school, and I actually got in the first round. So I had to make the choice of how I was going to make that work and the way I made that work was by living out of my Honda. It was one of the best choices I ever made because it it it's all about essentials. I didn't have kids. I. Didn't have a. Wife, 24 hour fitness and all fitness are great for showers and exercise makes you even more healthy.
Jason
I like it. I think. I think Steve Peterson. Would be super. Proud of you?
Peter
I I was just thinking that I was just thinking that Steve Peterson was like flashing in my head because he came he he was the guy that came before Jason and I or towards the tail end of his career was the. Beginning of ours and he's on our podcast. You should go listen to it. He's actually fascinating to listen to, especially someone who's interested in real estate. That was his advice to new firemen live out of your car with, you know. Especially go take a shower at the gym. Whatever, whatever. Like it. But it it brings up a good point. Like, how uncomfortable are you willing to be? Is is directly related to how far ahead you're. Going to get so.
Jason
Yeah, it's priorities, right, John? Tell us about your your project that you're doing with your your wife right now every day, Ella.
Jon
So it's it's. Our family thing, it's really my wife's thing. She's grabbing the football. And running with it our goal. Is community and we found that a really good tool to maybe find more community is is the tool you guys are using which is podcast. One of my wife's passion is she's always wanted. To write a book, she had a pretty unstable. Household when she was growing up and then. As we've had. Kids and started to build our relationships further. We found that circumventing past lessons and traumas so that you don't pass those on to your kids and and continuing to grow, it's all just part of of of getting. Order right and my way of trying to reach out to community for myself to get better for my family and to help other people to get better is is through finances. And through trying to learn how to be a good father and husband, which is ever, ever. Growing her way is OK. So you you grew up in a messed up house specifically. And these traumas can relate to postpartum traumas and get even worse. They can relate to you having difficulty being a mother being around children because you don't want to cause the damage to your own. Kids, that would happen to you. You think it's gonna filter right through? Always thinks my wife isn't a counselor. This is all just one human being trying to help out another. But through that we've are building a program called the everyday Elises, which is a community of growth. Built around all fundamentals that families need and we use 3 pillars which is chasing abundance. You're chasing bliss and you're chasing community. And if you keep focused on those three things, then your arrow should be pointed in the right direction and it has a podcast and it has a website and it has Amanda's program she's putting out to try to link like minded people.
Jason
Yeah, that's awesome. Go check out. Your family is offering on everyday elises on whatever platform you're listening to us on. And then also, congratulations. I guess you're off probation now. You have a really good goal in life. It sounds like you set yourself up for, for wins. I think you called it, which I like a lot. And I just want to thank you for being on the podcast.
Jon
Thank you guys for. Having me, I've learned a lot from you, just in the little time I've I've met and gotten to know you guys and I'm forever grateful. I'm. I'm excited for the future and what you got going on here is awesome. So thank you.
Peter
Yeah. Likewise, I, I, I want to say welcome and Congrats as well and I'm excited to to kind of watch your career because you're not thinking like the average fireman, which I think is awesome. So that's that's that's and that's a compliment, right? Like, you're worried about these other things and. You're you're not just. Worried about them? You've mentioned anxiety several Times Now. Like you're doing something about them like you're actively trying to take action to improve your life, improve your kids lives, share with other families. If you hear podcasts, I mean, all that stuff's amazing. So I'm excited about your future. But thanks for coming on the show.
Jon
Thanks, Peter. Thanks, Jason. That's awesome. Thank you so much.
Speaker
Well, there you have. It we have a.
Jason
Couple new guys that were able to. Interview that are off probation now John Ellis and Rocky Sanfilippo. It's super interesting to hear their backgrounds, where they come from, Rocky being so far away and. Portland, ME. And Ellis is would be safe 4 hour. Commute. No big deal.
Peter
Yeah, yeah, soon to be a it was going to be a six hour commute like it. Was nothing all right? So giving Tuesday is coming up, the foundation is going to be rolling something out for that. It's November 28th. Please keep your eyes out for that, either on our it'll be on our website, probably be, you know, some social media posts about. It, but obviously we are a non profit organization. And we survive based on donations. So if you listen to the show, if you like the stuff that you're hearing, please, please consider supporting us when it comes to giving Tuesday.
Jason
Yeah. We had our first two-part series. So we had a couple of the newer guys off probation today and then next episode we'll have a few more guys on that will share their stories with us.
Peter
Alright, sounds good. Thanks Jason.
