When The Smoke Clears

35 - Captain Rick Triplett

Rick Triplett was born and raised in Montgomery County, specifically the Rockville/Twinbrook area.  So when he finally made his way into the fire service and started working in Rockville, his knowledge of the area served him very well.  He got the opportunity to drive a lot of different types of apparatus, so he became extremely operator for the engine, truck, and rescue squad.  As he rose through the ranks, he joined the USAR team and got to deploy to several high profile national tragedies, including the Oklahoma City bombing, Hurricane Katrina, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  He was able to spend his final years as a captain back in Rockville, being station commander at Twinbrook Station 23. While the first few years of retirement were very difficult for Rick, his life is definitely on the upswing and he is enjoying the retired life in Delaware. Rick can be reached at 240-285-0153 and at resqsquad@comcast.net Support the podcast here: buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclears Buy When The Smoke Clears Merch here: https://form.jotform.com/241787498388177

34 - Captain Troy Lipp

Troy Lipp grew up in the fire service.  His father was a volunteer firefighter and so Troy spent his childhood hanging around the firehouse and even occasionally riding with his father on calls.  After reaching adulthood, he attended college and had plans to be an engineer, but eventually decided the fire service was a much better fit.  Throughout his career, Troy did a bit of everything, but he spent a lot of his time doing technical rescue and being part of FEMA's MD Task Force One.  That gave him a front row seat to the Oklahoma City federal building bombing and the Pentagon on 9/11.  Now that he's retired, Troy is enjoying a much more slower pace of life. Troy can be found on Facebook. Support the podcast here: buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclears Buy When The Smoke Clears Merch here: https://form.jotform.com/241787498388177

33 - Master Firefighter Greg Edwards

Greg Edwards grew up with his dad being a firefighter in the Washington DC Fire Department and a cousin being a volunteer firefighter, so Greg grew up with the fire service all around him.  After graduating college, the fire service finally won him over and he was hired with Montgomery County.  He spent some time assigned to Bethesda fire houses and Rockville station 3 until he transferred down to Takoma Park, where he fell in love with the fast pace of the first battalion.  After promoting to Master Firefighter, Greg eventually settled at Silver Spring station 1, where he worked for many years.  Greg retired a couple years after the COVID 19 pandemic, and he is currently enjoying the retired life. He can be found on Facebook, or at gfiremane@hotmail.com Support the podcast here: buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclears Buy When The Smoke Clears Merch here: https://form.jotform.com/241787498388177

32 - Assistant Chief Monte "Lenny" Fitch

Assistant Chief Monte Fitch (The original...not to be confused with his son) grew up on the west coast, living in national parks and seeing his father fight the occasional wild fire as part of the National Park Service.  Growing up, he became a wild land firefighter for a few years until moving east and eventually joining the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department.  From there, he got hired by the Hillandale Volunteer Fire Department (back when the corporations hired their own full-time firefighters).  He eventually worked his way up to assistant chief and enjoyed a full career of about 35 years.  After he retired, he was asked to travel to Iraq to help the country build up their fire department towards the end of Saddam Husein's rule.  After returning home, Monte got a job doing background investigations for MCFRS, helping people get into the job he spent so many years giving his life to. Monte can be reached at 301-767-5835 Support the podcast here: buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclears Buy When The Smoke Clears Merch here: https://form.jotform.com/241787498388177

31 - Battalion Chief Jim Resnick

Battalion Chief Jim Resnick is our guest on the podcast as we return from a prolonged break. Jim grew up in Bethesda and, like many of our guests, got exposed to the fire department at an early age.  After seeing many severe car accidents near the intersection by his house as a child, he vowed to be able to do more to help once he got older.  As a teenager, he joined the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad where he volunteered for many years until he was hired by the Cabin John Fire Department as a full-time firefighter.  From there, he rose through the ranks, making it all the way up to battalion chief until his retirement 28 years later. Jim still serves with the MCFRS as a civilian contractor, doing fire safety initiatives for the elderly. Jim can be reached at jimresnick@hotmail.com Support the podcast here: buymeacoffee.com/whenthesmokeclears Buy When The Smoke Clears Merch here: https://form.jotform.com/241787498388177