Responder Resilience

250 Episodes

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S6 E44 Behind The Lines: A 9/11 Story: FDNY Rescue 5 Survivor Bill Spade & Combat Vet Jaymes Poling

2026-11-0549:07

One survived the towers. One went to war because of them. One gave them a sound. Twelve men sat down to breakfast at FDNY Rescue 5 on 9/11. Only Bill Spade came home. Jaymes Poling carried that morning through three combat tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne. Jazz trumpeter Dominick Farinacci listened to both of them for hours, then wrote the music their stories needed. Together they built Behind the Lines: A 9/11 Story, a live performance of story, music, and light now touring the co...

S6 E43 Building Resilient First Responder Leadership: Rodger Ruge, Pathfinder Resilience

2026-10-2855:19

You can build the best wellness program in the world, and your department will still say, “The hell I will.” Retired police officer Rodger Ruge knows why. After two decades in law enforcement and a hard-won recovery from complex PTSD, he spent 30 years testing what actually builds resilience. Today, as Chief Resilience Officer at Pathfinder Resilience, he works with first responder leaders on culture change that lasts beyond any one chief. Rodger joins Lt. David Dachinger (Ret.) and Bonnie Ru...

S6 E42 Firefighter Identity & Mental Health: Doug Hexel, Fire Lieutenant & USAR Specialist

2026-10-2147:07

Fire Lieutenant Doug Hexel has spent 13 years running calls, pulling patients out of rubble, and training the next generation of paramedics. He loves the job. He just refuses to let it become his whole identity. Doug is a career fire officer, urban search and rescue specialist, paramedic, and sworn New York State peace officer. He is a fire, EMS, and law enforcement instructor for New York State, sits on the state’s Pediatric EMS Advisory Committee, and holds technician-level certifications i...

S6 E41 Building A Fire Service Wellness Program: Jason Corthell, Asst. Chief

2026-10-1443:40

How do you build a fire service wellness program, and what does it actually cost? In this Visionary Leaders episode of Responder Resilience, Assistant Chief Jason Corthell of Cypress Creek Fire Department explains how his team built a program on three pillars (chaplaincy, peer support, and professional counseling) and why it costs far less than most chiefs assume. A fourth-generation firefighter, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and founder of Ironclad Wellness, Jason also talks about his new book,...

S6 E40 25 Years Of Free, Confidential FDNY Care: Nancy Carbone Hands Off To Chrissy Neafsey

2026-10-0750:24

Twenty-five years ago, Nancy Carbone walked into a Brooklyn firehouse and asked one question: what can I do for you? That question became Friends of Firefighters, a free, confidential, and independent mental health nonprofit for FDNY members and their families, built on trust decades in the making. In this episode, founder Nancy Carbone and incoming Executive Director Chrissy Neafsey talk about why confidentiality and independence from the department remain the organization's core promise, ho...

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