1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,360 Welcome guys to episode 58 of Behind the Shield Podcast. 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:04,860 My name is James Gearing 3 00:00:04,860 --> 00:00:08,500 and I have yet another amazing guest for you this week. 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,020 The firefighting profession, I think, 5 00:00:11,020 --> 00:00:12,640 will collectively agree that there have been 6 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:17,640 very few movies made about what we do that earn our respect. 7 00:00:17,940 --> 00:00:21,140 Backdraft certainly was one of the first. 8 00:00:21,140 --> 00:00:22,800 Most recently, Only the Brave 9 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,120 absolutely has held up to that same standard. 10 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,380 But the other one would be Ladder 49. 11 00:00:28,380 --> 00:00:31,600 So my next guest is John Travolta. 12 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:34,640 Now John lives in the town I live in, 13 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,860 is a very proud member of our community. 14 00:00:36,860 --> 00:00:38,960 I was able to get a message to him 15 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:40,480 and he immediately replied saying 16 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:42,220 that he would love to come on the show. 17 00:00:42,220 --> 00:00:44,360 And he ended up coming to my house 18 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:45,800 to do a face-to-face interview, 19 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:47,000 which I'm gonna tell you right now, 20 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:48,120 blew my wife's mind. 21 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:51,380 So we talked about an array of subjects. 22 00:00:51,380 --> 00:00:53,520 We started off with his early career, 23 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,200 then we got to Ladder 49, what it was like to shoot, 24 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:57,720 what it was like to train for it, 25 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,080 and his perspective of the fire service. 26 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,680 And then we transitioned to some of the health initiatives 27 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,160 that he's actually helped spearhead, 28 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:06,960 helping firefighters around the country, 29 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:09,080 including Ocala where I live. 30 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,640 So this was an incredible interview. 31 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:13,720 Again, I was blown away that he was able to 32 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,000 come to the house and do a face-to-face, 33 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:17,960 a medium that I love to do 34 00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:20,960 because the sound quality is so good when they do that. 35 00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:22,400 So I'm gonna stop yapping. 36 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,820 If you guys have a chance, again, go on iTunes, 37 00:01:24,820 --> 00:01:26,200 please rate the show 38 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,160 and share the hell out of the episodes. 39 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,080 Remember, the more first responders we get to, 40 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:31,880 the more people that we're gonna help. 41 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,940 So without further ado, I introduce to you 42 00:01:34,940 --> 00:01:36,760 my interview with John Travolta. 43 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:37,960 Enjoy. 44 00:01:37,960 --> 00:02:01,080 Okay, welcome to Behind the Shield podcast. 45 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,280 I am sitting in my home on the couch 46 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,600 and across from me is John Travolta. 47 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,200 So welcome to the show. 48 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:09,200 Thank you very much. 49 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:10,200 Thanks for having me. 50 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:11,200 Well, thank you for coming. 51 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,480 I can't believe that I was able to reach out to you 52 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,160 and you just dropped everything and said yes, 53 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,160 so you could reach out to the first responders of the world. 54 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:19,680 So I really, really appreciate that. 55 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,600 Well, you're welcome because when I heard 56 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,440 what your purpose was, I wanted to 57 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,920 because I believe in supporting the first responders. 58 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:30,280 And I have a soft spot for firefighters. 59 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:31,520 So there you go. 60 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,080 Well, we will definitely delve into that 61 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:34,920 in this conversation. 62 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:39,160 So if you don't mind, I would love to start at the beginning. 63 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,600 So where exactly were you born 64 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:43,520 and what was your family unit like, 65 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:45,640 how many siblings you had and what your mom and dad did? 66 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:47,120 Born in Anglewood, New Jersey. 67 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:51,360 I have five brothers and sisters, six kids total. 68 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:55,360 Mom was a school teacher, a drama teacher, 69 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,840 speech teacher and dad was a coach 70 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,200 and was in business with his brother 71 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,000 in the Firestone tire business. 72 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:10,000 And we had a very suburban lifestyle and I loved it. 73 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,720 I wouldn't have traded for anything. 74 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:14,920 Okay, and he said he was a coach. 75 00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:15,760 What did he coach? 76 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:17,440 A football, basketball. 77 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,000 But he's in the Hall of Fame in New Jersey for baseball, 78 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,240 oddly enough, but he did. 79 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,560 And he also was a co-coach with Vince Lombardi, 80 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:33,560 the famous football coach before he was the famed Vince Lombardi. 81 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,800 My dad partnered him in coaching students 82 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,640 in St. Cecilia High School in New Jersey. 83 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:45,680 Okay, did you play any of those sports yourself? 84 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,120 I played football and I played basketball. 85 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,440 Five years of basketball and two years of football, 86 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:53,360 quarterback. 87 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:54,560 Oh, okay, fantastic. 88 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,720 Now were your aspirations to go into sports 89 00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:59,600 or were they already into drama? 90 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,400 Well, we had a choice because dad was encouraging sports 91 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,920 but not enforcing it and mom was encouraging the arts 92 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,080 but again, not enforcing it. 93 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,240 So we got to choose what we really wanted. 94 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,720 So I experimented with sports and felt that it wasn't for me 95 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,080 as an end game, but that I felt that I was making 96 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,120 quite a good effect as a performer 97 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,080 and maybe that was a much more realistic end game. 98 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:26,920 Okay, so when you left school, 99 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:28,920 did you pursue the arts in college 100 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:29,760 or did you go straight into drama? 101 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,400 No, I left school and started making a living 102 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,920 as a performer right away at 16 years old. 103 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,160 I was making a good living at it and it evolved 104 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,440 and escalated into a wonderful career. 105 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,720 Right, now what would you describe 106 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:49,680 as your first true big break? 107 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,760 Well, every break is correlated 108 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:55,520 or connected to a bigger break. 109 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:00,000 For instance, that year I spoke of when I was 16 110 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,000 and I was in a summer theater professional company 111 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,600 of By-By-Birdie, a musical, and a big time agent 112 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,280 was in the audience looking at somebody else 113 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:16,240 but I was the only person he thought would be ideal 114 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,880 for his roster. 115 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:24,200 So I waited a month and he said the first mistake he made 116 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,400 was to wait a month because you could be already 117 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,600 doing other bigger and better things. 118 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:31,680 And I said, okay, well, what's our plan? 119 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:36,760 And before you knew it, I was off doing radio commercials 120 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,800 and TV commercials and bits on soap operas 121 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,520 and auditions for big time movies 122 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,700 and within months I was already on a map, if you will. 123 00:05:46,700 --> 00:05:49,440 So that to me was a big break. 124 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,280 Now, if you're talking about fame break, 125 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:54,200 I would say that was Welcome Back, Cotter, 126 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,020 when I was 21 a few years later. 127 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,640 That would be when I became famous 128 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,120 around the world on television. 129 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,800 And then a couple of years later became famous in movies 130 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,360 with Sardinia Fever, Grease, Serving Cowboy. 131 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,040 Okay, now, if my sources are correct 132 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:15,240 and my source would be Wikipedia, so it may not be correct, 133 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,840 were you an extra in Emergency, the show? 134 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:20,640 Yeah, that would be that first, 135 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,880 when I first got with my manager, I was two years into it. 136 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:29,480 I was 18 or 17 and I got cast in Emergency 137 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,200 where I played a victim that was hurt 138 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:35,760 on the side of a hill. 139 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,400 You can look it up, it's a pretty cheesy scene 140 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,560 where I have kind of not so good dialogue, 141 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,040 but I was being honorable to the script. 142 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:48,560 And then I was a medical center 143 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,840 and I was on The Rookies and Owen Marshall Council, 144 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:55,320 all the shows that were popular in the day 145 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,360 prior to my doing my own TV series. 146 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,280 Okay, now I saw that you did the musical Grease, 147 00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:04,080 was that before the movie? 148 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:05,600 Was that how you got into the movie? 149 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,080 Yes, I did the stage show of Grease first. 150 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:13,760 I did the National Road Company and then I did Broadway. 151 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:18,760 And that was really the blueprint for my clocking 152 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,480 that one day maybe I could do the movie. 153 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,080 And then indeed a few years later, 154 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,840 the movie came along and I indeed did it. 155 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,040 Okay, fantastic. 156 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:30,320 And then the other one of that period 157 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:31,640 that people talk about which you just did 158 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:33,080 was Saturday Night Fever. 159 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:38,080 Now, had you an extensive disco dancing pass before that 160 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,240 or was that something you learned for the role? 161 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:44,240 Well, everyone in my neck of the woods, 162 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:48,360 frankly knew how to act, sing and dance 163 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:52,400 as a trifecta for getting more work. 164 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,480 If you knew these three, if you have these three abilities, 165 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,680 when you audition for any given show, 166 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,080 you had three times the chances of getting employment. 167 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:06,840 So I had a natural ability to do all three. 168 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:11,840 And it just added to my, well, let's say the characters 169 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,800 traits being a disco dancer, you use the same talents 170 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:19,960 at doing other types of dance 171 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:23,320 and you just design it for that genre. 172 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:24,640 So that's what I did. 173 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,080 Okay, did you have any idea how many drunk people 174 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,560 will be emulating those moves for decades after that? 175 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:30,800 Yeah, isn't that amazing? 176 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:32,560 Yeah, they're doing a beautiful documentary. 177 00:08:32,560 --> 00:08:37,160 They just finished it in England of Saturday Night Fever. 178 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:41,720 And it's a really accurate and terrific homage 179 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,080 to the film for its 40th anniversary. 180 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,240 Okay, John, so we're gonna get straight to Ladder 49. 181 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,200 So can you tell me how that project 182 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:53,800 even came across your radar? 183 00:08:53,800 --> 00:09:02,800 It was December 20th or 23rd, I forget what year it was. 184 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,960 What's the year of Ladder 49, 2003? 185 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,360 2004, it was the release date. 186 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,920 Yeah, so it was December of 2003. 187 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,680 And I was at my home in Maine and I got a call 188 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:19,560 from my agent in Los Angeles saying 189 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:22,520 that there's a very interesting script about firefighters 190 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,640 that they want you to play the captain, 191 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:31,640 or chief, would you read it and consider it? 192 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:33,040 It's a real offer. 193 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:36,600 They're going in February or March of 2004. 194 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,360 And I said, sure, I've always wanted to do a movie 195 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:44,920 about firefighters, even back to Ronnie Howard's, 196 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:47,480 what's the, back draft. 197 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:48,520 Yeah, back draft, yes. 198 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,520 So they said, well, the exciting thing is 199 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,200 they're trying to make this much more realistic. 200 00:09:55,200 --> 00:10:00,200 And the new technology was allowing us to do that. 201 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,760 So I said, okay, let's read it. 202 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,120 I read it, I loved the part of the chief 203 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,640 and thought it was fun and interesting and heroic. 204 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:14,000 And anyway, I said yes. 205 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:15,960 And we were off and running, 206 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,480 but the prerequisite was that I had to do a month 207 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:24,360 of training to be an actual firefighter. 208 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:28,360 They said, we want all of the men that are going to be 209 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,680 in the movie to be trained as actual firefighters. 210 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:34,920 So you have to go through literally the same training. 211 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,920 And I said, you know what, that's awesome. 212 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:38,880 I'd love it. 213 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,400 I don't know if I'll make it, but I'll try it. 214 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:47,400 So we did, and I was good up until the, 215 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,920 you could help me with this, but there's a black box 216 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:56,920 that you have to find your way through. 217 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:57,760 The maze. 218 00:10:57,760 --> 00:10:59,360 The maze, yes. 219 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:04,360 And I couldn't do it with all the equipment on 220 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,920 because I couldn't find the wedges to get me up. 221 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,040 And then they put smoke in there too and all that stuff. 222 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:12,880 You couldn't literally see anything. 223 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,680 So I was willing to do it, but without, 224 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:20,120 I was willing to just do it, but not with the full equipment, 225 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:24,240 which is the, adds all that size and weight 226 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,040 to your overall structure. 227 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,720 So that was the only thing that I kind of drew the line at. 228 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:30,880 I did everything else. 229 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:35,800 I did all the actual putting out fires, 230 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,760 simulated climbing the sides of the building, 231 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,760 everything but that last bit is what I did 232 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,720 because I just couldn't find the niche for it. 233 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:48,920 I don't think you're alone there. 234 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,000 There's many firefighters that really can't stand 235 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,320 wearing their pack, and a lot of people do, 236 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:55,040 you still have to stay in, but you take your pack off 237 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:56,600 to traverse some of those. 238 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,560 So I would say that's still admirable 239 00:11:58,560 --> 00:11:59,600 if you got through everything except that. 240 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,960 Yeah, I did, and I got through it without the pack. 241 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,200 So yeah, but I learned a lot. 242 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:08,360 And the main thing that I observed 243 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,400 and you'll understand this is that I was watching 244 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:16,680 many of these firefighters closer to retirement. 245 00:12:16,680 --> 00:12:21,680 There was in particular a chief, a captain, and a sergeant 246 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:25,120 that were not doing well with physical ailments 247 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:28,280 from all the poisons and toxic they were exposed to. 248 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:34,480 So I got smart and I decided to offer them a program 249 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:39,480 that I had helped start with others around the September 11th 250 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:46,520 time where we were detoxing the firefighters, 251 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:48,120 the policemen, the first responders 252 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:52,560 that were at that site in Manhattan. 253 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:56,080 And the detox program is a sauna sweat program 254 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,760 where you sweat for up to, from 25 to 35 days, 255 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,280 five hours a day, includes a lot of vitamins and minerals 256 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,320 and oils pushing the toxins out of the body. 257 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:11,320 And I established this along with Tom Cruise and my church 258 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:17,200 and we were very successful. 259 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,960 We've done, I think it's upwards of 3,000 people 260 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,800 in New York now and all over the country. 261 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:27,000 I started other divisions of what they call 262 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,120 the Heroes Health Fund. 263 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:32,960 And it's for even soldiers from the Middle East 264 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:37,960 that are exposed to extremities of toxic elements. 265 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,600 And it's super effective. 266 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,840 And anyway, to get back to the story, I noticed this, 267 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,720 these three guys that were not doing particularly well 268 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,080 in Baltimore, and I said, look, I'll finance, 269 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:59,440 I'll open your own little division for detoxing you guys 270 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:01,360 to prove to you how well it works. 271 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:03,760 And if you like it, you can share it 272 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:07,120 with other first responders. 273 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,080 So I set up shop there. 274 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,120 I invested the money in setting up the saunas. 275 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:13,760 I hired a doctor. 276 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:15,840 I did the sole profile for them. 277 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,160 And one December after the movie had been released, 278 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,120 and I said, well, guys, it's all set up. 279 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:28,120 You are now officially ready to be detoxed. 280 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:33,120 And they spent 25 days, they got out around Christmas Eve 281 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:38,280 or something, and all their ailments went away. 282 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,280 All the ones that they were suffering from. 283 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:44,160 And this was anything from addiction to pills 284 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,640 that they were on because of these toxic effects 285 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:52,520 to not being able to sleep, to organs shutting down, 286 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,560 and some even extreme, even more extreme situations. 287 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:00,600 But they all got fixed and they were very excited, 288 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:02,760 couldn't believe it, it was as if by magic. 289 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,680 And we started a Baltimore Heroes Health Fund 290 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:10,320 right there where I filmed the movie. 291 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:12,880 And then we opened up another one in Nevada 292 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,160 and then another one in Utah. 293 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:19,640 Anyway, we have about five of them around the country, 294 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:21,320 including New York, of course, 295 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:25,160 and we're trying to build and make more of them. 296 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:28,160 And they're so successful. 297 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:32,480 So that was my personal gift back to the firefighters 298 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:33,800 and continues to be so. 299 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:36,320 Even here in Ocala, I have a place 300 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:41,320 where the local firefighters can use the Heroes Health Fund 301 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:46,080 to help them detox if they're interested. 302 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,640 Yeah, yeah, I heard that from local firefighters. 303 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:52,280 I got friends in Ocala Fire and Marion County Fire. 304 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,040 And they've told me that story about going through a detox 305 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,720 and doing an IASN and the Swedish steam baths. 306 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,280 And it's now catching on where I've heard 307 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,320 of other departments detached from your specific 308 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,760 drive that you've done that have also putting saunas 309 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,040 in the stations and steam baths for the same exact reason. 310 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:13,120 They really need to. 311 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:17,440 There were several local Ocala firefighters 312 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:21,480 that we succeeded with to have the same result 313 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:22,480 as the Baltimore guys. 314 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:24,920 I was just giving you the origin of it, 315 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,560 which was Baltimore, New York. 316 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,200 But we were successful in starting it here 317 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:31,320 in Ocala as well. 318 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:32,160 Right. 319 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,240 And then we'll speak in a Baltimore. 320 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,080 Did you actually spend time in the stations 321 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:38,640 and running calls with the guys there too? 322 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:40,800 Yes, we did that. 323 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,040 We had to as part of our training to be authentic. 324 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:46,080 So there was many calls that we went on. 325 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:53,080 And a couple became volunteer firefighters after the movie. 326 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:54,560 Oh really? 327 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,560 So I think two of the actors actually signed on 328 00:16:57,560 --> 00:16:59,840 to be volunteer firefighters because they were already 329 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:01,880 trained and they got their cert. 330 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:06,600 So they just decided to be on call if they were needed. 331 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:07,520 Okay, brilliant. 332 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:09,960 And now I want to get the gentleman's name right. 333 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:12,240 Where are we here? 334 00:17:13,120 --> 00:17:15,520 Goodness, great, I'm going to cut this bit out too. 335 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:19,440 Gentlemen, okay, Lieutenant Mark Lant. 336 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:20,280 Yeah. 337 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,400 So Mark, was he kind of mentoring you 338 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:24,440 through this whole thing? 339 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,640 Yeah, he was our lead trainer, very patient. 340 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:30,880 And there were some funny times too 341 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:35,040 because we had to do the call within a 60 second period 342 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,000 to get in equipment, on the truck and out. 343 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,120 And of course I was doing everything correctly I thought, 344 00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:44,800 but I was by far the slowest of all of them. 345 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,720 So there was one take where they said action 346 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:50,920 and they tried to do it in actual time 347 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,400 where we get our equipment on from the time it's called 348 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:56,920 to the time the fire engine leaves the house. 349 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,520 And I'm suddenly, I finish everything 350 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,400 and everybody breaks out into laughter 351 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,600 because they've been already ready for about 40 seconds. 352 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,320 And I'm the only one, I think they clocked me 353 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,320 at two minutes getting everything where they were 354 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:15,480 under a minute and I said, hey, I'm an old man, 355 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:16,320 leave me alone. 356 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,520 Well, speaking of that, so you had a huge amount 357 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:22,440 of real firefighters in the production as well, 358 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:23,280 is that right? 359 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,840 Yes, and they needed to be, you know, 360 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,400 with any time you're trying to accurately portray 361 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,340 a subject matter, you really have to have, 362 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,200 you have to have the real deal with you. 363 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,280 You know, I finished a race car movie 364 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:43,880 and if we didn't have the actual professional car 365 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,320 race drivers, we wouldn't be authentic. 366 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:47,760 We wouldn't pull it off. 367 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,760 You really do need the real deal. 368 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:53,640 Yeah, I had Captain Dale Die, have you met him? 369 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:54,480 Oh yeah, yes, yes. 370 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,720 Yeah, I worked with him, I had stunts before 371 00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:57,560 I became a fireman. 372 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:00,920 So I worked with him in Japan doing the Terminator show 373 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:01,960 for Universal Studios. 374 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:02,800 Oh, no kidding. 375 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:04,920 And he put us through the boot camp. 376 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:07,680 It's a very mini gentle version of what he put the guys 377 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:09,480 through for Platoon and Saving Private Ryan 378 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,320 and Band of Brothers. 379 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,520 But again, for the same reason that you guys did the fire 380 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:18,280 is I've interviewed so many military people on this show 381 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:19,960 because I hold them with high regards, 382 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,360 especially the special ops guys. 383 00:19:22,360 --> 00:19:25,720 And so many of them say that especially Band of Brothers 384 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,720 is something they respect and it would not have been 385 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:31,960 that way had they not had real soldiers in the movie 386 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,040 and the actors being taught by a soldier. 387 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:36,480 Also it gives the actors that are not professional 388 00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:41,280 firefighters or whatever the profession they're portraying 389 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,920 confidence to have someone near them 390 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:45,800 that is exactly the real deal. 391 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,520 And actors have a certain pride that they wanna 392 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:52,720 execute things well. 393 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:55,360 And if you have an expert next to you that can clock 394 00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:59,560 what you're doing, then you don't feel like you 395 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,760 have an insurance policy next to you. 396 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:03,960 And it feels very good to do that. 397 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:04,800 Yeah. 398 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,920 By doing the right thing, next take do it this way, 399 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:09,320 try to do it okay, cool. 400 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,720 Now you know that there's at least one to three takes 401 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,880 that are absolutely authentic and they can scratch 402 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,400 the one that's less authentic. 403 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:18,360 Right, yeah. 404 00:20:18,360 --> 00:20:21,720 I did the World Trade Center with Nicolas Cage. 405 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,400 And I'm gonna say with, he was physically there on the set, 406 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,360 nothing to do with me, we were just glorified extras. 407 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:30,360 But I guess they took that to such a point 408 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,680 when the final, the movie came out, 409 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:37,000 we were literally silhouettes through a window. 410 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:38,920 But even then they still wanted those silhouettes 411 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:40,720 to look like they knew what they were doing. 412 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:45,240 Of course, of course, makes absolute sense, yes. 413 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:49,280 All right, so once you've gone through that training, 414 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,960 had your perspective of what these men and women 415 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,280 go through changed? 416 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:59,920 Completely, because the danger was very real to me now. 417 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:04,920 What they're doing and risking is completely authentic 418 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,440 in regards to whether they like it or not, 419 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,160 they are heroic. 420 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,920 And I think it's empirical that they are. 421 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,960 Because as the saying goes, everyone else is leaving 422 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:23,960 the fire and they're going in. 423 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:28,680 I mean, that's putting your life immediately on line. 424 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:33,520 And I think it's completely impressive. 425 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,640 So yeah, my viewpoint, I mean, you got an inkling 426 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,720 that it was like that, but when you experience it yourself 427 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:45,680 and you feel the heat and you see the complexity 428 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,680 of how fires, let's say even in a kitchen fire 429 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:54,200 where apparently the most dangerous fumes are from plastics 430 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:59,200 that ignite and then the firefighter or the people trapped 431 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:03,480 breathe that in and it solidifies in their lungs. 432 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:08,320 Knowing that it's a kitchen fire or a restaurant kitchen 433 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,560 or something, you know you're going into something 434 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:12,960 that even if you don't get killed, 435 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,800 might be damaging you for life. 436 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,400 It's a very tricky thing that these guys are estimating, 437 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:21,240 but they do it. 438 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,400 You know, how brave is that? 439 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,040 Well, speaking of the heat, another thing that I got 440 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,840 from a couple of the interviews I saw about the movie, 441 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:33,480 they had the LPG props blaring when you guys were shooting, 442 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:34,320 is that right? 443 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:35,320 So you were feeling a lot of heat. 444 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:36,600 Oh, always. 445 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,240 And it was the first, and I'm not trying to brag 446 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:43,200 or say that we're better than other movies, 447 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,720 but I do think as far as authenticity, 448 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:50,000 we did capture it better than any film to date 449 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,520 because we simply had the technology to 450 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:55,640 and the earlier films did not. 451 00:22:55,640 --> 00:23:00,640 So we are part of the, it's the evolution of the technology 452 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,760 of film that allowed us to be authentic, 453 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,120 or let's say more authentic than prior films 454 00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:08,040 or earlier films. 455 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,280 Yeah, yeah, because another one that's prior to you again, 456 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,800 back to Backdraft, that's pretty much before that 457 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:16,480 of 49 with Shot, I would say Hell is the best one, 458 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,800 but there were obviously some big holes in the game. 459 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,640 I.e. being in the middle of those fires 460 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,160 and not wearing a mask and having perfect dialogue 461 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:25,480 and like, wait a second. 462 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:27,720 Yeah, which is what they do a lot in aviation films. 463 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:28,640 It drives me crazy. 464 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:32,280 They do all sorts of things that are inaccurate, 465 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,960 but in this one we were 100% accurate, 466 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:38,560 but that's because the firefighters 467 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,160 are not gonna allow us to be anything else, 468 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,120 but we asked them to not allow us to be anything else 469 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:44,960 but authentic. 470 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,120 Yeah, now I would say there's one more movie, 471 00:23:48,120 --> 00:23:51,920 and we're talking a long, long time after Ladder 49 now, 472 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,480 but have you seen Only the Brave yet? 473 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:55,320 I have not. 474 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:56,520 Okay, I highly recommend that. 475 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:58,480 That to me now has joined the other two 476 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,040 as an incredible movie. 477 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:01,640 Josh Brolin played one of the lead roles. 478 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:03,280 Oh, what was it? 479 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:07,520 It was released, let me see, about two months ago now, 480 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,280 and it's based on the Prescott 19, 481 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,640 so the 19 wildland firemen that were burnt over 482 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:14,880 in 2013 in Arizona. 483 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:16,280 Oh, really, I didn't know about it. 484 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:18,240 Yeah, so I highly recommend that, 485 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:20,280 but that's a wildland movie, so it's very different, 486 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,080 but again, they went through a firefighter boot camp. 487 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:24,680 What's your feeling right now 488 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:26,680 about what's happening in Los Angeles? 489 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:28,480 In the wildfires? 490 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,360 Yeah, I mean, this is terra incognita. 491 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:34,200 I don't think anything's ever happened like this before 492 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:39,200 in that kind of high-end areas of Bel Air and Ventura, 493 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:41,920 I mean, what's your take on it? 494 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:46,920 I mean, I don't, I know from a firefighter's point of view, 495 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:51,920 when you start building houses amongst wildland interface, 496 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,440 it's a gamble, then, you're already rolling the dice, 497 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,120 but just the sheer magnitude of some of these fires, 498 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:01,720 it's almost like a fire-perfect storm that we're seeing. 499 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,720 Some of the footage has just been heart-wrenching, 500 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:06,040 but I used to work for it. 501 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:07,840 What do you think was the cause, 502 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,720 or what would you say are the probable causes of the cause? 503 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:16,000 I am detached from that side now, 504 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:17,600 so I would be, you know, 505 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:20,920 any words from my mouth wouldn't even be worth it, 506 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,640 but I would definitely ask my old department, Anaheim, 507 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:26,040 which is in Orange County, 508 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:27,920 those guys have been out fighting all those fires. 509 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:30,720 Is it just dryness? 510 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,080 Is it arson, combination? 511 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:35,880 You know, I mean, are these all things 512 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:37,920 that are usually considered? 513 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,840 Yeah, I think the arson, the point of origin, 514 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:46,480 is almost irrelevant, because whether it's a cigarette, 515 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,040 whether it's a piece of glass from the sun, 516 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:49,520 whether it's a debris set, 517 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:53,400 if it hadn't been these crazy dry conditions 518 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,600 and these Santa Ana winds blowing through, 519 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,440 it would be a spot fire and it would be out. 520 00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,680 So I think what's causing the magnitude 521 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,640 is certainly the weather, yeah, and this dryness. 522 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,800 But then, sadly, the more of us inhabit this planet, 523 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,040 the more we put our houses in more dangerous places, 524 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,920 whether it's on a cliff on the edge of the ocean or, 525 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:13,880 you know, up in the hills. 526 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:17,400 How are you feeling about the neighborhood you're living in? 527 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:19,920 Do you feel that they're pretty well prepared 528 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:23,040 for any kind of fire? 529 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:26,400 For, yeah, I think, so as far as topography 530 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,600 and what we would look at as a risk, 531 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:29,560 yeah, we're pretty good. 532 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:32,000 We're surrounded by roads, we'd be fire breaks. 533 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:34,480 You know, there's not a lot of heavy fuel 534 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:39,480 as far as some of the green plants that do burn fast. 535 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,560 But I'd say our biggest threat here is hurricanes. 536 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,880 But again, unless we had a direct hit from a tornado. 537 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:51,320 Ocala has almost magically missed it. 538 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:53,320 Yeah. For years and years. 539 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,920 Don't know what it is, but it's kind of surrealistic 540 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,880 that it never quite affects this area. 541 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:02,400 And the Clearwater area is the same. 542 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,760 Clearwater and Ocala seem to be these little divisions 543 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,480 that never really quite get hit that hard. 544 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,320 No, well, the same as Disney, that's who we protect now. 545 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:13,800 And they say there's a bubble over there. 546 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,880 I mean, we've had some, you know, epic near misses. 547 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,520 Well, there's some good being done there. 548 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:20,720 So, well, speaking of Ocala, 549 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,000 so that's another thing I wanted to touch on, 550 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:24,800 you know, while we were talking. 551 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:29,520 Yes, you're this big, you know, star on the screen, 552 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,120 but you're also extremely loved in the city 553 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:34,600 that I live in, you know, that we share, Ocala. 554 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,560 And almost every restaurant we go into, 555 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,680 there's, you know, pictures of you in a good way, 556 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,080 you know, just eating there, being a normal resident. 557 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:43,480 So what was it that drew you here 558 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,520 and what was your impression when you first came? 559 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:51,440 Basically, the fly-in community concept is what drew me here 560 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,360 because where I live is quite a large runway 561 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:58,320 and was capable of safely bringing in and out 562 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:00,520 any size of aircraft. 563 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,600 So, and my wife really wanted to be in the country. 564 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,440 So I think that those are the two main things. 565 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:11,360 And it's close to my church in Clearwater. 566 00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:15,720 And I think those two were primary of the reasons. 567 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:16,800 Okay. Yeah. 568 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,360 Yeah, because as we were talking before we went on Mike, 569 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:23,400 that sense of community, I think, is very strong 570 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,640 for a sleepy little town in the middle of central Florida. 571 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:26,480 Oh, I think so too. 572 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:27,720 I think we're very proud of our little town. 573 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,240 Yeah, I think that if it's not mistaken, 574 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:34,800 we got voted as the number one family community 575 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,320 in the country to bring up a family 576 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,040 like this would be the right atmosphere. 577 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,920 And I think there's, I remember there was a survey 578 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,960 done recently about Ocala and it rated so high 579 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:49,200 relative to everywhere else in the country 580 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:50,760 for all the right reasons. 581 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:54,560 Like for instance, this is what I was told anyway, 582 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,640 that the priorities of the citizens 583 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,000 seem to be more group oriented versus individualistic. 584 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:09,080 It's not we need a self-centered thing to open or do. 585 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:11,560 It's like I'd like a good place for the kids to go. 586 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,040 I'd like a good place for the family to blah, blah. 587 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:17,640 I would like more community activity. 588 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:21,360 All the desires of the individuals seem much more group 589 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:24,880 for the group more than self-centered ideas. 590 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:29,880 And that's unusual, that's a kind of exciting thing. 591 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:36,360 Old fashioned concept that is now reliving itself 592 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:37,400 here in Ocala. 593 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,320 Yeah, and we talked before about the whole tribal thing. 594 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,320 I think we have that, we're proud of our network here. 595 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:46,800 I do, I agree with you. 596 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,720 I think there is a tribal feeling 597 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,600 that makes everyone feel good about being here. 598 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:57,560 And it's evolving into all the niceties 599 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:02,560 that any cosmopolitan city could have 600 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:04,520 and it'll get more so. 601 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:08,280 But I mean, we're not wanting for much here, 602 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,600 as far as entertainment and food and stores. 603 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,360 And it's continually evolving. 604 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:16,360 Yeah, yeah it is. 605 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:18,720 I mean, every time they close a business down, 606 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:23,080 it seems like just a more genuine family owned business 607 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:25,040 pops up in its place, which is great to see. 608 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:26,280 Yeah, it really is. 609 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,880 All right, well, I'm gonna just, you said about emotion. 610 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:33,200 So the one thing I wanna touch on before, 611 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:35,480 we kind of close out, 612 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:38,920 one of the most powerful moments, 613 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,040 I think that most people would say about Ladder 49 614 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:42,840 was when you gave the eulogy 615 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:46,440 when Joaquin Phoenix's character had passed away. 616 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:49,240 I saw Ladder 49 right when I came out 617 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,280 of my very first fire department's orientation, 618 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,680 which was three months of hell, by the way, 619 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:55,840 hi, Aliyah, if you can still remember that. 620 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:00,880 But it was October and at the end of the movie, 621 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:02,840 it was very tragic and you saw the funeral 622 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:07,840 and it was a real punch in the gut as far as the job, 623 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,440 but it was still two dimensional on screen. 624 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:12,560 I watched Ladder 49 with my son, Ty, 625 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,160 you just met for the first time he's ever seen it. 626 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,400 He's just turned 10, I figured it was a good time to watch, 627 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,680 especially before he met you. 628 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:23,440 But when I watched that scene, 629 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:24,640 it was completely different. 630 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:26,680 I've been a fireman 13 and a half years 631 00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:29,640 and then the last four or five, 632 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:32,040 I've lost count of how many firefighters are buried 633 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:37,040 from not any dramatic death in a fire or anything like that, 634 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,920 but from cancer, from heart disease, from drug overdose, 635 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:43,000 from all these different things. 636 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,840 And the detail in that scene, not only the actual funeral 637 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:49,440 itself and then your eulogy, 638 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:52,600 but the way they saluted the bagpipes, 639 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:54,760 all these different elements that they had, 640 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:57,600 I was in tears watching it 641 00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:59,920 because it wasn't two dimensional anymore. 642 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:03,120 As a fireman halfway through his career, it was real now. 643 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:05,120 And then when you did your eulogy, obviously, 644 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:07,040 I was crying like a baby as well. 645 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:10,680 Yeah, I really totally understand. 646 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:15,160 And that's why I love that film so much. 647 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:20,160 I think it has a depth and an authenticity that is rare. 648 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,600 And as far as your friends are concerned that you've lost, 649 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:25,240 this is a time where you can promote 650 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:26,480 the Heroes Health Fund to them 651 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:30,760 because maybe many of them, their lives would be saved 652 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,360 if they experienced this Heroes Health Fund 653 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:35,920 and the detox program. 654 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:40,920 They would have a different fate 655 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:45,520 and you can help them have that by promoting it on your show 656 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,880 and enlightening them about how it works 657 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:50,640 and be a great thing. 658 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,400 Absolutely, well, I will put that on the website 659 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:55,760 for today's episode, which will be jamesgearian.com 660 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:56,960 for you guys listening. 661 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:57,800 I'll put a link there. 662 00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,280 I also wanna put a link as well 663 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:00,880 for the Jettra Volta Foundation. 664 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,240 Can you just give us a brief overview of that as well? 665 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,640 Yeah, yeah, when my son passed, 666 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:10,440 we started a foundation that was very widely scoped 667 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:14,440 because so many things my son was connected to 668 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:18,640 and education and illness in children 669 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:22,760 and different aspects and it was so complex, 670 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:26,400 his situation that I felt like limiting the foundation 671 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,560 to just one or two ideas, it was not enough. 672 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:34,560 So I widened the scope for all areas, 673 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:38,520 not just any particular illness, 674 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:43,520 but education and support of special needs children 675 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:46,280 because that's really an area that 676 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:49,680 until you experience a special needs child, 677 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:54,120 you don't realize the magnitude and the depth of concern 678 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:59,000 it can give a parent and more importantly, the child itself, 679 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:00,840 they're not having an easy time of it. 680 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:05,840 So it's a good thing to do a wide spectrum 681 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:07,840 and when you're doing a charity like that. 682 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,440 Yeah, okay, well I will put the link on there as well. 683 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:11,280 Very good, thank you. 684 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:14,000 Okay, so just a couple of wrap up, 685 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:15,880 short rapid fire questions. 686 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:17,200 I always ask everyone, 687 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:20,840 is there a book that you recommend to people 688 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:22,440 on anything in the world? 689 00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:27,440 Oh gosh, well, entertainment wise, 690 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:28,760 let's give you your other credit. 691 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:30,200 I have to think about that because 692 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:31,520 there's so many good books out there 693 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:34,880 that it's difficult to hone it down to just one. 694 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:36,240 It would depend on your interests 695 00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:39,400 and your interest levels, I would imagine. 696 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:44,400 But of course I'm gonna promote my own religion 697 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:49,600 and probably, I don't know, fundamentals of thought 698 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:54,600 or let's say Dynetics or Science of Survival. 699 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,160 One of these books are always interesting to read 700 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:01,560 for people and help them through life 701 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:03,000 and give them some tools. 702 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:08,040 Those would be the books I would immediately recommend 703 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,000 and then there are others. 704 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,880 For instance, I grew up with all the classics 705 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:17,200 and always enjoyed them for young people, 706 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:24,200 To Kill a Mockingbird and Airport 707 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:26,520 because I was an aviator 708 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,080 and these are all books that were fun to read. 709 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:31,040 I don't know if in a new unit of time 710 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:33,840 if there'd be much fun for people 711 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:35,520 but that's what I grew up with. 712 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:36,360 Okay, fantastic. 713 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:39,600 Now what about a movie and or documentary? 714 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,120 I love documentaries and I think 715 00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:47,360 there's so many documentaries 716 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:50,080 that I've enjoyed over the years. 717 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:54,800 I like the World War II documentaries 718 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:59,800 that investigate the antics and politics of that. 719 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,600 I think there's always something to learn from them. 720 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:05,000 Any aviation documentary, 721 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,840 any rock star documentary I find interesting. 722 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:11,760 There's many recently that are good. 723 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,600 And then what was the other movie? 724 00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:16,920 Yeah, movie and or documentaries. 725 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:19,800 Yeah, movies are so, again, each year 726 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:22,640 I have not, to be perfectly honest, 727 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:24,880 investigated this year's cinema enough 728 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,400 and I have my obligation at the end of the year 729 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,480 to watch movies for my voting for the Academy. 730 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:35,000 So I will take time to do that. 731 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:37,440 So I don't have one yet that I would recommend recently. 732 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:38,800 Okay, I'm pretty sure the Academy 733 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:40,120 will be sending you only the brave 734 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:42,720 so that'll be coming to your doorstep soon. 735 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:43,800 Yes. 736 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:47,880 Okay, now is there a guest that you would recommend 737 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:49,280 to come on this show to talk 738 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:54,280 to the first responders of the world? 739 00:36:54,720 --> 00:36:59,040 Yes, what I'll do for you is I'll give you a list 740 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:02,640 of about five guys that I think will blow your mind 741 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:04,640 with what they went through with the Heroes Health Fund 742 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:07,520 and detoxing and to give you details 743 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,640 of their life-threatening illnesses that they had 744 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:13,640 that were completely handled with the program. 745 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:18,120 And I think it would do you and your fellow first responders 746 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,120 a great deal to hear someone 747 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:23,280 who actually got their life saved. 748 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:25,000 Absolutely, that would be fantastic. 749 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:28,600 And I think the more extreme situations 750 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:31,840 or even the ones that will be better for you to hear 751 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,640 because we all know a healthy guy can get more healthy 752 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:40,640 but when you have a totally artificially affected 753 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:46,320 firefighter or first responder 754 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:48,920 that has been exposed to things 755 00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:50,640 that he shouldn't have been exposed to 756 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:52,800 but had to for the line of duty, 757 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:57,840 to hear their magnificent results 758 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:00,560 would be much more effective, I think. 759 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:04,160 Yeah, nothing more powerful than the life story, definitely. 760 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,720 Okay, and the very last one before we talk about, 761 00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:07,680 where else we can find you, 762 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:09,760 what do you do to decompress 763 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,040 when you're not acting and not flying? 764 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:13,480 Well, flying is one of the things I do. 765 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:15,480 Okay, well flying, sorry. 766 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:17,240 And I take courses at my church 767 00:38:17,240 --> 00:38:19,240 and that helps me decompress. 768 00:38:19,240 --> 00:38:21,240 And I spend time with my family 769 00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:25,440 and that helps me decompress and travel if I can, 770 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:28,640 not just for business but for pleasure. 771 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:33,600 And honestly, being in Ocala helps me decompress. 772 00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:37,040 I'm always more chilled when I'm here than anywhere else. 773 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:39,840 Yeah, I agree 100%. 774 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:41,360 Yeah, I can see it. 775 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:43,440 People ask, why do I, because I work in Orlando, 776 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:44,680 why don't I live down there? 777 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:46,680 And it's like, well, it's very simple. 778 00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:48,480 Just come to Ocala and you'll see. 779 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:51,200 Yeah, and it may take a few months to get it, 780 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,560 but once you're here, you always come back. 781 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:55,440 Yeah, exactly. 782 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:57,840 I found that people that leave to get out, 783 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,720 they always find themselves coming back to Ocala. 784 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:04,720 Absolutely, okay, so we've got the two websites 785 00:39:04,720 --> 00:39:05,680 you talked about already, 786 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:09,080 the Heroes Health Fund and Jet Travolta will be on there. 787 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,080 Are there any other social media or websites 788 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:13,000 that you wanna talk about? 789 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,920 I think we covered them all. 790 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,160 I think that's good. 791 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:24,160 Fantastic, all right, well, thank you so much 792 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:27,560 for coming on the show and I truly appreciate that 793 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:30,280 and I know that people listening will really be blown away 794 00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:32,040 by this interview, so thank you. 795 00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:33,560 Oh, good, well, my pleasure. 796 00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:57,060 SU