Straight Stick

David Geller & Andrew Leith
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Personal Journals

Straight Stick is a firefighter-led podcast focused on real-world stories from the front lines of fire, EMS, and disaster response. Hosted by working career and volunteer firefighters David Geller and Andrew Leith, the show blends firsthand experiences with practical insights to help listeners better understand emergencies, preparedness, and the realities of the job.

Episodes

  1. 23h ago

    Seattle Firefighter Ben Elton - ShiftDad

    Seattle firefighter Ben Elton joins Andrew and me to talk about life as a firefighter in a big department, his commute to Seattle from Nevada, and his app, ShiftDad, available for both iPhone and Android. Along the way, we cover the recent voter-approved merger of Andrew’s department with Bothell Fire, Andrew’s amazingly fast wife, European versus North American fire engines, and a little about Dwell Secure, Andrew’s app for documenting your home’s important systems and services. It was a great conversation, and we think you’ll enjoy it. David's company FireTrex was also mentioned. Thanks to Peter Chee and Thinkspace for letting us record in their Lake Union space. This podcast is protected by copyright. Opinions expressed are those of the participants and do not represent the agencies they work for.

  2. Jun 30

    Cold Water Emergencies with Dr. Steve Mitchell

    For our third episode we're lucky to have as our guest Dr. Steve Mitchell. Steve Mitchell, M.D. is the medical director of the Emergency Department at Harborview Medical Center and a UW associate professor of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Mitchell earned his M.D. from the UW. He is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and a member of the Washington State American College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors. Dr. Mitchell has clinical and research interests in pre-hospital emergency care and emergency department clinical operations. Prior to becoming a physician Dr. Mitchell was a Paramedic and a firefighter. In this episode David, Andrew and Dr. Mitchell talk about cold water emergencies. We also discuss some current events, include the tragic deaths of three firefighters from the Snyder Fire in Colorado. As noted in our intro, portions of this episode suffered some challenges to our audio quality, for which we greatly apologize. But, don't let that deter you from listening and hearing to what Dr. Mitchell shared with us.

  3. May 6

    Wildland Firefighting

    This episode, David and Andrew sit down with Battalion Chief Seth Merritt of Eastside Fire & Rescue to dig into wildland firefighting. Chief Merritt walks us through his career, the scale and scope of modern deployments, and the practical steps homeowners can take to protect their properties before fire season arrives. It's a longer episode, but it's packed with information worth your time. We also cover upcoming events and share a few quick reflections on running the recent Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle. Firefighter Close Calls Dwell Secure for iOS Dwell Secure for Android Eastside Fire & Rescue

  4. Apr 4

    Before the Tones Drop

    This is our first episode. David and Andrew introduce themselves and talk about disaster preparedness and Andrew's product Dwell Secure.

  • 4 Episodes

About

Straight Stick is a firefighter-led podcast focused on real-world stories from the front lines of fire, EMS, and disaster response. Hosted by working career and volunteer firefighters David Geller and Andrew Leith, the show blends firsthand experiences with practical insights to help listeners better understand emergencies, preparedness, and the realities of the job.

Information

  • Creator
    David Geller & Andrew Leith
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 David Geller & Andrew Leith
  • Show Website
    Straight Stick