Send us Fan Mail How do you know when it’s time to walk away from the fire service you love? After nearly 25 years as a firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, volunteer firefighter, and fire chief, retired Lt. Rick Carroll knows what it means to build a life around serving others. But his journey into the fire service was anything but ordinary. Rick first entered the fire service with Cobb County Fire in January 1975 during a recession when jobs were difficult to find. Just months later, he lost that job. For many people, that would have been the end of the story. For Rick, it wasn’t. Eleven years later, he returned to Cobb County Fire and began the career that would help shape the rest of his life. In this episode of Wind The Q — The Stories Behind The Sirens, Lt. Dodson sits down with retired Lt. Rick Carroll for a conversation spanning nearly five decades of fire service history. Rick shares what the fire service was like in the 1970s and 1980s, why he came back after being away for 11 years, his years of service with Cobb County and the City of Dallas Fire Department, becoming a fire officer and fire chief, leadership lessons learned over a career, faith, retirement, and what life looks like when the uniform finally comes off. But at the center of the conversation is something Rick believes deeply: “I think fire service is a calling. I also think if it’s not, you won’t stay.” That raises a much bigger question. If firefighting really is a calling, how do you know when it’s time to say goodbye? Rick talks candidly about loving the job while also recognizing when his time had come. The conversation explores the identity firefighters build around the profession, what the job asks from firefighters and their families, how the fire service has changed across generations, and what younger firefighters can learn from the men and women who came before them. Whether you’re a rookie firefighter, company officer, veteran firefighter, retired firefighter, volunteer, career firefighter, or someone approaching retirement from the fire service, this conversation is about more than one man's career. It’s about calling, service, leadership, identity, legacy, and knowing when it’s time to leave the job you once fought so hard to get. 🎙️ Wind The Q — The Stories Behind The Sirens Hosted by Lt. Dodson, an Engine Officer in Northwest Georgia. If an older firefighter, retired firefighter, mentor, officer, or chief helped shape the firefighter you became, send this episode to them. And tell us in the comments: Who from the generation before you had the biggest influence on the firefighter you became? #Firefighter #FireService #FirefighterPodcast #FirefighterRetirement #FireServiceLeadership #FireOfficer #FirefighterLife #FirefighterTraining #FireDepartment #CareerFirefighter #VolunteerFirefighter #FireServiceHistory #FirstResponder #Leadership #WindTheQ This episode Includes dynamic content. If you feel impressed to help support the show, follow the link below. If not, please continue to like, share, follow, and subscribe for more great content! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2605628/support This episode Includes dynamic content. If you feel impressed to help support the show, follow the link below. If not, please continue to like, share, follow, and subscribe for more great content! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2605628/support Support the show Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wind-the-q-podcast/id1890605910 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2NwJHtyLmDdv4rrAssRJUY?si=vd600rTcSn-k2WEJUgnbbA YouTube https://youtube.com/@windtheqpodcast?si=qtbDcvImIf50Xpd7 If you’ve been listening and want to help keep this going, you can support the show here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2605628/subscribe
