WEBVTT 1 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:26.519 You're listening to the Getting Salty Experience podcast. What we go? Welcome back 2 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.800 to the Getting Salty Experienced podcast, The only one that preis at Firehouse gets 3 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:37.240 your table to you with a spiffy, dolled up Mike cologne. Finally give 4 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:43.000 me that went back to the guinea tease for a while, like I was 5 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:48.240 showing off the guns. You know, I was a raging both Yeah, 6 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:51.719 now was a professional Mike the teeth plan and look at a white teeth. 7 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:58.119 Damn. Yeah, welcome back. You know what the story is? Do 8 00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:00.079 you know what podcast? This is? Mike album? It's what podcast? 9 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:07.439 This is the self proclaimed best podcast in the fire Service, the premier maybe 10 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:11.719 in the world, in the world, I would say, so, you 11 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:15.200 know, there's nobody else like it. There's there's many imitators, you know, 12 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:18.719 but nobody could ever duplicate it. Well, imitation is the best form 13 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:22.599 of flattery, right roads That is the truth. Yeah, that's why I 14 00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:25.840 try to be like Roof all the time. I don't have his money, 15 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:29.239 but if I had his money, I'd be happy. But why do you 16 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.959 tell us about the one o three to ninety reunion? How did that go? 17 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:38.000 So we had I think sixty five guys, this was uh last week, 18 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.920 and any old coots did, like really, there was a lot of 19 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:44.560 old coots. I tried to you know, I was throwing the debate out 20 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:47.280 a little bit. A lot of guys watched the show, but you know, 21 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:49.239 it's tough. It's tough, Crawdy. I don't think you were recruiting 22 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:53.159 anybody at that time. You know, everybody was hanging around breaking chops. 23 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:57.480 My face was killing me. We were there from was it the Dinah from 24 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.760 nine o'clock until like noon? But a lot of great, great stories. 25 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:06.359 Man always storways flying around, but nobody sure on the hook. Nobody. 26 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:08.639 I mean, I think I got a couple, but somebody ran into the 27 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:12.400 bath loips. I don't want to say that outside, but I'll be on 28 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:15.759 the show. I'll come on. You know a lot of humble guys that 29 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:19.639 man, real deal guys, very humble. So how always the oldest guy 30 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.400 to Oh definitely in the seventies, Yeah, yeah, there was guys from 31 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:30.000 there from that got on the job. I would say definitely seventies, eighties, 32 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:32.240 nineties, you know we were doing it. Oh yeah, they had 33 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:37.280 more stories. I mean they were telling some stuff that even the first time 34 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:39.039 I heard him, I couldn't believe like what I was hearing. Like some 35 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:43.680 some things are really incredible, like the Wild Wall West. It was the 36 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:47.639 Wild West, Smoke Sheffield Wild Wild West. But it was a great it 37 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.560 was a great turnout. It was really cool, good time. Yeah, 38 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:53.919 Well you've been Mike. What you've been doing besides getting swollen? Well, 39 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:58.280 I've been busy with work at the firehouse, you know, managing their social 40 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:00.319 media over for the West Haven Fire Department. Great with that. The podcast 41 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:04.120 has been back now for a little while, So busy with the show is 42 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:07.039 for that one tomorrow night one later this week on Alright, got a really 43 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:08.759 cool guest. Yeah, I know, we'll talk about it a little bit 44 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:12.240 later. Yeah, you guys might know. So, yeah, that'll be 45 00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:15.039 a fun show Friday. And I have my consulting business too, So I've 46 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:17.759 been a very busy guy barely at time consulting business. I do, indeed 47 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:21.360 have a consult Say what is it all about? Oh what do you know? 48 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:23.199 Look what we have here? Need advice and how to start your podcast? 49 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:28.719 Frustrated with the editing process, can't find a voiceover? Guy? Hi, 50 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:31.000 I'm Mike Cologne and I'm here to help. I'm the owner and founder 51 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:36.719 of MC Media Editing Services, your premier consulting company for all things media, 52 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:38.680 where I can offer you consulting advice on how to get started and once you 53 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:44.360 get started editing as well as voiceover work, all for a very reasonable price 54 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:46.159 if you want to reach But you can contact me at nine one seven seven 55 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:49.960 eight one six one eight nine or the email that you see listed here. 56 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:53.719 I'm always available and I'm always willing to help again. Nine one seven seven 57 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:57.280 eight one six one eight nine. Why go to some giant consulting from It's 58 00:03:57.280 --> 00:03:59.400 going to charge you in arm in the leg when you can just come to 59 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:01.439 me. You want to be stress free, the way to go is to 60 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:08.520 call mc MC Media Editing Services, your premier consulting company. He's even got 61 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:11.479 a little a little catchy jingle at the end. You pick that up. 62 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:15.840 I did want to be stress free whole MC. That's right. Maybe big 63 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:19.199 His voice is like silk. He's like a cruna bro. Can you saying, 64 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:23.720 Mike, no, no, no no. God gave him any gifts, 65 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:25.360 but he wanted to keep me humble, so he didn't give me that 66 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:30.240 one. M I let's play the other commercial quickly because I'm gonna tell you 67 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:31.879 right now, go get you Kleenex for this one. Brother might be so 68 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:35.360 well and up going on rough you might. I'm not crying. You're crying. 69 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:39.959 No, you're crying. Well, Here's a trial by fire lay as 70 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:47.279 a gentleman two minutes and forty three seconds enjoy. When I was two years 71 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:53.480 old, I was in the New York Times. My father was a New 72 00:04:53.560 --> 00:04:57.680 York City firefighter who was killed in the line of duty on an infamous day 73 00:04:57.720 --> 00:05:01.959 known as Black Sunday, January twenty third, two thousand and five, the 74 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:11.199 day an unwelcome spotlight was immediately focused on my family at the worst time in 75 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:20.720 our lives. That tragic day began like any other from my dad, John 76 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:32.000 Baloo, a father of four from Pearl River, New York, but after 77 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:36.839 a series of fateful complications in an apartment fire, he and five other of 78 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:43.519 his f d and why brothers had to make the horrific choice to jump from 79 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:49.600 a fourth floor window to escape the approaching inferno. My mom, my three 80 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:54.399 siblings, and I, as well as the other surviving men who jumped for 81 00:05:54.439 --> 00:06:00.600 their lives, were left to grapple with the events of that tragic day, 82 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:08.480 and after that day, it became clear that jumping was the decision they should 83 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:21.120 not have had to make. Now, eighteen years later, my screenplay about 84 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:26.879 Black Sunday will tell the story of the heroic acts and difficult choices of these 85 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:40.800 men, and the circumstances and injustices that stole their lives. That fateful day 86 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:44.959 did lead to changes in the New York City Fire Department that will undoubtedly save 87 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:48.920 the lives of future firefighters. But in order for those lives to be saved, 88 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:58.639 my father, Lieutenant Kurt Myron, and Firefighter Joey de Bernardo had to 89 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:02.560 sacrifice their own lives. It's time for this story to be told, and 90 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:27.800 I'm asking for your help to make it a reality on the screen. Well, 91 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:30.800 Bud, Mike, did you edit that? No, that's all okay, 92 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:34.079 Katriana, that's all okay. We did bring her in. We missed 93 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:38.319 time that let's uh, let's bring her in. Let's get patriotic, and 94 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:41.560 then we'll we'll talk to the audience and tell them how they can help this 95 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:46.800 young ladys make this screenplay a reality, because we've got a big audience and 96 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:49.000 some deep pockets, and we'll basically, besh you over ahead until you call 97 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:58.759 for it off. So exactly, ladies and gentlemen, miss Katriana Blue and 98 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:03.000 there she is. Welcome to the shell. Young lady. Hi, who 99 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:05.680 are you? Was this the last stop? Like? Was this the Uh? 100 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:11.879 Yeah? What else is left out there? We gotta She's like, 101 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:16.279 no, Ideo, no, let's get patriotic before we do this. Uh 102 00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:24.160 Mike, please, here we go. I pledge allegiance to the flag of 103 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:30.839 the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, 104 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:48.639 one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Excellent. 105 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:52.639 And what we're gonna do is share that right in the comments below or so 106 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:56.679 they can share that on the social media. The link, the link to 107 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:01.559 the website as well as to that tree Taylor is in the description. So 108 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:03.440 for those of you that want to go to the description on both LinkedIn and 109 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:07.799 here on YouTube, you can access it easily. And yes, as Coop 110 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:11.840 said, please share it round right, okay, John Baloo John Baloo dot 111 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:15.080 com. Yep, we had the website right here in one moment. Here's 112 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:16.960 the website for the those of you that want to go visit. As you 113 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:18.559 saw at the end of the trailer, John Blue dot com ww dot JOm 114 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.480 Blue Dot. We're on a roll now, so I don't want to terrupt 115 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.840 a Mike, remind me we have to do on the cuff at the end. 116 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:28.360 And few guys out there who want to donate whatever we earned from the 117 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.759 super chat tonight, we are going to donate to this Young Ladies project. 118 00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:35.720 All go directly on the website and donate yourself. But I don't want to 119 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:39.879 have to say there was a police officer show, Mike, it's off the 120 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:41.960 Cuff, Yes, Police off the Cuff, hosted by my friend, retired 121 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:48.000 NYPD sergeant Bill Cannon. She appeared recently on that didn't hicatriana h yeah yeah, 122 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:54.399 and she raised a significant amount of money. So let's show these donutt 123 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:58.679 is how much money? All right, let's go into your pot I know 124 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.480 you, yeah, you find me like shit for free. But let's go 125 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:05.360 into our pockets and let's really put out a number for this young lady here. 126 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:07.960 You know, let's get over a thousand dollars. Let's do that. 127 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:11.279 What do you say, Mike? I think so? I think we get 128 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:13.799 jop that, you know that way? I could text Bill Cannon later on 129 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:16.399 tonight we beat you. Yeah, Oh, we're going to beat him. 130 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:18.399 We're gonna beat him, don't worry. So tell them how to get into 131 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:22.559 a super chat, Mike. They don't know well what you can do, 132 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:24.879 of course, and if I could just find them banner, I'm a little 133 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:26.799 rusty, guys part in me. Of course. You can submit an amount 134 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:31.279 of your choosing, and whether it be a question or even just a simple 135 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:33.720 donation, we really do appreciate it. If it's a question, we'll get 136 00:10:33.759 --> 00:10:37.720 to it at the appropriate time, if it's relevant to the subject matter with 137 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:39.440 the particular guests. But yeah, fire away in the super chat. Could 138 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.320 be one ninety nine, could be one hundred dollars. We've seen different amounts 139 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:46.840 over the years. But the key is this, any amount helps, especially 140 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:50.000 with tonight's show. It's not for us, it's for her, so please 141 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:52.879 remember that and the super thanks as well. If you don't catch the show 142 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:56.039 live, if you're watching the replay, same thing, you could fire away 143 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:58.279 any amount of your choosing. Not for us tonight, it's wall for country 144 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:03.240 Grampaup. Don't be stingy, get into the pocket so you don't go out 145 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:05.240 on a Friday night drinks and beer you throw, you throw some shekels this 146 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:09.840 young lady's way. Um, well, there we go already somebody, thank 147 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:15.080 you Jay. Actually, than before we get into a cat roof, I 148 00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:18.799 know you have some first hand experience on this day, so let's kind of 149 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:20.919 give a little background to what happened up there. I mean, I did 150 00:11:20.919 --> 00:11:24.679 a little research, but you you knew somebody you were looking. I remember 151 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:30.720 guys talking about that that was the first time in a long time that the 152 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:39.039 FDNY lost fireman it's separate jobs on the same day, nineteen eighteen, nineteen 153 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:43.039 eighteen. I don't realize the time that fallback. We lost two guys from 154 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:46.600 different jobs on the same day on the same thing. So just how I 155 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.960 mean, thank god, how rare it is. Um. But I was 156 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.440 telling Kat that when we first got in touch with each other a couple of 157 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:58.440 weeks ago, that obviously that day, I mean, for the fire department 158 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:03.639 as a whole, very special and uh you know, as far as uh 159 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:07.759 we hold it and hire a god with with the guys that um in the 160 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:16.080 Bronx. But that day in in in Brooklyn, I was the officer Avenger 161 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:22.919 Tuna, I know, and I was relieved that morning and a couple of 162 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:26.159 hours later. By the time I got home, Um, I had already 163 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:31.279 got text and phone calls about the job in Brooklyn with Richie Scleffani, who 164 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:35.360 was one of my favorite guys. He was, you know, even though 165 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:37.639 I was his ball, you know, a boss in the firehouse, he 166 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:41.240 was one of my best guys. We played cards together. I ended up 167 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:48.879 giving the julogy at his funeral, so um, you know, the same 168 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:50.799 same as you know. And then to hear the guys up in the Bronx, 169 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:56.000 and then to know those guys firsthand after all this time, Jeff cool 170 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:01.559 um and uh, Chief Joey d the Chief Dum. You know, it's 171 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:05.799 just uh. And then I mean I didn't know anything about your dad. 172 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:07.639 You know, we talked about that too, So that's why it was important 173 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:09.840 for you to come. You know, you know, the guys in the 174 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:15.080 firehouse when they took the ropes away, you know, even from myself, 175 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:18.919 I had made my own rope ballout set up that I had. You know, 176 00:13:18.919 --> 00:13:22.600 a lot of guys were doing that because the rope that they had given 177 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:28.240 us initially was kind of antiquated. Although it was a rope I remember, 178 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.399 it was kind of like a big cinder block in your pocket, and so 179 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:35.919 guys came up with better ideas and schemes and uh, you know, especially 180 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.720 after they took them away, you know. But um so I just wanted 181 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:43.320 to say that that day, you know, even for myself, it absolutely 182 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:46.879 could have been me. It's kind of we talked about that too. It's 183 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:50.080 kind of unfortunately it's wrong place, wrong time, right place, right time. 184 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:52.759 It's just luck at the drop times, you know, nine to eleven. 185 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:58.240 We kind of still through that as well. So, um, how 186 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:01.080 how old were you cat when you when you pissed? I was about two 187 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:07.240 and a half. My younger brother was five months old, my sister was 188 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:11.840 six, and my older brother was three or four. So what memories do 189 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:16.200 you have? And from what I'm sure your mom told you all about your 190 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:18.919 dad? Tell us a little, I mean, you know about you know, 191 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.679 the fire fighter blue. Tell us about the dad, the father, 192 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:26.200 what was he like from Unfortunately for me, a lot of my memories are 193 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:33.279 more from stories because I was so young at the time and it's or from 194 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:37.720 pictures. I feel like I've almost formulated memories in my brain because of it. 195 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:45.600 But for like, my mom loves to talk about him, and she 196 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:50.960 tells us stories all the time, especially on days when it's her birthday or 197 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:58.679 the anniversary or whatever it is. So I definitely have I'm lucky that I 198 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:01.480 come from a family that's super open and able to talk about like their emotions 199 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:05.480 and talk about the grief rather than just like holding it in. And it 200 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:09.480 was always like important to my mom when raising us that like we would still 201 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:13.679 like have him in our memory, he would still be with us all the 202 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.919 time. Right, what what do you know about? Do you like sports? 203 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:20.320 Tell us a little about him. He was a big skier, a 204 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:31.759 cooker, a wine drinker, and hem um, if you look at my 205 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:35.879 younger brother, also, my younger brother is the spitting image of him, 206 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:41.399 Is that right? Yeah? And um he yeah, I blame my coffee 207 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:48.120 addiction on him. Um. Also he his big dream in life was to 208 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:50.759 write, you know, like the next great American novel. Um he never 209 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:56.399 but yeah it must be. I love my mom, but she cannot spell, 210 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:03.519 so wow, But I'm the captain of that boat that can't you can't 211 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:07.559 sell. But he wanted to write a novel. And if you look, 212 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:11.720 there's pictures of us when I was to one and I'm sitting on his lapel 213 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:15.360 he's reading a newspaper. And that's what my mom said that I did all 214 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:17.639 the time when I was younger. I'd sit on his lap while he read 215 00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:21.840 the newspaper. And she's convinced that's why I'm able to write and I'm able 216 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:29.600 to read super fast and do like that is my strong serie. And how's 217 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:33.919 your mom doing today? Is she? My mom is remarried now and she's 218 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:38.519 m married to somebody who's also a widow, so they have that like understanding. 219 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:45.240 They've been together for ten years or a little over ten years, and 220 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:49.120 yeah, it's nice that they both found somebody and like not in the sense 221 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:53.679 like well you have to replace the other person. You get to just continue 222 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:59.320 your life with somebody else, but still honoring the memory of your first husband, 223 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:00.799 your first way now you were only two and a half. Do you 224 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.920 do you do you grasp the concept that your dad at passed on that day 225 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:10.079 or did you know you didn't? Really? What do you remember from my 226 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:15.799 memory? I only really remember life after he passed. It. It's almost 227 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:19.680 like I and I'm also I'm from a super small town, and it's almost 228 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:23.400 like it was always a part of my identity, Like I was somebody who 229 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:30.079 grew up without a father, and that was always just kind of like how 230 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:33.519 I lived my life, Like I don't know really a life before it or 231 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:37.000 after it. And in a sense, I'm like, I don't know if 232 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:41.559 that makes losing somebody more or less difficult, because in a way, it's 233 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:45.240 like you don't get to know the good parts about having a dad. You 234 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:49.359 only kind of know life after it, right, But at the same time, 235 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.880 it's like, oh, it would have been nice to have those years, 236 00:17:52.079 --> 00:17:56.440 even if it was ten years, you know, instead of ken I 237 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.440 had. Well, I told you that too. My dad passed away when 238 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:02.799 I was nine. My mother never remarried, and I lived through stories myself. 239 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:04.839 Now even at night, you would think I would have a lot of 240 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:08.839 memories, but even at that point, I still the ones that stick out 241 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:11.640 to me is that night, like, uh, you know when it happened. 242 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:15.480 He passed away from an aneurysm. I remember got you know, the 243 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:17.799 ambulance was day working on him. I woke up in the middle of the 244 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:21.279 night. But you know, same thing you know that we had discussed on 245 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:23.000 the phone, is that, you know, my whole life has been you 246 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:27.720 know those types of questions where you know, you see people maybe they take 247 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:32.720 for granted. You know, my mother was great. She she could have 248 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:37.480 had every excuse to give up or to be selfish, but she did, 249 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:41.799 you know, the best that she could, and that was more than probably 250 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:45.160 two parents some some two parents can do. Right. So I take you 251 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:48.359 know, that's how I sent that to you, right we went away in 252 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:52.319 the last trip. Because we've been friends for over forty years, I said, 253 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:56.359 I've never seen a woman be able to take on both roles like your 254 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:00.599 mother did. Bro. She like she to discipline like a dad would do. 255 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:04.440 Like I was sitting home, wait a few if we came home late, 256 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:08.319 she'd be on the stupid whiff the ball back back because I was you 257 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:12.640 know, I knew everything right, Yeah, exactly like my mom good. 258 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:17.119 Yeah, because she had she had girls and she had boys, so she 259 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:19.319 had to be it. Yeah, it's really had to be a dad or 260 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:22.720 the mom. Yeah. Yeah, I say that all the time. I 261 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:26.319 think that, uh, you know, there was always this little I think 262 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:30.000 I've said this on the show. Maybe there was always this feeling to do 263 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:33.160 right and to do more and to make meg and prap because he was kind 264 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:37.319 of watching over right, So you know, I always kind of felt that 265 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:38.920 I didn't want my mother to be alone either, So when you had told 266 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:41.119 me that your mom had remarried, you know, I always feel like that's 267 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:45.880 especially if they find somebody who's kind of in this was in the same boat. 268 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:48.799 I think that's important because it doesn't really affect the kids too much as 269 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:52.559 opposed to somebody who's coming in it doesn't have any idea about that, right, 270 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:57.319 So that's that's a pretty good thing, I think. But we always 271 00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:07.000 talk about how the brother the FDNY is such a strong force too for support. 272 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:11.440 Do you remember them being around and always you know, helping out you 273 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:17.640 know. Yeah, So I had like an interesting situation where after the fire, 274 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:22.240 it didn't end because first off, it was a highly like publicized fire 275 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:27.279 as well. So a part of like a part of what really upset me 276 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:30.720 when I was growing up was not so much the fact that my dad had 277 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:34.680 passed, but that every single year we were reliving it in like a big 278 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:41.519 mass where there was always like reporters, different things like that. And also 279 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:47.960 we had a highly publicized criminal trial and civil trial, so that lasted for 280 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:53.680 twelve years after the fire um until they finally like finished both the trials. 281 00:20:53.799 --> 00:21:00.519 So um, I've been around not just like yes, because they've been supportive, 282 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:04.759 but also because we had to be around fireman like the entire time, 283 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:11.480 and they've been so great and also like the reason I like half of my 284 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:18.559 college tuition is funded by different scholarships from the National Fallen Firefighters Association Association Silver 285 00:21:18.640 --> 00:21:25.079 Shields IF a bunch of different like first Responder and Fireman's specific foundations have just 286 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:30.880 like constantly provided me support, especially through college and just the entire time that 287 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:34.880 I've grown up to give a little backdrop on what's going on. Like you 288 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:38.480 had said, these suits, I believe that what happened was it was an 289 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:42.119 illegal alteration in the apartment, so they got trapped and they couldn't get out. 290 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:48.519 So I believe that the tenants were found not guilty, right, Yeah, 291 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:52.599 So the fire originated on the third floor and then shot up to the 292 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:56.839 fourth floor and they had an illegal wall put in, and I believe that 293 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:02.359 the tenants got off not guilty, but the landlords were found guilty and then 294 00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:04.000 it was reversed a year later, I think, right or something like that. 295 00:22:04.119 --> 00:22:07.079 Six months later, Yeah, six months later, what was that about? 296 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:11.680 Why was it reversed? They appealed it. So no, it was 297 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:17.359 basically out of the blue. Um. Six months later, they everybody, 298 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:21.880 my mom, all the other firemen went to the sentencing for them, and 299 00:22:21.960 --> 00:22:26.960 at the sentencing the judge basically said turned around and was like, I don't 300 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:33.400 I believe that there's been like bias in the trial, because what the thing 301 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:38.960 is, the people that were on the jury were most likely this people, 302 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:44.039 presumed that they were assumed that they're most They may have been people that were 303 00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:52.079 in civil similar living situations where they would have um, superintendents and owners of 304 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:56.400 the building that were similar to these this people that were found guilty. These 305 00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:02.359 people that we found guilty. So she found that there was bias in the 306 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:07.519 trial because it might have just been like tenants acting out against your landlord. 307 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:14.240 Right, so um, yeah, they were ultimately found not guilty, remember 308 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:17.079 that, right, But they were found guilty of the civil suit, right 309 00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:19.400 I believe? Yeah? Right, Which you don't want to have to pay 310 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:23.920 something for that, you know. M the civil suit was I don't think 311 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:30.279 it was done until twenty sixteen. Oh wow, oh my god. Out 312 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:33.519 I was in high school. I was like fourteen fifteen. At the time, 313 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:37.759 did you feel like you couldn't get closure because this thing kept dragging on 314 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:41.359 with you know, like you said every year and then with lawsuits and then 315 00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:44.920 with the trials, you feel like you aren't able to get closure with this 316 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.640 thing. It was more like, I don't know, I would say I 317 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.960 was kind of protected from a lot of I was definitely protected from the criminal 318 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:56.240 trial because I was a lot younger. I was like seven eight at the 319 00:23:56.279 --> 00:24:00.359 time, um, so I didn't really know what was going on, but 320 00:24:02.759 --> 00:24:07.920 it was I think I think it was more so what affected me growing up 321 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:12.960 was definitely just like the masses and like the things like that. Like I 322 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:17.559 a part of like that. My whole trauma of like this happening to me 323 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:19.680 when I was younger is I don't really handle death well. And up until 324 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:23.839 probably three or four years ago, I was not able to really talk about 325 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:29.440 my dad, and like I was able to talk about him in general sense, 326 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:33.720 but not in like in depth in detail. And I worked on that 327 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:37.960 a lot, and now I'm like super open about talking about it, and 328 00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:44.400 I'm able to like celebrate him, and I'm able to like do like like 329 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:47.960 on the day of his anniversary. It's much easier for me now than it 330 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:49.759 was for me when I was younger. I feel the same way about that, 331 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:52.519 and I'm fifty five. I was I couldn't do that when I was 332 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:56.000 twenty. There's no way. Honestly, I don't think I could have done 333 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:02.039 it. Yeah, it's it definitely hikes. Like you have to be willing 334 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:07.319 to work on yourself and work on like being okay with it. How was 335 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:10.920 your your brother whose he was older is he? Um? How was he 336 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:12.359 affected by it? More? He was still to be six years old? 337 00:25:12.440 --> 00:25:15.720 Was kind of young. So my sister was six, My brother was really 338 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:22.400 a year older than me. Um, But she was I would say from 339 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:26.119 what I've gathered from my mom that she was one of the only one of 340 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:30.640 the kids that really understood what like what was going on kind of when it 341 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:36.640 when my mom actually told her that my dad like wasn't coming home, and 342 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:42.799 she was like she refused to believe it, and she was like she thought 343 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:47.000 my mom was being mean. She was like, why are you telling me 344 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:52.240 that he's not coming home? Um, So she understood. But like I 345 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:56.279 think all of me and my siblings have handled it all in different ways, 346 00:25:56.559 --> 00:26:00.799 and like even my older brother, UM, when he was younger, like 347 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:04.839 would act out a little bit, probably because he was just like, you 348 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:07.640 didn't know what was going on, Like you're just confused when you're y, 349 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:11.519 you can't identify with it, doesn't know what he's feeling. How Yeah, 350 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:15.799 are you guys all close? We're all super close? Yeah? Anyone want 351 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:22.119 to be a five fighter? Um? Like they're Both of my brothers are 352 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:30.160 interested in it, and my mom is like, there's a lot of there's 353 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:33.000 a lot of guys, a lot of sons. Uh, which is a 354 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:36.160 lot of guys. I don't know how many there is, but it's probably 355 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:37.720 close to one hundred. I would imagine, you know, nine to eleven. 356 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:41.759 Uh you know, Oh yeah, I would say it smaller than that. 357 00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:44.279 Yeah, just Ronnie Gee is three boys are on? Right? It 358 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:47.759 was two boys are on? Yeah too. I always felt like when I 359 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:51.319 met one of those guys, it was such a special thing, you know 360 00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:53.519 what I mean? It really is for those guys to follow into footsteps. 361 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:57.240 Not not that you have to do that obviously, but if if that's what 362 00:26:57.279 --> 00:27:00.319 you want to do, and that's because it's a big you know, you 363 00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:03.319 got big shoes to fill. You have to walk in your own shoes, 364 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:07.559 right, but you're always going to have that little bit of umbrella hanging over 365 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:11.079 here, and you know you're gonna want to make those guys proud obviously, 366 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:17.319 So that's always uh uh just so a little bit different. Uh. Cat 367 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:21.920 when your mom remarried, right, what did your stepdad to He wasn't he 368 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:23.039 wasn't a fire there was he? Or was he? No? He wasn't. 369 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:29.720 Did he did he understand the culture? Did he did he understand the 370 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:33.039 culture of the fire department? Or it was like what the hell is this? 371 00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:37.480 You know, like these guys are here every day because we are you 372 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:42.000 need breath. No. I think he's just a super like friendly nice guy. 373 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:45.799 So he I think enjoys talking to all the fireman when he meets them. 374 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:49.039 And he was a big support system for my mom during the trials. 375 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:55.839 So he met people during the trial, Um that he you know you were 376 00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:57.359 you were saying, there was a few guys that you you met you became 377 00:27:57.440 --> 00:28:03.000 very close with from the firehouse, right. So my mom she became really 378 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:07.519 good friends with Brendan Cowley after the fire, who was one of the firemen 379 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:12.240 who was in the fire with my dad and Brendan and my dad had only 380 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:15.359 met like one time before the fire, so they didn't know each other. 381 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:22.319 Brendan was thirty days on the job. He was prob. And but because 382 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:26.880 they were going to like court every day and like just a part of this, 383 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:32.279 like nobody else really understood. Nobody can really understand what you go through 384 00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:34.559 unless like you were like really a part of the same exact thing. And 385 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:38.960 so my mom and Brendan got super close and to this day are still super 386 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:45.559 close. And when I was writing my screenplay, he was a really like 387 00:28:45.640 --> 00:28:52.160 he was a really helpful person in like getting insight onto the into the fire. 388 00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:56.640 He teaches like a class about the fire to the Fire Academy, and 389 00:28:56.720 --> 00:29:00.279 I was able to actually go and see his prison take at the fire Academy, 390 00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:06.400 and I was completely like, like I thought I knew what happened in 391 00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:08.079 the fire, and hearing him speak, I was like, oh my god, 392 00:29:08.119 --> 00:29:11.720 I had no idea. You know, I was just going to ask 393 00:29:11.720 --> 00:29:15.759 you that question, when did you find out how as an adult, how 394 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:18.200 it actually took place, Because when you're a kid, your palty, oh 395 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:19.640 my dad died in fire, jumped out of window or whatever. When did 396 00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:25.480 you get the full details and didn't change anything with you. I would say, 397 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:30.039 yeah, I would say, I mean I always knew the general details, 398 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:33.519 but I don't. I don't think I knew. I think kind of 399 00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:37.200 every time my mom spoke about it, she would reveal like a little more, 400 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:40.839 long, more to the point where you never really know, like when 401 00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:45.480 you learn the whole story. But I don't think I've had an like as 402 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:48.680 strong of an understanding of it until these past few months when I was researching 403 00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:52.559 this. Well, I think, I mean, we when in the firehouse 404 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:56.559 when unfortunately, if we have a line of duty death, we really they 405 00:29:56.599 --> 00:30:00.680 do like after action, right, and then we get to hear the transmissions, 406 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:06.759 right, we get to see the report and we go over that over 407 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:07.880 and over and over again, right, we you know, because we don't 408 00:30:07.880 --> 00:30:11.319 want to repeat stuff, and we try and figure out what happened and what 409 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:15.880 we could do better and all that stuff. Right. There's not a time 410 00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:19.640 I listened to that those transmissions. That that's one fire that if I listened 411 00:30:19.640 --> 00:30:23.400 to it, just I can't. After it's done, it affects me for 412 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:26.680 the whole day. Like I remember, you know, we would get new 413 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:29.759 guys, whatever it was, we'd make them listen to that. You know, 414 00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:33.720 we'd listen to it. We go over the may Day transmissions and you 415 00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:37.279 know, the roof operations and what the guys did, you know, to 416 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:41.839 save the guys that who lived right, because they could easily you know, 417 00:30:41.880 --> 00:30:45.759 if they didn't stabilize the way they did right with Jean and those guys there. 418 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:48.240 You know, those guys could absolutely if they just rushed them into the 419 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:52.960 ambulance and panicked, you know, those guys might not be here, Jeff. 420 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:56.359 You know. So there was a lot of guys that kept their cool 421 00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:57.440 and did the right thing. And that's one of the things that I take 422 00:30:57.559 --> 00:31:03.160 from that job is, um, you know, to take your you know, 423 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:04.359 hurry up, but take your time right you had you know, those 424 00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:08.079 guys really did. Those guys solid and they're here and they're you know, 425 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:12.240 you know for that, you know. Unfortunately, you know, they jumped 426 00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:15.839 out four stories or whatever it was, but there was two stories more in 427 00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:18.799 the back, so it was like six stories, you know what I mean. 428 00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:21.240 So I just listened to that. If you say that, I was 429 00:31:21.279 --> 00:31:23.200 just listening to the taste before we came on. Oh so, just so 430 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:27.720 it affects me all the time. You know what I mean. But what 431 00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:32.160 what did I have here? I had? UM? So what school? 432 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:33.480 What school you're at? What what do you where are you at? What 433 00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:37.519 are you doing? I'm at NYU UM and I'm going into my senior year. 434 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:42.200 I studied dramatic writing and production. So dramatic writing is TV writing, 435 00:31:42.240 --> 00:31:48.720 screenwriting, and playwriting, and I'm concentrated in screenwriting. Very cool. So 436 00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:51.839 tell me how you came up with this idea other than being in school? 437 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:55.400 What was the first the impetus? What was Did you always have this in 438 00:31:55.440 --> 00:31:59.319 your head or it just it was always? It was always something I wanted 439 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:04.160 to write as soon as I like really realized that I wanted to do screenwriting, 440 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:09.799 but it wasn't something I felt like confident in, like skill wise yet. 441 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:14.759 So I you know, I was really working been working on my writing 442 00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:17.359 in the past year. I finally wanted to do it. But I know 443 00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:22.480 my mom and the other firemen have been approached in years past about having a 444 00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:29.640 film made, so but it just never came to fruition because the film industry 445 00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:31.680 is just like that. It can take ten years, it can take twenty 446 00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:36.480 years, and it could not get made, especially when there's a writer strike. 447 00:32:37.000 --> 00:32:39.559 Yeah, so there's a writer strike, which is you know, an 448 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:45.559 issue for me right now. But yeah, so I started writing the screenplay 449 00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:52.079 in January and I finished it in April, and then I've just obviously done 450 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:58.440 a lot of revisions different things, and I'm at a point where I'm like 451 00:32:58.599 --> 00:33:04.079 very confident in my version right now. But if any if anyone, if 452 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:07.039 any of you, right then, you know, like you're constantly changing things, 453 00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:10.200 right So where does it start? And I was just going to be 454 00:33:10.359 --> 00:33:14.480 a movie or is this going to be it's a movie? Yeah, okay, 455 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:16.599 So what does it start? From? What timeline to up to the 456 00:33:16.640 --> 00:33:21.000 fire or take us a little bit through it? It starts the day before 457 00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:25.160 the fire. Um, kind of going into the conditions of the fire and 458 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:34.039 how it was a blizzard, it was frozen fire hydrants. Yea, it 459 00:33:34.160 --> 00:33:37.160 basically, Um, my dad wasn't even supposed to be on duty. He 460 00:33:37.480 --> 00:33:43.400 got had to stay for overtime because people they were held hostage because nobody could 461 00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:46.319 come in. I remember I remember driving home. I had a pickup truck 462 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:50.799 that had four wheel drive, Otherwise I would guys stayed there because they could 463 00:33:50.839 --> 00:33:54.440 not get home. Yeah, right, Um, and so then it moves 464 00:33:54.599 --> 00:34:00.279 on to basically the six months after the fire, and then it does time 465 00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:05.640 jump to five years later during the actual criminal trial. Very cool. So 466 00:34:05.640 --> 00:34:09.079 you got a little bit of police stuff in there, Mike, What is 467 00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:14.679 your moptick about it? Um? She likes it. She's she's a mom 468 00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:16.599 though, so she just thinks every thing I do is great. Um. 469 00:34:17.719 --> 00:34:23.800 So uh yeah, But I interviewed her for probably I don't even know for 470 00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:28.760 how many hours, probably like close to ten hours at this point now, 471 00:34:28.960 --> 00:34:32.519 where she's just told me little details and we'll text me things like throughout the 472 00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:36.119 day and we'll be like, oh, and this happened too. I Like, 473 00:34:36.159 --> 00:34:37.800 I don't know if I told you that. Um, you remember stuff, 474 00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:43.840 right? Yeah? Our INSIGHT's been really great. So what's what's the 475 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:45.559 track? What's the track now? Like where do you you have the thing 476 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:49.239 written? Like? What what do you do now? Like do you have 477 00:34:49.280 --> 00:34:52.639 to get on the horse and go talk to people? Like what do you 478 00:34:52.679 --> 00:34:57.400 do next? Yeah? So that's where the writers strike kind of um messes 479 00:34:57.440 --> 00:35:01.559 things up. So I haven't written. And what I'm doing with my website 480 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:07.079 now is I'm trying to get people interested and I'm also selling hats on it, 481 00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:14.480 so that like to raise early development funds so that I can submit to 482 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:19.639 different screenplay contests and film festivals that have like script competitions, which is what 483 00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:23.800 I've been doing as of late. That will then if I do well in 484 00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:29.000 those, will get credibility to my name and also introduce me to different producers 485 00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:34.960 or directors, investors, whatever it is. But if the writers strike wasn't 486 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:38.440 going on right now, I would be pitching it to producers, be banging 487 00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:44.159 on doors. Yeah, exactly, doing anything I could. Is that how 488 00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:46.440 every movie is made. I don't have no idea. Every movie, every 489 00:35:46.480 --> 00:35:51.960 TV series, everything you see on Netflix basically the same thing. Somebody comes 490 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:53.480 up with an idea write something, and then goes and says, well, 491 00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:57.880 usually an idea you'd hire a writer, but she's already a writer, so 492 00:35:57.920 --> 00:36:00.280 it seems like she's wrote the screenplay herself. She doesn't have to find a 493 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:04.360 writer, no, I know. So then she just goes like to the 494 00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:07.679 producers and that's at huh and this financial backing, and then, like she 495 00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:10.119 said, she's got to get a name for herself right with credibility, and 496 00:36:10.119 --> 00:36:15.760 then it always helps to land somebody who you think would uh you know, 497 00:36:15.159 --> 00:36:22.440 be interested right a name a named actor that you'd be interested in UM or 498 00:36:22.519 --> 00:36:25.400 would be interested in your in your piece, and that would give it a 499 00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:30.920 lot more credibility, right am I correcting? That? Does a school help 500 00:36:30.920 --> 00:36:37.800 you with that? Um? So? They The way my program works specifically 501 00:36:37.960 --> 00:36:43.840 is I was able to write my script within UM school and get like feedback 502 00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:47.320 while I was doing that. So for writing, they do. And also 503 00:36:47.760 --> 00:36:52.079 they you do. You have resources, You have a career counselors, you 504 00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:55.920 have an aluminis what I mean? Yeah? Yeah, so in a sense. 505 00:36:57.039 --> 00:37:00.280 Yeah, and also like your people when you're in film sch cool, 506 00:37:00.360 --> 00:37:04.000 like the person sitting next to you could be somebody that helps you make your 507 00:37:04.039 --> 00:37:07.559 next film, you know right. The alumni is the guys you gotta Those 508 00:37:07.559 --> 00:37:09.519 are the people you gotta work on because lean on them. Yeah, that 509 00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:12.840 could be lean on him, you know what I mean? Roofie could be 510 00:37:13.639 --> 00:37:17.599 forgot Yeah with the eyebrows. In that case, I think we should run 511 00:37:17.639 --> 00:37:22.719 that one more time because it's people have been coming in after and if you 512 00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:24.159 guys who are coming in after, we need to help this young lady to 513 00:37:24.159 --> 00:37:30.119 get her project off the ground. Righting a screenplay about the fire that we're 514 00:37:30.119 --> 00:37:32.480 over seven hundred thous already, but we want more. We want more. 515 00:37:32.679 --> 00:37:36.639 Let's run out of you. I mean, I question cat. That ring 516 00:37:36.679 --> 00:37:37.920 you have on your middle fingers. That's not your dad's wedding ring. Here's 517 00:37:37.920 --> 00:37:40.920 a planny change. Oh no, it's not. It's just because I saw 518 00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:43.800 him he had a ring on his fat up. Maybe that would be it. 519 00:37:43.880 --> 00:37:46.159 Oh, there goes Frankie stuff and throned in there. Big job, 520 00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:52.840 Frankie once again, Ladies and Gentlemen. Trial by Fire the Black Sunday movie. 521 00:37:58.639 --> 00:38:00.159 When I was two years old, I was in the New York Times. 522 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:07.079 My father was a New York City firefighter who was killed in the line 523 00:38:07.079 --> 00:38:12.800 of duty on an infamous day known as Black Sunday, January twenty third, 524 00:38:12.920 --> 00:38:17.679 two thousand and five, the day an unwelcome spotlight was immediately focused on my 525 00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:30.639 family at the worst time in our lives. That tragic day began like any 526 00:38:30.679 --> 00:38:35.159 other from my dad, John Baloo, a father of four from Pearl River, 527 00:38:35.239 --> 00:38:46.360 New York. But after a series of fateful complications in an apartment fire, 528 00:38:46.679 --> 00:38:52.239 he and five other of his FD and WY brothers had to make the 529 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:57.800 horrific choice to jump from a fourth floor window to escape the approaching inferno. 530 00:39:00.679 --> 00:39:02.920 My mom, my three siblings, and I, as well as the other 531 00:39:04.039 --> 00:39:10.719 surviving men who jumped for their lives, were left to grapple with the events 532 00:39:10.760 --> 00:39:17.360 of that tragic day, and after that day, it became clear that jumping 533 00:39:17.480 --> 00:39:30.519 was the decision they should not have had to make. Now, eighteen years 534 00:39:30.599 --> 00:39:36.480 later, my screenplay about Black Sunday will tell the story of the heroic acts 535 00:39:36.519 --> 00:39:42.559 and difficult choices of these men, and the circumstances and injustices that stole their 536 00:39:42.599 --> 00:39:53.079 lives. That fateful day did lead to changes in the New York City Fire 537 00:39:53.119 --> 00:39:59.760 Department that will undoubtedly save the lives of future firefighters, But in order for 538 00:39:59.800 --> 00:40:04.840 the those lives to be saved, my father, Lieutenant Kurt Myron, and 539 00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:13.360 Firefighter Joey de Bernardo had to sacrifice their own lives. It's time for this 540 00:40:13.400 --> 00:40:15.719 story to be told, and I'm asking for your help to make it a 541 00:40:15.719 --> 00:40:44.000 reality on the screen. Hey Coobs, everybody's strowing like you think Burke or 542 00:40:44.119 --> 00:40:46.599 chicker Otis or any of those guys. Yeah, I've been told I have 543 00:40:46.800 --> 00:40:52.360 talked to Kat after when we get off because I've been writing something too so 544 00:40:52.599 --> 00:40:54.519 That's how I know the whole process. So I can say, yeah, 545 00:40:55.880 --> 00:41:00.599 there's a lot of doors, doors that could slant in your face found on 546 00:41:00.639 --> 00:41:04.400 the door, So our teenticles can go places. For sure. We'll definitely 547 00:41:04.480 --> 00:41:08.199 talk after cat. Um. What about the hat We have pictures of the 548 00:41:08.239 --> 00:41:10.920 hats. Yeah, let's pull those, put them up there. Let's pull 549 00:41:10.960 --> 00:41:15.000 those up. Give me one second while we get to those. Of course, 550 00:41:15.079 --> 00:41:22.079 this is all again part of counts world. But part of the question 551 00:41:22.159 --> 00:41:27.639 contreona, but why is why the shamrock? Um? Because every fireman I 552 00:41:27.719 --> 00:41:36.480 know is Irish, but I'm one hundred percent Irish as well. UM. 553 00:41:35.880 --> 00:41:39.480 Okay, but yeah, we used to um do so there's a scholarship in 554 00:41:39.519 --> 00:41:49.800 my dad's name school and UM we used to do um um five k and 555 00:41:49.920 --> 00:41:52.519 a golf outing for them. And these were the hats that we gave away 556 00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:59.719 to the golf outing winners. UM. And people were asking pretty recently being 557 00:41:59.760 --> 00:42:01.199 like, oh, I wish you guys had a shop that you could sell 558 00:42:01.239 --> 00:42:06.519 the hats. So we revived the hats and put it towards because we have 559 00:42:07.360 --> 00:42:12.000 UM. We had already funded the scholarship and we put it towards this fire 560 00:42:12.039 --> 00:42:19.440 command coming into five hundred dollars right there. I think that's Glenn, that's 561 00:42:19.480 --> 00:42:24.239 his I believe that's his company. You very generous menu command fire apparatus. 562 00:42:24.519 --> 00:42:28.719 I lanted that is you, and I believe it is up. I think 563 00:42:28.719 --> 00:42:31.760 we said that about Jewish people. You are very generous, mister Austen. 564 00:42:32.320 --> 00:42:40.000 We're at thirteen das. Definitely getting the text tonight. Great job tonight. 565 00:42:40.679 --> 00:42:45.039 Yes I have question. I don't know what else is gonna ask you. 566 00:42:45.199 --> 00:42:47.199 I actually wanted to ask one if you don't like a coups because you know 567 00:42:47.239 --> 00:42:52.599 we were talking about we were talking before the show, and I don't want 568 00:42:52.599 --> 00:42:54.639 to get pre clemmed. For different reasons. Um, you know, we 569 00:42:54.679 --> 00:42:58.599 grew up without our fathers. You lost your dad at an early age. 570 00:42:58.639 --> 00:43:00.599 My dad wasn't in my life growing up, and a lot fell on our 571 00:43:00.639 --> 00:43:09.079 moms and we don't see it. It wasn't always easy with me and my 572 00:43:09.119 --> 00:43:13.280 mom growing up for a variety of reasons because I was young and I was 573 00:43:13.280 --> 00:43:17.440 a boy. But now that I'm older, I appreciate it. So have 574 00:43:17.519 --> 00:43:21.639 you had that moment now that you're older where you could look back with your 575 00:43:21.639 --> 00:43:23.039 mom and you know, you could say Thank you for everything that you did, 576 00:43:23.360 --> 00:43:25.960 even though it wasn't easy going through the teen years. You know, 577 00:43:27.000 --> 00:43:29.239 you made it to this point. You turned out into such a great young 578 00:43:29.320 --> 00:43:30.679 lady. Have you been able to have that moment with her yet? Since 579 00:43:30.719 --> 00:43:35.880 she had to wear both heads? I think. I think what I've noticed 580 00:43:35.880 --> 00:43:42.159 about my siblings is that we kind of skipped over the rebellious stage in our 581 00:43:42.199 --> 00:43:49.239 life because I feel like we all were so like just knew how difficult her 582 00:43:49.320 --> 00:43:52.400 life was. But obviously, like there's little things, like you argue with 583 00:43:52.440 --> 00:43:58.920 your mom over little things, but it's kind of every single day or every 584 00:43:58.920 --> 00:44:02.800 time I like speak to were about this project or just about in general, 585 00:44:04.039 --> 00:44:08.719 I like, I can't even imagine, like how she raised four kids, 586 00:44:09.400 --> 00:44:14.559 Like I don't, I do not know, and I don't know how she 587 00:44:14.679 --> 00:44:20.000 raised four kids that have gone to college and like have all been like successful 588 00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:23.440 in what we do. So to me, it's insane. Good Oak Trees, 589 00:44:23.480 --> 00:44:28.159 you got their kid, Yeah, no doubt. And Mike, thanks 590 00:44:28.199 --> 00:44:31.639 for getting real with us, brother. I know it was tough for your 591 00:44:31.639 --> 00:44:35.239 mom, tough growing up without her dad. Louie. I saw Louie do 592 00:44:35.320 --> 00:44:38.079 the same good thing we adopted Louie, who was at my house more than 593 00:44:38.119 --> 00:44:40.719 my own brothers were. I think, but I tell your mother all the 594 00:44:40.760 --> 00:44:44.440 time she fed me more than my mother did. I was always over there. 595 00:44:44.840 --> 00:44:45.480 Yeah. So you know what, Mike, I'll adopt you. You 596 00:44:45.599 --> 00:44:52.079 come over to just make me rice and beans, I'll be all right. 597 00:44:52.719 --> 00:44:54.760 Do you still I can make the rice? My wife's Asian bron about the 598 00:44:54.760 --> 00:45:00.519 beans? But do you still do anything with the my house? Are these 599 00:45:00.559 --> 00:45:04.719 still uh? Is it still happening? Or? I actually was just recently 600 00:45:04.880 --> 00:45:07.440 at UM. I do I've I haven't been to the fire house. We 601 00:45:07.480 --> 00:45:12.559 went to the UM. The there used to be a Christmas party every year 602 00:45:12.599 --> 00:45:15.000 that we would go to when we were younger. UM. But and I 603 00:45:15.000 --> 00:45:20.679 went to the fire Academy recently and got a tour of all of the which 604 00:45:21.000 --> 00:45:23.880 is so cool. The fire Academy, UM, the fake subway station, 605 00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:30.760 very cool. UM. But I actually was just recently at UM a Silver 606 00:45:30.880 --> 00:45:37.599 Shields Foundation event UM where we went to see a Broadway play and um that 607 00:45:37.679 --> 00:45:39.639 was somebody who I've gotten scholarships from. And it was great. It was 608 00:45:39.639 --> 00:45:46.639 so much fun. There was um other widows and their daughters who have lost 609 00:45:46.760 --> 00:45:52.800 their dad for me, my sister and my mom went. So, let's 610 00:45:52.800 --> 00:45:57.320 say you get this made and you getting made into a movie, What's what's 611 00:45:57.320 --> 00:46:00.400 your biggest hope? What do you hope comes out of getting this movie made? 612 00:46:00.960 --> 00:46:05.360 Besides the satisfaction of writing it, you know yourself and starting from nothing, 613 00:46:06.079 --> 00:46:07.599 you know, what would be the thing that you'd say, that's what 614 00:46:07.719 --> 00:46:13.480 I really wanted out of this? I guess. I guess in a way, 615 00:46:14.039 --> 00:46:17.920 this movie and like showing like the injustice of the fire would kind of 616 00:46:17.960 --> 00:46:22.880 be a way to get closure, like you said before on like did I 617 00:46:22.920 --> 00:46:27.239 need the trial? Did I need the trials to justify the closure? And 618 00:46:27.800 --> 00:46:32.159 in a sense, like it still doesn't because nobody was held criminally responsible. 619 00:46:32.280 --> 00:46:39.159 Sometimes it still feels so like but but like they did something wrong, you 620 00:46:39.199 --> 00:46:44.440 know, And in a sense having this movie made would kind of be like 621 00:46:44.719 --> 00:46:49.639 having people like almost validated and like agree and be like yeah, like that 622 00:46:49.679 --> 00:46:53.039 shouldn't have happened. People should have been found guilty. Right if you got 623 00:46:53.079 --> 00:46:55.480 a couple of shekels in your pocket, that don't hurt either, you know 624 00:46:55.519 --> 00:47:02.039 what I mean? Yeah, of course I like it. I know we 625 00:47:02.079 --> 00:47:07.119 could say hey we know Kat, when right, Hey Kat who's this? 626 00:47:07.199 --> 00:47:13.199 Who's this? Sorry? Never heard you? Coops? Whoops? Who I'm 627 00:47:13.199 --> 00:47:16.199 talking to? That's funny? Anybody else got any more questions? Well? 628 00:47:16.400 --> 00:47:21.559 Kat want to say anything else? Have you got anything else? Grown? 629 00:47:21.639 --> 00:47:23.599 Was there anything else that you wanted to anything? Do you want to talk 630 00:47:23.639 --> 00:47:28.159 about it? I wouldn't thank everyone for their donations and also thank you guys 631 00:47:28.159 --> 00:47:31.079 for having me on the show. Oh. I love you know, people 632 00:47:31.559 --> 00:47:36.280 who have an idea. It starts out to see, you know, just 633 00:47:36.320 --> 00:47:38.840 an idea and it and it takes off, you know, it takes lens 634 00:47:38.840 --> 00:47:43.480 of its own. It just becomes a movie like that. It's just amazing. 635 00:47:43.480 --> 00:47:45.880 I love when people can create something from nothing. You know. All 636 00:47:45.960 --> 00:47:49.960 right, so hold on if you get if you get this done in a 637 00:47:50.039 --> 00:47:52.760 timeframe of let's say whatever, six six months, a year, like, 638 00:47:53.320 --> 00:47:55.480 you're not gonna forget us, right, You're gonna come back on the show. 639 00:47:55.519 --> 00:48:01.559 And you know, of course do you want to be in the movie 640 00:48:02.119 --> 00:48:05.440 when when I DM or on LinkedIn? Hey, you want to come back 641 00:48:05.440 --> 00:48:08.800 on getting salty? Who are looking for a short guy with a big nose 642 00:48:08.840 --> 00:48:12.719 and glasses? I got that's me. I could I could be that guy. 643 00:48:12.960 --> 00:48:15.679 I could play the Bronx Dominican. You know I'm half I get a 644 00:48:15.719 --> 00:48:20.960 cup. Yeah yeah, Well, thank you young ladies for coming on the 645 00:48:20.960 --> 00:48:23.760 show and sharing your your project with us, and hope we can send you 646 00:48:23.800 --> 00:48:28.079 off in the right direction. Here put that website. Oh we gotta play 647 00:48:28.079 --> 00:48:30.119 out commercial. We do gotta get paid, Mike, you're supposed to be. 648 00:48:30.360 --> 00:48:32.079 We'll play Armor Tough and then we'll put up the website. But here's 649 00:48:32.079 --> 00:48:37.639 a word from Vince over at Armor Tough. Armor Tough interlocking floor tiles are 650 00:48:37.679 --> 00:48:43.800 the best choice to replace new or aging, stained or cracked concrete or epoxy 651 00:48:43.840 --> 00:48:49.159 floors. Here's why. Armor Tough tiles come with a lifetime warranty and are 652 00:48:49.239 --> 00:48:52.440 usually installed in one or two days, depending on the size of your station, 653 00:48:52.760 --> 00:49:00.320 with virtually no disruption in daily operation. Armor Tough interlocking tiles are guarantee 654 00:49:00.039 --> 00:49:05.400 from chipping, cracking, peeling, breaking, or staining. Once installed. 655 00:49:05.679 --> 00:49:09.239 The tiles are non skid and non slip and meet the ADA standards for the 656 00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:15.679 friction coefficient. The tiles are stain resistant and impervious to any chemicals or vollatles 657 00:49:15.719 --> 00:49:20.920 that are used in the fire service. Once installed, your floor will be 658 00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:24.320 easy to clean with just soap and water. Install an armor tough tile floor 659 00:49:24.440 --> 00:49:30.880 in your apparatus, base offices, training rooms, workshops, exercise rooms, 660 00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:35.400 kitchens, banquet halls, or any other room in your station. Call Vince 661 00:49:35.480 --> 00:49:39.639 Today for a no obligation quote at nine O eight nine one seven seven six 662 00:49:39.880 --> 00:49:45.840 nine seven. 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You know, I know the 670 00:50:23.239 --> 00:50:28.119 guys love the five stories, and we love you know, the drilling and 671 00:50:28.119 --> 00:50:31.400 all the stuff, But this is really this is what firefighters are about. 672 00:50:31.519 --> 00:50:35.800 Man. This young lady came on here and you guys reached into your pocket 673 00:50:36.159 --> 00:50:37.559 because we take care of our own. Not only do we take care of 674 00:50:37.599 --> 00:50:40.320 people that we don't know. When we run into a building, you don't 675 00:50:40.320 --> 00:50:43.320 know who they are, we don't know what sex, call a race, 676 00:50:43.440 --> 00:50:45.039 whatever they are. But we take care of our own. You know, 677 00:50:45.119 --> 00:50:49.119 even though your dad's gone. How many is that? That's what we do 678 00:50:49.280 --> 00:50:53.480 and I am. I am so proud of audience tonight to help this young 679 00:50:53.559 --> 00:50:58.920 lady, you know, fulfill her dream. Mike, you're gonna get you 680 00:50:58.920 --> 00:51:01.400 Olver Clinton against that. So guys, thank you so much. This is 681 00:51:01.400 --> 00:51:07.280 what we do. We're just almost two brand. Kevin and I are going 682 00:51:07.320 --> 00:51:10.880 to donate one thousand, so we're going to do three thousand. Beautiful to 683 00:51:10.960 --> 00:51:14.760 you. Thank you so much. And you know we stayed a cop guy. 684 00:51:14.960 --> 00:51:21.960 Hey, that's where we say. We wish you the best of luck 685 00:51:22.079 --> 00:51:25.159 and we're gonna keep keep in touch with you. Hand. Don't forget the 686 00:51:25.199 --> 00:51:29.880 website, John Blue dot com ww jot, don't get some hacks or something, 687 00:51:30.199 --> 00:51:32.840 and get the shine box. While you're at it. We have one 688 00:51:32.840 --> 00:51:37.320 shout out Mike, hold on yeah, and he find his let me find 689 00:51:37.360 --> 00:51:43.440 his photo. Are all right? We have a message from let's see dear 690 00:51:43.559 --> 00:51:47.320 Born Fire Department. Today we congratulate the time Chief Brian Keith on his retirement 691 00:51:47.360 --> 00:51:53.000 from the Dearborn Fire Department after twenty four years of dedicated service. This is 692 00:51:53.039 --> 00:51:59.599 really long, so can't just congratulations Chief from the Dearborn Fire Department. Enjoy 693 00:51:59.639 --> 00:52:04.840 your time and come on in the water's fine, beautiful. Thank you he 694 00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:07.360 did. Thank you, young lady. Thank you so much for having me. 695 00:52:07.760 --> 00:52:10.119 Proud to have you so much, and it's great to meet you. 696 00:52:10.559 --> 00:52:16.079 Great job. Guys. We'll see you oh Thursday. We have Chief Norman 697 00:52:16.519 --> 00:52:21.599 and the bro of H two oh talking about oh and more coming in. 698 00:52:21.679 --> 00:52:24.840 Look at this and the bro of H two oh coming on to do stam 699 00:52:24.920 --> 00:52:30.000 pipes. We talked about stampipes. More coming in. Thanks guys so much. 700 00:52:30.079 --> 00:52:34.960 You guys are the best. This is what we do until Thursday night. 701 00:52:35.719 --> 00:52:37.599 Stay low and go all right, everybody, We'll see you. The 702 00:52:37.599 --> 00:52:43.199 big one on behalf of lu bluer Fland excuse me, Contryana Blue and Kevin 703 00:52:43.280 --> 00:52:45.480 Coogler on my cologne. Stay safe everyone, We will see you next time.