He’s not just fighting fires. He’s fighting for kids who may not live to see another birthday.

Kurt DeGroot is a firefighter and the founder of Project Fire Buddies, a nationwide nonprofit connecting firefighters with children battling serious illnesses—especially terminal ones. These aren’t just meet-and-greets. They’re life-changing moments. Some of these kids have days left to live. Others just need a reason to smile through the pain.

This episode dives deep into how one small act of kindness turned into a national mission of hope. Kurt opens up about the emotional weight, the kids who changed his life, and why the fire service is uniquely positioned to serve families in crisis.

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Nine firefighters died in a furniture store fire. David Griffin was pumping water at the panel when it happened.

This episode goes deep with Assistant Chief David Griffin of the Charleston Fire Department — a man who lived through one of the deadliest days in American fire service history. From rookie years to command, from trauma to transformation, Griffin walks us through the 2007 Super Sofa Fire, the cultural reckoning that followed, and the lifelong burden of survivor’s guilt.

He didn’t just survive. He rebuilt. And he’s still here.

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He earned two Bronze Stars, called in airstrikes under fire, and lost brothers to suicide. But his hardest fight came after the war.

Combat Controller Eric Lionheart didn’t just see combat — he lived through four-hour firefights, called in F-15s under fire, and carried the weight of survivor’s guilt when he came home alone. He opens up about the loss of his teammates, the battle to stay alive after the battlefield, and the foundation he built — First There — to save others when nothing else worked.

This is not just a story about war. It's about what happens when warriors are left to fight alone.

👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.