Inside a Firefighter’s Battle with Trauma, PTSD & Addiction | Brandon Smallidge

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.9 • 606 Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2025

⏱️ 129 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brandon Smallidge shares how his job as a firefighter led to PTSD, addiction, and the fight to rebuild his life. #FirefighterTrauma #PTSD #AddictionRecovery #FirstResponderStruggles #MentalHealthAwareness #TrueStory #OvercomingDarkness #lifelessons Thank you to DRAFT KINGS for sponsoring today's episode: New players can get FIVE HUNDRED CASINO SPINS ON A FEATURED GAME! Just sign up with code IANBICK and wager a minimum of five dollars to receive FIVE HUNDRED CASINO SPINS ON A FEATURED GAME. Connect with Brandon Smallidge: Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/brandon.smallidge/ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Buy Merch: https://convictclothing.net/collections/convict-clothing-x-ian-bick Timestamps: 00:00:00 Growing Up in Connecticut: Childhood Reflections and Family Dynamics 00:12:03 Emotional Impact of Adoption and Family Dynamics 00:15:36 Adjusting to a New Family Dynamic 00:23:51 Childhood Dreams of Becoming a Firefighter 00:31:49 Firefighter Training: Beyond the Basics 00:39:14 Firefighting Challenges and Risks 00:47:03 Contractor Bid Rigging Scandals 00:54:52 Dangerous Encounters in Repossession 01:05:00 Struggling with Mental Health: A Personal Story 01:10:18 The Impact of Hearing the Death Rattle 01:18:06 The Cycle of Trauma and Addiction in Firefighters 01:26:42 Emergency Room Delays: The Struggle for Timely Help 01:34:50 Surgery and Recovery 01:42:20 Struggles with Pain Medication Abuse 01:51:57 Discovering Pregnancy After Car Accident 01:58:37 Realization and Responsibility: Becoming a Parent 02:06:48 Sharing Stories for Inspiration and Hope Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:28.0	for the advice service, eligibility and fees apply.
0:30.0	Brandon, welcome to locked in, man, a fellow Connecticut restaurant, resident, not restaurant.
0:35.2	Thanks for having me.
0:36.4	Yeah, thanks for supporting the show and reaching out to come on today, man.
0:39.8	It means a lot.
0:41.0	Yeah, well, it's a little different than normal story-wise, but...
0:45.7	Yeah, well, we love it a little bit different.
0:47.6	You know, if I sat here and listened to a prison story every day, I think I might lose my mind.
0:52.1	So, you know, every episode is meant to have a
0:56.2	different perspective, whether it's addiction, criminal justice, you know, prison, prison guard,
1:02.2	or EMT, or firefighter, anything, you know, we want to switch it up and keep it different,
1:07.5	or lawyer or prosecutor. Yeah, I mean, it's a, I got quite a few of those checked off.
1:15.1	Now, did you grow up in Connecticut?
	...

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