# A Truck Exploded Feet From Him — A Fire Chief on Leadership, Culture & Faith | Aaron Burlingame

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-zach-and-pat-show-6732613/a-truck-exploded-feet-from-him-a-fire-chief-on-leadership-culture-faith-aaron-burlingame
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-zach-and-pat-show-6732613/a-truck-exploded-feet-from-him-a-fire-chief-on-leadership-culture-faith-aaron-burlingame.md
Podcast: [The Zach and Pat Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-zach-and-pat-show-6732613)
Published: 2026-07-07T21:33:45+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.com/podcasts/thezachandpatshow/2970111
Audio file: https://content.rss.com/episodes/243521/2970111/thezachandpatshow/2026_07_07_21_32_17_6cfbb375-4546-49ad-a0f4-2a70181769d2.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-zach-and-pat-show-6732613/episodes/a-truck-exploded-feet-from-him-a-fire-chief-on-leadership-culture-faith-aaron-burlingame
Duration seconds: 4111

## Resource

In 2018, a truck exploded just feet from firefighter Aaron Burlingame. He came back. This one’s about leadership, culture, faith, and what the worst days teach you about what actually matters. Aaron Burlingame — Battalion Chief with the St. Charles Fire Department — sits down with Zach & Pat on leading vs. bossing, building a culture people choose over higher pay, first-responder mental health, raising sons who own their mistakes, surviving serious burns, and the faith he found on the other side. Real conversation, no clickbait. ▶ CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Aaron Burlingame — St. Charles Fire 01:00 Why a fire chief fell for jiu-jitsu 06:00 The real lesson: consistency & doing hard things 11:30 Leadership isn’t being in charge — it’s responsibility 15:00 How "Discipline Equals Freedom" changed his leadership 17:00 What the worst days teach you about what matters 18:00 How the fire service finally took mental health seriously 23:00 The culture that put St. Charles on the map 31:30 The cell-phone box: rebuilding conversation 34:45 The Dungeons & Dragons leadership lesson 39:30 A leadership mistake he still learns from 46:00 Watching his son enter the fire service 51:20 The day a truck exploded feet away 57:00 Faith, "box receipts," and finding the good 1:01:00 Muddy River FOOLS & the brotherhood 1:05:00 One thing you can do tomorrow: fill your cup 1:07:00 The Tombstone Game ▶ Help us hit 1,000 subscribers before the end of 2026 — SUBSCRIBE! ▶ FOLLOW US ON IG Zach: https://www.instagram.com/zach_fagas/ Pat: https://www.instagram.com/stl_mortgagenerd/ Murph: https://www.instagram.com/thedaily_murph/ ▶ OUR PARTNERS CPTN Beard Co — use code ZACHANDPAT for 10% off your order The Normal Brand — https://sldr.page.link/ZCYFu ▶ ABOUT THE SHOW The Zach & Pat Show — hon…

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