Dragon's Den Podcast Ep. 18 (Spanka and Shetler) Oklahoma Smoke Divers Adversity and Perseverance

Welcome to another episode of the Dragon's Den Podcast. Today we have on Justin Spanka and Caleb Shetler. I first met Spanka when he came to teach at the Central Acadiana Fire Symposium with Sean Ryan and the Animal House cadre. I tried to get him onto the podcast pretty early and he kept saying no, but I was finally able to convince him after he and Shetler completed the Oklahoma Smoke Diver program. They are the first individuals in Virginia to complete either the Georgia, Indiana or Oklahoma program. I knew that they both had good experiences and something to offer, with both being unsuccessful the first attempt and then completing it the second attempt. I was absolutely correct. There was so much in this episode that resonated with me that I bit my tongue on many occasions so that they could get there thoughts out. I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. Thanks for listening.Spanka Bio:Grew up in Virginia Beach. Went to college in central VA to play volleyball and ended up getting a bachelors degree in kinesiology. Found the fire service due to interest in medicine and realized the fire side was way cooler. Self proclaimed exercise and wellness nerd. First VA Smoke Divers to complete OSD, GSD, or ISD (Shetler as well). Shetler Bio:Raised in central Virginia and found the fire service as a volunteer at an early age. Left for the midwest and attended Union University where he received a Bachelor of Science in International Rescue & Relief with an emphasis in paramedicine. Worked briefly in Washington, the state where his beautiful wife Jennifer is from, before deciding to start their family back home in Virginia. Currently assigned to the training division as a FF/Paramedic. Graduate of Oklahoma Smoke Diver Class #5 You can follow us on:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dragons_den_training/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/32CpxOAnxDbGGGvNb2UznvRSS - https://media.rss.com/thedragonsden/feed.xmlYouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@DragonsDen03