EPISODE · Aug 27, 2026 · 49 MIN
From Fire Wife to Author One List at a Time
from Fire Family Collective Podcast · host Fire Family Collective
Tami Davis substitute taught for years and raised two teenagers while her husband worked more than twenty years in the fire service. She didn't call herself an author until much later. In this episode she traces that whole path: watching her students get pulled deeper into their phones every year, which is what sparked the young adult novel Despite the Buzz, and turning to writing as a way to process what she went through during the Thomas Fire and the Montecito debris flow. She also lays out screen time rules and an evacuation checklist she built for her family based on the “6 P’s.TakeawaysTen-plus years of substitute teaching put Tami Davis in the room to watch phones take over kids' attention. That's where Despite the Buzz came from.Fire wife to published author took years. Tami says her husband's fire service career is a big reason she had room to finally finish the book.Publishing wasn't a solo effort. Her husband Shaun proofread the manuscript, took time off, and showed up for the book tour.Writing gave Tami a way to process fire wife life long before the novel existed. She was publishing essays and articles years earlier.Fire wife community usually starts small. One text inviting a new spouse to coffee can grow into a real support network over time.No phones until eighth grade, no social media until at least sixteen. Those screen time rules came straight out of Tami's own research for Despite the Buzz.The six P's checklist, people and pets, prescriptions, personal computers, papers, pictures, plastic cards, gives fire families something fast to grab during a wildfire evacuation.MentionedDespite the Buzz"Fire Evacuation and Emergency Preparedness" — Ventura County Mom Collective"Firehouse Feasts: Cooking with our First Responders" — Edible Ojai & Ventura CountyFight Right by John and Julie GottmanThe Mountain Is You by Brianna WiestFully Involved by Mynda OhsFit for Off Duty by Dr. Peter SalernoMindfulness for Warriors by Kim Colegrove911 At Ease International (the "At Ease" counseling program)Iverson Foundation for Active AwarenessOne805LIVE!Memorial Stair ClimbThe Pighetti ProjectWait Until 8th pledgeScreenagers Support the showJOIN US! 👉 https://www.firefamilycollective.org/collectiveSupport our Mission. 👉 https://bit.ly/Donate2FFCConnect with us on Instagram. 👉 https://www.instagram.com/firefamilycollective/Listen on the go:Apple podcasts: https://apple.co/4kvLKwbSpotify: https://spoti.fi/45IIRDlWatch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNC3faooGcHBr1dHm_FVYBsPQ7XAtBtd-----------------The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests of the Fire Family Collective Podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or views of their affiliated fire departments, agencies, employers, the Fire Family Collective, or the Ventura Fire Foundation.All content shared on this podcast is for informational and personal perspective purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, mental health, legal, or therapeutic advice, diagnosis, or treatment. -----------------Copyright of Ventura Fire Foundation 2026.
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Tami Davis substitute taught for years and raised two teenagers while her husband worked more than twenty years in the fire service. She didn't call herself an author until much later. In this episode she traces that whole path: watching her students get pulled deeper into their phones every year, which is what sparked the young adult novel Despite the Buzz, and turning to writing as a way to process what she went through during the Thomas Fire and the Montecito debris flow. She also lays out...
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From Fire Wife to Author One List at a Time
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