Q&A With Fire Department Chronicles’ Jason Patton

Jason Patton has been a firefighter/paramedic for the Riviera Beach (Fla.) Fire Department for more than a decade. However, he’s known to tens of millions on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as the face of Fire Department Chronicles. His short videos satirizing various aspects of firefighting and EMS have garnered significant attention and popularity. He is also vice president of Fire Department Coffee, a firefighter-run coffee brand where every purchase helps firefighters and first responders.

As his reach grows, Patton has ambitious plans to use his platform as a positive force within the first responder community. I sat down with Patton to discuss his career, the start and rise of Fire Department Chronicles, and his plans for the future.

EMS World: Tell us about your start in the fire and EMS service.

Patton: I actually was a mechanic, and a friend came up to me and said, “My buddy and I just finished EMT school. We loved it, and you should try it out.” I’m like, “I don’t know what that is, but OK.” I fell in love with EMS immediately—I was like, This is so cool, learning about the human body and how things work! I was amazed by how truly intricate the body is. I fell in love with it from there. I hated my job as a mechanic and just was not very good at it—I will admit when I’m not good at something.

Was there a specific moment when you realized you’d found a home in fire and EMS?

I think going on my ride times and watching how the guys interacted with each other and being in the station and watching what I considered to be brotherhood. You know, the guys came in, cooked together, and talked. There was just this family feel to it—I think that’s what I really wanted. No matter if you’re a police officer, in EMS and fire, or in the military, all of those things have this family feel to them, and that’s what I loved about it.

Tell us about your transition from EMT to paramedic. When did you realize you wanted to be a paramedic?

I finished EMT school on a Friday and started medic school on Monday. I wasn’t even a fully certified EMT before I got into medic school—I needed to have it by the end of the first semester. I wanted the additional knowledge. I just knew from talking to medics and hearing about drug dosages, electric pathways, and rhythms that I wanted to go immediately to the next level. I did work as an EMT through medic school.

Did you have a favorite topic in either EMT or paramedic school?

I loved cardiology. It was such a cool thing to learn about, and I fell in love with rhythms and drug dosages. I also love pharmacology. What I liked about pharmacology was that I could learn about the transactions that happen at the cellular level that make the drugs I was giving work.

Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to work in fire-based EMS?

There is a very animalistic side of fire that I just love. I mean, you have to be a thinking firefighter—you can’t just go in and blow the doors open; that’s how you get killed. But I also love the thought processes that go into being a paramedic. There’s something really intellectual about the EMS side. It’s very satisfying to know someone may be having the worst day of their life, and you’re able to rectify that and get them to a better place.

What is working on the Florida oceanfront like? Are all your calls shark attacks and Jet Ski accidents?

I have run neither of those. The area where I work is very interesting. I know it’s about 85% EMS and 15% fire. There’s a section of town where we see a lot of traumas and a lot of car accidents—it’s a main highway that runs right down the center, plus we’re on the interstate. And then there are other areas with a lot of cardiac arrests and overdoses. So I’ve literally run the gamut of calls.

Transitioning to Fire Department Chronicles, what motivated you to start making short, funny videos about firefighter life?

It started off with what most guys and girls are doing in their departments—just messing around and having a good time with each other. We started making videos hunting for people you see in fire departments, like “hunting the battalion chief” or “hunting the paramedic.”

At what point after making the first couple of videos did you realize that this was going prime-time?

The “hunting the paramedic” video was the one. Everything else leading up to that had gotten probably 20,000 views. The paramedic video got 100,000 views in the first eight hours. After that it was just trying to keep coming up with new stuff all the time, which has been fun.

Currently you have an amazing diversity of content. Lately you’ve been inserting yourself into firefighting- and medical-related TV shows and movies with a green screen. Was the progression incremental, or did you have a road map laid out from the beginning?

Oh, I definitely had no clue what I was doing—I was just riding the wave. It was almost like moving on, by necessity, is what happens. It’s like life: You either expand, adapt, and move forward, or you just stay where you are, and that’s all you have. I then started videos on “the different types of people you’ll see in a fire department” or “the different EMTs you’ll work with.” I just kept expanding and expanding. Trying to stay relevant is the biggest thing you have to do.

I’m amazed by how universal the videos are. I share your videos with people who have no experience with fire or EMS, but they still enjoy them. At what point did you realize you have an audience that is broader than just firefighters, EMS providers, and police officers?

Anytime a video gets x amount of shares or views, I understand it has gotten outside of my realm. These things are very relevant to a lot of people—especially the different firefighters or EMTs you’ll work with, because those same personalities are in every field. That’s when I was like, More people are relating to this than I thought.

Do you have a favorite video or genre you’ve worked on?

The two things I love doing are the different personalities and the green screens. The green screens are probably my favorite—I love talking about that stuff. I get it, [movies and TV shows have] to be dramatic, but some of the things they are doing are completely unrealistic. I try to keep it respectful. I don’t make fun of the actors, because they’re playing a part. I’m not even making fun of the writers, because I get it: You have to make interesting stuff, and if it sells, magical.

Where did you get the idea to green-screen yourself into various movies and TV shows?

Leading up to that I had probably done about eight videos where I reviewed some show and why it was unrealistic. I was messing around, and I thought in one review I should green-screen myself into a couple scenes. Also, I had been trying to teach myself how to do green-screening, and I had finally figured it out. I took one small bit and put it together. I was like, I don’t know how funny this is, and I put it up on TikTok just to see. I had people texting me, like, This is so good, please do more! I put it up on YouTube, and it was insane—I got through like four episodes, and I think I got 70,000 new subscribers in like two weeks. People who would never watch that show watch the green screens.

You’re currently active on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, to name a few. Do you have a favorite platform to put content on?

YouTube is probably my favorite right now. The loyalty that comes with YouTube is insane. TikTok is quickly getting up there because it’s so easy. People make fun of it, but it’s probably one of the easiest platforms to work on. No matter what you make, you can just throw it up there. Sometimes you get a million views, sometimes you get 20, but it’s a cool, easy platform.

Related to this, there’s a movement to use audiovisual content (TV, film, social media) to authentically promote health literacy. Could you comment on the role of your content in this role?

It is possible to portray the things that actually happen, and I actually think it’s a good idea. I think you can educate people through humor.

Fire Department Coffee is based in Rockford (Ill.), and you’re in South Florida. How’d you get involved with them?

I was making a video about how, whenever hurricanes hit, we call in two out of three shifts. There was going to be 30 of us in a station together, and I was saying that coffee was the only thing that was going to keep us from murdering each other. Someone saw that and tagged Fire Department Coffee, and they reached out and said, “Hey we’d love to work with you.” They sent me their coffee, and I loved it. The stronger I made it, the better it tasted, which is the opposite of most brands. So we ended up working together. Luke, who is the CEO, is my best friend, and I’m the vice president.

Every Fire Department Coffee purchase goes to support firefighters and first responders. Could you talk about where that money goes and what good it has done?

Ten percent of all our net proceeds go back to helping sick and injured first responders. Most first responders’ identity is seated in being a first responder, and they’re proud of it. It’s very hard when they get injured and can’t do it anymore. When they lose the identity of being able to provide for their families, that hurts even further. So we want to at least be able to step in and say, “Hey, you know what? We’ll pay your mortgage for the month,” or “We’ll pay your deductibles.”

While I hope nobody reading this will ever need those services, how can someone reach out to get access to your help?

They can e-mail info@firedeptcoffee.com. Let us know what’s going on, and we choose 2–3 charities or individuals per month. We either donate directly to their union, so the union can support them as well; their benevolent fund; or directly to them. Just reach out to tell us what’s going on, and if we’re able to help, we will.

Is there a person or cause you’ve been able to help that stands out in your memory?

My favorite thing recently has been helping unions and benevolent funds, because they are the people helping their brothers and sisters—they’re the ones who know who really needs help. They help guys and girls who need mental health support—they will actually pay their deductibles or pay for their flights to go to facilities. This not only helps them but also their departments and families.

So you’re still taking shifts, you’re making content for Fire Department Chronicles, you’re involved with Fire Department Coffee, and you’re involved with mental health clinics for first responders. How has it been managing all these commitments and responsibilities?

I’m losing my mind one day at a time, [but] it’s been amazing. I don’t take advantage or take for granted the opportunities that I’ve gotten, so working with Banyan Treatment Centers to help first responders and their families get mental health and substance abuse help has been incredible. Being able to support them through the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation and then being able to still respond to calls and help those who help the citizens keeps you grounded and shows you why you’re doing this.

This past year has been incredibly challenging for so many people. Could you comment on first responder mental health both within and outside of the pandemic?

I started creating a course called “How to Hug One-on-One.” It’s nothing clinical. There’s no learning about statistics or how your brain works. It’s a very simplistic approach to why we think the way we think and how I think we could change that just by saying it’s OK to talk about your feelings. First responders are changing the way they approach mental health, which I love. Not talking about the things you don’t think are OK does not equal toughness—in fact, it’s the opposite. Talking about your feelings or what happened—“Man, that was a really hard call for me”—equals toughness.

You know, we’re always OK with going to the doctor real fast if our leg hurts. Mental health is the same as physical health: You have to maintain it. It’s a natural thing and should be maintained normally.

In your time in EMS and the fire service, what positive changes have you noticed, and what work still needs to happen?

The response of CISD (critical incident stress debriefing) teams has made things so much better, especially where I am. That didn’t happen five years ago. What can happen in the future is everybody gets together. This is a very two-sided thing. At the top side, the governmental bodies and the chiefs need to recognize that just because you don’t have an issue with something, that doesn’t mean the guy next to you doesn’t. We need to put forth the financial backing that says, “If you need help, it’s not a big deal.” On the bottom side, first responders, from the day they get on the job, need to know that if you need to talk, nobody’s judging you. Because we’re here to help you the best way we can, and we all go through it.

Aditya C. Shekhar is a research scientist, EMS educator, and writer. He has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications in the cardiovascular sciences, emergency medicine, resuscitation, and neuroscience fields. In addition, he has taught EMS personnel in the United States and internationally and has helped develop test questions for the National Registry.