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Founder's Story
When the Siren Stops: What Really Happens After the Call Ends (And Why No One Talks About It) | Ep 290 with John P. Yirku
00:12:29
In this emotional and deeply human episode, retired first responder John P. Yirku reveals the unseen cost of decades in fire, EMS, and law enforcement. From the moment he realized trauma was stealing time from his family to the four pillars that help first responders heal, John shares stories, lessons, and urgent truths captured in his new book When the Siren Stops.
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- [00:02]
Lowe's Announcer
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- [00:31]
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- [00:58]
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- [02:05]
Podcast Host
So John, I'm very excited to have you on today because I've always had a place in my heart for first responders. My grandfather was a retired New York police officer. He had been in for many decades. He was also in the military before that. And so I can imagine the stuff that you had to go through seeing as you were not only police officer, emt, firefighter, you were many different things and I really appreciate that you are now helping people and I know you have your new book out as well when the siren stops. But John, I think people don't really understand what it's like to be a first responder. So if somebody asks you, John, what is it like to be a first responder, what would you say to them?
- [02:56]
John Yerku
I think a first responder is one who likes to serve. But what people don't realize is there's a lot of things that go on behind the scenes that the public doesn't realize, that what we face and what we see are totally different from what the public sees as first responders. They see us as going into the fire or helping.
- [03:17]
People in a crisis as a police officer, but they don't see what happens afterwards.
- [03:22]
Podcast Host
And so what would you say happens afterwards? Like, what is this mental health struggle that I imagine many of them go through?
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John Yerku
Yeah, a lot of the mental health struggles is actually bottling stuff up and stacking and stacking the responses that they see in here, but not releasing it. They're holding it inside. They don't want to release it. They think, oh, I don't want to burden somebody, or I don't want to put that on someone else. They keep bottling up and they don't want to talk about it. That's the thing. They don't want to talk about it. And that's one of the main goals in my book, is you have to recognize it and then you need to reach out.
- [04:03]
Podcast Host
So what was that moment for you personally when you said, okay, I need to do this, because if not, it's going to be really bad for me long term.
- [04:13]
Lowe's Announcer
Yeah.
- [04:14]
John Yerku
It's the day I recognized that I had an issue was I was playing on the floor with my grandson and we were just having a fun time. We were playing with tractors and stuff on the floor and stuff. And then all of a sudden, I wasn't there. I was off somewhere. We live in an accident that my wife and her on was a very tragic accident. And I was looking at. And then all of a sudden I snapped back and my grandson was looking at me like, what's wrong? That's when I realized that, hey, it doesn't only affect us, it affects our families. And that's when I realized that it sticks with us. And I needed to get that message out that it's just not just me, it's everybody needs to reach out and look for that connection.
- [05:02]
Podcast Host
So what do you think will make people move to being more open, being more vulnerable about these things, being able to talk about them publicly?
- [05:11]
John Yerku
What they need to do is they have to realize that family is important to them. And when they realize that family wants to help and you have to help with that People want to help, but they don't know how to help. And to reach out is the main goal. You have to sit there as a first responder and say, hey, I'm not alone. There's other people just like me. I need to find out how I can connect to somebody. How do I reach that person? How do we connect with each other? There's a, what we call as, I call as a code yellow is where you just text somebody and say, hey, I'm not okay, but hey, that's okay. We can connect and we can discuss it. We don't need to stack it. We need to reach out. We need to communicate. And to do that by reaching out to others that are in the same field or even to mental health professionals that can give you guidance in what to do. But main goal is to communicate and to reach out.
- [06:15]
Podcast Host
If you could say that there's three steps that every single first responder needs to do in order to better themselves, what would those be?
- [06:24]
John Yerku
That's part of my book, is I developed a four pillar system. But first thing you have to recognize, recognize what the situation is and why you're doing it. Do I have sleepless nights? Am I irritable? Do I snap at my wife? Those things that you have to recognize and what's causing that, you have to recognize that. When you recognize that, then you have to reach out. You reach out. How do I reach out? Talk to your wife, talk to your spouse, talk to a friend, talk to.
- [06:56]
Communication or your pastor or something. But you have to communicate and then you have to respond. And how do you respond? You respond by letting people in, letting your emotions show you're not alone. You can do this by also.
- [07:17]
Connecting with others, by just being there for them. I had a friend of mine who was. We talked about this accident that my wife or I involved it, but he. It was an accident. In my book where I talked about where there was 11 people died in one accident. And with that accident, one of the other. The driver that was involved in the accident was a fellow firefighter of mine. He was there and he comes up to me and says, hey, what can I do to help? I said, no, no, no, we got this. You have to stay away. But after all that, we connected and I went over and I just went to him and I just sat there and say, hey, I'm here. That's all I did. He didn't, he didn't communicate. He didn't say anything. I was just there. Just the presence of me being there just to reach out to know that somebody, you're not alone. That's the main thing.
- [08:10]
Podcast Host
So I know you and your wife were firefighters and EMTs, and I think most people will probably never understand what that's like to share the badge with their spouse, but also share in the traumas that you both have faced. What has this partnership taught you about healing and about love?
- [08:31]
John Yerku
Boy, that's, that's something that I really enjoy talking about, is being able to communicate with my spouse. She has her views, I have my views. But yet we can talk about that. We can bounce that off of each other. How did you feel? How did you feel about that? How did you affect you? How did it affect me? I'm irritable. I can tell her, hey, I'm not okay today, you know? And she can say, okay, that's this year.
- [09:03]
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- [09:32]
Capella University Announcer
Is it time to reimagine your future? The right business skills may make a difference in your career. At Capella University, we offer a relevant education that's designed to focus on what you need to know in the business world. We'll teach professional skills to help you pursue your goals like business management, strategic planning, and effective communication. And you can apply these skills right away. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at Capella. Eduardo.
- [10:02]
John Yerku
Hey, this is Sarah. Look, I'm standing out front of a.m. p.m. Right now and, well, you're sweet and.
- [10:08]
Capella University Announcer
All, but I found something more fulfilling.
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John Yerku
Even kind of cheesy.
- [10:11]
Capella University Announcer
But I like it.
- [10:12]
John Yerku
Sure, you met some of my dietary.
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Podcast Host
Needs, but they've just got it all, so farewell oatmeal.
- [10:18]
John Yerku
So long, you strange soggy break up.
- [10:21]
Lowe's Announcer
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- [10:23]
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- [11:01]
Indeed Announcer
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- [11:59]
John Yerku
It'S fine. But being the understanding that we have that communication is awesome. We know how to communicate and that's one of the partnerships that I enjoy. Our love has gone deeper, we understand each other and we can give each other space. But yet that bullet bond is so close. Being in that same field and understanding each other and how we.
- [12:25]
Work together as well.
- [12:26]
Podcast Host
Isn't it amazing how something as simple as communication could solve the world's problems? But we are really bad at communicating, right? Like I think I. I've been through that too, where I wasn't really great communicator and it was, you know, a destroyer of many relationships and I have really had to learn. It's so simple, yet it is so hard. What are, what are some moments that you had where you look back and that they, they make you smile and maybe, maybe you met somebody who you saved many years later or maybe just a moment where you made such an enormous difference, which I'm sure there's many.
- [13:02]
John Yerku
Yeah, I think one of the main moments was a coworker of mine working in the EMS field. He was also working on the ambulance service that I did. I actually had to respond to him and actually did CPR on him and actually he came back and we brought him back and to actually have him come to me and say, hey, thank you. You know, being that we're in the same. Same field, we do the same work, we did the same work. But to have him come back and just say, hey, I was knowing that I was there for him and him to come back and just say thank you. I mean, that's. That's so rewarding. Not only to help save a co worker, but just to have to save a life in that awesome moment. It was just amazing.
- [13:52]
Podcast Host
Wow. I can. I can only imagine that feeling is something that would stick with you forever. Talk about legacy, right? We always think, like, what can we leave to this planet? But if we can help somebody in that moment, I mean, that's legacy enough. When you. When you think about legacy and mission, now that. I'm sorry, are you retired?
- [14:15]
John Yerku
No, I'm currently serving. I serve. I currently serve on two volunteer fire departments. I serve, so.
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Podcast Host
And I understand you know your mission as a first responder. You mentioned it earlier. But when you think about outside of the work, now you have this book, and I know writing a book. I have a book myself, and writing a book was like two and a half years, and I don't know if I would ever want to do it again. It's not an easy thing. People don't realize reliving everything can be very traumatic in itself. But why did you feel that right now in your life in 2025, this was such a critical time for this book?
- [14:53]
John Yerku
Because.
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We see and hear all the noise out there of first responders doing the good work and doing what they do. But we need the support and.
- [15:11]
The guidance from others. Family, professionals and a program. Something that tells us we're not alone. We need to reach out. We need to rebuild. We're not alone. It's okay to tell someone, hey, I'm not okay. It's okay to tell somebody I'm not okay. But also that, hey, I need help.
- [15:37]
We bury the stigma of, hey, I'm tough. I can handle it. We need to get the message out there that, hey, it's okay to say I'm not okay. I need help. People are afraid to reach out for help because, hey, we're tough first responders. We can't do that. It'll make us look weak. No, you're not weak. You. You're human. And that's what we need to that message. We need to get out there.
- [16:02]
Podcast Host
So the fact that you're still working, I mean, even though you've been through all these things and you've been a first responder for many, many decades. You've worked in so many different fields, yet you still have time to give back. And I think that just makes it shows how great of a human you are and I'm honored to have this conversation with you today. But if people I'm sure everyone needs to read this book. It doesn't matter if they are a first responder or are not. Everyone has a situation where they need to probably reach out to somebody and they can learn a lot from this. But if you want to get in the book, how can they do so?
- [16:37]
John Yerku
It's available on Amazon.
- [16:40]
And it's also I do have an audiobook on Audible that's also available and I do have my Website when the Sirenstops.com they can reach reach me there and look for my book there as well.
- [16:53]
Podcast Host
Well John Yerku, when the Siren Stops so go to when the siren stops.com I love the title and I love the URL and just what you're doing. I'm just truly honored that you I got to have this conversation and I hope millions of people around the world will be impacted by not only your story, but also your pillars and everything you're doing to help. So thank you so much for joining us on Founders Story, and thank you.
- [17:19]
John Yerku
I appreciate the opportunity to share my message.
- [17:28]
Capella University Announcer
Is it time to reimagine your future? The right business skills may make a difference in your career. At Capella University, we offer a relevant education that's designed to focus on what you need to know in the business world. We'll teach professional skills to help you pursue your goals like business management, strategic planning, and effective communication, and you can apply these skills right away. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more@capella.edu.
- [17:58]
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- [18:27]
Indeed Announcer
Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job. You need the right person with the right background who can move your business forward. If you want candidates who truly match what you're looking for, trust Indeed Sponsored Jobs with indeed sponsored jobs, your post stands out to quality candidates who actually fit the role. According To Indeed data, 90% are more likely to be hired and trusted by 1.6 million companies. Spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Now with Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help your job get the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast13 just go to Indeed.com podcast13 right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com podcast 1313 terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the Right way with Indeed.
- [19:26]
Podcast Host
Happy Holidays.
- [19:27]
John Yerku
Want to give your host a gift? Consider subscribing, rating and reviewing the show this holiday season. It really helps the show grow from.
- [19:36]
Podcast Host
All of us at Believe. Have a Merry Christmas everyone and a happy Holiday.
- [19:45]
John Yerku
If you like the show, please take.
- [19:46]
Podcast Host
A moment to rate, review and subscribe.
- [19:49]
John Yerku
It really does help the show to grow.
- [19:52]
Indeed Announcer
Thank you for listening.