It’s hard to describe Chief Sonefeld and the Irmo Fire District's influence on my life, but I can confidently say I wouldn’t be who I am without them. From being the very first fire department to trust me with a camera, sponsoring me to attend the South Carolina Fire Academy, and helping navigate my termination and appeal… Irmo changed my life for the better.

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” ⁣

Sandy Dahl
Wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl.

I’m still struggling to put together words, so I’m going to keep it short and let Muller do the talking. This is about his legacy. For his wife, son, family, and brothers, these photos are about the man he was and the fact that all of us are better for having known him.

“…you have to rededicate yourself every single day. Like we were saying earlier, if you’re not coming in, you’re not finding a way that you can fail, one part of shift. You’re not growing, and you’re not doing anything better for the constituents you swore to protect. Like my friends up in Ohio say, the oath keepers, when you raise your right hand and you took an oath… I don’t know if you necessarily do that in the volunteer side but in the career side… It’s not a ceremonial high five. Right? It’s an oath. It’s a commitment. So live it. Have fun! It’s the best job in the world whether you’re getting paid to do it or whether you’re not. If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. It’s as simple as that. Have fun.”

— James Michael Muller // Last Alarm 5.26.23

Soda City Training recently hosted a few friends at a live fire training in Saluda, South Carolina. This was a low-key event with just a few guys, a handful of saws, and an old house with almost no floor — so to the roof, everyone went! This specific training event was one that a good friend of all of ours was meant to be at, so we had fun in his honor; because he wouldn’t have wanted us to do it any other way.

Today I got to take pictures of a good friend after he fought his first legitimate fire, a moment that he’ll never forget!! For many firefighters, significant moments like these often go undocumented and we’re on a mission to change that. By establishing trust, proving we care, and simply being there, we are beginning to create a significant shift in how photography and media are perceived in the fire service. — One photo at a time, we are honoring firefighters by sharing what they do and changing the narrative. We are proving that photos matter!!

If we are ever together and I see a fire truck in the middle of the street, just go ahead and assume that I’m stopping to take pictures of it; especially in Charleston. I enjoy street photography in general but if you combine that with my love for the fire service, it quickly becomes one of my favorite things to photograph. — Here are a few pictures from a recent trip!

We recently had the opportunity to document a multi-day training for the South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, or SC-HART for short.

As a media company, this is different than a lot of other stuff we document because everything we create has to be approved before we can share it; with state and military officials.

With that being said, below are a few of our favorite approved images, information regarding SC-HART, and the official press releases from the training event. — We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to honor these men and women by sharing what they do!

What is there to say about MAFFC other than it makes firefighters happy? In all seriousness, my first MAFFC experience was taking pictures here last year, and I’m thankful to be back. — This is a great conference!!

One of the things that makes it so great is the fact multiple training events are happening simultaneously all over Atlanta. And though we are trying to make it to as many locations as possible, we only made it to one today; DeKalb County’s training center on Warren Road.

So if you weren’t at that specific location, I’ll save you the ten minutes it’ll take to scroll through all 196 photos and go ahead and tell you that we didn’t take your picture today. — We’re sorry.

To everyone that was at DeKalb, great work today!!

We were invited to the Treasure Coast HOT weekend by a Florida firefighter we've taken pictures of at multiple Firefighter Challenge Events and even the EJ Mascaro Training weekend in Charleston. So there was no doubt that if he said it would be a good training event, it was worth a sixteen-hour road trip to take pictures!

As you can see from the photos, it proved to be an incredible two days of searching, ladder work, ropes, rescue, and saws. Both instructors and students put in work, and everyone is better because of it! — Thank you for the invitation, Jesse. It means a lot!

** Not photographed was a live fire/acquired structure portion of the training that occurred offsite at another location.

Southeastern Extrication School was one of the first training events that allowed us to spend a full two days documenting what firefighters do. As a result, we connected with people we now consider friends, which made returning to #SES2023 an easy decision!

There are several training scenarios and various instructors from around the country at this event, including winching, heavy equipment, school buses, and confined spaces, to name a few. New for this year, though, was the "Ugly Tree"; to our knowledge, nothing else like it exists.

What do firefighters do in South Carolina when someone needs to be rescued from what seems like an impossible situation? Sometimes, they partner with the Army National Guard's Aviation Unit!

Comprised of firefighters from around the state and various military members, the South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team is a group of men and women who train for and respond to multiple types of emergencies; they work together for the greater good of the people they swore to serve!

This team, known as SC-HART, is one element of a State Wide Task Force responsible for responding to natural and man-made disasters. — Working with this task force would combine my experience in disaster relief with my heart for honoring firefighters in what seems like a dream come true scenario... #standby

In Lieutenant DiBernardo’s honor, the Joey D Foundation was started in 2013 to help train and equip firefighters in need. Today, the foundation hosts several training opportunities around the United States, and we recently had the privilege of documenting their 2023 Lonestar Edition.

A special thank you to Jason Jeffery and Aaron Heller for making us aware of this particular event and Kevin Yoos for allowing us to come and take pictures. — Thank you, Gentlemen!

The newly formed Spartanburg County Rescue Group held its first quarterly training in March, focusing on trench operations and rescue; a call they recently responded to in their area!

This was our second time documenting a part of the South Carolina Officers Academy, and we hope it’s not our last! This program is unique for many reasons, and the candidates of each class invests a significant amount of time and effort to complete the academy.

A special thank you to Thomas Tardo, Micah Rains, and Rick Dunn for the opportunity.

When Deputy Chief Joshua Holzheimerc invited us to document the push-in ceremony for the City of Greer’s new pumper, we quickly cleared the calendar and accepted the opportunity!

Thanks to the coordination of Jason Joannides with Soda City Training, this was a unique opportunity to document the fire service and law enforcement working together. My favorite part was witnessing Arson K9s, and their handlers, work to find where accelerants were used to start the fire.

Hosted by the South Carolina Firefighters Association, the Fire Service Improvement Conference is a hands-on training event for firefighters from around the state.

We traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina to document the cities Quarterly Training. For Q4 this year, it included rope training and engine work!