The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Tue, 25 Mar 2025
SUMMARYAdam McFadden, a Canadian firefighter, entrepreneur, and bestselling author, is the founder of Firehouse Training — one of the country’s leading fire service and workplace safety training companies. With a background in both real estate investing and sales, Adam brings a rare combination of first-responder grit and business acumen to the table. His work has helped thousands of aspiring and active firefighters upskill and adapt to modern-day hazards such as electric vehicle fires and high-rise incidents.In this episode, Adam dives deep into his journey — from growing up with an entrepreneurial role model, to investing in real estate in his early twenties, and ultimately building a business that educates and empowers others. He shares how discipline, consistency, and a mindset shift helped him juggle a demanding job while scaling a successful business. Listeners will get practical advice on time management, leveraging adversity, and why the ability to "put out fires" mentally and emotionally is just as crucial in business as it is on the field.CHAPTERS02:06 - Meet Adam McFadden: Firefighter & Entrepreneur04:18 - Why Firefighters Need Continuous Learning06:07 - From Sales to Fire Safety: The Career Path08:15 - Discipline After the Shift: The Real Hustle10:10 - Delegating to Scale: Growing After the Pandemic12:18 - Student Landlord at 21: Real Estate Beginnings14:00 - Firefighter Mindset for Business Problems16:45 - Investing Mistakes That Built Resilience19:12 - Why Most People Never Start21:40 - The Legacy You Leave BehindGUEST DETAILSName: Adam McFaddenBusiness: Firehouse TrainingWebsite: https://www.firehousetraining.caInstagram: @firehousetrainingLinkedIn: Adam McFaddenBooks: Available via Firehouse Training or Amazon (search “Adam McFadden”)
Chapter 1: Who is Adam McFadden and what does he do?
Chapter 2: Why is continuous learning important for firefighters?
I think a lot of people think, oh, I don't have time. I'm working, right? But we know as entrepreneurs, you have to create the time and maybe give up the Netflix for two hours a night to work on the business. How do you juggle both and advice for people like that?
We see many make excuses. They don't have the time. You know, maybe they don't have the finances to start their own business. But the only advice I could say is. It spans the globe like a super high school internet Elvis Presley.
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hello and welcome back to another episode of legacy makers podcast today joining me is adam from firehouse training epic epic story we've got today we're diving into how he does his day job still helping fight fires but then also educates thousands of people in his industry he's one of the leading educators an author an investor and yeah a ton more to dive into adam welcome to the show
Appreciate it, Rudy. Thanks for having me. So look, if people don't know who you are, I know you've got a whole story and your episodes diving into it all and you're doing a lot on the business side, obviously in your day job, the investing side. Do you mind just giving a quick intro to everyone about yourself?
My name's Adam. I'm with Firehouse Training. We're one of Canada's largest fire service and workplace safety training companies. We've had the opportunity over the last many years to train thousands and thousands of aspiring firefighters, current firefighters and other workplaces, both online in our virtual format and in our in-class sessions as well.
So again, having the chance to train and teach and do what I absolutely love to do, I can basically say I'm living the dream every single day, Rudy.
Well, that's the great thing about entrepreneurship, right? Most of us build businesses based on what we're passionate about, right? And it's really
rewarding to be able to do so and then the legacy part is being able to change lives in the process so i know you're obviously doing that through the education system and you know this is you've got even more planned with that so what what for someone that uh is watching doesn't maybe know the business side uh and maybe assumes that everyone's just trained to fight fires like what what do you do you know how does that work
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Chapter 3: What challenges do firefighters face in modern training?
Chapter 4: How can discipline help in balancing work and entrepreneurship?
Appreciate it, Rudy. Thanks for having me. So look, if people don't know who you are, I know you've got a whole story and your episodes diving into it all and you're doing a lot on the business side, obviously in your day job, the investing side. Do you mind just giving a quick intro to everyone about yourself?
My name's Adam. I'm with Firehouse Training. We're one of Canada's largest fire service and workplace safety training companies. We've had the opportunity over the last many years to train thousands and thousands of aspiring firefighters, current firefighters and other workplaces, both online in our virtual format and in our in-class sessions as well.
So again, having the chance to train and teach and do what I absolutely love to do, I can basically say I'm living the dream every single day, Rudy.
Well, that's the great thing about entrepreneurship, right? Most of us build businesses based on what we're passionate about, right? And it's really
rewarding to be able to do so and then the legacy part is being able to change lives in the process so i know you're obviously doing that through the education system and you know this is you've got even more planned with that so what what for someone that uh is watching doesn't maybe know the business side uh and maybe assumes that everyone's just trained to fight fires like what what do you do you know how does that work
I think right now we see in the industry that there's some amazing standardized training that's out there, but firefighters and workplaces are always looking for more. We know the technology changes, the risks and the hazards change. So whether it's dealing with electric vehicles, hazardous materials, or fires that are happening in the vertical cities, such as high rises.
We see these different challenges and the specialty training that goes along with it, and we're able to fill a lot of those gaps with some of the experience that I bring and some of the fantastic instructors that I have within my company to help share their perspective, experience, education, and knowledge with our students across the country, in Canada, and even in the U.S.
through various conferences that we speak at as well.
Well, and that's a great example, because, yeah, I guess, you know, when you become a firefighter, you learn a certain way. But 10 years later, now there's Teslas blowing up around, you know, on the roads. And you have to approach that differently because the mechanics versus a regular car. For sure.
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Chapter 5: What are the common excuses people make for not starting a business?
Chapter 6: What lessons can be learned from real estate investing?
Well, and that's a great example, because, yeah, I guess, you know, when you become a firefighter, you learn a certain way. But 10 years later, now there's Teslas blowing up around, you know, on the roads. And you have to approach that differently because the mechanics versus a regular car. For sure.
Chapter 7: How can someone juggle a demanding job and a side business?
I'm a big proponent of continuous learning and professional development and to constantly hone your skills. I have the ability through my company to. constantly be around people that want to learn and are engaged and passionate about the job.
And not only, like they say, your network is your net worth, but the ability to learn from others and educate and then pass that along to the students that take our courses across North America. It's a treat. I absolutely love it. And we see not only positive engagement from the students, but the feedback we get, the reviews.
It's something that motivates me each and every day to continue to do what I'm doing and grow this business as big as I can.
Yeah. But and within that sector and I think the kind of public health sector, you're a rarity because a lot of people aren't entrepreneurial. Right. Like I know a lot of nurses or police and and they're very passionate about helping people, great people. But from a financial marketing business standpoint, they they're kind of stuck in their ways. Right.
Chapter 8: What legacy do you want to leave behind?
So what made you do all this and kind of separate yourself?
Yeah, it's interesting. You know, growing up, I had a grandfather that had a flourishing business in the fragrance industry and watching him and his entrepreneurial spirit and building a business and working for himself was something that I always thought I wanted to do and follow in.
You know, there's a certain lifestyle that came with that, that I always thought in the back of my mind, I would like to have for myself.
But even with that, having the ability to transition into a sales and marketing career that many people don't know I had prior to becoming a first responder allowed me to learn how to pitch a product, going to networking events and meetings, organizing emails and traveling across Canada with that company really gave me the skill sets to become a budding entrepreneur.
In my early 20s, I also started investing in real estate, which, as you know, when you're dealing with tenants and banks and mortgage brokers, there certainly is a lot to learn that way. But after being a real estate investor for 20 years, seeing the highs and even the lows has allowed me to establish a mindset as an entrepreneur that, in my opinion, allows me to be unbeatable.
Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, hopefully this message and your story and your episode and everything you do is inspiring for people in the public sector, first responders like my, you know, my dad came from that and you don't get paid much, right? Like, sadly, for all the amazing work you do.
So hopefully, you know, it's also inspiration for the people watching if they're in that sector or any nine to five that... you can go on and create that generational wealth or at least that financial freedom, even while working, I think is a really important point too, because I think a lot of people think, oh, I don't have time. I'm working, right?
But we know as entrepreneurs, you have to create the time and maybe give up the Netflix for two hours and work on the business. How would you juggle, how'd you juggle both an advice for people like that?
For myself, we see many make excuses. They don't have the time. Maybe they don't have the finances to start their own business. But the only advice I can say is you just have to start. You have to put pen to paper. You have to start writing down those ideas. Document your thoughts and look to find a way to push those ideas and those processes forward each and every day.
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