WENTZVILLE, Mo. — Thanks to a recently launched podcast by the Wentzville Fire Protection District, area residents now have a new platform where they can hear civic and community leaders discuss current issues.

What You Need To Know

  • Cohosted by Wentzville Fire Chief John Schneider and Assistant Fire Chief John LeDoux, the podcast “Hot Topics” is a new way to engage with the growing community and surrounding area with the goal to reach as many people as possible

  • Each episode will center around a featured guest followed by a fire safety tip

  • With new episodes available monthly, the first one was released May 12 with Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione

  • Episodes of the new podcast can be found on RedCircle, Wentzville Fire Protection District website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Cohosted by Wentzville Fire Chief John Schneider and Assistant Fire Chief John LeDoux, the podcast “Hot Topics” is a new way to engage with the growing community and surrounding area with the goal to reach as many people as possible.

Each episode will center around a featured guest followed by a fire safety tip, according to Schneider. He said the podcast is recorded and produced for free as part of an advertising package at a local radio station.

With new episodes available monthly, the first one was released May 12 with Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione, which focuses on how the fire district interacts with city officials and provides insights as to how the fire district operates and communicates, Schneider said.

The first safety tip covered grilling, which Guccione started talking about before the cohosts had mentioned it, Schneider said with a smile. However, this instance aligns with the cohosts’ idea of having the podcast be conversational and less scripted.

“We didn’t preplan a whole lot and we kind of just let it go. Sometimes that can backfire on you, but it turned out really well,” Schneider said.

Schneider said he and LeDoux have good chemistry together to execute positive and productive episodes. LeDoux agreed.

“I thought the flow was very good. It was like just sitting down and having a Monday morning office meeting with a cup of coffee,” LeDoux said.

The fire district says it has received positive feedback from residents since releasing the inaugural episode and has gotten compliments from other fire chiefs for thinking outside of the box.

“I didn’t anticipate that kind of feedback from our community, but it’s been great.” LeDoux said.

Since the Wentzville Fire Protection District covers a large portion of Lake St. Louis, June’s episode will feature Lake St. Louis Mayor Jason Law. 

And while the fire district meets with Wentzville School District administration throughout the summer discussing safety plans, Schneider said July’s episode will feature Superintendent Danielle Tormala.

“On a Facebook post, you may get a snapshot picture of a group of us meeting and not a lot of the content behind it in what was happening,” he said, adding that the podcast will give Tormala a chance to get her message out about school safety and working with the fire district.

“I think (the podcast) just gives people a chance to talk and whatever their angle and perspective is on how they interact with us and just sharing it for people,” Schneider said.

August’s episode will center around a well-known business owner. For future episodes, Schneider said he will preview upcoming guests to provide an opportunity for residents to submit questions they would like to ask.

“A lot of times, people complain and are negative on elected officials on the traffic, the water and the sewers, and some of the infrastructure not keeping up with massive development and growth, and so this gives them a chance to try to get in front of those issues and talk about them,” he said.

Episodes of the new podcast can be found on RedCircle, Wentzville Fire Protection District website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.