Every night-shift EMT knows that “morning” is a suggestion, not a rule. In this episode of Snackin’ & Yakkin’, Big Ben and his partner Buddy Roe crack cold beers at 8:05 a.m., crush Snow Caps, and swap the kind of stories only 24‑hour partners can tell. Ambulance nanny cams, shower beers, racial humor that skirts the edge, a legendary spider battle, and a rant about Bluey’s dad all show up for roll call.

Post-Shift Cold Ones at 8 A.M.

The show opens with two “cold ones” in hand and a clock that says 8:05 a.m. They never drink on the show, but they just came off a 24, so this is their version of happy hour. No brand names, just foam, relief, and a loud “Salude!” from two exhausted medics.

For context, they work 24 hours every fourth day together. Factor in the occasional call-out and the host jokes they spend about 24 percent of their lives in the same ambulance. It feels less like a schedule and more like a part-time marriage.

Meet Buddy Roe, The Hetero Lifemate

Buddy Roe is Big Ben’s EMT partner, “hetero lifemate,” and the only person who reliably watches every episode. Big Ben is a stand-up comic and paramedic, Buddy is his EMS other half, and episode 24 is a nod to their 24-hour shifts.

Their dynamic is pure partner energy:

• Side-by-side for entire days at a time
• Banter that sounds like marriage talk
• Jokes that would absolutely confuse HR

This is the guy who gets the first call when something wild happens on or off the truck.

Ambulance Nanny Cams, Tablet Beeps & One Perfect Prank

A big chunk of the episode is dedicated to the new cameras in their trucks. On paper, these are driver safety devices. In practice, the guys call them “nanny cams” and “tattletales.” They complain that the old system yelled about speeding and following distance, but the new one stayed quiet at 80 mph, then decided to snap at them on every offramp and any time a phone came out.

At one point the camera voice barked “Put down your phone” while Big Ben was just entering an address into GPS in the station lot. Buddy immediately started arguing with the device like it was a salty supervisor. Anyone who has worked under an in‑cab camera will probably relate, especially if they have also read threads like this discussion on ambulance audio and video surveillance.

Then comes the legendary prank. Their Samsung tablet beeps loudly every time they scan an asset in their OPIQ inventory system. Buddy came back from a day off, learned about the new cameras, and was already annoyed. As he drove, Big Ben quietly started scanning items.

Each loud “boop” landed right as they stopped at signs or rolled up behind cars. Buddy exploded at the “camera” for supposedly calling him out on perfect driving. Big Ben kept straight‑faced, let him rage for several beeps, then finally admitted it was just OPIQ. Buddy called their supervisor Trey so he could retell it, and Trey reportedly laughed harder than he ever had at work.

For anyone curious about how these systems are supposed to help, there are vendors pitching full EMS camera packages as tools to protect crews and patients, like this overview of EMS vehicle camera systems for first responders. The podcast version is a lot less polished.

Shower Beers and Snow Caps: Off-Duty Recovery

Big Ben mentions another show he did, “EMScapades: OFF DUTY,” where people raved about the “shower beer” ritual. Finish shift, step into hot water, crack a cold beer, and try to wash 24 hours off body and brain. Buddy is half intrigued, half confused about the temperature mix, but promises to include Big Ben next time he tries a “shower brew.”

For this episode’s snack, Buddy demands the only candy that matters to him: Snow Caps. Nonpareils. The classic movie candy that finished dead last in a previous Snackin’ & Yakkin’ poll. Buddy took that personally.

Big Ben explains that modern Snow Caps feel like semi-sweet chocolate chips rolled in white candy beads, but the ones from his childhood were flat discs. To make it right, he brought Buddy real, oversized nonpareils from a boardwalk candy shop, giant dark chocolate circles covered in sprinkles and about the size of a Nilla Wafer. They became a two‑bite operation, and Buddy treated them like sacred fuel.

The two also relitigate the eternal movie candy fight: Snow Caps vs Junior Mints. Buddy thinks putting Junior Mints over Snow Caps is a sign of psychopathy. Big Ben argues for mint chocolate, compares them to small York Peppermint Patties, and happily accepts the “weirdo” label.

Biracial Jokes & Black History Month Rules

Buddy explains his “biracial setup”: Black mother, white father. He credits that combo for his looks and, jokingly, for his sense of humor. At home in February, his white wife gave him options for Black History Month: first 14 days, last 14 days, or every other day as “his” days to make Black jokes. He chose every other day, obviously.

So in their house, if she says something edgy, she will stop and ask, “Is today one of your days?” If it is, he shuts it down. If not, she is clear to fire away. Big Ben loves the bit because Buddy is so clearly not racist and yet has turned the month into an ongoing running gag.

Black Mamas, “White People Stuff,” and the Lisa Face

From there, the talk turns to parents and how they talk. Big Ben describes growing up visiting Black friends whose mothers had spotless homes and very little patience. One woman yelled “Sit your ass down!” at her kids so hard that both medics nearly sat too.

They once brought Burger King crowns for those boys during a routine pickup, leaving them with the mom who called her own kids “bad asses” while laughing. Big Ben points out that Black moms often roast their kids harder than any bully could, calling them big‑headed, goofy, or worse, and somehow it becomes both tough love and comedy.

Buddy’s mixed household adds another twist. His young son has already learned to label certain behaviors as “white people shit.” If a dog licks someone in the face or if somebody suggests checking out a strange noise in the dark, that is what the kid calls it. He picked the phrase up after Buddy once refused to go investigate a nighttime bump and said exactly that to him.

On Big Ben’s side, his mom has what the family calls the “Lisa face,” a sharp, squinting stare that silently says “I know you’re lying.” He calls her the mental assassin. She will happily let someone tell a full lie, file it away, then bring up a tiny detail weeks later and watch them crumble.

Names, Pets, and the Most Extra Dog on the Block

Their shared love of language pops up again when Buddy compliments how Big Ben corrects people without embarrassing them. If someone mispronounces a last name, Big Ben will work the right version into a little tune or casual sentence instead of calling them out. He hates watching people walk around saying things wrong, except in cases where the mistake is too funny to fix.

Case in point, his cat Muriel is named that because his wife could not say “Muriel” correctly and kept calling the cat “Murrl.” The mispronunciation made him laugh so hard that the cat officially became Muriel, while his wife still struggles with it.

Buddy’s home zoo adds its own chaos. His unfixed cat has had something like five litters in less than two years. Then there is his dog, with a name born on a plane from pure silliness: Chancington Gregory Barktholomew III. They even had the full name engraved on the collar with Buddy’s phone number.

At some point, a stranger texted Buddy using the dog’s name and claiming to be the dog’s girlfriend. He was convinced Big Ben was behind it. Big Ben swore he was innocent, which, for once, was true. Whoever it was, they clearly did their homework.

Spider War: Febreze, Windex, and Dad Mode

Near the end of the episode, Buddy drops one of the best “new dad” stories. His wife once called him into their bedroom to deal with a massive spider while their infant son slept nearby. Buddy is an admitted arachnophobe, but he was also the man of the house, so he strutted in like a UFC walkout, then immediately shrank when he saw the size of the thing.

There was no bug spray, so he grabbed Febreze and Windex like improvised weapons. He swears the spider “growled” at him. He hit it with sprays, watched it crawl onto one of his baby’s onesies, and something in his brain snapped. Protective dad mode beat fear. Wearing flimsy flip‑flops, he raised his foot “from the depths of hell to the heights of heaven” and absolutely crushed the spider, onesie and all.

He emerged from the room sweaty and triumphant, yelling like a Viking. His wife gave him a proud look. His son responded by screaming and farting. Not quite the movie moment he wanted, but the spider never came back for a rematch.

Steelers vs. Ravens, Bluey’s Bandit, and Forever Partners

Because no long shift is complete without football trash talk, Buddy shows up on set in Steelers gear, including a big Pittsburgh tumbler. Big Ben, a born‑and‑raised in Baltimore and a Baltimore Ravens fan, admits it physically hurts to have anything Steelers on his set, but he tolerates it for Buddy and another coworker. They agree that Steelers fans travel so well that Ravens home games have sometimes felt like away games.

There is also a quick political gripe about government shutdowns hitting family paychecks, then the mood swings back to parenting, this time with cartoons. Both of them love the kids’ show Bluey, but Buddy calls out Bandit, the internet’s favorite cartoon dad. Once he realized Bandit is basically an unemployed stay‑at‑home parent who never fixes anything, he decided real dads should not feel guilty for not living up to that standard.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, Big Ben also mentions he became an ordained minister online, sitting next to Buddy on the truck. It took about five minutes, he has the Universal Life Church card and badge, and he is now legally able to marry people who might one day hear these stories in a ceremony speech.

The episode closes with more Snow Caps, more beer, and a lot of genuine affection. Big Ben tells Buddy he is someone he expects to know for the rest of his life. They joke about shared body fluids from years of EMS work, about filling in on future episodes, and about their ongoing life in the truck.

For anyone who wants more of that chaos, Big Ben points people to the Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Patreon for extra podcasts with his wife and daughter, and to social channels like Snackin’ & Yakkin’ on Instagram for clips, photos, and behind‑the‑scenes moments.

Wrap-Up: Why This Feels Like Every EMT’s Crew Room

Under all the jokes, this episode is a love letter to partner life. Two tired clinicians drink breakfast beers, argue about movie candy, roast each other’s phrasing, and tell on themselves in ways only EMS friends do. It is messy, honest, and very familiar to anyone who has ever worked a long shift with the same person.

Listeners get a mix of stress relief, dark humor, and oddly sweet stories about family, pets, and patients. For EMTs and medics who want to feel like they are sitting in the crew room after a call, this kind of buddy talk hits just right.

More fun to be found on the blog!