In this episode of The Real ResQ Podcast, host Jason Quinn sits down with retired U.S. Navy Command Master Chief Keith “Flip” Griffin—a Navy Search and Rescue Medical Technician whose remarkable 23-year career took him from Puerto Rico and the mountains of Washington State to Iraq, Kuwait, Japan, Australia, and beyond.
Flip’s path into search and rescue began in an unexpected place: the United States Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington, D.C. After an injury introduced him to the medical field, he became a Navy corpsman and eventually discovered the world of aviation search and rescue.
His early missions included responding to a military Humvee rollover involving multiple injured service members and rescuing a diver who had been stranded for more than 24 hours along the rocky coast of Puerto Rico. But when Flip transferred to NAS Whidbey Island, the job changed dramatically. Suddenly, he was operating in the mountains, responding to serious injuries in remote terrain, and learning to work alongside civilian ground-search teams.
Later, while deployed to Australia, Flip and his crew received the call every rescue team trains for: 39 people were aboard a boat taking on water in a crocodile-filled river, deep in the Australian outback. The crew launched into total darkness, flying under night-vision goggles while developing a plan to evacuate everyone from the sinking vessel.
They were less than a mile away when everything changed.
The rescue never happened—and that may have been the best possible outcome.
Flip also shares how Navy SAR corpsmen fought to grow their community, improve equipment and training, and prove their value across military aviation. He discusses teaching at Aviation Rescue Swimmer School, conducting medevac missions during overseas deployments, and eventually using his position in senior leadership to advocate for the next generation of rescuers.
Throughout the conversation, Flip offers lessons earned over decades of operational experience:
- Respect the environment, because the water, mountains, and wilderness can kill as quickly as any weapon.
- Test your equipment before the moment you need it.
- Carry gear that can serve more than one purpose.
- Understand that the helicopter may be the most important piece of medical equipment available.
- Never assume different rescue organizations see the same problem from the same perspective.
Today, Flip continues serving others through Firehouse Freedom, where he helps fire departments strengthen leadership, accountability, communication, recruiting, retention, and life inside the firehouse. He is also a contributor to Firehouse Magazine and the co-owner of Backcountry Medical.
This episode is filled with incredible rescue stories, hard-earned leadership lessons, plenty of interservice humor, and one unforgettable training mistake that gave Flip his original call sign: “Tumo.”
And before the episode ends, Flip issues a challenge to every rescuer listening: open your gear bags, identify three things you may not actually need, and begin thinking differently about what you carry into the field.
Enjoy!
To connect with Flip Griffin:
Website: FirehouseFreedom.com
Email: flip@firehousefreedom.com
LinkedIn: Search for Keith “Flip” Griffin
Firehouse Magazine: The Flip Side of the Firehouse
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