Reporting For Duty

Travis Howze spent fourteen years rotating through uniforms as a Marine, a police officer, and a firefighter, and he understands exactly how ridiculous civil service looks from the inside. The set works best when contrasting the hostility cops face on the street with the instant adoration handed to firefighters, puncturing the mythology around public safety work.

Recorded at the Comedy Club of Jacksonville in Florida, the 49-minute set was released on audio by Comedy Dynamics in 2015. Howze was touring comedy clubs and veteran events after leaving the Charleston Fire Department, where injuries sustained during the 2007 warehouse fire that claimed nine fellow firefighters ended his service career.

Rather than focusing on trauma, the material sticks to workplace absurdities and domestic friction. He takes aim at contradictory military recruitment slogans, cold-weather drills, and the embarrassment of firefighter calendar shoots before pivoting to marriage and fatherhood.