S3E3: Racing Against the Rising Floodwaters

About this episode

Mike and Dakota Pritt share their harrowing experience of rescuing students trapped in a flooded school.

When catastrophic flash flooding struck their small mountain community, father-and-son firefighters Mike and Dakota Pritt of the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department answered the call—deploying swift water rescue boats to a scene unlike anything they had ever experienced. What they discovered was staggering: an elementary school submerged under rising floodwaters, with over 150 students and staff trapped inside. Join Cristin as she sits down with Mike and Dakota to hear their story of courage, family, community—and a firsthand look at how ordinary people rise to extraordinary moments. Preorder Resurrection & Revival, Part 3 by Mac Sinise now! https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/resurrection-and-revival-part-3 Learn more about the Gary Sinise Foundation: Website:  https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/ YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/GarySiniseFoundation Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GarySiniseFoundation/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/garysinisefoundation Make a donation today:  https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/donate See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at…

People in this episode

Host: Cristin

Guests: Mike Pritt, Dakota Pritt

Topics covered

• flood rescue
• community service
• firefighters
• courage
• family
• emergency response

Keywords

• flooding
• rescue
• firefighters
• community
• courage
• emergency

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oakland Volunteer Fire Department, Gary Sinise Foundation

Books & works: Resurrection & Revival, Part 3

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• S3E4: The Call Every Military Spouse Dreads · April 29, 2026 · 47 min
• S3E2: The Most Dangerous Call a Cop Can Take · April 1, 2026 · 40 min
• S3E1: Gary Puts Cristin in the Hot Seat! · March 18, 2026 · 1h 20m
• S2E21: Gary Sinise, Why Service Never Ends · December 24, 2025 · 38 min