Hold the Line At Home

Unfiltered truth about loving a firefighter and building a life that still feels like your own.

Honest Conversations for Fire Families

Hold the Line at Home is where I talk about marriage, motherhood, re-entry after shift, long assignments, and the parts of fire family life people usually skip over.

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Meet Your Host

I’m usually somewhere between

A woman - Chelsi McFadden - with long dark hair sitting on a black chair against a plain white wall, wearing a black top, white blazer, and light blue jeans, smiling directly at the camera.

Hi, I’m Chelsi

I’m a California firewife, mom of three, photographer, writer, and host of Hold the Line at Home.

For more than 18 years, CAL FIRE has been part of our family. I love this life, I’m proud of my husband, and I know how much it can ask of the people at home.

Hold the Line at Home is where I talk about marriage, motherhood, re-entry after shift, long assignments, and making family life work around an unpredictable schedule.

I’m glad you’re here.

MORE ABOUT ME
A collage of six photos including a mother and child embracing outdoors, a photographer and subject, a person standing on a hill, and portraits of a woman smiling and a woman and man smiling in a vehicle, with handwritten-style text referencing roles like mother, photographer, and writer, and a quote aboutfirewife.

THE PODCAST

Hold the Line at Home is where I talk about fire family life beyond the obvious parts. Marriage, motherhood, re-entry after shift, long assignments, resentment, repair, and learning how to build a life around the unpredictable.

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From the Feed

A year ago, I almost quit. I wasn’t out of things to say, but I was tired of being told there was a “better” way to say them. I was tired of being expected to make my experience sound like everyone else’s. The problem is tha
Lowering expectations is more reasonable than pretending you do not have any at all. In first responder family life, some adjustment is realistic. The schedule is unpredictable. Plans change. Some disappointment comes with the territory. The proble
What other children’s books should every fire family have in their bookshelf? #firefamily #firefamilylife #firefighterkids #childrensbooks #firefighterwife