Send us a text This is another round of Ask The Chiefs! We asked for questions for the chiefs and we received some good ones! Every question we use will get a Bruno OG IC T-Shirt. This time around we discussed dealing with those who get their jobs back through arbitration and keeping the passion for our jobs in leadership. This episode features Terry Garrison , Nick Brunacini and John Vance. We want your helmet (for the AVB CTC)! Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter her...
Apr 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Send us a text We listen and decontruct radio traffic from two different fires in Las Vegas. Listen to how they deal with some of the fireground challenges using a standard command and communications routine. We then finish this episode with a "Timeless Tactical Truth". This episode features Josh Blum , Nick Brunacini , and John Vance. Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here. Shop B Shifter here . The Hazard Zone Conference is back. Register here! Please subscribe and...
Apr 04, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Send us a text On this B Shifter we first listen to some "cool command" from Las Vegas Fire/Rescue, then we delve into an article written by Alan Brunacini on "Cool Command" and command presence. You can find that article here . We then finish this episode with a "Timeless Tactical Truth". This episode features Josh Blum , Nick Brunacini , and John Vance. Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here. Shop B Shifter here . The Hazard Zone Conference is back. Register before...
Mar 25, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Send us a text Part 1 of 2 We asked for questions for the chiefs and we received some good ones! Every question we use will get a Bruno OG IC T-Shirt. This episode features Terry Garrison , Nick Brunacini and John Vance. We want your helmet (for the AVB CTC)! Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here. Shop B Shifter here . The Hazard Zone Conference is back. Register before April 1 and save $100! Register here! Please subscribe and share. Thank you for listening! This e...
Mar 19, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Send us a text We cover various topics on this one; fire station bathrooms, our favorite bosses, electric fire apparatus and some fire house traditions explained. We take a lighter approach on this B Shifter. We turned on the mics and let the conversation take us to where it was going to take us! We hope that you enjoy it.... This episode features Nick Brunacini and John Vance. Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here. Shop B Shifter here . The Hazard Zone Conference i...
Mar 06, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Send us a text Let us clear this up. As an IC, you MUST manage risk. It is your job. Being a risk manager does not mean we are being risk averse. In this episode as a matter of fact we state the opposite. Managing risk allows us to get in and do our jobs when the conditions allow (often time very aggressively). We will start with a radio clip of a physical rescue then we talk about what risk management is and its relationship to a solid incident command system. This episode features Josh Blum , ...
Feb 18, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Send us a text Alan Brunacini left a lot of unpublished materials and programs that were in the progress of completion when he passed away. Terry Garrison and Nick Brunacini are putting all of those works together for a leadership program for the fire service using the "Brunacini model" of fire department leadership. We talk about that and some of this leadership lessons that have been applied from what Bruno taught us such as second chance management, the difference between a political fire chi...
Feb 11, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Josh Blum and John Vance . On this B Shifter our guest Adam Barowy, Research Engineer from UL's Fire Safety Research Institute will talk about fires involving lithium ion batteries. Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here. Shop B Shifter here . The Hazard Zone Conference is back. Register before April 1 and save $100! Register here! Please subscribe and share. Thank you for listening! Below is the link for public education. ...
Feb 05, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini , Josh Blum and John Vance . We talk about continuous improvement on the fireground and the importance of common SOP's and a meaningful way to facilitate feedback for continuous improvement. Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here. Shop B Shifter here . The Hazard Zone Conference is back. Register before April 1 and save $100! Register here! Please subscribe and share. Thank you for listening!...
Jan 29, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Send us a text We give you the lowdown on what you can expect from us in 2023, including the return of the Hazard Zone Conference, Big Box Workshops and how to tie tactics into Blue Card. This episode is co-hosted by Josh Blum , & John Vance . Sign up fore the B Shifter Buckslip here. The full schedule of Blue Card classes and events here. If you would like a FREE command worksheet template, email us here. Shop the B Shifter Store This episode was recored on January 6, 2023....
Jan 10, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Send us a text Nick, Josh, Erik Phillips and Vance are reviewing radio traffic from three different fire grounds in three different states with at least one thing in common - they could all operate together with Blue Card! It is our first time with Erik Phillips as a guest, but you have heard his size ups from Las Vegas Fire/Rescue. Erik Phillips is a Fire Captain assigned to Engine 4, with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue in Sin City (Las Vegas, Nevada); where he has worked since 2005. He also serves ...
Dec 20, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Send us a text We say a-hole in this episode a lot. So much so that instead of heavy editing we embraced it and let our unfiltered selves fly. We cover continuing Bruno's work, retirement, "call fatigue", lessons learned as chiefs, how we should behave, second chances and being nice. Is it nice to call 'em like we see 'em? You be the judge. Welcome to this B Shifter where we call an a-hole an a-hole. Thanks for listening! This episode features Terry Garrison , Nick Brunacini and John Vance. Sign...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Send us a text We call this "Open Shift", discussing a variety of topics with the crew this time around including health and wellness, wild land fires, communications and out of control IC's. This episode features Nick Brunacini , John Vance , Sean Glaser and Mike Dobesh. Sean Glaser is currently a lead instructor for the Train the Trainer Blue Card Command Training and Certification program (for Type 4 & 5 Incident types). He is assigned as Assistant Chief of Operations for the Vandenberg S...
Nov 29, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Send us a text It's Leadership Thursday so we gathered the chief's around the table to talk about stuff on the strategic level and tell a few light hearted stories too. It like having microphones at a support group for chief officers (and you are invited too!). This week we talk about ballistic protection for firefighters, alternative response and taking care of the safety of Firefighters while de-victimizing our customers. This episode features Terry Garrison , Nick Brunacini and John Vance. Si...
Nov 17, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Send us a text We are talking to Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb of the FDNY (see his bio below) about cancer prevention and work life balance. The day after we interviewed Chief Leeb, the FDNY performed a heroic rope rescue at on the 20th floor during a working fire. Read all about it here: https://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/from-the-ic-about-the-fdny-rope-rescue-fire/ A free Healthcare Provider’s Guide to Firefighter Physicals is for you to bring to your physician to help them understand ...
Nov 08, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Send us a text It's Leadership Thursday so we gathered the chief's around the table to talk about stuff on the strategic level and tell a few light hearted stories too. It like having microphones at a support group for chief officers (and you are invited too!). This episode features Terry Garrison , Nick Brunacini and John Vance. Sign up for our two day command training workshops here. Shop B Shifter here . This episode was recored in Phoenix, AZ at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center....
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Josh Blum , John Vance & Doug Wehmeyer. The guys are talking hazard zone accountability and how proper accountability on the task, tactical and strategic level outperforms any other system Sign up for our two day command training workshops here. Shop B Shifter here . This episode was recored in Westbrook, Maine on October 6, 2022. Please subscribe!...
Oct 25, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Send us a text This week there was a joint safety advisory issued regarding the emergency alert button (EAB) on portable radios. You can read that here. This episode is co-hosted by Josh Blum , John Vance & Doug Wehmeyer. Sign up for our two day command training workshops here. Shop B Shifter here . This episode was recored in Excelsior, MN, Phoenix, AZ and Deerfield Township, OH on October 19, 2022. Please subscribe!...
Oct 20, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Josh Blum , John Vance & Doug Wehmeyer (making his B Shifter debut!). Douglas Wehmeyer is a thirty-three-year veteran of the fire service holding every rank from fire cadet to fire chief. He is currently a Deputy Fire Chief and Shift Commander for Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Department in Warren County, Ohio and a part-time Fire Chief for his hometown of Lockland, Ohio. Doug is a professor for Columbia Southern University. He is an Executive Fir...
Oct 11, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Josh Blum and John Vance . This episode features rescue radio traffic from Georgia and an Arizona department that does Blue Card without an active tactical radio channel dispatcher. Sign up for our two day command training workshops here. Shop B Shifter here . Please subscribe! This episode was recorded in Minnetonka, MN on September 21, 2022...
Sep 27, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Send us a text You can find information on the FSRI study here . This three-year Research and Development Project examines fireground size-up measures and search and rescue operations as part of a coordinated fire attack on a residential structure. Our guest is Craig Weinschenk, Research Engineer. Craig is a Research Engineer with UL's Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI). He holds a Master of Science and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas-Austin. During his grad...
Sep 14, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Send us a text We are talking fire science with Daniel Madrzykowski. Dan is the Director of Research for the UL's Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI). He has a PhD in fire engineering from the University of Canterbury and a MS in fire protection engineering from the University of Maryland. Dan has more than 32 years of experience working to improve fire safety by conducting research and development in areas of: fire dynamics, fire test methods, fire control, and fire investigation. Dan is a me...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 4
Send us a text We are discussing certification based training for fire personnel and delve into a certification program for incident commanders (hint; it rhymes with "true guard". This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini , Josh Blum and John Vance . Sign up for the next Mayday Management Workshops, Division Operation Workshop, Big Box Workshop or a Blue Card Train the Trainer here. Shop B Shifter here . Thank you for listening, please subscribe! This episode was recorded in Las Vegas, Nevada ...
Aug 16, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text RESCUE! We go to Deerfield Township, OH and Olathe, KS for physical rescues of two different entrapped occupants. We break down the radio traffic and talk about the components of Blue Card. One of the rescues makes Nick take pause while we talk about command function #1, deployment. This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini , Josh Blum and John Vance . Sign up for the next Mayday Management Workshops, Division Operation Workshop, Big Box Workshop or a Blue Card Train the Trainer...
Aug 02, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text RESCUE! We go to Cobb County, Georgia for a physical rescue of an entrapped occupant. We break down the radio traffic and talk about the components of Blue Card. This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini , Josh Blum and John Vance . Sign up for the next Mayday Management Workshops, Division Operation Workshop, Big Box Workshop or a Blue Card Train the Trainer here. Shop B Shifter here . Thank you for listening, please subscribe!...
Jul 16, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Send us a text This is part 2 of our conversation with the legendary Chief Vincent Dunn. This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini and John Vance . Sign up for the next Mayday Management Workshop here. Shop B Shifter here . Vincent Dunn's Facebook Page Get Vinny's Books books here! Vincent Joseph Dunn is a retired firefighter who served the New York Fire Department for 42 years, rising in rank to Commander of Division 3 (Midtown Manhattan). A longtime contributing editor to Firehouse Magazine,...
Jun 23, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Send us a text If you are interested in our new two-day workshops or a Train the Trainer for Blue Card, give this episode a listen! This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini , Josh Blum and John Vance . Sign up for the next Mayday Management Workshops, Division Operation Workshop, Big Box Workshop or a Blue Card Train the Trainer here. Shop B Shifter here ....
Jun 17, 2022•14 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini and John Vance . Sign up for the next Mayday Management Workshop here. Shop B Shifter here . Vincent Dunn's Facebook Page Get Vinny's Books books here! Vincent Joseph Dunn is a retired firefighter who served the New York Fire Department for 42 years, rising in rank to Commander of Division 3 (Midtown Manhattan). A longtime contributing editor to Firehouse Magazine, he is the author of eight books on firefighting and one memoir. He publis...
Jun 08, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini , Josh Blum and John Vance . We focus on the "help order" and how that works for resolving maydays from the inside out. Sign up for the next Mayday Management Workshop here. Shop B Shifter here . Please subscribe!...
May 26, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Send us a text This episode is co-hosted by Nick Brunacini , Josh Blum and John Vance . Grant Light joins us to talk about using Blue Card and more specifically, the strategic decision making model for non-fire events such as trench, water and haz mat incidents. Grant Light has more than 40 years invested in the fire service. He started in 1977 on small suburban departments as a volunteer and part-time employee. For the past 26 years, Grant has worked for the Cincinnati Fire Department, where he...
May 10, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 27
