Training is critical to performance, especially these days, when there are fewer real-world fires but the ones that do ignite burn hotter and faster. Problem is, a lot of training is not very realistic. Classroom only goes so far, and hands-on costs money. It also takes equipment, and some departments don’t have it to spare. Here to offer some ideas is Jason Caughey.Jason is the chief of Laramie County Fire District #2 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Before he arrived in Cheyenne in 2011, he was the chief...
Jul 11, 2019•14 min
What qualifies someone to be a battalion chief? If they’re in a career department, it’s pretty clear. They need a specific amount of experience, they have to pass a written test, and probably an oral board of some kind.But what about volunteers? That’s a whole ‘nother deal. The volunteer BC may simply have more “time in grade” before being allowed to promote. This may be a person who shows up for more required training days and more responses than others. But does that qualify someone to run a f...
Jul 08, 2019•15 min
I got an email a few days ago. It was full of comments about the show, like a lot of other emails I get. But this one was different. It came from a firefighter in Germany, and he wrote mostly to discuss the Eurohelmet debate. Their regulations require the new helmets for interior attacks, and a lot of firefighters there don’t like them, either. I was interested to read how things are done there…and much is the same as in the U.S. So I decided to ask the guy who wrote me to come on Code 3. Ulrich...
Jul 04, 2019•24 min
Let’s say you wanted to become a company officer. In your interview, you probably told them it was because you felt your leadership could help the department, and you meant it. Even if you also felt that a promotion would give you a raise. Or more prestige. Or, mistakenly, less work. But if those were your real reasons for wanting the job, you’re headed for trouble. Here to explain why and what a company officer really needs to know and do is Kelly Lemmons. Kelly is the Deputy Chief of the Colon...
Jul 01, 2019•18 min
June 30, 2019, marks the sixth anniversary of the LODD of 19 members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, who were killed while fighting the Yarnell Hill fire southeast of Prescott, Arizona. The 20-man crew, the only certified IHC that was part of a municipal fire department (City of Prescott), was trapped in a canyon when the fast-moving flames overran their position. The flames were so intense that their emergency shelters were not enough to protect them. One man, Brendan McDonoug...
Jun 30, 2019•5 min
Volunteer firefighters make up most U.S. departments, by far. Yet the state of volunteer firefighting is in serious trouble. The NFPA issued a report in March that said there were 46,000 fewer volunteers in 2017 than a year earlier. There just aren’t enough people willing or able to answer emergency calls any more. And it’s not just limited to rural areas. Response times are going up and the number of people responding keeps falling. It’s past time to start finding solutions. Here to discuss tha...
Jun 27, 2019•24 min
Today’s topic is flowing water while advancing the line. Some departments always do it. Some don’t. There’s pretty good evidence that flowing while advancing is safer than dragging an uncharged line into a burning structure. Studies support water on the ceiling to reduce super-heated gases and cool it down. You can even change the fire’s flow path with a handline. Here to explain that and more is Jonathan Brumley. He is a firefighter with the Denver, Colorado Fire Department, having just left Ho...
Jun 24, 2019•23 min
If you want to become a firefighter, the first thing to understand is that it isn’t easy. There’s a lot of school required nowadays, and it can take several years to get there. But there are some things to know that’ll make the process easier. Here to talk about them is Chris Baker. Chris has over thirteen years of experience in volunteer, combination, and career fire departments in California. He instructs on fire and EMS topics in college classes. You can hear him on his own podcast, The Futur...
Jun 20, 2019•22 min
The battle over the traditional fire helmet and what I’ll call the Eurohelmet is growing as some U.S. departments make the switch.It’s hard to nail down exactly why firefighters are unhappy about wearing the new helmets. They’re safer. They weigh less. And they offer better eye protection. The older style is undoubtedly iconic. But is that a reason to keep wearing them? Here to explain why his department chose the Eurostyle helmets is Jerry Helm. Jerry is a training and recruitment captain with ...
Jun 17, 2019•14 min
Swiftwater rescues are among the most dangerous that you will face. That may sound obvious, but some departments that haven’t seen many swiftwater incidents have been taken by surprise. Out west, we have unique situations where dry riverbeds or washes accumulate trash and broken branches for months before they turn into raging rivers during the wet seasons. But no matter where you work, there are some principles of water rescue that simply should not be ignored or downplayed. Here to talk about ...
Jun 13, 2019•18 min
When you go to the roof, what do you include when you make your report on " conditions? Right. Every department’s truckies report something different, depending on SOPs. Sometimes, there’s even a difference between truck companies. Thing is, the truck company officer is in an excellent position to give the IC a better size-up on the fire…as long as he makes a complete report. Here to explain what should be reported and why is Gibby Gorman. Gibby has over 30 years of experience in the fire servic...
Jun 10, 2019•17 min
Self-storage units present a unique challenge in case of fire. The come with the hazards found in a hoarder house, but worse. Making entry can be tough—nowadays, the simple padlock has often been replaced by an electronic lock. And while many of these storage units are constructed of block, a lot of them –especially in buildings converted to storage facilities may have sheetrock walls between the units. And who knows what’s stored in them? With me today to talk about the hazards is Jim Kirsch, a...
Jun 06, 2019•23 min
If you want to be an officer, it may come as a surprise that not everyone does. That may be a good thing. You probably also know that not everyone’s cut out for the job. In a career department, it might be more attractive because of the pay raise and other assorted perks that come with being an officer. But in a volunteer department, the reasons you might want to be promoted are different. There’s definitely a need for good leaders, and if you think you could be one, then this episode is for you...
Jun 04, 2019•14 min
On May 15, Appleton, Wisconsin Engineer Mitch Lundgaard was shot and killed while on a medical run. A police officer was shot and survived, as did a bystander who was also hit. The call, a man having a seizure on a bus, came out at 5:30 p.m. When the engine crew arrived and started treatment, the patient got off the bus and walked away. The specifics are still fuzzy, but the man produced a gun and fired; police shot back and killed him. Here to discuss this tragic situation is Marc Bashoor. With...
May 30, 2019•16 min
Battalion Chief Abby Bolt was a 22-year veteran firefighter in the US Forest Service. She quit last month, posting a version of her resignation letter on the internet. In it, she says a “toxic dynamic of leadership, which made my job, which was my life, a complete misery” caused her to leave. Abby said the usual response to her repeated complaints about bullying and other mistreatment was that she could leave if she didn’t like it. After she filed a gender discrimination complaint in 2014, that ...
May 23, 2019•29 min
How safe are you as a firefighter? Do you don all your gear before you make entry, or do you take a risk, thinking you may save someone else? What about something as simple as wearing your seatbelt? I know there’s a certain faction of firefighters who long for the days of riding the tailboard. These are the guys who say it’s possible to be too safe. But if you want to make sure you go home, and have a longer career, safety is the one key element. That’s why my guest today wrote a comprehensive b...
May 20, 2019•20 min
Some structure fires are pretty easy to find. The seat of the fire is obvious. It’s the calls reporting a light haze of smoke that get tricky. The fire could be in any number of places, like in the wall. And if you try to anticipate and stretch a hoseline, you may be wrong and waste a lot of valuable time. So it pays to find the fire first. Here to discuss how to do that is Danny Sheridan. Danny Sheridan is a 33-year veteran of the FDNY, where he is a Battalion Chief. He’s a member of the FDNY I...
May 16, 2019•16 min
By now, you’ve heard over and over about the value of professional counseling. But, I know, you’re probably still skeptical. Maybe you think it’s too-touchy feely. Maybe you’re worried that word will get out that you’re seeing a shrink. Or it could be that you just don’t think a therapist will understand what you do for a living. That’s why, today, we’re going to talk about what exactly happens when you walk into a counselor’s office. Here to discuss that with me is Courtney Stewart. Courtney is...
May 13, 2019•18 min
A lot of volunteer fire departments are worried about the dwindling number of new recruits. But what about holding onto the members already in the ranks? That takes a little effort and it may require some structural changes, too. It may be necessary, though, because turnover is the enemy of a solid volunteer department. Here to discuss that with me is Ed Dolan. He’s been a member of the Catskill Fire Department in New York for 30 years, and he’s served 16 years as a chief officer.
May 09, 2019•15 min
When you hear the term “primary search,” what comes to mind? Is it something an engine crew does while they’re advancing the line? Or is it the job of the truck crew? And if you’re the first-in engine at a structure fire, and believe there might be victims inside, what’s your priority? Today’s guest says you might want to hash that out before the tones drop. Dave LeBlanc is a Deputy Chief with the Harwich, Massachusetts Fire Department. Dave started in the Fire Service back in 1986 as a Call Fir...
May 06, 2019•17 min
Have you ever become lost in a burning structure? It ‘ll cause a pretty severe pucker factor, as my Air Force friends call it. And, yes, becoming lost in a fire can easily be fatal. Today, we’re going to hear from a captain in a volunteer department who found himself lost in a burning building. Captain Alex Davis of the Lower Providence Fire Department in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania has some important observations about the experience.
May 02, 2019•16 min
You don’t have to be the senior man at your station to have learned some valuable lessons. The things we learn that improve how we do our jobs sometimes come from keeping an open mind and asking questions. My guest today condensed a few concepts he picked up that way into Firehouse.com article. Charlie Evans has fewer than five years in the fire service, but he wrote about four lessons he’s learned as a firefighter in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Apr 29, 2019•14 min
This week was the premiere of A&E’s Live Rescue show. And this week, I’m reviewing it. Maybe I can help you decide if it’s worth your two hours every Monday night.
Apr 25, 2019•7 min
If you haven’t yet had the experience of having a victim of a structure fire die, all I can say is, you will. It’s not something anyone can really prepare for, and – especially if you were the one who pulled the victim out – it never gets any easier. Thankfully, most fires these days don’t result in fatalities. But what changes when you arrive at a working fire and a bystander tells you there’s someone inside? That’s what we’re discussing with today’s guest. John Lightly is a battalion chief in ...
Apr 22, 2019•20 min
FDIC 2019 is in the books, and a lot of you were there this time. The conference was first held in 1929. It now draws in excess of 30,000 participants, making it one of Indiana’s biggest conventions. To find out how it went this year, my guest today is Bobby Halton. He is the editor-in-chief of Fire Engineering magazine and education director of the FDIC. He began his career with the Albuquerque Fire Department and came up through the ranks to serve as chief of training and chief of operations. ...
Apr 18, 2019•17 min
Do you ever get the feeling that there are some people doing this job who really aren’t into it? They’re around -- but that's all. They’re mostly found in the ranks of the volunteer departments. These are the guys who want to wear the t-shirt and say they’re a firefighter—but don’t actually want to do the work.Now, you may want to just jettison these people. But what if you could motivate them to become actual assets on the fireground? That’s what my guest today would like to do. Jeremy Perrien ...
Apr 15, 2019•13 min
What does it take to be a fire officer? There’s more to it than just giving orders, of course. In fact, being a great officer could be considered a skill … or even an art. My guest today wrote a post for the Firefighter Nation website about the art of being a fire officer. Kirk Galatas is Interim Assistant Chief at the Mukilteo Fire Department in Washington state. He began his career as a firefighter with the US Air Force right out of high school and then worked as a volunteer firefighter.
Apr 11, 2019•14 min
Re-kindles are every firefighter’s nightmare. When I was a reporter, PIOs would go to great lengths to get me not to use that word if a fire re-ignited. Avoiding them seems simple enough—use a lot of water and do thorough overhaul. So how do even proficient fire departments have re-kindles? More importantly, how do we avoid them? My guest today has some answers. Nick Martin’s been a firefighter since 1994. He started as a volunteer in a Philadelphia suburb. Since then he’s been both a career and...
Apr 08, 2019•19 min
Vertical ventilation is a pretty controversial subject these days. Ever since the UL report on it came out, firefighters have been arguing whether vertical ventilation is worth the risk and if it even has the effects we want. One thing that makes it risky is that it’s tough to do realistic training for it. Where do you stand? Today’s guest has some insights into the debate. Frank Ricci is a lieutenant with the New Haven, Connecticut Fire Department. He is an FDIC Instructor and lecturer. With tw...
Mar 28, 2019•15 min
If you’re trying to join the fire service, raise your hand. Wow, that’s a lot of you. There are some good resources to help you with things like passing the written tests and the interview stage. But one of the keys is mentorship, a/k/a networking. Turns out, who you know really can make a difference in getting in the door. My guest today is here to explain. Dave McGlynn is a 17 year Fire & Emergency Services veteran who has worked in both Municipal and Federal Fire Departments as a Voluntee...
Mar 25, 2019•22 min
