The fire service is struggling with recruiting and retention. It’s also challenged by a mental health crisis and a growing apathy within the profession. The good news is, we have the power to fix it. Working in a team environment provides job satisfaction, psychological safety, and a feeling of community. Fire service leaders have the responsibility of developing teams; so, Dr. JT wrote a book on how to Forge Your Team . Dr. JT started his career in 2000 as a U.S. Army Firefighter. He's worked f...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 408
In this episode, Dr. Gasaway discusses how to accelerating leadership growth and impact with Sean Glaze, author of Rapid Teamwork, The 10 Commandments of Winning Teammates, and Staying Coachable. Sean Glaze is a leadership speaker, teambuilding facilitator, and author who delivers engaging experiences that ignite your team’s performance. Sean has worked with clients like Cisco, John Deere, the CDC, and Emory University to increase collaboration, boost productivity, and build more positive and wo...
Mar 19, 2024•44 min•Ep. 407
In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with Jeff Dill about the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance and their work to reduce firefighter suicides. In 2010, Jeff Dill founded Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA). And since 2021, Jeff has served full time as the Behavioral Health Administrator for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue in Nevada. Jeff travels the United States & Canada holding workshops to educate firefighters, dispatchers & EMS about behavioral health awareness, moral inju...
Feb 13, 2024•58 min•Ep. 406
In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with George Esbensen, President of the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE) about the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program. During his 32 years in the fire service, George Esbensen served in many roles, from firefighter to chief. Today, he volunteers as Board President of the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE), an advocacy nonprofit he co-founded in 2016 dedicated to providing Minnesota's firefighters with the tools they need to prioritize and prote...
Feb 06, 2024•54 min•Ep. 405
In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with Vicki Quint and Rick Nickerson about PFAS, foam exposure and the risk to firefighters. The Foam Exposure Committee Mission Statement - - To reduce firefighter / first responder exposures to perfluorinated chemicals used in firefighting foams in order to protect their health and lives. We will recommend a list of firefighting products for fire departments based on testing data and Committee review. First responders should have immediate access to safer fl...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 404
In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with Jeff Snider about the NIOSH 5 – or the five most often cited contributing factors in Line of Duty death investigations and lessons for leaders. Jeff Snider has served with the Canadian military as a Special Forces Operator (3 CDO), a Correctional Officer at a maximum-security facility, and 28 years in the Fire Service, serving in the positions of Firefighter, Lieutenant, Captain, K9 Handler, Acting Training Officer and Assistant Chief, in both the Vancou...
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 403
On January 06, 2018, Lt. Matthew LeTourneau, a 42-year-old male and 11-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD), died after becoming trapped from an interior structural collapse while engaged in interior firefighting operations. Two additional firefighters were injured during the collapse and one civilian occupant of the dwelling, who was removed during initial operations, also died. An After-Action Review (AAR) was conducted by the PFDs Health and Safety Office, at the direction o...
Jan 16, 2024•58 min•Ep. 402
This episode is part 1 of a 2-part interview where Dr. Gasaway talks with retired Philadelphia Deputy Chief Vince Mulray and Battalion Chief Bobby Kennedy about conducting a Line-of-Duty After Action Review following the death of Lieutenant Matthew LeTourneau on January 6, 2018. After Action Review-Line of Duty Death On January 06, 2018, Lt. Matthew LeTourneau, (LeTurnO) a 42-year-old male and 11-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD), died after becoming trapped from an interior...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 401
Dr. Gasaway, along with some special guests, celebrates the milestone of reaching our 400thepisode. Description The Situational Awareness Matters Show debuted on May 12, 2014. This episode highlights the journey Dr. Gasaway has taken to educate first responders about situational awareness and high-risk decision making. About the Host Richard B. Gasaway , PhD, CSP is widely considered a trusted authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision making processes used in h...
Jan 02, 2024•39 min•Ep. 400
In this episode, Dr. Gasaway interviews Vince Mulray, retired Philadelphia Deputy Chief, discussing the 2015 derailment of Amtrak Train #188 traveling from Washington DC to New York City. On May 12, 2015, at approximately 9:20pm, Amtrak Train #188 traveling from Washington D.C. to New York City derailed and crashed on the Frankford Junction curve on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. All seven cars and the electric locomotive left the tracks. The derailment and crash resulted in 8 deaths and over 200 ...
Dec 19, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 399
In this episode, Dr. Gasaway talks with Phil Jose about tactical decision games. Phil Jose, Deputy Chief, (Ret.), 30 years in Seattle Fire Department. He chaired the SOG and PIA committees. Chief of the Year 2013. FDIC Instructor 19 years with the highest attended class in 2023: The Art of Reading Smoke. FDIC 2008 Tom Brennan Training Achievement Award and author of Instructor 1 for Fire and Emergency Services (Clarion, 2022), Air Management for the Fire Service (PennWell, 2008) and Train the Tr...
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 398
In this episode, Dr. Gasaway talks with Retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about how he quickly went from being a volunteer firefighter to career fire chief. Tom DeSorcy joined the fire service in 1983 and became the first paid firefighter in his hometown of Hope, B.C., when he became fire chief in 2000. This followed a career in broadcasting in local radio and his talk show eventually was heard across Canada, via satellite from Vancouver in the early ‘90s. Now retired, his voice can be heard on the...
Dec 05, 2023•1 hr 15 min
In this episode, Dr. Gasaway talks with Dr. Burton Clark on the topic of Dyslexia in the fire service. Dr. Burton A. Clark, EFO has been in the fire service for 53 years. He’s known he was a Dyslexic since early childhood and is passionate about reducing the stigma around firefighters with Dyslexia. Dr. Clark was the Management Science Chair at the National Fire Academy. His degrees are in business and education. He served on 20 dissertation committees. He was a Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 396
In this episode, Dr. Gasaway is interviewed by Ed Mann, Director of Training and Education for Provident Insurance about the SAMatters Online Academy and why this training is so important for first responders. Description Ed Mann, Director of Training and Education for Provident Insurance interviewed Dr. Gasaway on the Provident Podcast. This episode is a shared recording of that show. During this episode, Dr. Gasaway addresses the following topics: Why is there such a lack of understanding in t...
Nov 21, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 395
In this eposide, Dr. Gasaway sits down with Andrew Bozzo, Co-Founder of the Tablet Command Incident Management software. Tablet Command is a mobile incident command and response solution that increases situational awareness, speeds incident response, streamlines incident management and improves firefighter accountability. With Tablet Command, an incident commander can tap and drag responding apparatus onto an emergency scene, track progress against critical checklists, and time-stamp every maneu...
Aug 22, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 394
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is proven, effective treatment to help first responders suffering from Post-Traumatic Event Brain Injuries. This episode is provides first responders a look into a treatment option for Post Traumatic Event Brain Injuries called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Dr. Deborah Korn, PsyD, an internationally renowned pioneer and expert in EMDR Therapy and author of the book Every Memory Deserves Respect: EMDR the Proven Trauma T...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 32 min
Captain Saul burned while searching for a trapped child in a row home fire in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Captain Jeremy Saul, a Situational Awareness Matters Certified Master Instructor shared a harrowing story about being burned while searching for a three-year old child trapped in a row home fire in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The interview includes a discussion about lessons learned and some of his favorite topics to teach during situational awareness classes. About the Host Richard B. Gasaway ,...
Mar 29, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Chief Ron Warren shares the valuable information about drone services provided by the North Central Pennsylvania Unmanned Emergency Services Department While presenting a situational awareness program for the Fireman’s Association of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, one of the participants was Ron Warren. Ron is the founder and Department Chief of North Central PA Unmanned Emergency Services. He is a full-time state law enforcement officer and a veteran of the US Army, where he served two combat tour...
Mar 22, 2023•55 min•Ep. 391
Captain Eric Wappel shares a tale of complacency and how he faced it head-on with his department. On January 3, 2022, the North Judson – Wayne Township Fire Department was dispatched for the second time to the same residence for a “furnace smoking.” Captain Eric Wappel wasn’t available for the first response, but responded to the second call. He recalls thinking to himself, from the get go, this was another “BS” call since the department was just at this address two hours earlier. Eric says he w...
Jun 07, 2022•41 min•Ep. 390
Dr. James Densley is Professor and Department Chair of Criminal Justice at Metro State University, part of the Minnesota State system. He is also co-founder of The Violence Project Research Center, best known for its mass shooter database. Dr. Densley is the author or co-author of seven books, including the acclaimed, The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic , 50 peer-reviewed articles in leading scientific journals, and over 90 book chapters, essays, and other works in outlets...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 389
Emergency services provide an invaluable service to communities and cities around the world. Research has shown these professionals encounter significant acute psychological stress throughout their work shifts. Acute stress has been shown to impact human performance in various realms, from increased risk-taking to cognitive decline. While the actual work varies between firefighters, law enforcement, and emergency medical services, a shared commonality is the operation of emergency vehicles. Emer...
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 388
This interview is with Bob Bemis, a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper who was struck and severely injured while attending to a vehicle fire on I-81 in eastern Pennsylvania.
Feb 08, 2022•57 min•Ep. 387
This interview is with Magnum Bower, a heavy duty tow truck operator who survived being struck on a roadway incident, resulting in him becoming a quadriplegic.
Jan 25, 2022•53 min•Ep. 386
Eugene-Springfield crews were dispatched to a report of a residential fire with multiple callers confirming a residential dwelling fire. As the officer on the first-in engine was conducting his primary size-up from the front seat of the engine, a gunman opened fire on the engine, striking it several times. Firefighters were already advancing lines on the fire. They were also shot. This story is told from the perspective of the first-responding battalion chief. Contact us www.SAMatters.com www.Ri...
Dec 21, 2021•40 min•Ep. 384
Eugene-Springfield crews were dispatched to a report of a residential fire with multiple callers confirming a residential dwelling fire. As the officer on the first-in engine was conducting his primary size-up from the front seat of the engine, a gunman opened fire on the engine, striking it several times. Firefighters were already advancing lines on the fire. They were also shot. This story is told from the perspective of the first-responding battalion chief. Contact us www.SAMatters.com www.Ri...
Dec 21, 2021•45 min•Ep. 385
Merry Christmas everyone! I know everyone’s feeling particularly festive this time of year and ole Santa is feeling the situational awareness love. Surely, you’ve heard of the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” – You know – Partridge in a Pear Tree and all that other stuff that no one really needs or wants, perhaps with the exception of five golden rings, of course. (Whisper) Just don’t wear them all at once. And you know that Santa has good situational awareness. He’s ALWAYS capturing clues and cues a...
Dec 14, 2021•18 min•Ep. 383
Lieutenant Alden is a paramedic and operations officer for the Akron (OH) Fire Department. He has 17+ years of experience as a firefighter and 15 + years as a paramedic. He is also a member of the SWAT Tactical Medic program. Alden has a master of arts degree in applied behavioral sciences from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a baccalaureate degree in sociology/criminology from Urbana University in Ohio. He served as an instructor in sociology at the University of Akron for six year...
Dec 07, 2021•35 min•Ep. 382
Lieutenant Alden is a paramedic and operations officer for the Akron (OH) Fire Department. He has 17+ years of experience as a firefighter and 15 + years as a paramedic. He is also a member of the SWAT Tactical Medic program. Alden has a master of arts degree in applied behavioral sciences from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a baccalaureate degree in sociology/criminology from Urbana University in Ohio. He served as an instructor in sociology at the University of Akron for six year...
Nov 30, 2021•42 min•Ep. 381
John Gonzalez is a past District Chief of Toms River Fire District 1 in Ocean County, NJ and has been an active volunteer firefighter for over 30 years. Chief Gonzalez served as a fire officer for 15 years, including 6 at Chief level for one of the largest all volunteer departments in the state of New Jersey. Additionally, Chief Gonzalez served as a Deputy Fire Coordinator in the Toms River Office of Emergency Management for 4 years. Prior to joining Florian ReApparatus, he worked full-time in t...
Sep 29, 2021•42 min•Ep. 380
On September 4, Grayhawk bass player, Darin Wall, stopped a potential mass shooting by preventing a man from gaining entry into a private party at an event where the band had played earlier in the evening. Wall thought the man was acting strange, so he confronted him. The man pulled a gun and in the scuffle, Wall was shot in the leg. The man was quickly apprehended and, in his back pack, were several other guns and drum clips. Darin has participated in several media interviews, but this was to b...
Sep 21, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 379
