B Shifter

Send us Fan Mail It has been over a year since we last sat down with Shane Ray. We sit down to connect the dots between sprinkler design and real fireground decisions in big-box and mega-warehouse fires. We break down how to staff the control room, when to touch valves and pumps, and how better preplans and fire watch keep a “save” from turning into a loss.  • Shane Ray’s background in the fire se...

Send us Fan Mail This is a "Best Of B Shifter" that was originally published on November 2, 2021. It features Nick Brunacini, Josh Blum and John Vance We go back to the roots of Blue Card and explain why it exists, what problem it solves, and why so many critiques miss the point. We tie firefighter safety to tactical supervision, command presence, and a decision-making model that holds u...

Send us Fan Mail This week, our guest is Assistant Chief Matthew Dhoore, Chief of Operations at the Clay Fire Territory in St. Joseph County, Indiana. That department is a Blue Card department that has large populated areas without the benefit of any municipal fire hydrants. That has prompted them to adopt an aggressive alternative water supply strategy We talk through how to build sustained fireg...

Send us Fan Mail We break down what it really takes for multiple departments to operate as one on the fireground, from standardized SOPs to the hard conversations that keep mutual aid safe. Then we play condensed incident audio from Colerain Township and explain why clear size-up, smart staging, and disciplined deployment end problems fast instead of creating bigger ones. • expanded command and di...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Chris Ferrara of U.S. Fire Pump and get a clear look at what industrial firefighting really takes when a facility fire outgrows municipal capability. We walk through big water, foam strategy, logistics, and the mindset shift that keeps incident commanders from committing to a plan they cannot sustain.  • what U.S. Fire Pump does and why high capacity pumping chang...

Send us Fan Mail Terry Garrison, Nick Brunacini, and John Vance (The Silverbacks) are back with a new Silverback module (available to all Blue Card subscribers).  We pick up part two of Boss Power and get blunt about how a leader’s angels and demons shape firefighter behavior and department culture. We keep coming back to one simple filter that prevents most boss mistakes: focus on the work, use t...

Send us Fan Mail Terry Garrison, Nick Brunacini, and John Vance (The Silverbacks) are back with a new Silverback module (available to all Blue Card subscribers).  We break down Boss Behaviors and the reality of boss power in the fire service, where leadership lives between City Hall pressure and the crews delivering the work. We argue there’s no neutral gear for a boss, and we share practical ways...

Send us Fan Mail The panelists on this B Shifter Podcast include: Grady Valencis, Jeff Seaton, John Ceriello, Chad Christensen, Sean Gray, Michael McCarthy, Ian Bennett, Sean Decrane, and it is hosted by Chris Stewart and John Vance. We talk with a nationwide IAFF instructor cadre about how evidence-based fireground operations turn UL FSRI research into decisions you can make on your very next inc...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Worcester Fire’s (and Blue Card lead Instructor) Gary Fleischer, plus Blue Card lead instructors Eric Phillips and Chris Stewart, to unpack how strategic decision-making and critical thinking make Blue Card work on real calls. We connect the “why” to NIOSH lessons, legal risk, and the day-to-day habits that help crews put water on the fire faster and go home safe....

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Dr. Dustin Calhoun, Scott Williams , Steve Lester and John Vance . About our guest:  Dr. Dustin J. Calhoun, MD, FAEMS is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Director of the Division of Emergency Medical Services at the University of Cincinnati. A board-certified emergency physician and EMS physician, he practices at UC Medical Center an...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features National Fire Sprinkler Association President Shane Ray, Assistant Chief Scott Williams, Blue Card Program Director Josh Blum, and John Vance. We break down why today’s mega warehouses and cold storage facilities create fireground problems that residential tactics cannot solve, especially when fires start on the roof or exterior and burn inward. We share fiel...

Send us Fan Mail We talk through mid-year Blue Card updates, why command training is worth paying for, and how regional leaders keep a shared system alive even when departments change chiefs. We also dig into big box fire realities and then break down working-fire radio audio that shows what clear size-up, assignments, and command transfer sound like. • Blue Card as a decision-making and incident...

Send us Fan Mail The Silverbacks are back, talking about performance management as an essential tool for fire service leaders. This episode features Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison, and John Vance. We lay out a practical performance improvement model that keeps looping through SOPs, training, field application, monitoring, and revision so the work gets better every time. We also get blunt about wha...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with UL FSRI’s Dr. Dan Madrzykowski about how fire dynamics drives outcomes at outside fires, vehicle fires, and “container” incidents just as much as it does in homes. This episode connects real case studies to practical command decisions so crews stop feeding the fire with ventilation and start controlling conditions with effective water application and better size-up. I...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Josh Blum, Chris Stewart and John Vance We argue that firefighter safety on the fireground works best as a built-in system, not a lone safety officer trying to play catch-up outside the hazard zone. We connect real injury and fatality patterns to supervision, accountability, communications, and command decisions that match conditions in both residential and c...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Fire Chief (Ret.) Thomas Lakamp, Assistant Chief Scott Williams, Blue Card Program Director Josh Blum, and John Vance. Thomas Lakamp, Fire Chief (Ret.), Fairfield (Ohio) Fire Department  Chief Thomas Lakamp is the fire chief for the City of Fairfield, Ohio. He retired from the Cincinnati Fire Department as an assistant fire chief after almost 35 years of serv...

Send us Fan Mail Our guest this week is Battalion Chief Ryan Eldridge, Blue Card Lead Instructor Ryan Eldridge is a dedicated fire service professional with a career spanning over three decades. He began his journey in 1995 when he joined the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Explorer Program. Directly out of high school, he worked for the Las Vegas Bureau of Land Management office as a wildland firefight...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Nick Brunacini and is hosted by John Vance. We trace the origin of the Fire Command textbook from Alan Brunacini and why standardizing incident command changes everything from water-on-the-fire decisions to firefighter safety. We walk through what’s new in Fire Command 3 and how Blue Card training turns hard lessons into a repeatable system that works under p...

Send us Fan Mail Commercial fires will expose weak decision-making—fast. In this episode, we break down why commercial fire operations demand a completely different mindset than house fires—and how the Blue Card strategic decision-making model keeps us out of trouble. We focus on size-up, realistic life safety expectations and the command choices that keep us from doing the wrong thing harder. In...

Send us Fan Mail We share the April 2026 Blue Card rundown, from FDIC plans to major updates in training, online content, and continuing education. We dig into what’s changing in Fire Command, why objective after action reviews matter, and how we keep the whole response system stronger from dispatch to the fireground. • FDIC plans in the Hoosier corridor and who you can meet at the booth • Third e...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer to talk about what real officer accountability looks like and why the front seat cannot be a part-time leadership role. We break down how a disciplined incident command system, integrated training, and sustained culture change make firegrounds safer and service delivery sharper. • Worcester’s history and how tragedy drives learning...

Send us Fan Mail This episode, Josh Blum , Chris Stewart and John Vance connect recruit training to stronger incident command by showing how day-one decision making, radio discipline, and functional evolutions create safer firegrounds. Along the way we share first-arriver expectations, Mayday triggers, air management, and the myth of “just do work.” • day-one radio use and communication norms • bu...

Send us Fan Mail Josh Blum, Chris Stewart and John Vance look at how disciplined size-up and tight language reveal true critical factors and shape an incident action plan that works. We share tools for integrating risk management into strategy, avoiding busy work, and matching tactics to real resources. • why critical factors drive the incident action plan • three core size‑up questions that focus...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Chris Stewart, Steve Lester and John Vance We unpack how clear size-ups, shared language, and realistic tactics turn a scene into a coordinated fireground. Standard conditions guide standard actions, which create standard outcomes—and the trust to avoid freelancing and prevent avoidable failures. • defining standard conditions for typical occupancies in your...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison and John Vance We dig into why reactions make or break leadership, how to de-escalate without dodging accountability, and why the best chiefs manage problems early and at the lowest level. Stories from the fireground and the station show how kindness, clarity, and standards live together. • Owning attitude and response under str...