Better Every Shift

It’s Draft Day – a perfect opportunity to spotlight one player who has chosen to support the fire service through the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” program. Colts center Danny Pinter, who has several ties to the fire service, honors fallen firefighters on custom designed cleats each season. Zam and Janelle met Pinter a recent National Fallen Firefighters Foundation event where Pinter connected with t...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Linda Willing, who tackles the significance of proportional responses. Willing emphasizes how underreaction can condone inappropriate behavior, while overreaction can waste resources and damage trust. Using real-life examples, she illustrates that responses should be fair, consistent and proportional to the incidents, whether on the fireground or in...

“I’ve seen some horrendous accidents and things – never in my life had I seen anything similar to this.” Chief Kim Zaragis describes the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing – a terrorist attack that killed 168 people and injured more than 600 others on April 19, 1995. As we mark 30 years since the horrific incident, Chief Zagaris recounts his 16 days working the scene as the planning section chief...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Dr. Rachelle Zemlok, a clinical psychologist focused on first responders families. Dr. Zemlok examines the tendency of some firefighters to spend extra hours at work to escape personal problems, leading to emotional distance and strained relationships at home. The structured environment of firefighting contrasts with the complexity of home life, cau...

Firefighters sometimes get “too cute” on the fireground, trying to do too much or step outside their area of expertise. On this Better Every Shift playback, San Francisco Assistant Chief Nicol Juratovac shares some examples and urges firefighters to focus on their bread-and-butter tactics for a strong “interior offensive aggressive attack” – her all-time favorite words. Juratovac is a student of t...

When fires erupted in Los Angeles in early January, the incidents seemed to shift from wildfire to urban conflagration in an instant. Orange County Fire Authority Fire Chief Brian Fennessy, who grew up in Altadena, hurried back to his home community as it was being run over by the Eaton Fire. What Fennessy witnessed was mind-blowing – only a few homes in a massive area spared from the fires. Fenne...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Chief Marc Bashoor, who addresses the crucial need for a unified and elevated national fire service structure. Bashoor argues against the closure of the National Fire Academy (NFA), emphasizing its critical role in providing consistent, advanced training across all states. He also critiques the fragmented federal oversight of various fire and emerge...

“What’s the building hiding from you?” That’s a key question from Chief Andy Starnes, our resident thermal imaging expert on this special episode of Better Every Shift. Starnes, the founder of Insight Fire Training , joins Zam to dig into all things thermal imaging technology, including how TICs can reveal the building’s hidden dangers, how and why so many firefighters misuse their devices, plus t...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Captain Patrick Durham with the Troy (Michigan) Fire Department. Captain Durham addresses the issues firefighters face when dealing with electric vehicle (EV) fires, particularly the challenges posed by thermal runaway events in lithium-ion batteries. Durham covers various methods and tools for extinguishing EV fires, such as firefighting foam, Clas...

Whether responding to a medical emergency, coordinating disaster relief, or ensuring officer safety in high-risk situations, public safety radio systems provide mission-critical communications that enable first responders to fulfill their missions. What does it take to ensure these systems remain functional, interoperable and adequately funded? This special episode of the Better Every Shift podcas...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Chris Paskett, a battalion chief with Eugene Springfield (Oregon) Fire. Paskett details how incident commanders can perform traditional fireground after-action reviews through brief tailboard discussions, capturing audio and tactical worksheets, and conducting thorough audio reviews. Additionally, he covers how to apply AARs to non-operational setti...

“There’s no better time than now to watch the Fire Service One Voice message being exercised,” notes former U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell on this week’s podcast. The collective message from fire service leaders and organizations focuses on the importance of the National Fire Academy – an institution that, effective Friday, was shuttered for all in-person and instructor-led trainin...

Recruitment and retention are critical issues impacting fire departments across the country, and while it’s important to level up our efforts there, Deputy Chief (ret.) Kevin Quinn emphasizes a third R – replacement, as in, succession planning. Chief Quinn, who served for over 40 years on the board of the NVFC, certainly understands the importance of such long-term vision and planning, as he has m...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Battalion Chief Ben Thompson from the Birmingham Fire Department. The article explores how battalion chiefs can earn the respect and trust of their firefighters through personal interactions that display compassion. Thompson recounts personal experiences to illustrate these qualities, emphasizing the importance of handling small, day-to-day moments...

Shortly after taking the helm as fire chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, Dean Crispen received the advice to “just be true to your basic values” – perfect guidance for someone whose values are focused on love for the city and wanting it to succeed, particularly after some challenging years. As the city continues to move in an upward trajectory, Crispen’s focus is on making the department...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Joan Hill, who details the need-to-know information about the Social Security Fairness Act, which eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Hill explains the changes and their implications for firefighters, answering key questions like: Who benefits from the Social Security Fairness Act? Will benefi...

Zam has been through a lot in the past year, navigating some personal life challenges, plus adapting to an elevated position at work – a change that ultimately put him in command at an MCI active-shooter event. With Dr. Rachelle Zemlok as his guide, Zam reflects on how his focus on building resilience has helped him navigate these life changes and challenging calls. Plus, Dr. Z details the four wa...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Dan Rogers, a third-generation firefighter with the Witt Volunteer Fire Department. Rogers delves into volunteer recruitment challenges and solutions, highlighting the importance of addressing misconceptions about why people aren't joining the fire service. Rogers offers several actionable strategies for increasing volunteer numbers. Read the origin...

This week’s podcast revisits one of our most popular shows. Fire service attorney Curt Varone identifies the biggest liability for fire departments – the members who might be looking for a fight – and urges fire service leaders to better address everything from HR issues like discipline to operational issues related to policies and training. We also dig into the need to educate fire service leader...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Johnny Torgeson, the assistant chief of operations for Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow Fire & Emergency Services in California. Torgeson emphasizes the need to reject traditional business-derived leadership models and instead lead differently. The chief explains how to “disrespect the norm,” reinvent your position and put in the work toward...

There’s a lot going on at San Diego Fire Rescue, as we hear from Fire Chief Robert Logan and Battalion Chief David Picone with the health and safety office on this week’s Better Every Shift. The department leaders outline a host of unique programs and efforts focused on members. They also address the recent L.A. wildfires (to which San Diego sent resources), plus the debate about DEI that emerged...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Division Chief Chad Crouse, who addresses the impact of AI on mental health and productivity in the fire service. He observes that fire chiefs tend to use time saved by AI to do more at work rather than focusing time saved on personal wellness. Highlighting a cultural expectation that productivity equals success, Chief Crouse calls for a shift in ho...

Orlando Lt. Bassel Ibrahim is carrying the mayday research torch through the launch of the Firefighter Mayday Survey . The project is a variation and continuation of Don Abbott’s Project Mayday following the chief’s death in 2022. Ibrahim shares what drove him to take on such a huge project, which shares real-world mayday and near-miss data to improve firefighter safety, training and tactics. We d...

This week’s Extra Alarm insights come to us from Chief Eric Linnenburger, who focuses on the importance of genuine connection for newly promoted fire service leaders. Linnenburger identifies the challenges leaders face in maintaining a meaningful connection with their teams, backed by What Firefighters Want survey data that reveals a significant disconnect between fire chiefs and line personnel. T...

Kentucky Assistant Chief Chip Terry called himself a public servant – and lived by those words, shares his widow, Jo Terry: “He was there to serve the public. Now it's our turn to help serve you.” Following Chip’s death by suicide in 2017, Jo started the Chip Terry Fund , which strives to educate first responders and their families about PTSD and provide funding to offer mental health treatments t...