Code 3 - The Firefighters Podcast

This week’s show is related to last week’s. If you haven’t heard episode 344 with Jennifer Stanislaw, go ahead and listen to it—it dovetails nicely with this one. On this episode, we’re talking about the importance of setting standards for probie training. Years ago, that training consisted of handing the probie a mop as often as a ladder. It was designed to “teach a solid work ethic.” But just as...

Firefighters around the country are looking at the possibility of a new OSHA ruling very carefully. I’m talking about the two-in/two-out rule, contained in NFPA 1500. There’s a new report written by five prominent members of the fire service that says two-in/two-out doesn’t make firefighters any safer. Instead, the time wasted waiting for a RIC crew to get ready makes it more likely that civilian...

From Day One in the fire service, the lecture is the standard teaching method. Sometimes, it seems like fire departments must keep Microsoft in business, what with all the PowerPoint software they must be ordering. And you know the instruction -- notice I didn’t say “learning” – keeps going like this until you retire. Want to be a Battalion Chief? There’s a lecture and PowerPoint for that. An Engi...

Every firefighter who rides an engine has a favorite tool: The Halligan Bar. As nearly all young firefighters learn, it was invented in 1948 by an FDNY Deputy Chief named Hugh Halligan. Not long after that, he created the Halligan Hook. Sometimes it’s called a New York Roof Hook. This six-foot bar is a favorite of truckies who need to open up roofs. But there’s another way to use the Halligan Hook...

If you were among those fortunate enough to be in the audience at the opening of FDIC 2024, you heard something special. I’d say it was a call to arms… a call to take revolutionary action. Chief David Rhodes spoke for about a half-hour, laying out a case for change in the fire service. His main argument: that the fire service has become too risk-averse. That the leaders of departments are so afrai...

Fire departments around the U.S. are approaching a tipping point. At the same time career departments are seeing a drop in applicants, they’re also losing existing firefighters. This is a problem. Once upon a time, not so long ago, it was tough to get a job in the fire department. But now, fewer people line up for those spots. Maybe it’s generational, maybe it’s just a natural cycle and it’ll chan...

There’s a constant battle between firefighters who believe that safety on the fireground precludes aggressive tactics. The opposite is also true. What’s the compromise between the two? It seems as if firefighters don’t believe that it’s possible to be both aggressive and safe. It is, of course, and my guest today is here to offer some suggestions about how you can implement both. He’s no wimp—he p...

What’s potentially harder to locate victims in than a hoarder house? A stuffed-full self-storage locker. But that’s exactly what can happen. And even if the victim’s not inside at the time of the fire, their activities may have caused it. Those storage spaces are frequently climate-controlled, and they’re cheap…maybe $100 a month for a small one. That makes them seem like a great place to live for...

Are you ready for this? There’s a whole class of hazardous chemicals that can damage your hearing, and they’re by-products of your average structure fire. Yes, that’s right: When you burn home furnishings, you don’t just get carcinogens. You get “ototoxic” chemicals. Now, the PPE you wear routinely for firefighting protects against this. But—just like the stuff in smoke that causes cancer—ototoxic...

A recent study done at North Carolina State University took a look at PFAS chemicals used in turnout gear and came to some interesting conclusions. PFS layers are what give current turnout coats and pants their oil and water repellency. They're also a known carcinogen, so donning PPE made with PFAS is dangerous even before you step onto your engine or truck. Unfortunately, when the study looked at...

One of the best ways to learn anything is by experience. A better way, though, is to learn from others’ experiences. That’s why we’re talking with today’s guest—to get some insight from someone who learned the hard way. Captain Jeremiah King has been with the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority for more than 20 years. But the story of this response takes place when he was about four years i...

Anyone who has ever fought a wildland fire knows situational awareness is critical to safety and effectiveness on the fireground. But visibility, a key part of that awareness, is often limited by thick smoke in the wildland fire environment. Call it the fog of war, if you like. No matter what you call it, it’s tough to fight a fire when you can’t see through the smoke. That lack of visibility can...

The National Fire Protection Association seems like a pretty important organization. For example, Its reports are routinely used by fire departments to justify staffing requests. But not everyone is satisfied with how the NFPA operates. Some members of the fire service believe the standards for equipment service life are too inflexible. And there’s the question of who writes the standards in the f...

If you’ve ever known a firefighter who committed suicide, you know how it can change your life. It may have come as a complete surprise to you. Or maybe you had been worried about the firefighter’s state of mind. There’s been a lot said and written about what we can do for ourselves to prevent suicide. But today, we’re going to talk about a program designed to help you intervene in another firefig...

Friday, June 30, 2023, is the 10th anniversary of the deaths of 19 wildland firefighters in Arizona. They were hotshots, the kind of people who really do fight fire with fire. Led by a consummate professional, the team made a move that no one expected and no one can explain. That move caused the deaths of the entire crew except for a lookout, who was stationed some distance away. To help me tell t...

It’s getting hotter outside, and that traditionally signals the start of wildland fire season in the U.S. Nowadays, of course, there’s no real “season” when wildland fires burn. The season can be all year long in some parts of the country. We won’t argue about the reasons why—suffice it to say, wildland fires are growing bigger and more frequent than in the past. And, as residents of the northeast...

How fit are you? If you’re newer to the fire service, say two or three years in, you’re probably still in reasonably good shape. After all, you had to meet minimum standards at the fire academy. But unless you’ve kept up with the physical fitness regimen, you may be getting a little soft around the middle. Or losing endurance. My guest today says it’s time to do something about that. Aaron Zamzow...

On this episode, we’re talking with Phil Jose, the expert on reading smoke. As you may know—and as Phil likes to remind us—smoke is fuel. In most cases, it’s just waiting for the right conditions to ignite. We’ll discuss how to keep that from happening. Also on the agenda is a little talk about the relative merits of vertical ventilation. When do you go to the roof and start opening it up? It’s al...

We’ve talked several times on this show about PTSD and its effects on firefighters. It’s a serious problem, one that affects nearly 40 percent of first responders. On this edition of Code 3, we’re going to talk about a documentary available on YouTube that brings the problem home in a very impactful way. It's titled, “The Call We Carry: Confronting PTSD in the Fire Service.” It’s quite a good docu...

This week, we’re going to make some people angry. We’re talking structure fires, risk, and SLICE-RS. If you’re a probie, that’s an acronym for Size-up, Locate the fire, Isolate the flow path, Cool from a safe distance, Extinguish, Rescue and Salvage at any time in the process. Today’s guest says that, by following those steps in that order, you’ll have a less risky fireground. But what about those...

Today’s subject may make you uncomfortable. If it does, that’s not a bad thing—so stick with me. You could save your own career. I am talking about harassment in the fire service, both sexual harassment and other types. Now, look, you know and I know that it goes on. And you know and I know that there have been so-called “sensitivity training” seminars. We also know that they usually aren't well r...

The fire service is often called a brotherhood…or a sisterhood, these days. But how strong is that bond, really? One of the best places to see the strength of the brotherhood in action is when tragedy occurs. A mayday call on the fireground results in heroic efforts…and, if those efforts should fail…then the observances for a line-of-duty-death are truly heartwarming. But what about the rest of th...

There’s a lot of talk in the fire service about the culture. It’s important, which you already know. It’s even celebrated in many cities. But one thing that’s more dependent on the culture of your department than you might think is recruiting. This is especially important if you need to recruit volunteers. Luckily, it’s possible to build the culture you want to see, if you address the issue specif...

Large-city fire departments with multiple PIOs have been showcasing their activities on social media for some time. If you have enough people, it’s no problem. But what if you want to try to engage the community without those resources? Social media can be a direct link with the customers your department serves, so it’s a no-brainer that you’d like to be all over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouT...

Just about every area served by fire departments includes a large warehouse or two. If you drive by it, I am sure you wonder how well your department would deal with a fire inside it. But in the last few years, truly massive warehouses have started to appear. These monsters aren’t measured in square feet, they're measured in acres of land covered. If anything—from a fire to a natural disaster—brin...