5-Alarm Task Force!

I will honestly say that this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force” is one of, if not THE best episode we have ever produced. It is informative, tragic and dark, yet also demonstrates inner strength and recovery. My guest is Chris Fields, a retired Major with the Oklahoma City Fire Dept. While his name may not be familiar, a world-famous photo of him carrying the body of a toddler killed in the bombing...

If you have a year or two more “under your belt” you know that learning in a classroom is nothing compared with learning on an active fireground. A good firefighter is ready for almost anything as he/she dismounts from the apparatus, because the fireground is an ever-evolving, ever-changing, location with massive changes that can occur in just seconds. And if you’re not ready for it…… My guest on...

Over the last several years, we have seen more openness, understanding and assistance appear regarding behavioral health issues in the fire service and, for that matter, for all first responders! We know the issue has been there. It’s another case of the “elephant in the firehouse;” everyone sees it, but no one wants to talk about it! Add to that the fact that we’re losing far to many first respon...

One of the most important numbers in our business is 360! It has been drilled into us that upon arrival at a call for smoke and/or fire, the first arriving officer should make as complete an inspection of the structure/scene as is possible. Then, the officer gives the crew initial instructions to mitigate the issue. What does that officer see? What’s involved? What needs to be done first. All of t...

We have all seen the news footage – huge wildfires consuming large areas in California. Last year, major fires like the Woolsey and Camp fires, destroyed thousands of acres of woodland, thousands of homes and disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of residents. And, in almost every newsreel, you saw firefighters and other first responders, doing tasks, such as fighting the fires, clearing a fire...

For as long as there have been people, fire and those willing to quench unexpected issues from fire, the basic tenet was “put the wet stuff on the red stuff!” Of course, there were no “classes” given to what was burning until many years later. And to be honest, that premise worked. However, in the last fifty years or so, one of the key issues that has changed is WHAT is burning and what is the saf...

What direction does your fire, law enforcement or EMS department have for its future? Do you have a timetable for your apparatus, vehicles, equipment, etc.; how long will, what you now have, last and what will you do when it’s time to replace it? Sometimes, it might be similar to how you may have learned to cook spaghetti – throw a few pieces against the wall – if they stick, it’s time to eat! On...

Most of us who became volunteer or career firefighters, paramedics or EMT’s, did so for a specific reason – to help people. As the late Chief “Bruno” taught us, our job is to take of Mrs. Smith on her worst day, even if that day is her cat up a tree. And that lesson, really does cross all the lines of first responders. However, sometimes the people we are supposed to help are not so happy to see u...

Health, wellness and fitness-for-duty. These words ring loudly for any first responder - the firefighter, the law enforcement officer and the paramedic or EMT. Some are careful with what they eat; others exercise on a regular basis. Yet, none of us have the ability to look inside of ourselves to see what might be going on; something that may not be known until it requires immediate and significant...

Remember your first day at school? At the fire academy? At your first posting? Those moments are often some of the most difficult in our lives. Yet, for most of us, there was often someone there to guide us on this new journey and that allowed us to calm our nerves. However, it is important to note that learning is almost always a two-way street; there’s the student and there’s the teacher. My gue...

Seen any UAS’s recently? No….not UFO’s – I said, “UAS,” an Unmanned Aerial System. And no, we’re talking about renegade blimps or hot-air balloons. UAS is another term for a drone, those relatively small aerial devices that do everything from shoot film or video to deliver a package your ordered online! For the buying public, they began as small toys advertised all over television. The drones we’r...

We hope you're all having a safe and enjoyable summer. We're back in the studio and preparing for our 4th season! This mini-cast will tell you about some of the guests and projects we have coming up. Watch for our first episode on Friday, August 17th, with Chief Charles Werner. Stay Safe & Stay Well!

What happens when a bunch of firefighters get together? They “shoot the sh*t” is what most would say, and the 2018 Great Florida Fire School is no different. Sponsored by the FSFA (Florida State Firefighters Association, the School provides an opportunity for firefighters from Florida and anywhere else in the country, to attend excellent classes taught by some of the best local and nation fire ins...

While many podcasts and all-over social media, we hear and see a great deal of discussion on tactics, strategies, equipment and more. And it makes sense, as those topics are the “sexy” ones regarding firefighting. However, there’s a great deal more that needs to be discussed just as openly as the subjects mentioned above, but are all too often left alone because, well, they’re just too personal. O...

“HAZMAT” – that’s a word that excites one group of firefighters and scares others right down to the bone. And rightly, it should scare everyone…at least a little bit! Hazmat situations very greatly by community, county and state. In one area, an overturned jug of chlorine on a pool-cleaner’s trailer is quickly treated by a single engine company. Yet in another locale, the same spill with require a...

If you’re first responder in any way, i.e., fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement, safety ranger or recovery/tow operator, there’s every chance that you are aware of what has been happening on our active roadways. We respond to the scene of an emergency and while on-scene, a distracted driver comes barreling through your safety zone, striking your vehicle or, Heaven forbid, the people working there!...

If you have been involved in fire and/or EMS, you probably know the name, “Gary Ludwig.” Chief Ludwig has over 40 years of experience in fire-rescue and EMS. He has served as the Chief Paramedic of the St. Louis Fire Dept, the Deputy Fire Chief for the Memphis Fire Dept, and currently serves as the Chief of the Champaign IL Fire Dept. In his new book, “Fully Involved Leadership,” Chief Ludwig shar...

Once we’re hired as a firefighter or paramedic, or we join a volunteer/paid-on-call department, we realize that there is a long learning road ahead. And once we complete the basic material, we then have to decide what we’ll do next. Will we be satisfied with what we have already accomplished or, will we want to keep learning, advancing our knowledge and, very likely, our career? My guests on this...

There’s so much happening in the fire service that one could spend the entire day reading the various trade publications, then move onto social media for the next several hours and still not know some of most important news happening in this field that we love. To “quench” our thirst for the latest, I called and invited my friend, Executive Assistant Chief Todd LeDuc of the Broward County Sheriff’...

One of the first “adult” things we learn to do as children is to shrug off tasks assigned by our parents or maybe, an older sibling. Or, we may have actually learned that behavior from that same older sibling, when one of your parents asked that sibling to perform a certain task or run an errand and they moaned so much about it, that the parent just dropped the matter. That behavior may be all goo...

You are dispatched to a working shed fire. Your district isn’t that large, but there are still areas you’re unfamiliar with.\; this area is one of them. As you turn down the street of the reported address, you see a good loom-up ahead of you. “This one is cooking,” you think to yourself. The officer hits the intercom and assigns you to the nozzle and your partner. When the driver pulls to the side...

“REHAB” – a word that’s both prized and despised by most first responders, especially, firefighters. Why? Simply put, because it takes them away from the job they were doing. Prized? Because you get a quick breather, a cold drink and, if you’re lucky, a towel. This old model of rehab comes from the age when we told firefighters who were having difficulties dealing with some of the tragedy and trau...

If you have even just a couple of years under your belt as a firefighter, then you are probably still familiar with the huge push in both the career and volunteer/part-pay sectors, for firefighter health, wellness and fitness-for-duty. Some interpret this as it’s time to go to the gym and “muscle-up.” And, while that may assist you in trimming some body fat and maybe even learning how to eat in a...

If you’re a firefighter and you’ve visited the City of Philadelphia, then I hope you took some time to visit one of the most important sites in American firefighting history – Firemen’s Hall. While this top-shelf museum deals mostly with the history of the Philadelphia Fire Department, it is also closely connected with the very first, organized volunteer fire department in, what was then the colon...

If you are a first responder, you know that there are times when the first dispatched units arrive on the scene of a call and realizing the enormity of the task at hand, they call for mutual aid. With proper advance planning, neighboring first responders answer the alarm and soon arrive to assist. However, what happens when your asked to respond half-way around the globe to assist the fire service...