Code 3 - The Firefighters Podcast

Today, we are rethinking everything you know about fire ground size-up. Everyone has been taught standard acronyms like COAL WAS WEALTH. But that traditional method is often too complicated for a young firefighter or inexperienced officer with no background in building construction. Our guest today is here to share what he calls a system for success. He breaks down the vital difference between an...

How many times have you pulled up to a location, seen fire blowing out of the second-story windows, and thought, "There is no way anyone is alive in there?" Today’s guest argues that firefighters have been making that call far too early. And it’s often based on outdated campaigns and fear rather than real-world data. You took an oath to protect life. It is the driving force behind every decision y...

You ever walk into *that* firehouse? You know the one. The crew is burnt out. They’ve given up on morale. And they’re constantly complaining that "Downtown" or "The Brass" have ruined the job. But my guest today argues that if your station’s culture is toxic, you shouldn't be looking at the Fire Chief for help... you should be looking in the mirror for solutions to your problems. Yep. The most pow...

There’s a lot of talk about "making the grab" in this job. But how often do you actually break down what went right when a rescue is successful? Not just the tools, but the mindset, the assignments, and the split-second decisions made in the first few minutes. After the high-fives and backslapping, it’s time to analyze how you did it. So you’ll do it right the next time, too. And to look at your m...

We often talk about the fireground as a chaotic environment, because it is. But there is a tendency in the modern fire service to meet that chaos with complexity—adding more gadgets, more steps, and more theories to what is, at its heart, a simple physical battle. When the heat is high and visibility is zero, complexity is the enemy. It slows you down. And in this job, slow can be fatal—in fact, i...

Do you know exactly how vertical ventilation works? Depending on your level of experience, you may think you do, but you still might not have a really solid understanding of why it works. Simply cutting a random 4x4-foot hole in the roof won't do the job in all cases. My guest today has a good deal of experience as a firefighter, but he admits that, until he saw a live fire test, he misunderstood...

If you spend any time on social media, you’re probably familiar with Curt Isakson. He has a massive presence on Facebook and about 6,000 followers. Chief Ike, as he’s also known, has had a 30-plus-year career in the fire service. He's also been an advocate for treatment of firefighters who sufFer from PTSD. So it was not a big surprise when Curt decided to enroll in the IAFF’s Center of Excellence...

When Bill Niemann joined the fire service in 1976, the landscape looked very different. This was a time of rubber boots, and riding the tailboard of the engine. SCBAs were the newest thing, and not everyone got to have one. When Bill Niemann joined the fire service in 1976, the landscape looked very different. This was a time of rubber boots, and riding the tailboard of the engine. SCBAs were the...

If you’re a member of a volunteer department, you’ve probably run into the problem of Incident Command. The issue is, who’s going to be the IC on a given fireground. Now, if your volunteer department is lucky enough to have career firefighters showing up to calls with you, the problem’s not so bad. Odds are, that career firefighter is going to be the one who takes command of the scene. But what if...

This edition of Code 3 is a little different than most. It’s about a Fire Chief who lost his job after he incurred the wrath of the Union Local’s officials and, ultimately, the IAFF. Scott Freitag was the chief of the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, or CAFMA. The agency was created under Scott’s leadership when two fire districts combined under a JMA to form CAFMA in 2015. CAFMA covers...

Are you tired of being told to “think outside the box?” Well, if you are, I have good news: today’s show is about thinking inside the box. It's about looking at structures as a series of boxes, determining which box has the active fire in it, and how to attack that fire. Boxes determine flow path in large modern residential structures. It’s an interesting idea, and it was developed for the Plano,...

One of the first tools you were taught about when you started this job is the basic ground ladder. Once you learned how to throw one, it was no big deal, right? The longer the ladder, the more firefighters get to carry it. Except… What if there’s not enough people on the fireground to do that? You might be surprised to find that the 24-foot extension ladder can safely be carried and placed by just...

One of the least exciting jobs for a firefighter is the dreaded Community Risk Reduction assignment. In an urban environment, CRR may mean doing a meeting with the people you serve. Or maybe you’re changing smoke alarm batteries. Either of those—not exciting, but not so much work, either. But if your department covers urban and rural areas, where you could be tasked to fight a brush fire, well, no...

(This episode is a rebroadcast of a June, 2018 edition of Code 3) On June 30, 2018, the fifth anniversary of the LODD of 19 members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew at Yarnell Hill, a memorial ceremony was held in Prescott, Arizona, their home base. The brief ceremony commemorated their loss and celebrated their lives. This is the event.

Incident commanders, here are some questions for you: How much thought do you put into where you set up your command post? Is it usually on the alpha side of a structure? Why is that? Routine? Street access? What about distractions? For example, noise. That can not only give you a headache but also make you miss an urgent radio call, right? My guest on this edition of Code 3 has been considering q...

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...