Code 3 - The Firefighters Podcast

Some structure fires are pretty easy to find. The seat of the fire is obvious. It’s the calls reporting a light haze of smoke that get tricky. The fire could be in any number of places, like in the wall. And if you try to anticipate and stretch a hoseline, you may be wrong and waste a lot of valuable time. So it pays to find the fire first. Here to discuss how to do that is Danny Sheridan. Danny S...

By now, you’ve heard over and over about the value of professional counseling. But, I know, you’re probably still skeptical. Maybe you think it’s too-touchy feely. Maybe you’re worried that word will get out that you’re seeing a shrink. Or it could be that you just don’t think a therapist will understand what you do for a living. That’s why, today, we’re going to talk about what exactly happens wh...

A lot of volunteer fire departments are worried about the dwindling number of new recruits. But what about holding onto the members already in the ranks? That takes a little effort and it may require some structural changes, too. It may be necessary, though, because turnover is the enemy of a solid volunteer department. Here to discuss that with me is Ed Dolan. He’s been a member of the Catskill F...

When you hear the term “primary search,” what comes to mind? Is it something an engine crew does while they’re advancing the line? Or is it the job of the truck crew? And if you’re the first-in engine at a structure fire, and believe there might be victims inside, what’s your priority? Today’s guest says you might want to hash that out before the tones drop. Dave LeBlanc is a Deputy Chief with the...

Have you ever become lost in a burning structure? It ‘ll cause a pretty severe pucker factor, as my Air Force friends call it. And, yes, becoming lost in a fire can easily be fatal. Today, we’re going to hear from a captain in a volunteer department who found himself lost in a burning building. Captain Alex Davis of the Lower Providence Fire Department in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania has some i...

You don’t have to be the senior man at your station to have learned some valuable lessons. The things we learn that improve how we do our jobs sometimes come from keeping an open mind and asking questions. My guest today condensed a few concepts he picked up that way into Firehouse.com article. Charlie Evans has fewer than five years in the fire service, but he wrote about four lessons he’s learne...

This week was the premiere of A&E’s Live Rescue show. And this week, I’m reviewing it. Maybe I can help you decide if it’s worth your two hours every Monday night.

If you haven’t yet had the experience of having a victim of a structure fire die, all I can say is, you will. It’s not something anyone can really prepare for, and – especially if you were the one who pulled the victim out – it never gets any easier. Thankfully, most fires these days don’t result in fatalities. But what changes when you arrive at a working fire and a bystander tells you there’s so...

FDIC 2019 is in the books, and a lot of you were there this time. The conference was first held in 1929. It now draws in excess of 30,000 participants, making it one of Indiana’s biggest conventions. To find out how it went this year, my guest today is Bobby Halton. He is the editor-in-chief of Fire Engineering magazine and education director of the FDIC. He began his career with the Albuquerque F...

Do you ever get the feeling that there are some people doing this job who really aren’t into it? They’re around -- but that's all. They’re mostly found in the ranks of the volunteer departments. These are the guys who want to wear the t-shirt and say they’re a firefighter—but don’t actually want to do the work. Now, you may want to just jettison these people. But what if you could motivate them to...

What does it take to be a fire officer? There’s more to it than just giving orders, of course. In fact, being a great officer could be considered a skill … or even an art. My guest today wrote a post for the Firefighter Nation website about the art of being a fire officer. Kirk Galatas is Interim Assistant Chief at the Mukilteo Fire Department in Washington state. He began his career as a firefigh...

Re-kindles are every firefighter’s nightmare. When I was a reporter, PIOs would go to great lengths to get me not to use that word if a fire re-ignited. Avoiding them seems simple enough—use a lot of water and do thorough overhaul. So how do even proficient fire departments have re-kindles? More importantly, how do we avoid them? My guest today has some answers. Nick Martin’s been a firefighter si...

Vertical ventilation is a pretty controversial subject these days. Ever since the UL report on it came out, firefighters have been arguing whether vertical ventilation is worth the risk and if it even has the effects we want. One thing that makes it risky is that it’s tough to do realistic training for it. Where do you stand? Today’s guest has some insights into the debate. Frank Ricci is a lieute...

If you’re trying to join the fire service, raise your hand. Wow, that’s a lot of you. There are some good resources to help you with things like passing the written tests and the interview stage. But one of the keys is mentorship, a/k/a networking. Turns out, who you know really can make a difference in getting in the door. My guest today is here to explain. Dave McGlynn is a 17 year Fire & Emerge...

The RIT team has an important role at a fire scene. I say this, not as Captain Obvious, but because it’s easy to forget when you go to multiple scenes without ever taking action. It’s even easier when the IC tells you to throw a ladder because you’re just standing there. How much do you train for RIT operations? How realistic is that training? Today’s guest would like to see you do more, and to pr...

Village, Colorado, has had a new response policy in place. Air Methods helicopters, which operate from bases in 48 states around the U.S. , has been launching sooner on EMS calls. The goal is to have them standing by in the air instead of on the ground. The new procedure has been a success, so far. Here to explain the policy, and the results, is Joseph Uridil, the Air Methods clinical base supervi...

Today’s fire departments ask more of their members than they used to. You’re now required to be at least an EMT in most departments, and there are advantages to being a paramedic, too. Today’s show is about being a good paramedic. It’s not just about emergency medicine. My guests today are a brothers who wrote a book about what it takes to fit into a world with no grey area. The book is “Life and...

With active shooter situations on the rise, there’s been more concern about how schools should deal with them. Communities around the country have started thinking pro-actively about how they can prevent shootings. And how they’ll respond if one happens in their schools. My guest today is part of that planning process and has some insights on what might be considered. Alan Berkowsky has been the F...

Just about everyone wants to be promoted. More pay, maybe a different shift, and more authority to make things happen. So what do you do when you actually get that promotion? You might want to think about it in advance. And today’s guest is here to give you some things to think about. Rom Duckworth has more than twenty five years of experience working in career and volunteer fire departments, emer...

This show is a little different than most. We’re going to take a look at a feud going on in Arizona. AMR’s LifeLine Ambulance is on the hot seat as two fire departments covering Yavapai County are complaining to state regulators that their response times are too long. Life Line says it meets the state’s standards under its Certificate of Need, or CON. Joining me for this show are Chief Scott Freit...

Scott's opinion of the NYC proposal to change emergency sirens to the European high-low style. The city councilmembers behind the new law say they're less noisy and will lead to fewer complaints. Scott says they'll be less effective...and unAmerican, too.

Do you remember the Tot Finder stickers? For many years, families put them on the windows of children’s rooms, so, in case of fire, firefighters would know they should search that room. They’ve mostly fallen out of favor. My guest says we’re now counting on victims to do that—to rescue themselves –and it may not be realistic. Shouldn’t they rightfully expect firefighters to rescue them? Here to di...

Has your department given any thought to operating its own ambulances? It’s happening around the country, for various reasons. There are some considerations to be checked out before a decision is made, and we have a couple of guests to explain them today. First up is Joe Maruca. He’s the Chief of the West Barnstable Fire Department, a combination fire department on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. He’s...

Our topic on this episode is stretching a dry line. Way back in Firefighting 101, they taught where to do it and where not to. Problem is, my guest today says, once you gain some experience, sometimes that training goes unheeded. And that can lead to firefighters in a world of trouble. Here to give us a refresher on where to stretch dry is Anthony Avillo. He retired a Deputy Chief with North Hudso...

The Bernalillo County Fire Department in New Mexico is trying a new idea to cut down on job-related cancer. The department is adding apparatus, over time, that has compartments to store turnout gear. Firefighters won’t generally wear their turnouts in the rig on the way to or from a fire. It’s called the “Clean cab” policy, and spokesman Lt. David Lujan says it was a group decision. There's been s...