Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg and Michael Landsberg, founder of Sick Not Weak, sat down with Ret. Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to discuss the value of talking about mental health without shame, stigma, and the return on investment when leaders open up about mental wellbeing and resiliency. 

Dr. Richard Gasaway, one of America’s leading authorities on human error and situational awareness, joins (Ret.) Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to chat about the evolution of the term situational awareness, impacts of technology, and how neuroscience can help us make our best decisions on the modern-day fire ground.

Hailing from Sacramento, Cali., coach, consultant and fire captain Rashawn Fulcher chats with host Fire Chief (Ret.) Tom DeSorcy about his 22-year career with the unique perspective as a minority, bridging the gaps in the diversity conversation, and facing the challenges of mass retirement and loss of leadership experience in Fire.

Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, joins the latest episode of the podcast to chat with host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about the historic wildfire season, the major topics heading into this year’s Chiefs on the Hill and September’s Fire-Rescue conference in Halifax. The two continued conversations from the event about the benefits that a national fire advi...

Argentinian air tractor pilot and volunteer firefighter Diego Perez talks with host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about aerial wildfire fighting in the Maritimes, how ground and air crews can train to work safely together, changes to structural fire fighting, aircraft apparatus, and the adrenaline rush that comes right before a drop. 

Hailing from Nova Scotia, retired Fire Chief and Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Tory Rushton chats with host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about the challenges of volunteer fire fighting in small rural towns, taking an organized approach to advocate for more resources, the importance of networking, how provinces can incorporate the local fire service to strengthen wildfire respo...

Chief John Liadis talks to host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about the generational reactions to modernizing your department, who to focus on for successful change adoption, getting the buy-in, the need for transparent team communication, social media playing a new role in the next generation of recruitment, and how training is a core component of taking your department to the next level.

Waskesiu Fire Chief Les Karpluk joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about leadership in the fire service, building relationships and trust, and how to recognize young leaders on your team.

BC Wildfire Service lead forecaster Matt MacDonald joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about fire weather forecasting in British Columbia, how environmental conditions affect wildfire seasons, and analyzing the science behind predicting wildfires and weather. 

Toronto’s Fire Chief Matthew Pegg joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about the department’s latest recruitment; the qualifications, courage and motivation of today’s candidates; the importance of connecting with and supporting your members, and why large fire services can and do learn from small departments.  

The easiest fire to fight is one that is prevented from happening. In this edition of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, host Tom DeSorcy is joined by Brad Davidson, retired firefighter and fire investigator from Flin Flon, Manitoba. The two discuss how Davidson got his start in the fire service, the difference between municipal and industrial fire protection, the changes in fire behaviour...

Karen Roche, fire chief for Burlington, Ont., shares how her department is looking to hire the right fit for fire fighting through the Multi-Mini-Interview process, or MMIs. The MMI program has a strong focus on assessing soft skills and determining emotional intelligence. Take a deep dive into this hiring technique with Roche and host Tom DeSorcy. 

To comeRed Deer’s Fire Chief Ken McMullen, the new president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about inflation, budget cycles, minimum training standards, medical response, mental health and the importance of advocacy at the CAFC.

In the latest edition of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy sat down with Craig Richardson, a training specialist and fire services advisor with the Office of the Fire Commissioner in B.C., to talk about training standards. The two discussed the 2014 training Playbook and how it helped to revolutionize training standards in B.C. Tune in to hear where training is headed no...

What is coaching and how can it help you as a leader? What is the difference between a coach and a mentor? Shelley Langille, founder and president of SeeShell Consulting, talks to Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about how career and executive coaching can help you align your mind with your goals, become a better listener, and increase your personal performance and self-awareness on the path to ultimately b...

Arjuna George, retired fire chief and professional coach, talks to fire chief and host Tom DeSorcy about the importance of succession planning to the fire service, maintaining business continuity, identifying emerging leaders, how succession planning impacts recruitment and retention, defining retirement, empowering people to lead, and the future of the volunteer fire service in Canada.

FireFit of Canada is back on the road after a two- and half-year pandemic hiatus. Now in its 29th year, this family business, run by the McRoberts, is dedicated to firefighter fitness, has a new partnership with Draeger for 2022, and a tentative schedule for 2023 already in the works. Tune in to hear Hilary McRoberts share more about the FireFit circuit, competition tasks, training, and how i...

In this episode of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, Steven Craft, principal at CMH Fire Consultants, joins host Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to discuss the series of five separate fire research burns on a full-scale mass timber structure in Ottawa. Craft touches on the importance of these research burns, how the tests are being conducted and what they mean for the fire service. 

Chris Harrow, director of fire services for the Town of Minto and Township of Wellington North in Ontario and interim CAO, talks to Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about volunteer recruitment, retention, and engagement; the increased need for making business cases to council; his successes partnering with the paramedics and police, and the foundations for building partnerships that improve coordination all...

John McKearney, the fire chief in Whistler and president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, looks back on his time in the fire service, reflecting on the importance of paid-on-call firefighters working alongside careers, moving from the Vancouver department to a resort municipality, changing risks and vulnerabilities in small towns versus big cities, and the need for a national strategy o...

Tune in to April’s podcast for a conversation on how public alerts have evolved, why radio is still a key player, what the research shows about public reaction to emergency notifications, best practices for crafting your message, why it’s important to know and address your policy hurdles and how GPS plays a role in the next generation of population targeting. Podcast host Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy ta...

On Jan. 28, the Ontario government released a draft regulation to create mandatory minimum certification standards for specific fire protection services. Rob Grimwood, president of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and deputy chief for Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, joins host Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to discuss details of the proposed new rules and what it means for Ontario’s fire se...

In this episode of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, host and Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy talks to Joy MacDermid, Firewell’s scientific director and co-author of “Canadian career firefighters’ mental health impacts and priorities.” This study interviewed 39 career firefighters on how they viewed their mental health needs, experiences and resources.

This month’s podcast dives into the volunteer sector initiatives of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC). Host and Hope, B.C.’s Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy talks to CAFC director and Answer the Committee chair Vince MacKenzie, fire chief for Grand Falls Windsor, N.L., about the story behind the Answer the Call committee, the Great Canadian Volunteer Census, and what the research says about th...

Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy hosts Fire Chief Ken Stuebing, the new IAFC president and executive director and fire chief for Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency. Stuebing, who helms a metro composite department, the backstory of his IAFC appointment, the important role of Canada in the IAFC, and staffing, succession planning and other challenges shared by colleagues around the world as we come out of th...