Firefighter Podcast

Rob is a serving firefighter in the UK fire & rescue service. In his first career in the fire service he served across many stations both retained/on-call and wholetime finishing at the rank of station manager before choosing to re-apply and join again as a firefighter. Rob has had some incredible personal and professional experiences that he shares on todays episode. For context this episode...

Sarah is an operational Crew Manager in the UK Fire & Rescue and passionate advocate of developing great firefighters with a solid grasp on firstly the fundamentals then becoming a subject matter aspect in the art of firefighting. She is currently based in the training department Instructing on Breathing Apparatus, Fire Behaviour & many other skills with all firefighters from new recruits...

Mike Maybin is the Co-founder - Director of IRRTC Rescue LTD Mike has a unique horizontal approach to learning and passing knowledge on through proven educational methods. He is passionate about this from every level - basic up to more advanced.  His expertise is wide ranging from Trauma, Military, Trench rescue, vehicle rescue and collision which he delivers through exposure to real world inciden...

The WFS renowned national event has been running for over two decades and is open to all genders in any role in the Fire and Rescue Service. Everyone is welcome. Fuel your motivation to learn new skills, invest in your development and discover your true potential. A space to connect with like-minded professionals across a multitude of Services. Be Inspired Inspire Others Expand Your Network Empowe...

Victoria is a Veterinary Surgeon and Certified Coach experienced at resolving personal and professional challenges. Manager within Dogs Trust's veterinary team to provide the best possible care to dogs within UK-based rehoming centres, outreach and worldwide projects. I first met Victoria in her role as Lead Veterinarian for UKISAR where he is in charge of Coordinating a team of three vets to...

Ricky Lightfoot is a firefighter & British runner who has been a world champion in trail running and a medallist. Here is a few of his stats: Medalist in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge , Three Peaks Race , Wasdale , Borrowdale , Ennerdale , Three Shires and Skiddaw, He won the Lakeland Classics Trophy series in 2007 and 2015. Internationally he won the Zegama-Aizkorri race...

Today we are talking Personal development, adult education and the resurgence of apprenticeships in the emergency services sector with Candace Miller. Candace is the Executive Director at The Workforce Development Trust (best known as Skills for Health/Skills for Justice) in addition to being Managing Director of the sector specialist Awarding Organisation, SFJ Awards Ltd. She is a highly experien...

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes is an American conservationist, martial arts instructor, actor, and former active duty United States Marine. He is best known for portraying himself in the TV series SAS Who Dares Wins & Generation Kill. In 1998, Reyes joined the United States Marine Corps and was ultimately selected for (and passed) Marine Recon training. He served in Afghanistan and took part i...

Dan Quinn is Assistant Chief Fire Officer at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service Steven Sadler is the UK's leading On-call expert. Steve has served in four Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) throughout England: Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, Staffordshire and Shropshire. He has used his research expertise working as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Keele University, alongside this fire service ex...

Mark is a firefighter and SAS Who Dares Wins finisher who recently broke a Guinness World Record by completing the 2023 London Marathon in a full breathing apparatus and mask, to raise funds for the firefighters charity Mark was aiming to complete the run in under seven hours, but shocked supporters on the day by getting a staggering time of 4:42:05 – a new world record. It also broke the current...

Tim Rushmere was a soldier in the British army before starting his company GENESIS who support companies and organisations with Bite size, effective mental health training & support. Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew A big thanks to our partners for supporting this episode. GORE-TEX Professional Clothing HAIX Footwear   Support the ongoing...

Richard Hill AKA Tricky Ricky is a Firefighter, CrossFit competitor & Gym Owner & former Intelligence officer. Connect with Ricky on Instagram HERE Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew A big thanks to our partners for supporting this episode. GORE-TEX Professional Clothing HAIX Footwear Support the ongoing work of the podcast by clicking H...

Trevor Williams is an LA based firefighter and creator of The Williams Key. This is an emergency tool used by First Responders to gain quick access to buildings and houses. The purpose of the tool is to toggle the strike of a lock without doing damage to the lock, door, or frame. It works well on Gates with anti-vandal plates, Elevator Control Rooms, Commercial Utility Doors, and many other outwar...

Matt Chan is a Firefighter, Titan Games Season 2 Champ, Climber, Mountain Biker, Hunter, 4 Top ten finishes at the CROSSFIT Games and all-around passionate about fitness, firefighting & life. Connect with Matt through his company Train For The Win or find him on Instagram HERE Matt also offers a Seven day free trial - use link below https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/brand/trainftw?attrib=212...

Roger Thomas is the Chief Fire Officer at Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew A big thanks to our partners for supporting this episode. GORE-TEX Professional Clothing HAIX Footwear Fitness For the Frontline is coaching designed specifically to reflect the physical elements of the role of a Firefighter...

Dr Stefan Svensson began his career as a firefighter in the Swedish Air Force in 1986. In 1989, he earned a bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering and in 2002, a doctorate at Lund University in Sweden.   For the past 15 years you have been involved in experimental and theoretical investigations of firefighting tactics, including firefighting methods. He holds a masters with a Disser...

Neil is a career firefighter who retired as a station manager at a rescue station. He has been an assessor for UKRO for 20 years & a qualified instructor in many disciplines. Since retiring Neil leads a team of instructors as part of his company IRRTC where they teach people from all over the UK in a number of skills sets. Neil and his team has developed solutions and methods for dealing with...

Tyrone is a firefighter from southern California and started his page Fire Department Humor to give people a insight into the "gallows humor" in the sector as well as the  true challenges faced by the first responder community. Find Tyrone's Instagram HERE Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew A big thanks to our partners for support...

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a World Health Organisation body, has today declared that occupational exposure as a firefighter has been classified as carcinogenic Firefighters’ personal protective equipment (PPE) has been proven to be a source of chronic exposure to toxic contaminants commonly released from fires. Finally we have a solution to how to properly clean our PPE.  Hun...

Zac Blackledge is a father, CrossFit competitor & Firefighter and also a returning guest. Zac had a STROKE whilst competing in a fitness competition & was in a place where he perhaps would never be able to return to the things he enjoyed in his life. Today Zac is once again an operational firefighter and has overcome so much in this journey back to the frontline. Useful links mentioned in...

 On 12 July 2009 at 00.38hrs Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service received a call to a fire in a public bar at 178 Dalry Road, Edinburgh.  The original seat of the fire was within the basement, in a room used as an office, with fire and smoke spreading upwards towards the flatted properties above. The initial firefighting tactical plan prioritised the rescue of residents from those flats an...

Chris Oliver is a former Special Forces Operator and Royal Marine Mountain Leader, with 16 years of combat experience.  Chris joined the military at 16 and served within the elite Special Boat Service (SBS), alongside fellow SAS directing staff Jason Fox Chris was deployed on operations to Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland, Oman, Iraq and Afghanistan, before leaving the military in 2015.  Please supp...

Steve Adams & John Aitchison are serving members of the UK International Search and Rescue team and were also part of the heavy rescue team deployed & who successfully took part in rescuing people buried under rubble in Turkey. On 6 February 2023 a 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey. The 77-strong team from UK fire and rescue services arrived in Turkey & along with four...

After a meeting of the National Joint Council (NJC) on Wednesday 8 February, fire service employers came forward with a new offer of 7% on NJC-negotiated pay rates and CPD backdated to July 2022, and a further 5% from July 2023 for all Grey Book staff.  So what will we vote ? What are the factors to consider ? And what will this mean for the future pay rates ? A ballot on the offer is now open and...

What really happens on SAS Who Dares Wins, what do they cut out of the show & how hard was It really. Time to catch up with my good friend Hillary AKA Recruit 4 In September 2202 myself & 19 others took part in SAS Who Dares Wins where an elite team of ex-special forces from the UK and USA recreate the special forces selection process - putting all us recruits through the ultimate test of...