BobbieOnFire: Recent Episodes
Bobbie Scopa
Get the inside scoop on what really happens at the Fire Station or at the scene of emergencies and forest fires. These are sometimes funny and sometimes serious but always entertaining. Many leadership lessons are shared as well.
There is alot of talk about DEI these days. Much of it is not accurate and much of it implies affirmative action… which is not DEI. In the fire service we will work with lots of different kinds of people. Some from the big city, some from small towns. We’ll work with liberals and conservatives, blacks, whites and browns, LBGTs, straights, religious and non-religious. If you’re a leader… and what??? yes, we’re all leaders, you have to be a leader for everyone on your crew. Take a few minutes to listen in to us talk about DEI as a wildland firefighter. You owe it to your crew to take a few minutes to listen and maybe discuss with your crew. As always, thanks for listening.
Episode 103, Why Care About Diversity? BobbieOnFire.com, February 13, 2025
There are lots of emotions right now about the fires in LA. And there should be. Thousands of people are forced from their home and many of those will come back to nothing but devastation. But let us not fall into the trap of believing simple answers about why this fire is happening and why it’s causing so much damage. Listen in to this podcast and get some insights from an experienced professional firefighter/chief with 45 years experience on the job. Remember, there are no simple answers to complex problems… and we have a complex national problem regarding wildland fire.
102, Some Truths About The LA Fires, BobbieOnFire.com, January 10, 2025
Do you get tired of the topic of workplace bullying? I sure get tired of talking about it. But you know what? It’s still going on. It wasn’t long ago that an east coast female firefighter committed suicide due to bullying at the fire department. Actually there have been two in the last couple years. And those are just the one’s I’m aware of. How bad must they be treated to get to that point? Personally, I hear from firefighters and even their retired firefighter parents about workplace bullshit. It drives me crazy that here we are, almost 2025 and we still have that much inappropriate and unprofessional behavior at work. It seems like officers and firefighters think the workplace is a private club that they can treat people however they like. It isn’t. This is a job. It’s a profession and it’s a workplace that is funded by taxpayer dollars. Those taxpayers and hopefully your Chiefs expect professional performance. Take a few minutes to listen to this podcast and talk about it with your crew. We have got to do better folks! And as always, thanks for listening.
Episode 101, What we permit, we promote. BobbieOnFire.com, December 12, 2024
Do you get tired of the topic of workplace bullying? I sure get tired of talking about it. But you know what? It’s still going on. It wasn’t long ago that an east coast female firefighter committed suicide due to bullying at the fire department. Actually there have been two in the last couple years. And those are just the one’s I’m aware of. How bad must they be treated to get to that point? Personally, I hear from firefighters and even their retired firefighter parents about workplace bullshit. It drives me crazy that here we are, almost 2025 and we still have that much inappropriate and unprofessional behavior at work. It seems like officers and firefighters think the workplace is a private club that they can treat people however they like. It isn’t. This is a job. It’s a profession and it’s a workplace that is funded by taxpayer dollars. Those taxpayers and hopefully your Chiefs expect professional performance. Take a few minutes to listen to this podcast and talk about it with your crew. We have got to do better folks! And as always, thanks for listening.
Episode 101, What we permit, we promote. BobbieOnFire.com, December 12, 2024
What does it feel like when our job fulfills us? It’s pretty great, isn’t it? Having a passion for our job can make the time at work speed by. It also gives us a sense of purpose. We can excell on the job if all the stars line up. But what about the opposite? What happens if work is not fulfilling? What if we lost our passion for our job? How does going to work feel then? How does it effect our performance? It’s not just about being a firefighter. This topic applies to everyone from the hardware store manager to the uber driver. Listen in, think about it and consider having a discussion with your friends and co-workers.
Episode 100, It’s More Than The Money, BobbieOnFire.com, October 9, 2024
If you’re reading this, I hope you know that our society is at a crossroads. We’re at a point that the largest wildland firefighting force… the US Forest Service is hemorrhaging firefighters right now. And they may be about to lose many more. Did you know that our federal firefighters are some of the lowest paid firefighters in the country. Yes, that’s right. The firefighters on those federal fire engines and hotshots crews and smokejumpers and rappellers… yea they normally make less than most of the other personnel assigned to a wildfire. And that includes everyone in a support role back in camp. Listen in to this episode and do what you can to support your federal wildland firefighters. Join Grassroots Wildland Fire Fighters and be an advocate. Or if you’re an employee, also join the union. It’s going to be a rough ride ahead.
Episode 99, What If You Call For Help And No One Comes? BobbieOnFire.com, Sept 17, 2024
Going to a fallen firefighter memorial ceremony is always an emotional event. There’s no way it can’t be. But what should a memorial look like? I recently attended the re-dedication of the Dude Fire Memorial not far from Payson Arizona. It made me think hard about memorial ceremonies I’d been to over my long career. Even though it was a re-dedication, there was never an original dedication. There had been no funerals with bagpipes. No procession of engines. No rows of firefighters standing in their dress uniforms. I have some strong opinions about the firefighter memorials that we have for our fallen brothers and sisters. Please listen in and let me know what you think.
Episode 98, How Should We Honor Our Fallen Firefighters, BobbieOnFire.com, August 27, 2024
Have you gotten used to being in risky situations? Maybe things that seemed risky when you were less experienced, don’t seem so bad anymore. Is that because now you’re more knowledgable and are aware of the mitigations being taken for your safety? Or maybe it’s because you’ve done something so many times that it just doesn’t seem scarey anymore. Listen in to this podcast and think about how your thinking has changed over the years. Let’s not just be students of fire. Let’s be students of our own thinking. Thanks for listening.
Episode 97, Are You Used to Risk? BobbieOnFire.com, August 2 2024
Have you ever had a problem with your reputation? I have. I had long and successful career in the fire service and yet I’ve had plenty of times when people spread rumors about me. Some of those negative stories were true. But some of them were absolutely false. What should I have done about it? What should you do about it when it happens to you. Because you know it will. I left an entire agency for many years in part due to false stories being told about me. I’ve heard plenty of experiences from young firefighters who’ve had similar experiences. And it’s not just young firefighters who this can happen to. I know a competetent Chief 1 who struggled with this same thing. Listen in to this story to get some perspective about how we might deal with a negative narrative being told about us.
Episode 96, Don’t Chase Your Reputation, BobbieOnFire.com, May 22, 2024
Sometimes, we as leaders think an employees question is a threat to our authority. They may be trying to learn, but their curiosity can be squashed by how we respond. Our body language and the words we use are critical. You might not realize it but you have a direct impact on your organizations learning culture. How we react can filter down through the entire organization effecting how everyone responds to simple questions or providing perspective and input. The culture we create is critical for the learning environment that our employees and co-workers are living and working in.
Listen in to this story and decide for yourselves – what you think about it.
Episode 95, Questions Aren’t a Threat, They’re the Answer, BobbieOnFire.com, April 22, 2024
I try to keep my podcast stories and postings about fire, leadership and almost always some humor. This post is my recorded interview that aired on the Oregon NPR station on March 4, 2024. It’s obviously fire related because it’s about my work. But it’s also about my personal life. And my personal life is what makes my book so succcessful and unusual. It’s the combination of fire stories, leadership lessons, inappropriate humor and maybe a little sadness. But I’m still laughing and enjoying life, so the joy overwhelms the sadness.
Listen in to the interview. If you haven’t read the book yet, please consider getting it and please share with your friends and family. And as always, thanks for listening to the regular podcasts. We’re over 1.5 million stories downloaded now.
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/05/all-things-considered-transgender-firefighter-author-bobbie-scopa-interview-lgbtq-lgbt-firefighting/
For many of you, risk management is a common phrase that you’ve hear a thousand times a summer. But in the wildland fire service, it hasn’t been that long that we’ve even used that term. We didn’t start talking about risk management until about 2008 in the US Forest Service. We understood the concept but we weren’t all speaking the same language. Listen in today as Curtis Heaton and I talk about risk management in the wildland fire service.
Episode 93, Risky Business – How We Got Here, BobbieOnFire.com, December 14, 2023
Have you ever felt like a failure? How about just having failed from time to time? In this episode, we talk about what it means to fail versus what it means to merely make a mistake. The difference may be our ability to learn from our mistakes. But how do we learn from our mistakes? Is it easy to do? I think our attitude is everything. Listen in today and get some insights from a couple old firefighters about how we learn from our mistakes and succeed.
Episode 92, Failure, BobbieOnFire. October 10, 2023
If you’re a firefighter, have you ever felt isolated from those friends and family members who aren’t firefighters? I never realized how different I was until I retired and wasn’t around as many firefighters. I would anxiously wait until some of my firefighter friends showed up for a visit. Being around my firefighter friends made … Continue reading #91, How Firefighting Changed Me – This Is No Joke →
Why do we have accidents? Sure, we have a dangerous profession. But are accidents just the inevitable results of a perilous environment? I hope you don’t think so. We can and should look for ways to avoid injuries and worse for our personnel. In this story, Curtis Heaton and I talk about a couple issues on three historical fatality fires. I hope you listen and then think about what you might do in a similar circumstance. Remember we can’t improve performance if we don’t study and make changes.
Thanks for listening but don’t forget to read my memoir, Both Sides Of The Fire Line, available at your favorite bookstore.
Episode 90, A Lesson from the Dude, South Canyon and Yarnell Hill Fires, BobbieOnFire.com, April 3, 2023
Todays podcast is an interview with Riva Duncan, the Vice President of the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters Organization. She’ll talk about the Presidents proposed 2024 budget and all that it might mean for our federal wildland firefighters as well as the promised permanent changes in pay grades and job classifications. Tune in and hear the latest that could have long lasting impacts on all of the firefighting community.
Episode 89, The Presidents Budget and Federal Wildland Firefighters. BobbieOnFire.com, March 22, 2023
A few years back, I was flying around with a political appointee who many of us used to work for. We were visiting some large, complex incidents, talking to the ICs and our jurisdictional partners. It wasn’t my favorite kind of duty, but once I worked at the Regional Office, that was my typical day. Listen in to a short conversation I had with this gentleman that day. That conversation was both frustrating and greatly disappointing for me.
The future of wildland fire management is really complex and unknown. But we know it’s only going to get worse. What are we going to do differently? You know the famous saying that Einstein is supposed to have said that goes, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results?”
Ever get that feeling during fire season? Fire after fire, year after year we say, “if I have one more shift I can catch this one.” Or, “we just need 2 more shot crews to hook this thing. It happens on almost every extended attack fire. It really is insane. Year after year we’re repeating the same actions and getting the same results.
Fires are getting bigger, more homes are burning, we’re spending more money and more firefighters are dying… but we’re not really making any substantive changes. Seems like insanity to me because there no political will to do anything substantially different. Listen to this episode and see what you think. You future leaders are going to have to fix what me and the rest of my generation couldn’t.
Episode 88, The New Normal Is Just BS. BobbieOnFire.com, January 10, 2023
Many of us are formal leaders. Some of us are informal leaders. Maybe we aspire to a higher leadership role. But all of us are leaders in some way or another. But even experienced formal leaders may not have been tested during a crises. It all depends on the kinds of jobs we have and … Continue reading #87, How Are Your Leadership Skills In A Crises? →
An interview by KJZZ in AZ and KLCC in Oregon. I’m just one of 3 writers who were interviewed for the Arizona interview. Share the links if you find the interview worthwhile. Thanks for listening all. What do an Old West fantasy/mystery novel, a former transgender firefighter and NaNoWriMo have in common? Find out on … Continue reading #86, KJZZ and KLCC Radio Interviews →
I don’t know about you, but in my career some things just stand out like they happened yesterday. This story happened 22 years ago but it I still remember some odd details and it still makes me smile and miss “the good old days.” I made some good friends and work relationships on this fire. … Continue reading #85, The Nevada Burn Queen →
It’s been a busy last few months preparing for my book release and then the last three weeks visting book stores for readings and signings. It’s exhausting talking to strangers about what has been a closely held “secret”. Ok, maybe not a secret, but I’m talking about some very personal information to people I’ve never … Continue reading #84, What I’m Learning on my Book Tour →
If you’re in an area that I’ll be visiting for a reading or a signing, I’d love to see you there. There will be more in the future, but here is what’s scheduled for the next few weeks. Thanks for listening to the stories and and if you read my book, feel free to send … Continue reading #83, Upcoming Book Readings and Signings →
If you’re going to push the rules, you better know exactly what they are…. even when it comes to sunglasses. And you should be really good at your job and valuable to your employer too. Today’s story is a comical recollection of a time when I pushed the rules and culture of my fire department. … Continue reading #82, Get Yourself Some Cheap SunGlasses…. Oh Yea! →
If you’re a visitor to my website, you already know about my book. Of course, the book isn’t on store shelves until September 5th, 2022. But the lead in information for the book is already on this site. So you probably already know that I’m not only a retired firefighter, a hilarious storyteller and a … Continue reading #81, My Interview on “Life With Fire” →
As first responders we have a responsibity to the public we serve. I’d say an overriding responsibility. Is that responsibility greater than department polices? More important than our Chief’s direction? And who exactly is our public? Do we have any responsibility to our neighboring jurisdiction’s taxpayers? And if there are policies and direction that keeps … Continue reading #80, Did I Cross The Line? →
Words from my publisher below. What do you think? Scopa spent close to five decades working through nearly every challenge a firefighter can face. Scopa was a strike team leader for the Dude Fire in 1990, where six firefighters were tragically killed, and she served at Ground Zero immediately after 9/11. She’s worked mountain rescues, … Continue reading My Memoir is finally Available for Pre-Order. →
Many years ago I was a Division Supervisor on a fire in the northern rockies. Listen in to how I dealt with, or didn’t deal too well, with some of the line medics assigned to my Division. You’ll get a good laugh at this one.
As wildland firefighters, we often have no idea about what goes on behind the scenes in dispatch. If you’re not a wildland firefighter, you might not have any idea just how complex the work can be. Getting a helicopter or an extra crew on a small fire might seem like it should be a simple … Continue reading #78, What Goes On Behind The Radio →
This is my first attempt to post a video recording for one of my stories. It was an impromptu effort so please give feedback. My friend John and I went for a little 4 wheeling trip north of Phoenix and when we drove past a small side road that led to an old mining claim, … Continue reading #77, Fire At The Old Mining Claim →
Sometimes while fighting fires or just working with your crew, we have an opportunity to make a difference in their lives. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Small things can make a difference too. If you listened to episode #64, you heard how I was able to get some of my SRV crews … Continue reading #76, I Want Ice Cream! →
Leadership can be difficult. It can cause the leader to second guess themselves and question if they’re doing the right thing. Today we have two stories. The first one is a good example of both me and my fire chief not doing that “one good thing”. The second story is an example of the good … Continue reading # 75, One Thing Good Leaders Do →
Diversity in our firefighting workforce sounds like just another politically motivated issue. And there are some who may try to pick up the torch and run with it just to help “their side.” But the issue isn’t about politics. It’s about service to the public. How do we as fire service professionals provide the very … Continue reading #74, Does Anyone Really Care? →
While reading some blogs and webpages for people effected by the latest round of devastating wildfires, it occured to me that everyone is incredibly stressed right now. Homeowners have had to flee for their lives, leaving pets and all their worldly possessions. Once evacuated they’re not allowed to re-enter their neighborhood. Now away from their … Continue reading #73, It Could Happen to You →
In my life, I’ve experienced some pretty crazy incidents. Like all of us, many of those stressful events and emergency incidents don’t always occur on the fireground. We all have plenty of personal stress and trauma in our lives. Many years ago, it hit me all in one month. I had 2 significant emotional events … Continue reading #72, My 3 Alarm Summer →
Years ago, I worked for a Battalion Chief who was a great mentor for me. I was a new Captain and didn’t have much support from the other officers on the fire department, let alone support from a Chief officer. But my Battalion Chief gave me some real pearls of wisdom. He had two that … Continue reading #71, No Matter What… Make It Sound Good On The Radio! →
If you’re a federal wildland firefighter, you already know what I’m about to say. If you’re not, this may come as a surprise to you. The lowest paid people on a large wildfire… I’m including the kitchen help and those who are cleaning the toilets, the lowest paid personnel on the fire are likely the … Continue reading #70, The “Grassroots” Fight for Federal Wildland Firefighters →
Sometimes we think no one is watching us. But in reality, someone is always watching. Whether you’re a firefighter on a crew or engine, or you’re a Captain or Chief, someone is always watching you. That doesn’t mean it’s like big brother looking over your shoulder all the time. It’s just the way it is. … Continue reading #69, If You Think People Might Be Watching You… They Are! →
If you google “Leading Up”, you’ll find a hundred of books on the subject. But for this retired fire chief, it’s a relatively new term compared to when I started reading about leadership and attending leadership courses in the 1970s and 80s. But I susggest you read up on the subject if you haven’t already. … Continue reading #68, What Does it Mean to Lead Up? →
I used to tell my firefighters that if it weren’t for people’s mistakes, we wouldn’t have jobs. There’s a lot of truth to that statement. People make mistakes and end up having to call 911. Thanks to my friend Ann, today we get to hear a couple stories of mistakes that could have had tragic … Continue reading #67, Home Safety Tips From Two Knuckleheads →
If you’ve listened to many of my stories, you’ve probably heard me refer to my beloved co-workers as knuckleheads. Well, we’re all knuckeheads sometimes. In this weeks story I’ll prove to you a few times that I was certainly one. The easier and quicker we are to admit it, the better it is for us. … Continue reading #66, Hi, I’m Bobbie and I’m a Knucklehead →
We all have to deal with our supervisors at work. And while we’re dealing with our boss, our employees are having to deal with us as their supervisor. So we’re both an employee and a supervisor. That makes life interesting. We can bitch about our boss while at the same time our employees are bitching … Continue reading #65 – Leadership, Be The Boss You’d Want To Work For →
Often times in life, it’s the little things we do that are remembered. As a leader, we have to be aware that what we say and how we behave can have a big impact on our employees. And how we make our employees feel about us as their leader will effect their job performance and … Continue reading #64 – Leadership, Little Things Have a Big Impact →
As firefighters we usually try to portray ourselves as tough and capable. And for the most part we are. But even tough firefighters have emotions. This story isn’t about all the bad things we’ve seen and the emotional toll it takes on our mental health. But it is about the emotional let down that we … Continue reading #63 – Secret Tears (There’s No Crying in Firefighting) →
Sometimes life can get a bit anxious. Staying calm can help us maneuver through the rough water we encounter. Life can throw alot of enexpected challenges our way. Research has proven that when we begin to panic we actually reduce our field of vision. In other words we are unable to take in as much … Continue reading #62 – Prepare To Not Freak Out →
Firefighters will recognize what might seem like unusual or unique situations to the public becomes common place for emergency responders. The public might not realize just how often weird things happen. But for firefighters, that’s our bread and butter. Poor decisions and whacky behavior is what gives us job security. if everyone behaved maturely and … Continue reading #61- Drive Through Service at the Fire Station →
If you’ve listened to many of my stories, you know that there is always a surprise right around the corner. If you’re a firefighter, you know how surprising some of the calls we all respond to can be. You NEVER really know what you’re likely to find once you arrive on scene. No two calls … Continue reading #60 – WTF, (Where’s The Fire?) →
I believe there have been 240 trillion books written about leadership. (that’s an exaggeration) I’ve read a lot of them and thought half of them might have actually been useful. But after working in the fire service for over 40 years, I think I have a reasonable perspective of what good leadership might look like. … Continue reading #59 – What Does Leadership Look Like? →
This week’s title could fill volumes of books about how “erratic human behavior” costs society in so many ways. You might think fighting fire is a pretty straight forward operation. I think it used to be simpler. Or maybe it seemed that way because when I held positions lower down in the organization I didn’t … Continue reading #58 – The Cost Of Erratic Human Behavior →
Romanticing the past is pretty normal for all of us. I hear myself doing it when I’m complaining about changes to the neighborhood where I grew up. Sport Complaining (Episode #28) done in moderation can be cathartic if it isn’t taken to extremes. But in the fire service (both wildland and structural) talking about the … Continue reading #57 – These Are The Good Old Days →
The experienced Division Supervisor was extremely distraught over what had just happened… If you listen to many of my stories you probably already know that this week’s title might be a bit tongue in cheek… and of course it is. What you’ll hear is a story of how firefighters had to deal with an angry … Continue reading #56 – Genius Farmer Teaches Bumbling Bureaucrats →
Today feels weird and disorienting to me. Well, It’s been feeling weird and disorienting for a few weeks. The images above probably give you the topics that are making me feel odd. Tomorrow is the 19 year anniversary of the attacks on New Your City. You may have listened to some of my stories from … Continue reading #55 – If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed, You’re Not Alone →
About a month ago my good friend Mark Sigrist passed away. He worked for the US Forest Service for many years and was an experienced firefighter and Operations Section Chief. When I first became an Ops Chief myself, Mark was the senior Ops Chief on my team and mentored me in his own classic style. … Continue reading #54 – Ode To A Firefighter and His Ham Sandwich →
There's more to the discussion about California wildfires than just raking the forest floor.
Scenes from Fire Camps Living and sleeping at large wildfires can be challenging. This year with the Covid virus it’s even more challenging. But this week’s story is about sleeping in a busy fire camp. I’ve also included a few pictures from a fire camp for those of you who might not have ever had … Continue reading #52 – Sleeping On The Job, Life At Fire Camp →
In 1988 many firefighters from around the United States and Canada ended up in Yellowstone National Park assigned to the many fires in and near the park. Some firefighters made multiple trips to the area. I only made it for one trip to the fires there but that assignment lasted 30 days. It was an … Continue reading #51 – Yellowstone Follies →
Today’s story is about different communications styles in our work environment. I can’t tell this story without using the actual colorful language that you might hear around the fire ground. So I apologize if my language offends anyone. If you have tender ears, you might want to bypass this week’s story. For those of you … Continue reading #50 – F Bombs Away →
Folks everywhere are stressed right now with the threat of Covid virus and everything else going on, so I thought I’d tell a couple of stories that should make you laugh and distract you from the news. As I’ve mentioned in my earlier stories, the public doesn’t really know what goes on at the scene … Continue reading #49 – Don’t Have the Fish →
I would never want listeners to think I’m man bashing. I loved working with the guys during my long fire career. But some men have been a bit more fun to work with than others. Today I’m going to tell you two stories. In the first story, the guy was clearly just mansplaining. And in … Continue reading #48 – What Would I Do Without Men? →
Every year before the 4th of July, fireworks stands open up around the country. Depending on where you live, your access to certain types of fireworks may be restricted or maybe not. Some jurisdictions restrict aerial type fireworks, but some don’t. Even if fireworks are illegal in one city or county, they can easily be … Continue reading #47- Surprising Stupidity With Fireworks →
While I’m comfortably sitting here on my boat writing the introduction for this week’s story, thousands of firefighters are working hard to extinguish major wildfires throughout the southwestern US as well as Utah and Nevada. Before the summer season is over, thousands more will be deployed to large fires across California, Oregon, Washington and the … Continue reading #46 – YOU Can and Should Protect Your Home From Wildfire →
In my experience, the public and even firefighters themselves have a miopic view of the challenges facing firefighters on the fireground. They see the obvious dangers from fire. They don’t realize that sometimes there are other equally dangerous pitfalls awaiting us. There are critical challenges we have to deal with on fires that go beyond … Continue reading #45 – The Hardest Part of Fighting Fire Is… →
Back in the mid 1980s, I got a fire assignment to take a strike team of type 1 engines (city fire engines) to southern California (from Arizona) for a large wildfire that was burning into a city. This was my dream. I always thought that southern California wildires were the most challenging and exciting to … Continue reading #44 – Bulldozer Pool Hopping →
After the last week of social unrest and violence, I thought I would lighten the mood a little with a short story of life around the fire station. I am definitely not calling all firefighters knuckleheads but… well sometimes we can be a bit immature. It comes from working hard and often under stressful conditions. … Continue reading #43- Hilarious Hijinks at Fire Station Knucklehead →
Many fire departments and wildland fire agencies are currently preparing for the upcoming wildfire season. In parts of our country the season has been underway for some time but in much of the west, firefighters are spending time in “refresher classes” and taking their introductory wildland fire courses. Often times when we are sitting in … Continue reading #42 – When The Sh-t Hits the Fan… Will You Be Ready? →
Bringing Calm to Chaos Have you ever wondered why firefighters love their jobs so much? Why do people voluntarily take jobs that put their personal safety at risk? Everyone wants a job that suits them. We want a career that we find enjoyable, gives us job satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from our labors. With that in mind, I would have been ill suited to be an accountant or a grammar school teacher for example. We don’t always find our perfect career fit but here’s some perspective about firefighters and how our personalities mesh with our work environment. Remember these are generalities but represent what I’ve seen and experienced. I hope you enjoy the insight into the mind of many firefighters and why we enjoy our jobs so much.
Episode 41, The Perfect Job for People Who Love Chaos – BobbieOnFire.com
I’ve often thought that firefighters might make poor employees if they were working at the local Ace Hardware store, business office or factory. In those jobs, you likely know what’s going to happen at work 2 or 3 days ahead of time. For me and many other firefighters, that predictability of what’s going to happen … Continue reading #41- The Perfect Job For People Who Love Chaos (or who have ADD) →
Among older and retired firefighters, I often hear about the “Good ‘Ol Days”. “Why by god… back when we could… bla bla bla.” There are lots of things that were pretty cool about the Good ‘Ol Days. Back then we could ride on the tailboard of a fire engine. That was fun. Of course firefighters … Continue reading #40 – Burning by the Seat of my Pants – My First Controlled Burn →
Years ago while assigned to a wildland fire, the Operations Section Chief asked me to conduct a burn out operation along a 9 mile stretch of a two lane road in California in order to put out the fire and protect numerous homes. I was successful in the operation but like most things in life, … Continue reading #39 – Fire Whirl Jumps The 9 Mile Burnout →
In the early 2000s, the Incident Management Team I was a member of was dispatched to a hurricane on the gulf coast. These assignments were always challenging and fascinating to be a part of. I always learned a lot when I responded to a major emergency but this particular one was especially so. There are … Continue reading #38 – Are You Ready For The Hurricane After The Hurricane? →
This weeks story is about how we might use humor on the job. Often times we have a distorted perception of our own sense of humor. I know for me personally if I was half as funny as I think I am I’d be on late night TV getting the laughs and making big money. … Continue reading #37-I’m a Hilarious Firefighter, Right? →
This week’s story is meant to entertain a little, distract you from our current events a little and also to make you think a little. It takes place in 2001 when I was an Operations Section Chief trainee. My Incident Training Officer had expectations that I wasn’t ready for. Her expectations were correct. Up until … Continue reading #36 – Tough Teacher, Tough Love For A Slow Student →
In life we don’t always get a second chance. It’s great when we do get that second chance but it doesn’t always happen. Hopefully we learned from an earlier experience and improve the next time. Life is just a series of experiences and opportunities for learning. Sometimes I’m not sure I’ve learned the lesson and … Continue reading #35-Ok Guys, I Know I Screwed Up. →
As I write the introduction to today’s story, the United States and really the whole world is captive to the Corona Virus Pandemic Anxiety Syndrome or CVPAS. (I had to make up an acronym since I’ve spent over 40 years working in government.) I’m not suggesting we don’t have anything to be concerned about. On … Continue reading #34- Smoky Pig →
In my career I’ve had some unique experiences. One of them is the number of times I’ve been nearby when a fire has broken out. In a previous story you might have listened to the time I was near a fire start in the city of Sacramento. Well, I’ve had many similar experiences when I … Continue reading #33- I Swear, I’m Not an Arsonist! →
Around 2000 I was assigned to a large fire in the northern Sierras as a Division Supervisor. On this particular fire I had multiple 20 person fire crews as well as many fire engines working for me. This story is about one of those fire crews who were from Hawaii. They were a great crew … Continue reading #32- Hawaiian Luau on the Fireline →
No really… they really hate me. Or maybe they just love the way I taste. But regardless, I’ve had some bad experiences with ants. Especially in my first 6 or 7 years of firefighting when at least once a summer I’d have an episode of being bitten or stung or just attacked by big red … Continue reading #31- Ants Hate Me →
How we react to tough and challenging situations at work can determine our successes and failures. It’s not always easy to know how to respond to bullies and negative people who can have a direct impact upon our lives and careers. Sometimes we’re dealing with a boss who is the bully and sometimes we have … Continue reading #30- Hey Baby, Ya Got a Nice Bumper →
When first responders work long hours, are under pressure to protect lives and property, they can often become exhausted from the pressures of the job. This week I illustrate some examples of what that might look like. The examples I site are just a few and are not at all complete in any way. The … Continue reading #29 It’s All About You – Coping with Job Fatigue →
In the fire service I’ve often said that the worst thing that can happen to a well functioning crew with good attitude is having no fires or no emergency calls. Even though we always had lots of work to do around the station or out on projects, the attitude would sink into the toilet when … Continue reading #28 – Sport Bitching →
This week’s story takes place when I was a Captain on a Fire Department years ago. It was really just a routine medical call. But while responding and even treating the patient we really didn’t know it was just a routine call. There was mystery involved. Initially we had no clue what we were even … Continue reading #27 – There’s Nothing Wrong Here →
Back in 1996 I had recently quit my job as a Fire Captain at my Fire Department and had returned to school to get my Masters Degree. So I wasn’t currently working for a Fire Department or a Wildland Fire Agency. Instead I had been hired as a temporary firefighter for the summer and had … Continue reading #26 – Why’s He Yelling At Me? →
As I’ve often mentioned on this site, you never know what’s going to happen in the course of your day, week, career or even your life. Today’s story is about a time when I was minding my own business and thought I was going to have a nice evening having dinner with an old family … Continue reading #25 – Overdressed in California →
In life you never know if you might be called upon to help fix a bad situation. You might not have any expertise to resolve it, but you’re it! You’re all there is. In this week’s story I’ll relate an experience when I was a responsible for rescuing a young boy from an abandoned mine. … Continue reading #24 – Into the Darkness, Saving the Boy in the Abyss →
It’s Christmas this week and my story today is about how to accept a gift. It shouldn’t be that hard to accept a gift but I might have had a tough shell wrapped around my soft sweet center for all those years while I was working as a firefighter (maybe even still). I believe most … Continue reading #23 – Accepting a Gift →
During our lives we’ll have many instances when we have the opportunity to listen to the little voice we hear coming from the back of our mind. We often want to make decisions based on clear facts. You know… Just the facts mam nothing but the facts. But in reality our decision making is a … Continue reading #22 – Trusting Your Gut →
This week’s story is interesting just on it’s surface, but there’s a whole lot more to it. The story really deals with how we deal with a supervisor. These interactions can be critical to our future profession. Over my working life I’ve often been asked how I gained my wildland fire qualifications so quickly. My … Continue reading #21 – Leadership is Like Finding Water in the Desert →
Back when technology wasn’t exactly at our fingertips in the fire engine or command truck, we used old fashioned maps to find our way to emergencies. Having a hard copy map in your hand was always comforting but there is lots of room for human error. And if you’ve listened to more than one of … Continue reading #20 – Lost in the Pines!!!! →
Last week’s story was a bit more heavy than what I had originally intended for this site. So today I’m posting a story about what it’s like to be working on the holidays. Lots of folks have to work the holidays so I’m not trying to make this another “hero” story. If you’ve listened to … Continue reading #19 – Celebrating Thanksgiving When You’re a Firefighter →
Last night I was having a drink and dinner with some friends of mine. We’re all 64+ year old women either retired, or getting close to retirement. Neither of my friends who I was enjoying the evening with are firefighters but they do enjoy the stories that you all listen to here. I don’t know … Continue reading #18 – Post Traumatic Stress →
Over the years I’ve had some challenges to my leadership at fires. This story relates 3 separate instances one summer that have had a long term impact on me. I believe people are mostly good and mean to do well. But when folks are stressed and firefighters are often stressed at a fire, they may … Continue reading #17 – Fire Bitch “We’ve never had to work for a bitch before and we’re not going to start now!” →
When we see a multiple fire engines, police cars and ambulances at the scene of a minor accident, it’s easy to criticize. Since we don’t know what’s going on, we assume all those resources are unnecessary. The problem is we really don’t know and they don’t either until their arrive on scene to see what … Continue reading #16 – Flying Bodies →
This short story is about one of my favorite “knucklehead” firefighter buddies and how he pranked me while working a shift on my fire engine. It illustrates how we managed the stress of the job through silly jokes and pranks. I have so many good memories of these kind of firehouse antics and I think … Continue reading #15 – Firefighter Antics →
Over the years I’ve had to walk the line between being a hard ass in order to maintain my position as a female fire leader and not going too far due to being overly sensitive. Its tough sometimes for a female leader in the fire service. I’m not saying it is for all female leaders … Continue reading #14 – Sometimes All You Can Do Is Shake Your Head and Walk Away →
Today is September 12th 2019, 18 years after that fateful day that changed us and the world forever. Last night along with some firefighters and their families… for the 3rd time I watched the same documentary about a young firefighter who happened to be on duty at the time of the attacks on NYC. The … Continue reading #13 – Memories from the World Trade Center after 9-11 →
This story dates back to when I first was promoted to Captain at a smaller fire department. I suppose I had been a bit of a “fire brand” in my career leading up to this story. You’ll get more of the details when you listen. But what struck me as I was thinking about this … Continue reading #12 – Always Being Tested →
Hi everyone. The picture here is a good depiction of the fire that this story describes. Although the story isn’t about fighting the fire, it’s about the interactions between the firefighters who are fighting the fire. As I look back on things, fighting the fire was routine. The interactions with my co-workers and others involved … Continue reading #11 – The Federalies are Coming! (A Little Humility is Always a Good Thing) →
First of all let me apologize for taking so long since last posting a story. I was making preparations to get my boat ready to make the nearly 400 mile trip from Portland Oregon to Anacortes Washington. My mind was on making sure my boat and I were in good shape to make it up … Continue reading #10 – Putting Firefighters at Risk! →
Firefighters come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, genders and colors. Our abilities and skills other than firefighting range from building construction to floral arranging. Some of us are real techies and others (like me) have difficulty turning a computer on and off. This story is about my good friend and co-Operations Section Chief on … Continue reading #9 – Technology Challenges on the Fire Ground →
Firefighters respond to hazardous situations all the time. Haz-Mat incidents including bio hazards are commonplace. But it is not common to have to deal with one at the fire station. Although I remember having to respond to a nearby fire station that had a kitchen fire start while the crew was out on a call. … Continue reading #8- Dangerous Bio-Hazard! →
The last 6 episodes have been pretty lighthearted stories. I’ve tried to share what goes on with firefighters that we don’t want anyone to see. I hope you’ve been laughing as you’ve listened to all our antics. As I was talking to my friend John (who used to be a wildland firefighter himself many years … Continue reading #7 – Unexpected Outcomes →
Today’s short story is about an EMS call we responded to a few years back. It was quite interesting since it turned out to be an unusually dangerous spider bite. I’d love to hear feedback and suggestions to improve the stories. But I need to keep the stories truthful.
Over the many years of my career I’ve aspired to present a professional demeanor to those folks who worked for me and to the citizens we served. I made a point to act like a professional Firefighter, Fire Captain, Fire Chief, etc to those around me. I believe it inspired confidence for those in our … Continue reading #5- Ahrrrr Ye Matey! →
When firefighters go north to Alaska to fight fires for the first time it’s a real adventure. Firefighting up there can be very different than in the lower 48 states. In the interior of Alaska, distances between roads can be gigantic. Logistical support comes via cargo nets from helicopters or cargo chutes by plane instead … Continue reading #4 – North to Alaska →
As I was thinking about which story I wanted to tell next, two things occurred to me. My first thought was that some firefighters might believe I’m ridiculing them by telling these stories. I hope you all don’t think that. I have so much affection and respect for all the firefighting professionals out there. My … Continue reading #3 Looking for the Ghost →
When you’re a firefighter, everyday when you go to work you have no idea what is going to happen. That’s why we do it. It’s the perfect job for those of us with short attention spans. Was the medical call we were just on boring? No worries, in 20 minutes you could be helping someone … Continue reading #2 What people think we do…. What we really do. →
Here is the audio story of one small incident that occurred during my nearly 30 days in NYC following the attacks on Sept 11, 2001.
Some funny, Some tragic, All pretty entertaining Now that I’m retired, I thought I would tell some stories that have been entertaining my friends for years. Over the last 4 decades many crazy things have happened to me while working as a county structure firefighter and a federal wildland firefighter. No matter what agency you … Continue reading 45 Years of Firefighting Stories →