5-Alarm Task Force!: Recent Episodes
Steve Greene
News and Issues For Today's First Responders. We provide some of the top mentors, leaders and members of the Fire Service from the U.S. and Canada.
It is no secret that behavioral health has become an important topic, not just in the fire service, but for all arms of first responders. We are losing far too many of our Brothers and Sisters to their own hands, and we cannot help but wonder why!
If you are a first responder, no one has to tell you how difficult, dangerous and rewarding these jobs can be. Nevertheless, they still exact a heavy toll, even on those who refuse to admit it. We see crap that we would not want any civilian to see, yet we often see it daily. And whether you are honest enough to admit it or not, they do affect us.
My guest, Dr. Mynda Ohs was herself a first responder until she contracted a serious disease from a patient. After an extensive recuperation, she tried to return to her EMS work, but did not have the physical ability to do so. Turning the proverbial “lemon into lemonade,” she went back to school and earned her PhD in counseling.
Today, she works with a number of agencies as a counselor for first responders. And she has published two books:
-
“Fully Involved Life” (2019) - https://a.co/d/1J33DuC
-
“When the Calls Stop” (2021) - https://a.co/d/jfJ1OKX
Look, we have a lot to deal with. Sometimes, we can just talk it out with each other. But each of us has to be aware that we might just need some extra help to get past that which is bothering us. Every first responder wants to give of himself/herself to the community and people they serve. And we also have to be smart and brave enough to know when we need help. We are listening.
Please help us to help our Brothers and Sisters in dire need! Over 90% of our disbursed funds have been donated to families of firefighters who have made the Ultimate Sacrifice. Visit us at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org. Thank you!
If you are a firefighter, career, volunteer, paid-on-call, WUI, etc., and you do not know anything about PFAS/PFOS, you are woefully behind in your firefighting education. I know, because I did not know about it either until 2017 when I was referred to my guest on this episode.
Diane Cotter’s husband, Paul, had just been promoted to Lieutenant in the Worcester MA Fire Dept., in 2014, when he was diagnosed with aggressive testicular cancer. Thanks to surgery and treatment, Paul is well today but that illness, surgery and treatment forced him to “disable out.” I know what it’s like to lose that day-to-day connection with your colleagues and friends. But there is more to Paul’s and Diane’s story.
Diane is a warrior or, as I say in the interview, her “Mama Bear” instincts kicked in. She wanted to know how this happened. She persevered and was instrumental in the disclosure that our bunker gear was being manufactured containing a man-made chemical as a part of the moisture barrier, but that is also a carcinogen. We urge you to listen to their story. The job we do is dangerous enough, we do not need to worry that the very gear we wear to protect ourselves contains a carcinogenic chemical that can lead to aggressive cancers.
For additional information, please visit:
-
https://www.lastcallfoundation.org
-
https://ewg.org
-
https://etherealfilms.org/
While this is the last episode of Season 7 of “5-Alarm Task Force,” we will continue our efforts to financially assist our Brothers and Sisters and/or their families, in dire need. And to do so, we need your help! We will return in August with Season 8 of “5-Alarm Task Force!” Until then, have a safe and enjoyable summer!
PLEASE…help us help our Brothers and Sisters and/or their families in dire need, please visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org.
You can view our videos on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp. or you can listen to our audio podcast on all major podcast platforms, on Podomatic or our website, noted above.
We are honored to welcome back our guests for this podcast, Dr. Caban-Martinez and Dr. Schaefer Solle, who head up the FCI in Florida and share their findings with medical and research teams across the country and in other countries, as well. They have been with us on several occasions and provide us with the latest information on our efforts to reduce cancer in the fire service.
In this episode, they bring us up to date with the latest news from the front lines of this “battle.” We learn about a new (and not great) rating regarding cancer in the fire service from an international organization that monitors cancer in various jobs. We also learn of a FREE app, the Personal Exposure Tracker, that you can keep on your phone or tablet that helps you keep track of your exposures to various toxins that we deal with on the job. And we learn how toenails (that’s right – toenails!) can help researchers see certain exposures we’ve had! And more!
The show notes for the audio podcast will have numerous links for more information.*
Learn more about their efforts to reduce cancer in the fire service at www.sylvester.org/firefighters.
You can help us help our Brothers and Sisters and/or their families in dire need, please visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org.
You can view our videos on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp. or you can listen to our audio podcast on all major podcast platforms and our website, noted above.
- While we were unable to secure the additional links mentioned in the interview in time for this release, we will have them soon. Please feel free to drop us a line at Dalmatprod@Outlook.com and we will be happy to provide them to you when available!
Photo Courtesy UM-Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center - Firefighter Cancer Initiative
It is no secret that fire departments across North America are “hungry” for more firefighters, including career, volunteer, paid-on-call and WUI. Why? There are various reasons behind it and if departments are to be successful in this endeavor, it might be a good time to re-think your processes.
There is a new generation of young people interested. And if we can look beyond the fact that they may not have basic tool skills, we just might see that they have other skills that could be very beneficial to a department.
Our guest today is Deputy Chief Dave Robertson. We discuss his premise of , “Hiring Based on Character.” Let’s do away with the 10-item questionnaire that’s been used for 25 years, the expectation that someone in his/her early twenties has five years of firefighting experience behind them and will walk through your door and other ‘old-school” thinking. Chief Robertson posits that if we can create a hiring process based in the 21st century with the numerous life experiences some of these applicants have had, we just might be able to find those men and women who want to be the best firefighter they can be!
To learn more, visit Chief Robertson’s website at:
https://www.fire-edge.com or reach him at chief.robertson@fire-edge.com
You can help us help our Brothers and Sisters and/or their families in dire need, please visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org.
You can view our videos on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp. or you can listen to our audio podcast on all major podcast platforms and our website, noted above.
Photo Copyright Clip Art Key
As society evolved over the last fifty years, more and more people learned, either via determination or happenstance, to “wear multiple hats.” And that trend has probably grown as opposed to, abated.
Our guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” is one of those people who wears two hats, one is a fire protection systems engineer and the other is as a Captain in his local volunteer fire department, about an hour outside of the city of Philadelphia, where the volunteer fire service first came to be, thanks to Benjamin Franklin.
Captain E.J. Henninger has been a fire protection systems engineer for over twenty years and he shares with us how his profession and avocation allow him to provide service, not only to his own community, but also to builders and businesses that are looking to protect their facilities and the people who work therein!
As always, you can catch the video version on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp. or tune in to the audio version on our website https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org or your favorite podcast platform!
If you are a firefighter, we know that the work we perform is taxing, throwing and climbing ladders while wearing over 40 pounds of gear AND carrying tools, being on the nozzle, etc. With that said, many feel that they are in decent shape (most of the time) and for others, it can be difficult.
Our guest today, Bill Dungey, is a firefighter in Brant County, Ontario Canada. Like many firefighters in the northern half of the U.S., they deal with a great deal of snow and very wintry weather. So, it is no surprise that Bill soon realized that it can take a real effort to maintain both the physical and mental demands of this job.
In this episode, Bill explains the background of how firefighting led him to see what he himself needed and how that guided him into creating the “Wedge.” If you want to learn about resilience and how to find it in yourself, this is a podcast for you!
As always, you can catch the video version on our YouTube® channel or tune in to the audio version on our website or your favorite podcast platform!
There are instructors, local, regional and national conferences and you can learn tactics galore. But back in the late '60's and 70's, the late Chief Alan Brunacini helped to change our way of thinking on the fireground, especially for those who command those firegrounds.
His first book, "Fire Command" taught us better ways of serving in that command function. Years later, a number of those lessons are not only still valid but have become the basis for the "B-Shifter Blue Card."
Heading up the B-Shifter team is Chief John Vance, Nic Brunacini and Josh Blum. Whether it's at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center or in your department's classroom, rec room, etc., you can now learn the importance and value of the Blue Card System.
Joining us today are Nic Brunacini and Josh Blum and we discuss some of the important information regarding MAYDAYS and the value of necessary and concise radio traffic.
The face of the volunteer fire service has changed dramatically since my days back in the mid-1970’s and early 1980’s. The day-to-day dynamics of our society have changed dramatically and made it more challenging for people to be able to volunteer time; not just to a volunteer fire department, but also to houses of worship, civic organizations, etc.
Yet, with over 70% of America being protected by volunteer or paid-on-call firefighters, we still have excellent leaders. My guest today is Chief Brandon Fletcher of the Gilt Edge FD in western Tennessee. Chief Fletcher is dedicated to his community and his firefighters. His department has automatic mutual aid agreements with surrounding departments for certain types of calls. This takes a strong and confident leader to establish this type of agreement.
We discuss recruitment and retention, training, challenges and more! And, you will hear more from him and you will able to learn from him, as well!
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign goal to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
This is Part II of our presentation about the EFO (Executive Fire Officer) program, offered at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg MD. Our guests went through the long educational process needed to achieve this level. While one is required to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree to enter the program, what you will learn goes far beyond fire tactics and administration.
This program will help you attain the true measure of a fire service leader. If you have that "hunger" inside you that keeps telling you to work harder, learn more and be the best that you can be, than this program might just be for you. Listen to our guests relate their experiences over thirty years ago and the bonds of both leadership and friendship that were an outgrowth of this amazing learning experience.
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign goal to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Whether you call them ladders, trucks, towers, platforms or tillers, ladder operations are in their own category. And our guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” knows his category very well!
Ryan Johnston is a 24+ year career firefighter and a 30+ year volunteer firefighter. He is the owner if Maineiac Training, a small training group that prides itself on providing realistic, experience-based, fire training.
Ryan is currently the Rescue Technician in A Shift at the Waterville ME Fire Dept. He is a lieutenant with the Oakland Maine Fire Department.
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign goal to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
Many of us have seen or heard of the acronym, EFO. However, how many of us actually know what it stands for: Executive Fire Officer. Does the designation apply to any level of Chief? Could any firefighter, of ant rank, receive the designation? Just what is it and where did it come from?
My guests today are Dr. Burton A. Clark, PhD, EFO, Chief Trey Mayo, EFO, Winston-Salem NC Fire Dept. and Chuck Burkell, an advisor and former instructor at the National Fire Academy.
In this episode, which is Part I in a series, they explain the origins of, not only the EFO, but the creation of the National Fire Academy and the various programs that were developed as the federal government and fire service leaders worked together to build an educational foundation for the fire service.
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign goal to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
Picture is courtesy the U.S. Fire Administration
Within the last decade, one of most dangerous calls that first responders respond to, are emergencies on active roadways. In 2021 alone, 65 first responders (fire, police, EMS, recovery operators road rangers) died when stuck by a vehicle while on an emergency scene. And the number one cause falls on “distracted drivers.” While there is number of definitions for the term, “distracted,” drivers are simply not paying enough attention to the roads and to emergency scenes.
Our guests today are Corey Hohs and Brock Aun of HAAS Alert. Haas Alert has been working for nearly six years, with local, state and national officials to provide a signal that would be initiated by the responding emergency agency and received in vehicles, either via the infotainment system or even as a message on the dash, to advise that there is an emergency ahead and to move over and slow down.
It is quite likely that a car or truck you are driving now or maybe the next one, will have Haas Alert’s “Safety Cloud” included in its configuration. Tune in and learn more!
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign goal to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
Training…some of us love it, some don’t. Some enjoy teaching…some don’t. However, there are those who are teachers, instructors and mentors, who have the passion to teach and our guest today, is one of those with a strong passion to teach, share and mentor. Why? Because there was someone in his life who cared about him and introduced him to the fire service. And that was around 20 years ago.
Capt. Childers joins us today to discuss his recent article in FIREHOUSE® Magazine’s December 2021 issue, about training for night operations. Besides being the training officer for the Champaign IL Fire Dept., he is also an instructor for the IFSI (Illinois Fire Service Institute).
Capt. Childers truly cares, not simply about teaching, but educating and mentoring every single cadet that comes through the academy and in his own department. Tune in to hear us discuss the key issues that should be addressed through training modules performed at night and the reasons behind that position.
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign goal to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
It is no secret that voluntarism is at a low in this country. Society always changes and evolves and with that said, this problem is far broader than just the volunteer fire service. Even before the pandemic, fewer and fewer people were able to find adequate time to contribute to volunteer positions throughout local, regional and national organizations.
One of the largest impacts of the lower availability of volunteers is the shortage of personnel in the volunteer fire service and, there multiple causes behind this phenomenon. In turn, volunteer fire departments must “up their game” as regards training, so that the members will be as safe as possible and the community will benefit from their assistance.
My guest is Chief Justin Bailey of the Oliver Springs TN Fire Dept. Chief Bailey talks about the need for a training calendar. The calendar will advise all the members what topics, tactics or practices will be covered and when. While not every member may make a given drill night, there are always make-ups scheduled, in an effort to be fair to all. Learn more of what Chief Bailey faces everyday and how it might not be too different from what you experience in your own volunteer department.
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
On January 14, 2022, a massive fire erupted at a pool chemical and supplies manufacturing plant erupted into a massive inferno in Passaic NJ. Due to its location, it was first called in as a car fire on a highway that runs behind the C-side of the involved structure.
In charge of Tour 3 that day was good friend, Battalion Chief John Hayowyk A. Hayowyk, Jr., with over 29 years in the fire service. Also on shift that evening was Capt. James Kovacs, a 24-year veteran of the fire service.
Initially, multiple calls came into Passaic Dispatch as a car fire. However, first arriving units realized that what they really had was a plant of 1-3/3 acres, that manufactured chlorine and other pool supplies. And the first chief officer to arrive was Chief Hayowyk, soon followed by Engine 4 with Captain Kovacs.
These brave firefighters explain what they heard, then saw and what had to be done to hopefully, prevent the fire from reaching the area where the chlorine was stored!
YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE!!
You can watch us on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” or tune in to our podcast via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
To make a donation towards our 2022 Campaign to raise $12,000 to help our Brothers & Sisters, and/or their families in dire need, please visit our homepage! Thank you.
Photo © Matzav. Com
Audio provided by Broadcastify
No stranger to “5-Alarm Task Force,” returning guest and good friend, Aaron Zamzow joins us to discuss the new level of his company, “FRF – Fire Rescue Fitness. These topics have been very important to Aaron for over 15 years.
Having initially been a personal trainer, who rose to work with players in both the NFL and NBA, when he joined his first fire company, he realized that he needed different workouts to focus more on the jobs that we do as firefighters. You will hear a great analogy from Aaron to the movie, “Rudy.”
In today’s discussion he shares the new “level” hi has and continues to create with is an app that you will be able to have on a computer or a mobile device, which will provide you with different programs, menus, nutrition information, hydration and much more!
You can tune in via your favorite podcast platform or visit our website at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down the homepage to listen in.
Photo Courtesy of www.firerescuefitness.com
Strange title for an episode, right? Not if you know my guests for this episode. Our comrades and friends, Battalion Chief Jacob Johnson, Captain Nick Peppard and Lt. Jason Liska, “dropped by” to discuss our mutual passions and concerns.
Each of my guests host excellent podcasts about the fire service. Capt. Nick (along with another great firefighter and friend, Sean Duffy) host, “Make Do!” a podcast that focuses on issues of suburban firefighting (which about 80% of us deal with), Lt. Jason Liska is the host of “The Can Man Radio Show,” which covers tactics, practices, training, camaraderie and more. And Chief Johnson will very soon launch his new podcast, “Do Your Damn Job!” which focuses on the importance of mentoring and guiding in the fire service.
We got together to share those passions, talk about our shortcomings, some reality checks and what we can do to help our fire service improve in the future.
This is a “no holds barred” discussion! And be advised, some “salty” language is used. But it will be the takeaways that you hear that you need to remember and share with your colleagues.
I am pleased to welcome back an excellent fire officer, instructor, mentor, author and friend, Steve Prziborowski of the Santa Clara CA Fire Department. Too much time has passed since his last appearance and we are glad that our schedules were able to finally sync-up!
Though he officially retires on December 31st, after a storied, 30-year career, the Chief has spent some of his accrued time off traveling the country to enjoy his three passions, visiting ballparks (he’s been to all major league parks!), visiting firehouses and sharing his experience, knowledge, and wisdom, with firefighters across the country.
We discuss his travels, his books, his career and what the future holds for him. When it comes to the Fire Service, the Chief is a “Man of Letters,” a term that reflects strong learning, teaching, and mentoring skills. It is our honor to welcome him back to “5-Alarm Task Force.”
Check out the video webcast on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp, or tune in to the audio podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Photo Courtesy of: Steve Prziborowski
Cancer and other dangers we face in the fire service are not new topics, but they have “morphed” a bit. Initially, it was though that only those who worked the “Pile” after 9|11 were being affected. Then, the various carcinogens and other toxins from the benzene products burning were found to be hurting us as well. Then, came the news that they very bunker gear we wear to protect ourselves while we perform our often-dangerous jobs, could be leaking carcinogenic toxins into our bodies. With manufacturers denying that either, no carcinogenic products in the turn-out gear, or they changed their tune to,”…it might be there, but it can’t hurt you,” an organized offense was needed.
One of the leaders for that call is my guest, Jason Burns. Literally, thrown into the presidency of his local IAFF union, he was forced to bury two colleagues, both in their thirties, within two years of his election. And Jason wanted to learn more about cancer in the fire service.
He did extensive homework to learn as much as possible. As did many of us, he was introduced into the “PFOA in Our Bunker Gear” action group on social media and he learned a great deal from the members and research down by those independent from manufacturers. He was instrumental in the passing of Resolution 28 at the 2021 IAFF annual conference. Listen as he shares his difficult and painful journey to where he is today!
Check out the video webcast on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp, or tune in to the audio podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Photo Courtesy of: USGS.gov
What makes a great firefighter? And who judges who is a “good” firefighter or a “great” firefighter? To be honest, it should e no one else but the image you see in the mirror. For that person in the mirror, never lies and more importantly, knows every one of your secrets.
It is my pleasure to welcome my dear friend, Nic Higgins, Co-Founder and Editor of “The Firehouse Tribune,” to discuss his newly published first book, “The 5-Tool Firefighter.” Nic put this together with nearly twenty years of experience as a firefighter, a long-time fire instructor and a former collegiate athlete. The name of his book was derived from a term he learned while playing collegiate baseball, the “5-Tool Player. This defined a player who was good at hitting, fielding, running, etc.
With that thought, Nic created this book to provide the reader with similar definitions that would make a great firefighter. No, not a “perfect” one, but a great one. Tune in to view and listen as Nix explains his thought processes and how a baseball term certainly has its place in the fire service.
Photo Courtesy of: Nicholas Higgins
We are so pleased to have B.C. Jacob Johnson back on “5-Alarm Task Force!” Chief Johnson has taught his class, “Do Your Damn Job!” at local, state, and regional conferences. His message is crystal clear, “It is the responsibility of experienced firefighters to mentor the new recruits coming in!” It does not mean that you didn’t clean the pumper well or you have to pick-up papers on the day-room floor. It means YOU need to be both a learner and a teacher!
The Chief shares his own failings earlier in his career and how it made him realize how he had dropped the proverbial “ball” in assisting a new recruit. He learned from the lesson that there is much more for a firefighter to do, besides fighting fire and working MVC’s. And if we banter the word, “family” around because we are firefighters, then we must live up to the meaning of family.
Join us and learn how Chief Johnson sees our duty, both in and out of the firehouse!
In our first segment, Fire Commissioner Jared Renshaw of the Western Berks Fire Department in PA, explain the news that recent broke that his department used their new drone with a TIC (thermal imaging camera) in a rescue. An elderly patient with dementia had wandered away from his care house, and into a huge corn field. While first responders on the ground searched with ATV’s, dogs and even volunteers on horses, it was a difficult search. However, using their newly acquired drone with a TIC, they were able to find the victim, which allowed those on the ground to find him and return him safely.
In our second segment, the Commissioner discusses that the rank of fire chief, often holds more responsibility than tactics, operations, and training. All the facets of a COO (chief operating officer) are in play, as the chief must also be a part of the “city hall” of his/her community. From his recent article in FIREHOUSE® Magazine, Commissioner Renshaw notes the key attributes of being a member of the community leadership, i.e. City Council, Mayor, etc., and provides strong and positive advice of how to participate in this side of the job.
As always, finds us on your favorite podcast platform or watch the webcasts on our YouTube® channel, -5-AlarmTask Force Corp.
City Hall Photo Courtesy of: Fireragestock.com
In the past eight years or so, we have learned some difficult lessons regarding the link of cancer in the fire service. At first, many just shrugged off the connection or they looked at it as simply, “part of the job!” Yet, nothing could be further from the truth!
My guest on this episode is Tonya Herbert, the Owner/President of Responder Wipes® and Florida PPE Services, a certified ISP. Tonya shares with us how her life journey led her from her work in an architectural firm to creating Responder Wipes® and, this journey began in 2014, prior to the overall national recognition of the Firefighter Cancer Initiative.
Additionally, she has become one of the key leadership members of the Carney Strong Initiative, created in memory of Battalion Chief Josh Carney, who succumbed to occupational cancer at far too young an age.
What happens to a firefighter who cannot be a firefighter any longer? What happens to that firefighter when an injury or illness ends his/her firefighting career? I know because it happened to me!
In this special episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” I share my personal experience of how an unnecessary accident wound up costing me my career as a volunteer firefighter, after only eight years.
We who choose the fire service feel a calling to do so. And when we’re in, learning, doing, learning more, doing more, it becomes a passion; it begins to define who we are. When the ability to follow that passion is suddenly cut short, due to an injury or illness, it tears out piece of who we are. And all too often, it leads us to a “dark place.”
I share with you my story – what happened, how it occurred and what the long-term results were. I will not lie and say that it was easy, because it was not. It was emotional, difficult on many levels and very dark at others, too.
Remember, there is always someone you can talk to. At the very least, to can text the word “badge” to 741741. Stay Safe & Stay Well.
As always, catch the webcast on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm task Force Corp,” or listen on your favorite podcast platform or our website, https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org.
The Wingspread conferences began in the 1960’s. It brought members of the fire service and affiliated agencies together at the Johnson Foundation Wingspread Conference Center in Racine WI. At that point, through Wingspread VI in 2016, the conference was held every ten years. However, with the pandemic and other key professional, cultural, and societal changes occurring, the leadership decided that the industry (and therefore, the public) would be best served by the conference taking place every five years.
Wingspread VII took place in August 2021 at the Conference Center. For this webcast/podcast, we are truly honored to have a panel of fire service leaders and educators who will share their “take-away” from the conference. My guests include Chief John S. Butler of Fairfax County VA Fire & Rescue, Ms. Jessica Pickett of RPM Solutions Group, Inc., Kevin Roach a FACETS partner and formerly of the Phoenix Fire Dept., and Commissioner Adam Thiel of the Philadelphia Fire Dept.
What they share has meaning for anyone and everyone in the American Fire Service, no matter if your career, volunteer, part-pay or WUI! We discuss not just what we do, but how we do it, both out on calls and in our lives in our stations.
As always, catch the webcast on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm task Force Corp,” or listen on your favorite podcast platform or our website, https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org.
Photo courtesy: The Johnson Foundation
If you are a member of the fire service, you should be aware of the toll cancer has taken on members from every area of “the job,” career, volunteer, part-pay and WUI. It wasn’t so long ago, that many of us attributed cancer losses to our brothers and sisters who worked the pile after 9|11. Sadly, that was not the case. Though the number of working fire years per year (for most non-urban departments) were down, WHAT was burning had evolved. No longer was furniture and its covering made from real wood and fabric. They had been replaced with parts and covering made from fossil-based chemicals, e.g., natural gas and petroleum, as are so many products in in our homes today. And when these burn, they release massive amounts of carcinogenic compounds into the structure. Thankfully, the Firefighter Cancer Initiative was officially launched in 2015.
My guest today is FF/PM Jim Burneka. Jim has served with the Dayton OH Fire Dept. for twenty years and has been involved with the fight against occupational cancer for fifteen years. He has presented on cancer prevention across the U.S. and Canada. And as you will hear on this podcast, his knowledge about firefighter cancer is not just from study and his presentations. Over the last year, it became personal.
PLEASE....Listen to this episode! It just might save YOUR life!
As always, catch the webcast on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm task Force Corp,” or listen on your favorite podcast platform or our website, https://www/5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org.
Photo courtesy: Healthline.com
What makes a team? Its members? Its leader? Its tasks? To be honest, it is all of those and more. It takes training, learning, training some more, learning more and of course, the leader and members sharing their knowledge.
Capt. John Lovato Jr., has been a firefighter in southwest Florida since 2003, with the City of Ft. Myers Fire Dept. A third-generation firefighter, he started in the suburbs of Chicago; no easy place to learn to be a firefighter! As he learned his craft, he rose through the ranks, now a Captain and fill-in Battalion Chief.
One of the most important tenets he learned was teamwork, And that means that every firefighter on the team must share in the team’s tasks. As is often said,” Just because you got a t-shirt, doesn’t make you a firefighter!”
It takes working together, practicing together, learning, and teaching each other. Just like two cogs in a machine, when the gears mesh-up, the machine works well. But if just one cog has a broken tooth, the machine stops…COLD. If firefighting teams stop…danger and disaster may follow!
Listen to his message, then ask yourself, “Am I a true member of a team or am I a freelancer?”
Photo courtesy: NASA/Daniel Casper, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Chris Kessinger is a career Lieutenant with the City of Riverside Fire Dept. in OH. He has been in the fire service for seventeen years. Chris believes every firefighter must be a lifelong student of the craft and love this blue-collar job!
Chirs serves as the lead instructor and owner of Citizens First Fire Training, in addition to his roles as training officer and instructor for numerous schools, training facilities and departments. In addition, he is also a member of the Central Ohio F.O.O.L.S. chapter.
While currently assigned to an engine company, his passion and heart will always be with truck company operations. Chris just loves this job and loves spreading that passion everywhere he goes.
Our citizens are our number-one priority and we must always remember our mission and they are number one!
Photo courtesy nohat.cc
As First Responders, we face many challenges and risks. Many of them can be seen and avoided, some are just fate and others, well…we may just not know about…yet! So, what do we do? That’s where Lifescan Wellness Centers enter the picture.
My guest is longtime friend and Chief Strategy Officer of Lifescan Wellness Centers and, Executive Assistant Chief (ret) Todd LeDuc. In his Chief’s position, he was charged with managing the health and wellness of an 800-member fire service. As you’ll year in today’s episode, Todd will explain how he came to engage with Lifescan Wellness Centers, in his effort to be proactive in protecting these members.
As many of you know, our next webinar takes place on Tuesday, August 31st at 6:30 PM EDT. Tickets are still available at https://Bit.ly/PFOS_PFOA2021. Net proceeds will go to the 5-Alarm Task Force Foundation, which disburses financial assistance to our Brothers and Sisters, and/or their families, in dire need.
We have recently been posting on social media that we would announce the major prizes for the webinar. We can tell you that both the First and Grand Prizes could make a difference in your life and the lives of others. All you need to do is purchase your ticket and join us on August 31st, as every attendee has an equal chance of winning any of the prizes! We’ll also be raffling off three of our new t-shirts, as well.
Tune in to “5-Alarm Task Force” on your our website, www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org, your favorite podcast platform or watch our interview on our YouTube® Channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp.
Photo Courtesy Cllarius.com
“We’re firefighters!” “We’re cops!” “We’re EMS!”
These are the three main branches of Public Safety. And often times when the public sees or hears about us, they “think” we wear capes! However, nothing could be further from the truth. No, we don’t worry about kryptonite, the Joker or “Dr. Evil.” But we do care about you…sometimes more than we do ourselves. As First Responders, we are well aware of the dangers, tragedy, and horror we often face. Yet, these experiences do not make us any less human. We still wince with pain, cry at old movies, suffer physical pain and often live with some terrible memories. And that is often, not easy to do.
Our guest today is Chief Paul V. Jockimo, considered one of the leading experts on CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management), also know as Peer Support. For over 30 years, Chief Jockimo has helped member of both Public Safety and our Military, dealing with incident stress. He counseled after the Worcester Cold Storage Fire, 9|11, Oklahoma City, and many other tragedies.
In this episode, the Chief shares his definitions and visions of Peer Support and its absolute necessity and importance in Public Safety. While First Responders often “wear” an outer coat of invincibility, we still hurt “on the inside,” even if we refuse to show it on the outside. If you have been a First Responder for even a year or two, or more, you have probably had a least one very serious and tragic incident. Remember, you are NOT alone!
Please remember, we need your help to allow us to assist our Brothers and Sisters in dire straits. Please visit our website, https://www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org and look for the photo of the “Q,” to make your donation.
Andi Clark is known online as The Elite Trainer for Police and First Responders and creator of her signature program 911 Elite Performance. She’s the wife of a Police Officer and an expert in peak performance and how stress physically affects your body. She is renowned for her ability to reverse and prevent burnout in First Responders, then help them regain their athletic conditioning, so they can thrive throughout their entire career—online and offline—as well as her refreshingly relatable and no-BS approach.
Life wasn’t always as burnout free for Andi. She has a genetic stress condition that puts her body into an increased stress response state all the time. Similar to what Police Officers and First Responders experience when they put on their uniform and mentally prepare for whatever may happen in their day.
It took Andi over 20 years with two very big burnout crashes (one while pregnant) to figure out why her doctors, specialists and the prescriptions given to her were not able to help. And that what was happening to her was not a mental health issue.
Through her recovery she formulated a completely different way to look at and handle burnout.
Once she realized that her husband was thriving while his colleagues were struggling with the same symptoms, she had experience she knew that she couldn’t keep her findings to herself. They needed help. She could provide it. And 911 Lifestyle was born. Andi now speaks and coaches Officers and First Responders all over the world:
Please remember, we need your help to allow us to assist our Brothers and Sisters in dire straits. Please visit our website, https://www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org and look for the photo of the “Q,” to make your donation.
Photo Courtesy of & Copyright the CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
I am pleased to welcome back, Battalion Chief Jacob Johnson as we continue discuss his passion in the fire service: mentoring. Chief Johnson recently had an article on this topic published in FIREHOUSE® Magazine.
If you have not listened to Part 1 of our interview in Episode 5-20 of “5-Alarm Task Force,” Chief Johnson explained that even though he himself had been mentored at age 15, when he began his firefighting career as a 15-year-old in Katy TX, when he was promoted to Lieutenant in his current career department, he saw his failure to do the same for a young recruit that came to him for help. It was that self-admission that proved to be the “seed” that spurred the Chief to live and teach by his creed for every firefighter, “Do your damn job!” which he sees as mentoring.
Having been personally mentored when I joined my first volunteer department, I know the benefits it had for me; someone who had no experience or background in the fire service, other than strong admiration. However, as a live-long educator, I know exactly what Chief Johnson is talking about. It is indeed up to each of us, no matter how long we have been serving our departments, to help the newest members find their way to the path that will make them great firefighters! So, watch the video or tune-in to our audio podcast and listen to the Chief’s message.
And please remember, we need your help to allow us to assist our Brothers and Sisters in dire straits. Please visit our website, https://www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org, scroll down the Homepage and look for the photo of the “Q,” to make your donation.
In 1966, top leaders and instructors in the American Fire Service gathered for the Wingspread I conference. Their focus was not to look at what the fire had done in the past, but to look forward to the changes and challenges that faced them in the future. At that first meeting, it was decided to hold the conference once every 10 years. And until now, this conference was indeed held every decade, the most recent being in 2016. However, at that conference, the idea was raised of changing the span from 10 years to 5 years.
The founder of the Johnson Foundation had the initial conference center designed by world-renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1990, the facility was added to the National Historic Register. And this summer, the Wingspread VII conference will take place there, once again.
Attending will be nearly 30 of the best leaders in the fire service, public health, EMS, and others, who will come together for several days. Again, they will not be looking back (except for the pandemic) but looking to the coming 5 years. What new challenges will they bring? What new equipment will we need? How might we deal with this issue or that one?
My guests are Chief Bruce Varner and Chief Dennis Rubin, who are working together (along with many others) to setup and assure another successful meeting of some of the best minds in these fields. Both men are icons in the fire service for their previous work on this conference and they share this formal announcement of it on this episode.
You can watch the video on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp” or listen to the audio version on your favorite podcast platform or our website, www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org.
And please remember – we need your support to we can continue to assist our Brothers and Sisters and/or their families, in dire need. Just visit out website and click on the photo of the “Q!”
Photo Courtesy the NFPA
Chief John Vance had been Chief of the Minnetonka MN Fire Dept. since 2013. However, many of us know the Chief from the website, www.bshifter.com, where along with Nick and John Brunacini, they carry on the message of one of the greats of our time, the late Chief Alan Brunacini. As a student of “Chief Bruno,” Chief Vance leads by the mantra, “Be Safe, Be Effective and Be Nice!”
Chief Vance has been a BLUE Card Lead Instructor since its inception in 2008. The course provides strong command lessons, for everyone, from the firefighter called up to sit in the “right seat,” to line and chief officers, However, simply taking the course and passing the exam is not enough; one needs to live by the lessons learned in the BLUE card course!
We also discuss the “All or Nothing” approach when it comes to strategy and tactics. Of course, this has been a hot topic on social media, but I believe that Chief Vance brings some clarity into the discussion, without taking “sides.”
He will be back for Part 2 of our discussion in August, when we kick-off Season 6 of “5-Alarm Task Force” in mid-August.
And please do not forget that we need your financial assistance to be able to assist our Brother and Sister firefighters, and/or their families, in dire need. Just visit our website at https://www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org and either select DONATE from the top menu or just click on the photo of the Q2B siren to donate.
Photo Courtesy of Pinterest
Chief (ret) Dan Jones and business partner, Kelly Walsh are not newcomers to “5-Alarm Task Force.” But this time they return to announce the release of their new book, “Facing the Fire – Stories to Ignite Leadership Excellence.” (There is a special availability on Amazon – for 3 days, starting 4/28/2021, download the digital copy for just $.99!)
This book is based on their more than five years of teaching and coaching members of the fire service who are interested in leadership positions and want to learn what it takes to do so. With Chief Jones’ more than 40 years of experience and Kelly’s many years in Human Resources (including 10 years with a large municipal fire department), nonprofit and corporate, they bring a refreshing and incredibly positive message, both towards personal growth and for those looking to promote in the fire service.
If you are open to continue to learn throughout your career and improve yourself, as well as your leadership skills and abilities, this is the book for you!
Watch the video on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp.( https://youtu.be/YALrv5ljQIQ) or check out the audio on our website, www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org or your favorite podcast platform!
One of the great leaders of today’s fire service is Chief Gary Ludwig, of the Champagne IL Fire Dept., and immediate Past-President of the IAFC. When he took office, he created a strong, international, promotion for firefighter health and wellness. Part of that promotion is his, “If you don’t feel well, DON’T make it your Farewell,” PSA.
Chief Ludwig began his career and the age of 18 with the City of St. Louis Fire Dept. and served for 25 years, retiring as Chief Paramedic. Subsequently, he served 10 years as Deputy Fire Chief for the Memphis Fire Dept. He was a prolific writer and author, penning articles in FIREHOUSE® Magazine for over 20 years and contributed additional articles to every major fire and EMS trade in the country.
Chief Ludwig teaches better leadership and management methods for line, administrative and chief officers. And he shares some of those methods with us today, including his dedication to keeping firefighters alive and well, through proactive practices.
His most recent book, “Fully-Involved Leadership,” is currently available on his website, www.fullyinvolvedleadership.com, and he shares some info on his newest book, as well.
Watch the video on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp., or check out the audio on our website, www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org or your favorite podcast platform!
Very few people have ever joined the fire service and knew everything they needed to know on his/her first day! Sure, many came from a lineage of firefighters in the family and had a general idea of what goes on. However, on your first day that you show up to start, whether at an academy or at a station, you’re as fresh and innocent as a newborn! And even if you attend an academy, there is no way that you can be taught everything today’s firefighter needs to know! So, how do we fill in that space?
Sadly, in some cases, it is expected to take place by, what I refer to as self-osmosis; you simply absorb what you see. Yet, as most of us realize, that doesn’t even occur in a school classroom, so why do we expect it to work in a job where our responsibility is to protect lives and property!
Our guest is Battalion Chief Jacob Johnson of the Pearland TX Fire Dept. Chief Johnson shares with us how he learned coming up through the ranks and how he realized that a failure in his leadership with a firefighter, taught him the importance of mentoring and how crucial it is for every department to strongly encourage those with experience to take on the ever-important task of being a mentor.
Watch the video on our YouTube® Channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp., or tune in on your favorite podcast platform or our website at https://www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org.
If you ARE a firefighter, career, volunteer, wild land or, if you aspire to be a firefighter, my guest has some excellent reading for you!
Capt. Jim Moss has recently published, “The Firefighter Success Book,” (www.firefightersuccessbook.com). Besides his career as a firefighter and officer, Capt. Moss has also been a partner, along with Chief Dan Kerrigan, on books, lectures and presentations on firefighter fitness. With this book though, he has gathered phrases, memes and stories to help you, the reader, to be a better firefighter. No, not with specific tools or tactics, rather to grow and become overall, a better person.
When you visit the website above, take advantage of the free download offer of “101 Rules for Firefighter Success,” I can honestly tell you that even at my age, I still learned a lot from this excellent list that Capt. Moss has put together. Reading and studying this list will lead you to want to read his book, as well!
Check it out on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp,” on our website, https://www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org” or your favorite podcast platform!
If you have been a firefighter from around 1977 until today, you have heard of, seen and or read, FIREHOUSE® Magazine. Moreover, you have probably seen or even attended, FIREHOUSE® EXPO or WORLD conferences.
Founded in 1976 by FDNY Firefighter Dennis Smith, it quickly became a staple in many firehouses around the country and yes, even beyond. It took us right on the streets and roads of America, as we read the stories about incidents, learned new methods and tactics, and sage advice from some of the best leaders and instructors in the Fire Service. Just like the rest of us, the magazine and the entire company matured over the years. The EXPO became THE place to be each summer. The WORLD was added during the winter months, usually in a location with mild winters! Nevertheless, the crowds came, studied, learned, practices and listened.
Current Editor-in-Chief and Conference Director, Peter Matthews did not start at the helm. He has been with FIREHOUSE® for nearly twenty-two years! Moreover, Peter grew up in a firefighting family and started his career reporting incidents for his local newspaper, while still in high school. He has served as a volunteer firefighter in several departments. This background provided him with the experience and sights, that would lead him to be hired by FIREHOUSE®.
Join us as we take a peek, “behind the curtain,” and learn more about the man, Peter Matthews and see what in-store for the future of FIREHOUSE®. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or on our website, http://www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org.
Photo © FIREHOUSE®.com
Brothers and Sisters of the Fire Service – Be you career, volunteer, paid-on-call and wildland: THIS IS THE GEAR WE WEAR TO PROTECT US WHEN WE ARE NEEDED TO ANSWER THE CALL!
Until just a few years ago, we thought that, as long as we followed the Gross Decon procedures, shared throughout the fire service, we would remain relatively safe. And what happened several years ago to change that way of thinking? Our Brother from Massachusetts who, just after being promoted to Lieutenant, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to file his papers. His wife, Diane, while supporting her husband, wanted to know how this could happen. Her determination and perseverance led to the discovery that our bunker gear, just might be killing us from the inside, with “forever chemicals,” often referred to as PFOS, used in Teflon® coatings and waterproofing.
Capt. Sean Mitchell’s (of the Nantucket MA Fire Dept.) eyes were opened after he started following Diane’s posts on social media, especially because a fellow firefighter in his department, had also been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Sean began contacting the PPR manufacturers and requesting documents ascertaining the safety of the gear. The information he received, he found out, was not necessarily accurate. The more he investigated, the more he and the president of the Fall River MA Firefighters’ local, were convinced that the manufacturers were being disingenuous.
Learn here what Sean did, together with many other firefighters in the IAFF did at their recent, virtual convention, to show the manufacturers that we will not simply accept their “science” and assurances. No more!
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or at our website, www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org.
It is our pleasure to welcome back, Gamaliel Baer, EdD., to “5-Alarm Task Force,” as we continue the discussion, we began in Episodes 5-12 and 5-14. Dr. Baer’s dissertation dealt with overall health and wellness of the fire service today and, into tomorrow.
In our current episode, “G,” as he is called, discusses the behavioral changes necessary for positive leadership, both from the leader and for the members. We also focus on organizational leadership and how a good leader must affect changes within the organization.
If you have that key interest for and are ready to become a leader in your fire service, you will want to hear this episode.
We are proud to say that Dr. “G” will return in March for a “summary” interview to discuss “Creating a Health and Wellness System Within Your Organization” and “Creating Leadership.”
Tune in right here on Podomatic, on our website, www.Bit.ly/5-ATFC, our YouTube Channel (5-AlarmTaskForceCorp) or your favorite podcast platform!
photo courtesy en.Wikipedia.org
It is our pleasure to welcome back Chief (ret) Charles Werner, the Executive Director of
Drone Responders – The Public Safety Alliance. With nearly 40 years’ experience in the fire service, Chief Werner has always been interested, not only in new technology, but how it can and does benefit the Fire Service and other branches of Public Safety.
In this episode, Chief Werner discusses the unimagined growth of Drone Responders, as well as the use of drones in all branches of Public Safety. Additionally, Chief Werner explains the many advantages that the use of drones provides today, but also, what experts are seeing in the not-to-distant future.
We also talk about new technology that allows us to find a “tagged” firefighter, LEO, EMS personnel, etc., on a 3-D map of an involved structure, from a one-story, ranch home to a high-rise. This breakthrough allows the IC to find his/her personnel within THREE meters of their exact location. Add to this the rapidly evolving use of FirstNet®, to allow preemptive communications on an emergency scene and we have the tools that will allow us to gain a new mastery of an emergency scene.
Tune in right here on Podomatic, or on our website, www.Bit.ly/5-ATFC, our YouTube Channel (5-AlarmTaskForceCorp) or your favorite podcast platform!
It is our pleasure to welcome back, Gamaliel Baer, E.D., to “5-Alarm Task Force,” as we continue the discussion, we began in Episode 5-12. Dr. Baer’s dissertation dealt with overall health and wellness of the fire service today and, into tomorrow.
In our current episode, “G,” as he is called, defines for us, the most important definitions and applications of resilience and leadership. And while these two terms can be used in numerous industries, our discussion takes us deep into the fire service. Moreover, we learn about the differences between the terms, “leadership” and “management.
If you have that key interest for and are ready to become a leader in your fire service, you will want to hear this episode.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Dr. Baer will return for Part III of this series, sometime in February. The date will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.
Tune in on our website, www.Bit.ly/5-ATFC, our YouTube Channel (5AlarmTaskForceCorp) or your favorite podcast platform!
Episode 5-13 – Steve Hirsch, Chairperson, NVFC
There are approximately 1.2 million men and women who are firefighters in the United States. Of that number nearly 70% are volunteers and 85% of the U.S. fire departments are all or mostly volunteer., according to the NFPA as of 2017-2018. With those numbers (which were even higher back in the mid-to-late 1970’s), a national organization was created to help those departments and their members, was needed. And in 1976, the National Volunteer Fire Council was created.
On this episode of “5-Alarm task Force,” my guest is Mr. Steve Hirsch, Chairperson of the NVFC. While the framework of society has certainly changed since then, the NVFC continues provide these department and members with guidance, recruitment and retention programs and other assistance.
The pandemic of 2020-2021 has and will continue to affect all our First Responders, career or volunteer. And we discuss with Steve Hirsch the impact of Covid-19 on the volunteer side, issues related to retention and recruitment, as well as the key health initiatives that the NVFC is bringing to the unselfish and brave men and women who make up America’s volunteer fire-rescue personnel.
In this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” my guest is Gamaliel Baer, EdD, MSM, CTO. He is also an intelligence Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard. His dissertation from University of Southern California focused on Organizational Change and Leadership. He has also been a firefighter since 2008.
His education and experience lead us to discuss several issues facing the fire service, including organizational development to create a sustainable health and wellness program; how does the fire service define, “wellness,” what more is needed to bring both balance and resilience to the broad spectrum to the fire service and how do we develop proper programs to do so, etc.
This episode is but the first with, “G,” as his friends refer to him. We will be following up this episode next month with Part II.
Best wishes to all for a Safe, Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!
Tune in on our website, www.Bit.ly/5-ATFC or your favorite podcast platform!
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay
Firefighter health, wellness and fitness-for-duty – you have often heard us address these topics because they define our abilities as firefighters. If you do not take care of yourself, how do you expect to be able to care for others? Our guest on this podcast, is my friend, Todd Leduc, Chief Strategy Officer of Lifescan Wellness Centers. And FYI, before Todd joined the Lifescan team, he served for thirty years with Broward County Fire – Rescue, attaining the rank of Executive Assistant Chief of Department.
Today, the average physical exam a firefighter may receive from his/her PCP, is the same that almost any other patient would receive. However, NFPA 1582 and 1583, contains specific examination requirements that are custom-tailored to the fire service, be you career, volunteer, etc. And often times, your PCP, just cannot provide that level of exams for you.
This is where Lifescan Wellness Centers come in. With their motto, “Saving America’s First Responders,” your department contracts directly with them. Our guest, Todd LeDuc provides you with a clear picture of the dedication and commitment of LWC to care for and protect our first responders. Within our discussion, you will hear several true stories of how Lifescan’s comprehensive examinations, have saved REAL lives and do so, almost every day.
Tune in on our website, www.Bit.ly/5-ATFC or your favorite podcast platform!
Photo Courtesy of Lifescan Wellness Centers
Firefighter health, wellness and fitness-for-duty – you have often heard us address these topics because they define our abilities as firefighters. If you do not take care of yourself, how do you expect to be able to care for others?
Our returning guests, Chief Dan Kerrigan and Capt. Jim Moss, have dedicated themselves to teaching just how important these topics are, not just by learning about them, but by embracing their values and making these values part of your life. If you want to be a firefighter and serve your community to the best of your ability, then you have to devote yourself to more than knowing what equipment is on which apparatus or how to tie a bunch of knots. You must take care of yourself!
Chief Kerrigan and Capt. Moss, wrote, what some might call the “bible” of firefighter health and wellness, “Firefighter Functional Fitness.” They discuss the “pillars” of firefighter overall wellness, which includes areas such as restorative rest, proper hydration and much more. If you care about your role as a firefighter, listen or watch this episode and I would suggest having a pad of paper and a pencil nearby. You are going to learn!
Tune in here on Podomatic, on our website, www.Bit.ly/5-ATFC or your favorite podcast platform!
There have been any number of changes here at the “5-Alarm Task Force” podcast since we started in Fall of 2016. Our guest list is amazing, we have recorded over 150 episodes, we are on every major (and numerous, “minor”) podcast platforms and we have listeners in over 40 countries and, we moved to the Zoom platform! You might think we have attained all our goals. Nope!
If you are a regular listener, you know that we recently added a new monthly installment of the series, “Make Due.” And we have had particularly good numbers showing up. However, you are also aware that, while our podcast is dedicated the fire service, we are inclusive and need to also cover EMS, as well. And that begins with this podcast!
My dear friend and former business partner, Tom Mitten, joins me as we share with you a new installment feature that Tom will carry, called “F.R.E.T. – Fire, Rescue & EMS Today.” Tom comes to us with over 30 years in the volunteer fire service and is well-connected to today’s issues. Learn all about F.R.E.T. right here!
Tune in here on Podomatic, on our website,
www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org or your favorite podcast platform!
From its inception, our “Make Due” segments have focused on the fact that out of approximately 1.2 million firefighters in the U.S., approximately 80% of us are firefighters in suburban and/or rural areas. Unlike most cities, we do not roll-out on a call with two, three or even, four pieces of apparatus, each fully staffed! We are often lucky to have two or three personnel on that first apparatus that leaves the station. And too often, once on scene, that limited crew must “make due!”
With that in mind, this episode, co-hosted by my friends Capt. Nick Peppard and Sean Duffy, includes as guests, Chief Curt Isakson and Chief Shannon Stone, two leading experts on suburban or “county” fire tactics.
Our discussion covers training, preparation, tactics and of course, how to “make due,” with what you have. We often do not have the luxury of waiting for the second due piece or mutual aid. The scene before us needs to be mitigated and if there are only three of us, so be it! If you work in a suburban or rural area, this episode if for YOU!
Listen to our podcast here, on our website or on your favorite podcast platform!
*From the newest cadet to the 30-year firefighter, we have all become part of the “fire culture.” We enjoy hearing stories from the senior folk and cannot help but to juxtapose those stories to this fire service in 2020. Lots of changes and adaptations have occurred. For some we know the reason and for others, we have no idea. Most of those changes came about through the first person who thought about them. They shared that idea with others and, sometimes soon and sometimes much later, those changes became part of out fire culture.
Our guest, Dr. Burton Clark, EFO, discusses the fire culture through his presentation, titled above. In it, he describes not just “somebody” had an idea and made a change, but how he, himself, was able to bring about change in the fire service. And he shares his story of how the word, MAYDAY went from being forbidden by the NFPA to its acceptance, yet it took 10 years for that change to come about.
YOU can be the “one.” YOU can have that first idea which, in some way, you believe deep in your heart, will bring about positive change in the fire service. You can be the one of the leaders in the fire service in the next 50 years!
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or visit us at www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PRESENTATION WAS RECORDED ON ZOOM, USING THE POWER-POINT PRESENTATION. DR. CLARK WAS SPEAKING AS EACH SLIDE WAS PRESENTED. TO SEE THE VIDEO, PLEASE VISIT OUR CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE, 5-ALARM TASK FORCE CORP.
Photo Courtesy Dr. Burton A. Clark, EFO
We fight fire, we fight HAZMAT, we rescue the ill and injured. And we don’t think twice about doing so. This is who we are and what we do. However, imagine that your enemy is unseen, yet deadly. You have no way to protect yourself, not your gear, or SCBA! What do you do?
That is part of question raised by attorney Robert Bilott. If you saw the recent movie, “Dark Waters,” actor Mark Ruffalo portrayed Mr. Bilott and you saw how this attorney filed a multi-million lawsuit against a major chemical manufacturer and won! The chemicals he fought against are most easily referenced as PFAS/PFOS.
This podcast is not a chemistry class. However, you will hear Mr. Bilott explain how these “forever chemicals,” (as they are man-made and will not break down, even after millions of years) are poisoning firefighters, as the chemicals are in our bunker gear since 1977, as well as in everything from stain-resistant carpets, non-stick cookware, etc. And he has recently filed a federal request for class-action status to allow every firefighter since 1977 and, every resident in this country since 1977, so they can join as plaintiffs in this major lawsuit.
You and everyone you care about should listen to this podcast.
So, tune in on your favorite podcast platform or visit us at www.5-alarmtaskforcecorp.org
Photo Courtesy NIH
OK, let’s be honest. For many, this pandemic with lockdowns, quarantines, etc., gave folks a lot of home time. Sitting around, binge-watching on cable or satellite and eating. I don’t mean three squares a day, I’m talking about potato chips, tacos, ribs, candies, etc. You probably just stopped reading and dropped your chin on your chest! “How does HE know what I did?” you ask yourself. How? Because many of us did it and it is basic human nature.
Fear not – for our good friend from Fire-Rescue Fitness, Aaron Zamzow is back, and we talk about these very problems. More than that, Aaron provides numerous ways for you to get back into your best health and fitness-for duty. And you just might be surprised how easy many of his suggestions are!
Additionally, he has a great promotion going on now, together with the NFFF and you will find a link to that on Aaron’s profile page on our website, under the PODCAST tab on the home page. Additionally, he provides a peek at his annual contest which begins in January where there will be five cash prizes!
So, tune in on your favorite podcast platform or at http://Bit.ly/DalmatWeb and coming soon - http://Bit.ly/5-ATFC
Welcome our monthly installment of “MAKE DUE,” with Capt. Nick Peppard, Sean Duffy and our guest, Capt. Joe DeVito. In this episode, Capt. DeVito, with twenty years’ experience and, who has become an excellent instructor in the use of thermal imaging cameras (TIC’s), makes a strong point that TIC’s are not just for overhaul. As a matter of fact, your TIC is an invaluable tool for your size-up!
Capt. DeVito begins with a quick review of the key terminology regarding different TIC terms and capabilities. Not all TIC’s are created equal and it is imperative for you to know the “ins and outs” of YOUR camera! If you do not to learn to use it correctly and efficiently, it becomes nothing more than an expensive doorstop!
Capt. DeVito also explains the acronym he uses when conducting a size-up, C.L.U.E.S. At only five letters, it is an excellent guide for you to remember and make use of at every size-up. Mastering how your TIC works and using the C.L.U.E.S. acronym, might just save the life of a victim or, another firefighter!
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or at
http://Bit.ly/DalmatWeb
Photo Courtesy of Insight Training LLC
When the average person thinks about firefighters, paramedics and EMTS, the adjectives that often come to mind include, brave, caring, compassionate, putting others’ needs first, etc. The words they often do not think of include, depressed, anxious, upset, confused and more. Why? While most of us love our jobs and helping others when it is most needed, that “love” does not include the pain, trauma, tragedy and more, that we often see.
My guest today is Jeff Dill, a former firefighter and founder of the FHBA (Firefighters’ Behavioral Health Alliance (www.ffbha.org). For nearly ten years, Jeff was the only one with a connection to the fire service, who has been keeping track and validating the suicides of our brothers and sisters in fire and EMS.
Listen as Jeff and I discuss what he has seen and learned and stands read to share and teach others. Just like our international fight against cancer in the fire service, we have also had the Behavioral Health Initiative for several years now. The question is though, does YOUR department have a program? If yes, that’s great news! If no – where will you turn. Jeff shares some of those answers in this episode. Please…don’t just listen or watch this episode – do something about it, either for yourself or someone you care about.
To all our members and followers of the Jewish faith, best wishes to you and yours for a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or at http://Bit.ly/DalmatWeb
Sadly, the word, “cancer,” is all too common in today’s fire service. Sure, we have made some bold strides in both educating our members and providing tools and funding in many cases, to mitigate our exposure to carcinogenic compounds. However, there was one place we never thought to look for it, if it were not for a former Worcester MA firefighter and his wife. That location? The very bunker gear we wear to protect us from this crap!
“Miss D” sent a letter to a nuclear scientist at Notre Dame University with a piece of her husband’s bunker gear. The researcher is our guest, Dr. Graham Peaslee. Using the equipment in his lab, he first tested these pieces and found the presence of certain, unhealthy compounds. He then went on to test multiple samples of gear from still-in-the-bag new sets, to gear dating back to the 1970’s. ALL CONTAINED THESE COMPOUNDS.
Even though Dr. Peaslee states there are several more years of testing to come, there is a lot to learn from our discussion on this podcast. And if there is one thing that firefighters like, it is to always be open to learning something new about our craft!
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or at http://Bit.ly/DalmatWeb
Photo (C)ISU.edu
It is the “buzz-word” of the fire service today - “Leadership.” With about 1.2 million firefighters in the U.S., there are probably about 1.2 million definitions of fire service leadership!
In this second podcast of our fifth season, I am joined by a well-educated and well-trained leader in the fire service, Lt. Jason Liska, aka “The Can Man,” who is also a dear friend and colleague, in more than just the fire service! Jason is often found instructing at both the Florida State Fire Academy or the Lake County Fire Academy and “leadership” is one of his favorite topics.
In our interview, Jason and I share what we have learned and taught regarding leadership; Jason in the fire service and me in the world of nonprofit. While seemingly polar opposites, they share a great deal. We focus on the “how” and “why” of leadership from both views – a firefighter looking to take on a leadership role and the firefighter who is already in a leadership position and how he/she works to find the next leader coming up. And we both share personal stories of several people who were our leaders.
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or at http://Bit.ly/DalmatWeb
Photo (C) 2019 Florida State Firefighters Association - The Great Florida Fire School
Here is a fact – approximately eighty percent (80%) of America’s firefighters serve in suburban departments! Sure, they might work in “cities,” but when we think about urban firefighting, we think of FDNY, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh and many more. But most of us are not in cities that large. We may be close to one, but it still means we are suburban firefighters. Sure, we have mixed usage, i.e., residential, industrial, commercial, etc. You may even have a high-rise or two or three! So, what is the difference?
The difference is that our departments (including career, volunteer, part-paid, etc.) certainly do not have the funding or the number of personnel that our urban brothers and sisters have. If they call a “box,” they will probably have 2-3 engine companies, two trucks (tiller, platform, quint, etc.) a heavy rescue, rehab bus, and much more! Does your department (not counting mutual aid) have that much support when you strike a box for a working fire?
We are happy to bring you the monthly series, “Make Due!” Created by Capt. Nick Peppard and Sean Duffy, it is devoted to address some of the key issues that suburban departments face. And for some, that is not just “once in a while!” It can be a daily grind.
Each month, Nick, Sean and I will bring you a guest to address some of those issues, e.g. staffing, apparatus, hints for TIC use. Searching, leadership and much more. Have an idea for a discussion? Send it to us at Dalmatprod-at-Outlook.com.
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform.
One of the most lasting discussions in the fire service, at least since I started in 1977, are those about leadership and mentoring. No matter your generation or your background, when we joined up we were all “rookies,” “probies,” “newbies,” or any other name you wish to attribute to the newest member in your “house.” However, to achieve that sought-after goal of “riding the rig,” we had to learn to be firefighters.
My guests on this episode are Chief (ret) John Salka and Chief (ret) Rick Lasky. If you have been in the fire service for more than a year or two, you know these two great officers. Since back in the ‘90’s, Chiefs Salka and Lasky got together and dedicated themselves to teach the importance of strong leadership and the high value of mentoring in the firehouse. And not only do they teach these topics in the fire service, they teach their courses to almost every branch of our Armed Forces!
We invite you listen to their words. Whether you are a front-line firefighter, senior firefighter, officer, or even a chief officer, you will learn from these two great firefighters. No fancy terms or doubletalk, they teach the importance of sharing knowledge, encouraging those firefighters who demonstrate the will and the drive to improve their learning and could be the leaders of tomorrow. And they also discuss the importance of sharing what YOU know with the new firefighters in your house; just as others did for them.
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform, on our website at Bit.ly/DalmatWeb, on Podomatic at Bit.ly/5ATF-POD or watch our video on our YouTube channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.”
Photo courtesy of and © The Firefighter Toolbox
When most of us first heard about the coronavirus, we probably thought that is was a problem for the Chinese to solve. That opinion held until we saw it begin to spread throughout East Asia and Europe. But who thought it could “swim” across the Atlantic or Pacific to reach our shores?
My guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force” one of those who did! Dr. James Augustine has served as the Medical Director for numerous fire, and EMD agencies in the Eastern U.S. From Atlanta GA to Dayton OH, along parts of the East Coast and into Florida,
Dr. Augustine shares with us his long history of being part of an organized response to many of the “well-known” viruses, going back to the 1980’s until now, dealing with HIV, SARS, Ebola and now the virus that can result in Covid-19.While our lives have been turned topsy-turvy since March, it is good to know that there are excellent medical teams who start preparing for these type of emergencies, long before most of us even know about them.
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform, on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or at http://Bit.ly/5ATF-POD
“DAMN!!! That was fricfkin’ close!” you exclaim, as you are standing next to your Heavy Rescue on a busy, four-lane road. Your engine and ladder helped setup a “blocking” safety to lane to allow you to work on an extrication. But that semi that just passed you ran over half your orange cones!
This week, June 14-20 is the annual, joint, IAFC –- NVFC Safety Stand Down. During this week, fire and EMS departments are encouraged to suspend non-emergency activity to focus on the topic. And this year, that topic is our safety when working emergencies on active roadways. Last year, we lost 40 first responders to accidents on these sites. And many might have been avoided.
My guests on this special episode are Jack Sullivan, CSP, CFPS, Training Director of the Responder Safety Institute and Todd Leiss TIMC, Assistant Director of Training. You will hear them relate some of the tragedies that have occurred when our “safety zone” was invaded by a vehicle, be it an auto, a semi, or anything in between.
If you are a regular listener, you know how important this topic is to us at 5-Alarm Task Force. We have broadcast several episodes dealing specifically with this topic. Why? It is mostly due to the fact that we cannot depend on drivers to actively avoid us! There are far too many distracted drivers that will simply burst through our safety zones, injuring or killing our brothers and sisters. Enough is enough!
Photo Courtesy Fire-Rescue1
© 2020San Antonio Express News
We try to do IT. No matter our vocation or avocation, most of us try to do IT! OK, so what is, “IT?” Well, look at it this way – people have jobs, from first responders to cement works, from pool installers to meat cutters, from first responders to bank presidents, and from teachers to neurosurgeons, we all try to find some way to juggle our professional lives with our persona lives. Sometimes we meet with success and other times, we fail miserably. This is where my guest comes in – Dr. Donnie Hutchinson.
Dr. Hutchinson, a college professor, as well as a national and local speaker for the IAFF and many other vocations, specializes in helping folks find that balance between work and life. This is especially difficult for numerous professions, including all branches of First Responders. Between the varying shift hours, we work and some of the situations we face on a day-by-day basis, finding that balance may look like a “pipe dream.”
In this podcast, Dr. Hutchinson and I discuss the challenges that many of us face (or have faced) in search of this “grail.” Some of these issues can cause us to develop a myopic view of life that can get in the way of your search. Yet, Dr. Hutchinson provides important, yet not necessarily difficult, methods that will help you find the right balance. Yes, even within the framework of the pandemic that we are all currently facing, the goal is still reachable!
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv.
If you are older than 18-20, you probably have had to deal with some form of crisis; be it very small one like a broken shoelace when dressing for a special occasion, someone close to you was ill or a major job interview was lost due to a technicality. None of us is immune to the concept of crisis, however, we are often defined by how we manage that crisis!
My guests on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” are Chief (ret) Dan Jones and his business partner, Kelly Walsh. Together, they have spoken at departments across the country on numerous topics of leadership, i.e., management, becoming a leader, finding an excellent leader, traits and much more. They have joined us before, and their podcasts always are enthusiastically received.
In this podcast, “Chief Dan” and Kelly address one of the most important facets of strong leadership and that is Crisis Management. And, unless you have been in your personal safe room, fallout shelter or in a cave for the past few months, THIS is a time of crisis management. We have seen excellent leaders; we have seen poor leaders and everyone in between. And in this podcast, my guests will define for you how a strong leader can quell fear and instill hope and future through his/her methods of Crisis Management.
This weekend (4/24-26/2020)the entire Windows Library folder entitled, "MUSIC" was lost in an unauthorized transfer that Windows performed during a reboot to its OveDrive cloud platform. All the files built up over the nearly 4 years of the show were lost.
Will I or can I recover from such a loss is yet to be determined.
Until next time, Stay Safe, Stay Well and remember to take of each other.
For well over a month, our lives and the lives of millions of people across six of the seven continents, have been turned upside down. The loss of life has been like nothing that has been seen since 1918! And the interruptions to our lives, from home quarantines, online schooling for our children, a ridiculous run on toilet paper, etc.
My guest on this podcast is Anthony Mangeri, a certified Public Manager, volunteer firefighter/EMT and he has many years’ experience in public health management. In this episode, Anthony guides us on the path of facts, not fables. You may have heard some of what he shares, yet I am sure that there will be some info that you will find worthwhile.
We want you, our first responders to be safe. This is a whole new EMS world that we have never seen before. For firefighters and law enforcement, often the first ones on-scene, we want you to be safe.
-Photo Courtesy of the CDC
It is all over the news! It has invaded our lives and everything we do! It is the Coronavirus. For well over a month, it has changed our entire perspective into our daily lives; what we do, where we go and who we can and cannot see. No one is more affected by this pandemic than our first responders, from our amazing dispatchers, to our firefighters, LEO’s, paramedics/EMT’s, doctors, nurses, road rangers and recovery operators. This podcast is for all you.
My guest, Todd LeDuc has been a member of the IAFC-SHS committee board of directors for 15 years. In most of his nearly 30 years with Broward County Fire-Rescue, he focus was and still is, on the health, wellness and fitness-for-duty of his firefighters. Today, as the Chief Strategy Officer for Lifescan Wellness Centers, he focus remains the same, just widened to all first responder agencies.
In this podcast, Todd talks about the pandemic, its cause and effects, and, what we can do in an effort to continue to fill our roles but avoiding contamination properly. We also discuss your off time. What you can do to “decompress” when you’re off-duty and to keep yourself in the best condition possible.
Stay Safe & Stay Well!
Photo Courtesy Brian McGowan
OK, so we realize that going into the fire service, no matter if it’s career, volunteer, part-pay, wildland, etc., that it can be a dangerous job…very dangerous! And yes, most of us will put our lives on the line to save someone else that, for the most part, is a total stranger! We do so out of our deep commitment to our job.
My guest, Dr. Burton A. Clark, EFO wrote a very interesting book, “I Can’t Save You, But I’ll Die Trying: The American Fire Culture.” In it and in this podcast, Dr. Clark posits that our American fire culture has it all wrong and we’re losing good firefighters because of it.
This is not a position that he has developed overnight. With over 50 years in the American fire service, he has seen both the good and the bad in the “job.” And there is a lot of good in this job. No one will argue that point. However, it might be the right time to look at the “how” and “why” we do some of what we do that puts us in very, very perilous positions, too often with deadly results.
Even with all the electronic media at our hands, we often want ourselves to be “spoon-fed” news the way we want to hear it, as opposed to the actual content. When we allow ourselves to hear all the details, we can better understand the topics and discussion around them. This is especially true in the fire service. Though most of the time, when the fire service is in the news, it is usually good news. Yet, we do find ourselves on the “naughty” list at times, too.
My guest on this podcast is no stranger to either and always has a great view of what’s happening and that is Chief Dennis Rubin. On this episode, Chief Rubin addresses three specific and important issues:
1. A neutral view of the recent Atlanta rescue and follow-up
2. Hazard Zone Accountability
3. Brief Initial Report & Assuming Command
These three topics might seem very easy to some and more difficult for others. With that in mind, Chief Rubin explains each one clearly and delivers pertinent information for each one. He does not issue orders, but merely make good leadership suggestions based on his more than thirty-year career servings citizens and their communities, while always looking out for his firefighting and EMS personnel.
Take a listen – you might enjoy it!
When we’re on the fireground or other emergency scene, most of the time we work as a great team. We know what to do, how to do it and what to do when we’re done. Sure, from time-to-time we may wonder about a particular task we’ve been assigned, but for the most part, it’s smooth running. However, back in the firehouse, it’s often a different story. Each firefighter is encouraged to ask questions, bring up new topics and propose new ideas. Too often though, a newer or less-experienced firefighter’s ideas or thoughts are dismissed out-of-hand. Why? Frequently, it’s because of another “herd of elephants” in the room – the egos of some of those firefighters with more experience.
My guest on this podcast is Capt. Nick Peppard of the Holley-Navarre Fire District in Santa Rosa County, FL, located on the beautiful Florida Panhandle. Nick discusses the scenario described above. The newer, less-experienced firefighters are too often shut down or told to hold their ideas to themselves, too often due to one or more, senior firefighters and the egos they have. As we discuss, there is no room in the fire service for egos; while one firefighter may have twenty years on the job and another has five, the ideas they share should be of equal value. Each and every firefighter should be included in every firehouse general discussion and, should be encouraged to ask questions or bring up an idea!
Egos all too often not only get in the way of healthy discussion around the firehouse kitchen table or dayroom, they often get in the way of firefighters taking proper care of their health. They are so “eat up” with themselves, they believe they’re almost invincible! Sadly, especially when it comes to their health, when they finally admit they have a health problem, it’s often, too late. Make the change in YOUR firehouse: IDEAS Over Egos!
In any organization, morale is one of the most important facets of the group, whether they are volunteers at a religious facility, workers in a mill, or the staff of a huge law firm encompassing an entire floor of a high-rise. Yet, it plays an even more important role for a cadre of first responders, especially, the fire service.
Most of us have seen a fire department, maybe our own or a neighboring, where morale is low. While vigorously trained to fight structure fires and perform death defying high-level or collapse rescues, this group often loses morale when they do not respond to those types of call in a period of months or for some, years! Thus the question: “How do we boost their morale?”
My guest, Capt. John Lovato, Jr., understands the predicament. In this podcast, Capt. Lovato shares his ideas of using required drill time to allow the “troops” to use many of those skills that they learned and developed. While live burns are rarer these days, he has his crews, drop feeder lines, throw ladders, stretch hoses, and more. And, there is little doubt that, whether day or night, these drills will often result in firefighters who are better prepared for many of the challenges that they will face. As you listen to Capt. Lovato, ask yourself, “Can my department think along these same lines for us?”
Every first responder must remember that any and every emergency scene remains fluid. No matter how hard we practice, review, prepare, etc., there is always an “unknown” factor that can, and often does, come into play. For the fire service, when that happens, we call a “MAYDAY!” Nevertheless, when we do, the scene often devolves into chaos.
My guest on this episode is retired Chief Don Abbott. Chief Abbott runs the ProjectMayday.net website and, along with his group of various professionals, that have reviewed over 6,000 MAYDAY audio files and many videos, as well. This group is able to listen to every radio transmission on a given scene and analyze that traffic from before the emergency was declared, replies to the firefighter(s) and the transmissions subsequent to the emergency being mitigated.
As we discussed this very important topic, I learned that still have a lot to learn about our tactics, how we treat radio traffic from our radios when we are in the midst of our assigned tasks and how we respond when a MAYDAY is sounded. Here is just one of their facts – over 60% of MAYDAYS called, are NOT heard the first time they are declared! Take this episode to heart – it may just save your life or someone else’s.
PHOTO CREDIT TO Battalion Chief (ret) Keith Helms)
As firefighters we constantly face challenges, however not all of them are at an emergency scene. Many of these challenges occur every day; often before we ever leave the station. And many of those challenges deal with our attitudes. You might be surprised at the toll that a wrong attitude can have.
My guests for this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” are Sean Duffy and Pablo Gener, of the “Build Your Culture,” training group. As with most choices we face in life, there is a “right way” and, let’s just call it “another way,” of doing things. However, as firefighters, we are held to a high standard for everything we do. And Sean and Pablo believe that, no matter if you’re a career, volunteer, wildland or paid-on-call firefighter, you should always be on your “A-game,” because in this business, anything less, could result in dire circumstances.
My guests pose the question, “If you truly want to build your firefighting culture, do you do so with professionalism or minimalism? What’s the difference between the two? What are the results? Listen to this podcast in its entirety and a clear picture will emerge. Then you will have a better idea of where you stand!
Listen to “5-Alarm Task Force” on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform.
As long as we have had two-way radios in the fire service, the first arriving officer (or whomever was in a “right seat”) would provide some sort of report upon arrival. In my active years in two different departments from ’77-’85, the FAO might give a 15-30 “quick view” to dispatch. I remember being assigned to “recon” a structure file, a few times and report back to the ranking officer on scene. And mind you, in those days we had two radios: one fixed in the apparatus and one for the person in the right seat. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since then!
For this special “Panel Discussion” episode of “5-alarm Task Force,” I am joined my Commissioner Jared Renshaw, Battalion Chief Andy Starnes, Captain Andrew Roach and Lt. Jason Liska; four, seasoned and well-experienced officers. Together, we discuss the critical importance of the good report; preferably one derived from a 360. We concede that there will be occasions where a quick, “windshield” size-up will be expedient to expedite an initial ops plan; however it must be followed up with a more complete size-up, 360 preferred, if possible. Our discussion is backed-up by the results of numerous post-LODD NIOSH reports.
While my guests and I always believe that every episode is a “learning tool” for the listener, this panel and I see this episode as one that is as important for the line firefighter as it is for the chief officer. This one might very well save a firefighter’s life.
Many of us in the fire service believe that, for the most part, most fire departments in North America are the same, other than size and run numbers, with some being career and others volunteer. Part of that broad statement is that many of us still face major organizational problems. How we deal with them might make a difference.
Chief Stan Metcalfe of the Beaverlodge Fire Dept., in Alberta Canada explains that while many departments might have similar problems, it is how we approach these problems that can often set one department apart from others. In this podcast, Chief Metcalfe breaks his topic into three segments, “Setting Expectations for Success,” “Developing a Leadership Culture,” and “Maintaining Momentum Through Training.”
Each of these sections is easily applicable to most departments across North America, especially our volunteer departments. As you listen to Chief Metcalfe, don’t be surprised if what he discusses sounds like your firehouse! Better yet, the Chief offers concrete suggestions for overcoming the obstacles discussed. Think about it, then pass it on!
Brad Davidson is a Canadian Fire Executive with 38 years serving, “Mrs. Smith.” Brad has a strong love and passion for the fire service, underscored by his years of experience and his certifications. Through out chats on Twitter and by phone, I shared my passion regarding the Fire Service Cancer Initiative with him. And with that, he was off and running.
He has done several years of research since our first conversation on the topic and has tried to be as proactive as possible in promoting the Initiative in Canada. Yet, outside of the country’s major metropolitan areas, it is still a “tough sell.” But that won’t be a hindrance to Brad.
Join us as we talk about our friendship and his strong efforts to support and spread the word on both the Cancer and Behavioral Health Initiatives in our neighbor to the north.
PLEASE TUNE IN at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform.
I will honestly say that this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force” is one of, if not THE best episode we have ever produced. It is informative, tragic and dark, yet also demonstrates inner strength and recovery.
My guest is Chris Fields, a retired Major with the Oklahoma City Fire Dept. While his name may not be familiar, a world-famous photo of him carrying the body of a toddler killed in the bombing of the Federal Building on April 19, 1995, may jog your memory.
Chris shares his story from his first day as a rookie, his ongoing journey growing as a firefighter and then, through the tragedy of the bombing and through the deep and dark segment of his life, as he suffers AND successfully recovers from PTSD. PLEASE listen and KEEP this podcast. I guaranty that you will learn from it and, it might help you if you find yourself in a similar position.
If you have a year or two more “under your belt” you know that learning in a classroom is nothing compared with learning on an active fireground. A good firefighter is ready for almost anything as he/she dismounts from the apparatus, because the fireground is an ever-evolving, ever-changing, location with massive changes that can occur in just seconds. And if you’re not ready for it……
My guest on this episode is Lt. Mike Daley. He is a nationally known instructor and writer for the trades. With over 30 years on the job, Mike knows this business and he knows the fireground. Mike shares that knowledge with us, discussing both the basics about the fireground, then moving to the size-up and finally, going into action with the knowledge you’ve gained from his first two segments.
This episode is truly a teachable “moment” for every firefighter and every line officer. Sure, you may have heard some of this before, but you will hear it differently today!
PLEASE TUNE IN at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform.
Over the last several years, we have seen more openness, understanding and assistance appear regarding behavioral health issues in the fire service and, for that matter, for all first responders! We know the issue has been there. It’s another case of the “elephant in the firehouse;” everyone sees it, but no one wants to talk about it! Add to that the fact that we’re losing far to many first responders to suicide and issue is as pressing as is the Cancer Initiative.
My guest, Mark W. Lamplugh, Jr., is well versed and studied in this area and has been working with first responders for at least, the last 10 years. On this podcast, Mark announces a new, online, anonymous platform, geared specifically to first responders. You will want to listen to this podcast carefully, to hear about this program, as well as several others that once can access in private and with complete anonymity.
If we can put up a great fight against cancer, we can save the lives of our friends and colleagues who are facing other demons!
PLEASE TUNE IN at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform.
One of the most important numbers in our business is 360! It has been drilled into us that upon arrival at a call for smoke and/or fire, the first arriving officer should make as complete an inspection of the structure/scene as is possible. Then, the officer gives the crew initial instructions to mitigate the issue. What does that officer see? What’s involved? What needs to be done first. All of this is part of what we call the “size-up.”
My guest is Chief Mike Terpak, recently retired from the Jersey City Fire Department, where he served as Deputy Chief and Citywide Tour Commander. With over forty years of experience, especially in one of the most intensely populated cities in the nation, there's little that the Chief has not seen!
We discuss how his most recent book, “Fireground Size-Up” (Second Edition) was actually “born” when he was a rookie firefighter and began to use notebooks to keep track of calls, what had to be done and how they would accomplish their task. Those notebooks piled up over the years and finally led to the Chief sharing his knowledge and experience in a manner that would benefit any firefighter who would read it. Listen as the Chief describes several challenging calls that he responded to.
Tune in at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform.
We have all seen the news footage – huge wildfires consuming large areas in California. Last year, major fires like the Woolsey and Camp fires, destroyed thousands of acres of woodland, thousands of homes and disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of residents. And, in almost every newsreel, you saw firefighters and other first responders, doing tasks, such as fighting the fires, clearing a fire line, help escaping residents and much more. It begs the question, “How does California organize thousands of firefighters and other personnel to have them all respond to these fires?”
My guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force” is FF/PM/Eng Brad Bihun. Brad is a firefighter, paramedic and engineer in Southern CA. However, he is also trained as a PIO – Public Information Officer, for CAL Fire, the state’s special fire coordination department. Brad explains to us how the state uses six Incident Management Teams to rally all the forces needed for both mitigating an incident and caring for the people effected by it. Last year, one of these major fires required over 8,000 men and women, with various responsibilities, to handle the emergency and its ramifications.
Brad provides many insights into how the third-largest state in the U.S., is able to organize responses to certain emergencies that most of us, hopefully, will never see, yet are all too common in California! Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or at www.dalmatianproductions.tv.
For as long as there have been people, fire and those willing to quench unexpected issues from fire, the basic tenet was “put the wet stuff on the red stuff!” Of course, there were no “classes” given to what was burning until many years later. And to be honest, that premise worked. However, in the last fifty years or so, one of the key issues that has changed is WHAT is burning and what is the safest and most expedient way to snuff these more modern flames.
On this podcast, my guest Chief (ret) Shawn Oke of the Albemarle NC Fire Dept. and a co-founder of the educational effort, “Kill the Flashover.” With nearly thirty years in the fire service, one of Chief Oke’s passion is the use of foam, or for a more accurate description, using “enhanced water streams” for Class A fires, some of which can be utilized when fighting either Class A or Class B fires.*
Tune in as Chief Oke explains the background and development of this relatively modern way of fighting the types of fires we see most of the time and why, your department’s investment in this practice will yield swifter dousing of the flames, less damage to the property and most importantly, the firefighters having exposure time to the dangerous carcinogenic and other toxic particles created in these fires and their heat.
Find us on your favorite podcast platform or on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv.
*Class A fires deal with house fires, paper, wood, etc. Class B fires deal with hydrocarbon-based products such as flammable liquids, i.e., gas, oil, kerosene, etc.
What direction does your fire, law enforcement or EMS department have for its future? Do you have a timetable for your apparatus, vehicles, equipment, etc.; how long will, what you now have, last and what will you do when it’s time to replace it? Sometimes, it might be similar to how you may have learned to cook spaghetti – throw a few pieces against the wall – if they stick, it’s time to eat!
On this podcast, I welcome my friend, Capt. John Dixon. Capt. Dixon is a well-known instructor on the national, regional and local levels. And, as a former U.S. Marine, John brings a great deal of that experience to his work in the fire service. He discusses the value of creating a Strategic Vision Plan for your department and shares numerous hints that you can follow so that all the members will feel that they not only have had a say in the plan, but the role they will play once the plan is set into motion. Your voice will have a say in the future of your organization.
(You can also visit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s website, https://www.everyonegoeshome.com/2017/11/30/strategic-vision-guide/ to view the Plan’s PDF document for download.)
Follow Capt. Dixon on Twitter @JohnDixon263 and on Instagram @JohnDixon_263 or visit his website, www.instructorjohndixon.com.
Tune in via all the popular podcast platforms or visit our website at www.dalmatianproductions.tv.
Most of us who became volunteer or career firefighters, paramedics or EMT’s, did so for a specific reason – to help people. As the late Chief “Bruno” taught us, our job is to take of Mrs. Smith on her worst day, even if that day is her cat up a tree. And that lesson, really does cross all the lines of first responders. However, sometimes the people we are supposed to help are not so happy to see us.
My guests on this podcast are Jason Brooks, PM and Kevin Onorevele. Through their company DT4EMS, Inc., they teach across first responders across the country how to avoid certain situations that could become violent, with a patient or family members. If you have not had or seen that experience, consider yourself lucky! It is more common that you probably realize. We hope that this podcast will help you watch for the key signs that your call may “turn south” in a heartbeat.
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform or on our website at www.dalmatianprodutions.tv.
Health, wellness and fitness-for-duty. These words ring loudly for any first responder - the firefighter, the law enforcement officer and the paramedic or EMT. Some are careful with what they eat; others exercise on a regular basis. Yet, none of us have the ability to look inside of ourselves to see what might be going on; something that may not be known until it requires immediate and significant treatment and even that, may come too late. Today though, you will learn that the above scenario can be altered and produce a positive outcome.
My guest today is a strong supporter of this podcast and dear friend, Todd LeDuc, former Executive Assistant Chief of the Broward Sheriff’s Office-Fire Rescue Services. Todd retired from that job and quickly was named the Chief Strategy Officer for Lifescan Wellness Sciences. In this relatively brief podcast, Todd with explain to you how medical science has advanced to the point where we can indeed look inside you, using a blood sample, ultrasound and EKG/Stress Test, to determine if there is an unknown or hidden medical condition that needs to be addressed immediately. And if so, they give you all the results to bring to your physician or specialist. That way you can be treated and hopefully, be back on the job in no time at all. This episode could very well save a life!
Tune in on all the popular podcast platforms or visit our website at www.dalmatianproductions.tv.
Remember your first day at school? At the fire academy? At your first posting? Those moments are often some of the most difficult in our lives. Yet, for most of us, there was often someone there to guide us on this new journey and that allowed us to calm our nerves. However, it is important to note that learning is almost always a two-way street; there’s the student and there’s the teacher.
My guest on this podcast is Chris Baker, a firefighter in central CA and Chris’ passion is mentoring. He has dedicated himself to promoting mentoring in the fire service and, as he mentions in this podcast, this mentoring is not just for rookies. It is a great way for firefighters who have some time on the job, to reach out to the younger groups, now entering the ranks. Listen, we know there is no way to “learn it all” in the academy! That means we have to reach out to every opportunity that presents itself and take advantage of the wisdom and experience that the other firefighters have gained. And if you have five, ten or more years on the job, you owe it to your department and your community, to help those with less time than you, to hone their skills and learn some of the “tricks of our trade.”
Learning and Teaching – in this job, we can never stop!
Tune in at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform.
Seen any UAS’s recently? No….not UFO’s – I said, “UAS,” an Unmanned Aerial System. And no, we’re talking about renegade blimps or hot-air balloons. UAS is another term for a drone, those relatively small aerial devices that do everything from shoot film or video to deliver a package your ordered online! For the buying public, they began as small toys advertised all over television. The drones we’re talking about is not even close to the ones used today, especially in public safety.
My guest on this podcast, Chief (ret) Charles Werner is considered the leading expert in the country on drone use for public safety. Always one to keep up with the latest technology to assist the fire service in particular and all public safety in general, Chief Werner has recently been named Director of Drone Responders.org. This organization is the fastest growing non-profit program supporting Public Safety UAS.
In this podcast, Chief Werner will discuss the explosive growth in both the popularity and use of UAS in all aspects of public safety, including all manner of firefighting, law enforcement, EMS, emergency ops and more. As you will hear, drones can and do make a big difference in what we can do today for public safety
We hope you're all having a safe and enjoyable summer.
We're back in the studio and preparing for our 4th season!
This mini-cast will tell you about some of the guests and projects we have coming up.
Watch for our first episode on Friday, August 17th, with Chief Charles Werner.
Stay Safe & Stay Well!
What happens when a bunch of firefighters get together? They “shoot the sh*t” is what most would say, and the 2018 Great Florida Fire School is no different. Sponsored by the FSFA (Florida State Firefighters Association, the School provides an opportunity for firefighters from Florida and anywhere else in the country, to attend excellent classes taught by some of the best local and nation fire instructors.
“Tactics on Tap,” provides firefighters to come together with a panel of several of those instructors. Attendees can ask any question they may have about firefighting, from training to promotion and education to tactics. No question is turned down and the answers are as true as the sky is blue.
The discussion has been recorded as an episode of “5-Alarm Task Force.”
PLEASE BE ADVISED:
1. Adult language is used.
2. Due to audio problems with the mics, the volume of numerous participants was very low. We have reviewed and edited the audio to provide you with the best listening experience. However, there are frequent spots of unequal audio sections.
While many podcasts and all-over social media, we hear and see a great deal of discussion on tactics, strategies, equipment and more. And it makes sense, as those topics are the “sexy” ones regarding firefighting. However, there’s a great deal more that needs to be discussed just as openly as the subjects mentioned above, but are all too often left alone because, well, they’re just too personal.
On “5-Alarm Task Force,” we embrace ALL the issues that we face as first responders, even the “ugly” ones, such as dealing with a Line of Duty Death and behavioral health issues. For this episode, I am proud to welcome back my friend, David Wiklanski. David, based in New Jersey, is one of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s state advocates.
As David mentions, while we do very well with the funeral of a fallen comrade, we need to learn how to actually deal with this tragic issue, through education and preparation. And not only must we learn how to be prepared, we must also assure that our families are prepared, as well. No, it is not an easy topic to think about or bring up, but it is necessary.
David also shares some of the positive news regarding the behavioral health initiative, as well as some outrageous comments by a chief, when a member advises him that he is dealing with behavioral issues and is seeking help. Sadly, this is not as uncommon as we may think. There are those chief officers who either just do not know how to deal with these issues properly or sadly, just do not care!
Tune in on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or your favorite podcast platform!
Stay Safe & Stay Well!
“HAZMAT” – that’s a word that excites one group of firefighters and scares others right down to the bone. And rightly, it should scare everyone…at least a little bit! Hazmat situations very greatly by community, county and state. In one area, an overturned jug of chlorine on a pool-cleaner’s trailer is quickly treated by a single engine company. Yet in another locale, the same spill with require a full Hazmat team response, even if it is part of a regional, as opposed to local, Hazmat team. Many will ask, “Why?”
My guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” is Bill Miller who is an Engineer/Paramedic and Deputy Special Ops Coordinator for the Ft. Myers Fire Department. Bill heads up the Hazmat team and explains two key points in this podcast:
1. Most often, the first due/arriving apparatus at a Hazmat call will NOT be the Hazmat Unit, whether it’s local or regional! What can that first apparatus do?
2. How to start a Hazmat team in more than name only!
Bill addresses these two points and explains just how helpful that first due crew can be, as long as they know what to do and what not to do. In the second segment, Bill provides basic information if you are thinking of creating a Hazmat unit, whether within your own department or on a regional/auto-aid basis.
For many of us, today’s firefighting situations are nothing like we faced in our day. Yet, we have great firefighters, instructors, leaders, etc., who understand exactly what we face today and keep abreast of the best means to mitigate these issues. A specialty team like Hazmat is integral to today’s fire service and Bill helps you through some of the initial steps that you must consider when putting a team together!
Stay Safe & Stay Well!
If you’re first responder in any way, i.e., fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement, safety ranger or recovery/tow operator, there’s every chance that you are aware of what has been happening on our active roadways. We respond to the scene of an emergency and while on-scene, a distracted driver comes barreling through your safety zone, striking your vehicle or, Heaven forbid, the people working there! Since the beginning of 2019, 71 first responders have been killed and dozens more injured. With the refinements in soundproofing our vehicles so that sirens and air-horns can be barely heard, and with drivers’ eyes on fixated on their phones, perhaps we must consider ourselves, “lucky” that only 71 have been lost.
To address this very troubling issue, I brought together a top panel of personnel who are all too aware of what is occurring on our roadways, to get their thoughts and ideas on this matter. Joining me are Chief Billy Goldfeder, Chief Victor Conley, Chief Tony Correia, Chief Brian Stoller and Mr. Steve Austin, co-founder of the website, ResponderSafety.com. These five individuals all have extensive experience with this growing problem and are playing important roles in both examining the matter and working on solutions along various fronts.
It is our hope that not only you will listen to this podcast, but that you will share it with your fellow firefighters, officers and chiefs. Too many first responder agencies are familiar with this problem. And, just like this episode there a numerous ideas towards its solution. We hope this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” will be one that will serve as a catalyst to seeing local, municipal, county and state agencies come together to keep all our first responders safe and allow each one to return homes safely to their loved ones.
Please share with us what your departments are doing to face and mitigate this problem, by sending us an email to Dalmatprod@outlook.com and we’ll post your ideas on our website, in our effort to help all of you.
If you have been involved in fire and/or EMS, you probably know the name, “Gary Ludwig.” Chief Ludwig has over 40 years of experience in fire-rescue and EMS. He has served as the Chief Paramedic of the St. Louis Fire Dept, the Deputy Fire Chief for the Memphis Fire Dept, and currently serves as the Chief of the Champaign IL Fire Dept.
In his new book, “Fully Involved Leadership,” Chief Ludwig shares some new and fresh perspectives on good leadership. He brings a new view of the leadership triangle and you’ll be surprised at the vision he presents.
Listen, the best leaders are not the ones who shout the loudest or intimidate those of the lower ranks. Chief Ludwig draws on his years of experience, from when he started his career with the St. Louis Fire Dept., just two months after graduating high school to his present position as Chief of the Champaign IL Fire Dept. His new book is for any firefighter/paramedic who aspires to be a leader in this field, from the newest recruit to well-experienced line officer to the chief.
Once we’re hired as a firefighter or paramedic, or we join a volunteer/paid-on-call department, we realize that there is a long learning road ahead. And once we complete the basic material, we then have to decide what we’ll do next. Will we be satisfied with what we have already accomplished or, will we want to keep learning, advancing our knowledge and, very likely, our career?
My guests on this podcast are Christian (Chris) and Sam Adams from Colorado Springs, CO. After a friend of Chris’ told him about being in EMT school, it piqued his interest. Chris’ next step was to enroll in the same program and Sam was not too far behind. Both started in para-transit, but already had their sights set for more! Over the next couple of years, they become became certified paramedics. Many folks would have stopped there. However, Chris and Sam looked for more and they found it with the Colorado Springs Fire Department, where they serve as firefighter/paramedics and specialty teams.
They recently released their first book, “Life and Death Matters,” (available on Amazon). Their book is neither a “tell-all” or “telling you how do it our way.” Instead, the book addresses the humanity of what we do. Sure, we all want to be the ones to respond to a major call; but they share the fact that no matter how involved or exciting a call can be, we must remember that there are people who are impacted by the event and we have an obligation to them.
They also discuss their passion for learning and, not easily satisfied with that, they work hard to “pay it forward.” They share what is important to them in their careers and their lives. They truly provide a breath of fresh air in this age of social media anonymity, trolling and bullying. This is a podcast you don’t want to miss!
Find “5-Alarm Task Force” on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform. Stay Safe & Stay Well!
There’s so much happening in the fire service that one could spend the entire day reading the various trade publications, then move onto social media for the next several hours and still not know some of most important news happening in this field that we love. To “quench” our thirst for the latest, I called and invited my friend, Executive Assistant Chief Todd LeDuc of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office – Fire Rescue Services, to be my guest on another podcast.
In this episode, Chief LeDuc and I discuss this month's Congressional Fire Caucus Dinner and Symposium that take place this week. These few days are some of the most important for firefighters in the U.S. That is because this is an event during which firefighters and civilians with strong interests in the fire service, have an opportunity to speak with their lawmakers and share their concerns, ideas and other thoughts, with the men and women to help direct our government.
We also discuss Chief LeDuc’s passion and focus on firefighter health, wellness and safety. This passion led the Chief to create a conference, “Surviving the Fire Service,” where, along with numerous experts in their field, the aim was to demonstrate how we can have great and exciting careers, while at the same time, being careful about our overall health and safety. The Cancer Initiative and the Behavior Health Initiative, both play a part in this presentation. Find out about his new book, written along with Chief Bobby Halton.
Finally, we talk about the great work in the State of Florida, for every fire department in the state and how the state legislature is working hard to hammer out a presumptive health bill for Florida firefighters.
Find “5-Alarm Task Force” on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform. Stay Safe & Stay Well!
One of the first “adult” things we learn to do as children is to shrug off tasks assigned by our parents or maybe, an older sibling. Or, we may have actually learned that behavior from that same older sibling, when one of your parents asked that sibling to perform a certain task or run an errand and they moaned so much about it, that the parent just dropped the matter. That behavior may be all good and well in that situation, however, when we’re discussing firefighting health, wellness and fitness-for-duty, there are no excuses. And that is what this episode is all about.
You know if you are not in the best shape for being a firefighter, career or volunteer. You know that there are any number of ways, all very sensible and have your best interests in mind. Yet, you refuse to give up the one item on your “list,” that item that could set you down the right path to being healthy and fit-for-duty.
Returning guest. Aaron Zamzow is a firefighter with nearly 20 years under his belt. Additionally, he is a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. In this podcast, Aaron will walk us through the one list that so many of us refuse to give up; we hang on to it for dear life, not realizing that by giving up that one list, you could transform yourself into a truly healthy and fit-for-duty firefighter. Which list am I referring to? Tune in to find out!
Find “5-Alarm Task Force” on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform. Stay Safe & Stay Well!
You are dispatched to a working shed fire. Your district isn’t that large, but there are still areas you’re unfamiliar with.\; this area is one of them. As you turn down the street of the reported address, you see a good loom-up ahead of you. “This one is cooking,” you think to yourself. The officer hits the intercom and assigns you to the nozzle and your partner. When the driver pulls to the side of the given address. As you exit the rig, there’s no fire that can be seen from the street, but there’s still a tall column of smoke deeper in the lot.
You grab the nozzle and throw it over your shoulder, slip your arms through four loops and pull backwards. The officer is on the radio advising that the fire is deep in the lot, off the street and requesting additional companies. At the same time, you and your partner pull and straighten the hose and hump your way towards the smoke. Now you can see it, but as you take another step, there’s no more give on the hose line. You turn back to look at the fire, then back at the hose. Then it hits you like a freight train – your line is short! Your 150 feet of pre-connected, 1-3/4” line, will not reach close enough. You need more line – what do you do now?
My guest for this podcast is Battalion Chief Scott Blanchard of the Venice FL Fire Department. As a Chief Officer, he is always thinking of the “what if,” situations that, along with his crew, they could be faced with. And as he thinks them through, he turns them into a teaching moments; not waiting for “if” this type of call occurs, rather preparing for the “when” this type of call occurs!
Chief Blanchard discusses several of the issues that are common to his fire district and how he pre-plans mitigation for them. Often running only a two-person engine company, the Chief frequently rides as the officer on the first due engine and he shares how preparation for possible calls can lead to both excellent give and take among all the stations’ crew, as well as a well-rehearsed team who are prepared for some of the surprises this job throws at us.
Find “5-Alarm Task Force” on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform. Stay Safe & Stay Well!
“REHAB” – a word that’s both prized and despised by most first responders, especially, firefighters. Why? Simply put, because it takes them away from the job they were doing. Prized? Because you get a quick breather, a cold drink and, if you’re lucky, a towel. This old model of rehab comes from the age when we told firefighters who were having difficulties dealing with some of the tragedy and trauma, to “Suck it up!” That command is no longer appropriate, and neither is poor or even incorrect rehab!
My guest, Erica Wood, is a veteran firefighter and paramedic. And one of her greatest concerns is the well-being of emergency personnel; both those she works with and in the greater fire service, as well. In this podcast, Erica discusses the importance of proper rehab for emergency workers who are fighting a major fire, dealing with a structural collapse, mitigating a HAZMAT incident or other major emergencies.
For example, Erica explains that drinking an ice-cold drink after exiting a building where you had been fighting fire, pulling down walls and ceilings, all while wearing all your bunker gear and keeping that heat inside you, is not a healthy idea! Neither is the pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers that the friendly guy from the burger joint in town, sends over!
Listen, as Erica explains what the real purpose of on-scene rehab is supposed to be about and the correct ways to carry it all out. One of most important things to remember is that rehab is not a punitive measure; it’s sole purpose is to care for the well-being of every emergency worker on the scene. Tune in and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Find “5-Alarm Task Force” on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform. Stay Safe & Stay Well!
If you have even just a couple of years under your belt as a firefighter, then you are probably still familiar with the huge push in both the career and volunteer/part-pay sectors, for firefighter health, wellness and fitness-for-duty. Some interpret this as it’s time to go to the gym and “muscle-up.” And, while that may assist you in trimming some body fat and maybe even learning how to eat in a healthy style, it doesn’t mean that all the time and effort will make you a “firefighter fit-for-duty.” Why? Because a muscle building program is simply not going to necessarily prepare you for the physical stress and strain that we undergo as firefighters.
If you ask any of your co-workers who are into fitness-for-duty or follow any of those folks on social media, you’ll see that one does not have to look like Mr./Ms. Universe, nor eat like one, to be a firefighter who is fit-for duty. Proper eating habits and regular workouts using the correct and proper exercises, will help you transform into a fit firefighter.
My guests on this podcast, Paul O. Davis, PhD, FACSM and Assistant Chief Jack Taylor of the Irving TX Fire Department know quite a bit about this topic. Why? Because, Dr. Davis was instrumental in developing the program that the Irving Fire Department began using over 25 YEARS AGO, that is still going strong today. And Chief Taylor became a “member” of this program when he first joined the department and fully invested himself to help other firefighters, which he is still doing today.
On this episode, both of my guests will explain the amazing and positive changes that this fitness program has brought to the IFD. From healthier and fit-for-duty younger firefighters to currently having over eighty firefighters over the age of 50 and some who are in their 60’s and still serving on the front lines.
You will want to listen to this podcast! Share it with others, including your chief officers. Help bring a positive and healthy change to your department. Tune in at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
If you’re a firefighter and you’ve visited the City of Philadelphia, then I hope you took some time to visit one of the most important sites in American firefighting history – Firemen’s Hall. While this top-shelf museum deals mostly with the history of the Philadelphia Fire Department, it is also closely connected with the very first, organized volunteer fire department in, what was then the colonies – the Union Fire Company, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1736. In front of the museum is the carved, stone trough used to provide water to the horses.
The Union Fire Company was actually a, “bucket brigade,” and they did the best they could do with that they had. However, today’s volunteer and combination fire departments are a far cry from those of long ago. Yet, many of today’s volunteer fire departments are still working off the model that Franklin created, “neighbors helping neighbors.”
My guest on this podcast, Chief John M. Buckman III, is a past-president of the IAFC and one of the great leaders and mentors in the volunteer fire service. And with so many volunteer departments dealing with severe recruitment, retention and staffing problems, Chief Buckman is calling for a sweeping change in the “model” or “foundation” for the operation of today’s volunteer fire service.
If you are a member of a volunteer, combination or a paid-on-call department, you need to hear Chief Buckman’s message. And not just listen to it, but dive into it and learn from it. Then, bring it back to your department; encourage your fellow members, your officers and yes, even your chiefs, to listen to it. For if the volunteer fire service is going to survive as we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century, changes are going to be necessary, some very difficult changes!
Tune in at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or search for “5-Alarm Task Force” on your favorite podcast platform.
If you are a first responder, you know that there are times when the first dispatched units arrive on the scene of a call and realizing the enormity of the task at hand, they call for mutual aid. With proper advance planning, neighboring first responders answer the alarm and soon arrive to assist. However, what happens when your asked to respond half-way around the globe to assist the fire service in another country, on a different continent??
This is exactly what happened to Chief Jason Moore of the Bloomington IN Fire Department. In this podcast, Chief Moore relates the story of how he was asked to go to the country of Sierra Leone, on Africa’s west coast. However, to do so, the department would have to determine what had to be done and how to underwrite the effort. And what happens when they arrive to see a fire service unlike any other, these experienced firefighters had seen before.
This podcast educates all of us who are part of the firefighting/first responder family, that this very “family” is much larger and sometimes, more severely challenged, than we ever imagined. As a matter of fact, this podcasts tests each of us when it asks, “Are you ready to help fellow firefighters, as part of our “family,” even if they are on the other side of the globe, in a country wracked by poverty and civil war?
Would you?
Since his first appearance on "5-Alarm Task Force" my guest (and friend) Mark Slafkovsky, co-creator of the Nestorbar, has been busy "spreading the news" about this unique tool across both the fire-rescue services, as well as the building and contracting service. And if you have a half-dozen or more years on the job, you'll understand why the Nestorbar is similar to several other tools that we've carried for years, that were "comfortable" in different workshops, as well.
Mark was able to stop by after having the opportunity to spend a couple of days at the Louisiana Instructors & Firefighters Training conference. As he explains in this podcast, people will often scratch their heads when he first presents the tool. After he explains, they're still scratching their heads, but this time, they do so as they strive to think of even more ways it would be useful to them!
If you haven't yet heard about the Nestorbar, you'll want to listen to this podcast carefully!
Most of us who have or now serve as first responders have passed out stickers with emergency numbers, fire prevention pamphlets and posters that we hand-stamped with our name and address, key rings and much more. Why? To establish a connection between you and the community you serve. In a word, you are “marketing” your organization!
Few people think that a fire, police or EMS organization, volunteer or career, needs a “New York City 5th Avenue advertising and marketing plan. But if you think again, what hard could a marketing program do? Sure, you drive around the fire district on Santa Saturday and collect a few dollars; some of you have a pancake breakfast or barbecue dinner. All of that is marketing, too!
My guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” is Lt. John Kowalski, with the Lone Oak Volunteer Fire Department outside of Chattanooga. John’s vocation is on communications and marketing. However, once he joined his small department (18 members and two pieces of apparatus) he saw a way to help them both market and brand themselves to their community. It’s worked so well, that neighboring departments have asked for his and his department’s help.
After you listen to this episode, visit his website at www.babacita.com. If you’re interested in purchasing his program, you can save 20% off the regular price, visit our website (www.dalmatianproductions.tv)and go to John’s Guest Page entry for a special coupon code for listeners of “5-Alarm Task Force.”
Tune in at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or iTunes® , Google Play® , Spotify® or your favorite podcast platform. And remember – Stay Safe & Stay Well!
Returning guest, Deputy Chief (ret) Kevin Burns of the Framingham MA Fire Dept., joins us on this episode to discuss, “21 Tips for the Company Officer.” If you follow Chief Burns on Twitter (@burns227) or you have heard his first episode with us, “The Shift Commander,” you know that Chief Burns is well-experienced and very well-versed in the career firefighting life and ops.
In today’s podcast, Chief Burns presents his “21 Tips for the Company Officer.” The easiest way to explain this topic is this – being a company officer is a lot more complex than sitting in the right seat of the apparatus. You might want to be the one to “floor” the pedal for the “Q,” or yank the line for those Grover airhorns. However, Chief Burns provides a great set of concepts for the current or future company officer, that goes far and above a “co-pilot” role.
Be smart and have a pad and pen or pencil handy to take notes on Chief Burns’ discussion.
Tune in a www.dalmatianproductions.tv or iTunes® , Google Play® , Spotify® or your favorite podcast platform.
From cigarettes to well-water and from X-rays to cooking pans, almost everywhere we turn over the past forty years or so, we see warnings for cancer. And while we may be surprised by other products that we may be warned about, the last place we ever expected to find carcinogenic compounds was in our protective bunker gear! How the hell could that have happened? Did the manufacturers know what was happening? And there are many more questions we have!
Being dedicated followers of @yourturnoutgear on Twitter, we were able to invite Dr. Graham Peaslee of the University of Notre Dame, who, for the past year or so, has been conducting particle-level research on the amount of PFOA (a fluorine derivative) in used bunker gear. Dr. Peaslee explains his research and provides us will a few more surprises regarding this basic chemical, that has been in our water and toothpaste for decades.
If you are following all of the “chatter” regarding the Firefighter Cancer Initiative and making the effort to keep yourself healthy, than please make time for this abbreviated podcast! This is one of those that just might save your life!
Tune in at
www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast streaming platform.
So you want to be a firefighter? Sure, you like all the lights and sirens; the excitement of barreling down the roadways, making others get out of your way! But do you really know what it takes to be a firefighter? Do you know what you have to do to become a firefighter (career or volunteer)? What is life in a firehouse like?
My guest on this podcast, Mauro Porcelli, is a former firefighter with a 25-year career. He worked for a smaller, county department and for a large urban department. He has written the book, “Surviving the Firehouse” It takes that interest to be a firefighter and provides a step-by-guide from your first steps like, where to learn, almost to the day you wave goodbye to your friends as you head towards a well-earned retirement.
Some of the topics include, “Do you need to be a paramedic, as well as a firefighter?, Where to learn to be a firefighter? What’s the rookie year like? What are pitfalls I should avoid? And many more. You cannot go wrong reading this book no matter where you are in the process, even if you already have a few years under your belt. Not only is does the book provide a great deal of information, it’s a fun read and gives the reader a good peek “behind the curtain!”
Let Mauro be your guide to this great profession or avocation. You’ll be glad you did.
Tune in at www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast streaming platform.
The make-up of each firefighter is different, whether career or volunteer, some love humping that hose and always busting through the breach. With a few years under their belt, others start looking for leading that first group on the fireground or other emergency scene. Then, there are those who have their sights on a higher goal, the command level. A group of them remain committed to directing personal at scene of urgent need. Then, there are those whose bugles on the collars bring them to highest posts in the department – command administration and “the buck stops here!”
No matter the size of a department and no matter if it’s a career, volunteer or paid-on-call, someone has to run the show. However, being at that command level involves much more than directing the lower officers and firefighters. In reality, that chief becomes the CEO of a corporation (sometimes, literally if that department hold a not-for-profit corporate designation).
My guests, Chief (ret) Dan Jones and his business partner, Kelly Walsh have seen these problems first hand. Chief Jones has extensive experience as a command officer and Kelly comes to the table with years of HR experience, especially in the fire service. Together, they have created both a company and a methodology to help fireground officers of all levels, who decide they want to set higher leadership goals. Through seminars, websites and one-on-one connection, they have the ability to help guide you through the maze of executive tasks that are often unexpected to the line officer who finds him/herself as the leader of a department.
Tune in to “5-Alarm Task Force,” at our website, www.dalmatianprodcutions.tv , on iTunes®, Google Play®, Spotify®, or your favorite podcast platform!
From an outside view, the life of first responders looks glamorous and exciting. The red, white and blue lights flashing, “busting” the speed limit, sirens screaming. However, when those first responders arrive on the scene, they often find sadness and desolation, the darkest side of humanity or tragic, unnecessary loss. Now, imagine facing those situations day-after-day or on almost every shift. As we are about to close the second decade of the twenty-first century, our first responders see this dark side far too often. Add to that the pressures of everyday life in today’s “I need it now” society and some reach a breaking point.
They don’t wear capes, nor do they have super powers, for those first responders are our neighbors, members of our church or synagogue, shop at the same grocery store that we do. And when we do see them in public, whether in uniform or not, there will probably always be a smile or a friendly nod. However, if we could look deeper, we just might see a very troubled individual.
My guest, Mark Lamplugh, Jr., is a former fire captain and knows of what I describe above. And he has dedicated himself to helping those first responders who suffer from the trauma of the profession, that truth be told, they love. For the past ten years, Mark has answered phone calls and emails from first responders around the county, reaching out from the darkness for help.
In today’s episode, Mark discusses the issues that many first responders face and how he has helped them deal with these behavioral health problems. Additionally, he has taken that experience to create a non-profit agency, to allow first responder agencies or their communities to have their own, private and secure website, customized specifically for that agency or community, where those first responders can turn to learn or for help that has already been vetted to not only work with first responders, but will also accept the insurance coverage of the responder. Learn more with my guest, Mark Lamplugh, Jr.
There are few greater issues facing not only the fire service today, but all manner of first responders. To address these important matters, I am proud to present four current or past chiefs, who share their own experiences and views.
Joining me is Chief Anthony Correia (ret.) Burlington Township NJ Fire Dept., Commissioner Jaren Renshaw, Western Berks Fire Dept., PA, Chief Brian Soller, Monticello NY Fire Dept. and Chief James Tornebene, TX.
As the roles and demands of our ever-changing society push and pull us in diverse directions, so have our abilities to be able to serve our communities, not only as first responders, but in serving those civic and religious organizations that we once devoted free time to. This ever stronger “push-pull” requires new ideas and approaches as we look to both increase and retain those who wish to serve their communities as members of career, volunteer or paid-on-call departments.
These four gentlemen share their experiences over their many years of service. They have seen this evolution of society, as well as the fire service over the past forty years and how our job descriptions and requirements have changed many times over. With that much change, we might also see confusion and high turnover in our departments. Each of these chiefs share with you the listener, what they have seen and/or done, within their own or neighboring communities.
Be ready to take notes! This is a podcast the likes of which we have never done before!
If you’re a firefighter or in law enforcement, if you’re in EMS or another profession where “risk” at the top of the job description, you have probably had that “feeling in your gut.” You know the one; you are about to do something, but that little voice inside whispers to you to reconsider? If you’re in any profession with high risk, you know exactly what I am talking about. That is your inner-self speaking to you, as it sees or knows a bit more than you do at that very moment.
My guest on this episode is Dr. Richard Gasaway, renowned authority on human factors, situational awareness and the decision-making process in high stress, high consequence, work environments. He has authored six books and he has been widely cited in more than four-hundred books, book chapters, journal articles and online publications. He is the creator and host of the podcast, “Situational Awareness Matters,” available on your preferred podcast streaming service.
In our discussion, we focus on the concepts of “gut feeling” and “intuition;” are they the same, complimentary or different and how the concept applies. Dr. Gasaway shares some of the details from his recent episodes, “Top 10 Near-Miss Interviews,” and “Mental Rehearsal.”
Look at this way, not every decision we make on a day-to-day basis, drives that “gut feeling” or needs that intuitive angle. However, if you to “5-Alarm Task Force” on a regular basis, most likely, you are a first responder. If so, you probably know what we are referring to. To learn more about it, tune in with us for this podcast, “Situational Awareness Matters!”
I am happy to welcome back the two founders of Hoods for Heroes, Jeff Rountree and Bill Hamilton. In Part I of their program, we learned how Jeff and Bill have dedicated the past year to providing new flash hoods, ones with a special weave, the precludes soot, toxins and carcinogens for passing through to the sensitive skin on our neck and face. Their foundation is raising funds from other foundations, corporate sponsors and others, to meet the goal of providing these hoods to every firefighter in the U.S.
In this second appearance, Jeff and Bill are here to answer two very important questions,
1. “Who pays for my cancer treatment if I am diagnosed?
2. Is there a way to financially prepare myself and/or my family?
As someone who was declared disabled at the age of 40, with a wife, two young children and a new house, I was lucky to have purchased a private disability policy at age 29. That policy saved my butt! Now ask yourself, with our strong Firefighter Cancer Initiative education and mitigation programs, do you have any idea of what happens if you receive a diagnosis of some type of cancer?
Joining Jeff and Bill is a friend Tanya, who firefighter husband was recently diagnosed with a Stage 4 cancer. Tanya, who had been in the insurance business until her husband’s illness, explains the financial “tornado” they find themselves in. They had thought that with her husband’s insurance policies through work, everything would have been taken care of. But that is not the case.
Jeff and Bill and explain how payments may work depending on your insurance coverage and tell us about a new program, “Living Benefits,” that provides funds for the patient and his/her family, and not necessarily for just a cancer diagnosis. Every first responder should listen to this podcast!
Technology – it’s all around us. From our homes, to our cell phones and for many of us, where we work. Many of us are enthralled with new technology and make an effort to keep up with it, especially in our personal lives. Yet, the fire service, as much as we like new equipment, tools, etc., can often be reticent to accept and embrace new technology. It goes without saying that we should do our due diligence when examining a new product. At the same time, we also need to keep an open mind.
Jeff Dykes, a fire captain in Wisconsin, saw a need for a device that could provide a firefighter wearing an SCBA mask, with his/her situational awareness via the Cardinal Directions of North, South East and West. With that, the Northern Star Fire was born.
As you will hear in this podcast, Jeff has been working for the last three years on bringing the Northern Star Fire compass device to market. Placed inside the SCBA mask, the Northern Star Fire provides you with your cardinal direction in eight positions, even in the darkest, smoke-filled hallway or room. The device is so accurate, it has been used by Navy Seals, deep-sea pipeline divers and many others.
Tune in to learn more about the Northern Star Fire and learn how a device the approximate size off a U.S. quarter, might save your life!
After a few years on the front lines, a number of us believe that we should be officers. Perhaps I “should” have used “could be officers!” And that is because being an officer, from a lieutenant up to the chief, is not an easy job, no matter what you see, think or what your pals have told you! Not sure? Then I encourage you to listen to this podcast. No, it’s not a listing of all the negatives about being an officer. In fact, you may learn some important traits you will need if you choose to pursue this course in your career.
My guest is Deputy Chief Steve Prziborowski of the Santa Clara County CA Fire Department. With over 25 years on the job and an accomplished speaker, instructor and mentor, Steve has a passion for helping others get hired, stay hired, get promoted and stay promoted.
In this podcast, Steve presents two lists for you to consider; one are five traits that demonstrate you may be ready for a leadership role and the second is a list of five attributes that will help to better your chances of being successful.
As we all know, there are no guaranties in life. Perhaps though, if you have a clearer picture of both your motives, as well as the right personal goals to aim for, you might have a gold bar or two, or even a trumpet or two, in your future.
Stay Safe & Stay Well!
Career or volunteer, our days are busy, at least most of the time. Nevertheless, training and drills are an important and integral part of the job we do. If you’re in a busy department, you may feel that all the calls that you run are enough training. If you’re a volunteer, you hardly have enough time to take care of the family, work full-time and respond to the calls you can! And to be honest, most of us like to train when it’s convenient. The problem is, the emergencies we respond to don’t know what “convenient” means and it is imperative for us to know and know well, everything we have to do to mitigate any emergency.
My guest, Chief Dennis P. Reilly, currently serves as the Assistant Chief for the Davis CA Fire Department and is a 40-year veteran of the fire service and a veteran of our armed forces. When you look at his topic, some may get all blustery and will be ready to argue, while others may ask themselves, “I wonder where we may be missing something.” It all depends on if you view the “glass half-empty or half-full.”
The Chief makes an excellent point when he discusses the difference between, “training” and “drilling.” For example, you take a 3-hour class on thermal imaging cameras. Great class and you feel as though you’ve learned a lot. However, for the next three months, you don’t pick up a TIC. Are you still prepared to use that tool to possibly save the life of a civilian or even a firefighter?
After you listen to Chief Reilly’s podcast, think about his conversation and bring either the podcast or his wise words, back to share with your department. Training and drilling cannot always take place at times that we feel are convenient. Then again, neither is Mrs. Smith’s emergency when her house erupts into flames. Remember – we don’t want to “fall short” on the scene of an emergency!
You’ve seen it happen. You may have even done it yourself. No, not being a few minutes late for your shift! No, not horsing around in the day room! We are talking about making the type of judgement error that could cost you your job and possibly, your career! So, listen up – this podcast applies to all first responders.
My guest is Chief Dennis L. Rubin, currently serving as the first Chief of Fire & EMS for Upper Merion Township in Pennsylvania, not too far from the great city of Philadelphia. Chief Rubin has been the Chief in Atlanta, Washington DC and Petersburg VA, before coming to PA. He has several books published and is a well-traveled speaker, instructor and mentor. This is his third appearance on “5-Alarm Task Force,” where he has discussed his principles of leadership and, along with his dear friend, the late Chief Alan Brunacini, was on the podcast to discuss the Wingspread VI conference, which is held once per decade!
In this episode, Chief Rubin cautions us to avoid those actions which could be, “career crushers;” actions and/or reactions that could result in serious consequences to the point that you could be terminated and lose your ability to work in the profession. As he put it, “Don’t be the one when the public safety tabloids say, ‘What was he/she thinking!’”
On Chief Rubin’s entry on our website page for our guests, (www.dalmatianproductions.tv) you will find two of the posters he uses to educate his members. While some of the suggestions seem simple enough, you can never be sure just how someone else may react. Remember – whether you’re a firefighter, EMT/Paramedic or in law enforcement we hold the public trust. When you screw up, you tarnish the badge for all of us!