Vita: Recent Episodes
John Spera & Tom Johnson
“243 First Responders Commit Suicide Last Year; More Than Died In The Line Of Duty” In 2017, 21 more first responders died by their own hands, more than those who died in the line of duty. Let that sink in. Adam Woodin shares his struggle with alcoholism, his own thoughts of suicide, and how he got himself out of a dark place and into a purpose driven life. Adam is a Lieutenant with Aurora Fire Rescue (CO) and has been a firefighter for over 12 years, spending two of those years at the Training Academy. If you would like to contact him, you can email him at awoodin4@hotmail.com.
Does a sub 2 minute Combat time predict with certainty a good performance on the fire ground? Do the fastest times on the day’s WOD transfer over to the fastest times on the fire ground?
We burn with Zac Varela (Episode 18) about not over-valuing the clock in training, and getting away from the comfort of rehearsed training. Time is important, but performance must be measured with a combination of time and the ability to respond effectively to the unknowns.
Episode 042 – Howard Rinewalt is the Fire Chief of East Montgomery County (TX) Fire Department and Owner of FD Tactics, a Texas based fire training company, which conducts engine and truck company H.O.T. classes as well as a classroom lecture titled “When Seconds Count – We Count Seconds.” He has 15 years with EMCFD and has held every rank from Volunteer to his current position as Fire Chief. Chief Rinewalt discusses the safety campaign, living up to the oath, and why seconds count. He has implemented a physical fitness test that is holding his department’s firefighters accountable throughout their careers, and has changed the way EMCFD conducts promotional exams as they now include a physical fitness portion, as well as a fire-based education evaluation. We also talk about fire service mentors, and the advantages and pitfalls of social media.
Episode 041 – Dave Hageman is a Captain with the Denver (CO) Fire Department. He is a West Point graduate, former Army Captain, and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He holds a Systems Engineering degree from West Point, a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Johns Hopkins University, and is currently conducting research as a Ph.D. student in Performance Psychology. He has served as a strength and conditioning coach at West Point, the Olympic Training Center, Cutthroat Athletics, and now at the local high school. He is married, has 5 children, and lives in the Denver area. Dave gives us insight and lessons learned from being a member of a wide range of teams, whether it’s the military, sports, or the fire service. We talk about the determining factors of investing in team members as the leader or coach, why he chose the fire service over law enforcement, and how self-fulfillment and a purpose-driven life are born out of hard work.
Episode 040 – Fit To Fight Fire Podcast meets Refined By Fire Podcast. Stephen Tyler is the host of Refined By Fire, and is a member of Brothers in Battle. He is a backstep firefighter with Eagle (ID) Fire Department. In this episode, the hosts of each podcast interview each other on topics such as the genesis of FTFF, Stephen’s loss of a sibling during his youth, FTFF’s stance on running on the fire ground, 2019 Goals, and much more.
Episode 039 – Gary Lane is a fireman in Northeast Ohio, and has just over two decades of experience. He regularly instructs nationwide and will be at the Firemanship Conference in Portland in February 2019. With humility and humor, Gary takes us through his path in the fire service and how he handles the high and low seasons of the career. We touch on the The Book of Andy (Fredericks), which Gary compiled and made available to all of us, and discuss his involvement with Mission First Concepts and Fire Service Warrior.
Episode 038 – Dave LeBlanc is a Deputy Chief with the Harwich (MA) Fire Department. Dave entered the fire service in 1986 as a Call Firefighter with the Dennis Fire Department, and joined HFD in 1993. He writes regularly for Firefighter Nation and much of his material can also be found on Backstep Firefighter. We discuss the differing mindsets within the fire service of who really comes first on the fire ground, and how the topic of safety has come to the forefront over the past few decades. We also talk about the importance of senior mentors and the influence they have on the next generation of firefighters. Check out a few of his recent articles that he authored with Kelly Lemmons: “Dear Probie” & “The Quiet Professional“
Wednesday Burn 006 – The wrong way to safety is through inaction and risk avoidance. The right way to safety is through work, and work leads to competence. Enough with the Safety Campaign – we propose the Competence Campaign.
Episode 037 – Matt Chan is a firefighter for North Metro Fire Rescue in suburban Denver, Colorado. His career path is unique in that he temporarily gave up his career as a firefighter to pursue Crossfit at the professional level. He finished 2nd at the 2012 Crossfit Games, and has four Top-10 finishes at the Crossfit Games during his career. After 5 years of competing, he decided to go through the hiring process again for North Metro, and is now continuing on with his fire service career. We discuss the benefits of high intensity physical training, and how knowing your body and your pace will help you on the fire ground. We talk about the perception of failure and the benefits of pushing yourself, whether it’s for a 2nd place finish at the Crossfit Games, or on the training ground. Matt also takes us through the adversity he experienced due to a bike accident in 2014, where he crushed a branch of his femoral artery. Doctors initially feared he would lose his leg, but he ended up making a full recovery. Matt credits this comeback to setting many short-term goals, and staying disciplined on a daily basis. Check out Matt’s physical training program designed specifically for firefighters: Train For The Win – Thrive. You can try it for 30 days at no cost.
Episode 036 – You were first introduced to Craig Stalowy on Episode 032 (the “Planned Parenthood” episode), but this time we discuss investing in the fire service, what responsibilities the senior man really has when it comes to teaching and mentoring, and the positive effects that an energetic training environment has on a fire company’s station life and morale. We also talk about how we instinctively buy in to the messenger more than the message itself, as it’s about the actions from leaders – not their words. Craig Stalowy is a Fire Medic in the Denver Metro Area, and spent prior time as a career firefighter in suburban Chicago (IL) and Colorado Springs (CO). He instructs regularly with Fit To Fight Fire at regional and national conferences, is a Rope Technician with Elevated Safety, and is the founder of Mile High Fire Training.
Episode 035 – Chief Dennis Reilly is a 44-year fire service veteran, and is currently the Assistant Fire Chief for the City of Davis (CA). He is a retired Battalion Chief from Cherry Hill Fire Department (NJ) and also spent more than six years as the Fire Chief of Sunrise Beach FPD (MO). In addition to his fire service career, Chief Reilly is a US Army veteran, spending over six years on active duty. He was assigned as a combat medic with the 83rd Airborne Division, a flight medic with over 500 hours of flight time, and as a combat medic with the 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment and was deployed during the first Gulf War. Chief Reilly discusses leading by example, and how the message a leader brings to the group has more to do with the the leader’s personal and professional character, rather than the actual message itself. He points out that great organzations talk about fire, and don’t hide from it, and they become great because they seek out people who are focused on the mission rather than themselves.
Episode 034 – Chris Sleigher has served the Mesa (AZ) Fire and Medical Department for 20 years and is currently the Captain on Engine 210. Chris is a board member for FireNuggets.com, President of the F.O.O.L.S chapter in Arizona, and assists with Fire Training Toolbox. He also instructs regularly at various regional conferences with Fire By Trade. We sat down during our time at the Backstep Firemanship Symposium in September 2018 and discussed his investment in the fire service and how he leads new firefighters. We talk about brotherhood and what it really means, and how important it is for leaders, including chiefs, to be seen working and not just talking.
Episode 033 – How do you retain firefighters you hire and train? Chief Scott Thompson of The Colony (TX) Fire Department says he accomplishes it through a culture centered around training, and “letting firemen be firemen.” He discusses how his members “want” to train, instead of “having” to train. The Colony Fire Department has not had a member leave voluntarily over the past 1o years, and Chief Thompson attributes that to the buy-in and ownership created by all levels of leadership in the organization. His book, The Functional Fire Company: Positioning Small Groups for Success & Survival, will be released Fall 2018.
Episode 032 – On November 27, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuries to nine. A police officer and two civilians were killed; five police officers and four civilians were injured. Craig Stalowy responded as a SWAT medic with Colorado Springs Fire Department and details his experience that day, and the lasting effects it has had on him as a first responder.
Episode 031 – JP Dinnell is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and now a leadership instructor and speaker with Echelon Front. He spent nearly a decade in the SEAL Teams with three combat deployments. In Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, with SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser, JP served as point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon opposite the American Sniper, Chris Kyle, in Charlie Platoon. He worked closely with SEAL Officers Jocko Willink, his Task Unit Commander, and Leif Babin, and was the driving force on many of the daring combat operations Jocko and Leif wrote about in Extreme Ownership. Upon his return, JP again worked directly for Jocko as a training instructor at Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment, where he orchestrated realistic and challenging special operations urban combat and close quarters combat training to better prepare SEAL units for the real-world battlefield. JP gives his insight on the need for realisitic training in the military and the fire service, how he found his purpose in life, and why the individual’s and the team’s daily actions have to support the overall mission. This episode is guest hosted with Craig Stalowy of Mile High Fire Training.
Episode 030 – James Johnson has been with Vancouver (BC) Fire Rescue Services for 8 years, and travels throughout Canada and the U.S. to speak on building construction, in addition to hosting multiple podcast episodes on Fire Engineering’s Blog Talk Radio. We have a great discussion on the current generational differences in the fire service, and our own experiences with the millennial generation. James also takes us through his life journey including childhood, previous training as a journeyman carpenter, and now as a fireman. Among his many commitments, James can be found teaching at FDIC and the Firemanship Conference in Portland (OR).
Wednesday Burn 005 – Lost in a warehouse with zero visibility. Five hundred pound bales of cotton collapsing on you. Your partner runs out of air – then you run out of air. This is the experience of Lt. Phillip Grandon of Lubbock Fire Rescue who, with the help of a prepared RIT on the outside, was able to survive a MAYDAY event in February 2018. He describes what was going through his head when he thought he may die inside this warehouse, but tells us how he countered those negative thoughts by reverting to his physical and mental training.
Episode 029 – John Lovato Jr. is the author of Fix Your Firehouse and the man behind Brotherhood Coaching. He is a career Captain with over 15 years of experience. We talk about how change starts with you, and how the path to success goes beyond being told “No” more than a few times. We also discuss the need for measurable results during training, and how ego plays its part in receiving feedback on performance.
Episode 028 – May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and we talk with Rhonda Kelly. Rhonda spent 17 years with Aurora Fire Department and found a greater calling when she left the fire service to join the National Behavioral Health Innovation Center at the University of Colorado. She is currently the program manager of ResponderStrong, an organization responsible for creating an accessible network of mental health resources for first responders. We discuss how resiliency is vital for the well-being of a firefighter, the importance of healthy and positive coping strategies, and how culture affects overall awareness of PTSD and mental health issues in the first responder community. *If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to regarding mental health, text “Badge” to 741741 to speak to a professional crisis counselor, 24/7/365.
Episode 027 – Chief Curt Isakson sits down with us to talk about the importance of leading at the company level, and how his mentors helped shape his career. We discuss the necessity of career long training, regardless of rank, and the need for honesty when debating fire ground tactics. Finally, we touch on the flexibility and adaptability that is present in successful firefighters on the fire ground. Curt Isakson is a 28 year veteran of the fire service, and is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County (FL) Fire Rescue. He spent 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department prior to joining ECFR, and is the man behind County Fire Tactics and Firefighter Rescues. Chief Isakson instructs nationally at FDIC, Firehouse Expo & World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC (High Rise Operations Conference) on Pensacola Beach.