5-alarm Task Force!

If you have been or still are a firefighter and you have a few years (or more) under your belt, you have probably had a couple of “workers” that gave you a bit more than an east knockdown.Initially then, the title of Brad’s book is somewhat incomplete. For the full title of his new book is, “The Flames of Fire – Firefighting Amidst the Explosions!” A bit more intriguing than the first look. Brad has done it all, from being a 17-year-old “probie” to an officer, an instructor and a Fire Inspector. Some of the stories he shares with us will generate the “pucker factor,” no matter how much experience you have. We also discuss to of the greatest leaders/teachers in the Fire Service, the late Chief Alan V. Brunacini or “Chief Bruno” as he loved to be called and, the late Chief Bobby Halton. We discuss the philosophies about this job that they both loved and how their simple explanations and recommendations of how we should interact with our victims, made everyone who listened and functioned as they posited, made so

David Wiklanski is an Engine Company Captain for an urban fire department in New Jersey. He has over twenty years in Emergency Services. Wiklanski is a speaker and writer, with most of his presentations on behavioral health, in addition to Suicide Terrorism. His mission is to end the stigma associated with mental health and to connect responders with the available resources to not only survive but thrive in their careers.  He has contributed articles to Fire Engineering, Firehouse Magazine, Firehouse Tribune, and Firefighting in Canada. His first book: Suicide Bombers, Understanding Suicide Terrorism from a Cultural and Memetic perspective is available online and he is currently working on authoring his next book.  Wiklanski has an MA in Behavioral Sciences-Human Behavior and Organizational Psychology from Kean University. He has been an adjunct professor at Kean University for the past 17 years. Wiklanski holds certifications as a Fire Instructor II, EMT Instructor, and NJ Certified Emergency Manager (NJCEM)

If you’re a firefighter and you have been on social media oh, let’s say some time around 2011, you could not help but notice the frequent posts from The Firehouse Tribune. Then, it was a couple of firefighters posting some key ideas, facts, tactics, health, etc. Recently, Nic, the founder and editor of The Firehouse Tribune has raised the level the “Tribune.” It began with Nic writing his first book, “The 5-Tool Firefighter.” Then, he authored a workbook to accompany the “5-Tool Firefighter, and both have been big sellers. Firefighters from all around the U.S. and a foreign country or two were buying the books and putting into their daily lives. Just a short while ago, Nic added “The 5-Tool Firefighter Podcast!”More recently, Tom connected with Chief Tom Marchiano of the Chester Fire Department, just north of NYC. Working together they have added another popular element, “Station Talk,” manned by both Chief Marchiano and Nic.Tune in and listen to these two “gentlemen firefighters” and their “why’s” and “where

We all know that many fire departments across the country, both career and volunteer are struggling with retention and recruitment. And most are looking for new ways and/or tools to assist them in this endeavor. Sure, there’s advertising in the trades, posting on social media, etc., but there doesn’t appear to be any “heart” in these efforts. It may be time to try a new method, using what almost everyone has – your cell phone!A marketing communications professional with well over four decades of experience, Chuck Moran owns his own digital marketing firm in Charlottesville VA. In addition to building websites and managing social media for small and medium sized businesses, he launched Online Video Mastery to teach personnel in various organizations how to create compelling and professional videos with their smartphones, on-demand and in-house so that they can retain, recruit train and educate effectively. Chuck is currently focusing on assisting Public Safety departments.In this podcast (you will) want to wat

Mutual aid – fairly common in the fire service, right? Sure, there can be “stumbling blocks” in setting these arrangements up, such as personnel, different equipment, availability and even what might be seen as “silly” issues, like egos and a competition mindset. Lest we forget that our oath is succinct…”To protect the lives and property of our community. “ There is no mention of egos or equipment matches, etc., in the Oath, just “to protect!” No departments exemplify this truth as do the Orange County Fire Authority, Los Angeles County Fire & Rescue and Ventura County Fire Department. For years and years, we have watched local and national news of major wildfires in Southern California. And for years, each of these counties basically cared for their counties with help from CAL FIRE and some mutual aid.  However, that all changed in 2021 when the idea of a unified approach with a Quick Response Force took hold in these three counties. The goal was to not only attack these fires as early as possible, but t

Almost every industry in the U.S. has its “Trades,” that is, magazines devoted to and about that industry. The U.S./Canadian fire services are no different. There are numerous periodicals for us to choose from, one of which is the one that somewhat taught me how to be a better firefighter, even though it was a brand-new periodical back in 1977, when it was first published by FDNY firefighter, Dennis Smith – FIREHOUSE® Magazine. And I’ve rarely missed an issue in those more than 45 years. My guest today is Peter Matthews, who joined the FIREHOUSE team in 1999, serving both the magazine and online endeavors. Peter travels the country (and sometimes beyond) on a regular basis, enjoying a “ride-along” whenever possible. But those aren’t just for the fun of running calls rather, he uses them as an educational exercise to learn about each department he visits. In this episode, we discuss a lesson he gained from a car-service driver who, one may think, read one of the excellent books by the late Chief Alan Brunacini

The American career Fire Service has often used basic testing and an interview of two when seeking new hires. And that may have served the need, “back in the day.” However, now into the third decade of the 21st Century, we should and need to create a new construct. Moreover, if we wish to remember that retention of current members should come before recruitment, we need a new paradigm to succeed for tomorrow!Our returning guest, Dr. Gamaliel Baer, who holds an Ed.D. from the University of Southern California in Organizational Change and Leadership, provides us with a better, more inclusive and “whole person” perspective on improving our efforts to both retain current members and be successful with recruitment as well. Dr. Baer explains that the concepts of DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) should be expanded to include the mind, body and soul. Determining whether or not a recruit is a “good fit” for the department simply based on a basic civil test and a clear police record does not provide that departm

We have all seen videos on the news or on social media of big-city fire departments doing their “thing.” Lots of apparatus and a large contingent of firefighters and support staff. It is often an amazing site and sometimes, we might get a little jealous. However, the majority of American firefighters are not in the big urban areas. Most of us serve suburban areas with mixed usage, residential, commercial, manufacturing, etc. My two guests on this episode are Nick Peppard and Sean Duffy. Both served a number of years in Florida, but have since moved north, with one to Michigan and the other to Wisconsin. Back in 2019 though, after each had been on “5-Alarm Task Force” as a guest, they came up with an idea for a podcast, “Make Due!” Their goal was to address the issues that suburban departments often face regarding limited equipment, personnel and high call volumes.Their podcast is almost three years old with plenty of guests and lots of listeners. Why? Because their podcast is about who we are and what we do.

Every profession has standouts. These are the men and women who always strive to do their best for their profession, often going beyond the average levels and striving to always be prepared and ready to bring their “A-Game!”My guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force!” Capt. Mike Daley is, in my eyes, a consummate firefighter. If I included his bio in these show notes, you would see multiple pages! I will share that he is a nearly 30-year veteran of the fire service and an excellent instructor with the aim to see his students, no matter their time in the Fire Service, learn and exceed the “base” level of being a firefighter. He teaches to create well-learned and highly capable firefighters. In this episode, Capt. Daley reviews his very successful classes that he recently taught at the 2023 FIREHOUSE® Expo in Columbus OH. One class was so large that he and the students had to move to a larger room in the facility. Not unexpectedly, he received numerous kudos from the firefighters and officers who attended.

We often refer to the “trades,” the publications of fire service, for learning tactics, theories, seeing new equipment and new developments in apparatus. However, there is more to what we do than simply, “How to…”  More importantly, to do this job, we must have a strong idea of self, i.e., “Who am I?,” “How do I do this job and be there for my family?" “I’ve seen so much tragedy, how do I deal with it without looking weak?” and much more. Thankfully, over the last five-six years, we have seen the launch of two major developments, initially in the U.S. Fire Service and subsequently, in other countries as well, the Firefighter Cancer and the Behavioral Health Initiatives. Both are making differences. And there’s always more to learn. My guest on this episode is Capt. Kory Pearn, a 20-year veteran firefighter in Ontario Canada. He is also the Editor-in-Chief and CEO of CRACKYL Media, Inc., publisher of CRACKYL Magazine. Launched in 2021, CRACKYL brings a different “face” to the trades, with most of it focus on o

My guest on this podcast is Andi Clark. She is a certified Sleep, Stress and Resilience coach with over 30 years in the health and wellness industry. She specializes in teaching First Responders how to enhance their sleep quality, regardless of their shift schedule and boost their HRV, which is the body’s ability to handle stress.Learn from Andi on this podcast. For more information on Andi and her links, please email us at info@5-AlarmTaskForceCorp. org and we will email you all her links directly to you! 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! 

Difficult to believe that the Firefighter Cancer Initiative is about six years old. A strong part of the credit goes to our Brothers and Sisters with the Boston Fire Department. Without their moving video, we may not have crossed into where we are today for a year or two later. Then, only about 1-1/2 years later, we hear about chemicals that are man-made, came out in the 1950’s and that the vast majority of us never heard of before: PFAS. Developed my two major chemical companies in the 1950’s they never break down in nature, nor does heat affect it. And yes, it is a carcinogen. And, it has been in our bunker gear since at least 1977 according to the nuclear testing of both new and used gear by Graham Peaslee, PhD at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. However, we might never have heard of it or learned that it was in our bunker gear if it were not for Diane and Paul Cotter. In my opinion, every firefighter should be grateful for everything they did to bring this to the masses. My guest on this episode i

What type of firefighter are you? No, I’m not talking about engine, truck or rescue companies! How dedicated are you to what we do? Do you do/study/learn only what you are required to or are you a “student of the game?”Our guest on this episode is Danny Beauvais who serves with the Mooresville Fire Department in North Carolina. However, he started as a volunteer in 2003 in the Spring Valley NY area. When his family relocated from New York to North Carolina, Danny was quick to join another volunteer department. Then, when Mooresville was hiring, he applied and made the team. As you listen to our interview, you will learn that Danny takes what we do very seriously. He is a firefighter who always wants to see the best, in both his skills and his workplace. He does not stop learning! He learns and then shares. Knowing this, a number of other firefighters convinced him to create a podcast to share his views and thoughts about being the best we can me. You can find him on all the major podcast platforms as “Student

You are sound asleep. You’ve had a busy day with lots of runs. Add the training that was squeezed in and you’re exhausted. You lie down on your bunk and you’re “out like a light!” Seconds later, the horn blares and all the lights turn on! You jump up with a start, put on your gear and head to the apparatus floor. As you make your way there the PA adds, “Confirmed working residential working fire. Two adults, two children with one unaccounted for!” And yes, you are the driver of the first engine heading to the scene. Whether you are a rookie or you are the senior firefighter, those last words raise the hairs on the back of your neck!Without us even thinking about it, those last words spur us on. We know what we have to do and the first task is to get to the scene as quickly and SAFELY as possible. But with our hearts beating fast and our concentration focused on the destination, are we driving with the due care that a vehicle of this size and weight demands? Or do we let our heart drive the rig and not our pro

There is an old adage in the fire service that what firefighters hate the most are “status quo” and “change!” Doesn’t leave much wiggle room, does it? Nevertheless, our guest on this episode of “5-Alarm Task Force!” Chief (ret) Charles Werner has become a specialist in new and helpful tech developments that support and enhance the efforts of the three main branches of public safety, Fire-Rescue, Lawn Enforcement and EMS.In this episode, Chief Werner shares with us the explosive growth of the use of what we will refer to as “professional” drones. These are not the little toy drones of a decade or more ago; these are state-of-the-art drones that are being used to spot fires, victims, deliver medications, reconnaissance and much more. The organization now boasts more than 8,100 members in the U.S., Canada and numerous countries around the world. Drones can often go where humans cannot and that can mean the difference between life and death.We also discuss the importance and capabilities of the FirstNet communica

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 publ

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 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 info

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 ha

In the last ten-to-fifteen years, we have heard various terms used to describe the fire service, e.g., “We’re a family,” and “We have a culture.” In a number of ways, both of these phrases can be used with both positive and negative references. There is no doubt that in general, we do have a somewhat unique culture based on how we serve our communities, e.g., career, volunteer, paid-on-call, etc. However, the term, “culture,” has also been used almost to boast that we might be better than other vocations. Chief John Vance knows about the fire service culture. With over forty years of experience, there is little about the fire service culture that he doesn’t know. As a Chief officer, he has seen the highs and lows of our culture across many facets of the fire service. In this interview we divide the discussion into two parts; first the general view of our culture and some of its impacts and second, how we draw new members into the culture in such a way as they feel comfortable with learning about and then beco