5-alarm Task Force!

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

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 Aug

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

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-I

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

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

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 f

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 hi

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 communica

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, NVFCThere 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 rec

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

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

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.

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, thi

*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 de

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

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