5-alarm Task Force!

In the premier episode of Season 3 of “5-Alarm Task Force,” we are pleased to welcome back a dear friend and great supporter of the podcast, Capt. Robby Owens, Sr. (@averagejakeff) as we discuss “Tactic and Terminology.” As we have heard from other guests, especially line officers and above, no singular tactic is appropriate for every working structure fire. What almost all agree on, are the two words that they believe are appropriate, “It Depends!” The first arriving officer who assumes initial command has precious little time to ascertain all the factors facing him/her as they pull up on the scene. Of course, the determination of whether or not people may be trapped must be foremost in the initial IC’s mind. As is, the initial method of attack he/she feels will best suit this particular fire for the first arriving apparatus. Will it be an engine? Will the truck company arrive first? What if it’s the Heavy Rescue? Capt. Owens discusses how important it is for the first front-line personnel, initial IC

This podcast is not an old one from two years or so ago. Rather, it was on this past spring. However, it may be one of the most important podcasts you will ever hear. My guest is Battalion Chief (ret) John Cagno of the North Providence RI Fire Dept. Chief Cagno has a long and successful career. But it certainly didn’t start that way. His story will teach you one of the most important facts of this job, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” When we’re young and we first join a fire department, we’re all “spit and vinegar.” We probably watched the firefighters for years and were scratching at the chance to get in there and do what they did. And lots of us were pretty damn sure we could do it better. Chief Cagno’s story starts out that way, but it soon goes to “hell in a hand basket;” and we’re not just talking about his future career, we’re talking about his LIFE! Listen to this replay of Chief’ Cagno’s, “You don’t know what you don’t know,” and ask yourself, “Could that be me?

As we once again return to the “5-Alarm Task Force” podcast vault during our summer hiatus, we turn to another excellent podcast that deals with the exorbitantly high rate of cancer in the fire service. Firefighters around the world risk their lives almost every day, running in when everyone else is running out. While it is well known that our job is inherently dangerous, over the last 10-12 years, we have learned about a different danger, one that hides as a microscopic "time-bomb," where no one knows, if or when it may go off! Our guest on this Episode is Keith Tyson, a 34-year veteran of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Just a few months after retiring 10 years ago, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer and several skin cancers. These diagnoses started Keith on a journey and mission that continues today. He immediately began looking into the cancer rates of colleagues in his department. Each number, each fact, led to the discovery that his was not a sole incident. Both men and w

Due to the level of importance this podcast bears, I am releasing today in hopes that many of you will have the opportunity of listening to it over the weekend. Keeping with this is important topic, I am following up the past two “summer” shows with one we recorded this past March, featuring Alberto Caban-Martinez, DO, PhD and Natasha Schaefer-Solle, PhD, RN of the University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Care Centers, along with Exec. Asst. Chief Todd LeDuc and Frank Correggio of Broward County Sheriff’s Office – Fire Rescue Services. Doctors Caban-Martinez and Schaefer-Solle and both part of the team leading Sylvester’s study in the prevalence and natures of fire service occupational cancer. As you will hear, they are both “in the thick of it” and answer our questions forthrightly and honestly. The entire team at Sylvester is not only studying the problem, but also working on solutions, both socially, by getting the word out even to the newest of recruits, but medically as well, as the team has b

Last week, I re-leased our interview with Bill Banks, a former Battalion Chief with Ft. Lauderdale Fire, who provided me with my first, real education in the cancer dangers that firefighters and other first responders face. Today, I am proud to follow that interview with my interview with Cynthia (better known as “Cindy”) Ell.Cindy Ell is a former firefighter/paramedic in Anne Arundel County MD and a founding critical care paramedic at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has been investigating and studying occupational exposures & their results for over 25 years. However, after own diagnosis of a line-of-duty cancer, she saw it as the opportunity to serve as both a first responder advocate and the founder the Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation. She now works to raise on-the-job cancer awareness to all first responders, but especially to firefighters. The foundation now works in many areas of the country, assisting afflicted first responders and their families. I am proud to say that Cindy and the FFCN was one of my f

I was like many of you. I had heard on the news or had read in one of the trade journals, that firefighters had been diagnosed with cancer. It often pointed to FDNY and these were firefighters who had worked, so determinedly, on the Pile left after the collapse of the WTC on 9|11. However, as I was about to learn, this was just the tip of the iceberg, as they say.This “Out-of-the-Vault” episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” takes us back to March 2017. My guest was Bill Banks, a former battalion chief with FT. Lauderdale Fire Dept. And he gave me, as well as thousands of listeners, a real education in how the fire service was being decimated by cancer. And no, it was affecting just those who worked on the Pile. It included firefighters from FDNY, Boston, Los Angeles County, Miami-Dade County and so many more.This podcast still ranks as the second highest episode listened to and the podcast with the most downloads in our history. Why? Listen to what Bill has to say and you’ll get a hint!

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we lost one of the greatest leaders and teachers of the fire service, Chief Alan Brunacini. If you have been a firefighter for a couple of years or longer, you know to whom I refer. Past Chief of the Phoenix AZ Fire Department, “Chief Bruno,” as he was affectionately referred to, was a firefighter’s firefighter. He rose up through the ranks in Phoenix and at the same time, not only took the American fire service along for the ride, by sharing what he had learned, but became the officer and chief that many of us hoped to be, as well. I thought it a good idea to re-post the podcast I was quite lucky to have at the very beginning of “5-Alarm Task Force,” thanks to Chief Dennis Rubin. In this episode, Chief Bruno and Chief Rubin discuss the then-recently held Wingspread VI Conference. In 1966 the Johnson Foundation (of Johnson Wax) invited representatives from first responder agencies to their facility in Wisconsin, to discuss the then state of affairs in

The word, “leadership,” especially in the ranks of first responders, is bandied about by many. And for all those that participate in this conversation, there are probably at least, twice or three times the number of definitions of what leadership is in emergency services.In this podcast, our guest, Asst. Chief John Luca of Boca Raton Fire-Rescue Services, provides us with a new and deeper definition of the term and strongly encourages us to look inward first, before we even think of leading others. Chief Luca guides us on a path through what he calls, an introspective analysis; meaning that before we can even think of leading others, what type of leadership skills do we have in leading our individual self?With over 27 years in the fire service, Chief Luca makes no claims that he was a great self-leader throughout his career. He is quite open in his self-critique, through which he guides us in the hope of assisting us in finding our “way;” not just through a long career, but also through a long, enjoyable and

One of the most important tools that the modern fire service is the T.I.C. or thermal imaging camera. While it’s first use that resulted in the saving of a human life is traced back to 1985 in London, due to cost and development factors, it is believe that the first U.S. fire department to purchase one for regular use was Seattle in 1997. Just over 20 years later, the tool is ubiquitous in the fire service, with most, but the smallest, having at least one camera for the department. And why not? It is a tool that has multiple uses for us! However, as the owner of a successful South Florida floor covering company says in his TV ads, “Would you call a neurosurgeon to fill a cavity?” meaning, the camera user must know the capabilities (and lack thereof) damn well! Our guest on this podcast, Capt. Andy Starnes, might not be a neurosurgeon, but he knows most fire service TICs inside and out. As a captain and group leader with a major North Carolina fire department, not only does he use a TIC frequently, he has

In Part II of of our interview with retired Battalion Chief, John Cagno of the N. Providence RI Fire Department, we hear how the young, injured, "firefighter" Cagno, had to fight against the odds of getting his old job back. While recovering from his severe injuries, he never took his eyes of the bullseye - coming back to the job he had idolized since he was a child. However, his wants and desires did not necessarily meet with those of the Town of North Providence. It was only after a meeting with the Chief, where his request for reinstatement was declined due to the results of his injuries, that John felt he had to prove both his abilities and himself to the Chief. While he probably should not have done it, it did get John back on the job. Yet his journey through this next chapter of his life was not free of further adversity. He describes the serious problem he faced and how he struggled to climb over another stumbling block. Whether you're currently a firefighter, EMT/Paramedic or law enfo

Many of us are pretty damn excited when the dreams of little kids to be firefighters comes to fruition in our usually, young adult lives. We are usually in our late teens or early twenties. We may have had some experience by “buffing” until we were old enough to ride the apparatus. We’ve watched the experienced members do so many tactics, that we feel we’ll know exactly what to do when that special day arrives. As our guest today explains in Part I of his interview, (the first time in our history to create a two-part interview), “we don’t know what we don’t know!”N. Providence RI retired Battalion Chief was like so many of the rest of us. He joined his then, on-call department at age 16 and ate up all the knowledge he could. At 18, he was allowed to ride the apparatus and actively participate in drills. On a Saturday morning, he was a “truckee,” participating at an old mill, no longer in operation. The aerial was set against the building at a fourth-floor window. Additionally, out-of-reach, above the aerial,

Forget what you've seen in movies or those driving long, sleek, fancy limousines. In the fire service a chauffeur is the person who drives a fire apparatus, usually the engine, tanker, or one of the various types of ladder apparatus, the tiller, tower ladder or elevated platform. While the name "chauffeur" is most often used in the northeast area of the U.S., it aptly describes the unique services this firefighter provides. And to tell us all about this vital position is Capt. John Hayowyk, Jr. a Captain with a NJ fire department and a long time ladder firefighter, driver and officer. His many years of personal experience bring a clear and concise description of the duties of the firefighters whose only news photos are usually taken from behind! Additionally, Capt. Hayowyk, also discusses some of the changes the fire service is going through and how the chauffeurs, who are often those with a great deal of experience and seniority, are integral in passing on the knowledge they have accrued, to the new an

While some firefighters take fitness-for-duty seriously, they often run into the "hard wall" of those who either don't think it's necessary of afraid of punitive actions if the do participate. Well-known fire officers and fitness "gurus," Dan Kerrigan and Jim Moss return to "5-Alarm Task Force" with a concise summary of their successful class taught at this year's FDIC 2018: "10 Steps to Cultivate a Culture of Firefighter Fitness in Your Department." This podcast only runs about 1 hour, but Dan & Jim give it their all to explain the "why" and how" to achieve this goal in your station and/or department. Maybe the single most important lesson everyone should take away from this podcast is that it does not require a "second-mortgage" on your station to fund a great fitness program for every firefighter. Tune in to this podcast to learn the 10 steps to help change the mindset of your comrades and officers!

While shiny new pumpers, ladders and rescues grab most of the headlines, the Shift Commander's Buggy, looks almost like another SUV. However, the person driving this vehicle has paid his/her "dues" and has been promoted to the position of Shift Commander. This interview with Dep. Chief (ret) Kevin Burns of the City of Framingham MA, is special to me, because I grew up in Framingham. And it was my exposure to the wonderful firefighters in my community as a child that planted the seed of my lifelong admiration for them. In this in-depth interview, Chief Burns takes us through the responsibilities of the Shift Commander at the three key levels on a major incident; before, during and after a fire. As you listen to Chief Burns, not only will you learn tactics, but he coaches us on how to think and act as a Commander; the highs from the job and the lows that creep in. If you have any notion of rising through the ranks to become a Shift Commander, Battalion Chief, etc., this is the podcast for YOU! My personal

On his website, BrotherhoodCoaching.com, our guest, Capt. John Lovato, Jr poses this question: Do you want to work in a fire station or do you want to work in FIREHOUSE!?!" Almost seems that there's no real question there. However, Capt. Lovato sees quite a difference and he explains the differences in this podcast. In this context, the word "brotherhood" has nothing to do with gender. Instead, it deal with how firefighters, no matter their gender, work together, working as a well-practiced team. Each member know what his/her responsibilities are, where to be and where to go. Capt. Lovato brings a refreshing view of how a crew can and should know each others abilities and how to put them best to use when the house-bells rings. We hope you'll enjoy this podcast and will share it with the members of your crew and with others in your department, as well!

An excellent friend and supporter of "5-Alarm Task Force," Executive Asst. Chief Todd LeDuc of the Broward County Sheriff's Office - Fire/Rescue Division, joins us to explain the work of this important group of the IAFC and his recent trip to the Kingdom of Bahrain for a first-ever SHS conference there! The acronym SHS stands for "Safety, Health and Survival," all issues that are playing a major role in the lives of firefighters today. We are all aware of the major focus being placed on reducing our workplace and situation injuries, our health, wellness and fitness for duty and the Cancer Initiative. A great deal of the effort comes from this important and hard-working group of command officers who, besides their duties and responsibilities in their home departments, put in an inordinate amount of time to focus on these key issues for the rest of the 1.2 million firefighters in this country.

There's no denying that being a firefighter or EMT/Paramedic is a challenging job or avocation. We see folks, (some that we know) on one of the worst days in their life. Add to that some of the additional stressors that we have to deal with, e.g., lack of sleep, family problems, money, etc., sometimes make us wonder if can really do this job! Our guests for this podcast are Chief James Tornabene, a fire chief/paramedic with a Master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Lance Walker, MD of SiteMed, a medical practice based in GA and NC, who provide firefighter medical exams and assessments in a five-state area. Chief Tornabene's focuses on the formula PERSON ->JOB ->FIT. Through various evaluations, making sure that departments, including career, combination and volunteer, are bringing in the men and women who can handle everything that this type of work can demand. Dr. Walker, who helped in the creation of the IAFF "Firefighter ID for Physician" form, along with Chief Tornabene, ad

Firefighter/Training Officer Aaron Zamzow returns to "5-Alarm Task Force" to announce the winners of his annual "Get Fit Challenge." Firefighters from all over the country and Canada have taken part in a 8 or 12 week program to elevate their fitness abilities, lose weight and improve their overall health. Aaron has a long and "strong" history in the fitness industry. He's helped all types of folks from all walks of life and even some in professional sports! The best part of Aaron's fitness program is anyone can do it and you DON'T have go out, take a second mortgage and buy a 3-year gym membership. However, there is something that you WILL have to give up to succeed - what is it? Well, tune in and you'll find out!