Fire Engineering Podcast Network

The most grueling fire of your career may not wait for you to have seniority. In fact, it can easily happen on a rookie’s second shift. Or first! So the fire service must handle health and safety training with the same urgency as it does for fireground operations. On this episode of The Training Officer, host Dave McGlynn sits down with seasoned fire chief and FDIC instructor Dennis Reilly to discuss the weight of cancer in the fire service, professional legacy, leadership roles, and FDIC. They also explore the obligation veterans have to mentor the next generation and why every...

What is the role of leadership? And how can it shape an "aggressive" fire service culture?    On this episode of Tactical Impact, hosts Jason Hoevelmann and Jim Silvernail welcome Jamie Young and Joe Gragnani to the show. They explore how to move beyond clichés and how to build organizations that prioritize tactical excellence. They discuss the "Four Pillars" of departments: running calls, training to run calls, mastering tradecraft, and everything else. Young and Gragnani share how they transitioned a "storied" department toward a search-heavy, "victims until proven otherwise" mindset, supported by a significant investment in off...

Jay Bonnifield, a captain with the Everett (WA) Fire Department, joins this episode of Hooks & Hoses to discuss how RECEO—Rescue, Exposures, Confinement, Extinguishment, and Overhaul—helps firefighters prioritize life-saving actions and navigate chaotic fire scenes effectively. He discusses the hierarchy of RECEO and how it helps inform decision making and situational awareness while enabling members to rapidly process chaotic scenes. Bonnifield also reviews practical training habits: 15‑minute daily tactical decision games, hot washes, and pattern recognition drills that accelerate rookie development and keep company officers empowered.

What's the significance of aligning leadership and crews in modern fire departments? On this episode of Tailboard Talk, hosts Jeff Wallin, Chris Rasmussen, and Craig Nelson welcome Kent Orvik and Andy Dingman, of the Fargo (ND) Fire Department. The panel discusses how firefighters who become chiefs keep the instincts of the engine room yet inherit a very different job: long timeframes, political constraints, and layers of oversight. They unpack why quick operational fixes don't translate to administrative problems, why training and wellness get squeezed by limited budgets, and why crews want plain answers. Together, they explore ways to align prio...

Host Christopher Naum's two-part series for BuildingsonFire takes a closeup look at building literacy and reshaping decision making on the fireground. This episode explores the operational framework that links building era, construction, occupancy, and functional domains. Naum discusses tactics, safety, and command.   He gets into the importance of the first 20 minutes of an incident, the predictability of building performance, and moving beyond surface familiarity to applied architectural and engineering knowledge.

Inside a firehouse, teamwork isn’t part of a slogan—it’s the difference between control and chaos. For this episode of Women in Fire, host Lisa Baker and guests Heather Mozdean, Paige Colwell, and Kim Phillips get candid about what teamwork actually looks like. They move past textbook definitions and into the reality: coordinating ventilation with interior crews, trusting the person next to you to read conditions the same way, and knowing one freelancer can unravel an entire operation in seconds.   They also take a look at station life, where unresolved tension, uneven effort, and poor co...

On this week's Humpday Hangout, Frank Ricci and Josh Miller talk to guests P.J. Norwood and Sean Gray about The Evolving Fireground: Research-Based Tactics, which they cowrote. They discuss why transitional attacks and ventilation must be coordinated with hoseline placement, argue for early water application from outside to improve interior conditions, and reframe “search” and “door control” to prioritize survivor access and firefighter safety.   Later in the episode, the show welcomes former Navy SEAL Chris Shea of the North Haven (CT) Fire Department and discuss his decision to run for Congress.

Command Show host Anthony Kastros and guest Rick Nelson, Chief of the Reading (MA) Fire Department, discuss how a small New England fire department modernized incident command to close the tactical gap. They unpack NIOSH 5 failure points and show how decentralized leadership, mutual-aid run cards, and tactical supervisors improve accountability, reduce radio traffic, and improve outcomes. The conversation covers regional collaboration across New England, practical benchmarks for tactical communications, and Reading’s next steps. Kastros and Nelson also talk about technology and how leaders empower lieutenants to lead during mutual‑aid responses.   This podcast...

How often do you think about leaving the fire department better than you found it and setting the next generation up for success? In this episode of Talkin' Tactics, hosts David Polikoff and Sam Villani welcome Frank Ricci, a retired battalion chief from the New Haven (CT) Fire Department to talk about these important topics.   They discuss recruitment and academy culture, why early leadership training matters, and how realistic, stressful drills build the muscle memory crews need on the fireground. The discussion contrasts career and volunteer models, suggests swap programs and targeted on‑apparatus mentoring, and stres...

On this episode of The Backstep Boys hosts Ron Kanterman and Tom Aurnhammer discuss firefighter line‑of‑duty reports and the hard lessons that persist: breakdowns in incident command, poor communication, accountability gaps, and the ongoing danger of modern building construction and synthetic fuels. They trace the origin and purpose of the national firefighter fatality investigation program, how free, nonpunitive reports are structured, and why they’re essential training tools for recruits and veterans.    The conversation also touches on firefighting history, an upcoming book compiling major U.S. and international conflagrations, and the human cost behind stati...

Katherine West joins us to discuss the expertise behind her newly updated Infection Control Policies for Community Paramedicine and MIH, 2nd Edition. With decades of experience, West explains the differences between emergent care and home‑care practices, offering practical, evidence‑based guidance. She highlights challenges such as healthcare‑associated infections, inconsistent training, and the expanding role of EMS in home environments. In our conversation, she shares insights that help CP/MIH programs strengthen safety, support diverse community‑care models, and better protect both patients and providers as EMS roles continue to expand.   Link: https://fireengineeringbooks.com/books/in...

If you teach, lead, or want to grow the talent in your department, give this conversation between Billy Hux and Bobby Drake a listen. The Point of Origin hosts unpack the lone‑chief challenge, stressing trust, training, and emotional intelligence as the antidotes to isolation. They also offer tactical reminders about audience engagement, workload balance, and using conferences to find allies and solutions.

If you teach, lead, or want to grow the talent in your department, give this conversation between Billy Hux and Bobby Drake a listen. The Point of Origin hosts unpack the lone‑chief challenge, stressing trust, training, and emotional intelligence as the antidotes to isolation. They also offer tactical reminders about audience engagement, workload balance, and using conferences to find allies and solutions.

Your choice of tactics, your attitude, and your training are all factors in whether you can beat the clock at incident. In this episode of The Command Post, hosts Rick Lasky and John Salka dig into a truth every experienced firefighter learns sooner or later: the building is the real opponent. Fire is just the ammunition.  The conversation moves from leadership to street-level tactics. What makes a “firefighter’s fire chief”? Not popularity. It’s credibility earned through experience, preparation, and a clear understanding of how firefighters actually operate on the fireground.

From parades and fireworks to large town gatherings, with an emphasis on terrorism-aware preparation, this episode of Two Vollies and a Guest focuses on the process of building an operational plan for public events. The panel discusses topics including threat assessment, interagency coordination, chain of command, resource allocation, staging and access, and more. They stress using scalable incident action forms, pre-event walk-throughs, clear delegation of authority, and mutual-aid strategies to avoid tying up local services. Tune in for practical tips that will prove invaluable to local officials and event organizers.

Fire Commissioner Jared Renshaw, from the Western Berks (PA) Fire Department, joins host Tom Merrill on this episode of The Professional Volunteer Fire Department. They discuss a topic that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves in the fire service: building strong relationships with the local elected officials who help shape the future of our departments. Too often we focus only on operations, training, and response, but the reality is that successful fire departments are also built on trust, communication, and collaboration with the people who make policy and control funding. Renshaw offers valuable insight into how chiefs and...

Small decisions add up to big effects. And they matter. In this episode of Fireground Strategies, hosts Anthony Avillo and Jim Duffy talk "dominoes" and how tragedies on the fireground are never the result of just one decision. When the dominoes tumble, they add up.  The episode opens with a sobering statistic: More than 350 civilians have already been lost to residential fires this year.  The discussion moves from strategy to the human side of the job. Battalion Chief Mickey Tofexis, of Miramar (FL) Fire & Rescue, joins the show to talk about physical fitness, career longevity, and the reali...

Steve Shaw welcomes Scott Thompson, chief, The Colony (TX) Fire Department, to this episode of Perspectives on Leadership. The two have a conversation about how to intentionally build, sustain, and measure a high‑performance fire service culture. Practical topics from the 2024 FDIC keynote speaker include prearrival assignments, training as a performance discipline, mentoring and probationary programs, hiring for cultural fit, and closing the micro/macro culture gap.   Thompson warns against vague slogans and urges leaders to map outcomes, manage the ripple effects of decisions, and prioritize a performance mindset alongside well-being. He recommends books and mindse...

Do you ever think about how your department would—or should—address fraternization issues? In this episode of Fire Service Court, John K. Murphy explores the importance of having clear guidelines around fraternization and how an organization can create and enforce policies that govern conduct among its members. These policies are essential for maintaining professional standards and ensuring a respectful and safe workplace for everyone.

On a winter night in Loudoun County, Virginia, an underground 500‑gallon propane tank leaked as it was refilled, sending invisible gas into a suburban neighborhood. What started as a routine odor-of-gas call escalated when firefighters entered a home, found explosive concentrations in a basement, opened vents, and were present seconds later when an explosion collapsed the house. This episode of Mayday Monday reconstructs the incident, the multiagency response, patient care and recovery, and the hard lessons learned.   Guest: Chris Kerkstra, Loudoun County (VA) Fire & Rescue