5-Alarm Task Force!

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!

We now know, with certainty, that fire is not necessarily our worst enemy on the fireground. Its by-products are! Whether you’re a career, volunteer or paid-on-call firefighter, means that you can no longer approach what you do as a casual job or hobby.

In this, our 51st episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” Chief Anthony Correia joins us to discuss the specific physiological and mental stressors of fighting fire. His explanation begins with your visceral and mental response to a dispatch, through your actions and your body’s physiological responses on the fireground and what occurs when you think you’ve finished.

Chief Correia paints for you with a “broad stroke of the brush” to cover some of today’s most important characteristics of firefighters, including your wellness, fitness, fitness-for-duty, your mental and emotional health and the Cancer Initiative.

Join us for this very important examination of what we face when we do the job we love to do!

If I asked you what is the most important character trait for a firefighter, what would be your answer? Bravery? Strength? Stamina? They all sound imperative, right?
Perhaps, but there is more to it than those. What could outrank those three aspects?
Our guest on this episode is Captain/Instructor Chris Baker. In this podcast, Chris explains that it is your desire, no, hunger to learn, that will dictate the type of firefighter you are or will be. And mind you, this has nothing necessarily to do with climbing rank.
Chris' resume demonstrates that he "practices what he preaches." Moreover, he teaches it, as well. So join us as Instructor Baker, discusses education in the fire service, mentoring and what he sees for the future firefighter.

The Chief of Department - a position that many firefighters aspire to and others...well, let's just say they don't aspire to. Yet, when there's a vacancy at the top, someone must be brought onboard to "steer the ship!"
Just like in other businesses, those directed to find a new chief have two ways to choose from:
1. Hire someone already working or volunteering for the department, or
2. Open the position to candidates from outside the department.
Which one should we choose?
Our guest, retired Chief Phil Johnston, doesn't pretend to know which method will best suit your needs. However, what he does know is the pros and cons of both methods.
Additionally, he provides both types of candidates with many of the tools and hints that each candidate should consider to provide them with the best chances in their efforts.
Interested? Then tune in to this episode of "5-Alarm Task Force" and GOOD LUCK!

Our job is a dangerous one, no doubt about it. However, there are those outstanding members of the fire service who go above and beyond in their efforts to make our job safe. One of those colleagues is Mr. Steve Austin.

If you read most of the trade journals, you'll know Steve who is a frequent contributor with articles about service, leadership and safety, among others.

This year, Steve has been selected as one of the two recipients of the Mason Lankford Fire Leadership Award, along with Tony O'Neill, of the NFPA, by the CFSI/Motorola Solutions for his work in the fire service over the past more than thirty years.

In this podcast, Steve will discuss some of his work during his career. He is a Life Member of the Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Co. of Newark DE. He is also a past president & Life Member of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Fireman's Association.He currently serves as Project Manager for the CVVFA's "Protecting Emergency Responders on the Highways Project, which we talk about in depth.

We all run highway and busy roadway calls every day. Steve advises on suggestions to make that effort safer and reduce the number of "struck-bys" as they refer to them, that too often take the lives of firefighters, EMS members, LEO's and Safety Service and Tow & Haul operators.

OK, so you're a firefighter. You've seen smoke, you've smelled smoke and you may have swallowed a "snoot-full." How was that for you? Yet how much do you know about it? No, not it's behavior, but what's in it!

Chief Robert Fling returns to underscore his first visit, "FACEPIECE ON!" And if you're still one of those cowboys who think a firefighter isn't a "real" firefighter until he/she gets their "snoot-full," you're wrong and maybe DEAD wrong.

Listen in and pay attention to what Chief Fling teaches us about smoke, what it does and what it can do.

Then, go take a look at your family and tell them you don't need to wear your SCBA!

Look at any social media platform used by firefighters and you will find all manner of discussions, arguments and yes, even vitriol, regarding firefighting tactics. A full-sized crew should push inside and get the wet-stuff on the red-stuff. A limited crew should only apply water from the outside until more help arrives. Some say ventilate right away; others say determine and operate per the "flow path."

Then there are discussions about firefighter health and fitness, especially fitness-for-duty. There's also the concern of firefighters exposure to off-gassing chemicals and carcinogens in structure fires. Do we wear FULL PPE or just that which allows us to operate freely? Do I clean my gear or do I believe that soot-covered gear and its aroma is what firefighting is all about?

Former Prince George's County MD Fire & Rescue Chief, Marc Bashoor, returns to "5-Alarm Task Force" to discuss the ramifications of some of the decisions we make, based on these discussions. Chief Bashoor will be teaching this class, in full, as a pre-conference program at FDIC in Indianapolis.

Some of us have very strong opinions of several of the topics mentioned. However, a firefighter should never stop learning and this podcast, as well as the Chief's FDIC class, just might save your or your colleagues' lives!

Tune in and judge for yourself!

Chief Charles Werner returns following his excellent podcast about the use of drones in public safety, for this mini-cast to discuss NextNav, a new location technology that allows incident commanders to see the location of their personnel inside a structure.

While we have been able to determine a relative location in the X and Y axis, NextNav now provides location information on the Z-axis or relative height of the structure. Moreover, with the upcoming roll-out of FirstNet in the near future, NextNav's information stream will expand even more.

Join us for this interesting and important second part to Chief Werner's discussion on cutting edge technology that will assist all first responders!

Innovative technology has always been the path for the fire service. Horse drawn troughs, steamers, then motor drives. Manual ladders, hand cranks, now elevated platforms.

Chief Emeritus of the Charlottesville VA Fire Dept. Charles Werner joins us to discuss how one of today’s hottest fads has in fact, become an indispensable tool for all agencies of public safety – the UAS, the unmanned aerial system, commonly known as a drone. Chief Werner explains its entry into public safety, requirements, learning curve and more.

Even if your department already has a drone, listen and see if your department is operating it under the prescribed federal requirements.

If you are looking for a long career in the fire service, EMS or law enforcement, there's a good chance that a promotion may be in your future. However, that promotion will definitely result in you changing, to some extent, the way you deal with those who are of lower rank. How do you find the balance between being a leader and the person you were before the promotion? Perhaps, you're already an officer and are looking to hone your skills.

Our guest on this episode of "5-Alarm Task Force," is Deputy Chief Steve Prziborowski of the Santa Clara County CA Fire Dept. Steve has been with the County since 1992 and has worked his way up the leadership ladder. And it wasn't without a few "bumps and bruises" along the way.

In today's show, Steve explains that in order to be a leader, no matter the level, you need to take ownership of your position. Your duties and responsibilities will be different and you must be prepared to face both sides of your new rank. He breaks the discussion down into three parts:

1. Courage Under Fire - Being the Best Officer You Can Be

2. Prompt Others for Success

3. Establishing Expectations & Holding Others Accountable

The tasks are formidable. Listen as Steve explains his own journey and what you may derive from his experience.