5-Alarm Task Force!

So many podcasts about the fire service cover tactics, gear, tools and many more, focusing on what we do when we respond to a call. However, before you even catch your first response, there is one key aspect of what we do that is often “lost” on the excitement and adrenaline coursing through both new and well-established firefighters. What is that? It’s the word we often use outside of the firehouse, but for some reason, it often doesn’t make it into the firehouse. And that word is “HUMANITY!

My guest on this podcast is Capt. Ron Givens. We first met at the 2017 Great Florida Fire School. We spoke here and there, and I stepped into a couple of his classes, both in a classroom and outside in the training area. And one thing that stuck with me was how Ron spoke to his students. There was no yelling or name-calling. He kept a cordial approach with every question asked and demonstrated slowly to teach appropriately. 

In this podcast, Ron and I discuss the absolute need for HUMANITY back into the firehouse. For over a century, the local firehouse or station has been the center of firefighters’ lives. However, as the years pass, we have changed our direction and behavior in the firehouse. And we are not talking about in-house training. We are talking about who we are as the men and women of the fire service. 

Join us and listen, then listen again, to Capt. Givens’ discussion on this episode. You will learn more than you might expect. 

Please remember that we need your help to raise the funds we use to financially assist a Brother/Sister and or their families, when they are in dire need. Since 2020, we have donated nearly $8,000.00 to our Brothers and Sisters. We can only do that with your help. Please visit our homepage at https://www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org and scroll down to the photo of the E2QB siren. Select the photo and our donation page will appear. From $1.00 to whatever you can. 

And you can always reach us at [email protected]

Our guest, Jack Sullivan is the Director of Training for the Responder Safety Institute and has been with us several times over the years. 

On this occasion Jack addresses the tragically high number of “Struck by,” incidents, where a firefighter, law enforcement officer, ambulance team, recovery (tow) operator, Road Ranger and even innocent good-Samaritans are injured or killed, most due to inattentive drivers, from people on bikes to large tractor trailers. We, who are First Responders much work to educate our members to always maintain, “Situational Awareness” and our heads on a “swivel” in our efforts to bring more safety to our jobs.

Jack also explains to us the heavy need for more TIM (Traffic Incident Management) Teams around the country. These teams review past response incidences and how they could have been handled and feed that info to the responder agencies. They also conduct training with various First Responder agencies to help their members learn how to be safer and how to include those findings with those involved. 

For more information, here are several links:

https://www.respondersafety.com/ - Main Website with news and resources and

https://learning.respondersafety.com/ - Responder Safety Learning Network

https://www.ReportStruckBy.com – For reporting struck by vehicle incidents involving emergency responders at incident scenes.

https://www.enddd.org/ - End Distracted Driving resources

Jack Sullivan CSP

Dir. Of Training, Emergency Responder Safety Institute
 www.ResponderSafety.com 

Cell: 804-514-3766

[email protected]

And you can always reach us at [email protected]

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 many incidents just a little less scary and at the same time, made us better firefighters, career, volunteer, paid-on-call or WUI.

You will find the video versions of our podcasts on our YouTube® Channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” And our audio version can be found on our homepage of www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org or your favorite podcast platform.

And please don’t forget to leave a brief review on your podcast platform page for “5-Alarm Task Force!” and 5-Alarm Task Force Corp. on YouTube®.

Stay Safe & Stay Well and Let’s Make Sure Everyone Goes Home!

There is no doubt that Asst. Chief Jacob Johnson has had a well-experienced path in the fire service, starting as a 15-year-old “water boy” and “hanger-on” to learn as much about firefighting as possible. It wasn’t long before Jacob was climbing the department’s “ladder,” through the Katy Fire Department for approximately seven years. 

Then, the Pearland Fire Dept. started its “Growth Spurt” and Jacob decided that it was a place where one can learn, practice and drill to become a better firefighter and eventually, an officer. And after nearly 18 years, he was recently appointed as the Assistant Chief for Administrative Services with the Pearland Fire Dept. 

In our recent interview, Jacob and I discussed the multi-personnel “MAYDAY” occurrence in October 2023 at a working structure fire. One firefighter was severely injured, yet his colleagues rescued him in the nick of time. If you have or have not had a multi-faceted LODI or LODD in your department or even under your command, Chief Johnson shares insights that we all can learn and perhaps, even save a life with what you see/hear when you watch/listen.

Finally, the Pearland Fire Department has remained above many others by the targeted membership campaign the Department uses. As our mutual friend, Chief Tony Correia teaches, “It should be called “Retention & Recruitment!” Why? Because if we cannot keep our current members, how can we expect to attract new blood?” Listen as Chief Johnson shares the department’s goal to not only keep their crews they have now, but with a sixth station recently opening, to fill the shifts of various apparatus in that firehouse. As Chief Johnson teaches to his rookies, “Be a Nice Human Being.”

You will find the video versions of our podcasts on our YouTube® Channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp.” And our audio version can be found on our homepage of www.5-AlarmTaskForceCorp.org or your favorite podcast platform.

And please don’t forget to leave a brief review on the Platform page for “5-Alarm Task Force!”

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). 

 He is a Behavioral Health Specialist for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) working on projects such as the Taking Care of Our Own (TCOOO) course and the Uniformed Peer Support Program. He was recently hired as the Program Manager for the Vulnerability Assessment Program (VAP), an online risk assessment tool.   

Here are a few links to the programs that we discussed. Also, if you can list my foundation email ([email protected]) for anything NFFF-related. 

Taking Care of Our Own: https://www.firehero.org/fire-service-resources/taking-care-of-our-own/

Vulnerability Assessment Program: https://firevap.org/

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 “wherefores’” behind The Firehouse Tribune!

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 watch the video on our YouTube® channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.”) Chuck with present a version of his, “Revolutionizing Fire & EMS Retention & Recruitment: Harnessing the Power of Smartphone Video!” at the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association’s Fire Rescue Conference in Virginia, this month.

If you have a smartphone and you want to assist your department with retention and recruitment, you will not want to miss this episode of 5-Alarm Task Force!

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 to also have some of the best possible equipment available and…to be able to continue the fight into the night, when fixed-winger aerial aircraft could not fly. 

With the assistance of world-renowned of Coulson Aviation of Vancouver, BC in Canada, the counties leased refitted former military CH-47 Chinook helicopters into masterful firefighting weapons. Each helicopter can drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant or water in one drop. Using IR goggles, they can fly in the dark of night and hit their marks. This is a game changer. Tune in to learn how and why this came about and what it takes to make it work. And though your department may not be able to grab a Chinook helo, you might learn how your department can enhance your mutual aid pacts and why it is imperative to have them today!

As the holidays are here! 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! 

Photo © Coulson Aviation Inc. 

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. For the driver explained how easy it is to “be nice.”  We also discuss two key issues many departments are facing, regarding retention of current personnel and recruiting new ones. This conundrum is being faced by all facets of the fire service, career, volunteer, part-pay and WUI. 

For more information, please visit www.firehouse.com 

As the holidays are fast approaching, 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! 

Photo © and Courtesy of FIREHOUSE®

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 department with all the values that a recruit brings to the table. We should also look at the person’s mind, body and soul. 

Unlike the period from the early 1900’s through the late 1980’s, when the male children of firefighters often followed in their fathers’ line of work. (Except for many terrific children who lost family members in the tragedy of 9|11). Today, that is not as common and thus, we must make stronger efforts to bring in the men and women to join our ranks. And Dr. Baer posits that a better and more complete look at our recruits could very well brings us excellent candidates who “hear the calling” and want to serve their communities. 

To read Dr. Baer’s essay on this topic, please visit: https://drgamalielbaer.substack.com/p/dei-in-the-fire-service

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! 

Photo (C) & Courtesy of Montgomery County Fire Rescue/Flickr