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This week on the B Shifter Podcast, Josh Blum and Johsn Vance are joined by Steven S. Sarver, Assistant Chief of Operations with the Monroe Fire Department (OH). Chief Sarver breaks down his department’s response to three separate incidents at a 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center, sharing hard-earned command lessons from complex, high-risk events. He explains how Blue Card principles—especially lessons reinforced in the Big Box Workshop—helped drive effective decision-making, coordination, and successful outcomes in a challenging big-box environment.

We unpack how a 1.3 million square foot Amazon facility fire was held by sprinklers and managed by disciplined command. We share what changed across three incidents, why pumping the FDC is non-negotiable, and how preplans, tech, and patience keep crews safe.

• department profile, coverage area, staffing
• mutual aid setup across two counties
• Amazon facility design, hazards, commodities
• alarm upgrade logic and high-hazard card
• attack team, on-deck, roof report essentials
• FDC and fire pump priorities, water supply
• ESFR head performance and stream discipline
• locating seat with TICs, video, drones
• evacuation confirmation and search mindset
• riser maps, zone isolation, shutdown language
• forklift-led overhaul and safety
• AAR process, lessons learned, SOP updates
• training resources, workshops, and standards

“Hook up, pump up, and let the system run.”

This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix on December 10, 2025.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

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This episode features Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison, and John Vance.

We push past acronyms and politics to center customer service as the fire service’s true north, linking training, staffing, and culture to outcomes for Mrs. Smith. We call out FINO departments, hazing, weak command presence, and political gamesmanship that erode trust and increase risk.

• customer service as the organizing principle for chiefs and unions
• training tied to standard problem-solving outcomes
• tactics anchored to life safety through fire control
• FINO departments and response time realities
• overtime, constant staffing, and budget politics
• using mayday and fatality data to defend night staffing
• on-scene education to convert angry customers to allies
• hazing, misconduct, and decisive leadership in crises
• NIOSH lessons, lawsuits, and predictable, preventable failures
• inside–outside culture alignment and whistleblower safety
• influence over control as a leadership stance

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This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix on December 4, 2025.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

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This episode features Josh Blum, Scott Williams and John Vance.

Sample Roadway incident SOG: https://bshifter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sample-Roadway-Incident-SOG-December-2025.pdf

Traffic Incident Management Training Here

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter

Contact Scott Williams here.

We dig into why roadway incidents are an IDLH and how to protect crews with smart blocking, better PPE, and interagency alignment. Case studies from Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, and Lubbock anchor the lessons and lead to concrete steps any department can use today.

• Applying a fireground risk model to highways 
• The Ohio near miss  
• Springdale LODD, grief, and culture change 
• Lubbock fatalities and helmet side-impact protection 
• Best-practice blocking and positioning 
• Send more apparatus, leave together, clear quick 
• TIM training options and regional coordination 
• Breakaway ANSI vests, rescue helmets, seat belts 
• Assigning a lookout and marine horn alerts 
• Digital alerting with HAAS Alert Safety Cloud 
• Writing, teaching, and enforcing the roadway SOP 
• Accountability, buy-in, and police partnerships

About Scott Williams: 

Scott has been in the fire service for 30 years and is a certified Ohio State Fire and Emergency Service Instructor II and a Live Fire Instructor.  He is a Blue Card Instructor, a national registered paramedic, and a trained IAFF Peer Supporter.  He is the Assistant Fire Chief for the Springdale Fire Department (OH).  He has served the City of Springdale for 23 years and held the ranks of Firefighter/Paramedic, Chief Fire Inspector, and Fire Captain prior to his current position.

He oversees the operations of the fire department and develops the department’s standard operating guidelines.  Chief Williams is always looking to better himself and the fire service.  He believes in continuous improvement of fireground skills and operations through regular and consistent training.  He is known for his honest approach and teaching others through his first-hand experiences.

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The Silverbacks are in the studio this week, talking about "who is training the Senior Advisor?"

This episode features Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison, and John Vance.

We dig into the senior advisor’s real job on the fireground, why command vans work when they’re quiet and disciplined, and how multi-channel operations keep tactics moving while logistics and safety hum in the background. Stories from Phoenix show how training, structure, and clear roles turn chaos into control.

• Command evolution from lone IC to five-person team
• Senior advisor scope across logistics and safety
• Protecting the command post from distraction and drift
• Two- and three-channel setups for tactics, logistics and safety
• Staging flow, resource rosters and timely CAN reports
• Aligning training with operations for consistent outcomes
• Handling stakeholders by phone, not on the tactical channel
• Small-system playbook for staffing senior advisors
• Long-game risks: demob, rehab, PIO and political impacts
• Culture: dealing with brick throwers and enforcing alignment

Buy “Timeless Tactical Truths from Alan Brunacini” at bshifter.com in our store for only $10!

This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix on November 5, 2025.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter

Thanks for listening - please subscribe and give us your support! 

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A Conversation with Captain Jarrett Tarver

This powerful episode features Captain Jarrett Tarver of the Sedona Fire District, brother of the late Bret Tarver, Phoenix Firefighter, whose ultimate sacrifice shaped how departments nationwide approach the hazard zone. 

Joined by Chris Stewart and John Vance, Jarrett reflects on his brother’s life, the day of the call, and how loss became a driving force for better training, stronger systems, and a culture that prioritizes bringing everyone home.

Candid and packed with real leadership takeaways, this episode honors the Tarver legacy while offering practical lessons every firefighter and officer can use.

In this episode:
• Who Bret was as a brother, father, husband, and firefighter
• The family’s path into the fire service
• The day of the call and its lasting impact
• Turning grief into change and action
• Tactical U-turns, risk management, and the courage to adapt
• Blue Card as a shared language and system for safe operations
• Mayday discipline, air management, and depth limits
• Company officer mindset — trust over micromanagement
• Supporting ICs after tough calls
• Brunacini’s timeless lesson on tactical agility

👉 For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: waldorf.edu/blue-card

👉 Free command and leadership resources: bshifter.com

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Please subscribe, share, and honor Bret’s legacy by leading with purpose.

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This episode features Josh Blum, Chris Stewart and John Vance.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter

Please subscribe and share. Thank you for listening!

We challenge the way departments choose, vet, and apply training, separating hype from systems that improve outcomes. We show how to align classes with staffing, model procedures, and building realities, and how to turn outside lessons into standard practice without chaos.

• lifelong learning mindset and clear standards
• distinction between training skills and education why
• vetting instructors and course foundations before purchase
• handling self-funded training and knowledge reentry
• engaging disengaged chiefs through lead-up conversations
• top-down accountability for real participation in drills
• limits of copying big brother departments and tactics
• big box strategy focused on systems and risk management
• practical RIT priorities: prevention, air, orientation, extrication
• evidence-based command training and instructor credibility

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The Silverbacks are in the studio this week talking about The Fire Department Mission Statement. 

This episode features Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison, Pat Dale, and John Vance.

We trade long, forgettable mission statements for simple words that drive decisions: be safe, be nice, be accountable. Stories from the field show how clarity anchors culture, justifies resources, and holds leaders and crews to the same standard.

• why short missions beat wordy statements
• aligning SOPs, training and gear with be safe
• defining be nice for crews and customers
• accountability as care for people and system
• staffing, survivability and telling hard truths up the chain
• the work as a non‑political north star
• risk management plans that everyone knows and uses
• training as continuous, not one and done
• enforcing values from probationer to chief

Make sure to subscribe and tell your friends.

This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix on October 27, 2025.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter

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This episode features Josh Blum, Chris Stewart and John Vance.

Sign up for the Blue Card Webinar (free!): NFPA 1700: Guide to Structural Firefighting — Why Does It Matter to an IC? Here: https://streamyard.com/watch/C4bNT3WgfnWU

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter

Please subscribe and share. Thank you for listening!

We lay out what IC 1 must own, what IC 2 must enforce, and why fitness for duty includes training, standards, and honest evaluation. Other highlights include:
• expectations for first‑due company officers as IC1
• training to a published command standard
• fitness for duty across physical, mental, and procedural readiness
• acting officers trained to the same bar as promoted officers
• chiefs enforcing the IAP and ending free‑lancing
• NFPA 1700 as a practical guide for tactics and search
• building a deep bench and stopping target‑moving
• focusing the station and cutting distractions
• using the eight functions of command end‑to‑end

Make sure to subscribe and tell your friends to listen to the B Shifter Podcast!

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This week, we’re joined by two outstanding guests: Erik Phillips, Captain with Las Vegas Fire & Rescue (Nev.) and Fire Chief of Diamond Valley Fire Department (Utah), and Gary Fleischer, District Chief with Worcester (Mass.) Fire Department.

Together, we challenge first-in officers to own their role with clear expectations, disciplined size-ups, and early, coordinated assignments outside the IDLH. We dive into the culture of training, monitoring, and accountable improvement—and how Blue Card turns noise into command during the first five minutes.

You’ll hear stories, tools, and drills on:
• Defining first-due ownership and IC-1 expectations
• Using preplans and everyday calls as micro preplans
• Turning smoke detector checks into high-yield life safety work
• The four-step model: expectation, training, monitoring, accountability
• Level 1 staging as a tool, not a delay
• Eliminating freelancing and duplication of effort
• Building judgment through radio reps and tactical decision games
• Using AARs, hot washes, and audio reviews for continuous improvement
• Reinforcing culture to avoid accidental success and drift
• And a timeless tactical truth: See before you speak

Tune in, train hard, and lead with clarity.
Sign up for the Buckslip newsletter and grab free IC resources at bshifter.com

We want your helmet (for the AVB CTC)! Check this out to find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg5_ZwoCZo0

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

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Waldorf University articulates Blue Card training into credits! More here: https://waldorf.edu/lp/blue-card/

Please subscribe and share. Thank you for listening!

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We want your helmet (for the AVB CTC)! Check this out to find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg5_ZwoCZo0

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter

Waldorf University articulates Blue Card training into credits! More here: https://waldorf.edu/lp/blue-card/

Please subscribe and share. Thank you for listening!

We share practical ways to build, lose, and rebuild trust inside a fire department, from consistent leadership and empowerment to acting on what you already know. We talk candidly about naming problems, guarding policy boundaries with data, and turning hard lessons into shared learning.

• conference highlights and thanks from Cincinnati
• upcoming NFPA 1700 webinar details and timing
• why trust collapses and how morale affects service
• consistency and candor as leadership basics
• empowerment and safety as trust multipliers
• listening for themes and sensing authenticity
• naming the problem and taking timely action
• fixing low-hanging fruit to build credibility
• guarding high-risk policies with data and presence
• debriefs, hot washes, and shared learning

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