The National Fire Academy is the home of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial; hallowed ground for any firefighter. To borrow a phrase from President Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA (just 12 miles north of the NFA), the memorial on the NFA campus reminds us “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.”

While Bill was at the National Fire Academy for two weeks in Emmitsburg, Maryland this last August, he sat down with Eriks Gabliks, the Superintendent of the National Fire Academy. They talked about what the National Fire Academy is, what it isn’t, just how you start out as a volunteer firefighter and end up as superintendent, some of the more popular myths about the campus, why every firefighter should attend a class there at least once, and, of course, we give Eriks The Questions.

On June 6, 2021, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Smith gave his life while saving others who got caught in a rip current off the Alabama shore. Two of our podcast crew (Shane and Bill V.) worked for Bill Smith for years before Bill retired as Deputy Chief of Operations for Dekalb County and went on to his second career in law enforcement. Receiving the news that Bill died while saving others was a shock to both of them, but not a surprise since that was very much who Bill Smith was.

Last fall, Bill Smith sent Shane and (Combustible) Bill an article about the former Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel A. Dailey’s leadership tips. We’ve decided for this episode, as a tribute to Bill Smith, that we would discuss each leadership tip one at a time.

So, this episode is dedicated to Bill Smith, one of the best firefighters and best leaders Shane and Bill ever knew. And a true “Battle Buddy.”

As is the case with many of our episodes, we didn’t set out to make an episode about this. It actually was just a spirited conversation that we were having when we realized we should hit the record button.

Is it better to be liked or respected? What is the relationship between the two? And what are the advantages of being liked, respected, or even both? Can you truly be both?

How do we as firefighters deal with luck? How honest are we about what part luck plays in our successes? More specifically, how much do we count on the same luck at our next fire?

That’s where we start anyway, and we don’t exactly see eye to eye about it in the beginning. But that discussion moves to a very open conversation about how we evaluate our performance on fire scenes, and the process by which each of us thinks we should be judging ourselves.

You make the case that you’re the best person for the next step up; only you don’t get chosen. What do you do then? When does a natural amount of disappointment turn into an unhealthy perception of being slighted? How hard is it to get behind the person who got promoted instead of you? And what about those folks who choose to burn the organization down when they aren’t promoted?

In this episode, we discuss what we each personally have done after not getting chosen, what we wish we did better after past promotional disappointments, and how we each hope to process disappointments that are in our futures.

For this episode, we talk with “backstep” Firefighter Austin Kohler, who is only a few years into his career in the fire service. We ask him what he enjoys about the job, and what he didn’t expect about it. And about halfway through, we give Austin the upper-hand and let him ask us questions like:

• How do you perfect your craft in a position without the upper echelon thinking you’re a “turd” for not wanting to move up?

• Who was the best Driver Operator you ever worked with? And what’s the difference between a good Driver and a great Driver?

• How much talking on the radio is too much?

• How do you motivate older firefighters with a bad case of “Don’t-give-a-damns”?

• What is Blue Card? (from a previous episode)

For this episode, we talk with “backstep” Firefighter Austin Kohler, who is only a few years into his career in the fire service. We ask him what he enjoys about the job, and what he didn’t expect about it. And about halfway through, we give Austin the upper-hand and let him ask us questions like: How do you perfect your craft in a position without the upper echelon thinking you're a “turd” for not wanting to move up? Who was the best Driver Operator you ever worked with? And what’s the difference between a good Driver and a great Driver? How much talking on the radio is too much? How do you motivate older firefighters with a bad case of “Don’t-give-a-damns”? And What is Blue Card? (from a previous episode)

The book Leadership On The Line says a plan “is no more than today’s best guess.” So why do some in our profession get so attached to their plan that they can’t see when their plan has lost all chance to succeed?

In this episode, we sit down with Louie Bruno to talk about planning and preparation. Louie’s experiences in Technical Rescue for the last eight years have given him some valuable insight into the merits of planning, as well as the benefits of knowing when to pivot and rely on your preparation instead.

What you’re about to hear wasn’t really ever intended to be an episode. It was a side conversation that took place during a recording session in December 2019 that we just happened to record. We sat on it for over a year, but we’ve decided it’s something others should hear. It’s about what to do with a great idea before you try to implement it, and how your “great” idea can be even better. It first has to be exposed to the crucible of “The Tenth Man” -- a process like forging iron that will subject your idea to enormous heat, pounding from all different directions, bending, re-heating, more pounding, quenching, and tempering so you end up with an idea that can withstand daily use and just might change the world.

(Then) Lt. Colonel Hal Moore during the Battle of Ia Drang, 1965 in Vietnam.

We’re issuing all of our listeners a challenge in 2021. It’s only nine minutes long, but the effects could last for many years to come if you’re willing to take us up on it.