FDNY Deputy Chief Inspector Kingsley Eze, a civilian manager in the Bureau of Fire Prevention found a civilian employee in cardiac arrest in the basement parking garage of the Department's headquarters on August 1, 2024. After calling 9-1-1 he was directed to begin compressions-only CPR, activating the first two steps in the chain of survival. Once first responders arrived on scene, paramedics Alexis Gonzalez and Youssef Al Hammami of Station 31 treated, stabilized and transported the patient to the hospital. In this episode of the FDNY Pro Podcast, Captain Randy Li invites all three members to the studio to discuss how providing advanced care quickly and efficiently helped save a life.

On May 1, 2024, FDNY members in Brooklyn responded to a fire that would challenge even the department's most experienced fire ground commanders. What would initially appear to be a minor roof fire involving an awning in front of a supermarket, quickly escalated into a serious multiple-alarm fire, ultimately involving five structures and requiring the equivalent of an eight-alarm assignment to bring under control. Deputy Assistant Chief Joseph Duggan and FDNY Chief of Special Operations Malcolm Moore join host Battalion Chief Jason Cascone for a conversation. 

In this episode of the FDNY Pro Podcast, we welcome Captain Bevonia Harrison of Station 38 in Brooklyn. With a nearly 20-year career with FDNY EMS and time in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Captain Harrison discusses her lifelong commitment to service and her passion for giving back in some of the busiest neighborhoods in the city. She explains how important it is to her to make an impact in a community that's not far from her childhood home, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fires occurring in duct systems require specific considerations, especially in high-rise buildings. They can spread throughout the duct system to the structure itself, which can lead to a tactically complex operation. These fires can be difficult to extinguish, depending on the extent of the system and the occupancy of the building. FDNY Battalion Chief Anthony Pascocello returns to the FDNY Pro Podcast to discuss best practices at these type fires.

Season 10 of the FDNY Pro Podcast starts with Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker discussing issues facing the Department, including a new push for federal legislation to regulate lithium-ion batteries, the formation of the City’s brush fire task force, EMS call volume, and utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to improve public safety. Battalion Chief Jason Cascone and Associate Commissioner Amanda Farinacci host.

We revisit conversations from our ninth season, including marking our 100th episode, of the FDNY Pro Podcast with host FDNY Deputy Chief Michael Barvels. During the 2024 season, pride and professionalism remains ever-present in FDNY training and operations, and continues to be reflected in the stories and lessons shared here on our podcast. We thank all the members who contributed this season as well as and reaffirm our commitment to offer resources to our peers in public safety and help save lives.

On January 16, 2024, FDNY members experienced an extreme fire event while operating at a residential building fire at 2162 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx. A fire in an apartment on the third floor of a six-story H-type New Law tenement extended into the public hallway, up the interior public stairwell, and blew fifteen feet out the roof bulkhead door.  

In this episode, host Battalion Chief Jason Cascone discusses this fascinating operation with Lt. Brian Currid and FF Rob Camaj from Ladder 33–the first due truck– and special guest Dr. Dan Madrzykowski, Senior Director of Research for the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes. 

An analysis of the fire concluded that the extreme fire behavior was caused by a combination of basic fire dynamics and combustible paint in the public hallway. A chain of openings—that included a failed fire-apartment window, the fire-apartment door and the roof-bulkhead door—created a low-intake, high-exhaust flow path.

Dr. Tony Shallash has had an extensive career in emergency medicine which gained momentum when, in 1974, he joined the first-ever paramedic class in New York City. Through a pilot program established by Dr. Sheldon Jacobson, the group trained at Jacobi Medical Center and graduated in August of that year. Dr. Shallash discusses his love for emergency medicine, becoming a paramedic, the first paramedic coordinator for New York City EMS, starting medical school in his forties, and finally coming back to the FDNY to work as a physician in the Office of Medical Affairs. Captain Randy Li hosts.

On September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, then Deputy Chief Thomas Galvin was working in the quarters of Division 3. In this episode, he speaks to host Captain John Ceriello about his experience that day – how he responded to ground zero, led the evacuation of the Marriott hotel, and survived the collapse of both towers. In the aftermath of 9/11, he explains how he helped rebuild the devastated Department, including aiding in the development of the FDNY’s first Incident Management Team (IMT) and running the FDNY Bureau of Training until 2015.

In the early evening hours of August 23, 2023, Lt. Kyle Van Nostrand (Station 44) and Station 39 Rescue Paramedics, Giovanni Cummings and Sharona Hagler, responded to a call for two unconscious pediatric patients who were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. In this episode, they discuss how they confronted this potentially deadly situation, which required immediate action and included a full evacuation of the patients’ four-story apartment building. Captain Randy Li hosts.