Latosha Clemons, chief of Forest Park (GA) Fire and Emergency Services, joins Lisa Baker, Women in Fire's Southwest Trustee, to share a look back at Clemons's 30-year career for this episode of Women in Fire. Clemons details her personal journey from probationary firefighter to battalion chief, deputy, and now chief. They discuss staffing, line-of-duty death response, mental health, and why mentorship and professional development matter. Clemons acknowledges the value of national searches, the realities of municipal budgeting, and how employee recognition goes a long way. She also shares practical advice for promoting and developing leaders and empowering young women.

Want to learn how to close the generational gap in the fire service? In this week's Humpday Hangout, the panel welcomes Creston Ludlow to unpack the hidden curriculum in the fire service. They detail how unspoken expectations, traditions, and communication styles often leave new firefighters confused and create generational fiction. The panel offers advice on how to have honest conversations, appoint humble leadership, and build trust faster than trial-by-fire criticism. They emphasize the importance of closing the gap between generations while keeping firefighters safe, competent, and committed.

In this episode of Two Vollies and a Guest, hosts Jerry Knapp and Tim Pillsworth welcome veteran firefighter Jeff Shupe to discuss the importance of "senior man." They explore how experienced firefighters preserve departmental knowledge, enforce the chain of command, and mentor younger crew members. They cover practical culture-building steps: story time on drill night, after-action reviews, standardized SOGs, engine and hoseline fundamentals, and tapping trade expert volunteers. 

For this episode of The Backstep Boys, hosts Ron Kanterman and Tom Aurnhammer welcome fire service veterans Doug Cline and Stephen Shaw. Together they assess a troubling trend: healthy, capable captains and chiefs retiring after just 20 years. While many blame the younger generation, they argue that the real culprits are administrative fatigue, shifting community politics, and the relentless mental load of hypervigilance. The panel highlights a widespread lack of transition planning for life outside of the station. 

Hosts Todd Edwards and Anthony Rowett welcome Candace Ashby to this episode of Generation Engine. Ashby discusses her 36-year career, breaking down how standard certifications fail to train actual officers, and arguing that the push for agreeable leadership undermines necessary accountability. They discuss confronting administrative disconnects to ditching formal paperwork for honest, face-to-face discipline, challenging conventional fire service culture.

For this episode of Fire Service Court, John K. Murphy breaks down critical legal issues facing the fire service: 

1. Discrimination in hiring and promotion.

2. Wage compliance.

3. Disability.

4. Medical fitness drug policy.

5. First Amendment limits on free speech.

6. Off-duty conduct. 

He provides practical steps and encourages taking a proactive approach in matters of legal protection.

Hosts Rick Lasky and John Salka talk search on this episode of The Command Post. The hosts debate and weigh the risks, arguing that while fires have dropped, civilian home-fire deaths have risen. They dismantle safety as an excuse, telling others to search. And they remind chiefs to balance risk with the mission. Lasky and Salka explore tactics such as crawl low, check smoke, close doors, expect victims, and encourage first responders to make search a practiced skill.

Host Tom Merrill welcomes Rob Reardon to lay out practical social media strategies every fire department needs on this episode of Professional Volunteer Fire Department. Reardon, a former TV reporter turned fire chief, explains how departments use social platforms to build trust, recruit personnel, defend budgets, and control the narrative during incidents. They give concrete advice about how to engage your audience, what makes a good photo, and what tagging is all about. 

Host Anthony Kastros welcomes members of the Redwood City (CA) Fire Department to walk through a complex, heavily involved apartment fire on Memorial Day. They detail arriving on scene of a three-story occupancy with fire extended over the roofline, establishing a transitional attack off a hydrant located within 100 feet, coordinating interior searches, and completing multiple rescues. 

Guests include: 

This podcast is brought to you by Tablet Command. www.tabletcommand.com/get-started-lp

In this episode of In the Books, David Rhodes sits down with retired Fire Chief Jerry Streich to talk about a critical but often overlooked challenge in the fire service: managing difficult people.

Drawing from decades of leadership—and a powerful personal experience that shaped his perspective—Streich shares insights on toxic behavior, workplace culture, and the people skills every firefighter and officer need but rarely gets trained on.

🔥 In this episode:

📘 Dealing with Difficult People is available now at FireEngineeringBooks.com 

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