Firehouse

Peter Matthews talks with Victor Stagnaro talks about taking over the CEO role at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), which he assumed last year, after more than two decades of having Ron Siarnicki create and lead the organization tapped to honor America’s fallen firefighters while taking care of their survivors.  

 Stagnaro highlights several of the programs that NFFF offers, including the annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial Weekend, training programs aimed to prevent firefighter deaths, injuries and provide mental health support while offering peer-to-peer support for LODD incidents. For the families of those who have died, and their organizations, Stagnaro looks at the memorable and meaning impacts they have on survivors.   

 They discuss what the NFFF is working on today, what to expect from the 20th anniversary of the Firefighter Life Safety Summit and how firefighters can get involved with them. Whether it’s supporting or organizing a stair climb, attending training or working at the annual memorial weekend, Stagnaro shares how each level of involvement humbles firefighters. 

Resources 

Peter Matthews talks with Scott Richardson about how he manages the special operations and line support teams for South Metro Fire Rescue, which covers over 300 square miles of diverse terrain in Colorado with myriad of unique response scenarios. Under Richardson’s command is the department’s technical rescue resources, wildland and ARFF crews, dispatch and apparatus and equipment maintenance teams.

Richardson explains how each group ensures they have a dedicated command and training staff so each discipline is trained to handle a scenario that they may be called to, including the many disciplines of technical rescue. He talks about the budgets process, as well as ensuring each group had the equipment they need to respond.

When it comes to command technical rescue incidents, Richardson shares his perspectives on the unique challenges of these changing incidents and how they not only respond to fire and rescue emergencies but coordinate with law enforcement and other agencies to ensure life safety.

Resources 

South Metro Fire Rescue website 

South Metro Fire Rescue YouTube 

Peter Matthews talks with Daniel DeYear, a recently retired deputy chief from Dallas Fire-Rescue, about his work involving LODD investigations in Texas and how it relates to the often contentious discussions on firefighter safety and fire service culture.  

DeYear outlines a 144-day period in which his team investigated nearly 20 firefighter deaths – all from fireground operations – including the West, TX, explosion and Houston’s Southwest Inn fire. During his career in Dallas, he lost almost two dozen colleagues in the line of duty, including his rookie school partner and one of his academy instructors, all of which has led DeYear to connect the dots and champion efforts to ensure those patterns are reduced.  

DeYear discusses why firefighters tend to focus on being aggressive on the fireground, without being aggressive with education and knowledge building to lead you to make the right decisions. 

Resources 

• Hidden Dangers, Hidden Secrets 

• Daniel DeYear’s Firehouse bio and contributions  

• ChiefDeYear.com 

• Connect with Daniel DeYear on LinkedIn 

• FireFusion 

• Station Design Conference 

Peter Matthews talks with Gilt Edge, TN, Fire Chief Brandon Fletcher about the challenges facing today’s volunteer fire service, plus an innovative program to help retain existing members.  

Fletcher outlines some of the top factors that are impacting the rolls and operations of departments today, including a dive into volunteer-focused leadership, politics and personalities and how to keep members engaged, whether on calls or training. He digs into several challenges that he’s seen firsthand and has learned from others. He goes on to share a program he implemented that allows for grant funding to bring members to national training conferences that not only improves their knowledge and networking but serves as a reward for their dedication to the department. 

Fletcher also talks about his experiences as a family escort for the annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, MD. He has had the honor of escorting the families of the fallen throughout the memorial weekend events for three years, and he explains how that has impacted him as a fire chief, ensuring that his members do all they can to stay safe. 

Resources 

• Volunteer View: Alternative Funding Sources to Enhance Department Operations 

• Volunteer View: Retention Through Leadership 

• Brandon Fletcher’s Firehouse contributor page 

• Connect with Brandon Fletcher on LinkedIn 

• FireFusion 

• Station Design Conference 

• National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend   

Peter Matthews talks with Daniel Byrne, Laura Konor and Ben Shearer about new approaches to Community Risk Reduction (CRR) and fire prevention in 2024, and what has changed with public outreach since COVID-19. Byrne is an assistant chief with the Burton, SC, Fire District, Kondor is fire safety coordinator for the North Charleston, SC, Fire Department and Shearer is community risk reduction specialist with the Pasco, WA, Fire Department. 

They discuss how COVID-19 impacted the fire service’s reach in-person reach, whether through in-school visits, open houses, or community events and how that created a shift to digital learning. Since then, some departments have had more requests than ever from the community, forcing them to select the groups they meet with to talk about life safety. 

The group shares advice for Fire Prevention Week success and year-round outreach concept that help fire departments connect with their communities at multiple levels. The three talk about how they have partnered with organizations and used fire department data to target education to certain groups, and close out the show with CRR wins and losses from their views. 

Ben Shearer

Laura Kondor

Daniel Byrne

Resources 

Fire Prevention Week  

Peter Matthews talks with Capt. Ragan Underwood from the St. George, LA, Fire Department about a close call he had during a training burn where he was caught the flow path and was trapped in the home when the incident commander radioed for crews to leave the structure. 

Underwood, a veteran instructor and member of the Insight Training cadre, was taking part in a live fire training at a home in Illinois when he sent crews out of the home and went to cool down the fire before exiting. The fire took off and he was caught in the fire and got disoriented and suffered from exposure to serious heat around his hood and SCBA facepiece.  

While he was trying to find his way out and could hear the RIT crew making progress toward his location, command pulled crews out of the house saying it was too far gone, leaving Underwood in the home as conditions worsened. At that moment, his life changed, and he reflects on what happened after that. 

Underwood shares how careful communications and breathing techniques can help calm a firefighter during a mayday, and what officers should know about this situation. He explains how this incident changed his approach to training and operations and what he shares with those back home and when he’s on the road teaching. 

Resources 

• FireFusion 

Peter Matthews talks with Brian Gettemeier, a captain with the Cottleville Fire Protection District in St. Charles County, MO, about fires in warehouses, including sprawling ecommerce facilities that are being built in communities large and small. 

Gettemeier began instructing and writing on the topic of the dangers and challenges on warehouse fires after seeing several fires in such facilities that caused multi-million dollar loses and smaller fires that were contained by sprinklers as fires break out in rural and urban areas. 

They talk about the dangers revolving around rack storage, the heavy fire loads and types of products that are being stored, worker and firefighter life safety and accountability and other tactical considerations, including initial and long-term resources, apparatus placement and the need for a strong water supply. 

Gettemeier also looks at the role of the initial incident commander, the need for a 360-degree size-up and establishing an in-depth incident command post if the scope of the incident requires it. In order to prepare for such incidents, the departments need to begin preplanning and walk-throughs as soon as possible. 

He also touches on the need understanding a department’s liability when these facilities come to you community, which often begins with the fire chief or fire marshal starting the discussions from the early stages related to building and life safety codes. 

Resources 

Brian Gettemeier’s Firehouse bio page & articles  

FM Global Firefighter Training  

FM Global Fireground Checklist  

FireFusion 

Peter Matthews talks with Capt. Sean Eagen from the Buffalo, NY, Fire Department about his role as a company officer and commander, plus how today’s busy fire service can stay motivated through tough times. Eagen shares leadership advice and crew management ideas, including the ability to communicate with groups across multiple platforms.

Eagen, coming from a busy city in the urban rust belt of America, talks about the ways to keep firefighters motivated, despite equipment troubles, city politics and budgets and busy shifts. Despite the challenges, he reminds firefighters they signed up to do the job, no matter what the situation they face.

He shares tips on how to create training opportunities and pass along streets smarts, whether it’s 1 p.m. or 2 a.m., especially to help the large number of newer firefighters on the street engaged and educated.

Resources:

• Sean Eagen’s Firehouse bio page & articles

Peter Matthews talks with Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company Chief James “Jay” Jester about how to survive the promotion to company officer. They talk about the common and surprising challenges news officers face and how to prepare for the new rank, where their responsibility grows as they supervise crews.  

Jester shares how officers, whether from volunteer or career fire companies, become an integral part of the department’s structure both in the station and on the fireground. He outlines some of the most important traits new officers should have, skills they should already be well versed in and what key elements they can study to prepare for on their leadership journey.  

The transition from buddy to boss is explored, often causing some unexpected challenges for new officers and he shares advice on how to move past that situation, plus understanding the responsibility an officer has to their firefighter’s families.  

The two also talk about mental health for firefighters and the officer’s role in monitoring their members, plus mayday training and the importance of setting a list of situations that require a mayday being called.  

Resources 

James Jester’s Firehouse bio page & articles  

From Buddy to Boss by Chase Sargent  

Peter Matthews talks with Reading, PA, firefighter Jesiah Newsome about the importance of keeping training both motivational and inspiring, especially for younger firefighters. They also discuss how a big hurdle in today’s training is the ego of instructors, and how they can lead to negative experiences.  

Newsome explains the need to create a positive learning environment from rookie school, throughout their career. He is also a deputy chief with the Blandon Fire Company in Berks County, PA, and both a state and national fire service, sharing his experiences from each role on this podcast. 

He approaches the fire service with the manta, “You can either bitch about it, or fix it” and explains how you can move yourself and the department forward by ensuring you have the desire to learn, and help others strengthen their skillsets. 

Newsome says those who aspire to have a meaningful career, whether volunteer and career, need to short- and long-term goals and offers insight into his goals to provide listeners with concepts they can adapt. 

Resources 

• Frank Leeb’s Firehouse Expo 2022 Keynote Address