The challenges with recruiting and retaining firefighters is not limited to volunteer departments.  What can you do to attract and retain qualified firefighters?

York City (PA) Fire Chief Chad Deardorff and South Bend (IN) Assistant Chief John Corthier share their departments' challenges with recruitment and retention and how each has responded.

Topics addressed include:

Recruitment and retention challenges on the career sideInitiatives for improving recruitment and retentionResults and lessons learnedStrategies to engage and retain current and future generations

The process of assessing risk, matching it with strategic resources, and measuring outcomes, is a key expectation of the modern day fire service executive. Chief Michael O'Brian, Brighton Fire Area Authority (Michigan) and Retired Deputy Chief Mike Cox, Henrico County (Virginia) discuss the elements and value of a comprehensive community risk reduction program and the opportunities it can create.

Issues and topics to be addressed:

Differences between CRR and traditional fire preventionWhat's on the CRR horizon and how fire chiefs can prepareUsing GIS to align strategic resources and improve outcomesSuccess stories of departments integrating GIS and risk reductionLow-cost analytic tools for departments with limited resources

First responders focus is on rescuing others, but who is rescuing our rescuers?  In this episode, Retired Assistant Chief Todd LeDuc, Broward County Sheriff's Office (Florida) and Chief of Fire and Emergency Services Dan Kerrigan, Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) discuss a holistic approach to improving physical and emotional wellness of our first responders. Topics covered include:

Best practices for fire departments regarding physicalsRegarding NFPA 1582 are there things missing that should be doneHow to develop “buy in” from firefighters to do better medical surveillanceWhat fire chiefs need to know about functional fitnessSteps and best practices that everyone can be doing

Resources referenced on the podcast:

IAFC Cancer Prevention ResourcesEmergency Services Roadmap to Health and WellnessA Positive Approach to Ensuring Mental WellnessHealthcare Provider's Guide to Firefighter PhysicalsFSTAResearch.org

Ready to pursue your Executive Fire Officer (EFO) certification? Tonya Hoover, Superintendent at the National Fire Academy, discusses the big changes coming to the EFO program in early 2020. Changes include:

residential courses and blended online learning from home or workprogram shortened from 4 years to 24 monthscohort learning that allows for groups of students to take EFO classes together.completion of a graduate-level thesis as opposed to four Applied Research Projects.

You'll also hear from Deputy Chief William Hyde, Rogers (Arkansas) and IAFC EFO Section Vice Chair, who shares how these changes benefit chief officers both personally and also their departments.

Your first 100 days as fire chief are a critical time to make a positive impression and to lay a meaningful foundation for the future.  Having a 100-day plan before you take over is the first step to being successful.

Fire Chiefs John Butler, Fairfax County (Virginia) and Al Yancey, Jr., Minooka (Illinois) Fire Protection District share their personal experiences and resources available to help for new chiefs successfully navigate the first 100 days.  Topics to be addressed:

Identifying and aligning political, administrative and operational expectationsMaking sure your first impression is a foundational building block for the futureLaying the ground work for a sustainable and enhanced vision for the organizationUnderstanding the acceleration of change and ensuring things can be absorbedDealing with cultural challenges within the organization

Chief Yancey also previews, You're the Fire Chief; Now What? -- Guidance for New & Interim Chiefs, a new guide for new chiefs taking the reins of an entire organization which approaches the transition in a format of incident command and the first-100-days method.

The path to becoming fire chief is often challenging and unpredictable.  With that in mind, how can you best prepare to become a five-bugle chief?  

Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Chief Trisha Wolford and Prince William County (Virginia) Chief (Retired) Mary Beth Michos  share their experiences and address key elements of preparation, including: 

formal education/training,political and policy development skills and experience,public speaking and communication, work history and reputation, teachable potential, succession planning and job shadowing participation. 

Chief Michos also discusses the IAFC's Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI), a program which prepares aspiring chiefs to apply for and go through promotion and chief position processes.

This year’s Safety Stand Down theme is “Reduce Your Exposure: It’s Everybody’s Responsibility”.  The campaign takes place June 16-22 and focuses on firefighters educating themselves, their physicians, and their coworkers about job-related risks; sharing the latest information on exposure to carcinogens, including how to limit exposure; and providing best practices and resources for reducing the risk of cancer to firefighters. 

On this podcast, Fire Chief Nathan Trauernicht, UC Davis (CA) and Fire Chief (Ret.) Louie Bright, Dallas (TX) Fire and Rescue, share their experiences addressing firefighter cancer and strategies they employed to reduce this risk. They also will review the tools and resources available at SafetyStandDown.org.

Safety Stand Down is coordinated by the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section and the NVFC, and is supported by national and international fire and emergency service organizations, including NFPA.