Please Suck Less

This month i sit down with Stephanie White. We discuss CBD in the fire service, the kitchen table, keeping a heathy shift and changing the culture by looking at the past.

We are firefighters, our job is to go into burning buildings and put fires out. It seems we have steered away from our past culture of being aggressive firefighters and morphed into a culture of safety. We need to steer the fire service back to the 70's and 80's and be the firefighters the public counts on us to be.

Our newest rookies are coming into this job ready to be aggressive, we must teach them and drill it into their heads, we are firefighters our job has inherent risk, and we accept that risk to get the job done. Teach them right make them firefighters.

Tactical Considerations for Garden Apartment Fires

One of the more complex fires we are faced with is fires in garden apartments. This month I welcome back Capt. Bobby Eckert of the Camden New Jersey Fire Department. Bobby and I dig deep into the subject.

Garden Apartments are in all areas of the country. Firefighters must be proactive and preplan these structures before the alarm is ever answered. Take advantage of running non fire calls in these buildings and get the layout of the complex and the individual apartment units. This preplan will pay dividends when you pull up to a job at 3am.

Bobby and I discuss:

• ·      Pulling long lines
• ·      Laddering the building
• ·      Apparatus placement
• ·      Command considerations
• ·      Building construction
• ·      Fire spread

Small fire can grow and spread quickly if engine and truck companies are not aggressive with their tactics.

This month I ask the questions, why are people reluctant to make decisions? How do we overcome the fear of making a decision on the fireground? what tools can we use to help people to make quick decisions with less than perfect information.
I enlist the help of Deputy Chief Shane Darwick. Shane is a longtime friend, mentor, and teacher. Shane can keep calm, filter out the external noise and distraction on chaotic emergency incident and instill command presence. Shane offers over 40 years of experiences in the fire service to answer my questions on the art of decision making.

This month I sit down with my boys RJ and Sam. we talk tactics, learning new things, keeping your emotions in check and dealing with the dreaded word, change! It was great to just freestyle the conversation.

This month I speak with Steve Jones. Steve retired from Montgomery County MD as the Operations Deputy Chief. Steve and I have known each other for many years. We both started as High School Cadets for the fire department. Steve talks about his career in the fire service and what he learned along the way. He used what he learned as he progressed through the ranks to the number 2 spot in the county. 

Steve has the old school mentality when it comes to firefighting and lives by the simple philosophy, treat people how you want to be treated. 

Steve shows no signs of slowing down. He accepted the position, Fire Administrative Manager in Dover Delaware. Steve will be the first career leader in this new combination system.

In this episode I talk with Battalion Chief Rafael Gibson. Chief Gibson is  assigned to the Training Academy in Montgomery County Maryland.

As chiefs we demand our people to train every day and be the best. Your people expect you to be equally trained to be the best.

Chief Gibson discusses the new line officers training program, the advancements in command officers command competency program and continuing professional development. 

For more information on these programs contact Chief Gibson at [email protected] 

In this episode I sit down with my dad Mike Kerr. We discuss the fire service back in the day and how it has changed. My dad tells his story about his love of the fire service as a kid and how he got started as a volunteer in Prince Georges County in Greenbelt, to becoming a career firefighter with the DCFD as a Tillerman at T12. 
Our family moved from Prince Georges County to Montgomery County, where he became a volunteer with the Burtonsville Vol. Fire Dept. He moved through the volunteer ranks and eventually became the longest serving chief. He honed his leadership skills and became a respected Chief through the county. 

This month I had the pleasure to speak to Asst. Chief Siddiq. We discussed a lot of topics.

Change in the fire service is hard and you will be met with resistance if you try to go big right away. The key is to start small, get buy from those closest to you. Be honest with your reason for change.

Making decisions will come easier through training. Members will gain confidence with their skills and feel at ease making decisions. Let you firefighters plan and run drills.

Finally, as a senior member of your organization you need to train you subordinates to one day move into your position. This new generation will want to know the reasons why we do the things we do. Take the time to explain and be patient, remember you were the new guy once.

This month I have Stephnie White back on the show. We discuss the new firefighters coming into the service. Are they too soft or are we projecting our rookie time onto them and is that fair?

We discussed station members' expectations of seinor staff and vice versa. 

if station members run for cover when the chiefs come to the station, the chiefs have a huge communication issue. we discussed how to overcome that communication gap.

This month I welcome back Dr. Shelly Wheeler. Shelly is a Captain assigned to the training academy in Montgomery County Maryland. Shelly and I talk about how to make morale good in the fire service, foster a culture where firefighter make decision and prepare them for the next step in their careers. Start the officer prep the moment firefighters come off probation and continue until they sit for their first promotional exam.