Station 34

On Episode 3 of Station 34, we talk with Chief Steve Sugar of the Stillwater Area Volunteer Fire Company in New Jersey.  Now, many of you may think of New Jersey and have visions of Atlantic City, Trenton, or any of the urban areas across the river from New York City, HOWEVER, much of New Jersey is rural farmland and Chief Sugar's department covers the Stillwater area and the adjacent Hardwick Township which are primarily rural.  They do it all with a staff of just over 30 people...and they're 100% volunteer.  Listen to in to see how Chief Sugar handles covering the area with a volunteer department and what they do about training, recruitment, and retention.  Go to ladder34.com and see what we're all about.  We keep hundreds of thousands of feet of fire hose out of the landfill and use it to make products that are simple, rugged, and built-to-last.  Check back for new episodes of Station 34 every Friday.   

On Episode 2 of the Station 34 podcast, we talk to Chief Aaron Heller of the Hamilton Fire Department.  The HFD is in New Jersey and just outside of Trenton.  In addition to his work with the HFD, Chief Heller also founded and runs On Scene Training Associates, LLC (OSTA).  OSTA travels all over the country utilizing a pool of incredible instructors who run workshops on Engine Co strategies, Ladder Co strategies, and just about any kind of fire service training you're looking for.  We have a great talk about his history in the fire service, the way he sees things currently, where they may be moving, and his work with OSTA.  We hope you enjoy it!    

It's the inaugural episode of Station 34.  Hosted by firefighters David Van Slooten and Lance Korhorn, this podcast matches up nicely with the company owned by Lance called Ladder 34 (ladder34.com) that makes simple and rugged products from up-cycled fire hose.  In our first episode, we talk to Chief Jason St. Onge from the Mackinac Island Fire Department.  Mackinac Island is a beautiful spot nestled between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan and it's only accessible by boat or small aircraft.  Living in such an environment may be idyllic, but it also poses all kinds of challenges for a fire department trying to keeps it's community safe.  For example, how do you effectively battle a structure fire when your mutual aid is about a 16 minute boat ride away from you?  Chief St. Onge tells some great stories about his career in the fire service and the reason he left Mackinac Island as a young man and came back a short time later to serve it's residents.  We hope you enjoy Episode 1 and keep coming back for more.