The Forward Firefighter

In this episode, I invited Tom Merrill as my guest to discuss just what a professional volunteer fire department is and what it means to be a professional volunteer firefighter.  Career or volunteer, we are providing public service doing a job that can kill you.  We need to take this work seriously, career or volunteer, because the communities we serve deserve our very best.

Tom is a 39-year fire department veteran and serves with the Snyder Fire Department located in the Amherst, NY, a suburb of Buffalo.  He currently serves as a firefighter, but previously served the department in the officer ranks for 26 years, including 15 years in the chief officer ranks.  He also currently serves as a Fire Commissioner for the Snyder Fire District.

Tom offers professional development programs for the Volunteer Firefighter.  He has instructed at FDIC and performed different presentations across the country.  He writes articles for Fire Engineering, where he also hosts his own podcast.

In this episode, I will talk with some of the newest members of the Columbus, Wisconsin Volunteer Fire Department.

New members of the fire department are required to serve a year as a probationary firefighter.  During that probationary period, new members are required to take a 60-hour entry level firefighter class.  They are then encouraged to take the Firefighter I State Certification course soon after.

Our department assigns officers as mentors to new members.  As one of the mentors, I found this to be a very rewarding experience.  Not only does it provide the opportunity to get to know the new members on a personal level, but I found that it also made me a better firefighter along the way by reinforcing skills that are important but not often used.

Recruitment and retention is a major issue in the volunteer fire service.  Fire departments across the nation are finding it harder to find volunteers.  Due to full time job and family commitments, it can be difficult to find the time to volunteer.   Columbus is not exempt to this issue.  I have seen numerous retirements over the last two years.  However, we are also very lucky.  Within the past year, 7 new members joined our department.  The age of this new group ranges from the early twenties to the mid-forties.  Six of them have now completed their entry level firefighting course.  On Wednesday, May 31st I sat down with six of the new members.  We talk about their experiences to date, and provide more information for anyone thinking about joining the volunteer fire service.

Let me know how you like the episode, or any future show ideas, on the Contact form of my website, www.theforwardfirefighter.com

Welcome to the Forward Firefighter Podcast, Episode 6, featuring Lane Heins.  In this episode, we discuss a few different topics, but the main focus is on PTSD in the fire service.

Lane Heins began his career in Emergency Services in 1994 as an EMT with Green County EMS in Monroe. While attending University of Wisconsin Platteville he joined the Platteville Fire Department and Platteville EMS organizations. Upon graduation, Lane returned to Monroe and joined the Monroe Fire Department and continued to respond with Green County EMS as well. As a paid-on call firefighter, Lane worked through the ranks as a Firefighter, MPO, and Lieutenant of Apparatus. In 2004 Lane was hired as the Full-time Battalion Chief of Fire Prevention and later promoted to Deputy Fire Chief. Lane also served as the Interim Fire Chief for a period of time.

Teaching has always been a passion of Lane’s. He is currently the Fire Protection Technician Instructor for Blackhawk Technical College Associates Degree Program. Lane also teaches for the Wisconsin Emergency Management Office and the National Fire Academy Incident Management Curriculum. Lane is a State of Wisconsin Fire Service Representative.

Lane is a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin Platteville with a BS in Education, a Masters in Emergency Services Management from Columbia Southern University, and a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officers Program

When Lane is not teaching or working, he enjoys helping a high school classmate with farming operations and excavation work. Lane and his wife Lana have two daughters, Ava and Alli, and a dog named Max.

Welcome to Episode #5 of the Forward Firefighter podcast.  In this episode, you will hear from Lt. Bryan Keup, a career firefighter from the City of Waukesha Fire Department.  My focus is usually on the volunteer side of things, but Lt. Keup has a good message to share for all fire departments, volunteer and career.  After serving in the United States Air Force Special Operations, his fire service journey started as a volunteer in the Village of Genoa City, located right next to the Wisconsin and Illinois state line.  Employed by the City of Waukesha Fire Department since 1996, Bryan is currently one of three Team Leaders of the Special Services team, which specializes in technical rescue and HAZMAT operations.  Complacency can be a firefighter's worst enemy, but Bryan has a great message to share that will keep our departments sharp and ready to respond when our communities need us most through a healthy culture and strong leadership in our organizations.

This interview takes place on Friday, March 17, 2023 (St. Patrick’s Day!) at the Columbus Fire Station.  This show features Fall River Captain Tom Stoltenburg.  Fall River, Wisconsin, is a neighboring community to the northwest of Columbus.  This guy does it all.  He can teach us a lot about balancing priorities.  He is currently active on three separate fire departments; Fall River, Arlington, and Sun Prairie.  Add on a full time job as a mechanic, he also finds a way to train and compete in Iron Man competitions.  Tom is also a married family man, raising six kids ages 2 - 15 with his wife Amber.

Columbus, WI Fire Department, Deputy Chief Jerrod Fox.  Raised on a dairy farm outside of Columbus, Fox moved within city limits in to join the volunteer fire department in 1998.  Since that time, he climbed the ranks from firefighter to his current role as deputy chief.  Listen in as we discuss his numerous roles including PIO, coaching experiences, fire investigations, and just some great firefighting stories.  Fox has a superior passion for the volunteer fire service. His energy is hard to match, and his positive attitude is contagious.  Are you thinking about being a volunteer firefighter, but are afraid to commit?  Have you been on a department for years, but need a jump start to get your ambition going again?  Fox has a great message to share that will have you fully donning your gear in record time again.

In this episode, you will hear from Columbus, Wisconsin Fire Department Chief, Scott Hazeltine.  Chief Hazeltine has been in the fire service since 1979.  Since then, he has held numerous positions, from firefighter /EMT to fire chief.  Chief also served on the Juda and Browntown Fire Department in addition to Columbus.  Listen to Chief Hazeltine and learn about what is new at the Columbus Fire Department, and what his vision is to keep moving the department forward.

Trailer for The Forward Firefighter Podcast

Learn what this podcast is about, the person behind the idea, about volunteer fire departments, and what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter.