Code 3 - The Firefighters Podcast

What do you do when you respond to a hazmat situation if you’re not a hazmat specialist?Do you wait for the hazmat specialists to arrive? What if it sounds like a relatively minor situation, like someone who mixed two household cleaning products together and got an unfortunate result?You’d probably go in to rescue the homeowner, right?Of course, that means putting on all your PPE, including the SCBA and the hood.Now, what if the location has a green cloud coming from the windows?Well, that’s a little scarier, isn’t it? Maybe it’s time for the specialists to step in.As you can see, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to these situations.Here to clear up some of the confusion is Phil Ambrose, He’s the founder of HazSim and retired from the Glendale, California Fire Department after 24 years of service.

The next time you’re doing a training evolution, notice what your officer is doing. Is he or she standing nearby watching you train? Or are they actively training alongside you?The answer says a lot about the officer’s leadership philosophy. My guest today is Jeremy Sanders. He says that it’s better leadership for that officer to be doing the same skills you’re training on.And if you are that officer, why aren’t you in there, participating?It’s better for morale, it’s better for building respect, and it keeps you ready to take action when necessary.Jeremy is a 23-year fire service veteran from the Edmond Fire Department in central Oklahoma. He is also the founder of Crew 1st Culture and The Crew 1st Culture Podcast.

A few years back, Frank Leeb put together a list of things probies need to know when they start work. Then he realized the items on the list are actually important for firefighters to keep in mind for their whole careers.Today, I’m talking with Frank about some of the rules or virtues on the list and how he came up with them.Frank was a 30+ year veteran of the FDNY when he retired in 2024. He served in several staff positions, including chief of the fire academy, chief of training, and chief of safety. He's currently a member of the East Farmingdale, NY, Volunteer Fire Department, where he's been since 1983.

There’s a campaign going on that aims to give volunteer fire departments some tools to help recruit new members.It’s called “A Hustle Worth Having” and it’s aimed at Gen Z-aged community members. For those unfamiliar with the term, it's roughly defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, or 14 to 29 years old.The International Association of Fire Chiefs is behind the campaign and has made all the campaign assets available at no cost to any fire department that wants to use them.My guest is Jason Caughey, the Fire Chief of the Laramie County Fire Authority in Wyoming and an IAFC board member

How would you like to work the busiest volunteer firehouse in the nation?This house answers an average of four to five thousand calls for service a year. That’s more than many career departments, and they do it out of one station.Perhaps not surprisingly, the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department has no problem recruiting firefighters. They even staff a minimum of four people on overnights. And this is not a combination department. It’s all-volunteer.Located in Prince George's County, Maryland, Kentland prides itself on high standards.How do they do all this?Here to answer that question is Alex Caldaro, the Truck 33 Sergeant. He’s a fifteen-year veteran of the fire service who also works at Wilson’s Mills Fire Department in Clayton, North Carolina, where he’s Captain of Ladder 5.