Fire Engineering Podcast Network

In this episode of Fireground Strategies, hosts Anthony Avillo and Jim Duffy speak with Jack Murphy about their upcoming FDIC classes, classroom offerings, and the 25th anniversary of 9/11. They break down what's new for FDIC, the ins-and-outs of opening ceremonies, hands-on evolutions, and commemorations of 9/11. They also explore responding to high-rise "superblocks," practical preincident building intelligence, and street-level recon. They preview FDIC classes, symposiums, and encourage attendees to honor responders and exchange knowledge.   Quick favor: take our 3-minute (anonymous) listener survey to help shape what we cover next: https://sprw.io/stt-9EB04   This episode is brought to you by The Fire Store: https://thefirestore.com/ This episode is brought to you by Fire Facilities: https://www.firefacilities.com/

Aaron Fields joins host Steve Shaw to discuss ways to cut through the hype in modern fire service training and leadership on this episode of Perspectives on Leadership. They argue for humility over spectacle, deliberate practice over one-off tricks, and measurement over opinion. Fields details his unconventional path into the service, explains why standard operating procedures and shared language matter, and outlines how teams build trust through consistent problem solving. The discussion also covers managing emotion during conflict and holding people accountable. And they touch on the importance of patience and long‑term change.   This episode is brought to you by The Fire Store: https://thefirestore.com/ This episode is brought to you by Fire Facilities: https://www.firefacilities.com/

Who is liable when firefighters cross into mutual aid? On this episode of Fire Service Court, John Murphy breaks down the "borrowed servant" doctrine. He explores how control, duration, equipment, and pay decide which agency is liable during mutual aid, mobilizations, and task-force deployments. Murphy details a tragic Illinois case, reviews OSHA findings, details a $31 million settlement, and explores the preventable failures. He lays out clear risk controls: written mutual-aid liability clauses, indemnification, ICS/NIMS command, cross-training, strict PAR and two-in/two-out enforcement, SCBA tracking, and robust documentation.   This episode is brought to you by The Fire Store: https://thefirestore.com/ This episode is brought to you by Fire Facilities: https://www.firefacilities.com/

How are rapid changes in building materials and construction methods outpacing firefighter training? On this episode of Fire and Training, host Doug Cline and guest Christopher Naum argue for a return to rigorous, formalized building-construction literacy, from basic firefighter responsibilities to company officer and commander levels, and outline suggested training targets. They explain the "building as battleground” concept, the limits of on‑the‑job and diluted in‑service instruction, and why architecture, engineering, and fire dynamics must be integrated into curricula.   This episode is brought to you by The Fire Store: https://thefirestore.com/ This episode is brought to you by Fire Facilities: https://www.firefacilities.com/

What is professional relevance and do you have it? On this episode of The Larry Conley Show, host Larry Conley sits down with Brian Zaitz, assistant chief of the Kirkwood (MO) Fire Department and president of the ISFSI, to discuss four critical pillars of professional relevance in today's fire service: being active, staying current, building meaningful relationships, and delivering effective training.    The two draw from national-level insights and frontline experience. They challenge firefighters and officers to evaluate whether they are growing—or simply showing up. Conley and Zaitz also provide perspective on the direction of the fire service and the responsibility of its members to remain engaged, informed, and prepared.   This episode is brought to you by The Fire Store: https://thefirestore.com/ This episode is brought to you by Fire Facilities: https://www.firefacilities.com/

With FDIC right around the corner, host Eddie Buchanan and guests Mike Cox, Trevor Wilson, and Kirk McKinzie preview the NextGen Fire Rescue Tech Summit. They discuss how real-time sensor streams, AI, and indoor 3D mapping will change command, mutual aid, and firefighter safety. They explore actionable use cases—near‑real‑time decision support, resource tracking across jurisdictions, and tabletop-to-field workflows—and urge bridging research pilots to scalable deployments with policy guardrails. Tune in for a preview to sessions, workshops, and hands-on demonstrations they'll be hosting at FDIC.   This podcast is brought to you by Esri: https://www.esri.com/en-us/home

The most grueling fire of your career may not wait for you to have seniority. In fact, it can easily happen on a rookie’s second shift. Or first! So the fire service must handle health and safety training with the same urgency as it does for fireground operations. On this episode of The Training Officer, host Dave McGlynn sits down with seasoned fire chief and FDIC instructor Dennis Reilly to discuss the weight of cancer in the fire service, professional legacy, leadership roles, and FDIC. They also explore the obligation veterans have to mentor the next generation and why every minute of training is an investment in someone else's survival.   This episode is brought to you by The Fire Store: https://thefirestore.com/ This episode is brought to you by Fire Facilities: https://www.firefacilities.com/

What is the role of leadership? And how can it shape an "aggressive" fire service culture?    On this episode of Tactical Impact, hosts Jason Hoevelmann and Jim Silvernail welcome Jamie Young and Joe Gragnani to the show. They explore how to move beyond clichés and how to build organizations that prioritize tactical excellence. They discuss the "Four Pillars" of departments: running calls, training to run calls, mastering tradecraft, and everything else. Young and Gragnani share how they transitioned a "storied" department toward a search-heavy, "victims until proven otherwise" mindset, supported by a significant investment in off-duty training and strong labor-management relationships. They explore why today's toxic fuel loads demand a smarter, more proactive breed of firefighter and firehouse culture.   This episode is brought to you by The Fire Store: https://thefirestore.com/ This episode is brought to you by Fire Facilities: https://www.firefacilities.com/

Jay Bonnifield, a captain with the Everett (WA) Fire Department, joins this episode of Hooks & Hoses to discuss how RECEO—Rescue, Exposures, Confinement, Extinguishment, and Overhaul—helps firefighters prioritize life-saving actions and navigate chaotic fire scenes effectively. He discusses the hierarchy of RECEO and how it helps inform decision making and situational awareness while enabling members to rapidly process chaotic scenes. Bonnifield also reviews practical training habits: 15‑minute daily tactical decision games, hot washes, and pattern recognition drills that accelerate rookie development and keep company officers empowered.

What's the significance of aligning leadership and crews in modern fire departments? On this episode of Tailboard Talk, hosts Jeff Wallin, Chris Rasmussen, and Craig Nelson welcome Kent Orvik and Andy Dingman, of the Fargo (ND) Fire Department. The panel discusses how firefighters who become chiefs keep the instincts of the engine room yet inherit a very different job: long timeframes, political constraints, and layers of oversight. They unpack why quick operational fixes don't translate to administrative problems, why training and wellness get squeezed by limited budgets, and why crews want plain answers. Together, they explore ways to align priorities so safety, staffing, and community service move forward together.

Host Christopher Naum's two-part series for BuildingsonFire takes a closeup look at building literacy and reshaping decision making on the fireground. This episode explores the operational framework that links building era, construction, occupancy, and functional domains. Naum discusses tactics, safety, and command.   He gets into the importance of the first 20 minutes of an incident, the predictability of building performance, and moving beyond surface familiarity to applied architectural and engineering knowledge.

Inside a firehouse, teamwork isn’t part of a slogan—it’s the difference between control and chaos. For this episode of Women in Fire, host Lisa Baker and guests Heather Mozdean, Paige Colwell, and Kim Phillips get candid about what teamwork actually looks like. They move past textbook definitions and into the reality: coordinating ventilation with interior crews, trusting the person next to you to read conditions the same way, and knowing one freelancer can unravel an entire operation in seconds.   They also take a look at station life, where unresolved tension, uneven effort, and poor communication quietly erode performance long before a call comes in. This discussion presents an honest conversation about training gaps, ego, leadership responsibility, and the difficulty of building cohesion across personalities and ranks.   This episode features: Lisa Baker, Southwest Trustee, Women in Fire (host). Paige Colwell, battalion chief, Forsyth County (GA) Fire Department. Heather Mozdean, deputy chief, Fremont (CA) Fire Department. Kim Phillips, district chief, Houston (TX) Fire Department.

On this week's Humpday Hangout, Frank Ricci and Josh Miller talk to guests P.J. Norwood and Sean Gray about The Evolving Fireground: Research-Based Tactics, which they cowrote. They discuss why transitional attacks and ventilation must be coordinated with hoseline placement, argue for early water application from outside to improve interior conditions, and reframe “search” and “door control” to prioritize survivor access and firefighter safety.   Later in the episode, the show welcomes former Navy SEAL Chris Shea of the North Haven (CT) Fire Department and discuss his decision to run for Congress.

Command Show host Anthony Kastros and guest Rick Nelson, Chief of the Reading (MA) Fire Department, discuss how a small New England fire department modernized incident command to close the tactical gap. They unpack NIOSH 5 failure points and show how decentralized leadership, mutual-aid run cards, and tactical supervisors improve accountability, reduce radio traffic, and improve outcomes. The conversation covers regional collaboration across New England, practical benchmarks for tactical communications, and Reading’s next steps. Kastros and Nelson also talk about technology and how leaders empower lieutenants to lead during mutual‑aid responses.   This podcast is brought to you by Tablet Command. www.tabletcommand.com/get-started-lp

How often do you think about leaving the fire department better than you found it and setting the next generation up for success? In this episode of Talkin' Tactics, hosts David Polikoff and Sam Villani welcome Frank Ricci, a retired battalion chief from the New Haven (CT) Fire Department to talk about these important topics.   They discuss recruitment and academy culture, why early leadership training matters, and how realistic, stressful drills build the muscle memory crews need on the fireground. The discussion contrasts career and volunteer models, suggests swap programs and targeted on‑apparatus mentoring, and stresses paced promotions so officers learn every job. The panel also examines day-to-day credibility, with a focus on doing the "small" tasks, setting clear expectations, and holding candid post‑incident debriefs.

On this episode of The Backstep Boys hosts Ron Kanterman and Tom Aurnhammer discuss firefighter line‑of‑duty reports and the hard lessons that persist: breakdowns in incident command, poor communication, accountability gaps, and the ongoing danger of modern building construction and synthetic fuels. They trace the origin and purpose of the national firefighter fatality investigation program, how free, nonpunitive reports are structured, and why they’re essential training tools for recruits and veterans.    The conversation also touches on firefighting history, an upcoming book compiling major U.S. and international conflagrations, and the human cost behind statistics. They also talk about the unseen workload of incident management teams who support families after tragedies. 

Katherine West joins us to discuss the expertise behind her newly updated Infection Control Policies for Community Paramedicine and MIH, 2nd Edition. With decades of experience, West explains the differences between emergent care and home‑care practices, offering practical, evidence‑based guidance. She highlights challenges such as healthcare‑associated infections, inconsistent training, and the expanding role of EMS in home environments. In our conversation, she shares insights that help CP/MIH programs strengthen safety, support diverse community‑care models, and better protect both patients and providers as EMS roles continue to expand.   Link: https://fireengineeringbooks.com/books/infection-control-policies-and-procedures-for-community-paramedicine-and-mih-2nd-edition/?utm_source=youtube.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=in_the_books&utm_content=infection_control_policies_and_procedures_for_community_paramedicine_and_mih_2nd_edition

If you teach, lead, or want to grow the talent in your department, give this conversation between Billy Hux and Bobby Drake a listen. The Point of Origin hosts unpack the lone‑chief challenge, stressing trust, training, and emotional intelligence as the antidotes to isolation. They also offer tactical reminders about audience engagement, workload balance, and using conferences to find allies and solutions.

If you teach, lead, or want to grow the talent in your department, give this conversation between Billy Hux and Bobby Drake a listen. The Point of Origin hosts unpack the lone‑chief challenge, stressing trust, training, and emotional intelligence as the antidotes to isolation. They also offer tactical reminders about audience engagement, workload balance, and using conferences to find allies and solutions.

Your choice of tactics, your attitude, and your training are all factors in whether you can beat the clock at incident. In this episode of The Command Post, hosts Rick Lasky and John Salka dig into a truth every experienced firefighter learns sooner or later: the building is the real opponent. Fire is just the ammunition.  The conversation moves from leadership to street-level tactics. What makes a “firefighter’s fire chief”? Not popularity. It’s credibility earned through experience, preparation, and a clear understanding of how firefighters actually operate on the fireground.