Fire Engineering Podcast Network

Are Affinity Groups Changing the Face of the Fire Service?

On this episode of the Women in Fire podcast, host Lisa Baker sits down with Reda Bigler and Brian Mike Saylor of the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department. They tackle the misconceptions surrounding organizations like the Valley Women's Firefighter Society and FireVet, emphasizing that these groups don't alter standards, they provide the essential mentorship, structure, and insight candidates need to navigate the profession. 

What You Need to Know About Building Data‑Driven After‑Action Reviews

Captain Ryan Harris, a Marine veteran with more than 20 years in the fire service, joins this week's Humpday Hangout to explain Fireground Analytics. He built the cloud-based tool to make fireground events measurable and teachable. Designed to keep departments in control of their data, support national reporting workflows, and drive consistent, objective after‑action reviews, the system targets repeat errors that contribute to civilian and firefighter line‑of‑duty deaths. Harris discusses real-world use cases, integration options, and his plans to publish sample incident reviews.

Radios, Command, and LODD Lessons Learned

Hosts Ron Kanterman and Tom Aurnhammer discuss why communications repeatedly appear as contributing factors in line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) on this episode of The Backstep Boys. They take a look at national LODD reports and field stories, showing where command often fails, along with ways to fix it. 

What Recent Research Is Pushing the Fire Service Forward?

Host Eric Dreiman reflects on FDIC, survivability profiling, and practical victim-centered search tactics on this episode of Hooks & Hoses. Drieman discusses recent research and explains why first responders must favor targeted, split searches, saturating structures to prioritize bedrooms, and avoid premature survivability judgments. He details practical, experience-based guidance for company officers and firefighters and the importance of balancing safety with rescue intent

Getting Real About Using AI and Other Nonoperational Behaviors

On this episode of Tailboard Talk, hosts Jeff Wallin, Craig Nelson, and Chris Rasmussen welcome Eric Rosoff, executive manager of the Career Survival Group to discuss how AI and other nonoperational behaviors are ending firefighter careers. Rosoff explains why AI‑generated content, like deepfakes and altered images, has already led to terminations, and why frontline supervisors must be able to spot and stop risky conduct at the kitchen‑table level. They also explore how administrative safety violations are the root of most firefighter personnel actions, terminations, and workplace lawsuits. 

What Does a Season Change Mean for the Fire Service?

Hosts Rick Lasky and John Salka recap this year's FDIC, practical seasonal changes, and the upcoming 25th anniversary of 9/11 on this episode of The Command Post. They detail standing-room-only classes at FDIC, honoring Andrew Fredericks, and supporting the Tunnels to Towers Foundation. The hosts also take a close look at operational readiness for spring and summer, for families, departments, and chiefs.

After-Action Reviews and Special Event Planning

Want to learn how to keep communities safe during special events? On this episode of Two Vollies and a Guest, hosts Jerry Knapp and Tim Pillsworth speak with Fire Department of New York Captain (Ret.) Christopher Flatley about planning, executing, and evaluating special events. They focus on the importance of after-action reviews (AARs) and improvement plans: conducting hotwashes, drafting actionable AARs, assigning owners with deadlines, and using the issue‑discussion‑recommendation format. Flatley walks through special event planning and execution—Times Square New Year’s Eve, local Fourth of July fireworks, hospital bio‑containment exercises—and stresses data‑driven threat assessments, incident action plans based on the Incident Command System, tabletop exercises, operational security, and resource mitigation for heat, medical surge, and perimeter blocking. They detail how to turn lessons into real improvements, avoid public exposure of sensitive plans, and build resilient volunteer response teams.

Mergers and Consolidations: Uniting Departments for a Safer Future

Across the volunteer fire service, conversations about mergers and consolidations are becoming impossible to ignore. Departments are facing increasing demands, shrinking membership, and rising expectations from the communities they serve—forcing leaders to take a hard look at how they operate and whether working together might be the path forward. But these decisions are about more than budgets and efficiency; they involve tradition, identity, and the future of the fire service itself. On this episode of Professional Volunteer Fire Department, Brad Pinsky takes an honest look at what mergers and consolidations really mean for volunteer departments, the challenges they bring, and the opportunities they create for building stronger, more sustainable organizations.

The Difference Disciplined Training Can Make

On this episode of Command Show, the panel breaks down how a three-man crew used vent-enter-isolate-search (VEIS) to pull a woman from her bedroom with seconds to spare. While the adrenaline was high, the execution was clinical. The panel shares raw, play-by-play details of the Porterville (CA) Fire Department's overnight response to a house "fully engulfed" with a confirmed victim trapped inside. They talk about the save, the friction of the job, and the critical decision to clear an egress point rather than just blindly dragging a victim. 
 
This podcast is brought to you by Tablet Command. www.tabletcommand.com/get-started-lp

Out of the Comfort Zone: The Power of Small-Scale Fire Conferences

This episode explores why fire service professionals must step outside their own jurisdictions to maintain their edge. Hosted by Todd Edwards, this episode's panel includes:
Alan Griffin
Michael Sayles
Dane Yaw
Matthew Bayes
The discussion covers national-level instructors going to regional settings. They discuss massive events like FDIC, smaller "microconferences," and how these events provide unique spaces for involvement. The panel shares their experience with outside training and departmental stagnation, offering fresh eyes on familiar tactics.