Fire Engineering Podcast Network

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.

From parades and fireworks to large town gatherings, with an emphasis on terrorism-aware preparation, this episode of Two Vollies and a Guest focuses on the process of building an operational plan for public events. The panel discusses topics including threat assessment, interagency coordination, chain of command, resource allocation, staging and access, and more. They stress using scalable incident action forms, pre-event walk-throughs, clear delegation of authority, and mutual-aid strategies to avoid tying up local services. Tune in for practical tips that will prove invaluable to local officials and event organizers.

Fire Commissioner Jared Renshaw, from the Western Berks (PA) Fire Department, joins host Tom Merrill on this episode of The Professional Volunteer Fire Department. They discuss a topic that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves in the fire service: building strong relationships with the local elected officials who help shape the future of our departments. Too often we focus only on operations, training, and response, but the reality is that successful fire departments are also built on trust, communication, and collaboration with the people who make policy and control funding. Renshaw offers valuable insight into how chiefs and fire service leaders can get to know their local politicians, build productive working relationships, and advocate effectively for their departments and communities.

Small decisions add up to big effects. And they matter. In this episode of Fireground Strategies, hosts Anthony Avillo and Jim Duffy talk "dominoes" and how tragedies on the fireground are never the result of just one decision. When the dominoes tumble, they add up.  The episode opens with a sobering statistic: More than 350 civilians have already been lost to residential fires this year. The discussion moves from strategy to the human side of the job. Battalion Chief Mickey Tofexis, of Miramar (FL) Fire & Rescue, joins the show to talk about physical fitness, career longevity, and the reality of nearing retirement after nearly three decades in the fire service. He also shares the mission behind The For Paul Foundation, which supports families of first responders killed or injured in the line of duty.
 
The result is a grounded conversation about accountability, preparation, and the choices firefighters make long before the alarm sounds.

Steve Shaw welcomes Scott Thompson, chief, The Colony (TX) Fire Department, to this episode of Perspectives on Leadership. The two have a conversation about how to intentionally build, sustain, and measure a high‑performance fire service culture. Practical topics from the 2024 FDIC keynote speaker include prearrival assignments, training as a performance discipline, mentoring and probationary programs, hiring for cultural fit, and closing the micro/macro culture gap.
 
Thompson warns against vague slogans and urges leaders to map outcomes, manage the ripple effects of decisions, and prioritize a performance mindset alongside well-being. He recommends books and mindsets—Atomic Habits (James Clear), The Art of Clear Thinking (Hasard Lee), and operator‑driven learning—and urges departments to give officers the tools and standards they need.

Do you ever think about how your department would—or should—address fraternization issues? In this episode of Fire Service Court, John K. Murphy explores the importance of having clear guidelines around fraternization and how an organization can create and enforce policies that govern conduct among its members. These policies are essential for maintaining professional standards and ensuring a respectful and safe workplace for everyone.

On a winter night in Loudoun County, Virginia, an underground 500‑gallon propane tank leaked as it was refilled, sending invisible gas into a suburban neighborhood. What started as a routine odor-of-gas call escalated when firefighters entered a home, found explosive concentrations in a basement, opened vents, and were present seconds later when an explosion collapsed the house. This episode of Mayday Monday reconstructs the incident, the multiagency response, patient care and recovery, and the hard lessons learned.
 
Guest: Chris Kerkstra, Loudoun County (VA) Fire & Rescue

How does the accreditation process provide meaningful value for firefighters and fire departments? And what does that look like in the boardroom vs. on the fireground? In this episode of Fire Service and Data Tech Talk,  a fire chief with 30 years’ experience and a commission program manager unpack why accreditation and good data are changing how departments plan staffing, station location's and response doctrine.
 
Guests:
Rick Potter, chief, Shawnee (OK) Fire Department
Jim White, program manager, Commission on Fire Accreditation International at the Center for Public Safety Excellence
 
This podcast is brought to you by Esri: https://www.esri.com/en-us/home

Mike Scotto, lieutenant (ret.), FDNY, joins host Dave McGlynn for a discussion about truck company and tower ladder operations for this episode of The Training Officer.  Scotto addresses apparatus positioning, tower-bucket tactics, victim removal into the bucket, search techniques from outside venting, and more. He shares crew-drill ideas—roll‑down gate cutting, saw handling, hook tricks, portable stream considerations—and how to build low-cost props for realistic practice. This episode provides helpful info for new truck operators, chief officers planning training, and veteran firefighters wanting concise, no‑nonsense ways to improve safety and effectiveness on every call. 

Host Doug Cline urges firefighters and emergency responders to preserve their history and mentor the next generation during this episode of Fire and Training. Drawing on four decades of frontline experience—from a 1985 gymnasium fire to early paramedic days and formative training events—Cline mixes personal anecdotes with practical advice. He uses the metaphor "be the salt" to argue that preserving memorabilia, stories and procedures not only honors the past but flavors the future, stressing that leadership isn't granted as a result of rank but instead it's earned through coaching, curiosity, and a passion for lifelong learning.