Fire Engineering Podcast Network

Who’s Responsible When Firefighters Cross Into Mutual Aid?

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/

The Blueprint to Modern Construction

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/

Are You Staying Relevant?

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/

FDIC 2026: NextGen Fire Rescue Tech Summit Preview

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

Training for the Worst Shift of Your Career

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/

How to Achieve Tactical Excellence

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/

How to Prioritize with RECEO

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.

Why Leadership and Their Crews Need to Get on the Same Page

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.

The Fireground Blueprint, Part I

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.

The Truth About Teamwork

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.