Fire Engineering Podcast

On this episode of Fireground Strategies, hosts Anthony Avillo and Jim Duffy break down the 'W' from John Norman’s "COAL WAS WEALTH" size‑up acronym and translate it into practical tactics for extreme heat, storms, and flash flooding. They cover preincident planning and hot weather policies; front‑loading alarms and one‑bottle/short‑shift strategies; crew rotations; on‑scene rehab; recognition of heat illness; generator and solar power hazards; live wire risks in windstorms; water supply; and mutual‑aid challenges during storms. They also explain FDIC instructor selection and encourage submitting road‑tested classes.

In this episode of Perspectives on Leadership, host Steven Shaw speaks with Retired Battalion Chief Andy Starnes. They unpack how thermal imaging became a mission, not just a tool in the fire service, and how relationships and critical thinking shape the fire service. Starnes details his start in volunteer firehouses, an injury that led to the launch of Insight Fire Training, and how sharing hard-earned tactics saves lives. They tackle behavioral health, the cost of social media negativity, toxic leadership, and saying "yes" to the right things. 

In this episode of In the Books, host David Rhodes sits down with respected fire service leaders and co-authors Sean Gray and PJ Norwood to discuss the newly released second edition of The Evolving Fireground: Research-Based Tactics.
From the groundbreaking UL FSRI fire research studies to modern fireground decision-making, this conversation explores how evidence-based tactics continue to shape the fire service. Gray and Norwood break down the major updates in the new edition, including expanded content on search operations, water mapping, air entrainment, coordinated ventilation, basement fires, emerging technologies, and the practical application of fire dynamics research.
The discussion takes a deep dive into:
✅ Coordinated ventilation and modern fire dynamics✅ Search tactics backed by research and real-world experience✅ Water application, transitional attack, and getting water on the fire quickly✅ Staffing considerations and tactical prioritization✅ Legacy vs. modern fire environments✅ Basement fire operations and decision-making✅ How departments can turn research into actionable training and operational doctrine
Whether you're a firefighter, company officer, instructor, chief officer, or fire service student, this episode provides valuable insight into understanding the "why" behind modern firefighting tactics and how research can improve firefighter and civilian safety.
📘 The Evolving Fireground: Research-Based Tactics (2nd Edition) is designed not only as a reference book but also as a training and promotional resource, complete with chapter objectives, practice questions, and the latest fire research findings.
 
Purchase Today: https://fireengineeringbooks.com/new-products/the-evolving-fireground-research-based-tactics-2e/?utm_medium=podcast_episode&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=in_the_books&utm_content=the_evolving_fireground

In this episode of Fire Service Data and Tech Talk, host Eddie Buchanan welcomes Division Chief Tom Marvel and Maura "Mo" Shea, both from the Carmel (IN) Fire Department, and Michael Oldham from Texas A&M to discuss innovative projects that are currently underway. During their discussion, the panel unpacks two cutting-edge projects reshaping firefighter safety and wellness and talk about a live trial of the C-THRU Navigator from Qwake Technologies, which enables firefighters to work through smoke. The conversation also detail a comprehensive sleep study that compares multiple firefighter shift schedules.
 
This podcast is brought to you by Esri: https://www.esri.com/en-us/home

Marc Aloan joins Doug Cline to get back to realism on the fireground for this episode of Fire and Training. They discuss why classroom time is only one component of preparedness and why company officers—not compliance checklists—own most daily training. The two also share the importance of learning practical guidance on training, having structured feedback after drills and incidents, and prudent use of live burns.

Retired chief Scott Thompson joins Larry Conley to cut through buzzwords and show how culture, defined as "how things get done," directly affects safety, trust, recruitment, and daily performance in the fire service. Learn why the company officer role is the tightrope between administration and the crew, why roll call and mentoring matter, and how a deliberate 18-to-36-month program including vision, aligned policies, trained mentors, role modeling and maintenance, creates a self‑correcting, high‑performance house. 

Hosts David Polikoff and Sam Villani have an in-depth discussion about tactics on this episode of Talking Tactics. They cover outside-in fires, disciplined company assignments, and decisive engine work to darken the C side before committing to interior crews. They also break down building challenges and high-rise issues like failed self-closing doors and hallway smoke travel. Throughout the discussion, Polikoff and Villani emphasize training, preplans, shelter-in-place messaging, and realistic water/manpower decisions.

Hosts Jim Silvernail and Jason Hoevelmann welcome Rick Barron and Steve Olswanger to Tactical Impact. The panel discusses a high-stakes residential rescue. They break down a challenging fire in an old, 100-year-old balloon-frame home that was converted into a multifamily dwelling. At this fire, heavy fire was venting from the first floor, where an elderly man was trapped. Barron and Olswanger describe finding the victim within minutes only to realize the front door was impassable. The panel discusses five-minute rescues, emphasizing the importance of thinking on your feet, company training, and leadership development. 

In this episode of Hooks & Hoses, host Eric Dreiman breaks down the ways stress and tunnel vision degrade situational awareness on the fireground and at all emergency scenes. He shares the three-step situational awareness model—perception, comprehension, projection—and practical signs that improve size‑up and prediction. Dreiman explains common failures: task fixation, auditory exclusion, poor radio reports, and experience‑driven complacency. He also offers immediately usable fixes including short mental pauses, concise radio updates, cross‑checks between crew members, and training methods that build stress inoculation.

Host Christopher Naum wraps up his Fireground Blueprint series with a focused, practical analysis of building predictability, habitability, and size-up for modern structural firefighting. Naum reviews the five building domains—anatomy/era, occupancy risk, collapse/compromise, methods/materials, and fire dynamics. He critiques prescriptive SOPs and stresses adaptive, multilayered incident planning, continuous building intel collection, and the need for advanced construction training for company and command officer.
 
Link to the FDIC recorded/third installment of the series episode: https://youtu.be/tM3IPTOraBA?si=zp4rTvrNvY23Bzhv