Code 3 - The Firefighters' Podcast

The number of women in the fire service seems to be stalled at about four percent, despite efforts to recruit more. Why is this, and what can be done? Cheryl Horvath addresses that question and discusses what she thinks of the term “Brotherhood” on this episode of Code 3.

Do you go above and beyond, not for the praise, but because it’s necessary? Maybe you're a grinder. TJ Ward joins Scott to explain the grinder mindset. It’s an attitude that says—good enough is never good enough. And grinders absolutely do not believe in leaving anything to luck or chance.

What does it mean to “own it?” To a firefighter, it should mean taking pride in their job, and taking initiative to ensure it’s done right. Guest Andrew Sauder says that’s lacking among some younger firefighters, and it’s up to the more experienced crew to make sure they learn to own it.

What if you had unlimited funds to design and build the ultimate fire engine for your department? Yours would undoubtedly look different than one designed halfway across the country. My guest on this show is Ricky Riley. We discuss what features he’d like to see on the ultimate fire engine.

We all know we’re facing fewer structure fires these days… but the ones that do ignite are more dangerous than ever. More lumber is being used, and, worse yet, it’s not the old-style 2x4 or 4x4. The lumber industry is turning to manufactured lumber. It’s also called lightweight lumber. Our guest to talk about the danger of today’s wood construction is Mark van der Feyst.

On this episode, we discuss a major line-of-duty-death incident: the loss of the Charleston Nine. It happened on the evening of June 18, 2007, at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, South Carolina. About 40 minutes into the call, there was a flashover, and the roof collapsed. Firefighters caught in the flashover were unable to escape and were trapped under the collapsed roof. My guest was there. Dr. David Griffin is a battalion chief today, but he was the engineer on the first-due engine on...

How do you conduct a primary search? I’ll bet you do it by having the whole search crew follow the walls, staying in a line, right? Doesn’t that seem a little slow and even wasteful? My guest on this episode says yes, and he says the oriented search is the way to do it. Chris DelBello is a third-generation firefighter and a 30-year veteran of the fire service.

When you’ve got a great plan, but some team members just aren’t quite on board, how do you get them to meet your expectations? Dr. Liane Davey is back to give us some tips on how to make that happen on this episode.

On this show, we talk with Cindie Schooner-Ball, who retired a couple years back from a firefighting career that began in1987. She writes a blog, titled, “Sister in a Brotherhood,” and is working on a book by the same name. Find out what it was like for a woman in the fire service back in the day.

When a man climbed into a narrow pipe and then became trapped 12 feet below ground, New Jersey rescue crews found a difficult situation. Mike Daley explains how they extricated the man from the pipe, while trying to limit damage to the wastewater facility’s infrastructure.

When is it appropriate to call for a helicopter to a scene? Even when you have a flowchart to make the determination, there’s still a lot of subjectivity involved. In this episode, Joseph Uridil of medical helicopter operator Air Methods and Prescott Fire Operations Division Chief Cory Moser join Scott to discuss when to call for aerial transport.

If you feel as if the culture of safety in the fire service has been replaced with a culture of fear, then you’ll want to listen to Chris Tobin. An old-school firefighter at heart, he explains why fear holds today’s firefighters back, why supposedly-vacant buildings need to be treated as occupied, and the merits of being aggressive.

Just about everyone agrees that community paramedicine is a great idea. But, trouble is, no one wants to pay for it. Mesa, Arizona, had a very good program but had to shut it down for lack of funding. Gary Ludwig joins Scott on this episode to discuss what can be done.

There is a shortage of 911 dispatchers nationwide, and it can lead to unfortunate outcomes. PSAP and 911 consultant Barry Furey explains why there’s a problem and offers some suggestions for how it can be fixed. *** NOTE: This interview had some technical glitches in the sound quality. We hope you’ll bear with us. Barry’s comments are worth it. ***

Firefighters love to pass on information, and that’s what accounts for the numbers of speakers lining up for events like FDIC. But how do you know you’re qualified to teach others? Is there a certain rank you need to attain first? Guest Randy Hanifen explains in this edition of Code 3.

Safety at motor vehicle crash scenes can be difficult, and sometimes, there are non-vehicle related problems, too. Expert Jack Sullivan of the Emergency Responder Safety Institute drops by to discuss ways to keep from getting into trouble at crash scenes.

With community paramedicine, a/k/a mobile integrated health care, gaining popularity in the U.S., there are some challenges to be met when you’re building a new program. Chief Porter Welch of the Scioto, Ohio Township Fire Department helped write the Ohio laws that allow these programs, and he explains what you need to know.

If you thought Millennials were a confusing group, wait til you meet the iGen. Guest Linda Willing says they may be more comfortable with virtual communication than face-to-face, but they could ultimately prove to be the best group of firefighters yet.

Brad Davison’s study of combination departments and the challenges they face found that budgets are the #1 problem, according to chiefs. We talk about what impact they have and how much difference more money would make on this episode.

Drew Hughes died after an ET tube was improperly inserted while he rode in an ambulance. He had been injured in a skateboarding accident, but anoxia caused by the intubation error killed him. On this episode, we hear from his father about the Do It For Drew foundation he and his wife started to keep medical treatment errors from happening, and Bradley Dean, a battalion chief over a training division, about the mistakes made and learning from them.