Firefighter Podcast

Episod

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  #509 Rebuilding UK Firefighting Tactics, Training & Doctrine with Dan Stephens 24.09.2026 1j 40min

  Dan Stephens returns to The Firefighters Podcast to explore the next evolution of tactical firefighting in the UK. We discuss the work underway with the NFCC to turn decades of fire dynamics research and operational learning into clear, evidence-based tactical techniques and practical micro-teaches for firefighters. From BE-SAHF, exterior and interior fire attack, flow rates, hose management and anti-ventilation through to operational assurance, doctrine and incident command, Dan explains the...
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  #508 Firefighter Cancer, Contaminants & What the Science Now Tells Us with Prof. Anna Stec 21.09.2026 41min

  Professor Anna Stec is one of the leading voices in fire chemistry, toxicity and firefighter occupational health and in this episode we explore what the science is now telling us about the hidden health cost of firefighting. From her landmark UK firefighter contamination research and work with the Fire Brigades Union, to the Cancer and Disease Registry, firefighter health monitoring and internationally significant research following the Grenfell Tower fire, Anna explains what we now understan...
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  #507 DEBRIEF When the Rescue Crew needs rescuing - Firefighter Fatality in DeKalb County Fire Rescue Georgia Sept 8th 2025 14.09.2026 36min

  On 8 September 2025, DeKalb County Fire Rescue crews responded to a commercial warehouse fire in Georgia and quickly discovered that the building was not what it first appeared to be. Inside the 14,000-square-foot Type II-B warehouse was an unpermitted film studio made up of temporary rooms, props, furniture, plastics and foam materials, creating a complex internal maze and a very different risk profile from the exterior. As crews operated inside, they were also dealing with an unreliable wat...
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  #506 DEBRIEF: Running Out of Air - The Texas Fire That Injured Nine Firefighters 07.09.2026 25min

  On 30 August 2025, firefighters responded to a large two-storey residential fire in Texas after an occupant reported a fire in the master bedroom and confirmed everyone was out. Crews committed to an interior attack, but multiple firefighters ended up operating on the second floor in zero visibility while the fire was actually located on the first floor. As crews struggled to locate the fire, air supplies fell, low-air alarms began sounding and one firefighter became disorientated after being...
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  #505 INTERSCHUTZ 2026 with PBI What 35 Years in the FDNY Taught Dan Melia About PPE 03.09.2026 40min

  Recorded live at INTERSCHUTZ, this episode puts the spotlight on PBI and the people behind the protection firefighters rely on every day. I sit down with Dan Melia, a 35-year FDNY veteran, former Safety Chief and long-time firefighter PPE advocate, whose career has taken him from operational firefighting and FDNY Research & Development into NFPA PPE standards work and, more recently, his role with PBI. We get into the evolution of bunker gear, what firefighters really need to understand a...
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  #504 High Rise Masterclass with Brent Brooks Ep 4 Hose Lines, Big Water & Lithium-Ion Fires 31.08.2026 31min

  In the fourth and final instalment of the High Rise Masterclass, Toronto Fire Captain Brent Brooks brings the series firmly back to practical fireground application. Brent explores big-water tactics, 65 mm hose deployment, nozzle reaction, progressive hose stretches, extending lines when crews come up short, improvised standpipes and the use of specialist nozzles and rotor distributors to create multiple tactical options from the same hose package. The conversation also tackles the growing ch...
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  #503 25 Years After 911, Terry Farrell & the Atlanta Stair Climb with Laurel Clonts Malcolm 29.08.2026 34min

  As we prepare to head to Atlanta for the 25th anniversary of 9/11, I wanted to understand the meaning behind the trip and the people at the heart of it. I sat down with Laurel Clonts Malcolm from the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund to talk about Terry Farrell, an FDNY firefighter killed on 9/11, the legacy carried forward in his name, and the incredible work the Fund continues to do for first responders and their families. We also talk about remembrance, the lasting impact of 9/11, and what i...
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  #502 UK Wildfire Season Debrief 2026 27.08.2026 47min

  The UK’s 2026 wildfire season has pushed Fire and Rescue Services into unprecedented operational territory. In this episode, we look at the numbers behind more than a thousand significant wildfires, some of the largest and most resource-intensive incidents of the year, the impact on firefighters, appliances and national resilience, and how the UK’s wildfire capability has developed over time. We explore specialist teams, training, vehicles, aerial firefighting and international best pra...
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  #501 Duarte Mendes Marine, Firefighter, World Champion 24.08.2026 52min

  In this episode I sit down with Portuguese firefighter and world champion firefighter athlete Duarte Mendes to discover the man behind the medals. We talk about growing up in the small Portuguese town of Avis, the values and work ethic his family gave him, his four years serving in the Portuguese Marines, lifeguarding and the journey that eventually led him into a career with the Lisbon Fire Brigade. Duarte gives us a fascinating insight into professional firefighting in Portugal,...
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  #499 How to Buy PPE & Uniform Without Getting It Wrong with Natalie Wilson 17.08.2026 1j 7min

  In this episode I sit down with Natalie Wilson, Founder and Managing Director of Workwear Solutions International, to explore one of the most important but often underdeveloped areas in the fire sector: how we specify, procure, assess and ultimately trust the PPE and workwear we rely on every day. Natalie brings more than 20 years of experience across the supply chain, procurement, technical assessment and standards development, including leading work on the world’s first inclusive PPE ...
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  #498 Ordinary People, Extraordinary Rescues: When Everyday People Choose to Act 13.08.2026 41min

  In this one-off episode I step away from our usual focus on trained emergency responders to explore what happens when ordinary people find themselves inside somebody else’s worst moment and choose to act. Through documented stories involving burning buildings, aircraft crashes, freezing water, terrorist attacks, wartime rescue networks and mass evacuations, I examine courage, initiative, sacrifice and the difficult line between bravery and recklessness. This is not an encouragemen...
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  #497 In the Bays with Cobb County Fire Georgia USA 10.08.2026 39min

  Recorded in the appliance bays during our March 2026 visit to Atlanta, this episode offers a quick insight into Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services and one small part of the wider American fire service. We discuss their specialist command and rescue capabilities, emergency medical provision, recruitment, training and personnel accountability. The conversation also tackles some challenging operational questions. Would you enter without a hose line for a known life risk? How should firefigh...
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  #496 Humble, Hungry & Smart: How to become the teammate your crew can rely on 06.08.2026 27min

  In this short solo episode, Im doing something a little different as one of the most common emails i get is about personal development tools - so here is one i think might be useful. In this episode im going to revisit & explore Patrick Lencioni’s book The Ideal Team Player and its simple but powerful framework of being humble, hungry and smart. I look at how these three qualities can support your own personal and professional development, help you become a stronger and more valuabl...
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  #495 Creating Thinking Firefighters with Chief Jason Caughey 03.08.2026 1j 9min

  In this episode, im joined by Chief Jason Caughey, a fire service leader with more than 30 years of experience and the Fire Chief of Laramie County Fire Authority in Wyoming, to explore the difference between simply training firefighters to complete tasks and genuinely developing people who can think, adapt, take ownership and act with confidence. Together, we examine high-agency leadership, measurable performance standards, psychological safety, servant leadership and the dangers of cu...
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  #494 DEBRIEF: 11 Minutes to Fireball - Boyd Street, Downtown LA, May 16th 2020 27.07.2026 29min

  In this incident debrief, we examine the Boyd Street fire in Downtown Los Angeles, where what first appeared to be a routine commercial building fire rapidly escalated into a catastrophic fireball that injured 12 Los Angeles firefighters. We break down the building, the hidden hazards inside, the timeline of the response, the tactical decisions around entry and ventilation, the fire behaviour that led to the explosion, and the Mayday that followed. This episode explores the brutal consequence...
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  #493 On-Call & Volunteer Retention Systems: The Perennial Problem - Solving It for the 21st Century 20.07.2026 1j 13min

  In this episode, we explore one of the fire service’s most persistent challenges: how we recruit, retain and properly support on-call and volunteer firefighters in a world that has changed faster than the systems designed to sustain them. Joined by Brittany Hollerbach, Emelie Lantz and Dr Steve Sadler, we look beyond the usual “people don’t want to volunteer anymore” narrative and ask whether the real issue is that the model itself no longer fits modern family life, employment pressures...
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  #492 DEBRIEF: Glasgow School of Art Fire, Failure and the Hidden Highway 13.07.2026 54min

  In this incident debrief, we examine the two devastating fires at the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh Building in 2014 and 2018, unpacking how heritage construction, hidden ventilation ducts, timber voids, compromised fire protection during restoration, delayed detection, and an unfinished water mist system combined to create one of the most painful fire safety lessons in modern UK firefighting. The episode explores the operational response, the difficult shift to defensive firefight...
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  #491 Modern Fire officer with Jared Vermeulen 06.07.2026 1j 41min

  “Speak softly and carry a big stick” is more than Jared Vermeulen’s favourite quote it reflects the way he thinks about leadership, responsibility, and the modern fire officer. Born and raised in the blue-collar fishing town of Jupiter, Florida, Jared grew up around construction and was originally working towards a career in industrial design engineering before the fire service found him. After completing his technical training and emergency medical degree with PBCC, he was hired by the...
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  #490 High Rise Masterclass with Brent Brooks Ep 3 High Rise Search, Flow Path & Survivability 02.07.2026 57min

  In this special High Rise Masterclass miniseries, The Firefighters Podcast brings you live recordings direct from the International Tall Buildings Conference and specialist high rise firefighting masterclass held in London in May 2026. Across this series, internationally respected high rise firefighting instructor Brent Brooks shares decades of operational experience, command insight and research driven learning around modern tall building firefighting. In episode three Brent takes us d...
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  #489 More Than Coffee: Rescue 1 & the Mission of Fire Department Coffee with Randy James 29.06.2026 1j 35min

  Today’s episode is with Randy James from Fire Department Coffee. Randy is a career firefighter and paramedic from Rockford, Illinois, serving since April 2000. His journey took him to Ladder 5, working alongside Fire Department Coffee founder Luke Schneider, before becoming Director of Brand Relations and playing a major role in the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation and the Rescue One project. Rescue One is not just a fire truck that serves coffee. It is a disaster relief vehicle, ...