Fire Engineering Podcast Network

On this episode of The Backstep Boys hosts Ron Kanterman and Tom Aurnhammer discuss firefighter line‑of‑duty reports and the hard lessons that persist: breakdowns in incident command, poor communication, accountability gaps, and the ongoing danger of modern building construction and synthetic fuels. They trace the origin and purpose of the national firefighter fatality investigation program, how free, nonpunitive repo...

Katherine West joins us to discuss the expertise behind her newly updated Infection Control Policies for Community Paramedicine and MIH, 2nd Edition. With decades of experience, West explains the differences between emergent care and home‑care practices, offering practical, evidence‑based guidance. She highlights challenges such as healthcare‑associated infections, inconsistent training, and the expanding role of EMS in home envir...

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 “fire...

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-...

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...

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 s...

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 cult...

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 workp...

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 reconstru...

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.

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 consideration...

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, storie...

FDIC 2026 is right around the corner, and this preview episode lays out exactly why it matters for today’s command staff. The focus isn’t hype. It’s preparation. From chief-level decision making to evolving fireground strategy, this episode of Command Show centers on what officers will actually take back to their departments after a week at FDIC International.

Hosts Anthony Kastros and Br...

Every year firefighters and officers invest thousands of dollars to attend FDIC International in Indianapolis — but many arrive without a plan. In this episode of The Larry Conley Show, host Larry Conley and his guest, Dave McGlynn, break down how to approach FDIC as if it's a fireground operation. From size-up and building familiarization to strategy, contingencies, rehab, and after-action review, they outline a disc...

What makes high-rise firefighting unique? Dave McGrail, an author and retired assistant chief from the Denver (CO) Fire Department, joins host Eric Dreiman for this episode of Hooks & Hoses. The two take a closeup look at the challenges of operating at and commanding high-rise buildings. Dave McGrail will teach "The High-Rise Firefight" at FDIC in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Monday, April 20, 2026, from 1:30 p.m. to...

For Command Show's Firefighter Rescue Survey Update, hosts Anthony Kastros and Brian Brush take a look at the Firefighter Rescue Survey release on The First 5,000 Rescues. Join them to learn where to access this information the context of the numbers and how to use it for making data-driven decisions and establishing evidence-based procedures.

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