Labor

If you want light hearted serious fire service leader talk - we have it here for you!

This time Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison and John Vance delve in to labor relations, particularly the Chief - Union relationship. We hit on some other stuff too. If you like this and don't want to miss an episode, please subscribe!

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In 2007, Terry Garrison retired from the Phoenix Fire Department after serving more than 30 years. Working for Alan Brunacini and reaching the level of assistant chief of operations helped shape Terry’s consistent values: firefighter safety and customer service. After a long weekend of retirement, Terry served as the fire chief of the Oceanside (Calif.) Fire Department, where he worked for almost three years. Terry then moved to Texas, where he served as the chief of the Houston Fire Department for more than five years. Currently, Terry is the fire chief in Glendale, Ariz., where he was born and raised. Terry has traveled throughout the world teaching fire command. He has a master’s degree in education and attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Terry and his wife, Annette, live in Phoenix.

Nick Brunacini joined the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD) in 1980. He served seven years as a firefighter on different engine companies before promoting to captain and working nine years on a ladder company. Nick served as a battalion chief for five years, and in 2001, he was promoted to shift commander. He then spent the next five years developing and teaching the Blue Card curriculum at the PFD’s Command Training Center. His last assignment with the PFD was south shift commander; he retired from the department in 2009. Nick is the author of “B-Shifter—A Firefighter’s Memoir.” He also co-wrote “Command Safety.”

John Vance started as a Fire Explorer in 1982 and has been involved in fire department and/or municipal service ever since. He has been the Fire Chief of the Minnetonka, Minnesota Fire Department since August of 2013. Prior to that he spent nearly 12 years as a chief officer with the Harris Township Fire Department and the Clay Fire Territory in South Bend Indiana. He holds a bachelor degree in Fire Service Management from Southern Illinois University, a certificate in Executive Management from the University of Notre Dame and is an accredited Chief Officer from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. John has been a Blue Card Lead Instructor since its inception since 2008 and leads by the mantra of “Be Safe, Be Effective and Be Nice”.

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Production Assistance from Katie Brunacini