5-Alarm Task Force!

For well over a month, our lives and the lives of millions of people across six of the seven continents, have been turned upside down. The loss of life has been like nothing that has been seen since 1918! And the interruptions to our lives, from home quarantines, online schooling for our children, a ridiculous run on toilet paper, etc.
My guest on this podcast is Anthony Mangeri, a certified Public Manager, volunteer firefighter/EMT and he has many years’ experience in public health management. In this episode, Anthony guides us on the path of facts, not fables. You may have heard some of what he shares, yet I am sure that there will be some info that you will find worthwhile.
We want you, our first responders to be safe. This is a whole new EMS world that we have never seen before. For firefighters and law enforcement, often the first ones on-scene, we want you to be safe.
-Photo Courtesy of the CDC

It is all over the news! It has invaded our lives and everything we do! It is the Coronavirus. For well over a month, it has changed our entire perspective into our daily lives; what we do, where we go and who we can and cannot see. No one is more affected by this pandemic than our first responders, from our amazing dispatchers, to our firefighters, LEO’s, paramedics/EMT’s, doctors, nurses, road rangers and recovery operators. This podcast is for all you.
My guest, Todd LeDuc has been a member of the IAFC-SHS committee board of directors for 15 years. In most of his nearly 30 years with Broward County Fire-Rescue, he focus was and still is, on the health, wellness and fitness-for-duty of his firefighters. Today, as the Chief Strategy Officer for Lifescan Wellness Centers, he focus remains the same, just widened to all first responder agencies.
In this podcast, Todd talks about the pandemic, its cause and effects, and, what we can do in an effort to continue to fill our roles but avoiding contamination properly. We also discuss your off time. What you can do to “decompress” when you’re off-duty and to keep yourself in the best condition possible.
Stay Safe & Stay Well!
Photo Courtesy Brian McGowan

OK, so we realize that going into the fire service, no matter if it’s career, volunteer, part-pay, wildland, etc., that it can be a dangerous job...very dangerous! And yes, most of us will put our lives on the line to save someone else that, for the most part, is a total stranger! We do so out of our deep commitment to our job.
My guest, Dr. Burton A. Clark, EFO wrote a very interesting book, “I Can’t Save You, But I’ll Die Trying: The American Fire Culture.” In it and in this podcast, Dr. Clark posits that our American fire culture has it all wrong and we’re losing good firefighters because of it.
This is not a position that he has developed overnight. With over 50 years in the American fire service, he has seen both the good and the bad in the “job.” And there is a lot of good in this job. No one will argue that point. However, it might be the right time to look at the “how” and “why” we do some of what we do that puts us in very, very perilous positions, too often with deadly results.

Even with all the electronic media at our hands, we often want ourselves to be “spoon-fed” news the way we want to hear it, as opposed to the actual content. When we allow ourselves to hear all the details, we can better understand the topics and discussion around them. This is especially true in the fire service. Though most of the time, when the fire service is in the news, it is usually good news. Yet, we do find ourselves on the “naughty” list at times, too.
My guest on this podcast is no stranger to either and always has a great view of what’s happening and that is Chief Dennis Rubin. On this episode, Chief Rubin addresses three specific and important issues:
1. A neutral view of the recent Atlanta rescue and follow-up
2. Hazard Zone Accountability
3. Brief Initial Report & Assuming Command
These three topics might seem very easy to some and more difficult for others. With that in mind, Chief Rubin explains each one clearly and delivers pertinent information for each one. He does not issue orders, but merely make good leadership suggestions based on his more than thirty-year career servings citizens and their communities, while always looking out for his firefighting and EMS personnel.
Take a listen – you might enjoy it!

One of the most lasting discussions in the fire service, at least since I started in 1977, are those about leadership and mentoring. No matter your generation or your background, when we joined up we were all “rookies,” “probies,” “newbies,” or any other name you wish to attribute to the newest member in your “house.” However, to achieve that sought-after goal of “riding the rig,” we had to learn to be firefighters.
My guests on this episode are Chief (ret) John Salka and Chief (ret) Rick Lasky. If you have been in the fire service for more than a year or two, you know these two great officers. Since back in the ‘90’s, Chiefs Salka and Lasky got together and dedicated themselves to teach the importance of strong leadership and the high value of mentoring in the firehouse. And not only do they teach these topics in the fire service, they teach their courses to almost every branch of our Armed Forces!
We invite you listen to their words. Whether you are a front-line firefighter, senior firefighter, officer, or even a chief officer, you will learn from these two great firefighters. No fancy terms or doubletalk, they teach the importance of sharing knowledge, encouraging those firefighters who demonstrate the will and the drive to improve their learning and could be the leaders of tomorrow. And they also discuss the importance of sharing what YOU know with the new firefighters in your house; just as others did for them.
Tune in on your favorite podcast platform, on our website at Bit.ly/DalmatWeb, on Podomatic at Bit.ly/5ATF-POD or watch our video on our YouTube channel, “5-Alarm Task Force Corp.”
Photo courtesy of and © The Firefighter Toolbox