Better Every Shift

Trisha Wolford got her fire service start with the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Fire Department, and 13 years later, she returned as its fire chief – a full circle moment that helped shape her perspective on leadership. Wolford details how she worked to build trust among the membership through transparency and making members feel heard. She also shares what it was like to be deemed a “DEI hire” while addressing some of the misconceptions about DEI efforts in the fire service. Plus, we dig into this:

• The leap from art major to fire chief
• “Don’t call them” and other tips for recruiting Gen Z
• Where chiefs get stuck in the “frozen middle” with DEI efforts
• How a simple policy around nail polish made a big difference
• The most important decision she makes as a chief

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!

Zam and Janelle are trading places on this week’s show, with Zam in the hot seat to share some insights from his fire service career, as well as a peek behind the podcast curtain. Plus, we get into all this:

• Zam’s 30-something fire service origin story

• 5 lessons for new lieutenants

• His pre-fire service life involving bartending and cadavers – a bad combination

• New opportunities via the First Responder Center for Excellence

• Why everything comes back to the Wisconsin Badgers

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by MagneGrip. Eliminate diesel exhaust fumes from inside the fire station with a MagneGrip exhaust removal system. Learn more at MagneGrip.com.

Have an idea for a show topic or guest? Send an email to bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by Verizon Frontline, the advanced network and technology for first responders. To learn more, visit verizon. com/frontline.

The 2024 anniversary of 9/11 marks 23 years since the tragic events that forever altered the course of history and the landscape of public safety.

As we move further from that fateful day, the significance of remembering and learning from 9/11 grows even more critical. For many, especially younger generations, 9/11 is transitioning from a lived experience to a historical event, making it essential for public safety professionals to ensure that the lessons identified are not only remembered, but actively applied in today's ever-evolving emergency response environment.

In this special crossover episode of the Policing Matters, Better Every Shift and Inside EMS podcasts, co-hosts Jim Dudley, Aaron Zamzow and Rob Lawrence highlight the importance of remembering 9/11 not just as a historical event but as a continuing influence on how public safety agencies operate today.

It was “love at first flame” for Chief Clare Frank, who was first formally introduced to the fire service as a teenager, eager to get on the line, and whose passion for the work propelled her forward, as she rose from seasonal firefighter to fire chief at the Milpitas (California) Fire Department and, ultimately, CAL FIRE’s chief of fire protection. Frank’s love of firefighting is palpable throughout her book, “Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire,” a detailed look at her winding path within the fire service, even her time as a lawyer and peace officer. Frank shares some of her funniest, most compelling, even painful stories from her career with the Better Every Shift team. Plus, we dig into this:

• Her reaction to a captain’s comment, “I’ve never had a girl I haven’t fired.”
• Her early take on restructuring the California fire service – and hindsight being 20/20
• The “primal scream” moment of her career
• The fire that turned the tables on Frank

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

In 2017, after experiencing headaches, Berkeley (California) Fire Captain Chris van Luen had an MRI that showed a pea-size tumor at the base of his brain. No one told him or put him on a monitoring program. Four years later, knowing his increased exposure to toxins, van Luen got a full-body MRI. As doctors shared the news that the tumor had quadrupled in size, the earlier detection was revealed to a shocked van Luen. While many would have been infuriated about the mistake, van Luen chose to move past that part of the experience quickly to focus on managing the cancer. He now works to educate firefighters about the importance of taking charge of their health through prevention, detection and treatment. van Luen details his mission, plus all this:

• Explaining to doctors that “being a firefighter IS the risk factor”
• Tips for better sleep, even on duty
• His perspective on saunas, cold plunges and new therapies he’s tried
• The key question doctors don’t ask – but should

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by MagneGrip. Eliminate diesel exhaust fumes from inside the fire station with a MagneGrip exhaust removal system. Learn more at MagneGrip.com.

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.

“One thing I learned this year: Most other entities have to focus on their entity. Everyone has their niche. The IAFC is a federated model. We have to give a damn about everything.” Fire Chief John Butler highlights the unique qualities of the 150-year-old organization and how it reaches so many firefighters. As his presidency concludes this week at Fire-Rescue International, Butler reflects on his accomplishments, lessons learned and impactful moments from his tenure, and offers words of wisdom for the incoming IAFC president, Chief Josh Waldo. Plus, we dig into this:

• How to have a voice in the fire service

• The empowerment-discomfort connection

• How taking an oath solidifies accountability for new firefighters

• Revisiting the family story that still causes “gnashing of teeth” decades later

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

For three years in a row, poor agency leadership has been flagged among What Firefighters Want survey respondents as one of the top negative impacts on the job, plus a major factor in retention challenges. How did we get here, and more importantly, how do we fix it?

Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones, who tackled this issue in the newly released What Firefighters Want in 2024 report, argues that while you might not have caused the issue, it’s still up to the current fire service leaders to fix the problem at the root. Jones shares his advice for fostering strong fire department leadership, along with lessons learned from his personal and professional challenges and successes. Plus, we dig into all this:

• The extra 15 minutes that changed Jones’ professional life
• How early fatal fires – and PTSD – affected his leadership path
• His response to being called an “EEOC chief”
• Two books all fire service leaders should read

Download the What Firefighters Want digital edition to read Chief Jones’ guidance for combatting poor fire department leadership, plus insights from Chiefs John Oates, Dena Ali and Reggie Freeman.

This episode of the Better Every Shift podcast is sponsored by ImageTrend. Learn how you can finish NFIRS reports before you get back to the station at ImageTrend.com.

You’ve probably heard of “Carpool Karaoke,” but what about Carpool Command? It’s one of many great training ideas shared by Laramie County Fire Authority Fire Chief Jason Caughey. Caughey offers insights on command training and tactics, plus how to create a command culture that’s baked into every part of training, even if you’re just driving around with your chief, singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” to get comfortable on the radio. And don’t miss all this:

• What it means to be a “bullfighter” chief
• The critical role of a command aide – a “senior set of eyes”
• How the echo method works on scene – and in relationships
• The debate about where to set up command

This episode of the Better Every Shift podcast is sponsored by Pulsara. Whether replacing radio reports, alerting specialty teams, or managing mass-casualty incidents, Pulsara simplifies communication. One Tool. Every Day. Regardless of Event. Learn more at Pulsara.com.

Captain Kory Pearn is all about discovery, from reflecting on past health struggles to brainstorming new ways to support the fire service. It was during a challenging time in Pearn’s life where the discovery kicked into high gear, as his concept for a fire service lifestyle publication turned to “something that I just had to get out of me,” he says. The result: CRACKYL Magazine, a quarterly publication for which he now serves as publisher and editor-in-chief, focusing on helping firefighters achieve better balance in their lives. Pearn shares a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration for the magazine, plus recent cover stories, including the current issue that features fire service editors-in-chief, including our very own Better Every Shift co-host Janelle Foskett.

Plus, we dig into this:

• Pearn’s vegetables/desserts content strategy

• Why “you can’t fake it” in fire service media

• His surprise meeting with Michael J. Fox

• The love of LEGO – and the power of distractions in achieving balance

Listen in to hear why Zam calls Captain Kory Pearn one of the most interesting people in the fire service.

“This is arguably the most transformational project that has occurred in fire and emergency response maybe since America Burning was published and the Fire Prevention and Control Act was passed – and I don't think I'm being dramatic. This is big.” Chief Tom Jenkins clearly isn’t shy about the future impact of the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), which will ultimately replace the legacy National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) – a shift that will impact every fire department. Jenkins, who serves as the research program manager with UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), details how NERIS will change the game, making it easier for firefighters to tell a more accurate and fuller story about their calls. Plus, we dig into this:

• How NERIS can help firefighters be “less allergic” to report-writing
• The shift from emotional to data-driven budget requests
• What firefighters can do right now to prepare for the changes ahead

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!