FireRescue1’s Better Every Shift Podcast spotlights the passion and perseverance of firefighters. Hosted by Madison, Wisconsin, Firefighter Aaron Zamzow, the show brings kitchen table conversations to the airwaves, always focused on solutions, positivity and the realities of station life. Zamzow and guests tackle myriad hot topics, whether fire service, news or even pop culture-focused, bringing some levity to the often very serious nature of the profession. Dig into what drives firefighters to improve themselves, their crew, even the fire service as a whole. Listen in to get better every day, every call, every shift.
Episodes
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
On this episode of the Better Every Shift podcast, Zam and Janelle recap FDIC 2023 and their attempts to meet all 52,000 attendees packed into the exhibit hall, educational sessions, Lucas Oil stadium and the bleachers outside for the hands-on demos.
The duo reveals their highs and lows, plus some memorable moments and takeaways:
- Favorite hallway run-ins
- New friend shoutouts
- Top attention-getting exhibitor booth
- The “didn’t see that coming” moment
- Aaron sacrificing his body in the name of video
- 9/11 Memorial Stairclimb support
- Lessons learned
Connect with us!
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Today’s show challenges fire service leaders to think big – at least bigger – than the status quo. Fire Chief Randy Bruegman, who served as past president of the IAFC and CPSE, offers guidance for how to move beyond a myopic focus on day-to-day fire department management to a more strategic mindset about operations and the future of our organizations – and really why all fire chiefs need to push the envelope if they expect their departments to survive and thrive amid the myriad changes ahead.
Plus, we get into all this: The chief’s theory about why firefighters dislike change so much; fire service “yes men,” egos and inertia; and The Leadership Crucible Foundation.
Don’t miss: The power of the words “you have potential.”
Episode power quote: “If you’re a chief listening to this, you need to start looking at how you position your organization today for the next 10 years out. If you’re not doing that, you’re not doing your job, and you out to just hang it up and give it to somebody who will do it.”
Hot seat sneak peek: Bruegman’s favorite drummer – yes, drummer.
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
“Perfect practice makes automatic” is the key takeaway from this mayday training-focused episode, sponsored by L3Harris. Mandan City (N.D.) Training Officer Andy Beck unpacks his latest article, which is featured in FireRescue1’s latest digital edition, The Mayday Training Evolution, and offers several tips for how to train on mayday situations that are realistic enough to build muscle memory but not so difficult that members repeatedly fail, building bad habits.
Plus, we get into all this: the body’s physiological response during mayday incidents; yoga breathing vs. tactical breathing; and Beck’s favorite mayday training props.
Don’t miss: The story of the ranger, his sidearm and a football game.
Episode power quote: In the fire service, “You don’t really ever have to completely grow up, and because of that, it’s a collection of some of the smartest people that just don’t have regular jobs.”
Hot seat sneak peek: His desert island movies.
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
We hope you’re hungry today, not only for food but inspiration as well, because today’s episode, which is sponsored by L3Harris, features Jonathan Tate, a DC Fire & EMS firefighter and the founder of Food on the Stove, a nonprofit organization with a simple mission: “While firefighters extinguish fires caused by food on the stove, our organization promotes safe and heart-healthy eating habits to improve the food on their stoves and, ultimately, protect their quality of life.”
Tate shares the catalyst for creating the nonprofit, offers simple nutrition and health tips, and details the upcoming event “International Firefighters Weekend,” which coincides with International Firefighters Day and the NFFF Memorial Weekend.
Plus, we get into all this: A Lamborghini/garbage can analogy for the food we eat; the pandemic problem that prevented firefighters from getting the food needed to cook for the entire shift – and who came to their aid; and Tate's take on firefighters paying for their own food at the station.
Don’t miss: The new EMS acronym
Episode power quote: “I was 15 years old when my father passed, and I often tell people that Food on the Stove was started by a boy that missed his father.”
Hot seat sneak peek: The piece of advice he offers new firefighters.
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
In this episode of the podcast, sponsored by L3Harris, Chief Ron Siarnicki, executive director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), reflects on his 20-plus years with the Foundation and what’s next for him personally after so many years working with firefighter families.
The chief, who recently announced his upcoming retirement – but not his successor (yet) – details the Foundation’s extraordinary evolution since 2001, when 9/11 forever changed its course; shares his 9/11 story – the early NYC setup, the often-disbelieved story of the unlimited credit card, the Foundation’s ongoing support to FDNY; and offers a key reminder to his successor.
Plus, we get into all this: Building resilience in a role focused on fatalities; the Life Safety Initiative with the most impact; and how his “builder” mindset helped him throughout his career.
Don’t miss: The person who had the biggest impact on his career
Episode power quote: “We have to be open and supportive and not be threatened by those who come behind us. You gotta take somebody under your wing somewhere along the way.”
Hot seat sneak peek: The chief’s apparatus collection – yes, collection
Resources we mentioned on the show
- ‘We needed to do more’: The evolution of support in the aftermath of tragedy
- 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
- First Responder Center for Excellence
- Memorial Weekend
- Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters
Connect with us
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
What does a healthy firefighter look like? So often we focus on physical appearance to define health, but health is a multifaceted, complex interaction among several factors. During this live podcast event, Better Every Shift hosts Firefighter Aaron Zamzow and FireRescue1 Editor-in-Chief Janelle Foskett speak with Chief Marc Bashoor about the “Healthy 10,” a list of 10 ways firefighters can elevate their overall health and wellness. The group digs into how to define a healthy firefighter, underscoring that looking healthy doesn’t automatically equate to being healthy.
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
The man, the myth, the legend, FDNY Battalion Chief (ret.) John Salka joins the Better Every Shift podcast to share lessons that apply to all firefighters, on or off the fireground.
Chief Salka and Zam formed an unlikely friendship years ago, bonding over health and wellness, as the chief made it a goal to get back in shape later in his career. Beyond sharing his motivations related to his renewed health focus, the chief reflects on why it’s so important to prioritize personal time. It’s great to be into the job – to really love the job – he says, but no one is ever going to wish they spent more time at work at the expense of family and friends.
The author of “The Fire Scene” also recalls some of the biggest calls of his career and shares some great perspective on what it’s like working with the newest generation of members joining the ranks.
What else
- Don’t miss: The story of the urinal quote
- Episode power quote: “The most important decision, the most important action that a fire chief takes is to hire the right people.”
- Hot seat sneak peek: The tactical operation he enjoyed the most early in his career
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Dr. David Griffin, assistant chief of administration in Charleston, S.C., joins Better Every Shift this week, sharing powerful lessons learned from the tragic Sofa Super Store fire where nine of his fellow firefighters died; his journey to find himself and his mission after the tragedy; how he resurfaced his love of learning; and how he manages to keep all the plates spinning amid his work schedule, speaking engagements and business ventures.
Plus, we get into all this: Griffin’s initial resistance to change following the fire; acknowledging why so many members retired after the incident; the various coping mechanisms he tried to navigate the trauma, including MMA; and his subsequent realization about not knowing what he didn’t know – and diving head-first into absorbing training and operations resources.
- Don’t miss: The power of combining years of operational experience with a “super nerd” appetite for learning
- Episode power quote: “My day doesn’t manage me. I manage my day.”
- Hot seat sneak peek: His favorite tattoo – and its deeply personal meaning – plus his first time smoking a steak
Resources we mentioned on the show
- 15 years later: ‘We are home-growing our leaders’ in Charleston
- "In Honor of The Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy"
- “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team”
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Thursday Mar 09, 2023
Thursday Mar 09, 2023
Buckle up for an electric episode, driving hard into everything firefighters need to know about electric vehicle fires. Puns notwithstanding, Zam and Janelle are thrilled to speak with Patrick Durham, a captain and training officer with the Troy (Michigan) Fire Department who also works as a mechanical engineer. Durham started StacheD Training to educate firefighters on a variety of technical topics, including the unique aspects of responding to EV incidents, so he’s the right person to answer all of Zam’s scenario-based questions about how to handle various EV fire situations.
Plus, we get into all this: Durham’s takes on the various products for extinguishing EV fires; tips for determining whether it’s an EV battery fire or a standard vehicle fire; and how long it takes for an EV fire to burn itself out.
Don’t miss: The smart SCBA analogy to lithium-ion battery fires
Hot seat sneak peek: Durham’s dream car … but is it an EV?
Bonus reading: Electric vehicle fires: Where the waiting game wins
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
Get ready for a healthy dose of smack talk from some unexpectedly competitive fire service leaders. Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. fire administrator; Chief Eriks Gabliks, superintendent of the National Fire Academy; Dr. Sara Jahnke, director of the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research; and Chief Bryan Frieders, president/CEO of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network are going head to head in the Better Every Shift Challenge, a wellness competition that hopefully inspires you – yes, YOU – to join the challenge to better your health.
The leaders share the origins of the challenge, which did involve some of those tough conversations among friends. Just remember that the participants all have a profound love and respect for each other: “Yeah, we’ll banter just like we do at the firehouse, but it’s really out of concern and love for everybody,” Frieders notes.
Join the Challenge at Fire Rescue Fitness. Your contribution goes to great fire service organizations: Firefighter Cancer Support Network, Science Alliance/Science to the Station, and the First Responder Center for Excellence.
Connect with us!
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!
Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.