Better Every Shift

‘Build your band’: Country music star Frank Ray on the power of peer support

“I saved George Strait’s life, and he doesn’t even know.” Country star Frank Ray shares that story and many more as he details his unique journey from law enforcement to the music scene. Ray recently visited more than 50 fire and police departments across the U.S. and Canada to spotlight first responder mental health, addressing the power of forming a support system and speaking up about personal struggles.

Plus, we did into all of this:

• Ray’s mental health initiative, FRAY
• How music impacted his first responder career
• Why having a hobby outside of work is critical
• The musicians who have inspired Ray throughout his career

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!

‘You saved Hawkeye’: Inside the Jeremy Renner snowplow incident response

“Every second mattered.” When actor Jeremy Renner was severely injured in a snowcat accident last year, Truckee Meadows Fire Rescue crews’ swift action and medical intervention played a crucial role in saving Renner's life. TMFR Firefighter-Paramedic Alex Hughes and Captain Greg Lompa join the show to share operational details from the call, plus we dig into all this:

• The critical role of teamwork amid equipment failures

• Why backup plans are a key part of public safety planning

• Preparing for weather-related obstacles at challenging scenes

• “It's not about the limelight; it's about being able to perform when you need to.”

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!

‘What is your learning culture?’: Chris Paskett details how to encourage idea-sharing

“Do your folks come to work expecting to learn something new? Or is it a surprise when they are asked to go to a class or a drill? That’s culture.” Battalion Chief Chris Paskett wants to create a culture of learning in the fire service, where organizational education is baked into the daily routine. He offers four (of 20!) areas where departments can seek to encourage a top-down focus on continuing education and ways to evolve the culture to support that goal.

Plus, we did into all of this:

• How to create bite-sized daily trainings that move the needle
• The impact of learning styles and why they matter
• Looking for small wins with learning

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by Columbia Southern University. Learn more about how you can earn an affordable, accredited quality degree 100% online at ColumbiaSouthern.edu/Fire.

Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. You can also follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!

‘Have a date on the calendar’: Joe De Sena’s pro-tip for staying motivated

Joe De Sena – the founder and CEO of the Spartan endurance sports brand – has long said his vision is “to get 100 million people healthy and off the couch,” and now he’s adding a million to that goal with his pledge of a free Spartan race to all firefighters. That’s right, De Sena made the big announcement during this week's show. De Sena’s a realist, though. He knows not everyone is ready for the world of endurance sports, so he shares some words of wisdom to meet firefighters where they’re at, namely, “It doesn’t have to be everything, but it has to be something; do something every single day.”

Plus, we dig into all this:

• Three things he learned in his youth from a local organized crime family
• The motivational power of a calendar
• His philosophy on working out the stress
• Why we need to gamify our health

Register for a free Spartan race here – and let Zam know if you want a race partner.

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.

Chief Bryan Frieders: We need Super Bowl-level efforts to conquer firefighter cancer

Chief Bryan Frieders is fired up about preventing occupational cancer – fired up to the point where he’s putting firefighters of all ranks on blast for not doing everything possible to prevent an often-preventable disease. He calls out firefighters for not wearing their SCBA, cleaning their gear and taking care of their health (“Why are we risking our lives? Stupidity.”), as well as leaders who don’t prioritize member health and safety (“If you’re old school, then you’re lost”). And having just worked the Super Bowl, among many other large-scale events, Frieders considers the connections between preparing for big events and preventing the Big C – and even shares what Bono had to say to him before a recent performance. Plus, we dig into all this:

• Questioning our tactics related to car fires and ventilation
• The unfortunate connection between bugles and plungers
• The firefighters who might want to apply for work at Wendy’s
• The push to put the FCSN out of business – for the best possible reason

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!

Rocco Alvaro: ‘Once you stop developing others, it’s time for you to leave’

Fairfax County (Virginia) Battalion Chief Rocco Alvaro is passionate about professional development, but he wasn’t always on a clear path himself. In fact, it took a metaphorical “punch in the face” from a mentor for him to go back to school and walk the professional development walk – and he’s incredibly grateful for the punch.

Alvaro joins Better Every Shift this week to talk all things professional development, including where departments can begin with standing up their own programs. Plus we get into all this:

• How fire departments can follow a “farm team” model;
• The three foundational elements we all need in our training;
• The lack of vision permeating the fire service today; and
• How higher education is the best way to answer the vital question, “What’s over the horizon?”

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by Columbia Southern University. Learn more about how you can earn an affordable, accredited quality degree 100% online at ColumbiaSouthern.edu/Fire. 

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!

‘Turn it up a notch’: Chief Keith Padgett on the power of higher education

“You’ll use it more than you’ll ever know,” Zam says about going back to school – and he would know, having recently started his own higher education journey. So this week, the Better Every Shift crew welcomes Chief Keith Padgett, the Fire and EMS Academic Program Director with Columbia Southern University, where Zam is currently taking classes, to talk all things advanced degrees, higher education and fire service training. Don’t miss all this:

• Padgett’s advice for firefighters who are new to higher education
• The #1 program in which firefighters are enrolling
• Padgett’s early struggles with school and his “look at me now” moment
• The degrees for “going beyond” chief-level education
• Padgett’s advice for firefighters who feel stagnant in their career

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by Columbia Southern University. Learn more about how you can earn an affordable, accredited quality degree 100% online at ColumbiaSouthern.edu/Fire. 

Jason Patton: ‘I’m not making fun of people!’

Jason Patton loves talking to people, even if it wasn’t always easy for him. The first firefighter-influencer of the YouTube viral video era explains his initial struggles with public speaking – the ultimate example of getting out of your comfort zone to make great things happen (think Fire Department Chronicles, among many other great ventures). That’s why we’re returning to Patton’s show this week, not only because it’s one of our most popular episodes of all time, but because the messages are vital for new and long-time listeners alike.

Plus, we get into all this:

• His best advice for firefighters getting into the social media space
• How he chooses his passion projects
• “Micro-dosing happiness” and his go-to stress reliever
• Don’t miss: The story of his first attempt to teach a CPR class
• Episode power quote: “I love naps, bro.”

Resources we mentioned on the show

• Fire Department Chronicles
• Fire Department Coffee
• DetecTogether
• Banyan Treatment Centers
• The Leary Firefighters Foundation

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!

Spanish for firefighters: Make your communication skills excelente

¿Hablas español? If not, you’re going to want to tune in to this week’s show to learn some phrases that could come in handy on the incident scene.

The impetus for this show: Zam was on a call where he found himself struggling to communicate with a patient who spoke Spanish. Always driven to improve, Zam sought out The Language Tutor for some help with Spanish for first responders, and now the tutor himself, Dr. Danny Evans, joins Better Every Shift to share some general phrases (“I am here to help”), keywords (“pain,” “medications”), directives (“breathe slowly”) and questions (“Where does it hurt?”) that can help any first responder looking to level up their communication skills.

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.

Introducing the Resilient 50: Your back-to-basics health routine

Who doesn’t love a little healthy competition – the keyword there being healthy. Zam has created the Resilient 50 Challenge to help firefighters get real about getting healthy in the new year. It’s a back-to-basics approach that spans a spectrum of lifestyle habits, all designed to make you a more resilient firefighter. After all, health isn’t solely about losing weight or getting in shape; it’s about staying hydrated, sleeping better, feeding your brain and, really, any goals you set to help you be better every shift.

Here’s how it works: Zam has identified 10 key habits for improved health. You pick 7 and do them every day for 50 days. And yes, there is a reward at the end, that is, in addition to the greatest reward of all – improved health!

Tune in to hear Zam and Janelle share the 7 habits they selected for themselves.

Sign up for the Resilient 50 Challenge today! It’s FREE and can only help you feel better! And remember, you don’t have to sign up for the challenge to start implementing the 10 habits in your life – but the system will add that level of structure and accountability that we all need. (Note: It's important to consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutrition program.)

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your questions and feedback!