Better Every Shift FireRescue1

Firefighter Philip Clark has been through some significant changes. At 38, he became a rookie for the second time in his life, despite having 20 years on the job. He went back to school to attain not one but two associate degrees. But most importantly, Clark took action to improve his health and lost nearly 100 pounds in the process. But making big changes doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Clark tapped into his support system and took a hard look in the mirror to identify his root issues. He shares some key guidance for taking similar action – plus, we dig into all this:
The Pandora’s box problem affecting so many first responders
The vicious cycle of health challenges – and his top recommendation for change
The lessons learned from being the “old guy in the academy”
The importance of moving in the right direction, even if slow-going
Read more from Clark:
The (nearly) 40-year-old rookie: A different experience the second time around
A weight off my shoulders … and the rest of me
 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.

As we approach the anniversary of the Sofa Super Store fire, we’re revisiting our conversation with Dr. David Griffin, assistant chief of administration in Charleston, S.C., who shared powerful lessons learned from the tragic fire in which nine of his fellow firefighters died. Griffin explains his initial resistance to change following the fire; discusses why so many members retired after the incident; opens up about the various coping mechanisms he tried following the deadly incident, including MMA; and shares his subsequent realization about not knowing what he didn’t know – and diving head-first into absorbing training and operations resources.
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”

The best words San Francisco Assistant Chief Nicol Juratovac heard when she got on the job 27 years ago were “interior offensive aggressive attack” – and she’s still advancing that mindset to her crews and students today. As she explains on this week’s podcast, when it comes to fireground tactics, Juratovac wants to dominate and smash the enemy (aka fire) with so much force that it has no chance of victory – and she does that by being a student of the game day in and day out, honing her skills on everything from incident command and apparatus positioning to forcible entry and roof operations. Juratovac shares tactical tips on all of the above, plus we dig into all this:
Three fires that produced important lessons learned
How she’s become the “master of her own destiny” at scenes
Generational differences in learning the craft
Why she advises firefighters and officers to not get “too cute” on the fireground
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!

“Does the job serve you, or do you serve the work?” Meridian (Idaho) Fire Chief Kris Blume wants us to consider our opportunity to serve the work every day, doing the things that don’t always get noticed because it’s the right thing to do in order to be excellent at the craft. But how do you engrain this mindset in the membership? It all comes back to culture. Blume talks all things culture change: the fire department culture diagnostic, the speed of change (from turning around a battleship to maneuvering a speedboat), and the role of mission-driven culture in empowering members to make smart decisions rooted in reason, not fear of reprimand.
Plus, we dig into all this:
The book Blume deems the most important for the fire service;
3 ways to embrace an “upstream mindset”;
Blume’s passion for strategic, integrated CRR; and
The journey from “burnout medic” to passionate fire chief – and how he’s paying it forward now.
Read more from Chief Blume about adaptive leadership, psychological safety, mentorship, eliminating silos, culture change and much more.
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.

“It all happened really, really fast,” recalls Eric Linnenburger, who learned while working a 48-hour shift on a Friday that he had been chosen as interim deputy chief of operations, starting Monday. Linnenburger, who had been a battalion chief in Westminster, Colorado, for several years, now finds himself making perhaps the most jarring transition in the fire service – from line to admin. Fortunately, Linnenburger has long focused on career development, helping company and chief officers hone the skills for their current positions with an eye toward the future. We dig into all this, plus:
Learning to “control the controllable”
How to batch learning and exercise
An incident play-by-play with a “don’t throw the baby” moment
How a fire department physical may have saved his life
The “shock and awe” of his new mustache
Check out these articles we discuss on the show:
Leadership isn’t easy, but stop making it so complicated
The ‘messy middle’: Finding your footing in the battalion chief position
Successful leaders must be comfortable operating in the gray
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.

“This is one week we’re giving ourselves,” Captain Jim Barnhart of the FDSOA underscores about participating in the Firefighter Safety Stand Down – a unique opportunity for fire and EMS departments to collectively suspend non-emergency activity to focus on this year’s theme, Fire Training: Back to Basics. Joining Barnhart to dig into all the training resources are Deputy Chief Darin Wallentine from the IAFC’s Safety, Health and Survival section and Battalion Chief Grady Valencis from the IAFF, detailing the five daily focus areas for this year’s event and the 12 foundations of fire department training.
Plus, we get into all this:
The reasoning behind this year’s theme
The crew’s favorite drills
How Zam plans to engage his crew
This year’s Stand Down takes place June 16-22, meaning you have one month to prepare your training activities. Find resources: Firefighter Safety Stand Down + FireRescue1 SSD resource center. The Stand Down is a joint initiative supported by the aforementioned organizations as well as the NFPA and NVFC.
Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback!