B Shifter

Across The Street Productions
  • 4.6 (55)
  • EDUCATION

Fire command and leadership conversations for B Shifters and beyond (all shifts welcome)!

  1. 4D AGO

    Blue Card Is A Safety System

    Send us Fan Mail This episode features Josh Blum, Chris Stewart and John Vance We argue that firefighter safety on the fireground works best as a built-in system, not a lone safety officer trying to play catch-up outside the hazard zone. We connect real injury and fatality patterns to supervision, accountability, communications, and command decisions that match conditions in both residential and commercial buildings.  In this episode: • Strategic Decision-Making Workshop overview and how it builds repeatable decision reps  • New continuing education module on the eight functions of command for technical rescue  • New first responder firefighter online module for non-IC roles and better scene communications  • Why “safety is a system” and why a single roaming safety officer cannot prevent all bad outcomes  • Residential fire threats including collapse and severe thermal events  • Commercial fire threats including disorientation, getting lost, and air management failures  • How Blue Card embeds safety through task, tactical, and strategic supervision  • Division boss and support officer pairing for accountability, work-rest cycles, and resource control  • SOPs, training, and performance monitoring as the foundation of incident safety  • NIOSH top contributing factors and why incident command owns the fix  • Recommended next steps, including Fire Command, Command Safety, and division ops training  Order the 3rd Edition of Fire Command here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com/products/new-fire-command-3rd-edition For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

    48 min

  2. MAY 7

    Food Plant Fire In Ohio

    Send us Fan Mail This episode features Fire Chief (Ret.) Thomas Lakamp, Assistant Chief Scott Williams, Blue Card Program Director Josh Blum, and John Vance. Thomas Lakamp, Fire Chief (Ret.), Fairfield (Ohio) Fire Department  Chief Thomas Lakamp is the fire chief for the City of Fairfield, Ohio. He retired from the Cincinnati Fire Department as an assistant fire chief after almost 35 years of service. Tom holds an associate degree in Fire Science Technology and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Cincinnati. He also holds a master’s in homeland security from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Tom is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and was formerly a Task Force Leader for FEMA Ohio Task Force 1—Urban Search and Rescue Team. He is currently the commissioner for the Hamilton County, Ohio—Region 6 USAR Team.  Scott Williams, Assistant Fire Chief, Springdale (Ohio) Fire Department Scott Williams has been in the fire service for 30 years and is a certified Ohio State Fire and Emergency Service Instructor II and a Live Fire Instructor. He is a Blue Card instructor, a national registered paramedic and a trained IAFF Peer Supporter. He has served the Springdale (Ohio) Fire Department for 22 years, holding the ranks of firefighter/paramedic, chief fire inspector and fire captain before his current position as the assistant fire chief. Chief Williams oversees fire department operations and develops the department’s SOGs. He is always looking to better himself and the fire service, supporting continuous improvement of fireground skills and operations through regular and consistent training. He is known for his honest approach and for teaching others through his first-hand experiences. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We break down the Koch Foods plant in Fairfield, Ohio and the lessons that come with a 600,000 square foot commercial incident involving thermal fluid, ammonia, multiple alarms, and critical injuries. We share how a regional command system, disciplined big box tactics, and drone intelligence helped protect firefighters and save most of the facility. We discuss: • Setting the scene at Koch Foods and the early alarm upgrade to a high hazard response • The report of a worker still inside and the rapid shift to defensive operations after untenable conditions • How a delayed roof report revealed extreme fire involvement and changed tactics • Thermal fluid flash conditions and why fire spread outran parts of the sprinkler system • Water supply challenges, extended FDC pumping, and coordination with public utilities • Managing ammonia tanks, cooling operations, and air monitoring as a hazmat problem • Building a scalable command team with Blue Card, unified command, HazMat and EMA integration • Using a regional drone team for situational awareness, leak location, and aerial placement • Cross-county mutual aid that works because of shared SOGs, training standards, and linked CAD • Why big box fires require abandoning residential tactics and slowing down before entry Order the 3rd Edition of Fire Command here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com/products/new-fire-command-3rd-edition For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: http

    40 min

  3. APR 28

    Three Levels Of Air Management

    Send us Fan Mail Our guest this week is Battalion Chief Ryan Eldridge, Blue Card Lead Instructor Ryan Eldridge is a dedicated fire service professional with a career spanning over three decades. He began his journey in 1995 when he joined the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Explorer Program. Directly out of high school, he worked for the Las Vegas Bureau of Land Management office as a wildland firefighter on a hand crew. From 1997 to 2002, he served as a reserve firefighter in Boulder City, Nev. Ryan joined Las Vegas Fire and Rescue as a firefighter in 2002. Throughout his career, he pursued further education and training, becoming an Honor Guard member in 2003 and serving as co-commander; an LVF&R Technical Rescue Team member in 2005; and a certified paramedic in 2006. He served as an Executive Board member for Local 1285 and chaired the EMS Committee for over 10 years. In 2014, Ryan was promoted to captain, serving Battalion 1 at Station 10. Ryan was promoted to battalion chief in January 2024 and serves LVF&R Battalion 10, B-Shift. He considers being a Blue Card lead instructor an honor and is proud to represent Big Al’s legacy. Ryan has been married for 28 years and has two awesome young adult children. We break down how firefighter air management actually works  from a morning bottle check to the moment you decide it’s time to leave. Ryan  shares practical ways to measure real SCBA work times and shows how company officers and incident commanders can build a rotation system that prevents low-air alarms inside IDLH. • treating air management as a Mayday prevention skill • starting the shift with maximum cylinder pressure and consistent SCBA checks • setting clear low-air communication methods between firefighters and officers • understanding personal air consumption and the round-trip ticket mindset • running realistic air consumption drills and tracking amber-to-vibra time • company officer ownership of crew air and exit timing • IC tools like elapsed-time “pokes” and CAN reports to catch problems early • using on-deck and three-deep layering to keep crews cycling safely • reinforcing the rule that there is no harmless smoke Download the Air Consumption Drill Here: https://bshifter.com/download/air-consumption-exercise/ Order the 3rd Edition of Fire Command here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com/products/new-fire-command-3rd-edition This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Bruncini Command Training Center in Phoenix, AZ on April 16, 2026 For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter Please remember to share with a friend. Like and subscribe if you can. That helps us out!

    27 min

  4. APR 16

    Fire Command, 3rd Edition

    Send us Fan Mail This episode features Nick Brunacini and is hosted by John Vance. We trace the origin of the Fire Command textbook from Alan Brunacini and why standardizing incident command changes everything from water-on-the-fire decisions to firefighter safety. We walk through what’s new in Fire Command 3 and how Blue Card training turns hard lessons into a repeatable system that works under pressure: • why freelancing and arrival-order deployment fail under stress  • how Alan Brunacini’s early fireground experiences shaped Fire Command  • the shift from slide programs and VHS to a teachable command textbook  • how Fire Command fits alongside NIMS and FEMA for different incident types  • what changed from the first edition to the second edition and why “deployment” matters  • how Southwest Supermarkets influenced command safety and tactical supervision  • why third edition puts deployment first and expands it to service delivery and aid agreements  • how embedded safety and accountability replace late-stage fixes  • what fire science changes about offensive strategy and exterior water application  • how the Mayday chapter is designed to work without rebuilding the system mid-incident  Come By The Booth At FDIC, Hoosier Corridor Booth Number 13011 Order the 3rd Edition of Fire Command here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com/products/new-fire-command-3rd-edition This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Bruncini Command Training Center in Phoenix, AZ on April 15, 2026 For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter Please remember to share with a friend. Like and subscribe if you can. That helps us out!

    1h 27m

  5. APR 9

    Strategic Decision-Making For Commercial Fire Operations

    Send us Fan Mail Commercial fires will expose weak decision-making—fast. In this episode, we break down why commercial fire operations demand a completely different mindset than house fires—and how the Blue Card strategic decision-making model keeps us out of trouble. We focus on size-up, realistic life safety expectations and the command choices that keep us from doing the wrong thing harder. In this episode: • Size, height and occupancy as your first strategic drivers • Why residential tactics fail in large commercial compartments • Reading sprinkler performance and recognizing when something is off • Slowing down your size-up to avoid dangerous assumptions • Confirming evacuation vs chasing unlikely rescues • Standing up divisions early for better supervision and safety • CAN reports, face-to-face coordination and radio discipline • Knowing when to change the IAP and move to Plan B • Air management, maximum depth and the round-trip ticket mindset • Understanding capability limits—and where building systems must do the work Buy “Timeless Tactical Truths from Alan Brunacini” at bshifter.com in our store for only $10! This episode was recorded on April 9, 2026. For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter Please remember to share with a friend. Like and subscribe if you can. That helps us out!

    1h 7m

  6. APR 3

    Blue Card Rundown for April, 2026

    Send us Fan Mail We share the April 2026 Blue Card rundown, from FDIC plans to major updates in training, online content, and continuing education. We dig into what’s changing in Fire Command, why objective after action reviews matter, and how we keep the whole response system stronger from dispatch to the fireground. • FDIC plans in the Hoosier corridor and who you can meet at the booth • Third edition Fire Command textbook release and why the update matters • Blue Card Online update planned to align with the new textbook • After Action Reporting system overview and what it measures • How non-instructors get AAR access and how the subscription pricing works • New traffic incident management CE module tied to apparatus positioning and safety • New dispatcher CE on mass casualty support and catching missed Maydays • ARFF program growth, new CE and simulations, and the August Phoenix class dates • Train the Trainer schedule, workshop dates, and why early booking matters • New command awareness program for firefighters, operators, and EMS partners • Helmet wall update and how departments can contribute Buy “Timeless Tactical Truths from Alan Brunacini” at bshifter.com in our store for only $10! This episode was recorded on April 2, 2026. For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter Please remember to share with a friend. Like and subscribe if you can. That helps us out!

    44 min

  7. MAR 20

    Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer to talk about what real officer accountability looks like and why the front seat cannot be a part-time leadership role. We break down how a disciplined incident command system, integrated training, and sustained culture change make firegrounds safer and service delivery sharper. • Worcester’s history and how tragedy drives learning • Department profile, staffing model, and command structure • Ending “ride up” coverage in officer seats • Accountability, supervision, and what the officer rank means • Blue Card command training tied to civil service promotion • Integrated drills that connect strategy, tactics, and tasks • Lessons learned on implementing change and sustaining it • Communication tools, early adopters, and credible internal trainers • Triple deckers, balloon frame hazards, and resource planning • Early alarm policies, command depth, and level one staging • Advice for aspiring company officers and future chief officers • Fire dynamics, FSRI, and professionalism as customer service Buy “Timeless Tactical Truths from Alan Brunacini” at bshifter.com in our store for only $10! This episode was recorded on March 19, 2026. For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter Please remember to share with a friend. Like and subscribe if you can. That helps us out.

    58 min

  8. MAR 12

    Recruits and Command

    Send us Fan Mail This episode, Josh Blum, Chris Stewart and John Vance connect recruit training to stronger incident command by showing how day-one decision making, radio discipline, and functional evolutions create safer firegrounds. Along the way we share first-arriver expectations, Mayday triggers, air management, and the myth of “just do work.” • day-one radio use and communication norms • building decision-making through functional evolutions • size-up, critical factors, and risk choices • priority traffic, Mayday structure, and channel discipline • problem solving under pressure • air management triggers and round-trip ticket planning • accountability at task, tactical, and strategic levels • aligning field training officers with academy standards • clarifying “alien abduction” and preventing freelancing Reach out if you want to host a Train-the-Trainer or Mayday Workshop. Our schedule is filling up fast. bshifter.com has all the dates Buy “Timeless Tactical Truths from Alan Brunacini” at bshifter.com in our store for only $10! This episode was recorded on March 10, 2026. For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/ For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter Thanks for listening - please subscribe and give us your support!

    56 min
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4.6
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

Fire command and leadership conversations for B Shifters and beyond (all shifts welcome)!

Information

  • Creator
    Across The Street Productions
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    181
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Across the Street Productions
  • Show Website
    B Shifter

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