Better Every Shift – Details, episodes & analysis

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!

Post-9/11, there was an attempt to embed psychologists in firehouses, but that approach didn’t work, as the firefighters just ended up counseling the psychologists: “We realized that the magic was us … we’re the ones that keep each other going,” explains FDNY Captain (ret.) Frank Leto. And so began the expansion of the FDNY Counseling Service Unit for which Leto served for years as deputy director, building peer support teams to help other first responders through a variety of incidents beyond Sept. 11 and industries beyond the fire service. And that mission continues today, as Leto works with several organizations focused on behavioral health and resilience. Plus, we dig into this:

• The question, “Who has the best therapist?” as a positive cultural shift
• Why the depression level spikes for firefighter-retirees
• What we can learn from women about coping skills
• Workaholism being as unhealthy as other addictions
• The effort to “bottle the kitchen table” – and become a millionaire in the process

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.

In this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, Chief Marc Bashoor outlines the importance of MCI training, underscoring that it's vital to training for low-frequency events, like MCIs, that have the potential for high-risk consequences. He also suggests a monthly and quarterly schedule for how often to train on MCI events.

This episode of the Side Alpha Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit Lexipol.com

In this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, Robert Weisbaum, EMS & Fire Chief for the Crested Butte Fire Protection District in Colorado, tackles a unique challenge facing the firefighters and its broader impact on the fire service as a whole. Specifically, Weisbaum and Chief Bashoor discuss the affordable housing crisis that affects so many across the country, including firefighters. Weisbaum explains the approach his department has taken to securing affordable housing for firefighters, and how this approach helps with broader recruitment and retention efforts. 

[Read next: Why I proposed my title be ‘EMS & fire chief’]

This episode of the Side Alpha Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit Lexipol.com

In this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, Chief Marc Bashoor explores fire protection systems in residential areas as well as larger facilities, like the Walmart distribution center. Are fire protection systems ever a waste of money?

This episode of the Side Alpha Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit Lexipol.com.

On this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, FDNY Captain John Haseney tackles an important question: What is stopping fire departments from implementing occupational cancer-focused best practices? 

Captain Haseney has been with the FDNY since 2005, currently serving as the captain for Engine 38. He is a founding member of the department’s Contamination Reduction Workgroup.

Haseney got his master’s degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he wrote a thesis titled, “Overcoming Implementation Barriers Within the Fire Service to Reduce Firefighter Cancer Rates.” The thesis identifies seven barriers that are preventing fire departments from implementing occupational cancer-focused best practices. Read the full thesis here.

This episode of the Side Alpha Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit Lexipol.com.

Before we tackle each, can you share a bit about why you wanted to study this topic?

How did you tackle this topic? What was your methodology of study?

Let’s go through these implementation barriers one by one, and if you can provide a possible solution to each or a takeaway for fire departments, that would be great:

In this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, Chief Marc Bashoor speaks with Chief Otto Drozd, the executive secretary of the NFPA/IAFC Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. Having served as fire chief at four metro fire departments, Drozd speaks to the unique challenges of leading large fire service agencies, the variations from state to state, and how fire chiefs can make a difference at each department, even if through varying approaches. He details the work of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association and what it's been like stepping into his new role as executive secretary.

Drozd also tackles the importance of community outreach and community risk reduction (CRR) efforts, even amid the ongoing global pandemic. He speaks to issues of ISO ratings; accreditation, both on a personal and professional level; and active shooter events, including his involvement in NFPA 3000.

This episode of the Side Alpha Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit Lexipol.com.

In this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell shares her experience as the newest U.S. fire administrator, a position she began in October 2021 following her time with the International Public Safety Data Institute.

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell addresses several topics:

• Two major fatality incidents in the past several weeks;
• How past experience prepared her for the role as U.S. fire administrator;
• What to expect for the mission and vision of the USFA during her tenure;
• The role of data in the USFA and the broader fire service;
• The new USFA podcast; and
• What fire departments can continue to do to lessen the impact of COVID-19.

This episode of the Side Alpha Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

In this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder details his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. He shares what the experience has been like for him and his family, and how he worked with a team of doctors and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network to get the best guidance about how to proceed with his treatment options. 

Chief Goldfeder also shares a new initiative, 40PlusFire, a resource center where firefighters can learn about prostate cancer. The website is geared toward male firefighters over the age of 40 who are seeking information about prostate cancer prevention, risks and solutions.