Author: Bobbie Scopa
All posts by Bobbie Scopa
#110, Fire and Ice Communications
In your life as a firefighter and leader, more often than not, it’s miscommunications that will cause you more trouble and heartache than just about anything else. If we could only understand why we find ourselves cross ways with our supervisor and co-workers. Take a few minutes to listen in to this episode and hopefully […]
#109, Prisoners of Fire – The Motion Picture
This podcast should have been posted about 6 months ago, but the filmmaker and I finally got together to talk about this important story. Every firefighter, every family member and every friend of a firefighter and anyone holding a leadership position in any organization should watch this film. There is so much to learn about […]
108# Why The Grand Canyon Lodge Burned Down
Right now, I’m hearing alot of armchair quarterbacks passing judgement on the National Park Service management of a wildfire on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The ensuing fire burned down the historic north rim lodge along with dozens of other structures. It’s a tragedy. Many people seem to “know” that National Park Management […]
#107, Do We Really Need FEMA?
I’ve responded to many nationally declared emergencies that involved FEMA. Is FEMA the model of efficiency, nope. Would states and local governments collapse under the financial burden of emergencies like hurricanes, tornados, fires and floods? Yes indeed. Should we just put the financial responsibility back on the states, counties and cities? Well, we were there […]
#106, Do We Need A National Wildland Fire Service?
Currently in congress and in the Whitehouse, there is more than just talk about combining the 5 federal wildland fire agencies into one organization. There is a draft executive order floating around but more importantly there is language in the budget bill to move all of us under one organization within the Dept of Interior. […]
#105, Preparing for the Crazy Unexpected
What’s the craziest unexpected occurance that’s happened to you at an incident or responding to an incident? Was it critical enough that you had to change your plans. The crew of this type 4 engine never made it to their smoke report. Their plans definately changed and so did their local Battalion or Division. We […]
#104, Do What I Didn’t Do… If You Like Breathing
Two weeks ago, I lost my long time friend, mentor and type 1 Incident Commander to a work related illness. He died after being sick for a couple years. Those last two years for him were not good ones. And his illness was the result of our Incident Management Teams deployment to the World Trade […]
#103, Why Care About Diversity?
There is alot of talk about DEI these days. Much of it is not accurate and much of it implies affirmative action… which is not DEI. In the fire service we will work with lots of different kinds of people. Some from the big city, some from small towns. We’ll work with liberals and conservatives, […]
#102, Some Truths About The LA Fires
There are lots of emotions right now about the fires in LA. And there should be. Thousands of people are forced from their home and many of those will come back to nothing but devastation. But let us not fall into the trap of believing simple answers about why this fire is happening and why […]
#101, What We Permit, We Promote
Do you get tired of the topic of workplace bullying? I sure get tired of talking about it. But you know what? It’s still going on. It wasn’t long ago that an east coast female firefighter committed suicide due to bullying at the fire department. Actually there have been two in the last couple years. […]
#101, What We Permit, We Promote
Do you get tired of the topic of workplace bullying? I sure get tired of talking about it. But you know what? It’s still going on. It wasn’t long ago that an east coast female firefighter committed suicide due to bullying at the fire department. Actually there have been two in the last couple years. […]
#100, It’s More Than The Money
A fulfilling job brings joy and a sense of purpose, making time at work fly. Conversely, losing passion can diminish performance and satisfaction. This universal experience affects various professions, highlighting the importance of discussing job fulfillment with peers. Explore these feelings and reflections in Episode 100 of BobbieOnFire.com.
#99, What If You Call For Help And No One Comes?
The US Forest Service faces a significant loss of firefighters, primarily due to low wages, making federal wildland firefighters some of the lowest paid in the country. Listeners are encouraged to support these firefighters by joining advocacy groups and unions to help address their challenges as they prepare for difficult times ahead.
#98, How Should We Honor Our Fallen Firefighters?
The author reflects on the emotional nature of fallen firefighter memorial ceremonies, prompted by the re-dedication of the Dude Fire Memorial. They ponder the absence of traditional elements at the original dedication and express strong opinions on honoring fallen firefighters. The audience is invited to contribute to this discussion.
#97, Are You Used To Risk?
Have you gotten used to being in risky situations? Maybe things that seemed risky when you were less experienced, don’t seem so bad anymore. Is that because now you’re more knowledgable and are aware of the mitigations being taken for your safety? Or maybe it’s because you’ve done something so many times that it just […]
#96, Don’t Chase Your Reputation
Have you ever had a problem with your reputation? I have. I had long and successful career in the fire service and yet I’ve had plenty of times when people spread rumors about me. Some of those negative stories were true. But some of them were absolutely false. What should I have done about it? […]
#95,Questions Aren’t a Threat, They’re the Answer!
Sometimes, we as leaders think an employees question is a threat to our authority. They may be trying to learn, but their curiosity can be squashed by how we respond. Our body language and the words we use are critical. You might not realize it but you have a direct impact on your organizations learning […]
#94 – Latest Interview on OPB
I try to keep my podcast stories and postings about fire, leadership and almost always some humor. This post is my recorded interview that aired on the Oregon NPR station on March 4, 2024. It’s obviously fire related because it’s about my work. But it’s also about my personal life. And my personal life is […]
#93, Risky Business – How We Got Here
Risk Management in the Wildland Fire Service
#92, Failure
Have you ever felt like a failure? How about just having failed from time to time? In this episode, we talk about what it means to fail versus what it means to merely make a mistake. The difference may be our ability to learn from our mistakes. But how do we learn from our mistakes? […]
#91, How Firefighting Changed Me – This Is No Joke
If you’re a firefighter, have you ever felt isolated from those friends and family members who aren’t firefighters? I never realized how different I was until I retired and wasn’t around as many firefighters. I would anxiously wait until some of my firefighter friends showed up for a visit. Being around my firefighter friends made […]
#90, A Lesson from the Dude, South Canyon and Yarnell Hill Fires
Why do we have accidents? Sure, we have a dangerous profession. But are accidents just the inevitable results of a perilous environment? I hope you don’t think so. We can and should look for ways to avoid injuries and worse for our personnel. In this story, Curtis Heaton and I talk about a couple issues […]
#89, The Presidents Budget and Federal Wildland Firefighters
Todays podcast is an interview with Riva Duncan, the Vice President of the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters Organization. She’ll talk about the Presidents proposed 2024 budget and all that it might mean for our federal wildland firefighters as well as the promised permanent changes in pay grades and job classifications. Tune in and hear the latest […]
#88, The New Normal Is Just BS
A few years back, I was flying around with a political appointee who many of us used to work for. We were visiting some large, complex incidents, talking to the ICs and our jurisdictional partners. It wasn’t my favorite kind of duty, but once I worked at the Regional Office, that was my typical day. […]
#87, How Are Your Leadership Skills In A Crises?
Many of us are formal leaders. Some of us are informal leaders. Maybe we aspire to a higher leadership role. But all of us are leaders in some way or another. But even experienced formal leaders may not have been tested during a crises. It all depends on the kinds of jobs we have and […]
#86, KJZZ and KLCC Radio Interviews
An interview by KJZZ in AZ and KLCC in Oregon. I’m just one of 3 writers who were interviewed for the Arizona interview. Share the links if you find the interview worthwhile. Thanks for listening all. What do an Old West fantasy/mystery novel, a former transgender firefighter and NaNoWriMo have in common? Find out on […]
#85, The Nevada Burn Queen
I don’t know about you, but in my career some things just stand out like they happened yesterday. This story happened 22 years ago but it I still remember some odd details and it still makes me smile and miss “the good old days.” I made some good friends and work relationships on this fire. […]
#84, What I’m Learning on my Book Tour
It’s been a busy last few months preparing for my book release and then the last three weeks visting book stores for readings and signings. It’s exhausting talking to strangers about what has been a closely held “secret”. Ok, maybe not a secret, but I’m talking about some very personal information to people I’ve never […]
#83, Upcoming Book Readings and Signings
If you’re in an area that I’ll be visiting for a reading or a signing, I’d love to see you there. There will be more in the future, but here is what’s scheduled for the next few weeks. Thanks for listening to the stories and and if you read my book, feel free to send […]
#82, Get Yourself Some Cheap SunGlasses…. Oh Yea!
If you’re going to push the rules, you better know exactly what they are…. even when it comes to sunglasses. And you should be really good at your job and valuable to your employer too. Today’s story is a comical recollection of a time when I pushed the rules and culture of my fire department. […]
Written Stories at WildlandFirefighter.com
I started writing some short stories for Wildland Firefighter magazine a few months back. So now, every month I submit a new story. They’re really written specifically for firefighters but everyone can enjoy them. There should be 5 or so available to read now. Hope you find them worthwhile. https://www.wildlandfirefighter.com/category/bobbie-on-fire/
#81, My Interview on “Life With Fire”
If you’re a visitor to my website, you already know about my book. Of course, the book isn’t on store shelves until September 5th, 2022. But the lead in information for the book is already on this site. So you probably already know that I’m not only a retired firefighter, a hilarious storyteller and a […]
#80, Did I Cross The Line?
As first responders we have a responsibity to the public we serve. I’d say an overriding responsibility. Is that responsibility greater than department polices? More important than our Chief’s direction? And who exactly is our public? Do we have any responsibility to our neighboring jurisdiction’s taxpayers? And if there are policies and direction that keeps […]
My Memoir is Now Available!
Words from my publisher below. What do you think? Scopa spent close to five decades working through nearly every challenge a firefighter can face. Scopa was a strike team leader for the Dude Fire in 1990, where six firefighters were tragically killed, and she served at Ground Zero immediately after 9/11. She’s worked mountain rescues, […]
#79, Better Call The Waambulance
Many years ago I was a Division Supervisor on a fire in the northern rockies. Listen in to how I dealt with, or didn’t deal too well, with some of the line medics assigned to my Division. You’ll get a good laugh at this one.
#78, What Goes On Behind The Radio
As wildland firefighters, we often have no idea about what goes on behind the scenes in dispatch. If you’re not a wildland firefighter, you might not have any idea just how complex the work can be. Getting a helicopter or an extra crew on a small fire might seem like it should be a simple […]
#77, Fire At The Old Mining Claim
This is my first attempt to post a video recording for one of my stories. It was an impromptu effort so please give feedback. My friend John and I went for a little 4 wheeling trip north of Phoenix and when we drove past a small side road that led to an old mining claim, […]
#76, I Want Ice Cream!
Sometimes while fighting fires or just working with your crew, we have an opportunity to make a difference in their lives. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Small things can make a difference too. If you listened to episode #64, you heard how I was able to get some of my SRV crews […]
# 75, One Thing Good Leaders Do
Leadership can be difficult. It can cause the leader to second guess themselves and question if they’re doing the right thing. Today we have two stories. The first one is a good example of both me and my fire chief not doing that “one good thing”. The second story is an example of the good […]
#74, Does Anyone Really Care?
Diversity in our firefighting workforce sounds like just another politically motivated issue. And there are some who may try to pick up the torch and run with it just to help “their side.” But the issue isn’t about politics. It’s about service to the public. How do we as fire service professionals provide the very […]
#73, It Could Happen to You
While reading some blogs and webpages for people effected by the latest round of devastating wildfires, it occured to me that everyone is incredibly stressed right now. Homeowners have had to flee for their lives, leaving pets and all their worldly possessions. Once evacuated they’re not allowed to re-enter their neighborhood. Now away from their […]
#72, My 3 Alarm Summer
In my life, I’ve experienced some pretty crazy incidents. Like all of us, many of those stressful events and emergency incidents don’t always occur on the fireground. We all have plenty of personal stress and trauma in our lives. Many years ago, it hit me all in one month. I had 2 significant emotional events […]
#71, No Matter What… Make It Sound Good On The Radio!
Years ago, I worked for a Battalion Chief who was a great mentor for me. I was a new Captain and didn’t have much support from the other officers on the fire department, let alone support from a Chief officer. But my Battalion Chief gave me some real pearls of wisdom. He had two that […]
#70, The “Grassroots” Fight for Federal Wildland Firefighters
If you’re a federal wildland firefighter, you already know what I’m about to say. If you’re not, this may come as a surprise to you. The lowest paid people on a large wildfire… I’m including the kitchen help and those who are cleaning the toilets, the lowest paid personnel on the fire are likely the […]
#69, If You Think People Might Be Watching You… They Are!
Sometimes we think no one is watching us. But in reality, someone is always watching. Whether you’re a firefighter on a crew or engine, or you’re a Captain or Chief, someone is always watching you. That doesn’t mean it’s like big brother looking over your shoulder all the time. It’s just the way it is. […]
#68, What Does it Mean to Lead Up?
If you google “Leading Up”, you’ll find a hundred of books on the subject. But for this retired fire chief, it’s a relatively new term compared to when I started reading about leadership and attending leadership courses in the 1970s and 80s. But I susggest you read up on the subject if you haven’t already. […]
#67, Home Safety Tips From Two Knuckleheads
I used to tell my firefighters that if it weren’t for people’s mistakes, we wouldn’t have jobs. There’s a lot of truth to that statement. People make mistakes and end up having to call 911. Thanks to my friend Ann, today we get to hear a couple stories of mistakes that could have had tragic […]
#66, Hi, I’m Bobbie and I’m a Knucklehead
If you’ve listened to many of my stories, you’ve probably heard me refer to my beloved co-workers as knuckleheads. Well, we’re all knuckeheads sometimes. In this weeks story I’ll prove to you a few times that I was certainly one. The easier and quicker we are to admit it, the better it is for us. […]
#65 – Leadership, Be The Boss You’d Want To Work For
We all have to deal with our supervisors at work. And while we’re dealing with our boss, our employees are having to deal with us as their supervisor. So we’re both an employee and a supervisor. That makes life interesting. We can bitch about our boss while at the same time our employees are bitching […]
#64 – Leadership, Little Things Have a Big Impact
Often times in life, it’s the little things we do that are remembered. As a leader, we have to be aware that what we say and how we behave can have a big impact on our employees. And how we make our employees feel about us as their leader will effect their job performance and […]
#63 – Secret Tears (There’s No Crying in Firefighting)
As firefighters we usually try to portray ourselves as tough and capable. And for the most part we are. But even tough firefighters have emotions. This story isn’t about all the bad things we’ve seen and the emotional toll it takes on our mental health. But it is about the emotional let down that we […]
#62 – Prepare To Not Freak Out
Sometimes life can get a bit anxious. Staying calm can help us maneuver through the rough water we encounter. Life can throw alot of enexpected challenges our way. Research has proven that when we begin to panic we actually reduce our field of vision. In other words we are unable to take in as much […]
#61- Drive Through Service at the Fire Station
Firefighters will recognize what might seem like unusual or unique situations to the public becomes common place for emergency responders. The public might not realize just how often weird things happen. But for firefighters, that’s our bread and butter. Poor decisions and whacky behavior is what gives us job security. if everyone behaved maturely and […]
#60 – WTF, (Where’s The Fire?)
If you’ve listened to many of my stories, you know that there is always a surprise right around the corner. If you’re a firefighter, you know how surprising some of the calls we all respond to can be. You NEVER really know what you’re likely to find once you arrive on scene. No two calls […]
#59 – What Does Leadership Look Like?
I believe there have been 240 trillion books written about leadership. (that’s an exaggeration) I’ve read a lot of them and thought half of them might have actually been useful. But after working in the fire service for over 40 years, I think I have a reasonable perspective of what good leadership might look like. […]
#58 – The Cost Of Erratic Human Behavior
This week’s title could fill volumes of books about how “erratic human behavior” costs society in so many ways. You might think fighting fire is a pretty straight forward operation. I think it used to be simpler. Or maybe it seemed that way because when I held positions lower down in the organization I didn’t […]
#57 – These Are The Good Old Days
Romanticizing the past is pretty normal for all of us. I hear myself doing it when I’m complaining about changes to the neighborhood where I grew up. Sport Bitching (Episode #28) done in moderation can be cathartic if it isn’t taken to extremes. But in the fire service (both wildland and structural) talking about the […]
#56 – Genius Farmer Teaches Bumbling Bureaucrats
The experienced Division Supervisor was extremely distraught over what had just happened… If you listen to many of my stories you probably already know that this week’s title might be a bit tongue in cheek… and of course it is. What you’ll hear is a story of how firefighters had to deal with an angry […]
#55 – If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed, You’re Not Alone
Today feels weird and disorienting to me. Well, It’s been feeling weird and disorienting for a few weeks. The images above probably give you the topics that are making me feel odd. Tomorrow is the 19 year anniversary of the attacks on New Your City. You may have listened to some of my stories from […]
#54 – Ode To A Firefighter and His Ham Sandwich
About a month ago my good friend Mark Sigrist passed away. He worked for the US Forest Service for many years and was an experienced firefighter and Operations Section Chief. When I first became an Ops Chief myself, Mark was the senior Ops Chief on my team and mentored me in his own classic style. […]
#53 – California Fires-Raking The Forest
There’s more to the discussion about California wildfires than just raking the forest floor.
#52 – Sleeping On The Job, Life At Fire Camp
Scenes from Fire Camps Living and sleeping at large wildfires can be challenging. This year with the Covid virus it’s even more challenging. But this week’s story is about sleeping in a busy fire camp. I’ve also included a few pictures from a fire camp for those of you who might not have ever had […]
#51 – Yellowstone Follies
In 1988 many firefighters from around the United States and Canada ended up in Yellowstone National Park assigned to the many fires in and near the park. Some firefighters made multiple trips to the area. I only made it for one trip to the fires there but that assignment lasted 30 days. It was an […]
#50 – F Bombs Away
Today’s story is about different communications styles in our work environment. I can’t tell this story without using the actual colorful language that you might hear around the fire ground. So I apologize if my language offends anyone. If you have tender ears, you might want to bypass this week’s story. For those of you […]
#49 – Don’t Have the Fish
Folks everywhere are stressed right now with the threat of Covid virus and everything else going on, so I thought I’d tell a couple of stories that should make you laugh and distract you from the news. As I’ve mentioned in my earlier stories, the public doesn’t really know what goes on at the scene […]
#48 – What Would I Do Without Men?
I would never want listeners to think I’m man bashing. I loved working with the guys during my long fire career. But some men have been a bit more fun to work with than others. Today I’m going to tell you two stories. In the first story, the guy was clearly just mansplaining. And in […]
#47- Surprising Stupidity With Fireworks
Every year before the 4th of July, fireworks stands open up around the country. Depending on where you live, your access to certain types of fireworks may be restricted or maybe not. Some jurisdictions restrict aerial type fireworks, but some don’t. Even if fireworks are illegal in one city or county, they can easily be […]
#46 – YOU Can and Should Protect Your Home From Wildfire
While I’m comfortably sitting here on my boat writing the introduction for this week’s story, thousands of firefighters are working hard to extinguish major wildfires throughout the southwestern US as well as Utah and Nevada. Before the summer season is over, thousands more will be deployed to large fires across California, Oregon, Washington and the […]
#45 – The Hardest Part of Fighting Fire Is…
In my experience, the public and even firefighters themselves have a miopic view of the challenges facing firefighters on the fireground. They see the obvious dangers from fire. They don’t realize that sometimes there are other equally dangerous pitfalls awaiting us. There are critical challenges we have to deal with on fires that go beyond […]
#44 – Bulldozer Pool Hopping
Back in the mid 1980s, I got a fire assignment to take a strike team of type 1 engines (city fire engines) to southern California (from Arizona) for a large wildfire that was burning into a city. This was my dream. I always thought that southern California wildires were the most challenging and exciting to […]
#43- Hilarious Hijinks at Fire Station Knucklehead
After the last week of social unrest and violence, I thought I would lighten the mood a little with a short story of life around the fire station. I am definitely not calling all firefighters knuckleheads but… well sometimes we can be a bit immature. It comes from working hard and often under stressful conditions. […]
#42 – When The Sh-t Hits the Fan… Will You Be Ready?
Many fire departments and wildland fire agencies are currently preparing for the upcoming wildfire season. In parts of our country the season has been underway for some time but in much of the west, firefighters are spending time in “refresher classes” and taking their introductory wildland fire courses. Often times when we are sitting in […]
#41- The Perfect Job For People Who Love Chaos (or who have ADD)
I’ve often thought that firefighters might make poor employees if they were working at the local Ace Hardware store, business office or factory. In those jobs, you likely know what’s going to happen at work 2 or 3 days ahead of time. For me and many other firefighters, that predictability of what’s going to happen […]
#40 – Burning by the Seat of my Pants – My First Controlled Burn
Among older and retired firefighters, I often hear about the “Good ‘Ol Days”. “Why by god… back when we could… bla bla bla.” There are lots of things that were pretty cool about the Good ‘Ol Days. Back then we could ride on the tailboard of a fire engine. That was fun. Of course firefighters […]
#39 – Fire Whirl Jumps The 9 Mile Burnout
Years ago while assigned to a wildland fire, the Operations Section Chief asked me to conduct a burn out operation along a 9 mile stretch of a two lane road in California in order to put out the fire and protect numerous homes. I was successful in the operation but like most things in life, […]
#38 – Are You Ready For The Hurricane After The Hurricane?
In the early 2000s, the Incident Management Team I was a member of was dispatched to a hurricane on the gulf coast. These assignments were always challenging and fascinating to be a part of. I always learned a lot when I responded to a major emergency but this particular one was especially so. There are […]
#37-I’m a Hilarious Firefighter, Right?
This weeks story is about how we might use humor on the job. Often times we have a distorted perception of our own sense of humor. I know for me personally if I was half as funny as I think I am I’d be on late night TV getting the laughs and making big money. […]
#36 – Tough Teacher, Tough Love For A Slow Student
This week’s story is meant to entertain a little, distract you from our current events a little and also to make you think a little. It takes place in 2001 when I was an Operations Section Chief trainee. My Incident Training Officer had expectations that I wasn’t ready for. Her expectations were correct. Up until […]
#35-Ok Guys, I Know I Screwed Up.
In life we don’t always get a second chance. It’s great when we do get that second chance but it doesn’t always happen. Hopefully we learned from an earlier experience and improve the next time. Life is just a series of experiences and opportunities for learning. Sometimes I’m not sure I’ve learned the lesson and […]
#34- Smoky Pig
As I write the introduction to today’s story, the United States and really the whole world is captive to the Corona Virus Pandemic Anxiety Syndrome or CVPAS. (I had to make up an acronym since I’ve spent over 40 years working in government.) I’m not suggesting we don’t have anything to be concerned about. On […]
#33- I Swear, I’m Not an Arsonist!
In my career I’ve had some unique experiences. One of them is the number of times I’ve been nearby when a fire has broken out. In a previous story you might have listened to the time I was near a fire start in the city of Sacramento. Well, I’ve had many similar experiences when I […]
#32- Hawaiian Luau on the Fireline
Around 2000 I was assigned to a large fire in the northern Sierras as a Division Supervisor. On this particular fire I had multiple 20 person fire crews as well as many fire engines working for me. This story is about one of those fire crews who were from Hawaii. They were a great crew […]
#31- Ants Hate Me
No really… they really hate me. Or maybe they just love the way I taste. But regardless, I’ve had some bad experiences with ants. Especially in my first 6 or 7 years of firefighting when at least once a summer I’d have an episode of being bitten or stung or just attacked by big red […]
#30- Hey Baby, Ya Got a Nice Bumper
How we react to tough and challenging situations at work can determine our successes and failures. It’s not always easy to know how to respond to bullies and negative people who can have a direct impact upon our lives and careers. Sometimes we’re dealing with a boss who is the bully and sometimes we have […]
#29 It’s All About You – Coping with Job Fatigue
When first responders work long hours, are under pressure to protect lives and property, they can often become exhausted from the pressures of the job. This week I illustrate some examples of what that might look like. The examples I site are just a few and are not at all complete in any way. The […]
#28 – Sport Bitching
In the fire service I’ve often said that the worst thing that can happen to a well functioning crew with good attitude is having no fires or no emergency calls. Even though we always had lots of work to do around the station or out on projects, the attitude would sink into the toilet when […]
#27 – There’s Nothing Wrong Here
This week’s story takes place when I was a Captain on a Fire Department years ago. It was really just a routine medical call. But while responding and even treating the patient we really didn’t know it was just a routine call. There was mystery involved. Initially we had no clue what we were even […]
#26 – Why’s He Yelling At Me?
Back in 1996 I had recently quit my job as a Fire Captain at my Fire Department and had returned to school to get my Masters Degree. So I wasn’t currently working for a Fire Department or a Wildland Fire Agency. Instead I had been hired as a temporary firefighter for the summer and had […]
#25 – Overdressed in California
As I’ve often mentioned on this site, you never know what’s going to happen in the course of your day, week, career or even your life. Today’s story is about a time when I was minding my own business and thought I was going to have a nice evening having dinner with an old family […]
#24 – Into the Darkness, Saving the Boy in the Abyss
In life you never know if you might be called upon to help fix a bad situation. You might not have any expertise to resolve it, but you’re it! You’re all there is. In this week’s story I’ll relate an experience when I was a responsible for rescuing a young boy from an abandoned mine. […]
#23 – Accepting a Gift
It’s Christmas this week and my story today is about how to accept a gift. It shouldn’t be that hard to accept a gift but I might have had a tough shell wrapped around my soft sweet center for all those years while I was working as a firefighter (maybe even still). I believe most […]
#22 – Trusting Your Gut
During our lives we’ll have many instances when we have the opportunity to listen to the little voice we hear coming from the back of our mind. We often want to make decisions based on clear facts. You know… Just the facts mam nothing but the facts. But in reality our decision making is a […]
#21 – Leadership is Like Finding Water in the Desert
This week’s story is interesting just on it’s surface, but there’s a whole lot more to it. The story really deals with how we deal with a supervisor. These interactions can be critical to our future profession. Over my working life I’ve often been asked how I gained my wildland fire qualifications so quickly. My […]
#20 – Lost in the Pines!!!!
Back when technology wasn’t exactly at our fingertips in the fire engine or command truck, we used old fashioned maps to find our way to emergencies. Having a hard copy map in your hand was always comforting but there is lots of room for human error. And if you’ve listened to more than one of […]
#19 – Celebrating Thanksgiving When You’re a Firefighter
Last week’s story was a bit more heavy than what I had originally intended for this site. So today I’m posting a story about what it’s like to be working on the holidays. Lots of folks have to work the holidays so I’m not trying to make this another “hero” story. If you’ve listened to […]
#18 – Post Traumatic Stress
Last night I was having a drink and dinner with some friends of mine. We’re all 64+ year old women either retired, or getting close to retirement. Neither of my friends who I was enjoying the evening with are firefighters but they do enjoy the stories that you all listen to here. I don’t know […]
#17 – Fire Bitch “We’ve never had to work for a bitch before and we’re not going to start now!”
Over the years I’ve had some challenges to my leadership at fires. This story relates 3 separate instances one summer that have had a long term impact on me. I believe people are mostly good and mean to do well. But when folks are stressed and firefighters are often stressed at a fire, they may […]
#16 – Flying Bodies
When we see a multiple fire engines, police cars and ambulances at the scene of a minor accident, it’s easy to criticize. Since we don’t know what’s going on, we assume all those resources are unnecessary. The problem is we really don’t know and they don’t either until their arrive on scene to see what […]
#15 – Firefighter Antics
This short story is about one of my favorite “knucklehead” firefighter buddies and how he pranked me while working a shift on my fire engine. It illustrates how we managed the stress of the job through silly jokes and pranks. I have so many good memories of these kind of firehouse antics and I think […]
#14 – Sometimes All You Can Do Is Shake Your Head and Walk Away
Over the years I’ve had to walk the line between being a hard ass in order to maintain my position as a female fire leader and not going too far due to being overly sensitive. Its tough sometimes for a female leader in the fire service. I’m not saying it is for all female leaders […]
#13 – Memories from the World Trade Center after 9-11
Today is September 12th 2019, 18 years after that fateful day that changed us and the world forever. Last night along with some firefighters and their families… for the 3rd time I watched the same documentary about a young firefighter who happened to be on duty at the time of the attacks on NYC. The […]
#12 – Always Being Tested
This story dates back to when I first was promoted to Captain at a smaller fire department. I suppose I had been a bit of a “fire brand” in my career leading up to this story. You’ll get more of the details when you listen. But what struck me as I was thinking about this […]
#11 – The Federalies are Coming! (A Little Humility is Always a Good Thing)
Hi everyone. The picture here is a good depiction of the fire that this story describes. Although the story isn’t about fighting the fire, it’s about the interactions between the firefighters who are fighting the fire. As I look back on things, fighting the fire was routine. The interactions with my co-workers and others involved […]
#10 – Putting Firefighters at Risk!
First of all let me apologize for taking so long since last posting a story. I was making preparations to get my boat ready to make the nearly 400 mile trip from Portland Oregon to Anacortes Washington. My mind was on making sure my boat and I were in good shape to make it up […]
#9 – Technology Challenges on the Fire Ground
Firefighters come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, genders and colors. Our abilities and skills other than firefighting range from building construction to floral arranging. Some of us are real techies and others (like me) have difficulty turning a computer on and off. This story is about my good friend and co-Operations Section Chief on […]
#8- Dangerous Bio-Hazard!
Firefighters respond to hazardous situations all the time. Haz-Mat incidents including bio hazards are commonplace. But it is not common to have to deal with one at the fire station. Although I remember having to respond to a nearby fire station that had a kitchen fire start while the crew was out on a call. […]
#7 – Unexpected Outcomes
The last 6 episodes have been pretty lighthearted stories. I’ve tried to share what goes on with firefighters that we don’t want anyone to see. I hope you’ve been laughing as you’ve listened to all our antics. As I was talking to my friend John (who used to be a wildland firefighter himself many years […]
#6 – Beware the 4 Foot Spider!
Today’s short story is about an EMS call we responded to a few years back. It was quite interesting since it turned out to be an unusually dangerous spider bite. I’d love to hear feedback and suggestions to improve the stories. But I need to keep the stories truthful.
#5- Ahrrrr Ye Matey!
Over the many years of my career I’ve aspired to present a professional demeanor to those folks who worked for me and to the citizens we served. I made a point to act like a professional Firefighter, Fire Captain, Fire Chief, etc to those around me. I believe it inspired confidence for those in our […]
#4 – North to Alaska
When firefighters go north to Alaska to fight fires for the first time it’s a real adventure. Firefighting up there can be very different than in the lower 48 states. In the interior of Alaska, distances between roads can be gigantic. Logistical support comes via cargo nets from helicopters or cargo chutes by plane instead […]
#3 Looking for the Ghost
As I was thinking about which story I wanted to tell next, two things occurred to me. My first thought was that some firefighters might believe I’m ridiculing them by telling these stories. I hope you all don’t think that. I have so much affection and respect for all the firefighting professionals out there. My […]
#2 What people think we do…. What we really do.
When you’re a firefighter, everyday when you go to work you have no idea what is going to happen. That’s why we do it. It’s the perfect job for those of us with short attention spans. Was the medical call we were just on boring? No worries, in 20 minutes you could be helping someone […]
#1 The CIA at the World Trade Center
Here is the audio story of one small incident that occurred during my nearly 30 days in NYC following the attacks on Sept 11, 2001.
45 Years of Firefighting Stories
Some funny, Some tragic, All pretty entertaining Now that I’m retired, I thought I would tell some stories that have been entertaining my friends for years. Over the last 4 decades many crazy things have happened to me while working as a county structure firefighter and a federal wildland firefighter. No matter what agency you […]