Tag: fire leadership
#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 […]
#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, […]
#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 […]
#93, Risky Business – How We Got Here
Risk Management in the Wildland Fire Service
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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. […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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. […]
#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. […]
#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 […]
#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 […]