Tag: women firefighter
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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. […]
#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.
# 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 […]
#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 […]
#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. […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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 […]
#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 […]