National Fire Radio Podcast Platform

Are you aggressively passionate in everything you do in life. Ofer Lichtman is . Whether it’s with running his business, TraumaPak or sharing his passion for emergency response. Mentorship, operational medicine, leadership and empowerment are all chatted about this week. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss and will have you asking that question. What’s My Size Up???

Eric Hurst is living the dream job he hoped for... From his early years of chasing fire trucks and capturing the action for his vlog, he developed relationships and trust within the firefighting community. From there, he began his journey to where he is today, the PIO for the South Metro Fire Rescue Department in Colorado. His passion for documenting the craft has built a solid foundation in which he, along with his team, have created a nontraditional way in which people have come to know their department. Early on, social media in particular was considered to be dangerous for the job. Eric set out to change that perspective and to use social media to the departments benefit. Today, their YouTube page boasts over 187K subscribers along with countless followers on their other social channels. The job of the PIO in todays' times is exciting and Eric and his team are up for the challenge. Promoting the job, their department and more importantly, educating the public about the service they provide within their communities was the upfront goal, however, there is so much more to the influence they now have across their platforms. With the trust of their administration, the PIO team at South Metro is helping shape and build their department while simultaneously providing education and training for not just their community and department, but the world. This 24 hour a day job is a passion for Eric, so much so, that he has created his own personal YouTube page, Eric Hurst, in which he quickly amassed a large following as well as he documents his travels to different departments. This episode is a glimpse to the inside world of Eric and his daily grind as he represents the best of the fire service.

"Go spread the fireground gospel"... LJay Geist has been a student of the fire service since his early years. Looking for more, he has traveled to conferences and made connections with complete strangers just to push himself forward in the fire service. Making the connections and forming relationships with like minded people has impacted LJay greatly. These relationships make him better and encourages him to step out further and give back to the fire service. He now teaches hands-on and speaks at training events. He sometimes has to pinch himself to realize that he is now standing in front of the room instead of sitting in the crowd. But he has never lost sight of the importance of being a student and learning from those he surrounds himself with. His passion is focused on the main mission, "Promote Growth". We have a duty to protect the job and push those around us to be better. Tailboard Leadership and believing in people drive LJay each day to focus on his game while boosting those up around him. He know has a larger stage than just his fire company, but his message remains the same; go out and spread the fireground gospel!!

How does one know when they become the "Senior Man"?? There is no formal process or recipe for how and when it happens. But there are the ingredients that are necessary for who becomes the "Senior Man". Jess Rodzinka, a Captain with the Charlottesville, VA Fire Department found himself navigating this situation during his 25 year career. The informal leader of the firehouse, this position is often talked about but what is an actual "Senior Man"?? The skills and traits required to carry this title. It's not being the oldest, it doesn't require being the longest serving... it's more than all of that. The one who is looked up to, the one who makes shit happen, the one the boss talks to to make things happen. Respected and protective of the company, its' rules and operations. The list goes on and on with what goes into this pivotal position. Jess dives in and speaks about the ins and outs of the "Senior Man" position and has created a class about it. He speaks from first hand knowledge and experience. His passion for his people, the integrity of the company and the importance of legacy. These traits are all part of the job and meaning of the "Senior Man."

For episode 31, Pip welcomes Rick Roman. Rick is a firefighter with the FDNY and founding member of the @fdny_crossfit affiliate. So yes, these 2 do talk about Crossfit and much much more. Rick talks about his education and working in the sports performance industry as well as his time on the Crossfit Med Team. Rick recently competed in the World Police and Fire Games. So many great fitness and firefighting nuggets were dropped in this episode that will get you asking yourself the question. What’s My Size Up????

Pablo Gener has never been one to settle on where he is, but rather, pursuing his internal quest to be a firefighter in an urban department that goes to fires. His career provided plenty of time and experience with great departments across Florida, but recently landing in Jacksonville fulfills his mission of what he set out for early on. Pablo uses the term, "By the grace of God" when speaking about his "luck" during his career but I believe that we can create our own luck when you are mission focused and doing the right thing. This Cuban immigrant comes from strong, hard working parents who came to the US to provide a better life for him and his siblings. Influenced by his parents work ethic, Pablo grinded, working many different jobs once his baseball career ended and struggled to find his "calling". When he found the fire service, he knew exactly where he wanted to be. From early on, he was influenced by FDNY buff videos, magazines and anything the job could offer. He was hungry to learn more and this pushed him to always want more. He is the co-founder of Build Your Culture with Sean Duffy, he teaches for the National Rescue Consultants, works with the Training Division and travels spreading the good word. His story is exciting and his passion is unmatched. Pablo Gener cannot get enough about the job and continues to find more as his fire service journey continues. -- Contact Pablo on IG @pgen305

When we create an environment of micromanagement and sheltering our people from their actual job, we create Zoo Animals. The fire service can't afford to have zoo animals working the fireground. We need wild animals, ones that learn by trial and error, ones that find their way on their terms and have real world experience. Weak bosses stunt the growth of the individuals by creating an environment of seeking permission to perform their duties. When we get to this place, our hungry firefighters are held back and learn to ask for what they need instead of going and getting it themselves. The public deserves the very best from their firefighters and they can't afford to have zoo animals providing the protection they have come to expect. Bosses - let your people work and get out of their way!!

Jeremy grabs a conversation with Derek Travers, Mike McGinn and Michael Goldstein about the New Hampshire Emergency Services Explorer Training Academy (NHESETA) that they put on for 14-20 year old's at the New Hampshire State Fire Academy. -- https://www.nheseta.org/

Firefighting is a process. It takes experience and maturity which only comes with time on the fireground. To often we rush the process because we want more quickly. Bu this can stunt your growth, and limit your exposure to all of the intricacies of the job over the course of time. Like reading cliff notes, you can write a paper or take a test, but you will always do better if you read the entire book. However, there are times that the process is rushed because of the needs of the company or department. Promoting quicker, less time riding backwards and less exposure to experience can all become part of this equation. Sometimes we need to move along more quickly and therefore, the bigger picture needs you to rush the process. If this is the case, then do everything you can to be informed, educate yourself more than the next guy and learn through training and others experience. I believe you can gain great understanding and knowledge through others. t's not an easy world these days, but if you can, enjoy the ride and make it yours to have.

This week Pip is joined by Conrad Weaver, documentarian and cross country bike rider. Conrad’s recent documentary PTSD911 will be released on Amazon on October 28th. Pip and Conrad talk about the documentary and his coast to coast bike ride to promote it, and first responder wellness. @ptsd911movie https://ptsd911movie.com/