Leadership Under Fire

Salvatore Cassano is the former Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department. He was appointed Commissioner by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in January 2010 and retired from the FDNY in 2014. Mr. Cassano became an FDNY member in 1969 and served in every uniformed rank, including the highest—Chief of Department. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Chief of Operations – a position to which he was appointed immediately after September 11, 2001. Both as Chief of Operations and Chief of Department, Cassano played a critical role in rebuilding the FDNY which lost 343 of its members on 9/11. Under his leadership, nearly 7,000 new firefighters were hired, and some 6,000 others were promoted to various officer ranks as the Department went through a difficult but remarkable resurgence. Prior to joining the FDNY, Mr. Cassano served in the U.S. Army from October 1965 through July 1967 and was deployed to Vietnam in September 1966. While a firefighter, he attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Science. Mr. Cassano also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from St. John’s University in May 2013. 

Dr. Nathaniel Zinsser has been a sport psychology teacher and trainer for three decades. He has served on the faculties of William Paterson College in New Jersey, East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia system, and since 1992, he has directed the nation’s leading mental skills training program at West Point’s Center for Enhanced Performance. This program has been adopted by the U.S. Army for training new recruits, drill sergeants, and tactical units preparing for deployment at twenty-five posts across the country. He has extensive experience advising professional, Olympic and Division 1 collegiate athletes, surgeons, corporate team leaders, first responders and military units. His sport psychology training is complemented by his experience as a state wrestling champion, elite level mountaineer, and lifetime practitioner of Japanese karate and meditative disciplines.

Chris Summers is a Physician Assistant, Critical Care Specialist and Quality Assurance and Education Coordinator, who has practiced cardiothoracic surgery and critical care medicine in New York City for the past 14 years. He is a veteran of the US Coast Guard stationed in the North Atlantic and a former New York City Paramedic that has responded to countess catastrophes both on land and at sea. Chris is a co-founder of NYC Medics, a globally recognized disaster response group and serves as a medical provider, clinical supervisor, and logistics coordinator. He has extensive international experience working in remote and austere locations within disaster zones and specializes in emergency medical care, disaster management, systems development, medical, surgical and MCI education, as well as coaching and simulation training. He recently returned from two deployments with NYC Medics to Mosul, Iraq where NYC Medics was running Trauma Stabilization Points on the front lines in the war against Isis. Chris’s unique and diverse experience in public service helped him to develop a high degree of resilience and small unit leadership skills while operating in hostile environments and high-pressure situations. 

This episode is the second and final installment of a two-part interview featuring guest host Jim McNamara and retired FDNY Captain Alexander Hagan. Captain Al began his career in 1973 and served in some of the FDNY's busiest companies. After 35 years of service in the field, he decided to become part of union leadership. Hagan began his union service as the Captain’s Rep, and then the President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. Be sure to listen to Part I of the interview which covered leadership, human performance and organized labor. In Part II, Jim and Captain Al continue their exploration of civil unrest and fiscal austerity.

This episode is part one of two. Alexander (“Captain Al”) Hagan began his career during the War Years of the FDNY, in 1973, when he was assigned to 36 Engine in Harlem. After several years in Harlem, Al studied and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and was assigned to 44 Truck in the South Bronx. Al would later promote again, and assume command of 43 Truck in Spanish Harlem. After 35 years of service in the field, in some of the busiest units in the FDNY, Captain Al decided to become a part of union leadership. Al began his union service as the Captain's Rep, and then the President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (IAFF Local 854). After 41 years of service to the people of New York City and the Firefighters and Fire Officers of the FDNY, Captain Al retired, leaving behind a career and legacy for the ages. Jim McNamara hosts.

Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic are the NY Times bestselling authors of the book Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man. In early 2019, LUF recorded an interview with them, which you will hear in this episode. This was recorded at a Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Summit, which took place in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was devoted to the concept of resilience, the ability to navigate adversity and absorb failure and loss in high-risk settings. We explored the concept from the individual, team and organizational level as well as from a physical, mental, emotional and moral perspective. Guest presenters included FDNY Black Sunday survivor Firefighter Brendan Cawley, Columbia University's Dr. George Bonano, and  Dr. Preston Cline and Coleman Ruiz of the Mission Critical Team Institute--just to name a few. You can hear audio from the entire Summit by visiting leadershipunderfire.com. To help listeners gain context for each Summit discussion, LUF Founder Jason Brezler and podcast host Patti Murphy discussed their reflections shortly after the event. So, you’re about to hear that conversation and then the live recording of the event. 

In this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast, we're honored to bring you the inspiring story of FDNY Captain Timothy Stackpole—told by his family, friends and fellow firefighters who were influenced by his leadership. On June 5‚ 1998‚ Timothy Stackpole was severely injured in a fifth alarm fire in Brooklyn. Two of his fellow Firefighters were killed, and more injured in a collapse at the operation. Stackpole spent more than two months in the Burn Center with fourth and fifth degree burns over 30% of his body. He endured many surgeries and years of grueling rehabilitation. During that time, he had two goals: to recover and spend as much time as he could with his family‚ and to return full-duty to the job he loved. Against popular opinion‚ he succeeded. On March 10‚ 2001‚ Stackpole returned to his job as an FDNY Lieutenant. He was promoted to Captain on September 6‚ 2001‚ and was off-duty‚ the morning of September 11th. Of course, he responded. Stackpole was one of the hundreds of FDNY members who answered the call after the World Trade Center was struck by two airplanes — and one of the 343 who were killed when the Twin Towers collapsed. Timothy Stackpole was a devoted husband, loving father and courageous firefighter. It has been said, Stackpole was a hero, not only because of how he died but more importantly‚ because of how he lived.

The original broadcast date for this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast was December 28, 2018, but the conversation is still relevant today. “Life As Sport.” It’s an approach to performance and everyday situations that Dr. Jonathan Fader strongly believes in based on his experience working with top athletes. Dr. Jonathan Fader is a licensed performance psychologist who served two seasons as the Director of Mental Conditioning for the New York Football Giants and also served as the team psychologist for the New York Mets for nine seasons. In this episode, we’ll unpack some of the skills Dr. Fader teaches professional athletes and find out more about how he is influenced by his experience working with high performers in various fields.

This episode from 2018 is our very first of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Our guest in this episode has spent two decades traveling to some of the most dangerous and remote areas of the world—masterfully capturing all facets of the human experience. Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic and Time magazine. She’s covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, and the Congo, and has received numerous awards, including the MacAthur Fellowship. In 2009, she was part of the New York Times team that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. She’s been kidnapped twice, nearly killed, married and had a son, but still is committed to documenting injustice in the world. Why does she do it? We’ll discuss this and more on the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast.

Mr. Sandy Alderson has served as an executive in Major League Baseball for four decades. His teams have won six division titles, three American League pennants, one National League pennant and a World Series Championship. He served as a General Manager, Chief Executive Officer and/or President with the Oakland Athletic, San Diego Padres and New York Mets. He was the architect of the Oakland Athletics teams that played in three consecutive World Series from 1988 to 1990 and won the 1989 World Series. Sandy guided the 2015 NY Mets to a National League pennant and the World Series. He has also served as an executive for Major League Baseball on two separate occasions. Sandy presently serves as a Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations for the Oakland Athletics. Prior to his MLB career, Sandy served four years as a US Marine Infantry Officer with a tour of duty in Vietnam. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.