Scott Orr

If you’ve ever known a firefighter who committed suicide, you know how it can change your life. It may have come as a complete surprise to you. Or maybe you […]

Friday, June 30, 2023, is the 10th anniversary of the deaths of 19 wildland firefighters in Arizona. They were hotshots, the kind of people who really do fight fire with […]

It’s getting hotter outside, and that traditionally signals the start of wildland fire season in the U.S. Nowadays, of course, there’s no real “season” when wildland fires burn. The season […]

How fit are you? If you’re newer to the fire service, say two or three years in, you’re probably still in reasonably good shape. After all, you had to meet […]

On this episode, we’re once again talking with Phil Jose, the recognized expert on the art of reading smoke. As you may know—and as Phil likes to remind us—smoke is […]

We’ve talked several times on this show about PTSD and its effects on firefighters. It’s a serious problem, one that affects nearly 40 percent of first responders. On this edition […]

This week, we’re going to make some people angry. We’re talking structure fires, risk, and SLICE-RS. If you’re a probie, that’s an acronym for Size-up, Locate the fire, Isolate the […]

Today’s subject may make you uncomfortable. If it does, that’s not a bad thing—so stick with me. You could save your own career. I am talking about harassment in the […]

The fire service is often called a brotherhood…or a sisterhood, these days. But how strong is that bond, really? One of the best places to see the strength of the […]

There’s a lot of talk in the fire service about the culture. It’s important, which you already know. It’s even celebrated in many cities. But one thing that’s more dependent […]