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Close Call

These are the first responder situational awareness and decision making issues and opportunities related to close calls.

A Mental Health Mayday. The Laverne Friesen Story – Part 2 (Episode 302)

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen, a first responder who is confronting the stigma of mental illness head-on as he shares his first-hand account of how work-related stress was leading him down a dark path toward suicide.  He shares intimate details of what that experience was like, how it […]

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A Mental Health Mayday. The Laverne Friesen Story – Part 1 (Episode 301)

Today’s episode is Part 1 of my 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen, a first responder who is confronting the stigma of mental illness head-on as he shares his first-hand account of how work-related stress was leading him down a dark path toward suicide.  He shares intimate details of what that experience was like, how it

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Surrounded by Fire: The Roree Payment Story – Part 2 (Episode 298)

This episode is part 2 of a 2-part interview with Clearview Fire & EMS Chief Roree Payment, sharing the details of a residential dwelling fire near-miss where he was caught in a fireball due to rapidly changing, wind-driven conditions. Length: 51 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If

Surrounded by Fire: The Roree Payment Story – Part 2 (Episode 298) Read More »

Surrounded by Fire: The Roree Payment Story – Part 1 (Episode 297)

This episode is part 1 of a 2-part interview with Clearview Fire & EMS Chief Roree Payment, sharing the details of a residential dwelling fire near-miss where he was caught in a fireball due to rapidly changing, wind-driven conditions. Length: 47 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If

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Trapped Under a Roof Collapse. The Mike Beutler Story – Part 2 (Episode 293)

This episode is part 2 of a 2-part interview with Fire Chief Mike Beutler as he shares the details of an incident where he was trapped under a roof collapse while working at a commercial building fire. Length: 35 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are

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Trapped Under a Roof Collapse. The Mike Beutler Story – Part 1 (Episode 292)

This episode is part 1 of a 2-part interview with Fire Chief Mike Beutler as he shares the details of an incident where he was trapped under a roof collapse while working at a commercial building fire. Length: 32 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are

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Trapped Under A Ceiling Collapse. The Ron Hunter Story (Episode 291)

In this episode, I interview Spartanburg Fire Lieutenant, Ron Hunter, as he recounts the mayday and RIT activation after being trapped under a collapsed ceiling at an apartment building fire. Length: 71 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness

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Thirty Seconds from Death – The Randy Hanifen Story (Episode 287)

In this episode, West Chester Captain Randy Hanifen shared the details of a near-miss inside a residential dwelling fire where, if circumstances were just slightly different, he might have been killed in a flashover. Length: 54 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your

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A Near-Miss While Responding – The Brian Collins Story (Episode 286)

In this episode, Brentwood Battalion Chief Brian Collins shares a story about how he almost died when the door on the apparatus he was riding in unexpectedly opened while responding to a call. Length: 40 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding

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Interview with Captain Alex Charoni on Near-miss reporting evaluations (Episode 280)

  In this episode, South King County Fire & Rescue Captain Alex Charoni discusses his passion for determining the root cause of near-miss events and the approach his department is taking to improve firefighter safety. Length: 72 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking

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