Episode 103 Dig'n Data with Chief Tom Jenkins

Chief Tom Jenkins came to the valley to discuss the roll out of the NERIS project – the National Emergency Response Information System. This is a fire service data reporting tool that will increase the efficiency and utility of the reporting system for the American fire service (see Chief, I was paying a little bit of attention!) Which is interesting, however, a chat with Chief Jenkins is way more than data collection, he assumed the role of Fire Chief for the Rogers Arkansas Fire Department at the ripe old age of 27 and held that top spot for the last 15 years. 

In episode 103 we talked about “making the community safer” and how we as firefighter’s accomplish that, the difficult lessons learned along the way as well as the importance of mentorship, training, and leadership. It was a great conversation with a very down to earth Fire Chief, I hope you enjoy the conversation!

A little more about today’s guest…

 

Tom Jenkins serves as a Senior Advisor / Research Manager for UL Fire Safety Research Institute on the NERIS project.  Prior to joining FSRI, he was the Fire Chief for the City of Rogers (AR).  In that capacity he led over 160 career firefighters and successfully attained accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence and Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services. Chief Jenkins was asked to serve by Governors Beebe and Hutchison to serve on several state commissions and groups, including the Trauma Advisory Council, Firefighter Cancer Benefit Review Panel and the Safe Schools Commission. He has served as a professor for Drury University, Northwest Arkansas Community College, Tulsa Community College, and Oklahoma State University. In 2015, Chief Jenkins was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Fire Chiefs as the Second Vice President. In 2017 and 2018, he served as President and Chairman of the Board for the IAFC.

 

In addition to public service, Tom is regular presenter at nearly all fire and emergency medical conferences. Chief Jenkins completed his master’s in public administration from the University of Oklahoma and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He has completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and is a designated Chief Fire Officer and Chief Emergency Medical Services Officer from the Commission on Public Credentialing. He currently serves on multiple boards and committees, including the: NFPA Standard on Organization and Deployment of Career Fire Departments Standard 1710, International Fire Service Training Association Board of Directors, PulsePoint Advisory Board, and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Advisory Board.  His service also includes appointments to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, where he served from 2020-2021 and the FEMA National Advisory Council where he has served since 2023. 

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Email: thomas.jenkins@ul.org

Web: fsri.org

in: Tom Jenkins

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Episode 102 Do the Work with Joe Spector

Our guest today, Joe Spector, is a retired firefighter turned podcaster, author, and emotional fitness instructor. After a years of subsequent traumas that led him to the brink of suicide, Joe chose to live, pursue radical wellness, and champion others (particularly in public safety) to do the same. In 2017, Joe experienced a brain and spinal cord injury, costing him his health, income, and fifteen-year career in public service. His emotional recovery made him ultra aware that first responders are in deep need of emotional fitness and mental health emergency prevention training as well as tools and a safe space to process their experiences. 

Since then, Joe has developed an emotional and mental fitness program for first responders, which he has been invited to share through his brand Grit, Growth, and Gratitude: https://ggg.training. Through the Grit Growth & Gratitude app, video training modules, meditations, and emotional fitness materials, Joe champions other first responders to pursue unbreakable resilience and unshakable happiness, no matter their circumstances. Beyond his advocacy for those in the trauma community, Joe has a vested interest in helping parents equip their children with emotional regulation tools and techniques. 

As a parent to a daughter with a sensory processing disorder, he is empathetic to the lack of resources and taught-skills available to parents of children struggling with emotional dysregulation and/or special needs.. When Joe isn’t publicly speaking, writing, or teaching, he’s out living life to the fullest: taking his bullmastiff, Journey, on morning walks, traveling to Red Rocks to see his favorite bands play, diving into icy cold plunges, meditating with yogis at the local studio, and hanging out with his beloved wife Leslie and their two amazing kids Sophie and Sean. A note from our guest… I got so wrapped up in our conversation the other day that I led people to my Instagram account when you asked where people can find me, but I totally spaced sharing that for public safety the best place to find me is through our resilience training. It’s comprehensive, evidence-based suicide/addiction/PTSD prevention training through emotional fitness and resilience building. 

There is an ancillary app so family members and retirees can have free access. There’s printed materials, a 7-day meditation course designed specifically for public safety, and 20 video modules covering emotional processing, normalizing the dialogue, communication and conflict resolution at home, addiction/dependency, and a lot more. 

This is the bridge for the gap that I was sharing with you regarding no training/on-going assessment for our mental/emotional fitness for duty. I’ve literally never worked harder on or been more proud of anything than this program. 

If you want to share any of that in the show notes it would be amazing, and our website has samples of the training, testimonials, statistics, download links for the app (about ⅓ of the training on the app is free) and a contact form so that organizations can get in touch to discuss implementing prevention/resilience training for their people. It’s relatively new, and we’re still gathering data and improving, but the beta tests and anecdotal success have been so amazing! If you want to add any of the above and/or check out the website to see what I’m talking about, its: Grit, Growth & Gratitude www.ggg.training and my email address is joe@ggg.training 

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You can find the Fireground Fitness podcast wherever great podcasts are located. So, search it out and subscribe. Your feedback is powerful, and greatly appreciated. Go to apple podcasts, subscribe, rate and review the podcast or shoot me an email! 

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IG: thejoespector 

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in: Joe Spector 

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Email: raynegray@firegroundfitness.com

 

Episode 101 with Kris Kazian

When Kris Kazian and I sat down to record episode 101 he offered to prepare me an egg and cheese omelet with a side of bacon before we got started. Now, I am not one to pass up a meal and it would be rude to decline this kind gesture, right? So, I accepted his offer, sitting down to a delicious omelet but also an introduction to the true nature of service that epitomizes Kazian’s character. 

Before we finished our meal, we were neck deep in a thoughtful conversation about leadership and organizational dynamics. When we finally hit record after an hour of chatting the thoughtful and well considered lessons continued to unfold. In episode 101 we discussed leadership, team building, training, becoming a Fire Chief, learning to play politics and so much more! This is a great episode, enjoy! 

A little more about our guest, from our guest… 

 

Starting in 1990 as a paid on call firefighter in the northern suburbs of Chicago, starting career service as a firemedic in 1991 working my way through the ranks and retiring as deputy chief of operations in 2012 served as a great foundation for the next 10+ years serving as fire chief in Northern AZ and then Northern CO. Bringing things full circle, currently serving as the Operations Chief in Evergreen CO and loving it, taking me back to my roots of firefighting and community in our primarily volunteer agency. 

Proud husband and father to 5 who after 34 years in the fire service still is unable to find the right life-work balance but l keep trying! I have a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Dominican University and a Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science management from Southern IL University, was a pretty decent paramedic for 25 years, and always enjoy the chance to talk leadership, trying to help others navigate their leadership journey whenever I can. 

I have been very fortunate to have many spectacular leaders in my career and have learned that meaningful and effective relationships are the most important thing in developing a person. Live every day to its fullest, never miss a chance to make a difference and love the job and the people you work with like your life depends on it! 

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You can find the Fireground Fitness podcast wherever great podcasts are located. So, search it out and subscribe. Your feedback is powerful, and greatly appreciated. Go to apple podcasts, subscribe, rate and review the podcast or shoot me an email! 

 If you would like to contact today’s guest... 

Email: KrisKazian@Gmail.com 

IG: Kris Kazian 

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in: Kristian Kazian 

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Email: raynegray@firegroundfitness.com

Ep99 A Hero's Journey with Heather Marques

When you walk into a room and see Heather Marques for the first time one is immediately struck by the energy radiating off this talented fire service leader. She exudes a selfless confidence which is truly warranted and immediately qualified when she speaks. As you will hear in episode 99 Marques has a great knowledge, passion and commitment concerning the business of firefighting and is working hard to help the next generation of Firefighters. Marques’ began traveling the world right out of high school, taught herself Spanish, wrote a history book for her agency, has a family and completed her Master’s Degree in the Navel Post Graduate School. We discuss all this and so much more. 

When you walk into a room and see Heather Marques for the first time one is immediately struck by the energy radiating off this talented fire service leader.  She exudes a selfless confidence which is truly warranted and immediately qualified when she speaks. As you will hear in episode 99 Marques has a great knowledge, passion and commitment concerning the business of firefighting and is working hard to help the next generation of Firefighters. Marques’ began traveling the world right out of high school, taught herself Spanish, wrote a history book for her agency, has a family and completed her Master’s Degree in the Navel Post Graduate School. We discuss all this and so much more. Please enjoy!

 

A little more about our guest….

Chief Heather Marques, M.A. is a Division Chief of Medical Services for an all-risk fire department in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. Her agency’s district covers over 500 square miles and runs about 48,000 calls for service a year, providing fire suppression, ALS emergency medical services, fire prevention, and public education. She oversees all medical operations, training and certification, special events and the tactical medicine teams. Heather is trained as a Nationally Registered Paramedic, a hazmat specialist, a confined space rescue technician, water rescue specialist, and teaches at the fire academy. She also teaches paramedic level courses and is a certified instructor and lead skills evaluator and Certified Chief Officer with the California State Fire Marshal.  Heather holds an associate degree in photography, an associate degree in paramedicine, and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. Heather is a graduate of and Class Speaker for the Los Angeles Fire Department Leadership Academy.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Security Studies from the Center for Department of Homeland Security at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Her thesis is titled Working Fire: Recruitment and Retention of Women Firefighters. She is the author of a history book, Alameda County Fire Department, (Arcadia Press, 2015) and published in the Harvard Public Health Review:  Establishment of Human Trafficking Reporting Protocols, Mandatory Specialized Training, and the Development of a Human Trafficking Liaison Officer (HTL0.) She has developed a statewide training module to address human trafficking education for the California fire service. Heather is committed to First Responder Health and Wellness and cancer prevention. She is Vice-President of the Alameda County Fire Chiefs EMS Section, Treasurer of the Nor-Cal Cal Chiefs EMS Section, and a member of the IAFC (International Association of Fire Chiefs) and WFS (Women in the Fire Service.) She serves as Chair of the California State Fire Association (CSFA) Strategic Planning Committee.  Heather speaks regularly including presentations at the National Fire Academy as well as Fresno Training Symposium, CSFA’s CTEX, Fire Shows West, the AZ Command Symposium, and the HIDTA Narcotics Task Force.

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You can find the Fireground Fitness podcast wherever great podcasts are located. So, search it out and subscribe. Your feedback is powerful, and greatly appreciated. Go to apple podcasts, subscribe, rate and review the podcast or shoot me an email!

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IG: yosoylavikinga

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Ep 98 I don't have all the answers with Tammy Cifra

With just under 20 year on the job Tammy Cifra has reached the breakover point where she has now spent more than half of her life on the job. Many would argue that she has given her due, but not Cifra, she is full steam ahead, now serving in her “dream job” as the lead Recruit Training Officer for the Glendale Public Safety Regional Training Center. She joins us on episode 98 as she recovered between academy classes, we talked about her career, her love for travel and so much more, please enjoy!

 

A little more about our guest…

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Tammy Cifra is a Captain for the City of Glendale Fire Department in Arizona. She started on the job in 2004 with her dream department and hasn’t looked back. She is a nationally registered paramedic, hazardous material technician as well as a technical rescue technician. She is Fire Instructor 1 &2 certified and has taught Zero Impact Period at Arizona State Fire School for the past 3 years. She is part of a local cadre consisting of members of different fire departments from across the valley that focus on techniques and skills related to proper line selection, hose deployment, forcible entry, and water application. She served as a Recruit Training Officer at the academy for 3 classes and is now currently the Lead Recruit Training Officer for the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center.

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You can find the Fireground Fitness podcast wherever great podcasts are located. So, search it out and subscribe. Your feedback is powerful, and greatly appreciated. Go to apple podcasts, subscribe, rate and review the podcast or shoot me an email!

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IG: bemyherorun

FB: Tammy Cifra

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Episode 97 Flame and Fortune with Rick Bucher

Years of fast paced adventures, motor, road and mountain bike racing, rock climbing, and the everyday stress of climbing in and out of fire trucks and running calls takes a toll. Sometimes this is an obvious injury, a crashed bike leading to a broken ankle, a fused spine, or any number of orthopedic maladies that trouble Firefighters. Just as often, though, we can sustain injuries that go unseen, the result of managing innumerable emergencies and carrying unresolved grief, leaving trauma and scars that are hidden from the naked eye. These insidious injuries can be as devastating, or worse, to one’s health and career. 

 

Rick Bucher, has been down this road and on Ep.97 we discuss his experience with all of the seen and unseen trauma as well as his mental illness and the suicide attempt that got him on the road to recovery. Rick’s story is hard to hear, but it is important that we listen and work to recognize the signs of mental health issues. If we say “I got your back!” It has to mean that I know what I am looking for and I am not afraid to advocate for your life. Take a listen.  

 

A little more about our guest…

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Rick Bucher had a normal enough childhood, but his life has been extraordinary since.  An adventure sports athlete, racer, and instructor, Rick served as a firefighter/paramedic in Scottsdale, Arizona for 27 years.  After narrowly surviving a rock-climbing accident, motorcycle wreck and a suicide attempt, he went on to receive treatment for PTSD and is now working to increase awareness of mental health issues in the public safety arena.  He also went on to find his biological family after decades of unanswered questions about who he was and where he came from.  Eliminating the stigma of stepping forward for help and providing support for those who do is his new passion and he tours the country following opportunities to share his story, speaking to groups and spreading a message of hope, resilience and unity in the face of trauma.  His story is a remarkable tale of redemption and a reminder of the power of the human spirit.

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You can find the Fireground Fitness podcast wherever great podcasts are located. So, search it out and subscribe. Your feedback is powerful, and greatly appreciated. Go to apple podcasts, subscribe, rate and review the podcast or shoot me an email!

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IG: rickbucher603

FB: Rick Bucher

To schedule Rick to speak in your organization reach out to:  rickbucher603@gmail.com

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Episode 93 Firstgevity w/ Paige Arnone

Running from her childhood trauma by diving from planes, Paige Arnone, is a fascinating person. Her journey led her to the yoga mat where she found physical wellness and a path to mental health as well. In episode 93 we discuss all these things and so much more, enjoy! 

A little more about today’s guest: 

Paige Arnone Founder, Firstgevity AZPOST CERTIFIED & E-RYT 500 With years of experience working directly with first responders, Paige Arnone, founder of Firstgevity, knows firsthand the unique challenges these brave individuals face and the toll it can take on their mental and physical health. 

Her journey with yoga began when she struggled with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks from childhood traumas. Yoga taught her how to take back control of her life, and it has since become her mission to give back to those who have always protected her. 

Paige's ultimate goal is to support the development of a new generation of first responders who are physically healthy and mentally strong, able to easily handle challenging conditions. Paige's passion and dedication to helping first responders thrive and creating a stronger and more resilient community for all are at the heart of Firstgevity's mission. 

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You can find the Fireground Fitness podcast wherever great podcasts are located. So, search it out and subscribe. Your feedback is powerful, and greatly appreciated. Go to apple podcasts, subscribe, rate and review the podcast or shoot me an email! 

If you would like to contact today’s guest... 

Firstgevity.com 

Email: paige@firstgevity.com 

IG: Firstgevity 

Facebook: Firstgevity 

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IG: @firegroundfitness

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 Email: raynegray@firegroundfitness.com