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Better Every Shift

FireRescue1’s Better Every Shift Podcast spotlights the passion and perseverance of firefighters. Hosted by Madison, Wisconsin, Firefighter Aaron Zamzow, the show brings kitchen table conversations to the airwaves, always focused on solutions, positivity and the realities of station life. Zamzow and guests tackle myriad hot topics, whether fire service, news or even pop culture-focused, bringing some levity to the often very serious nature of the profession. Dig into what drives firefighters to improve themselves, their crew, even the fire service as a whole. Listen in to get better every day, every call, every shift.

‘Take charge of your health’: How one captain caught his cancer

63 hours 52 mins; August 22, 2024

‘There’s another 150 years ahead of us’: Chief John Butler on the IAFC’s future

57 mins; August 15, 2024

Chief Darryl Jones: ‘Attack the problem, not the people’

61 hours 36 mins; August 08, 2024

Caughey talks 'Carpool Command’ and other training tips for ICs

59 mins; August 01, 2024

‘It became a necessity’: Kory Pearn on CRACKYL’s personal impact

55 mins; July 25, 2024

‘This is big’: Chief Tom Jenkins talks NERIS

58 mins; July 18, 2024

‘The magic is us’: Captain Frank Leto talks peer support

72 hours 57 mins; July 11, 2024

‘I did my best to rise it up’: Chief Joanne Rund reflects on her Baltimore County career

66 hours 55 mins; July 03, 2024

PPE for truckies: Jeff Stull breaks down the NFPA standards changes ahead

55 mins; June 27, 2024

‘When you start loving your recliner more than the craft, that’s a problem’

55 mins; June 20, 2024

Dr. David Griffin: ‘I didn’t know what I didn’t know’

51 mins; June 13, 2024

‘I don’t like close games; I like blowouts’: Nicol Juratovac talks aggressive fire attack

76 hours 26 mins; June 06, 2024

‘Push the gate’: Chief Kris Blume on mission-drive culture in action

65 hours 34 mins; May 30, 2024

‘The most jarring transition’: Making the move from line to admin

70 hours 7 mins; May 23, 2024

‘Every skill has a shelf life’: Safety Stand Down spotlights back-to-basics fire training

54 mins; May 16, 2024

‘I’m definitely not a quitter’: Kate Smith on EMS and obstacle racing as an amputee

54 mins; May 09, 2024

‘The impact is generational’: An award-winning rescue provides perspective

60 hours 49 mins; May 02, 2024

‘A lot to absorb’: Here’s what you missed at FDIC 2024

50 mins; April 25, 2024

Corley Moore: ‘I understand how insidious and seductive complacency is’

63 hours 49 mins; April 18, 2024

Lt. Zam goes to Emmitsburg: Insights from a National Fire Academy first-timer

61 hours 27 mins; April 11, 2024

Stephanie White: 'Laughter is the simplest, cheapest thing we can give our firefighters'

57 mins; April 04, 2024

‘We’re going (100 miles per week) streaking!’ with FF/ultra-runner Andy Glaze

51 mins; March 21, 2024

‘Build your band’: Country music star Frank Ray on the power of peer support

54 mins; March 14, 2024

‘You saved Hawkeye’: Inside the Jeremy Renner snowplow incident response

39 mins; March 07, 2024

‘What is your learning culture?’: Chris Paskett details how to encourage idea-sharing

57 mins; February 29, 2024

‘Have a date on the calendar’: Joe De Sena’s pro-tip for staying motivated

41 mins; February 22, 2024

Chief Bryan Frieders: We need Super Bowl-level efforts to conquer firefighter cancer

68 hours 8 mins; February 15, 2024

Rocco Alvaro: ‘Once you stop developing others, it’s time for you to leave’

59 mins; February 08, 2024

‘Turn it up a notch’: Chief Keith Padgett on the power of higher education

54 mins; February 01, 2024

Jason Patton: ‘I’m not making fun of people!’

44 mins; January 25, 2024

Spanish for firefighters: Make your communication skills excelente

48 mins; January 18, 2024

Introducing the Resilient 50: Your back-to-basics health routine

65 hours 55 mins; January 11, 2024

Dr. Glenn Landry: Firefighters can ‘shock the system’ back to a healthy sleep routine

60 hours 39 mins; January 04, 2024

‘The podcast of misfit firefighters’ team reflects on 2023

69 hours 48 mins; December 28, 2023

Curt Varone: Beware the ‘human equivalent of a lightweight wood truss building’

73 hours 27 mins; December 21, 2023

Li-ion battery fires: Barowy and Goldfeder tackle the ‘spaghetti’ of tactical considerations

54 mins; December 14, 2023

‘If you find yourself alone, start worrying’: Linda Willing shares advice for all FFs

71 hours 35 mins; December 07, 2023

Chief Frank Leeb returns: Make yourself ‘difficult to injure, impossible to kill’

72 hours 55 mins; November 30, 2023

Fire up the festivities: 5 great gifts for your crew

43 mins; November 22, 2023

‘We are anti-fragile’: How firefighters can get stronger through challenges

63 hours 24 mins; November 16, 2023

‘I connect the dots’: Joe Minogue on the power of relationship-building

67 hours 55 mins; November 09, 2023

‘I held it in for so long’: Lauran McColloh shares the story of her first fire – a double LODD

49 mins; November 02, 2023

‘We’re all engineers’: Chief Randall Hanifen talks IFE-USA influence

47 mins; October 26, 2023

‘Please don’t turn me away’: Ben Vernon on seeking help post-stabbing — Part 2

72 hours 10 mins; October 18, 2023

‘This is a kill shot’: Captain Ben Vernon details his attempted murder on the job — Part 1

59 mins; October 18, 2023

‘I’ve never been lonely at the top’: Chief John Butler talks team building

61 hours 32 mins; October 12, 2023

‘I don’t want rules-followers’: Brian Fennessy champions intent-driven firefighters

73 hours 49 mins; October 05, 2023

‘I’m going to change this department if it kills me’: Thomas Bell talks culture change

60 hours 0 mins; September 28, 2023

‘This podcast is worth millions’: Jerry Brant explains how to secure FD funding

51 mins; September 21, 2023

Fire Prevention Week prep: Plug-and-play messaging you can use today

49 mins; September 14, 2023

Remembering 9/11: Legacy, vigilance and cohesiveness

37 mins; September 07, 2023

‘The better we are, the better we serve’: Common themes from 40 shows

56 mins; August 31, 2023

‘It’s the same circus with different clowns’: Gordon Graham talks universal FD problems

67 hours 43 mins; August 24, 2023

Chief John Oates: ”Can we just retire the ‘it’s a generational thing’ mindset?”

62 hours 13 mins; August 17, 2023

‘We can’t read your mind’: Ben Thompson urges firefighters to speak up about stress

51 mins; August 10, 2023

‘Make THIS place better’: Kris Kazian’s advice to frustrated firefighters

62 hours 9 mins; August 03, 2023

LACoFD firefighter details ‘surreal experience’ appearing on ‘LA Fire & Rescue’

37 mins; July 25, 2023

Chief Todd LeDuc: ‘Your risk becomes everyone’s risk’

59 mins; July 20, 2023

‘Just call people out’: Dr. Candace Ashby on defeating toxicity at the firehouse

60 hours 33 mins; July 13, 2023

Chief Jim Keiken: ‘You have to periodically reinvent yourself’

71 hours 39 mins; July 06, 2023

Corley Moore: ‘If you’re not having fun doing this job, you are doing it wrong’

58 mins; June 29, 2023

‘A flowchart mindset’: UL FSRI researchers talk dynamic decisions on the fireground

49 mins; June 22, 2023

Lithium-ion battery fire hazards, training, resources for firefighters

57 mins; June 15, 2023

The Goldfeders: ‘The fire service has been wonderful to this family’

56 mins; June 08, 2023

‘It’s an honor’: Victor Stagnaro on his new role as NFFF CEO

48 mins; June 01, 2023

‘Attack every situation’: Vince Bettinazzi shares shift expectations

52 mins; May 25, 2023

Cebollero: ‘We need to reverse the organizational chart’ in EMS

53 mins; May 18, 2023

Nick Martin: ‘When the bell rings, it’s game time’

52 mins; May 11, 2023

FDIC 2023 playback: Reliving the chaos, appreciating the connections

46 mins; May 04, 2023

Chief Randy Bruegman: ‘Nothing good happens without a plan’

67 hours 1 min; April 30, 2023

‘Crawl. Walk. Run’: Andy Beck details smart mayday training

51 mins; April 17, 2023

Jonathan Tate: ‘I know I’m supposed to bring healthier meals into the firehouse’

55 mins; April 13, 2023

Chief Ron Siarnicki: ‘Leave it better than you found it’

65 hours 25 mins; April 06, 2023

Better Every Shift LIVE: The Healthy 10 – How to define a healthy firefighter

70 hours 53 mins; March 30, 2023

Chief John Salka: ‘Spend more time at home’

48 mins; March 23, 2023

Dr. David Griffin: ‘The success in my life has come from the worst day of my life’

50 mins; March 16, 2023

Electric vehicle fires: Products, strategies and the power of time

45 mins; March 09, 2023

‘We need to walk the walk’: Leaders face off in wellness competition

40 mins; March 02, 2023

Jason Patton: ‘Nothing comes natural to me at all’

43 mins; February 23, 2023

‘Don’t do that!’: A first responder therapist signals common relationship red flags

47 mins; February 16, 2023

Chief Jason Caughey: ‘Everything we do is about people’

45 mins; February 09, 2023

Super Bowl showtime: How Glendale fire crews are preparing for the big game

54 mins; February 02, 2023

January rear-view: Hamlin ‘takes,’ tattoo controversy, giving life beyond death

46 mins; January 26, 2023

Chief Tim Sendelbach: ‘This profession can’t afford the status quo’

44 mins; January 19, 2023

Battalion Chief Dena Ali: ‘You can’t leave your baggage at the door’

56 mins; January 12, 2023

‘Royal Rumble’ of firefighter fitness: Zam goes head-to-head with Dan Kerrigan and Jim Moss

50 mins; January 05, 2023

2022 in review: ’Words of the year,’ major incidents that hit hard, uplifting moments

48 mins; December 29, 2022

Chief Josh Waldo: ‘You’re only going to grow when you get uncomfortable’

38 mins; December 15, 2022

Chief Reggie Freeman: ‘I refused to be the weakest link’

38 mins; December 01, 2022

Dr. Sara Jahnke on data-driven change: ‘You have to give early, easy wins’

35 mins; December 01, 2022

Chief Frank Leeb: ‘We can do better. Start today.’

52 mins; December 01, 2022

‘Never forget’: meaning, purpose and emphasis

38 mins; September 06, 2022

New to Side Alpha? Start here.

6 mins; May 11, 2022

Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr reflects on blazing a trail as the first woman to hold various fire service leadership roles

32 mins; April 27, 2022

Bryon Gustafson speaks to the benefits of higher education for firefighters and details one public safety program’s unique approach

29 mins; April 18, 2022

’Fireman’ vs. ’firefighter’: What’s in a name – a fire service association name, that is

7 mins; April 12, 2022

Dr. Bill Jenaway details ERSI’s new nationwide database where first responders can report roadway response struck-by incidents

35 mins; April 06, 2022

’It’s those low-frequency events that tend to get us in trouble’

7 mins; March 27, 2022

Robert Weisbaum addresses the challenges of affordable housing and the resulting impact on recruitment and retention

26 mins; March 22, 2022

Walmart distribution fire raises questions about fire protection systems

11 mins; March 17, 2022

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Better Every Shift

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