The Fireground Fitness Podcast, Rayne Gray
On the Fireground Fitness podcast we host firefighters and allied professionals and discuss the life lessons learned on and off the fireground. How we become more effective and successful in high stress and difficult situations, life in a nut shell? Sitting down at ”the kitchen table” and talking it out!
Episodes
In episode 117, I sit down with Brigadier General David Winnacker, USMC, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, professional development, and what it means to deliberately prepare people for greater responsibility. We explore the contrast between the Marine Corps’ “up or out” culture and the fire service, where leadership development is often less structured and requires us to actively seed the field&md...
In episode 116 of the Fireground Fitness Podcast, we sit down with Fire Chief Billy Alcorn to discuss leadership, culture, and the evolving challenges of the modern fire service. Chief Alcorn shares his journey from a small-town firefighter in Merced to leading the Fresno Fire Department, offering candid insight into building trust, fostering accountability, succession planning, and maintaining a “service above all else&rdquo...
In episode 115, we sit down with Maxwell Bush, former Navy SEAL and leader with Sharp Performance, for a candid conversation about resilience, culture, and the true cost of high-performance careers. We discuss how toughness alone is not enough, why sleep, recovery, and mindset matter, and how first responders can better care for themselves and each other. This episode is a powerful reminder that strength is not just about enduring ...
What if the biggest thing holding us back in the fire service isn’t tradition, but resistance to change?
Today we’re taking Science to the Station. And before you roll your eyes, think about this: so many things we now accept as standard operating procedure were once controversial. Air packs. Seatbelts. Cancer awareness. Modern fire dynamics. The talking points change, but progress happens because someone stayed curious...
Dr. Joe Pennino and I had a great conversation, and we landed on one of my favorite topics - sleep! Specifically, how do we help firefighters get more of it? Serving as the Fire Chief, he led an initiative at the Roswell, Georgia FD to change the time that Firefighters started their shifts. The intent is to give them more time to sleep in when coming on and off duty - Interesting right? In episode...
Episode 112, Crackyl, with Kory Pearn
In episode 112, we sit down with Fire Captain, Editor-in-Chief, and Musician Kory Pearn, who walks us through his journey into the fire service, onto the stage, through heart failure and into becoming a leader in the fire service health and wellness publication space. This is a wonderful episode, please enjoy!
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Episode 111, Unconscious Competence, with Forest Reeder
In this episode, we sit down with the legendary Fire Chief Forest Reeder, who brings 47 years of experience in fire service leadership, training, and authorship. Chief Reeder unpacks the concept of "unconscious competence"—the ability to perform critical tasks instinctively under pressure—and explains how r...
In this episode, we sit down with two seasoned fire professionals — Deputy Chief Stuart Esh of Buckeye Fire Medical Rescue Dept. and Firefighter/Paramedic Marcus Haynes of Phoenix Fire—to unpack a pivotal fireground event that shaped their careers.
Back in 2009, a structure fire in a Buckeye trailer park led to Marcus suffering significant burns and forced ...
Episode 109 – Embracing Change with Chris Sleigher
In this episode, we’re joined by Battalion Chief Chris Sleigher—who spent 17 years as a captain and isn’t afraid to shake things up. We dive into why change in the fire service can feel like pushing a boulder uphill, and why staying curious (instead of just comfortable) is key to evolving our professi...
In episode 108 our guest, Steve Orsini, shares his passion for firemanship and the work of being a firefighter. His message, summarized in my words are; be better, study your craft and take your job seriously. Orsini has served in the coast guard, as a firefighter on the east coast and now out here in the Valley of the Sun; he is on a mission to share his commitment to firemanship and service. We discus...
Fire apparatus accidents are typically bad, for a myriad of reasons that are outside of what I want to share about this episode. Suffice it to say that the ramifications of emergency vehicle collisions can be horrific to say the least. Glynn Ross, had one such accident while responding to an emergency, travelling a road, and through an intersection, he had navigated “a thousand times before”...
Many years ago, I met Kevin Roche as we moved through the halls of the PFD. As a new guy in the department, I had no idea who I was talking to and left feeling welcome and encouraged to be a member of this fine organization. Sometime later I came to know that he was the right-hand man to Fire Chief Alan Brunacini, which makes sense as he is studious, funny, smart and deeply committed the fire service. H...
Episode 105 features Michael Rose, a 17-year firefighter who picked up a guitar when he found himself flat on his back after a near-career-ending injury. Years later, he’s back to fighting fires and has discovered a new love of playing music for gatherings to pay it forward and make a difference in the small and big moments of life. He’s a husband, father and whiskey, hunting and campfire en...
Many years ago, Noah Katz, our guest on Ep 104 rolled into fire station 39 where he and I discussed the virtues of playing hockey and fighting fire. Since that time, I have fanboyed over Noah’s career as a professional hockey player, amazed by the grit and perseverance an accomplishment like that requires. This attitude has parleyed into a fantastic fire service career and, no surprise, an intense...
Today the kitchen table has turned and I find myself on the other side, as the interviewee rather than the interviewer. In today's special drop I sat down with Berlin Maza of the "Leadership Discussions @ The Kitchen Table" podcast.
We discuss leadership, relationships, empathy, building your reading list and so much more! Enjoy.
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...
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.&nb...
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 wer...
Wow, today we are dropping episode 100! By some comparisons that is not very many episodes, but when I think of what it has meant to me personally then it all sinks in. The value is in the relationships and edifying conversations that have been had with each guest. The random and amazing interactions I have had with folks like yourself who listen to the FGF podcast for a variety of reasons.
Today, in celebration of the ...
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 h...
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