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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.
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Inside FDNY's push to unify fire and EMS
FDNY wants EMS to be a destination, not a waiting room for the next job. That’s the pitch from Chief of Department John Esposito, who says too many medics leave over pay before they build the experience that makes them great. In this crosso
How to build realistic command simulations
Some of the hardest fires you’ll ever command are ones you can’t safely recreate for real. A well-built simulation is the closest most firefighters will get. Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Captain Mark Killion explains how to build
Is your culture your best recruiter?
The best recruiting pitch might be the one you never make. Kentland (Md.) Volunteer Fire Department Sergeant Alex Caldaro says his Prince George’s County house doesn’t beg for members, doesn’t lower its standards and doesn’t require a minim
USA vs. Australia: What each fire service does better
Australia has been using door control and flow path for roughly a decade longer than we have — and it's still wrestling with the same recruitment, burnout and mental health problems you are. After separate trips there, Zam and Fire Chief Ja
‘I need to talk’: Four words can change everything
“Meet me at the bench.” That’s it. No explanation required. Retired Orlando firefighters Chris DeMaagd and Joseph McCluan created The Bench 988 (https://bench988.com/) as a safe place for firefighters who want to connect with someone — idea
Dad 101: CRR beyond smoke alarms
Community risk reduction doesn’t have to start with smoke alarms, fall prevention or another familiar program. Sometimes it starts with a firefighter asking, “What does our community actually need?” Cherry Grove (Michigan) Fire and Rescue C
What firefighters really want from training
“Stop talking. Give me reps.” That’s the message from the What Firefighters Want survey report focused on training. Captain Lisa Burton joins Zam and Janelle to break down the survey findings, including the fact that motivation isn’t the is
What ‘Never Forget’ means 25 years later
As mark the 25-year remembrance of 9/11, FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito joins podcast hosts Lt. Aaron Zamzow, Jim Dudley and Rob Lawrence for a deeply personal conversation about 9/11, its enduring impact and the lessons that contin
Create your resilience protocol
The worst time to figure out how you’ll respond to trauma is after it happens. Resilience has to be built beforehand — through sleep, relationships, fitness, trusted peers and a culture where asking for help is part of the job, not a last r
Inside a leadership think tank
“Call the meeting. Get them in the same room.” That simple advice helped spark a leadership think tank that has spent more than a decade connecting fire service leaders around the problems, ideas and pressures that rarely fit neatly on an a
Learning to lead differently
There’s no single leadership style that works for every person, problem or moment — and Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski learned that through plenty of trial and error. Raised around two very different leadership models, Lipski describes h
How EV weight impacts your tactics
The battery fire may get the attention, but the vehicle’s weight could create the next problem. Deputy Chief Vince Bettinazzi returns with a broader look at electric vehicle response, including how heavier vehicles, low centers of gravity a
How to build company drills from NIOSH reports
You’ve probably read — or at least skimmed — a NIOSH firefighter fatality report, but do you know what to do with it? Or how it came to be? Wesley Attwood, a senior investigator with NIOSH’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Preventio
Your tone is your leadership
You can be absolutely right and still lose the room — all because of your tone. Drawing from personal experience, Zam shares four practical lessons for saying what you mean, with respect. Whether you're leading a company, mentoring a probat
Today's fires demand a hazmat mindset
The next hazmat challenge probably isn't coming — it's already in your first-due. Mesa Fire and Medical Department Captain Jim Barnhart has spent years studying lithium-ion batteries, photovoltaics and emerging energy systems, and he makes
Inside the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service with Chief Fennessy
“Why do we have all of these fire agencies?” It’s a question many in the wildland world have asked for years — and Chief Brian Fennessy is now in position to do something about it. The director of the newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Servic
Cold storage close call
One routine smoke investigation. Ten minutes later, a cold storage building erupted around Firefighter Andrew Klein. This week, we’re revisiting the harrowing close call that nearly ended Klein’s career. Klein walks through the fireground d
Your post-call reset starts here
“Pain sucks,” as Zam puts it — and ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. Dr. Bita Shahidi, a physical therapist who has worked with firefighters and professional athletes, explains why the aches and pains firefighters push through during the
NERIS: Everybody calm down already
“Everybody just calm down about NERIS.” That’s Zam’s charge to Misfit Nation this week as he speaks with NERIS lead developer Craig Weinschenk. The conversation goes beyond software updates and reporting requirements to explore how the fire
The grant clock is ticking
AFG, SAFER, and Fire Prevention and Safety grants are open — and the clock is already ticking toward the June 22 deadline. For Lexipol grant specialist Jane Prescott, it's the fire service equivalent of the Super Bowl: Hundreds of millions
Schaeffer: The fire service can’t afford CAVE leadership
Nobody tells you that becoming chief means owning problems you can’t fully control, absorbing pressure that doesn’t clock out and still leading like the weight isn’t showing. Columbia (Mo.) Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer digs into the uncomfort
Safety Stand Down 2026 goes all-in on fitness
Fitness is so much more than hitting the gym from time to time in order to pass an annual exam. It’s about whether you can get the job done today AND 20 years from now, not to mention whether you’ll actually be able to enjoy your retirement
Zam’s formula for better health and performance
For years, Zam was known as “the fitness guy” in the fire service, preaching workouts and functional training. But his perspective has evolved to recognize that firefighter health is rooted in the convergence of several factors — the differ
Dena Ali returns: Mental health starts with leadership
“We have to rethink it.” That’s the challenge Battalion Chief Dena Ali brings to our latest conversation on firefighter mental health, not because the fire service hasn’t made significant strides but because too many firefighters are still
Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell’s mission to elevate the fire service
Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell is working to elevate the fire service. She prioritized this mission during her tenure as U.S. fire administrator and continues the push in her new role as principal fire safety strategist for UL Research Institutes’
Develop TIC discipline
Chief Andy Starnes, our resident thermal imaging expert, is back for a thermal imaging 101 crash course: how to check the TIC every shift, how to clean it, where to attach the TIC to your gear, plus some basic do’s and don’ts. Starnes, the
Stress changes everything: Gasaway talks fireground decision-making
How could they not see it coming? It’s a common knee-jerk reaction to news or incident reports about calls that went south. But Dr. Rich Gasaway — a former fire chief and the founder of Situational Awareness Matters (https://www.samatters.c
What’s your bold vision? Chief Dan Munsey talks innovation
How can we be the best 2030 fire department, today? That’s Fire Chief Dan Munsey’s goal for the San Bernardino County (Calif.) Fire Protection District, which has become one of the most progressive agencies in the country in recent years. C
If Gordon Graham ran the country ...
The man, the myth, the legend Gordon Graham returns to Better Every Shift to deliver several new doses of commonsense wisdom, including three things he would do if he ran the country. Gordon spotlights Lexipol’s upcoming First Responder Wel
Is firefighter stress really different? Captain Marc Wysocki weighs in
Mental health shouldn’t be treated as a crisis — it should be part of our operational readiness. That’s the charge from Captain Marc Wysocki, who joins Zam for a discussion on the cultural changes needed to address mental health, the implic
