In This Episode

End-of-year check-in, burnout vs bandwidth, and a listener-requested deep dive on ICS — plus a What3Words tangent (because of course) and a big 2026 announcement from Brian.

The crew rolls into the final stretch of 2025 running on fumes: Brian’s voice is cooked, Adam’s been sick for weeks, Doug is… at the emergency vet because a dog ate a sock (classic). The guys talk holiday reality, emotional bandwidth, and how hard it is to truly “shut off” work.

Then a listener (Jeff) hits them with a solid request: let’s talk ICS — from small incidents to big ones, staffing, comms, unified command, and why the chain-of-command matters even when it feels inconvenient.

Matt ties it into his own real-world lesson: don’t bypass your assignment / supervisor just because the Division is “right there.” ICS isn’t just for the person talking on the radio — it’s for the whole system listening.

Matt also breaks down What3Words (and how it helps with remote rescues and wildland ops), Adam talks unified command challenges, and Brian sets the record straight on how volunteer departments handle ICS on the East Coast.

And then… Brian drops the news: a new North Carolina fire-service podcast is officially live.

Key Topics

• End-of-year fatigue + why the “heaviness” of late December is real

• Emotional bandwidth and the struggle of checking work email nonstop

• Housekeeping: Patreon, merch, and what the team needs to grow it

• Moment of silence for fallen first responders

• Thoughts & prayers for Sam from Fire Tech and his dog battling Lyme disease

• Listener request from Jeff: Tabletop discussion on ICS

• Why ICS works best when you don’t skip the chain

• Unified command realities with fire/EMS/law (and why it breaks down)

• Volunteer vs career: ICS isn’t a staffing issue — it’s a culture & training issue

• Wildland fire ICS: strike teams, divisions, branches, briefings, and why it scales

• What3Words + Avenza maps for remote rescue location accuracy

• Call to action: Rate ICS in your area from 0–10

• Big news: Brian launches “Carolina Fire Watch” (NC-only fire service show)

  
  

  Quote-Worthy Moments

• “I hate that little red dot with the number in it.”

• “ICS can expand and retract… and that’s the beauty of it.”

• “Inspect what you expect.”

• “If you allow agencies to respond who won’t do ICS… you’re assuming liability.”

Call To Action

🚨 On a scale of 0–10, how well does ICS actually work in your area today?
Drop your number + why (and keep it respectful — don’t name departments).

Sponsors

• Unkie’s Seasoning – go grab the goods and support the family

• The Burn Box (Tom) – monthly firehouse gear, tools, and surprises

  
  

  
  

  Community / Snail Mail Shoutouts

• Big love to Rhett (longtime listener, age 6) — and yes… the “Sorry Rhett” shirt is coming.

• Comments of the week included gift-giving as a captain/crew leader and a bunch of holiday love.

Big Announcement

🎙️ Brian launched a North Carolina-only fire service podcast:
“Carolina Fire Watch” — in partnership with the North Carolina State Firefighters Association, built for the ~56,000 firefighters across NC. Monthly episodes, recorded today, and inspired by the community and conversations coming out of SAFRE + listeners like Jeff.