Peter Matthews talks with Capt. II Andy Ruiz, who oversees the In-Service Training Unit for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). He explains how LAFD is rooted in training with recruits beginning their training at the site where a firefighter was killed in the line-of-duty during a fire at the now-LAFD academy. He shares how the department manages in-service training across 468 square miles at four sites, plus the Frank Hotchkins fire academy.

Ruiz explains how the department has responded to several recent close call incidents that resulted in several firefighters being seriously injured, including implementing fire behavior studies from UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute and the International Association of Fire Fighters. The department launched local training to ensure all firefighters are trained on the latest threats in the field and shares examples where properly trained firefighters have escaped critical injuries.

As he wraps up, Ruiz shares what he predicts to be the biggest challenges in the fire service, locally and globally.

Related links:

• My Last Dying Breath 2nd Edition: Deeply Personal Stories of Firefighter Survival
• LAFD-My Last Dying Breath
• Los Angeles Fire Department In-Service Training Instagram

Peter Matthews talks with Jared Vermeulen, who authored a new book, “The Modern Fire Officer: Building Legacy That Endures,” that is designed to help guide today’s fire officers through the many situations they encounter each day.

Vermeulen says that today’s fire officers often wear dozens of hats compared to a few hats for previous generations because of the all-hazards role that fire departments play in their community while ensuring today’s firefighters are confident in their duties. He said officers can find themselves trying to bridge multiple generational gaps in understanding, technology and know-how at the same time.

They discuss the challenges of some chiefs who take the helm as fire chief to fix a 20-year-old problem, blocking progress in their organization and possibly pushing it backward. Vermeulen says the fire service, in some ways, is the U.S. Post Office in it’s antiquated ways.

Related links:

• The Modern Fire Officer
• Jared Vermeulen on LinkedIn
• The Modern Fire Officer (Book 1)
• The Modern Fire Officer: Building Legacy That Endures (Book 2)
• The Firehouse Yak: Jared Vermeulen – Foundations for The Modern Fire Officer