If you could design the perfect fire station from scratch, what would it look like?

This week on The Cool Fireman Podcast, Matt, Brian, and Adam are designing their dream firehouse—and quickly realize there’s a lot more to fire station design than apparatus bays and a kitchen table.

Should administrative offices be separated from firefighter living quarters? Should every shift have its own refrigerator? Individual bunk rooms or good old-fashioned gen pop? How many bathrooms does a firehouse actually need? And perhaps the most important question of the episode: Is it acceptable to destroy the bathroom right before the crew brushes their teeth?

Yeah…we went there.

The guys also talk about designing modern fire stations for firefighter health, privacy, staffing, decontamination, female firefighters, hurricane upstaffing, turnout times, fitness rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, bunk rooms, and the traditions that make a firehouse feel like a firehouse.

We also highlight Paddling for Pennies, answer listener questions about firefighter interviews and getting hired, and revisit the conversation with Tonya Herbert about PAH exposure and firefighter cancer prevention—including why the engineer operating the pump may be exposed to more contaminants than many firefighters realize.

Some traditions are worth protecting. Others might be worth leaving in the 1970s.

What would YOUR perfect fire station have?

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🔥 Firefighter culture
🔥 Fire station design
🔥 Firefighter health & cancer prevention
🔥 Firefighter career advice
🔥 Firehouse traditions
🔥 And plenty of completely unnecessary bathroom discussion

If you could go back to the night before your very first day in the fire service and sit down with your younger self… what would you tell them?

Buckle up.

This week, Matt, Doug, and Unkie are going back in time and looking at their careers through the eyes of the firefighters they used to be.

Would we still become firefighters knowing everything we know now? What would our rookie selves think of the firefighters we became? What parts of the old fire service would we bring back? And what habits do we wish we'd started on DAY ONE?

The conversation gets deeper than we expected as we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the job—the camaraderie, friendships, incredible wins, trauma, mental health, taking care of yourself, and learning to give yourself a little grace along the way.

We also recap our trip to SAFRE in Raleigh, give some well-deserved shoutouts, read your comments in Snail Mail, revisit the biggest wastes of money in the fire service, and somehow end up talking about plastic straws, DEF systems, old-school fire engines, Bitcoin, and why you should always clean up after yourself at the firehouse.

Would we do it all over again?

Absolutely.

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🔥 Follow us on social media and join the conversation

What would YOU tell your rookie self?

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What Would You Buy With an Unlimited Fire Department Budget? 🚒💰

The Cool Fireman Podcast is LIVE from Raleigh, North Carolina at the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo (SAFRE)!

For the first time, the guys are all together at the booth, surrounded by fire apparatus, equipment, technology, and just about every possible way a fire department could spend money.

So we asked the obvious question:

If your department handed you an open checkbook, what are you buying?

Matt is looking at a high-tech command vehicle loaded with drone capabilities. Doug wants to strengthen the ladder truck fleet. Adam wants quality new engines and better reserves. Brian has his eyes on a rescue truck for his volunteer department.

But the conversation gets bigger than just buying cool stuff.

When does technology actually make firefighters safer and more efficient? When does it become overkill? Should departments spend money replacing apparatus, refurbishing what they already have, or investing in new technology? And how much should the individual needs of your community determine where that money goes?

We also get into apparatus replacement cycles, reserve fleets, preventive maintenance, drones, command vehicles, firefighter safety, department pride, retention, and why attending conferences like SAFRE can expose you to ideas you'd never see inside your own department.

And yes… we're recording live from the conference floor, so naturally there's plenty of chaos along the way.

Now it's your turn:

You're walking into SAFRE with an unlimited fire department checkbook.

What are you buying first?

Huge thanks to Unkie's Seasoning, Burn Box, and Operation Yellow Tape for supporting us at SAFRE.

Thanks for listening to The Cool Fireman Podcast!

STAND YOUR GROUND: Firehouse Morale, Leadership & Elite Training

This week, Brian brings a new game to the table: Stand Your Ground. We give our answer, defend it, and see where the conversation takes us.

Would you rather be the chief of a department with unlimited funding but terrible morale—or lead a department everyone loves that's constantly short staffed?

Would you rather have the best officer you've ever worked for or the best crew you've ever worked with?

Would you rather work at a fun station with average training or a serious station with elite training?

And would you trust AI to help recommend fireground tactics?

Those questions lead us into a much bigger conversation about firehouse culture, leadership, morale, company pride, tradition, training, succession planning, and why you can't simply throw money at a bad culture and expect it to get better.

Matt shares a story about bringing back an old Laguna Beach Fire Department shirt and why the department doesn't want those duty shirts sold to the public. Brian talks about honoring the generations that came before us, and Adam somehow takes that conversation completely off the rails with a story about firefighters buying chief shirts specifically to donate them to thrift stores. 😂

We also get back into the 24/72 vs. 48/96 debate, overtime implications, staffing, vacation time, and whether the newest schedule everyone is talking about is actually the best schedule in the fire service.

Plus, we're headed to SAFRE in Raleigh, North Carolina! Come hang out with The Cool Fireman Podcast August 14–15 at Booth 307.

What would YOUR answers be to the Stand Your Ground questions?

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What started as a discussion about the best firefighter work schedule quickly turned into a deep dive into recruitment, retention, staffing, and the future of the fire service.

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Matt, Brian, and Adam compare some of the most common shift schedules, including 48/96, 24/72, 24/48, and other regional variations, while sharing firsthand experiences from their own departments. Matt explains why he's become a huge fan of the 48/96 schedule, Brian discusses Greenville Fire Rescue's transition to a 24/72 schedule, and Adam shares how Norfolk is using laterals and competitive schedules to attract firefighters from neighboring departments.

The guys also tackle the realities of staffing shortages, mandatory overtime, succession planning, firefighter recruitment, and why departments have to think years ahead before making major operational changes. Is it really cheaper to pay overtime than hire another firefighter? How do departments prepare enough engineers and captains to support a fourth shift? And could better schedules become one of the biggest recruiting tools in the fire service?

Before diving into the main topic, the crew announces this month's Patreon Perks winner, talks about preparations for SAFRE, gives updates from Unkie's Seasonings and Burn Box, and honors firefighters who recently made the ultimate sacrifice. They also discuss the devastating tornado damage at the Pierce Manufacturing facilities in Appleton, Wisconsin, and what that could mean for the fire service across the country.

Whether your department works 24/48, 48/96, 24/72, or something completely different, this episode is packed with honest discussion about what works, what doesn't, and what the future of firefighter scheduling may look like.

As always, thank you for listening and for being part of The Cool Fireman Podcast family. We'd love to hear from you. What schedule does your department work, and if you could choose any schedule, what would it be?

Why do so many firefighters criticize the NFPA and IAFF? Is it really about unnecessary regulations, or is there more to the story?

In Episode 169 of The Cool Fireman Podcast, Matt, Brian, and Adam dive into one of the most debated topics in the fire service. Sparked by hundreds of comments on social media, they discuss firefighter safety standards, turnout gear, apparatus requirements, union involvement, and why so many firefighters have strong opinions about the organizations that help shape the profession.

The conversation also explores leadership in the fire service, why chiefs often receive criticism, and the importance of understanding the "why" behind policies before writing them off.

Whether you agree or disagree, this episode is all about having an honest conversation that challenges assumptions and encourages firefighters to think deeper.

In this episode:
🔥 Why firefighters criticize the NFPA
🔥 The real purpose of firefighter safety standards
🔥 IAFF's role in protecting firefighters
🔥 Turnout gear, apparatus standards, and firefighter health
🔥 Leadership, chiefs, and department culture
🔥 Lessons learned from social media discussions
🔥 Honoring firefighters we've recently lost

If you enjoy these conversations, please LIKE this video, SUBSCRIBE to the channel, and leave a comment below.

Question of the day:
Do you think the NFPA has helped or hurt the fire service? We'd love to hear your perspective in the comments.

🎙️ Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

🔥 Support the podcast on Patreon for behind-the-scenes content, bonus episodes, giveaways, and more.

🌐 Website: https://thecoolfireman.com

#firefighter #fireservice #NFPA #IAFF #leadership #firedepartment #firepodcast #TheCoolFiremanPodcast #firstresponders #firetraining

What makes someone the firefighter everyone wants to work with?

In this episode, Matt and Doug play "Finish the Sentence" and let the conversation take over. From firehouse culture and leadership to rookie mistakes, truck company operations, cooking at the station, and even dream jobs outside the fire service, this episode is packed with laughs and real conversations from two firefighters who have lived it.

Along the way, they also discuss:

- Why adaptability is one of the most important firefighter traits.

- The quickest ways to lose respect in the firehouse.

- What separates great rookies from average ones.

- Why the kitchen table is still the heart of every station.

- The best types of fires to respond to (and why).

- Truck company expectations and interior firefighter mindset.

- Firehouse traditions worth keeping—and a few worth questioning.

- SAFRE Expo updates and what to expect from The Cool Fireman Podcast booth.

- Patreon, Burn Box, FD Collectors Club, Unkie's Seasoning, and more.

They also answer listener comments from Spotify and TikTok, including a discussion about fire department spending and one firefighter's journey into the profession.

Whether you're a rookie, seasoned firefighter, volunteer, officer, or simply love the fire service, this episode has something for everyone.

🔥 Question of the Week:
Finish this sentence...
"The kitchen table should always..."

Leave your answer in the comments!

🎙️ Support the Podcast

- Follow & Subscribe wherever you listen.

- Join our Patreon for behind-the-scenes content, bonus videos, giveaways, and monthly Patreon Perks.

- Check out our sponsors:

🚒 See us at SAFRE in Raleigh, NC!

#Firefighter #FireService #Firehouse #Leadership #TruckCompany #EngineCompany #FirefighterPodcast #TheCoolFiremanPodcast #EMS #FireTraining

Is it equipment? Training? EMS supplies? Something else entirely?

In this episode of The Cool Fireman Podcast, Matt and Brian tackle a topic every firefighter has an opinion on: where does the fire service waste the most money—and where should we actually be investing it? From bottled water and disposable supplies to expired medications, conference budgets, uniforms, and station culture, they dive into the difficult balance between stewardship and providing firefighters with the tools they need to succeed.

The conversation goes beyond dollars and cents. Brian shares why transparency with crews matters when discussing budgets, while Matt offers the perspective from the firehouse floor—where many firefighters understandably think, "Not my problem." Together they explore how leadership can bridge that gap through communication, trust, and showing crews the return on investment when departments save money.

The episode also includes:

- A Patreon update and July Patreon Perks winner

- Sponsor updates from Unkie's Seasonings, Burn Box, FD Collectors Club, and Operation Yellow Tape

- A heartfelt moment of silence for firefighters and families facing difficult times

- Listener comments and Snail Mail

- A discussion about paycheck protection, FMLA, and protecting your family if you're injured off duty

Whether you're a firefighter, company officer, chief officer, volunteer, or simply interested in how fire departments operate, this episode offers practical leadership lessons and a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of managing public resources.

- Biggest wastes of money in the fire service

- Transparency in fire department budgets

- Why small expenses add up

- Training vs. equipment funding

- ROI in the fire service

- Building trust between chiefs and firefighters

- Leadership through communication

- Firefighter financial responsibility

- Patreon updates & listener mail

- Protecting your paycheck

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode, please follow The Cool Fireman Podcast on Spotify, leave a rating, and share it with another firefighter. Your support helps us continue bringing real conversations from the firehouse every week.