Published by Combat Ready Fire Training, LLC
Will be replay's from our live Q&A's. Join us to come talk shop!
Listen on Apple Podcasts14 min
Christian Lambis and Calvin Nicholai sit down with Nick Martin for a round table discussion focused on stories and lessons learned from actual recent fires, tactical takeaways, and fireground experiences that shaped the way they operate.These brand new, special recurring episodes will give attendees an inside look at CRF instructors' recent fires and best stories, plus we'll cover recent fire service events, fireground decision making and tactical tips, and niche operational topics that don't always fit into scheduled podcast themes.
11 min
Mentorship is one of the most powerful ways we pass on the standard, develop our people, preserve culture, and protect the future of the job. When done right, it goes far beyond a policy or a one-time conversation. It becomes a trusted, intentional professional relationship built on respect, honesty, and the courage to have hard conversations that develop knowledge, skills, judgment, and character. Effective mentorship invests in: • Operational knowledge, consistency, and reliability • Leadership principles and how to truly care about your people’s growth • Sharing real lessons learned from both successes and mistakes • Helping members navigate career growth and prepare for the next step • Strengthening the organization’s culture and long-term future Strong mentors bring honest feedback, encouragement, accountability, the willingness to correct unsafe habits, and the discipline to challenge complacency…all while leading by example and investing real time. Strong mentees stay teachable, show initiative, ask questions, accept feedback, and actually put in the work. ⚠️ Real mentorship is NOT friendship, favoritism, creating exact copies of yourself, or constant criticism with no balance. When built the right way, it changes everything from the firehouse to the fireground. Join me, Floyd Wise, and Christian Lambis as we break down what real mentorship should actually look like, where it most often falls short, and how to build something that truly works in your department.
32 min
Some of the most critical command mistakes start with a bad size-up ⚠️ Join Tim McCloskey aka Spray9 and Nick Martin for a focused discussion on size-up, initial radio reports, and how deceptive building layouts create command challenges early in an incident. We’ll break down: • Building types that create misleading first impressions • Common size-up and radio report pitfalls • How early assumptions impact tactical decision-making and resource deployment • What command should be looking for on arrival
1 hr 39 min
Building an effective incident organization is one of the most important things an Incident Commander can do to maintain span of control, reduce radio traffic, and allow multiple tactical objectives to be addressed simultaneously.But many officers struggle with questions like:• When should the incident be divided?• How should divisions or groups be assigned?• What responsibilities should tactical supervisors manage?In this episode, Nick, Sean Donovan, and Floyd Wise discuss practical concepts and systems for organizing the fireground, assigning division or group supervisors, and managing tactical priorities across the incident.The conversation also covers common mistakes, how they develop, and more effective ways to structure the incident so operations remain disciplined, organized, and effective.
1 hr 32 min
Join Nick Martin & Heath Steen for this can't miss conversation about what it takes to develop and maintain an Aggressive Command culture within your department.
33 min
On this podcast, Floyd Wise joins Nick to discuss COMMAND FAILURES AND LODDs. This episode is them having a private, hard-hitting conversation about command’s role in fireground tragedy, including the real meaning behind the NIOSH Top 5:➡️ Improper Size-up➡️ Lack of Incident Command➡️ Lack of Accountability➡️ Inadequate Communications➡️ Lack of SOGsWe’ll be sharing our thoughts and experiences, what we do, and what you can do to prevent these repeating “Top 5” contributing factors from showing up on YOUR fireground.
1 hr 22 min
Join Nick Martin, Kevin Burges, and Christian Lambis for a live conversation that gets candid about leadership, mindset, and fireground performance. This is a real talk about the Combat Ready Mindset, Common Command Issues, and How to Build Culture from the Bottom Up.
26 min
Join Nick Martin, Kevin Burges, and Frank Malta for an in-depth conversation on how to develop meaningful, effective command training. We’ll dive into: Practical and proven methods to prepare current and future ICs for fireground success Do’s and don’ts of command training—what works and what doesn’t Lessons learned from decades of real-world experience
1 hr 24 min
How do we build the next generation of motivated firefighters? How do probationary firefighters start strong and stay motivated? It starts on Day 1. The probationary period is one of the most influential times in a firefighter’s career. That’s when mindsets are shaped, habits are built, and expectations are either raised—or left behind.This one’s for:👨🏻🚒 The new firefighter – what to do, how to act, and how to earn your place👨🏽✈️ The senior firefighter or officer – how to lead, mentor, and engageWe’ll share what’s worked (and what hasn’t), along with actionable concepts you can bring back to your crew.
32 min
Watch the FULL 2 hour episode available exclusively on The Bay Floor - http://www.thebayfloor.com Nick Martin, Christian Lambis, and Jake Richardson review and discuss a working house fire they all responded to—each offering their unique perspective as the first-due engine officer, first-due ruck company driver, and incident commander.This fire involved two floors of fire and a tactical withdrawal. The crew will walk through the timeline, decisions, and actions taken from each of their roles on the scene. You’ll get a full picture of incident operations in this brand new format, where we’ll walk through a real incident using actual photos, videos, and audio designed to deliver actionable insights and lessons learned through honest after-action review. For the full episode make sure to check it out over at http://www.thebayfloor.com
1 hr 32 min
Over the past 20 years, there have been significant lessons learned, studies, and changes in thought about how to manage a MAYDAY event.We’ll be talking about these important changes, and how WE would manage a MAYDAY on one of our incidents.Joining Nick will be Deputy Chief Floyd Wise (Harrisburg Bureau of Fire) and Battalion Fire Chief Chris Mullendore (Frederick County Fire).
33 min
Full show on http://www.TheBayFloor.com
38 min
Watch the full 90-minute discussion on http://www.thebayfloor.com This podcast is for our aggressive engine companies! Nick Martin, Sean Donovan and Spencer White discuss hotly debated, unknown, or uncommon engine company tactics such as… 💧What are hydrant valves for?🚒 Why would we have an engine pump the hydrant?👨🏻🚒 Why do we stretch attack lines on every reported fire?🕰️ Some Stories and folklore from aggressive engine companies "back in the day".This is the first portion of a recent member’s-only podcast delivered exclusively on our training community, THE BAY FLOOR. The Bay Floor is an online training community where like-minded firefighters can connect, train, and access exclusive resources like these members-only podcasts where we deep dive into topics that give you tangible tips, techniques, and ideas you can take to your next shift. You're sure to come away with ideas you can implement, so head over to The Bay Floor and become a member to get access to the entire thing and lots more: http://thebayfloor.com
1 hr 27 min
On this month's podcast we'll be discussing several incident command hot-topics and our experiences and tips for the most practical and effective command of incidents. Frank Malta (BNC Frederick Fire and Rescue) and Floyd Wise (Deputy Chief, Harrisburg Fire Dept) will join Nick to discuss: ➡️ How our departments frequently break-down / divide an incident. ➡️ The command post location - in the car, out of the car, and our experiences with both. ➡️ Command post setup - what should have and who should be at the CP? ➡️ Who to assign as the tactical supervisor(s) and what the expectations should be in those areas of operations. ➡️ Making initial fireground assignments. ➡️ and more, including LIVE questions.
28 min
One of the most challenging tasks of the company officer can be just PLANNING YOUR DAY. What does each of my firefighters need to progress? What will we drill on? What is the workout? What projects do I need to do? WHAT DO I PRIORITIZE? HOW DO I FIT IT ALL IN? This is the first portion of a recent member’s-only podcast on Planning the Ideal Day as the Company Officer, delivered exclusively on our training community, THE BAY FLOOR. The Bay Floor is an online training community where like-minded firefighters can connect, train, and access exclusive resources like these members-only podcasts where we deep dive into topics that give you tangible tips, techniques, and ideas you can take to your next shift. When it comes to planning your day, there is a fine line between over and under planning. And in many departments, there needs to be more preparation for this part of the job. That's why we're giving our tips and methods for planning a solid day for your company including: Our instructors' experiences, tips and methods for making the most of their shift. A new "tactical professional athlete approach" Captain Burges has been applying to help his crew stay disciplined and organized. How to make lots of small choices that result in progress. You're sure to come away with ideas you can implement, so head over to The Bay Floor and become a member to get access to the entire thing and lots more: http://thebayfloor.com
1 hr 26 min
We've got seasoned truck company members Chris Ford (Columbia, SC), and Drew Evans (DCFD) who will be getting into their apparatus tips, set-up and specs, including recommendations and lessons learned from a recent tower ladder build. We'll compare and contrast the tiller truck, straight truck and tower ladder, and as always we'll get into some other fireground tips and tricks.
1 hr 30 min
Fires may burn with the same physics in the “county" as they do in the “city", but often resources, manpower and other factors create challenges for applying traditional fire tactics to the rural or county environment. In this episode we discuss how we apply common fire tactics from the city environment to the county and rural environments. We’ll get into the specifics of water supply, fire attack, search, ventilation, all in the rural environment! Nick is joined by Frank Malta (Frederick, MD) and Jake Richardson (SFD) - all who have experience as both firefighters in a well-staffed city environment, and also have to apply the same tactics in a lower staffed county environment. This is a great opportunity to learn from each other hear some new or interesting strategies you can take with you and adapt to your own environment.
1 hr 31 min
Join Nick Martin, Blake Cartee (Columbia SC), and Kevin Burges (Salisbury, NC) for an important discussion and inside look into the post-incident review, tailboard critique, or hotwash. Whatever you choose to call it, this is a crucial step on any incident that should not be overlooked. On this show, each of us will reveal how we use these review systems on our most recent fires to improve ourselves, our companies and our departments, and ensure the best performance possible on our next fireground.
1 hr 31 min
Join Nick Martin, Bill Cunningham (Flint Hill, SC), Drew Evans (DCFD), Kevin Burges, and Christian Lambis (SFD) for a powerful topic on searches for civilian victims. On this show we will be diving deep into search techniques, scenarios, and lessons learned from actual rescues we've been a part of.
1 hr 32 min
Join Nick Martin, BC Frank Malta (Frederick County) and Capt. Sean Donovan (Frederick County) as talk about the technician, chauffeur, wagon or truck driver – whatever you call it – this position is one of the most important assignments on any company and is often not paid the attention it is due. On this show we will be talking about our experiences in these positions as well as workflows and tips for new and existing drivers for both in the firehouse and on the fireground.