Fire Engineering

09/05/2026

The Technology of 9/11: Where We Are Today

In honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Fire Service Data and Tech Talk host Eddie Buchanan welcomes Michael Varney, director of stakeholder collaboration at the First Responder Network Authority, about how responder communications and technology have evolved since 2001. Varney discusses priority access, resilience, and on‑demand deployables, plus the growing role of geospatial tools, indoor locating, and firefighter tracking in GPS‑denied environments. Technical, operational, and planning insights are paired with reflections on how 9/11 reshaped the service and the continuing mission to keep responders safer and more effective. The episode includes operational tips, resources, and planning guidance.

This podcast is brought to you by Esri: https://www.esri.com/en-us/home

09/05/2026

Proper care and timely retirement of life safety rope are critical decisions that rely on experience and keen judgment. Fire & Rescue professionals understand that maintaining rope integrity ensures safety during high-risk operations. How do you determine when it’s time to retire a rope?

Best Practices for Care of Life Safety Rope🔗https://ow.ly/TinT50ZHMPM

Sponsored content with CMC: Rescue, Safety, Access

09/04/2026

Understanding Technical Rescue Operations

On this episode of The Training Officer, host Dave McGlynn welcomes Kelly Lemmons and Anthony Chen to discuss technical rescue operations, including rope training. They explain how modern technical rescue requires shifting from static procedures to dynamic, critical thinking, balancing evolving industry standards with foundational skills.

09/04/2026

Former FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano and retired FDNY Captain Mike Dugan joined us at FDIC International 2026, recorded during the 25th commemorative 9/11 Memorial service, for a conversation every firefighter needs to hear.

After losing 343 members, the FDNY had to rebuild from the ground up: training, communications, apparatus, equipment, leadership development, preparedness. Cassano breaks down why training became the backbone of that recovery, and how more than 60,000 people answered the call by taking the FDNY exam in the years after 9/11.

They also get into the legacy families who kept serving, the toll cancer and occupational illness continue to take on 9/11 responders, and what it really means to protect the firefighters on the job today by learning from those who came before.

As Cassano puts it: "Never forgetting is a word. It's your actions about how you never forget."

09/03/2026

This is not something you see every day on the fireground.

During a June 11 transformer explosion at the Jersey City Main Library, an autonomous delivery robot entered the active fireground while firefighters were operating at the scene.

Command staff and firefighters had to stop what they were doing and deal with the unexpected hazard as the robot attempted to navigate through the incident scene.

It is a good reminder that the fireground is constantly changing. New technology brings new challenges, and firefighters have to be prepared to recognize and manage hazards they may not have encountered before: https://ow.ly/Pvsq50ZIUxY

09/03/2026

WEBINAR September 17, 12 pm ET:
https://ow.ly/mSmk50ZBz9p
Highlighting the Firefighter Challenge League
-with Eddie Seaton

Highlighting the Firefighter Challenge League, with special guests Melissa Campbell, Chief Engagement Officer for FCL and Huan DeRiggs, the voice of FCL.

More info and registration: https://ow.ly/mSmk50ZBz9p

Sponsored by LION

09/03/2026

Ditch the Radio Check-In

Still calling in your response over the radio? RedAlert Responder lets your crew see live call details, track their response, and auto-generate NERIS reports - all from their phone. No extra steps. No paperwork back at the station. Fire-first software.

https://ow.ly/G9on50ZzwyW

Sponsored Post

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

“Training is the heart and soul of every organization.”

At FDIC 2026, Mike Dugan sat down with retired FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb to talk about how September 11, 2001, changed the FDNY, particularly the way it approaches training, leadership and preparation.

Leeb explains how the Fire Academy evolved from a five week program to roughly 17 to 18 weeks, and how training became part of the DNA of the department.

But one of the biggest lessons is bigger than FDNY.

Getting promoted doesn’t mean you’ve arrived. It means you’re beginning the next chapter, and that chapter needs training.

Today’s fireground is constantly changing. Lithium ion batteries, data centers, driverless vehicles, large distribution centers and changing fuel loads are just some of the challenges firefighters are being asked to understand.

The question is whether we are preparing our people for what’s coming next.

Watch the full conversation with Chief Frank Leeb from FDIC 2026.

#911

09/01/2026

The Importance of Closing the Experience Gap

On this episode of Fire and Training, Paul Watlington joins host Douglas Cline to talk about officer development in today’s fire service. They discuss the reality of younger officer ranks, what “experience” really means, and how departments can close training gaps without lowering standards. Watlington and Cline emphasize the importance of being a student first: Seek conferences, regional courses, and peer networks. They share examples from station training boards, captain/lieutenant transitions, and organizational programs that give firefighters ownership of development.