Shows
The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table Self Help Series: The Journey with Kent Smith (S3,E6)Welcome to the latest installment of The Kitchen Table podcast's 'Self-Help Series'. In this episode Justin White is joined by Lieutenant Kent Smith who talks about his journey through addiction to recovery. Kent’s story is raw and full of emotion as he recounts the toll addiction took not only on his life, but his family members as well.
So come join us at the Kitchen Table as we continue to destigmatize those things that challenge us in life while letting people know that help is there if they need it.
2023-08-111h 12The Kitchen TableQuick Hits The Search Size Up: Job #1 (S3,E5)This conversation at the Kitchen Table – Quick Hit discusses the search size up. The last QH we discussed the overall size up from a command perspective and now we will start to narrow our focus to some of the tasks we perform on the fire ground starting with arguably the most important task we perform, search. Justin White is joined by Lieutenant Josh Talbot and Driver Kevin Farraher to provide insight on the thought process surrounding the search size up and how it should be performed.
So come join us at the Kitchen Table. Sit down, enjoy, and b...
2023-08-0916 minThe Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table Self-Help Series: One Driver’s Story with Dan Knox (S3,E4)The NIOSH multi-year firefighter cancer study identified that fire fighters have a 9% greater chance of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% greater chance of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population.
At the 2022 IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, almost 75% of the names added to the wall (348 out of 469) were members who had died from occupational cancer. Overall, the IAFF reports that cancer caused 66 percent of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019.
If these statistics don’t get your attention…they should.
This episode Justin White sits down with retired Driver Engin...
2023-06-231h 10
The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table Self-Help Series: The Draper’sWelcome to the latest installment of The Kitchen Table podcast's 'Self-Help Series'. This episode features our own Captain Juliet Draper and 'Her Majesty' Pam as they share personal stories of addiction, recovery, and resilience. Training Chief Justin White hosts the Drapers for 90 minutes of thought-provoking, heartfelt conversation focused on self-care and destigmatizing a problem impacting our peers.
2023-06-081h 30The Kitchen TableThe 360 Size Up: A Must Do Task (S3,E2)This episode is an experiment with something different. It’s called the “Quick Hits” series. These will be short conversations about a specific topic and will last no longer than 20 minutes. Let us know what you think.
This episode Justin White sits down with Lieutenant Brian Lynch to discuss the value of 360 Size Ups. They get into what there for, why we do them, and how they should be completed. This is truly one of the most valuable actions that must be taken on each and every structure fire.
So come join us at the Kitchen Tab...
2023-05-1018 minThe Kitchen TableLeader of Character (S3, E1)Leader of Character (S3, E1) - There are plenty of leadership speakers and authors available who tell all who will listen what they need to be a great leader. Often times, however, these leadership guru’s don’t provide their students the things they need to do to practice the skills needed to be that effective leader. In this episode we talk with author Dave Anderson who has written a book that not only describes the traits needed by great leaders, but also provides direction on how to create, exercise, and nurture those traits. Mr. Anderson wrote his book Becomin...
2023-03-141h 23The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table: Ruck On! with Joe Kramer (S2; E7)Sometimes life throws us curveballs…Sometime we reach our goals and fulfill our dreams just to have them ripped away by unfortunate circumstances. At that time we have we have two choices: give up, back down and become miserable or Ruck On finding new ways to live happy, healthy, and successful lives.
In this episode we talk to former Army Officer Joe Kramer. Joe grew up dreaming of following in his father’s footsteps from attending the Military Academy at West Point into a long career in the Special Forces. Unfortunately, Joe received significant hearing damage during his Arm...
2023-02-021h 152022-11-2546 min2022-11-1752 min2022-11-0442 minThe Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table – A Courageous Conversation About Firefighters and Suicide (S2 E3)Being a firefighter, a first responder, is a job full of stress. Stress from running alarms. Stress from training. Stress from not sleeping at work (and at home). All this stress can compound the stress associated with everyday life and lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideations. The stress from this job and life in general is real as are the physical and mental toll that compounds over time. We’re not talking about a specific traumatic event that happens once in a lifetime. We are talking about exposure to stress for significantly long periods of time…sometimes...
2022-09-271h 22The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table – A Conversation With Anthony Kastros (S2 E2)Anthony Kastros is a 32-year veteran of the fire service and a retired Battalion Chief with Sacramento
Metro Fire District.
Chief Kastros was personally affected by a fatal fire early in his career which fueled his desire to improve
his command and control skills. Through this event, he discovered not only a desire to improve himself,
but also a passion and desire to teach others with the hope that they would not have to have the same
experience he did.
Chief Kastros has written many books including Mastering the Fire Service Assessment and...
2022-09-081h 32The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table – Leadership Through a Different Lens (S2 E1)Many consider ice hockey to be the ultimate team game. A culture developed over 100 years
emphasizes that no one is above the game, the team comes first, and the term “we” instead of “I” is
most used whenever players discuss the game.
The fire service attracts people from all walks of life; it truly is a direct reflection of the community.
Many who join the fire service have been involved and/or enjoy athletics for the “team” aspect it
provides. In the fire department we work and live in teams. Though not as high profile as m...
2022-07-191h 52
The Kitchen TableLessons from the Kitchen Table with Lt. Jose Garcia S1 E10Some of the best lessons we learn in the fire service come from the kitchen table. We have debates, discussions, and even sometimes arguments about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. Regardless of the topic or how heated the debate, one thing is for sure…many times these lessons are the ones we remember. We gain different perspectives that allow us to get a more well-rounded view of the topic(s) of the day. Some from our newest member and many from our older ones.
Today we sit down with retired Lieutenant...
2022-01-262h 00The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table – Tough (Courageous) Conversations (S1 E9)Tough conversations are a part of leadership. They are uncomfortable, they are necessary, and by nature they are tough. Many in leadership roles struggle to have these conversations even when they know that they will likely benefit both the organization and all the parties involved. This episode Josh and I sit down to talk to CSFD Human Resource Director, Angela Hines. Ms. Hines discusses how to have tough conversations, the role of the HR Division, and the many resources that are available through her office.
Come sit down at the Kitchen Table and have a listen, be read...
2021-11-221h 19The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table – The EQ Gangster (S1 E8)This episode we welcome our first guest from outside the fire department, Noble Gibbens. Noble is a West Point graduate, former Army Officer, and a self-described recovering people pleaser addict. Mr. Gibbens’ is a private consultant who works with corporate clients to better define, understand, and integrate Emotional Intelligence (EQ) into their organizations. Noble is very passionate about EQ which shows in the energy he pumped into this episode.
We also talk about endurance sports, spirometry, hippies, and how we treat each other in the fire department family.
Come sit down at the Kitchen Table and h...
2021-09-291h 54The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table – Fred and Cindy Varnell (S1 E7)This episode we celebrate another retirement with Fred Varnell and his wife Cindy. Fred has spent almost 30 years of his life working for the CSFD. Both he and Cindy share stories from their careers (Cindy worked for CSPD) and how those careers shaped their lives and their relationship. Fred also shares his thoughts on leadership and how to best coach and mentor our leaders of the future. Come join us for some laughs and a bit nostalgia as Fred does what he does best…tells stories. Fred is one of our most beloved members and is a good human as well...
2021-09-161h 51
The Kitchen TablePublic Service Announcement with Lieutenant Chris WeaverThis episode we present a Public Service Announcement regarding Cancer Awareness. We visit with Lieutenant Chris Weaver and retired Driver Engineer Aaron Johnson a.k.a. Turtle about Chris’s involvement with cancer awareness and Turtle’s personal battle with cancer. Cancer touches all our lives one way or another, either through a personal diagnosis or through the diagnosis of someone we love. There are things you can do to help your prognosis as well as thing you need to do after you or your loved one have been diagnosed. Come sit down with us at the kitchen table for this...
2021-06-251h 32
The Kitchen TableOn DeckThe use of On Deck crews is nothing new to the CSFD. What is new, however, is this assignment being called “On Deck”. This episode we discuss the history and proper use of On Deck crews during our incidents with Battalion Chief David Rocco and Captain Ken Anderson. Also discussed is the relationship between air consumption and the activation of crews On Deck. It is our hope that our member get a clearer understanding of how our department will use On Deck crews as well as get a quick review of TacOp 100.08.
This week Music is –
...
2021-06-141h 10
The Kitchen TableThe Collas Family Kitchen TableRetirement is the end of the race and the beginning of the celebration. In this episode, we share in the beginning of the celebration with Fire Chief Ted Collas, Stacey Collas, and Paramedic Michael Collas. At the kitchen table, we focus on learning who our Fire Chief is as a person by discussing with the various events that helped shape Chief Collas throughout his life. We also talk to the Chief and his family about his fire service career and how it helped shape their family. Come join us for this expanded version of “Meet CSFD”.
Music:
In...
2021-04-291h 43
The Kitchen TableThe Thinking FirefighterThe Colorado Springs Fire Department has expressed a desire to have “Thinking Firefighters”. This desire has been mentioned throughout the department, at every rank. The mantra of Thinking Firefighter has become a buzzword in our department.
What does it mean to be a “Thinking Firefighter”? In this episode we examine that question with Lieutenant Bryan Lynch and Driver Engineer John M. Roy. During our talk we explore topics such as leadership, expectations, and training. We also tell a few stories while trying to figure out what drives our department to achieve the goal of being thinking firefighters.
Music L...
2021-04-131h 47The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table Public Service Announcement with Deputy Chief Steve DubayThe National Fire Protection Association states that 41% of firefighter deaths in 2018 were due to cardiac emergencies. In February of 2021, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) introduced the “If You Don’t Feel Well, Don’t Make It Your Farewell” campaign to raise awareness of this issue in the fire service.
The IAFC’s “Cardiac Awareness Tootlkit, visit IAFC.org/dontfeelwell. This site also includes a powerful video demonstrating how ignoring cardiac symptoms can lead to death.
In this episode, the topic of discussion is fire fighter health. Both Captain Josh Winter and Deputy Chief Steve Dubay sha...
2021-03-1139 min
The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table on Resiliency part 2Welcome back to the Kitchen Table. As we all know, some of the best conversations and problem solving happens at the kitchen tables in our fire stations. There we discuss issues that affect us on a department, community, and even national level. This podcast is designed to discuss topics that are relevant to all members of this department in an informal way very similar to the conversations at the kitchen table in our stations.
For our first installment we will be discussing resiliency. In 2020 (and so far during 2021), everyone in our department has faced challenges that have test...
2021-03-0147 min
The Kitchen TableThe Kitchen Table on ResiliencyWelcome to the Kitchen Table. As we all know, some of the best conversations and problem solving happens at the kitchen tables in our fire stations. There we discuss issues that affect us on a department, community, and even national level. This podcast is designed to discuss topics that are relevant to all members of this department in an informal way very similar to the conversations at the kitchen table in our stations.
For our first installment we will be discussing resiliency. In 2020 (and so far during 2021), everyone in our department has faced challenges that have tested thei...
2021-02-121h 17