FDNY Pro Podcast

November 30, 2023

S08, E96 Trench Rescue Operations with FDNY Lieutenant Todd Smith

A trench is considered a temporary excavation where both the length of the floor and the depth of the trench exceeds the width of the floor. Construction and underground utility service and repair are a few of the reasons trenches are dug. The large amount of […]
October 30, 2023

Crane Fire and Collapse: Fighting a Fire in the Sky With FDNY Battalion Chiefs Anthony Pascocello and Mark Rosenbaum

In July 2023, Manhattan FDNY companies were dispatched to a high-rise building under construction with reports of a crane on fire. The construction crane was positioned about five stories above the 45-story building when the engine caught fire. Upon arrival, the crane’s boom, which had 16 […]
September 13, 2023

S08, E94 Hope and Spirituality on the Department’s Darkest Day with FDNY Chaplain Monsignor John Delendick

An FDNY Chaplain since 1996, Monsignor John Delendick has comforted, advised, and ministered to the Department’s members and families for nearly three decades. On September 11, 2001, he responded to the terrorist attacks and served as a pathfinder to safety, first aid and ambulances, while providing […]
August 30, 2023

S08, E93 Heavy Clutter Makes for Challenging Rescues with FDNY Lieutenant Chris Walter and Firefighters Roger Buck and Joseph Andres

Members of Ladder Company 108 carried out multiple rescues amongst challenging conditions and heavy clutter at a Brooklyn fire in May of 2022. In this episode, Lieutenant Chris Walter and Firefighters Roger Buck and Joseph Andres discuss the operation with host Battalion Chief Brian Mulry. For […]
July 28, 2023

S08, E92 Emergency Medical Care in an Elevator Shaft with Lieutenant Shlomo Winkler and Paramedic Kira Watkins

In December 2022, two people plummeted five stories down an elevator shaft at the Bronx Terminal Market. Lieutenant Shlomo Winkler, then a Rescue Paramedic, and Paramedic Watkins, together with numerous on-scene units, worked to treat and free the patient trapped beneath the elevator car. Winkler and […]
June 30, 2023

S08, E91 Evolution of Fighting Wind-Impacted Fires in New York City with FDNY Battalion Chief Gerald Tracy (Retired)

Some of the most difficult fires FDNY members face are wind impacted fires. It’s been more than two decades since the Department began studying the impact of wind in high rise building fires which ultimately led to current protocols, procedures, and equipment developed to help fight […]
May 26, 2023

S08, E90 Neonatal Resuscitation: A Vital Response and Emotional Reunion with FDNY EMTs Silverio Moreno and Johnathan Rivera

On August 24, 2020, during the midst of the COVID pandemic outbreak in New York City, Tracy Harris began having severe abdominal pain that prompted her to call 9-1-1 for help. Just prior to EMS arrival, she realized that she was in full active labor (23 weeks […]
April 28, 2023

S08, E89 Challenging Manhattan Roof Rope Rescues from FDNY Fireground with members working in Ladder Company 16, Rescue Company 1 and Battalion 9

On November 5, 2022, FDNY units saved multiple residents from a three-alarm fire in a Manhattan high-rise. The explosive fire, which was ignited by an e-bike’s lithium-ion battery, blocked the first arriving units’ entry into the fire apartment. Multiple firefighters were lowered simultaneously to rescue residents […]
March 17, 2023

S08, E88 Climbing the Ranks with FDNY Battalion Chiefs Michele Fitzsimmons and Rochelle “Rocky” Jones (Retired)

Two trailblazing women of the FDNY, Battalion Chief Rochelle “Rocky” Jones (Retired) and Battalion Chief Michele Fitzsimmons discuss their successful careers with the Department. Chief Fitzsimmons joined the Department in 2001, and currently is the highest-ranking woman firefighter in the FDNY. Chief Jones entered the Department […]
February 14, 2023

S08, E87 Organ Donation Advocacy with Kristina Moon, Wife of Fallen FDNY Firefighter William P. Moon II, and Retired Members Patrick Reynolds and Terrence Jordan

Tragically, on December 12, 2022, Kristina Moon’s husband, Firefighter William P. Moon II, or Billy as everyone called him, suffered a fatal injury while preparing for a training drill at his Brooklyn firehouse. Days later when it became clear that the 21-veteran of the Department would […]
March 31, 2022

S07, E76 Fostering Leadership in EMS with Deputy Chief Natalia Polunin

With 20 years in the Department, Deputy Chief Natalia Polunin rose through the ranks and was most notably the first woman to command FDNY’s specialized HazTac unit. Chief Polunin discusses her career, how she continually opts for new challenges and fosters growth in FDNY’s newest EMS […]
February 28, 2022

S07, E75 Inside Look at the FDNY Bravest Football Team with Head Coach and Firefighter Cameron Peek

Firefighter Cameron Peek, Rescue Company 2, has been passed the reins and is embarking on his first season as head coach of one of the Department’s largest athletic organizations, the FDNY Bravest Football team. As the 5th coach since the team’s founding in 1973, FF Peek […]
February 4, 2022

S07, E74 Lithium-ion Battery Safety and Tactics with FDNY Lieutenant John Cassidy

The increase in popularity of battery-operated mobility devices, like scooters, skateboards and bicycles has meant a dramatic increase in fires in New York City caused by lithium-ion batteries with sometimes fatal consequences. Lt. John Cassidy, Haz-mat Company 1, discusses the dangers of these batteries, tactics and […]
December 30, 2021

S06, E73 2021 Year in Review

The great work of our firefighters and EMTs this year show the department’s commitment to ensuring the safety of all New Yorkers. Before we say goodbye to 2021, we want to revisit the highlights, takeaways and lessons learned from this year’s Podcast – which include notable […]
November 30, 2021

S06, E72 Member Trapped at Commercial Roof Collapse

In the early morning hours of April 3, 2021, units were met with a heavy volume of fire at a commercial building on Springfield Boulevard in Queens. As members operated in the rear of the building, a portion of the roof collapsed trapping Lt. Steve Schuman […]
October 31, 2021

S06, E71 WTC Health Impacts Report 20 Years After 9/11 with FDNY Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Prezant

The health consequences to the FDNY’s WTC-exposed rescue/recovery workers were both immediate and far-reaching. The FDNY WTC Health Program began treatment day one, monitoring evaluations in October 2001 and continues today. The WTC Health Impacts Report summarizes the health impacts of WTC exposure on the FDNY […]
September 10, 2021

S06 E70 Recounting 9/11 and its Aftermath with FDNY Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro

As the anniversary of 9/11 approaches each year, memories of that day moves forefront in the minds of many members of the Department. Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro, who was Chief of Operations at the time of the attacks, recounts that fateful day 20 years ago, […]
August 25, 2021

S06, E69 Firefighters Perform Roof Rope Rescue to Save Small Child with FDNY Firefighters Abe Miller and Jairo Sosa

In September 2020, FDNY firefighters Jairo Sosa (Ladder 34) and Abe Miller (Ladder 23) performed a life-saving roof rope rescue, saving a child at a fire in Washington Heights for which they earned well-deserved medals at this year’s Medal Ceremony held in June. The firefighters discuss […]