Former 20-year Congressman Curt Weldon, founder of the Congressional Fire Caucus and the FIRE Grant program, delivers a fiery call to action for the American fire service to reclaim its power and demand change at the highest levels. He reveals the shocking inside stories of battling bureaucracy to get firefighters the technology and resources they deserve—from the fight for interoperable communications to his new demand for the first-ever White House Conference on Firefighters and EMS.

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In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Power of the Fire Service: Why firefighters have 98% public support and how they can leverage it.
• The DC Disconnect: The story of a fire in a congressional building with no alarms or sprinklers.
• Creating the FIRE Grants: The political maneuvering required to create the FIRE and SAFER grant programs.
• A New Presidential Agenda: Curt's 7-point plan for the next administration, including a White House Conference and a "Responder Lifeline" benefits package.
• Untapped Military Tech: The battle to transfer critical life-saving technology (like GPS/vitals trackers and satellite detection) from the military to first responders.
• The 9/11 Cover-Up: His ongoing fight to reveal the full story of the "Able Danger" intelligence that identified the 9/11 hijackers two years before the attacks.
• The Future of Fire: The vision for a National Fire & EMS Museum and a world-class international training center.

Retired Battalion Chief Mark Whaling, a 42-year veteran of the fire service, shares the story behind his groundbreaking invention, the Heli-Hydrant—a permanent, pilot-activated water source for firefighting helicopters. Discover how a simple observation led to a system that ends the inefficient and time-consuming process of dipping from ponds or portable tanks, and learn the gritty lessons of innovating within a culture resistant to change.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Heli-Hydrant: How this "hydrant for helicopters" provides a reliable, rapid water source right where it's needed most.
• The Innovator's Mindset: Why "failing fast" is the key to creating new solutions.
• From Idea to Reality: The journey of collaborating with pilots and water districts to meet everyone's needs.
• Overcoming Resistance: The challenges of bringing new ideas to a "that's-not-how-we-do-things" culture.
• The Command Access Vehicle: The surprising story of how a farrier's truck inspired a new, more efficient vehicle for fire command staff.
• The Power of a Simple Idea: How the "Whaling Pack" changed the game for wildland hose deployment back in the 90s.
• The Business of Fire Tech: Why the water districts, not fire departments, are the customer for this critical infrastructure.

UL's Baylie Scott from the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) unveils NERIS, the new national fire data system set to replace the 50-year-old NFIRS. Discover how this modern, location-based platform will revolutionize the way fire departments report and use data—from tracking emerging hazards like EV fires to empowering chiefs with the evidence they need to justify resources and save lives.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The End of an Era: Why the legacy NFIRS system is being sunsetted.
• Welcome to NERIS: The key features of the new National Emergency Response Information System.
• The Power of Where: How adding a geographic backbone to every incident report changes the game.
• Plain Language, Faster Data: Making reporting easier for firefighters and making data available in near real-time.
• Tracking Emerging Hazards: How NERIS is built to adapt to new threats like lithium-ion battery fires.
• Proactive vs. Reactive: The importance of the new Community Risk Reduction (CRR) module for capturing prevention efforts.
• From Data to Decisions: How better data empowers fire chiefs when they face city council.
• Lessons from Gatlinburg: How a real-world WUI disaster proved the value of geospatial data analysis.