SAMatters Radio

In this episode, we introduce our viewers and listeners to Mike Richardson, our newest SAMatters Certified Master Instructor.

Mike Richardson is a 39-year veteran of the military and the fire service. He served 28 years as a Firefighter, Company Officer, and Chief Officer with fire departments in New York, Florida and Kentucky. He most recently served as a Line-of-Duty Death Investigator for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program.

Mike is a graduate of the Eastern KY University Fire Science and Loss Prevention & Safety Programs. Chief Richardson has been involved with the Fire Service at a national level through, instructing at fire conferences such as FDIC and Fire-Rescue International, authoring articles in publications such as Fire Engineering and Firehouse, and serving on the Board of Directors for the Fire Department Safety Officers Association and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors. He has also served on the NFPA Electronic Safety Equipment and Fire Service Training Committees.

About the Host

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is widely considered a trusted authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision making processes used in high-stress, high consequence work environments. He served 33 years on the front lines as a firefighter, EMT-Paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. His doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and impact high-risk decision making.

The fire service is struggling with recruiting and retention. It's also challenged by a mental health crisis and a growing apathy within the profession. The good news is, we have the power to fix it. Working in a team environment provides job satisfaction, psychological safety, and a feeling of community. Fire service leaders have the responsibility of developing teams; so, Dr. JT wrote a book on how to Forge Your Team.

Dr. JT started his career in 2000 as a U.S. Army Firefighter. He's worked for several fire departments around the world. Currently, he works at MCLB Barstow Fire & Emergency Service as an Assistant Chief of Operations.

He's led as an Army Sergeant, CEO and Fire Officer. At the age of 25, he opened a 24-hour health club and became a top 100 grossing franchisee.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing, a master's degree in leadership and a doctorate in strategic leadership. Dr. JT is credentialed through CPSE and works as an instructor for two colleges. He has achieved multiple life-saving awards and service distinctions throughout his career. Moreover, he has authored a book titled, Forging Your Team: Demystifying Team Development in the Fire Service and writes for multiple publications. He's also a mentor for transitioning veterans through American Corporate Partners. Dr. JT has a passion for serving people and developing teams. Throughout his career he has developed award winning teams and transformed organizations through his distinct strategies.

About the Host

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is widely considered a trusted authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision making processes used in high-stress, high consequence work environments. He served 33 years on the front lines as a firefighter, EMT-Paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. His doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and impact high-risk decision making.

In this episode, Dr. Gasaway discusses how to accelerating leadership growth and impact with Sean Glaze, author of Rapid Teamwork, The 10 Commandments of Winning Teammates, and Staying Coachable.

Sean Glaze is a leadership speaker, teambuilding facilitator, and author who delivers engaging experiences that ignite your team's performance. Sean has worked with clients like Cisco, John Deere, the CDC, and Emory University to increase collaboration, boost productivity, and build more positive and workplace cultures.

In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with Jeff Dill about the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance and their work to reduce firefighter suicides.

In 2010, Jeff Dill founded Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA). And since 2021, Jeff has served full time as the Behavioral Health Administrator for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue in Nevada.

Jeff travels the United States & Canada holding workshops to educate firefighters, dispatchers & EMS about behavioral health awareness, moral injury and suicide prevention. In 2010, FBHA began tracking and validating data on all FF, EMS and dispatcher suicides across the United States. In addition, FBHA offers ten workshops for first responders, counselors/chaplains, family members and preparing for retirement.

Jeff Dill holds a Master's Degree in Counseling, is a retired Fire Captain at Palatine Rural Fire Protection District in Inverness, Illinois.

FBHA has been tracking and validating FF, EMS and Dispatcher suicides since 2010, We can discuss the data, how it is obtained, who uses it, what it shows us. Jeff has travelled over a million miles presenting educational workshops on behavioral health and suicide. As most non profits today it is a struggle to keep a float but FBHA is grateful for everyone's support including numerous times from Rich Gasaway!

About the Host

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is widely considered a trusted authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision making processes used in high-stress, high consequence work environments. He served 33 years on the front lines as a firefighter, EMT-Paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. His doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and impact high-risk decision making.

In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with George Esbensen, President of the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE) about the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.

During his 32 years in the fire service, George Esbensen served in many roles, from firefighter to chief. Today, he volunteers as Board President of the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE), an advocacy nonprofit he co-founded in 2016 dedicated to providing Minnesota's firefighters with the tools they need to prioritize and protect their health. Chief Esbensen has been an advocate for firefighter wellness for his entire career, leading efforts to ban cancer-causing flame retardants, establish the Hometown Heroes Survivor Act, and, in 2021, pass the most comprehensive firefighter well-being legislation in the nation.

Hometown Heroes Assistance Program

The summer of 2023 marked the two-year anniversary of the Minnesota legislature's passing of the Hometown Heroes Act. This win for the state's fire service has since ensured that every Minnesota firefighter has access to a MnFIRE Assistance Program with expanded emotional trauma resources, including free visits to mental health professionals and ongoing peer support, an up-to-$20,000 critical illness policy that they're automatically enrolled in, and ongoing health and wellness training, all at no cost to them or their department.

Firefighters across the country – and across Minnesota – are affected by serious health concerns including cardiac disease, emotional trauma and cancer at rates nearly twice as high as the general public. But since the legislation went into effect, the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program (HHAP), administered by the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE), has changed thousands of lives through an array of confidential resources available to all active volunteer, paid-on-call, part-time and full-time Minnesota firefighters. In just over two years, the program has provided:

· Nearly 1,000 firefighter-focused mental health providers across the state to offer up to five no-cost counseling sessions per issue per year to firefighters and their families. To date the MnFIRE Assistance Program has facilitated nearly 1,600 visits with mental health providers.

· An expanded network of trained MnFIRE peer supporters, which has responded to more than 675 calls.

· 149 paid Critical Illness claims, totaling $1.9 million. Illnesses have included full-benefit cancer, COVID-19, post-traumatic stress disorder, skin cancer, other cancer, ALS, heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, heart disease, kidney failure, coronary artery disease needing surgery and more.

· 1,118 MnFIRE trainings to 17,524 firefighters about the increased occupational health risks they face and how to cultivate a healthy lifestyle.

About the Host

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is widely considered a trusted authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision making processes used in high-stress, high consequence work environments. He served 33 years on the front lines as a firefighter, EMT-Paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. His doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and impact high-risk decision making.