The Second Alarm

Send us Fan Mail I have to believe most firefighters keep their radio or pager open just to listen — and for Chief Nass, nothing beats the anticipation of a second alarm. In this episode, he walks through what makes it his favorite call in the fire service: the information advantage, the pre-scouting habits that come with it, and a string of real-world moments where thinking two steps ahead of the first-due department turned into a genuine assist. He also opens up about how that same mindset extends into pre-planning for incidents that haven't happened yet — including an active shooter response built in the aftermath of the Oxford school shooting. "The scenarios that haven't happened yet are the best opportunity you have to start discussing second alarm response objectives." Support the show