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Assuming Command with Bob Horton

Assuming Command with Bob Horton

By Bob Horton

Thank you for joining us on Assuming Command, where we interview thought leaders, innovators, and influencers in all areas of public service.
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The Value of Organizational Psychology with Dr. Andrew Holter

Assuming Command with Bob HortonFeb 01, 2023

00:00
43:11
S3E2: Managing Expectations with Bob Horton
Mar 02, 202414:40
S3E1: Psychological Safety with Andrew Holter
Feb 02, 202435:06
Season 3 Intro

Season 3 Intro

Welcome to the kickoff of Season 3. We're starting this season by playing the year in review episode of Fire Headlines, a Western Fire Chiefs Association podcast co-hosted by Bob. We hope you enjoy the episode and look forward to getting back into the swing in 2024.

Jan 01, 202436:41
S2E8: Receiving Fire and Smoke with Kate Lighthall
Jul 06, 202346:25
S2E7: Scientific Communication with Eden McCall
Jun 01, 202330:10
S2E6: The Analytical Moose
Apr 09, 202331:37
Replay - Mental Wellness with Elissa Denton
Mar 05, 202342:03
The Value of Organizational Psychology with Dr. Andrew Holter

The Value of Organizational Psychology with Dr. Andrew Holter

Happy February and we hope your 2023 is off to a smooth start. This month’s guest on Assuming Command™ is Dr. Andrew Holter.  Andrew is an organizational psychologist serving the Wilmington Fire Department in North Carolina as their Administrative Services Manager. He has been in emergency services for nearly 20 years and is the founder of FR Strategies, a public safety consulting group.  Andrew’s PhD dissertation was on whether self-efficacy, grit, and job satisfaction predict turnover intention amongst new nurses. You can connect with Andrew on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewholter1/or go to www.FR-strategies.com.

Bob and Andrew’s conversation fits right in with a favorite Assuming Command™ theme; looking to the future and trying to make choices today that will serve the future fire service. A big part of the discussion is around preparing for recruitment and how to create an effective interview process so you can choose the best candidates to move your agency forward.

If you have any questions, comments, or topic suggestions, you can email us at impact@upstreamabi.com or click on the link for the show website and leave a voice message.

Feb 01, 202343:11
Not What I Signed Up For
Jan 06, 202353:58
Disaster Resilience Using Renewable Energy with Richard Birt

Disaster Resilience Using Renewable Energy with Richard Birt

Is anyone else feeling the Halloween sugar hang-over today? While you recover from the weekend festivities, we hope you enjoy the latest episode of Assuming Command ™.  This month Bob talked to Richard Birt, a Las Vegas Fire and Rescue retiree. Richard has continued to be engaged in emergency response through his education organization SAFE which stands for Solar and Fire Education. SAFE provided free training to firefighters on how to address solar panel and battery systems during a structure fire. Richard has also been highly involved in disaster response, traveling to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to set up microgrids that allowed emergency responders to work more safely and effectively. Richard has big plans on creating power grid resiliency through small solar installations that could feed power back into the grid during times of crisis. We have no doubt Richard will be successful in impacting the way solar is used for resiliency both during disaster situations and everyday operations. If you would like to reach out to Richard for SAFE training or if you have any other questions for him, you can reach him at solarandfireeducation@gmail.com.

Nov 01, 202150:39
Inspiring a Better Future with Bob Horton

Inspiring a Better Future with Bob Horton

We made it through season 1 of Assuming Command and, as promised, turned the mic on Bob for season 2’s opener. I’ll (Jennie) apologize up front for my volume, I need a little more practice at this hosting thing. During this episode you’ll get to hear some of my favorite stories from Bob’s journey to and in the fire service. We also talk about some of Bob’s work and research interests and goals, as well as his advice for current and aspiring leaders. I don’t want to give too much away, so enjoy the episode.

Don’t tell him I shared this, but the secret to Bob’s signature Moscow Mule is vanilla vodka and Bundaberg ginger beer. Cheers!

Sep 02, 202155:31
Fire Tech: Developed and Deployed, First Hand Experience with Brandon Rigaud

Fire Tech: Developed and Deployed, First Hand Experience with Brandon Rigaud

In this episode, we are featuring a "Local Spotlight" with an industry influencer who lives right here in our backyard.  Brandon Rigaud is currently a Lieutenant with Grants Pass Fire and is a Project Manager with First Due SizeUp.  Brandon got his start in the fire service at 14 as an explorer, then transitioned to a volunteer and 18, and spent 7 years with the forest service as a hotshot and helitack member.

Bob spoke with Brandon about his interest in tech systems that started while he was with the Forest Service and eventually lead to him working with Casey McIntosh on CrewSense, a platform built to streamline the staffing process for agencies. When CrewSense was brough to the market in 2012, many agencies were still using excel spreadsheets or pen and paper to manage staffing, with Battalion Chiefs in the office making phone calls to firefighters to fill shift vacancies. This process optimization through technology systems was continued with First Due. Pre-incident planning consists of knowing the hazards in your coverage area, and in particular buildings in that area. Again, many agencies rely on a binder that lists various hazards of concern, nearest hydrant, and access and egress points. First Due addresses that inefficiency by moving pre-incident planning data to a cloud-based platform that can be easily updated and easily accessed while responding. It also makes data sharing more efficient. They are also working on gamification of the platform which will incorporate a point or scoring system for use and allow for friendly competition within crews.

Brandon spoke about ways to make workflow changes and introduction of new technology more widely accepted and utilized in your agency. They also discussed how the future of the fire service may include a technology position that is outside of IT and specializes in utilization and maintenance of cloud-based systems.

The conversation wrapped up discussing how fleet management and maintenance could be optimized to reduce downtime by tracking upcoming maintenance needs and ensuring parts are in-stock prior to needing them.

Thanks for your support during our first year! As promised, we will be turning the microphone on Bob for the next episode. You can look forward to hearing how he got his start in the fire service and where he wants his professional journey to take him when it’s time for the next chapter. We welcome comments, questions, and topic or speaker suggestions. You can reach us at impact@upstreamabi.com any time.

Aug 01, 202140:09
Future of Tech in the Fire Service with Brent VanKeulen

Future of Tech in the Fire Service with Brent VanKeulen

Welcome to episode 11 with Brent VanKuelen. Brent spent 27 years in the fire service in Oregon, retiring in 2019 as a Division Chief for Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. Since retiring, Brent has spent his time consulting and works with the Western Fire Chiefs Association as a Technology Advisor.

One of the first projects Brent was involved with at TVFR was building an application that that uses artificial intelligence to aid responders in better decision making. The app was built using input from providers instead of being built to meet administrative and reporting requirements. Reducing the noise that often occurs in reporting software was a focus of the project, and the end result was a more effective software creating an environment for better decision making by providers.

Bob and Brent talked about the future of technology in fire response. Brent envisions the use of AI and augmented reality to provide incident details to responders. He also discusses his work with the WFCA and their current focus of advocating for the fire service in the private sector. They are achieving this goal through a technology accelerator engine that identifies companies developing products that will improve the experience for providers and the service provided to the public. One such partnership is with Rapid Deploy which is a cloud-based computer aided dispatch system that can be implemented in hours instead of months, which is the timeline for many systems currently in use.

Stay tuned at the end of season 1, when Bob switches seats and we get to hear about his journey in the fire service and where he’s headed next.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-vankeulen-01416374/

Western Fire Chiefs Association: https://wfca.com/

Rapid Deploy: https://www.rapiddeploy.com/

Not What I Signed Up For: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-i-signed-up-bob-horton/

Jun 30, 202147:53
Rethinking Special Events with Craig Cooper

Rethinking Special Events with Craig Cooper

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all our fallen heroes and their families, not only this weekend but every day. This month, Bob talked to Craig Cooper, an Administrative Battalion Chief with Las Vegas Fire & Rescue. Craig serves on several committees including the International Association of Fire Chief’s Urban Search and Rescue and the Nevada Joint Terrorism Task Force. He also assisted with the National Fire Prevention Association’s Active Shooter Hostile Event Response Protocols. Craig completed his Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Post Graduate School with a research focus on leveraging emergent crowd behaviors in public policy and response.  You can read Craig's research at https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/67119

Craig introduced us to the chaordic zone, which is the space between order and chaos and addresses the fact that humans will seek order in times of potential or developing chaos. This zone occurs during attacks at special events where the crowd will seek to render aid to themselves and others and move towards more order in a time of high stress. First responders may view crowds during these events as victims, but planners need to realize and plan for the people in the crowd who will be rendering aid before first responders are able to access the scene. More time needs to be spent thinking about what can happen (in a positive light) before first responders get there instead of just how things will happen once they arrive. They also discussed how dispatch centers need to be included in the planning process, a theme that may sound familiar from other episodes.

Craig’s passion project, which was a surprise for us to learn, is a series of children’s books he started when his oldest daughter was little. He completed the first book, with illustrations completed by his wife, and has several more story boarded. The topic is how a single piece of misplaced trash can impact the environment. We hope Craig gets the time to finish his series and gets it published!

May 31, 202140:48
Optimize Your Nutrition with Ashley Besecker

Optimize Your Nutrition with Ashley Besecker

This month, Jennie joined Bob for a conversation with Ashley Besecker of Functional Performance Nutrition. Ashley works with professional athletes to optimize their performance, longevity, and recovery using nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. She started using DNA testing about 11 years ago to offer preventative medicine and has since pivoted her business to specialize in professional sports. The process starts by collecting and analyzing DNA, then determining what type of nutrition and training should be implemented to minimize the risk of injury and maximize performance.

We spoke with Ashley about some steps tactical athletes can take to utilize the same information in their careers. Ashley highlighted the importance of training and maintaining your body to cope with the physical aspects of being a first responder. She also discussed the importance of having comprehensive labs drawn regularly. Even though we can’t all hire Ashley, she does have an ebook available on her website, www.ashleybesecker.com, that contains information on what labs to ask for, what supplements to take and how much, and macronutrient breakdowns. She also recommends tracking health markers using wearable technology to stay ahead of health issues that may be developing but not creating any current indicators.

Ashley recommended three books to our listeners that she has all of her athletes read.

· Sports Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark: https://nancyclarkrd.com/product/sports-nutrition-guidebook-fifth-edition/

· Blue Zones by Dan Buettner: https://www.bluezones.com/books/

· Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

This was such an interesting conversation, and we could have talked to Ashley for much longer, don’t be surprised if you see her on Assuming Command again in the future. In the meantime, you can find her on Instagram, Twitter, and Tick Tock @ashleyabesecker and at www.ashleybesecker.com.  She also has a podcast, Functional Performance Nutrition, that features many of her clients as guests. Feel free to reach out to her on one of her platforms with your nutrition related questions!

May 02, 202136:30
Celebrate Your Why with Jason Elissalde

Celebrate Your Why with Jason Elissalde

Bob got together with Jason Elissalde this month to discuss organizational culture and finding your “why”. Jason has 20 years’ experience in training development and leadership, which ranged from Target to the Willamalane Parks and Recreation District. He now has a consulting company, Celebrate Your Why Consulting, where he can pursue his passion, which is to ensure young professionals entering public service understand the impact they can make on their community and that they find their purpose.

Bob and Jason drew the comparison between the fire service and parks and recreation, in that both provide a service to the community and can bring the community together. Staff for both have the opportunity to impact their community at no cost, by creating memorable experiences through interaction.   They also discuss their shared experience of attending the Disney Leadership Institute. What has drawn them both to the company is the combination of attention to logistics while creating magical customer experiences.

A big message in this episode is the importance of fostering an “I can” versus and “I can’t” attitude I your organization and valuing mission above task. The “I can” mindset comes from how you visualize opportunities. You can either look at the situation from a solution-oriented perspective and find the ways you can say, “Yes, we can do this.”, or you can automatically say you can’t make it work. In valuing mission above task, a task is something you do, the mission is why you do it. Tasks should enhance the mission but never define it. The tasks that help you best meet the mission are the tasks you should focus on more.

We hope you enjoy this episode and listening to all the advice Jason has for consideration in your leadership journey. You can find Jason on his LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-elissalde-cprp-323556124/. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach us on www.AssumingCommand.comor at impact@upstreamabi.com. If you have any topics or individuals you would like to hear on Assuming Command, let us know. And of course, please subscribe and share our podcast.

Mar 29, 202144:14
Technology Disruption with David Blankinship

Technology Disruption with David Blankinship

David Blankinship, Senior Technology Advisor for the Western Fire Chiefs Association and co-founder of Intterra, joined Bob for Episode 7 to discuss technology in the fire service. David started his fire service career as a Senior GIS Analyst with the Colorado Springs Fire Department. While there, he had the opportunity to be fully integrated in the department’s training to understand field operations more fully, and how to “make things better”, a mantra of sorts that sticks with him still today.

David was fortunate during his time at Colorado Springs to have the freedom and support to develop projects to integrate technology into operations. He speaks in this episode about the importance of field, administrative, and executive staff being willing to work collaboratively, as well as being honest with expectations and abilities, both your own and those of the people around you.

David has been involved in many exciting projects, including wildfire modeling for risk assessment, tactical decision-making, and wildfire behavior. One of his goals is to provide Incident Commanders with the information they need to know before they even get to an incident using sensors and augmented reality. He acknowledges that models need more data inputs to be accurate and useful, which prompted Bob to cite a quote from George E. P. Box, “essentially all models are wrong, but some are useful”. As networks continue to be faster, more secure, and more seamless for first responders, data sharing, and collaboration is also increasing. All of this means the fire service can provide a smooth flow of information between resources to get accurate information to firefighters on the ground more quickly.

We hope you enjoy this episode and listening to all the great work David is doing to advance technology in the fire service. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach us on www.AssumingCommand.com or at impact@upstreamabi.com. If you have any topics or individuals you would like to hear on Assuming Command, let us know. And of course, please subscribe and share our podcast.

Some of the organizations David has partnered in his pursuit of improvement include:

· UC San Diego WIFIRE super-computing group - https://technosylva.com/cal-fire-uses-new-modeling-tech-to-outflank-wildfires/

· National Center for Atmospheric Research Coupled Atmosphere Wildland Fire Environment Model - https://opensky.ucar.edu/islandora/object/technotes:511

· TechnoSylva and their partnership with CalFire - https://technosylva.com/

Mar 01, 202153:30
Modeling and Simulation with Kate Kapalo, Ph.D.

Modeling and Simulation with Kate Kapalo, Ph.D.

This month on Assuming Command, Bob spoke with Kate Kapalo about her research in technology in the fire service, specifically more effective pre-planning applications and the use of virtual or augmented reality in training and emergency response. Kate has an impressive background, with an MS and PhD in Modeling and Simulation from the University of Central Florida and graduate certificates in Cognitive Science and Modeling and Simulation. Currently, Kate is a post-doctoral research associate at Brown University supporting the National Institute of Standards and Technology Public Safety Communications Research Division. Her previous experience includes time as a research statistician for Orange County Fire Rescue and as a research psychologist for the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando. Kate also spends time volunteering for Troops to Firefighters, an organization that provides training and transitional resources to military veterans and their families interested in fire and 9-1-1 dispatch positions. https://www.troopstofirefighters.org/

Kate’s current work has several areas of focus with the goal of identifying how technology can be developed and applied to make it more user friendly, efficient, and tailored for fire service applications. One area is that of pre-planning. Currently many pre-planning is still in paper format and may be out of date. Kate is studying how departments use their pre-plans, how to transition those plans to an electronic format, and how they can be efficiently maintained and updated, especially when staff hours are limited. She is also working on how virtual and augmented reality can be integrated into training programs, including it’s use as a training aid and supplement to live training for incident commanders to allow them to gain experience in a broad range of incident types quickly and cost effectively. One thing Kate has found in her research is that technology needs to be streamlined and reliable, or it won’t be utilized in the field.

Kate’s work can be found at her LinkedIn, on her website, and on ResearchGate.

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekapalo/

· Website: http://www.katekapalo.com/

· Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Katelynn_Kapalo

Jan 25, 202147:31
Programs for Mental Fitness with Angela Leath

Programs for Mental Fitness with Angela Leath

Welcome to Episode 5 of Assuming Command with Angela Leath. Bob had the privilege of hiring Angela to be the Crisis Intervention Administrator for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue in 2015. Angela now works for the City of Henderson as their Public Safety Wellness Program Manager and offers training in Mental Fitness and Critical Incident Stress Management Program Building through her business, Leathalminds, LLC. You can find Angela and Leathalminds, LLC on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/leathal-minds/.

Angela has had a long career in mental health, or mental fitness as she prefers to call it, and she provided a wealth of information during this episode on building a peer support program, utilizing the program, and training both peer support teams and the overall organization. Here are some of our key takeaways from the conversation.

When building a program, it is important to consider the size of your organization, including all divisions or sections, including everyone from maintenance, training, call-takers/dispatch, to first responders. Peers from and for all areas need to be included. There needs to be enough members on a Peer Support Team to be able to provide support without members of the team burning out. If your organization isn’t large enough to support its own Peer Support Team, consider a regional approach by partnering with other agencies.

Training to support mental fitness will help employees build resiliency before they need it. Training should start in recruit academy’s, a Peer Support Mentor should be assigned to rookies, mental fitness and resiliency should be regularly incorporated into trainings, and retirees should be both prepared for transition into retirement and offered the opportunity to stay engaged in their organization after they retire. Families should also be integrated into the process; it’s important for families to understand to some degree the stress first responders are dealing with and how it may impact them at home.

Angela also discussed the important of Critical Incident Stress Management, which is trained in intervention techniques for larger scale or more traumatic incidents, whereas the Peer Support Team is used for more day-to-day type stressors. She described critical incidents as a bullseye, with the incident in the center and the rings being made up of people and their interaction with the incident. Training on how to deploy the team during a critical incident, all the way through the de-brief process. Identification and utilization of outside resources and having a plan with your EAP are also integral to the preparation process.

Angela mentioned a variety of training and support programs. We’ve linked those for you here.

· CHIPS: https://www.snvchips.org/about

· IAFF Training: https://www.iaff.org/behavioral-health/#peer-support

· Mental Health First Aid Training: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/training-courses/mental-health-first-aid/

· Psychological First Aid Training: https://learn.nctsn.org/course/index.php?categoryid=11

· K9 First Responders: https://k9fr.org/

Dec 28, 202048:31
Mental Wellness with Elissa Denton
Nov 30, 202040:16
Peer Support with Jeff Buchanan

Peer Support with Jeff Buchanan

Welcome to Episode 3 of Assuming Command. This episode is modified from a Peer Support class Bob gave with Jeff Buchanan from Las Vegas Fire and Rescue for the International Associations of Fire Chiefs Conference. In this episode, Bob and Jeff discuss peer support programs and the importance of mental health in the fire service. The class and the importance of the topic inspired Bob to do a series on mental health and wellness, so this episode will be part of a three-part series on the topic.

During the class, a game board for developing a peer support program is used as a reference point; that “game board” is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S3VvIeKlu0LAUw1iRA_EW7CYGOiklPV5/view?usp=sharing.  The path to building a program starts at denial; moves to recognizing the problem of life imitating art, especially in the case of larger scale events; requires the labor and management buy-in; should be built into the organizations mission, vision, and values; needs initial and ongoing training of team, supervisors, and staff; an SOP for deployment and utilization of the team should be developed; “messengers” should be identified, that is, who within the organization can serve as respected and trusted advocates; different technologies for connection between the peer support team and staff should be considered; recruits and staff should have access to regular meetings and communication with the peer support team; training on and knowledge of the SOPs should be built into the promotional process; the path does not end with development of the team and plan; and program success requires maintaining a performance and growth mindset.

Bob and Jeff also discussed the importance of understanding everyone will react to situations differently. Some people will come out of a larger critical event OK, but be impacted by a smaller event, and vice versa. It is important to have peer support available to the organization anytime they may be feeling stress or need someone to speak with. Peer support needs to be integrated into the culture of the organization from recruitment through retirement and beyond. Jeff spoke about using retirees as part of the peer support team to allow them to keep engaged with the organization and to take advantage of their wealth of experience. When building the team, management needs to consider the needs of the organization and how to tailor the model and branding to their team. It is vital to the success of the program that the people who will be utilizing it feel comfortable reaching out to the peer support team.

One popular model for developing and program is the Jeffrey Mitchell model. Jeffrey Mitchell Ph.D. co-founded the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. to provide leadership, education, training, consultation, and support services for first responders or others affected by critical incidents. More about the Foundation and the resources and training they provide can be found at https://icisf.org/about-us/. A primer on Critical Incident Stress Management can also be viewed at https://icisf.org/a-primer-on-critical-incident-stress-management-cism/.

The draft Peer Support Program SOP mentioned can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JQzAOEVmwZL_YC00KnmfgeyveFMsyhvx/view?usp=sharing.

Thank you for joining us and stay tuned for the next two episodes in the mental health and wellness series. Let us know what you think of the podcast by emailing us at impact@upstreamabi.com.

Nov 02, 202058:34
21st Century Leadership with Kendall Warnock, Lincoln, NE

21st Century Leadership with Kendall Warnock, Lincoln, NE

Thanks for listening to Season 1 Episode 2 of Assuming Command. In this episode, Bob sat down with Kendall Warnock, a Division Chief for Lincoln Fire and Rescue in Lincoln, Nebraska approaching his 10-year anniversary with the agency. Kendall’s department has 16 stations and 300 staff on the line.

Kendall shared his unique entrance into the fire service, but what we missed during the conversation was how he connected with Chief Niles for recruitment to his current position. Kendall knew the son of retired Chief Merwick from college. Chief Merwick introduced him to Chief Ford. Through conversations with both men, it became apparent he had something to offer the fire service. Chief Ford recruited him, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Some key lessons from the conversation with Kendall were the importance of earning the trust of your staff, always working to better yourself, and the importance of mental health. Kendall and Bob both acknowledged that mental health and PTSD diagnosis and support in the fire service has come a long way, but there is still the room for improvement. The need for continued evolution of the fire service and improved response models was also a prominent topic.

Kendall is motivated through the work ethic he learned from his mother and honoring his father, who passed away in 2009. He spoke about the importance of giving back to others and being there to spend time with his children and wife on a regular basis.

If you would like more information on programs and books Kendall discussed, you can find them below.

· Restore @ the University of Central Florida: https://www.ucfrestores.com/

· 75 Hard: https://andyfrisella.com/products/75-hard-a-tactical-guide-to-winning-the-war-with-yourself

· 75 Hard Tactical Guide: https://andyfrisella.com/products/75-hard-a-tactical-guide-to-winning-the-war-with-yourself

· How to Win Friends and Influence People: https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&hvadid=78271613970961&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=how+to+win+friends+and+influence+people%E2%80%9D&qid=1601772282&sr=8-3&tag=mh0b-20

· If Aristotle Ran GM: https://www.amazon.com/If-Aristotle-Ran-General-Motors/dp/0805052534

Oct 14, 202003:41:42
Table 5 with Brad Hannig, Dave Eiffe, and Rich Kelley

Table 5 with Brad Hannig, Dave Eiffe, and Rich Kelley

This group came together at the National Fire Academy three years ago and have stayed connected ever since.  Tune in to hear the different experiences of three Fire Chiefs from different areas of the country managing different sized organizations.  Spoiler alert, many of the challenges are the same.  In this episode, we talk about COVID-19 response, adapting the organization, staying balanced as a chief executive and we have fun along the way.  Be sure to subscribe to Assuming Command and do not miss an episode! 

Oct 05, 202001:04:21