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This episode features NFPA 1700 Committee Members George Healy, Murrey Loflin, Dan Madrzykowski, and Chris Stewart.

Episode hosted and produced by John Vance

We dive into the 2026 update of NFPA 1700 with a focus on search, lithium-ion hazards, and a cleaner common language for strategy and size-up. Research meets field experience to sharpen decisions, reduce confusion, and turn evidence into safer, faster operations.

• evolution of NFPA 1700 and why it matters
• what changed in 2026 across chapters 7, 9, 12, and 13
• lithium-ion battery fires and contamination control
• exterior fire control and strategy clarified
• search and rescue data that shapes victim removal
• making size up specific, actionable, and teachable
• 1700 as the emerging standard of care and legal context
• training, decon, and culture change for safer ops
• future needs in commercial fires and large buildings
• how policy, research, and command tie together

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This episode was recorded on January 7, 2026.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

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This week on the B Shifter Podcast, Josh Blum and Johsn Vance are joined by Steven S. Sarver, Assistant Chief of Operations with the Monroe Fire Department (OH). Chief Sarver breaks down his department’s response to three separate incidents at a 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center, sharing hard-earned command lessons from complex, high-risk events. He explains how Blue Card principles—especially lessons reinforced in the Big Box Workshop—helped drive effective decision-making, coordination, and successful outcomes in a challenging big-box environment.

We unpack how a 1.3 million square foot Amazon facility fire was held by sprinklers and managed by disciplined command. We share what changed across three incidents, why pumping the FDC is non-negotiable, and how preplans, tech, and patience keep crews safe.

• department profile, coverage area, staffing
• mutual aid setup across two counties
• Amazon facility design, hazards, commodities
• alarm upgrade logic and high-hazard card
• attack team, on-deck, roof report essentials
• FDC and fire pump priorities, water supply
• ESFR head performance and stream discipline
• locating seat with TICs, video, drones
• evacuation confirmation and search mindset
• riser maps, zone isolation, shutdown language
• forklift-led overhaul and safety
• AAR process, lessons learned, SOP updates
• training resources, workshops, and standards

“Hook up, pump up, and let the system run.”

This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix on December 10, 2025.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter

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This episode features Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison, and John Vance.

We push past acronyms and politics to center customer service as the fire service’s true north, linking training, staffing, and culture to outcomes for Mrs. Smith. We call out FINO departments, hazing, weak command presence, and political gamesmanship that erode trust and increase risk.

• customer service as the organizing principle for chiefs and unions
• training tied to standard problem-solving outcomes
• tactics anchored to life safety through fire control
• FINO departments and response time realities
• overtime, constant staffing, and budget politics
• using mayday and fatality data to defend night staffing
• on-scene education to convert angry customers to allies
• hazing, misconduct, and decisive leadership in crises
• NIOSH lessons, lawsuits, and predictable, preventable failures
• inside–outside culture alignment and whistleblower safety
• influence over control as a leadership stance

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This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix on December 4, 2025.

For Waldorf University Blue Card credit and discounts: https://www.waldorf.edu/blue-card/

For free command and leadership support, check out bshifter.com

Sign up for the B Shifter Buckslip, our free weekly newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/fmgs92N/Buckslip

Shop B Shifter here: https://bshifter.myshopify.com

All of our links here: https://linktr.ee/BShifter