New Podcast and More to Come...

Welcome back to our blog. As I'm writing this, my other two arms are designing our new website. Once it's set, we'll be moving our main blog over there. Additionally, we now also have a page at "My Firefighter Nation," under our name, "Dalmatian Productions, Inc." We also hope to be able to host our podcasts on the new website as well. We'll keep you posted!

Today (8/14/2017) we launch our second season with a new podcast, "The PIO: The Who, When, Where & How." You can find it either at iTunes or at 5-Alarm Task Force - The PIO.

Most of us have numerous PIO's on scene or on a newscast. And more than one of us has probably thought, "That isn't so tough. I could do that job and better!" However, to make that assumption without all the facts might lead you down a disastrous path. 

Long-time Public Information Office, Life Member and Recording Secretary, Tom Mitten of the Elsmere Volunteer Fire Company in Delaware, also happens to be a dear friend and one of the four partners in Dalmatian Productions, Inc. Tom also has a very strong media and media production background and was instrumental in directing and producing the first pilots of our original reality show, "America's Heroes: The Men & Women of Fire Rescue."

In our discussion, Tom explains just what the job of the PIO demands. And those demands are a great deal more than being able to respond at the "drop of the hat," or "helmet," if you will. To be honest with you, Tom's explanation of the requirements were even more than I knew! Tom also addresses how the job has evolved from the days when you'd make a few notes and be the only one addressing the news outlets, to today's plethora of conduits via social media.

I hope you'll find this episode as fascinating to listen to as it was for me to hear, even though Tom and I have been close friends for nearly twenty years.

Until next time...Stay Safe and Let's Make Sure Every One Goes Home! 

We're Back & "Loaded for Bear!"

Welcome back! We hope all of you and your families are enjoying a safe summer. We took our hiatus from this Blog and our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force," to recharge our "inner" batteries and to almost "go back in time" to see some good friends.

Back in 1977-1981, we lived in the great area of Greensboro NC. Actually, our apartment was just outside the city line in Guilford County. At first, this didn't mean anything to me. My job was still just two miles away, using just one main street and little traffic. The synagogue who had hired me to be their educational and youth director, welcomed us warmly. Moreover, we found almost everyone we met in those first couple of weeks, wonderfully welcoming. This was a new experience for both my wife and me. Coming from two larger cities in the Northeast, this was something we were not used to.

A couple of weeks later, I was driving down a road that led to the interstate, when I passed a firehouse. It was only three-quarters of a mile from our apartment and on the same cross-street. The bay doors were open and I pulled in to look at the shiny, red apparatus. 

I called out and no one answered, so I just started to walk around. There was an older model tanker and utility squad, a new Tele-Squrt on a Pierce body, an older engine and then another that look like it has just been unwrapped. This too, was a Pierce. Then, I heard someone say, "Hello."  I turned and it was a "white shirt," that at first, I thought was the chief.

He came over to me and offered his hand. Then I could see he had the collar brass of a captain and a name badge that confirmed the rank. We introduced ourselves chatted a few minutes as he told me about the apparatus and their combination department. He had asked me if I was or had been a firefighter and I explained that coming from the suburban Boston area, there were hardly any opportunities to be a volunteer. Then he said, "Well, let's have you meet the Chief." I agreed and eventually walked out of that "meet & greet" with an application in my hand. That started me off at the Guilford College Fire Department.

This summer, we drove up to Greensboro and spent two weeks in the area. Besides the dear friend we stayed with in her lovely home and other friends, some we had known here in South Florida and other whom we have know since those "glory" days in the fire department, I had the privilege to sit down and chat with my former chief. We had not seen each other or been in touch since 1981, when we left Greensboro and headed north to Syracuse NY. It was a great two-and-a-half hours we spent talking about the old says and I'll write more about it in my next installment. If you want to read about those "glory days," it's all in my book, "Fish Out of Water: 2 Jewish Guys in a Deep South Firehouse," available on Amazon at "Fish Out of Water" 
All royalties from the sale of this book are being donated to the NFFF! Is it a "best-seller" soaring to the top of the charts? No. But to me, it's more important that whatever does come in can be better used taking care of the families of our comrades who have made the ultimate sacrifice.


As the heading for this entry says, we're back in the studio and office, ready to bring you a second season of "5-Alarm Task Force." And what a second season it will be. Here are but just a few of our guests for this season:
1. Chief Bobby Halton
2. Capt./Instructor John Dixon
3. Capt./Instructor Andy Starnes
4. Capt. (ret) Dennis Tucker
5. Lt./Instructor Ryan Pennington
6. Dept. Chief P J Norwood
7. Lt. Ray McCormack
...and many more. You will not want to miss a single episode of "5-Alarm Task Force!" And the answer is NO! We will not start charging your you to listen our podcast. We believe that what we do is important enough to make sure every firefighter and other first responders can listen to us without have to "reach into their pocket."
So, hold on...it's going to be a great ride on 5-Alarm Task Force this season!

And one last note on the status of "CAUSE & ORIGIN." While away on vacation, I finished writing the first draft for a feature-length film adaption of the story. It was very difficult work that took me several months to do; never having written anything like that before. It's not in the hands of our L.A.-based partner and we'll soon start the re-write process. We'll keep you posted!

Stay Safe and Let's Make Sure Every One Goes Home!

NEW PODCAST - EPISODE 16 6/21/2017

"Five Alarm Task Force: News & Issues for Today's First Responders"

Firefighter Chris Tobin with the St. Louis Fire Department asks if the American fire service has lost its "true grit" approach to firefighting.
Is the word "aggressive," a no-no?
Have we taken a "sit back and see" approach?
Listen to the show and let us know what you think.
5-Alarm Task Force: News & Issues for Today's First Responders 

Brought to you by our partners:

http://dalmatatianproductions.tv

http://tinyurl.com/NCFirefighting

http://FFCancer.org

http://thefirehousetribune.com

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5-Alarm Task Force 

 

Wow!

That's about the only word we can say about the last couple of weeks. When we finally decided to follow the suggestion from a couple of our Twitter friends, we had no idea it would take off this quickly and more importantly, allow us to bring the number and for some, the caliber of guests, to the show. The funny thing is, I was doing something just like this 16 years ago! That's right...16 years ago; before the word "podcast" was even a spark of a thought in someone's head!

Back in 2001, we were working hard to bring our reality-based TV show to air. Titled, "America's Heroes: The Men & Women of Fire/Rescue," it featured real video of fire-rescue services from around the country (long before everyone had a camera in their cellphones!) and interviews with some of the first responders involved in the incidents. Now you need to remember, this was at the the time when "Reality TV" had not sunk to the slimy sewer it dwells in now. You can see that video at:

http://bit.ly/1hvSYxH

Through a mutual friend, we were introduced to a firefighter/paramedic and PIO from Boca Raton, a great guy named, Frank Correggio. We had just returned from a trip to Israel during a very difficult time there. 

So Frank gave me a call and told me he had a long-running radio/Internet show called, "Burning Issues." He had had a partner for a few years and now he was doing the show on his own. He broadcast from a small AM radio station in Boca Raton. That station was part of a network of stations around the southeast, owned by a company, and the show was multi-cast on them, as well. Moreover, he had a major apparatus manufacturer as his banner sponsor and they used a Real(R) server to broadcast on the Internet. So, Burning Issues was broadcast around the world. He asked me if I'd come on the following Sunday as a guest, and I did. 

Well, we hit it off that evening. We had a great time with the interview and swapping "war stories." Now upon my return from Israel in July, I had been invited to return to Israel's Channel 10 in the Fall, to help them produce our type of show for that station. Additionally, through the same guy who had connected me with Frank, I was asked to write a skit for children that would be broadcast in October, about fire prevention week and appear on the Rosie O'Donnell show. The first night I was Frank's guest was September 2, 2001.

Monday morning, I went back to work at our offices. On Thursday, September 6th,  I heard from the agent from the Rosie O'Donnell Show, that they liked the skit I wrote and she was having her staff meeting about in the following Tuesday morning. That Tuesday was 9|11 and everyone's plans and lives were turned upside down.

The following Saturday the 15th, I receive a phone call from Frank. He asked me if I was able to join him the following night on his show. He explained that coming from New York and knowing a lot of FDNY firefighters and many from the surrounding volunteer departments on Long Island, he did not want to do this broadcast alone. 

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Frank had excellent contacts with the heads of Broward Sheriff's office, Broward County Fire, Boca Fire, Miami and Miami-Dade Fire, etc. Yet, he asked me to join him. I was humbled. I was sad. And I joined him. 

It was a tough broadcast for both of us. We received a couple of phone calls, including one from a long-time listener in Australia, who called to express his sympathies. He too, was a firefighter and felt the pain that the rest of us did. 

If my first appearance planted a seed between us, then the show on September 16th forged the bond of our friendship. I joined him almost every Sunday night from there on. We even flew out to FDIC 2002 in Indianapolis, which in itself, due to the tragedy of 9|11, was a  moving and very emotional experience that I will never forget. We broadcast live from the exhibition hall, both audio and video and had many, many amazing interviews.

Frank and I worked together for almost five years, when work took him on another path. We remain good friends and I sincerely hope that I can invite him to be on our podcast to talk about "Burning Issues." 

We hope you'll pause for a moment and leave us a brief comment here. Use the link at the top of the page to go to our Podcast Page and listen to the shows we already have in the can. And we hope you'll forward to more great guest and important information from some of the leaders of the American Fire Service today.

Stay Safe and let's make sure that Everyone Goes Home!

New Episode of 5-Alarm Task Force!!

We're happy to announce that we finished up our next episode of our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force," earlier than we expected! We thought we were going to be up against a turkey before we finished.

This episode features Lt. Grant Schwalbe from Estero Fire-Rescue and the fire-education company, When Things Go Bad, Inc. (www.whenthingsgobadinc.com), Grant talks about the tasks necessary to remember when conducting a primary search. He also tells us about the new program from the company called, "First and Ten." What do you need to accomplish in the first ten minutes on-scene? 

Here's the link: http://bit.ly/5-AlarmTF

We also welcome our good friends at The Firehouse Tribune as coop-sponsors to our podcast. They have been @Dalmatprod followers and supporters of our efforts and we're glad to have them with us. We hope you'll enjoy listening to Episode 2. Find them on Twitter at @FHTribune or visit their website at http://www.thefirehousetribune.com

We're also glad to announce that we have some excellent guests already lined up into the Spring of 2017, including, Chief Dennis Rubin in December, Chief (ret.) Phil Johnston (@firefaqs) in January and hopefully, Grant's partner in When Things Go Bad, Inc., Paul Capo. And there are several more in the wings.

If you would like to be a guest on "5-Alarm Task Force," drop us a Direct Message on Twitter (@Dalmatprod) or send us an email at steve@dalmatianproductions.tv.
And please don't forget - we'd like to hear from you.  Please feel free to leave your comments here on the blog or on out Podomatic page.

We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. May you be together with the ones you love and care about and enjoy what all that is good that life gives us.

Till next time...





 
 And don't forget, pickup a copy of my e-book, "Fish Out of Water: Two Jewish Guys in a Deep South Firehouse," on Amazon Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/NCFirefighting

The Premier Podcast of "5-Alarm Task Force - News & Issues for Today's Firest Responders"

Finally----

We're happy to bring you the premier podcast from Dalmatian Productions, Inc. It has taken us a great deal of time and effort to be able to create a show that we hope brings the type of information, dialogue, news, etc., that you are interested in.

And to that end, we invite you to do one or both of the following:
1. Write to us with a suggestion of a topic you'd like to hear discussed.
2. Let us know that you would like to be a guest on our show and present a topic you feel is important for first responders today.

Through the relationships we have been able to develop on Twitter, we have made strong connections with some of the best leaders and instructors in fire/rescue/EMS. Several of them have already agreed to be guests on our podcasts and we look forward to bringing you their topics.

Today's guest has become a good friend of Dalmatian Productions, even though we have not had the opportunity to meet yet! That's Captain/Paramedic Joe DeVito of the Ft. Myers Beach Fire Control District. here in Southwest Florida. Joe is in his 10th year with this department. Not only is Joe a great teacher, he is an avid learner. He is always trying to learn more so that he may always do a better job/

It's our pleasure to bring you the premier podcast here: http://bit.ly/2c87pds

This podcast is brought you by "Fish Out of Water: 2 Jewish Guys in a Deep South Firehouse," Steve Greene's autobiographical story of how he came to be a firefighter.  you can find Steve's book on Amazon at tinyurl.com/NCFIREFIGHTING and soon to becoming to all e-book retailers!

"5-Alarm Task Force!" - New First-Responders' Podcast Coming!

We have been working diligently over the past couple of months to create another pertinent way to connect with you, our followers from our two Twitter accounts, @DalmatProd and @CauseandOrigin. Our numbers are now above 2,000 Followers and we could not be more appreciative for each and every one of you. To that end, we are proud to announce the launch of our new podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force - News & Issues Facing Today's First Responders."

We have lined up approximately a half dozen guests for a first several podcasts, that include instructors, speakers and innovators in the area of fire-rescue, EMS and Law Enforcement. We hope to cover some of the most headline grabbing issues that we face today, i.e.. stress, fitness, health, retention, recruitment and many more. And we're asking you for your suggestions, as well.

If you have a topic you'd like us to cover or if you yourself would like to be a guest, drop us a line at Dalmatian Productions Email . We will get back in touch with you and see what we can arrange. 

Our first guest will be Capt. Joe DeVito, with Ft. Myers FL Fire-Rescue Services. Joe is a well experienced firefighter and paramedic who encourages all of us to keep learning and sharpening our skills. Joe will address the topic, "Your Department - Your Attitude."

If all goes well, our podcasts will be available both on iTunes and on here on our blog. We will announce on Twitter when the first podcast will be available.

We extend our sincere thanks to all of you who suggested this venue for us and have supported our efforts since we first came to Twitter. We are still working every angle available to us to bring our show, "CAUSE & ORIGIN," to your TV! We have recently enlisted a new agent with excellent experience in the field and along with our partner in L.A., are knocking on every door possible.

Stay Safe!

Coming Attractions...

What's next from Dalmatian Productions? 

For  several months we have been planning to launch a podcast that will feature many of the guests we have met using Twitter (@DalmatProd & @Cause_Origin). Luckily, we already have several who have agreed to participate with us. 

Our show will provide you with the opportunity to hear subject matter that interests you! As we are all aware, we in the fire-rescue service, as well as our "family members" in EMS and Law Enforcement, we're faced with new ideas, situations and reactions almost every day. Thus, the goal of our podcast will be to invite many of the best in the field to chat with us and share their thoughts and concerns.

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know that one of our key concerns is firefighter health and wellness; you can be sure that will be a frequent topic for the show. As will topics such as, recruitment & retention, training, job stress and PTSD, arson, juvenile fire starters, and much more.

We will announce the name of the podcast in the next few days and we are planning to premier the first show in the next two-three weeks.

Until then, please join us on Twitter or drop us a line at info@dalmatianproductions.tv with your comments or ideas for stories that you would like to hear.

Stay Safe 

Steve Greene

p.s. Please don't forget to drop by "Fish Out of Water - 2 Jewish Guys in a Deep South Firehouse"  to pick up a copy of my book. Remember, part of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

We Are Here to Serve You - Which Would YOU Prefer?

10/27/2015 - Good morning gang. Just a quick note. A number of followers on Twitter and Facebook have suggest we create either a weekly podcast or a YouTube channel. The purpose would be simply to discuss (with more than 140 characters + more time) many of the same key issues we all chat about on Twitter. These topics include, LODD's, Fire-Fighter Health Initiative 2015; tactics, strains on ourselves, our families, PTSD, etc.

Either way requires a significant time commitment. I know. Back in 2001-2004, I was invited to join the then, PIO for Boca Raton Fire-Rescue, Frank Correggio, on his live radio show, "Burning Issues," every Sunday evening from 5:00PM - 7:00 PM ET. We had a blast, with listeners around the world and interesting and well-know guest speakers either calling in or sitting with us in our studio. Each show was archived so that listeners could listen to it later if they missed the live broadcast. YES! We were doing this long before the word, "podcast" was even thought.

So, if you would like us to provide some sort of forum on one of these media, please let us know. Just leave a comment here and let us know what you would like and would listen to.
And please. subscribe to this blog. It means a great deal to us.

Stay Safe - Every One Goes Home

Steve Greene
Dalmatian Productions, Inc.