# The USFA Podcast

Join the U.S. Fire Administration and our nation's fire and emergency medical services experts as we learn to reduce fire and life safety risks to our communities and emergency responders.

- Reproductive Rights in the Fire Department Planning for pregnancy in a fire department should start long before you have a pregnant firefighter. Learn how the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act and Pump Act impact firefighter rights.
- EMS at USFA In 2022, there were 32 million incidents. At a minimum, 65% of them are emergency medical service-related responses.
- A conversation with the U.S. Fire Administrator On this episode, we speak with Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell to recap 2023 accomplishments and discuss USFA priorities for 2024.
- You Belong: Improving leadership and mental health in the fire house Battalion Chief Dena Ali discusses how leadership sets the tone for mental health and resilience in the fire house.
- Understanding the Importance of Cultural Burning On this episode of the USFA Podcast, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell interviews Margo Robbins, executive director of the Cultural Fire Management Council. Ms Robbins explains how the Yurok Tribe uses cultural burning to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
- Join the National Firefighter Registry On this episode of the USFA Podcast, Dr. Kenneth Fent explains the National Firefighter Registry and how registering can help us understand and reduce cancer in firefighters. Together, we can have a lasting impact on the fire service.
- Learn how Austin FD is teaching the community about wildfire preparedness Austin FD reminds residents they live in a fire-adapted ecosystem, so they must be prepared for wildfire.
- Incident Command System (ICS) is an essential component of all-hazard incident response On this episode of The USFA Podcast, Chief David Downey talks about ICS and how it has been foundational for every type of incident or event in Miami-Dade.
- Adapting to Extreme Heat to be #SummerReady On this special episode of The USFA Podcast, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell interviews Chief Mary Cameli and Assistant Chief James Johnson from Mesa Fire and Medical Department and Assistant Chief Tim Kreis from Phoenix Fire Department to about how they are adapting to the extreme heat in the U.S.
- Local Government 2030 - fire service actions for the future On this episode of the USFA Podcast, learn about Local Government 2030, how their grand challenges mirror the Fire Service National Strategy and how you can get involved.
- How the FDNY is fighting the lithium-ion battery battle On this episode of The USFA Podcast, FDNY Chief John Hodgens talks about New York City's approach to mitigating residential building fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in micromobility devices.
- A conversation with U.S. Fire Administrators On this episode of The USFA Podcast, Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell interviews former administrator Keith Bryant about his time in office and his priorities as the Oklahoma state fire marshal.
- Combating violence against first responders: a systems approach On this episode of The USFA Podcast, the FIRST Center's Dr. Jennifer Taylor discusses use of the SAVER checklist and model policy to mitigate occupational violence against EMS responders.
- The effects of long COVID on the fire service On this episode of The USFA Podcast, Dr. Denise Smith discusses long COVID, a range of new, returning or ongoing health problems that people experience for several weeks following the initial infection from the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus.
- Helping doctors understand unique firefighter health risk On this episode, Dr. Sara Jahnke and Todd LeDuc discuss how to get firefighter occupational health risk information into the hands of medical providers using the Provider's Guide to Firefighter Medical Evaluations.
- A look back at 2022 On this episode, we speak with Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell to recap 2022 accomplishments and discuss USFA priorities for 2023.
- Fire service behavioral health On this episode, we talk with Dr. Sara Jahnke, director and senior scientist with the Center for Fire, Rescue and EMS Health Research at the National Development and Research Institutes USA, about firefighter behavioral health.
- FEMA fire grants On this episode, we talk with USFA fire program specialist Abby Bordeaux about 3 federal grants that help keep firefighters and communities safer. We also speak with a grant recipient about the grant process and how receiving the funding helped their community.
- Fire service diversity, equity and inclusion On this episode, we talk with Dr. Jennifer Taylor about diversity, equity and inclusion within the fire service, and more specifically, how to start the conversations within our organizations.
- The Executive Fire Officer Program On this episode, we talk with National Fire Academy branch chief Christine Spangler about changes to the Executive Fire Officer Program, remaining challenges and the program's exciting future.
- The Fire Safety Research Institute On this episode of The USFA Podcast, we talk with Steve Kerber about ongoing research benefiting the fire service and the public at the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI).
- Supporting the fire service through research On this episode of The USFA Podcast, we talk with Bill Troup about how U.S. Fire Administration research programs are supporting firefighter health and safety and fire mitigation.
- COVID-19's continuing fire service challenges On this episode of The USFA Podcast, we talk with Dr. James Augustine about some of the COVID-19 challenges that the fire and EMS continue to deal with.
- Wildland Urban Interface On this episode of The USFA Podcast, staff from the U.S. Fire Administration discuss the wildland urban interface (WUI) and how USFA partnerships help structural firefighters prepare for wildland fires.
- A Conversation with the NFA Superintendent This episode of The USFA Podcast features Superintendent Eriks Gabliks discussing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and getting National Fire Academy (NFA) training closer to fire/EMS stakeholders. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell also provides an update on new initiatives at the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).
- Community Risk Reduction This episode of The USFA Podcast features a discussion with the National Fire Academy's Mike Weller on community risk reduction. We also check in with the USFA's Mike Pritchard on the Fire Is Everyone's Fight initiative.
- Using NFIRS to fight fire with facts This episode of The USFA Podcast features Marion Long discussing the value of the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) to the fire service. Join us as we discuss 1 of USFA's 4 stars, data collection.
- Interviews with USFA leadership On the first episode of The USFA Podcast, U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell and Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Tonya Hoover discuss agency programs and their vision for the future.