After The Fire Podcast

On Father's Day, June 17th, 2001, FDNY Firefighters John Downing, Harry Ford, and Brian Fahey,  were mortally wounded in a backdraft explosion at a hardware store in Astoria Queens.  This catastrophe claimed the husband and father from three families and furthermore greatly impacted the firefighting industry, forever altering the lives of many closely connected to FDNY.     In Part III of the 2001 Father's Day Fire, 20 years later, we are joined by the spouses of these fallen firefighters and members of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.  Our goals are to honor and remember Lieutenant Downing, Firefighter Fahey, and Firefighter Ford; to hear the perspectives  of and learn from the experiences of these amazing women ; and to hopefully offer a model of strength and resilience to others along their journey of healing. Joining After The Fire today are Wife of FDNY Lieutenant John Downing, Ann Downing, Wife of FDNY Firefighter Brian Fahey, Mary Fahey, Wife of FDNY Firefighter Harry Ford, Denise Ford,  and from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Executive Director Ron Siarnicki and Director of Fire Service Programs John Tippett.

On Father's Day, June 17th, 2001, a 5-alarm blaze and structural collapse claimed the lives of three FDNY members - Lieutenant John Downing, Firefighter Brian Fahey, and Firefighter Harry Ford, and caused life altering injuries for may others. Unbeknownst to the FDNY firefighters, their families, and the people of New York City at the time, this tragedy began the mourning and rebuilding process that rolled into 9/11, which together changed the landscape of much of the fire service as we know it today. In Part II of the 2001 Father's Day Fire, 20 years later, our goals are to pay honor and remember Lieutenant Downing, Firefighter Fahey, and Firefighter Ford; to realize the lasting impact of their sacrifice on FDNY and the fire industry as a whole; to hear the perspectives of the people directly related to the incident's investigation and FDNY's evolution from this incident, and to glean lessons learned and sage advice from those so deeply impacted by this unfortunate catastrophe. Joining After The Fire Host Jon Nelson and NFFF Director of Fire Programs John Tippett are Chief of the FDNY Fire Academy, Frank Leeb; FDNY Chief of Safety, Michael Meyers; FDNY Chief of Fire Prevention, Joe Jardin; Retired FDNY Deputy Chief and investigative chief of this incident, Jon Malkin; and Retired FDNY Assistant Chief, Stephen Raynis.

On Father's Day, June 17th, 2001 a routine fire call in a hardware store/taxpayer structure of Astoria, Queens, erupted into a 5 alarm fire that claimed the lives of three FDNY members - Lieutenant John Downing, Firefighter Brian Fahey, and Firefighter Harry Ford. Additionally, this incident injured numerous others with nearly a dozen career ending. As heavy as this tragedy was on FDNY firefighters, their families, and the people of New York City at the time, the event was overshadowed 3 months later by 9/11, deeming this fire by many to be The Forgotten Fire of The Forgotten 3. We come together today, 20 years later, to discuss this tragic event in part one of a three part series dedicated to The 2001 Father's Day Fire. Our goals in this episode are to pay honor to the fallen, hear the perspectives of the people that were there and directly related to the incident, and to glean lessons learned from the unintended outcomes of this unfortunate catastrophe. Joining After The Fire host, Jon Nelson, and NFFF Director of Fire Programs, John Tippett, are Retired FDNY Firefighter of Rescue 4 on the day of the incident, John Gaine; Retired FDNY Senior Man of Rescue 4 on the day of the incident, Mike Milner; FDNY Battalion Chief & Captain of Ladder 116 on the day of the incident, Pat Horne; Retired FDNY Lieutenant & NFFF/FDNY Liaison, Joe Minogue; and current FDNY Chief of Safety and former Rescue 4 member, Michael Meyers.

In this episode of After The Fire #REmember, we feature our interview with Retired Chief Todd LeDuc.Chief LeDuc discusses his involvement with the Tampa Summits and the development of the NFFF's 16 Life Safety Initiatives; the Big 3 Occupational Killers for Firefighters: Cancer, Cardiovascular, & Suicide; and the importance of enhanced early detection screenings as part of an annual physical. We are honored to have Chief Todd LeDuc on #REmember!

Chief Billy Goldfeder discusses his history in the fire service, the embryonic beginnings of Firefighterclosecalls.com, The Secret List, his book series Pass It On, and even how new firefighters and new officers can affect change in their departments when met with adverse opinions. Chief Goldfeder is such a great resource and an incredible guy to be around. Such a pleasure to have him on #REmember!

After The Fire Podcast Host Jon Nelson sits down w/ Wendy Norris to discuss topics such as Wendy’s personal journey, the needs of today’s first responders that are injured on the job, and the TX LODD Task Force and its role in conjunction with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

After The Fire - Episode 4: Part II - 1984 Toluene Tank Explosion: Ricky Pearce: Phoenix, AZ

Joining us is over 150 years of firefighting experience: Captain Tom Bates (Ricky’s Captain that day), Captain Chris Pearce (Ricky’s son and current Phoenix FD Captain), Retired Phoenix AC Ron Jamison, Surprise, AZ Fire Chief, Tom Abbott, and NFFF’s own, Chief John Tippett. Probably our most intimate perspective of an incident to date. Not to be missed!

The discussion continues from Brockton, MA with Author/Historian Nicole Casper, Retired Brockton FD Captain Joseph Lacouture, and Retired Brockton FD Fire Chief Kenneth Galligan about Captain Lacouture’s 1977 near miss in a 2 1/2 story residential, lessons learned, and Chief Galligan’s class on 2 1/2 story wood frame construction.

Host Jon Nelson interviews National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Ian Bennett about how firefighters and heads of fire departments should proactively prepare for a line of duty death. Ian outlines the many programs and benefits offered by NFFF and beyond. Download free LODD preparation templates from afterthefirepodcast.com.

In this episode, Chief John Tippett of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Author & Historian Nicole Casper, Retired Brockton FD Captain Joseph Lacouture, and Retired Brockton FD Fire Chief Kenneth Galligan discuss Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives, the 1941 Strand Theatre Fire 13 line of duty deaths, and lessons learned.