Episode 2: Ted Corporandy
“You know what I wanted to do when I was in the business? I wanted to survive.”
Ted Corporandy is our guest on Episode 2 of Refined By Fire. A thirty-six year veteran of the fire service, Chief Corporandy spent the majority of his career in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, fighting fire out of some of America’s busiest firehouses. Ted is the the co-founder of the visionary web magazine FireNuggets, the first of its kind for the fire service. Retiring from SFFD in 2006 as a Battalion Chief, Ted remains a highly influential figure in the fire service, both through his own direct contributions and through those who have been influenced by him.
In this talk, we touch on Chief Corporandy’s experiences as a young wildland firefighter, navigating fire service traditions, the Gorter Nozzle, fighting fire in the Tenderloin, the importance of empathy, the value of social media for the 21st Century firefighter, and lots more. Chief Corporandy was extremely gracious to spend the time with us and we’re excited to the share it with you!
Chief Corporandy's article on tradition:
Tradition: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Books mentioned by Chief Corporandy:
Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics
Episode 1: Gary Lane
“And I think sometimes in the fire service, maybe we need reminded that the job is really nasty when you truly go to work.”
Refined by Fire kicks off Episode 1 with the indomitable Gary Lane. Gary is a twenty-year backseat fireman, now doing the job in Northeast Ohio. He is the owner of Rogue Fire, LLC, and an alumnus of the Fire Service Warrior movement. Gary is renowned as a no-BS instructor with an insistence on keeping training as realistic as possible. Gary has presented at many of America’s premiere fire conferences: The Art of Firemanship Days, Andy Fredericks Training Days, Firemanship Conference, and FDIC.
We dive into Gary’s first life as an aspiring skateboarder, how junior members can have an impact on the fireground, working harder not smarter (“We already have enough smart people”), the importance of simplicity, The Book of Five Rings, and much more.
Downloads:
Art of Firemanship Journal, Winter 2017
Art of Firemanship Journal, Summer 2016
Art of Firemanship Journal, Winter 2016
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This podcast features the song “Spray Paint it Gold”, by Little Glass Men available under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
Episode 0: Coming Soon
"Stories are the incarnation of truth."
Welcome to Refined By Fire, a living history of America's fire service. Coming soon from Brothers in Battle Media, hosted by Stephen Tyler.