The Weekly Scrap, Firefighter Podcast

Joined on this episode by the one and only Steve Prziborowski, retired Deputy Chief with the Santa Clara County Fire Department who continues to shape the fire service as an instructor with Chabot College and the National Fire Academy. A respected mentor to many, Steve spends much of his time coaching and developing firefighters and officers at all ranks. Steve has spoken across the country, authored multiple career development books, and has become a recognized voice in the fire service on ...

Joined this week by Mr. Fully Involved himself, the one and only Mark vonAppen. It promises to be an awesome conversation as one of my most influential mentors comes back on the Scrap! We discuss how decisions made at the mid-level shape culture, trust, and long-term performance within organizations. How he likes to emphasizes accountability without ego, discipline without arrogance, and the idea that credibility is built through consistent action, not position. We planned t...

Joined this week by the one and only Phil Jose. The first time Phil came on the show, I was out of the country and had Rob Fisher step in as guest host. I enjoyed listening to that Scrap so much and knew I had to bring Phil back for another round. We talk a lot about tactical decision games, and the lessons he has learned after building and running them for years. The pitfalls to avoid and the best ways to go about setting up your own. Of course, as always the direction of the discussio...

Joined this week by Groovy himself, Chad Gruver and if you know Chad you know this was an interesting and wild conversation. We discuss Engine work, and how he builds and maintains the culture he desires. We discuss charities and how a bunch of bad ass seals and bad ass firefighters have done a lot of badass things to make a difference in a lot of lives. Of course, Chad has had his own “Oh shit! Life slapping you in the face!” type of event… and he dives into the details of his fa...

Second half of the kickoff 2026 double header!!!! Joined on this episode by the one and only James Nisbet, and it promises to be a doozy! We plan to discuss getting beyond the pre-connect. The purpose of the first line. Supporting search as the engine. The purpose of system based actions as the engine company (don’t know what this means but it’s provocative) Of course all of our plans as is always the case, will be derailed by the wonderful questions from the audience as we dive down ra...