Today commemorates the 23rd anniversary of the Southwest Supermarket Fire in Phoenix AZ. While this incident resulted in the death of Firefighter Brett Tarver, 13 total Maydays, and deep scars for many working in the Phoenix Fire Department, it also resulted in transformative changes to the American fire service. Through unparalleled leadership and vision, a 5 year examination of what actually occurred took place. The focus of this examination most importantly uncovered ‘ why’ it occurred. As a result, Fire Chief Alan Brunacini recognized critical changes must be made at all levels of the fireground. A diligent team worked to uncover, refine, and implement significant changes that ultimately led to the Blue Card Incident Command Certification. Today, this certification system is designed to establish a standard, provide training, and give a mechanism to measure performance in the streets for nearly 4,000 fire departments across the world. The lessons learned have not been lost or forgotten and we continue to apply them today.
This episode features Alan Brunacini, Nick Brunacini, Terry Garrison, Chris Stewart and John Vance.
The interview with Alan Brunacini was recorded at the National Fire Academy with Dennis Rubin and Charlie Dickinson.
We want your helmet (for the AVB CTC)! Check this out to find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg5_ZwoCZo0
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This episode was recorded at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona on March 14, 2024.