The Professional Volunteer Fire Department

Host Tom Merrill explores issues and challenges faced by the volunteer firefighter today. Being a professional firefighter has nothing to do with earning a paycheck but has everything to do with attitude, appearance, commitment and dedication.

In this show, Tom reviews FDIC International 2019 and the recent VCOS conference he attended. He will pass on some of the great lessons he picked up from classes he attended while at the conferences. In addition, he will also talk very candidly about the keynote address delivered at VCOS by Ali Rothrock, a passionate and driven firefighter who endured bullying, hazing, and even assault inside her firehouses but has endured and become a speaker, educator, author, and advocate for mental health awareness in our fire service. She has also turned this very disturbing experience into a positive action by working to help fire departments identify and change toxic cultures within their organization. 

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