Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast

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Sep 2026

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About the show

This podcast features fire chiefs and influencers talking about the latest trends and issues impacting today’s evolving fire service.

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September 25, 202621 min

Tactics for Livestock Rescues

In this episode, host Tom DeSorcy speaks with Wendy McIsaac about the critical need for specialized training in large animal rescue. Wendy shares her personal journey—from experiencing a tragic horse trailer accident to founding Wellington County Livestock Emergency Response—and outlines how first responders can build technical skills, understand animal behaviour, and integrate veterinarians into incident command to ensure successful outcomes. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991.

September 4, 202623 min

New layer of response: Lithium-ion

Kelowna Fire Department assistant training officer Bryan Nykilchuk joins host Tom DeSorcy to discuss the emerging risks electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries pose to the fire service. A career firefighter since 2005, Nykilchuk began researching EV and battery hazards after learning about a 2025 incident in Sacramento, Calif., where four firefighters were exposed to a Tesla undergoing thermal runaway despite being several hundred feet away. He has since developed an EV and lithium-ion battery awareness program for Kelowna firefighters that covers key hazards, response considerations and the strategies and tactics crews can use when responding to battery-involved incidents. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991.

August 7, 202622 min

Understanding the chief-HR relationship

Human Resources manager Constance MacDonald joins host Tom DeSorcy to discuss her role working within and supporting fire departments, while also discussing how every people issue is an HR issue.

July 3, 202624 min

Managing a two-year gas well crisis

Chatham-Kent Fire Chief Chris Case joins host Tom DeSorcy to discuss his unconventional rise up the ranks of the fire service through the United Kingdom and now Canada, and his experience dealing with an abandoned gas well incident in 2021 that forced residents out of their homes and mandated his department be on scene for over two years. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991. Fire Chief Chris Case began his career with Merseyside Fire Brigade in Liverpool, UK, in 1991, going on to lead the UK's only joint Police/Fire/Counter Terrorism team and serve in Special Operations across Europe and the US before becoming District Chief in 2010. He joined Chatham-Kent Fire in 2016, rose to Fire Chief in 2020, became a Canadian citizen in 2023, and continues, with 35 years of service under his belt, to champion Community Safety for the citizens and firefighters of his home, Chatham-Kent.

June 5, 202623 min

The cost and ROI of firefighter mental health

Fire Chief Dallas D'Aoust is a strong advocate for mental health, leading an initiative that secured dedicated mental health funding for his previous department in Yorkton, Sask. In this month’s podcast he discusses the cost of mental health and what that means for today’s firefighters. D’Aoust has spent over 20 years in the fire service after beginning his career in Edmonton. Note: Since recording, D’Aoust has moved into a new role as fire chief for Cochrane, Alta.

May 1, 202619 min

Talking recruitment with the Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year

Tom DeSorcy sits down for a discussion with CAFC Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Wayne Power, who has served as the fire chief of the Placentia Fire Department in Newfoundland since 1979. The two discuss how Power began his career as a volunteer firefighter, how his department’s recruitment and staffing strategies are shifting, his fire hall’s close ties to the Placentia municipal government, and why he’s still chief at 72 years old. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991.

April 10, 202628 min

Does daylight savings time matter?

Mike Harnett, president of Solaris Fatigue Management, and Steve Farina, a well-known advocate in first responder mental health who served 32 years in B.C.’s fire service, join Tom DeSorcy to discuss B.C.’s decision to permanently shift their clocks forward and the effects that sleep and fatigue have on a firefighters’ physical and mental health. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991.

March 6, 202624 min

Behind the scenes at BC Wildfire Service

Brian Hutchinson, superintendent of provincial operations at BC Wildfire Service, joins Tom DeSorcy to discuss his experience in various structural firefighting roles, how the second worst wildfire season affected B.C., how BC Wildfire deployed resources out of province to aid others in 2025, what he thinks is in store for 2026, and more. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurers of firefighters since 1991.

February 6, 202624 min

Looking back at the Jasper wildfires

Tune in to hear fire Chief Mathew Conte’s harrowing experience fighting the devastating Jasper wildfires of 2024. Conte also touches on how the municipality has pushed past this challenging time, how wildfire fighting is ingrained into his department, and his own start in the fire service. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991.

January 2, 202619 min

Cutting cancer risk

Fire Chief Jason Cairney takes you inside Surrey Fire Services’ award-winning cancer prevention efforts. The three-part health initiative involves specialized education, cardiac stress testing, and advanced blood and urine screenings to identify risks early. Chief Cairney emphasizes the shift toward clean cab designs and on-scene decon. A critical component of the program’s success is the partnership with the local union, which ensures member privacy and encourages high participation rates. Tune in for details!