You asked for more, and we listened!

Earlier this year, we explored the challenges of getting water to the fireground. Based on listener feedback, we're revisiting the topic with additional experience, practical lessons, and a deeper look at how fire departments can make their water supply systems work when the demands of an incident exceed what's immediately available.

In this BONUS EPISODE of The Carolina Fire Watch, we're joined by three fire service leaders:

OUR GUESTS

🚒 Chief Wes WilliamsBunyan Volunteer Fire Department

🚒 Chief Scott DailConetoe Volunteer Fire Department

🚒 Chris NewkirkBeaufort County Emergency Services Director

WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING

From rural communities without hydrants to municipal water systems where available pressure and volume may not meet fireground demands, water supply planning requires departments to understand their systems, recognize their limitations, and explore every available option.

We'll revisit lessons from the QVC distribution center fire in Rocky Mount and discuss:

• Rural water supply and tanker/tender shuttle operations.

• Municipal hydrant systems and available water capacity.

• Combining hydrants, tankers, drafting sites, and other water sources.

• Identifying target hazards and evaluating water supply needs.

• Preplanning, training, and testing your district's capabilities.

• Regional coordination, mutual aid, and sustainable water delivery.

• Lessons departments can take back and put into practice.

The question isn't simply whether you have water. It's whether you can deliver enough water, where it's needed, for as long as it's needed.

📻 THIS MONTH IN NC FIRE SERVICE HISTORY

We also take our regular look back at North Carolina's fire service history, featuring Mike Legeros and Legeros Fire Line.

🚨 WATCH. LISTEN. SHARE.

📺 Watch the full video episode here on YouTube!

🎧 Listen to The Carolina Fire Watch on your favorite podcast platform.

Whether you're a fire chief, water supply officer, training officer, or firefighter, this is a conversation worth sharing with your department.

Take these lessons back to your firehouse. Talk about your water supply. Test your plans. Know your resources before the next big call.

ABOUT THE CAROLINA FIRE WATCH

The Carolina Fire Watch is a North Carolina fire service podcast hosted by Brian Kelly and produced in partnership with the North Carolina State Firefighters' Association (NCSFA).

We cover North Carolina fire service news, training, leadership, lessons learned, history, industry updates, and the people making a difference in our fire service.

🌐 Follow The Carolina Fire Watch:https://linktree.com/thecarolinafirewatch

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheCarolinaFireWatch🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@TheCarolinaFireWatch

Subscribe, share, and help us keep North Carolina's fire service connected!

#CarolinaFireWatch #NCSFA #WaterSupply #FirefighterTraining #NCFireService

What happens when an emergency becomes bigger than the fire department?

In this episode of The Carolina Fire Watch, Hurricane Helene becomes the starting point for a much bigger conversation about emergency management and the fire service.

Brian Kelly is joined by Chief Scott Rogers, Executive Director of the North Carolina Emergency Management Association and retired Nash County Emergency Services Chief, and Chief Anthony Penland of the Swannanoa Fire Department.

Together, they discuss what Hurricane Helene taught the fire service about preparedness, communications, evacuation, mutual aid, resource coordination, training, recovery and responder wellness.

Scott brings the emergency management perspective, including the importance of relationships between agencies, pre-positioning resources, redundant communications, mutual aid systems, community preparedness and emergency management training for fire officers.

Anthony brings the perspective of a fire chief who experienced Helene firsthand in Swannanoa, one of the communities hit hardest by the storm. We talk about the realities of operating when communications fail, resources are stretched, communities need to evacuate and the emergency doesn't end when the initial response is over.

But this isn't simply a conversation about what happened during Helene.

It's about what we learned — and what we can do before the next major disaster.

🔥 Also in this episode:

• This Month in North Carolina Fire Service History — a look back at fires at the North Carolina State Fair, with historical insight from Mike Legeros

• Carolina Fire Spotlight

• Emergency management and fire service coordination

• Communications and preparedness

• Mutual aid and resource management

• Evacuation and community preparedness

• Training for fire officers

• Long-term disaster recovery

• Responder wellness

• The Bucket Brigade

The Carolina Fire Watch is produced in partnership with the North Carolina State Firefighters' Association (NCSFA).

🎧 Listen, watch and follow The Carolina Fire Watch wherever you get your podcasts.

#CarolinaFireWatch #NCSFA #FireService #EmergencyManagement #HurricaneHelene

When a large fire starts creating problem after problem, who owns the problem?

And how does an Incident Commander keep the incident manageable when the size, complexity, and number of problems continue to grow?

In this September episode of The Carolina Fire Watch, Brian Kelly sits down with A.C. Rich, retired Battalion Chief with the Raleigh Fire Department, to discuss command lessons from the March 16, 2017 Metropolitan fire in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A.C. was the initial Incident Commander as the incident quickly grew into a large, complex operation involving multiple alarms, exposure protection, mutual aid, resource management, communications, accountability, and the protection of surrounding structures.

But this conversation isn't simply about what happened at the Metropolitan.

It's about a command philosophy that can be applied to incidents of any size:

🔥 Who owns the problem?

The Incident Commander doesn't have to personally solve every problem. Instead, the command system needs to make sure each problem has an owner, the benchmark is understood, and the right resources are assigned to manage it.

Brian and A.C. talk about:

• Managing a large fire when the problems start multiplying• Establishing and managing benchmarks• Assigning ownership and delegating responsibility• Keeping complex incidents simple• Scaling incident command as the incident grows• Area, branch, and regional command• Resource management and staging• Mutual aid and protecting the rest of the city• Water supply and avoiding assumptions about operational problems• Communications and accountability• Preventing freelancing on a large incident• Exposure protection• EMS and rehab• Unexpected hazards during a major incident• The role of the EOC and 911 center• Transfer of command• Lessons that apply to career, volunteer, and combination departments

We're also joined by Mike Legeros of Legeros Fire Line for our monthly look at North Carolina fire service history.

Mike's takes a look this month at the history of the Winston Salem Public Safety unit.

A special thank-you to Mike Legeros and Legeros Fire Line for helping us keep these stories alive.

Each month, we recognize North Carolina fire departments reaching significant milestone anniversaries.

This month, we're celebrating departments across the state marking 75-, 70-, 65-, 55-, and 45-year milestones.

Congratulations to all of the departments celebrating another year of service to their communities!

We wrap up the episode with news, deadlines, upcoming meetings, training opportunities, and other items important to the North Carolina fire service.

And, of course, we finish the show with the Bucket Brigade—our chance to ask the guest a few questions that have absolutely nothing to do with fire service operations.

The Carolina Fire Watch is a North Carolina fire service podcast focused on the people, issues, history, leadership, training, operations, and stories that matter to firefighters across the Old North State.

The show is produced in partnership with the North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association.

🎙️ Host: Brian Kelly🔥 Podcast: The Carolina Fire Watch🤝 Produced in partnership with: North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association

Who owns the problem?

Maybe the better question is:

Does Command really need to own every problem?

That's the lesson we're exploring this month on The Carolina Fire Watch.

#CarolinaFireWatch #NCSFA #FireService #IncidentCommand #NorthCarolinaFire

📚 THIS MONTH IN NORTH CAROLINA FIRE SERVICE HISTORY🚒 CAROLINA FIRE SPOTLIGHT📰 CAROLINA FIRE WIRE🎲 BUCKET BRIGADEABOUT THE CAROLINA FIRE WATCH