The Fireground Fitness Podcast, Rayne Gray · Rayne Gray

Ep 94 Buzz in the Vortex

·1 hr 26 min·5 clips

Buzz says wrestling taught him that "your capacity is still there" when your brain says it is not.

The host opens the conversation with Buzz Lachowski at the CEOP conference, the Chief Executive Officer Program. Buzz is a division chief in Sedona, Arizona. They keep the tone easy at first and spend the episode talking through what it means to work in a tourist destination. Sedona's scenery is part of the appeal. It is also part of the job. Buzz talks about how that setting can make the work feel special. He also points out that it can still become just another job if you stop noticing where you are. A third of his life, he jokes, has been spent in his part-time residence, which is the fire stations in Sedona. That line gives the conversation its shape. The stations sound like a second home. The host keeps asking about the parts of the career that would not make a headline. Buzz goes there. He talks about helping with testing. He talks about building orientation systems. He explains how their department asks people to arrive ready and then pushes them up to speed quickly. That makes the challenge sharp. It also keeps the work practical. The episode moves from the scenic setting into the nuts and bolts of department culture. Buzz describes the autonomy that smaller organizations can give to firefighters and captains. He notes that budgets and large projects can land much closer to the line than people might expect. The result is a long, unforced talk that gets to leadership, mentorship, and service without forcing it.

As heard by us

Sedona fire service talk that pairs the tourist setting with the day-to-day realities of a small department.

The piece follows a Sedona division chief through what fire service looks like in a place people come to visit, and that contrast gives it its shape. It spends less time trying to teach a lesson than letting the work, the station rhythm, and the tourist backdrop sit together.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when you want a station-table talk with a Sedona division chief about working a scenic fireground.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Fireground Fitness Podcast, Rayne Gray