Leadership Under Fire

This is the second and final installment of the Leadership Under Fire Fireside Chat Series featuring FDNY Captain Kevin Bourke (Ret) and Lieutenant Michael Scotto (Ret). In August of 2022, LUF Senior Man Jim McNamara hosted a conversation with both leaders who spent several decades serving and leading in the FDNY. This conversation affords seasoned leaders the opportunity to candidly reflect on leadership lessons and human performance principles resulting from the many wins and losses they’ve experienced. If you haven’t listened to Part I, we strongly suggest you go back and listen to it as this conversation picks up from where we left off. 

This episode marks a proud milestone for our team. It’s our 100th episode! We deeply appreciate our incredible guests who have trusted us to tell their stories and showcase their lifelong work, to include our guest in this episode, Dr. Jonathan Fader. Dr. Fader was featured in episode two of this podcast, but was in fact our first recorded interview for this show. So, we thought it would be fitting to bring him back for the 100th episode. In our last conversation, we explored mental skills, risk aversion, and process over outcomes. In this conversation, we're building on those themes and also unpacking some of the things that Dr. Fader has learned about performance in the past four years, particularly working with the Leadership Under Fire team.

This episode is part one of two. What you'll hear is a recording of a live event. The “Fireside Chat” is a staple of Leadership Under Fire leadership development and human performance resident programs. The conversation affords seasoned leaders the opportunity to candidly reflect on leadership lessons and human performance principles resulting from the many wins and losses they’ve experienced. In August of 2022, LUF Senior Man Jim McNamara hosted a conversation with retired FDNY Captain Kevin Bourke and retired FDNY Lieutenant Michael Scotto. Both leaders spent several decades serving and leading in the FDNY. As you'll hear in this episode, the Department--and City--look very different today compared to when they joined the FDNY. 

This episode features the recording of a discussion that was held at the 2018 Leadership Under Fire National Conference in Evanston, Illinois. The team was grateful to all of the leaders who contributed to the event and the types of individuals who spent two days rigorously contemplating the moral, mental and physical aspects of mission-oriented leadership and optimal human performance. Of course, that includes our guest in this episode, retired Colonel Ronald Catton.    Catton was a graduate and instructor of the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School. He was the first of only two students to ever complete the course with a 100 percent score in all academic subjects. Catton also flew with legendary Colonel John Boyd, then the chief of academics at the Weapons School. He served in the Vietnam War, flying hundreds of missions and later flew hundreds of airshows, including those with the Thunderbirds.

In this episode, you'll hear the recording of a presentation that was delivered at a 2018 Leadership Under Fire National Conference in Evanston, Illinois. The team was humbled by the caliber of leaders who contributed to the event and the types of leaders who rigorously contemplated the moral, mental and physical aspects of mission-oriented leadership and optimal human performance. To include our guest in this episode, retired Chicago Fire Commissioner Bob Hoff.  A third-generation firefighter, Bob Hoff started his career as a Cadet with the Evergreen Park Illinois Fire Department in 1972. In 1976, he was hired as an EMT with the Chicago Fire Department and in 1977 he entered the Chicago Fire Academy as a Firefighter/EMT. Hoff served in some of Chicago’s busiest fire companies throughout his career. He worked in the Bureau of Operations as a Firefighter /EMT, Lieutenant, Captain, and Battalion Chief. He also served as the Director of Training for the Chicago FD and the 1st District Chief in Chicago’s downtown high-rise district. He later served as the Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Operations, 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner and Fire Commissioner. He retired from the CFD in 2012 after nearly 36 years of service. Chief Hoff then went on to serve as the Deputy Chief and Chief of the Carol Stream Illinois Fire District until his retirement on January 1, 2020. Hoff’s brother, Raymond, was a 32-year veteran of the Chicago FD. His grandfather, Joseph Hoff, retired as a captain in 1936. And his father, Thomas Hoff, was a battalion chief who was killed while fighting a blaze in a South Side apartment building in 1962. His son, Andy Hoff, is an active member of FFPM with the Downers Grove Illinois Fire Department. Uncles, cousins, nephews and brothers-in-laws are all current and retired members of the Fire Service. Notably, his family’s service and sacrifice inspired the movie, “Backdraft."

On September 11, 2001, Deputy Chief Raymond Downey was the commanding officer of FDNY Special Operations Command. Tragically, he was one of the 343 members of the FDNY who made the Supreme Sacrifice on 9/11 while trying to save innocent victims. Chief Raymond Downey was one of the Department’s most decorated fire officers and a true department icon with 39 years of dedicated service. He was also one of the nation's leading experts on rescue operations at collapsed buildings. In episode one of this series, we explored the life and legacy of Chief Downey as a family man and legendary firefighter and officer who led by example and upheld the highest standards. In this second and final episode in the series, we’ll take a closer look at his role as a strategic visionary who advanced rescue training and operations in the FDNY and beyond, his deep commitment to his Catholic faith, his incredible response to the attacks on 9/11 and his enduring legacy, all compliments of his wife of 41 years, his children and former firefighters who worked with him and were inspired by his actions and leadership.

Our guest in this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Humanizing the Narrative Podcast is Dr. Charles "Andy" Morgan. Dr. Morgan's neurobiological and forensic research has established him as an international expert in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in eyewitness memory and in human performance under conditions of high stress. Dr. Morgan has generously contributed to the Leadership Under Fire endeavor and the FDNY's Mental Performance Initiative--enhancing the resilience of first responders through cutting-edge understanding and programs. Jim McNamara hosts. 

In this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Humanizing the Narrative Podcast, and the one to follow, we're honored to share the story of Deputy Chief Ray Downey’s devotion to his family, his faith and his beloved FDNY compliments of the insight of his wife of 41 years, his sons and his former firefighters who were inspired and influenced by his leadership, service, and courage. Chief Downey’s extraordinary 39-year career with the FDNY was built upon success after success and rescue after rescue. While he was held in high regard by members of the Department and emergency response agencies worldwide, he led a humble life, extremely devoted to the mission and members of the Department. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Chief Downey was the commanding officer of FDNY Special Operations Command, placing him in harm’s way while helping others escape from the fire and collapse scene of the World Trade Center. Chief Downey was one of the 343 members of the FDNY who made the Supreme Sacrifice on 9/11 and left behind a legacy that continues to profoundly shape the Department’s special operations capability set as well as other fire departments across the country. Chief Downey’s leadership, strategic vision and his devout Catholic faith, love for his family, the FDNY and competitive sport continue to inspire fire officers, military leaders, coaches, and citizens today.

In this episode, we’re revisiting a conversation with Tim Clarke that was recorded in 2019. Tim is a Brooklyn native who has lived most of his life in New York City. After several years of competing with some of the best endurance athletes in the world as a Professional Triathlete, Tim became an FDNY firefighter in June of 2015. In 2020, he made a life-altering decision to join the United States military. As both an athlete and a coach, Tim gained extensive experience using biometric heart rate data as a tool for training and racing. His experience has given him a unique insight into what happens inside the human body at real world fires and emergencies as well as during workouts and recovery. Tim is a graduate of the University of Delaware and serves as a Human Performance Data Analyst for Leadership Under Fire. Please enjoy a brief update from Tim about his latest endeavors followed by our original conversation, which is as timely as ever. 

The original broadcast date for this episode was November 7, 2019. Charles “Sid” Heal was much more than a subject matter expert on doctrine – he was a US Marine Chief Warrant Officer 5, a combat veteran of four conflicts to include Vietnam and Operation Iraqi Freedom, a veteran LA County Sheriff and pioneer in the fields of special tactics and tactical science, a dynamic speaker, and a published author, and a carpenter. Sid was gregarious, kind, and a true gentleman. He possessed an unrivaled amount of physical energy and a contagious spirit of intellectual curiosity that naturally complimented his inordinate operational experience. Our team was extremely saddened to learn of Sid’s sudden passing on May 24, 2022. His departure came as a shock to his family and all of those who loved him, as well as all of those of us who benefited from his wisdom – wisdom that was undoubtedly an anchor in disorienting, complex and lethal environments. Sid would commonly say, “the principles of optimal human performance are universal – it is the application that is contextual.” Our team was honored and blessed to have Sid shape our approach to preparing leaders and operators to perform optimally, under pressure. We are forever grateful for Sid’s tutelage and his ability to “humanize the narrative.”