Another Opportunity to Learn from Chief Brunacini

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we lost one of the greatest leaders and teachers of the fire service, Chief Alan Brunacini. If you have been a firefighter for a couple of years or longer, you know to whom I refer. Past Chief of the Phoenix AZ Fire Department, “Chief Bruno,” as he was affectionately referred to, was a firefighter’s firefighter. He rose up through the ranks in Phoenix and at the same time, not only took the American fire service along for the ride, by sharing what he had learned, but became the officer and chief that many of us hoped to be, as well.

I thought it a good idea to re-post the podcast I was quite lucky to have at the very beginning of “5-Alarm Task Force,” thanks to Chief Dennis Rubin. In this episode, Chief Bruno and Chief Rubin discuss the then-recently held Wingspread VI Conference. In 1966 the Johnson Foundation (of Johnson Wax) invited representatives from first responder agencies to their facility in Wisconsin, to discuss the then state of affairs in public safety and what did these representatives see in the future. That meeting was Wingspread I and it was agreed they would return in ten years’ time, to review and again, look ahead. This podcast results from Wingspread VI,50 years later.

My sincere appreciation to Chief Dennis Rubin for making the arrangements to have Chief Brunacini join us in this early episode. Nonetheless, there is still a great deal we can learn from it.