Lessons in Truck Company Operations and Leadership
Fire Engineering Podcast Network

Lessons in Truck Company Operations and Leadership

B1IntermediateSeptember 25, 20261 hr 8 min

From playing basketball in Chicago firehouse bays to spending 26 years climbing the ranks in Birmingham, OJ Kolodziej built his career on discipline, technical execution, and self-investment. Starting out, the now-retired captain from the Birmingham (AL) Fire Department spent a year and a half floating between stations before securing a spot on heavy rescue and truck companies—a role that required both physical toughness and deep mental agility. Through years of forced entry, search operations, and technical rescues, Kolodziej learned that true truck work isn't just about swinging tools; it's about reading the building, understanding the exact purpose behind every tac...

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0:00

Hey, everybody, it's Eric Dreyman back for the September installment of the Hooks and Hoses podcast. Pretty happy this month to have OJ, hello, Jay. It's my guest this month.

0:19

OJ, welcome to the show. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah, it's hard to believe we're already approaching fall.

0:25

School's back in session. I've got kids in college. got a daughter in college so it's hard to believe it's that time of year again but the year just keeps clipping along. It does. Yeah it sure does.

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