In this episode:
In this episode of the After Action Review Podcast: Kansas City, Fire Chief Ross Grundyson and Battalion Chief Mike Hopkins of the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department share historical context and insight into three tragic incidents—and reflect on how each one shaped their department and influenced the broader fire service.
After Action Review Podcast: Kansas City reaches back through more than 75 years of pivotal moments to explore how the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department (KCMO) has transformed tragedy into progress. Through the lens of significant line-of-duty death (LODD) events, this series highlights how KCMO has consistently taken proactive steps to improve firefighter safety—not just for their department, but for the entire fire service.
From leading efforts to move gasoline storage tanks underground to developing systems for sharing hazardous materials data across agencies, KCMO has laid the groundwork for policies and practices that many departments rely on today. Each episode examines how the department’s response to loss has driven innovation and changed the course of fire service history.
A typical fire service career spans about 25 years. The stories told in this series span three full generations of service. As seasoned personnel retire and new firefighters take their place, these lessons must not be forgotten. After Action Review Podcast: Kansas City honors those who came before by passing on their hard-earned knowledge—ensuring that every generation builds on the legacy of the last.
It kind of woke everybody up to the reality that, hey, this is a dangerous job that we do and it can happen to us. They were good experienced firefighters that just had a wealth of knowledge and experience, and it happened to them. And so, it was very difficult for our department.
Remembering
It's very real... Most departments, you talk about your history. If you've had line-of-duty deaths... you don't take it very seriously. When you hear about an incident from '59, you say, 'Oh, it's tragic. That's horrible,' but 'We're better now. We have better equipment now. It's not going to happen to us.' 'Oh, the explosion in '88, oh, that's not going to happen to us again, because we've got hazmat now. We're better trained and our IMS systems in place.' My advice to them would be is that it's very real.
