>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SAINT JOHNS COUNTY FIRE RESCUE HAS A NEW FIRE CHIEF CHIEF SCOTT
BOEHLERT. BULLARD HAS SERVED
IN THE DEPARTMENT FOR OVER 21
YEARS WORKING AS A FIREFIGHTER
ENGINEER CAPTAIN AND A
BATTALION CHIEF. NOW, HE’S
ALSO PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN
SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS
INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE
FIREFIGHTER DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM. WE WOULD LIKE TO
WELCOME RESCUE CHIEF SCOTT
BULLARD WHO JOINS US HERE IN
STUDIO. APPRECIATE YOU BEING
HERE. THANK YOU. THANK HAPPY
TO BE HERE AND THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
AS WELL. SO TALK TO US FIRST
OFF ABOUT A LOT OF THESE
TRAINING PROGRAMS THAT YOU’RE
IN CHARGE OF. I MEAN,
EVERYTHING WE DO OUT IN THE
FIELD ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASES ON
MERGE BECAUSE WE’RE ON
FOUNDATION OF THAT IS THE
TRAINING.
>> YOU IN TIMES OF STRESS AND
PRESSURE, YOU REVERT BACK TO
YOUR LEVEL OF TRAINING. THAT’S
WHY WE PUT SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON
IT. SO WHEN WE’RE NOT OUT
RUNNING LARGELY GOALS OR YOU
WOULD EVER THAT WE FOCUS ON
THE TRAINING.
>> I’D LIKE TO TURN TO A
SERIOUS ISSUE. IF I MAY. WE
KNOW THAT THIS PAST OCTOBER,
BELIEVE THOSE $500,000 IN
FUNDING WAS APPROVED TO
ADDRESS WHAT SOME SAID WERE
SOME SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT
SALUTE. LEE, CAN YOU TALK TO
US HOW THAT FUNDING HOW THAT’S
GOING? ARE YOU SEEING THE
POSITIVE RESULTS IN THE
IMPORTANCE? WE’RE SEEING A LOT
OF POSITIVE THERE’S BEEN A
LOT.
>> PEOPLE ARE USING THE THE
PROGRAMS THAT WE’VE SET UP.
YOU KNOW, BASED ON THAT
FUNDING, THE COUNSELING
PROGRAMS WE HAVE IN PLACE. WE
HAVE A CHAPLAIN SPEAKING MORE
FREELY ABOUT THIS KIND OF
STUFF NOW PUT IN HUGE EMPHASIS
ON MENTAL HEALTH AND TRYING TO
GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE THAT
IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OK AND WE
AS FIREFIGHTERS. THIS IS
INDUSTRY YOU UNIQUE AND AND
MOST CASES WE ARE OUR BEST
ADVOCATES. EACH OTHER. SO IF
WE CAN START BY REACHING OUT
TO EACH OTHER, SOMEBODY WHO
KNOWS WHAT WE’RE GOING
THROUGH, THEN WE CAN GET
POINTED IN THE DIRECTION OF
THE RESOURCES THAT WE’VE BEEN
YOU KNOW, WE’RE VERY FORTUNATE
TO HAVE ACCESS TO THESE FUNDS
TO FROM THESE PROGRAMS.
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S ALSO ABOUT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT. IS THERE
ANYTHING THAT YOU’D SAY THE
COMMUNITY CAN DO TO HELP YOUR
DEPARTMENT AND ITS FIRST
RESPONDERS? WE JUST
>> UNDERSTANDING OF, YOU KNOW,
SOME OF THE STUFF THAT YOU.
THEY DO, OBVIOUSLY THEY DON’T
HAVE TO KNOW WHAT WE YOU KNOW,
THE DETAILS, WHAT WE GO
THROUGH. IT ALL HAVE
UNDERSTAND THAT OUR JOB IS
DIFFICULT AND, YOU KNOW, EVERY
CALL WE GO TO IS SOMEBODY IS
WORST DAY. YOU KNOW, SEEING
THAT. BUILD UP OVER TIME, YOU
CAN TAKE A TOLL ON YOU AND YOU
KNOW, WE HAVE TO BE AGAIN
BEING TOLD BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT
ONLY IN THE POSITION WHERE WE
CAN RETAIL ON OUR OWN TO
SOMEBODY ELSE. BUT WE HAVE TO
AWARE OF EACH OTHER. AND IF WE
SEE ONE OF OUR. COMRADES THAT
ARE. YOU LOOK, I DIDN’T GET
PLEASE. WE HAVE TO REACH OUT
TO THEM, IS EVERYTHING OKAY.
>> AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO FEEL
COMFORTABLE DOING THAT. I WANT
TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE
TO, YOU KNOW, THERE’S LOTS OF
COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE THAT
ARE ACTUALLY SEEING A
FIREFIGHTER SHORTAGE. CAN YOU
DISCUSS ANY TACTICS FOR
RECRUITING THAT YOU THINK ARE
IMPORTANT? CLEAR IN ALWAYS HAD
THE ANSWER FOR WE’RE ALL WE’RE
ALL IN THE SAME BOAT WHEN IT
COMES THAT RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION.
>> AND RECRUITMENT, WE’RE ALL
FIGHTING FOR THE SAME. GROUP
OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE COMING
OUT OF TRAINING A TRAINING
ACADEMY. SO WHAT WE’RE
FOCUSING ON DON’T COUNTY IS
OUR CULTURE. YOU KNOW, WE WANT
TO YOU IF WE CAN GET OUR
CULTURE TO WEAR, YOU KNOW, WE
WANT TO BE THE DESTINATION FOR
PEOPLE WHO WIND. WE’VE ALREADY
HAD THAT HAPPEN OR LAST GROUP
OF NEW HIRES. 22 INDIVIDUALS
OVER HALF OF THEM CAME FROM
OTHER DEPARTMENTS SO THAT I
THINK THAT’S A TESTAMENT TO
OUR CHANGES. THE CULTURE THAT
WE PUT IN PLACE.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: YOU I KNOW
THAT YOU WANT THE COMMUNITY TO
GET TO KNOW YOU. IS THERE A
WAY THAT YOU’RE ABLE TO GET
OUT THERE HAVE ANY PLANS TO
GET OUT THERE SO THAT PEOPLE
CAN BE YOU AND MAKE THE
CONNECTION.
>> YES, AND WE’RE FORTUNATE.
WE HAVE A P I O AND GREAT HALL
AND SHE’S VERY ACTIVE ON OUR
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND
SHE’S PUSHING OUT THINGS ON A
DAILY IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE
TO. INITIATED SHE WOULD BE THE
POINT OF CONTACT AND THAT’S ON
OUR WEB. A OUR COUNTY WITH A
TOO MANY OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA
OUTLETS, A REACH OUT ON THERE.
AND SHE WATCHES THE DAILY.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: IS THERE
ANYTHING LITTLE LESS THAN A
MINUTE LEFT? ANYTHING THAT I
DIDN’T TOUCH ON THAT YOU WANT
THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW ABOUT
WHAT YOU’RE BRINGING TO THE
DEPARTMENT AS CHIEF.
>> WELL, I SAID THE CULTURE IS
A BIG AND I THINK YOU PART OF
THE CULTURE IS. WE VERY
FORTUNATE TO DO WHAT WE DO.
VERY, VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE THE
PRIVILEGE OF WAKING UP EVERY
MORNING GOING INTO THE JOB.
THEY LOVE THEIR DREAM JOB AND
YOU KNOW, THAT’S THAT’S WHAT
KEEPS US GOING AND, YOU KNOW,
WE WANT TO BE AS INVOLVED IN
THE COMMUNITY AS WE POSSIBLY
CAN. WE’RE DOING WHAT WE CAN
TO REACH OUT. BUT ANY TIME
YOU’RE BY FIRE STATION, THE
BUS ABOUT FIRE STATION POP IN.
WE LOVE WE LOVE SEEING PEOPLE
TALKING TO PEOPLE AND WE GET
TO KNOW THAT HELPS US GET TO
KNOW OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE’RE