Podcast Interview with Dave Gillotte, LA County Fire Captain and President of IAFF Local 1014

“The whole nation watched LA County – Sierra incident – Fire Station 81. I had one of my members at the peak of difficulty – mental problems, embedded of course - station issues… a firefighter went back to his station, shot and killed one of our firefighters, and shot and injured and ended the career of a Fire Captain, and put our department in a state of disarray, and then went home to his house,and lit it on fire, and shot himself. Now, that’s something that nobody should have to wake up to, but it was also, I think, a piece of the big wake-up call,that we need to put some systems in place, so that we don’t have these incidents happen.”

NEP Media's Jim Aleski talks with Dave Gillotte, a more than 35 year fire service veteran currently serving as a Captain in the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Dave has been on the board of LA County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014 for 26 years, including serving as President of the more than 3,400-member union for the last 22 years. Dave also serves on the Executive Board of California Professional Firefighters as well as on many other public safety related boards and committees dealing with labor issues, mental and behavioral health concerns, and more.

‍

Jim Aleski is a more than 25-year fire service veteran and career engine company Lieutenant in the Philadelphia metro area. Jim serves as a Branding and Content Specialist at NEP Services and formerly served as the Communications/Social Media Director for the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ), the state affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). Prior to becoming a career firefighter, Jim responded as a volunteer while working for more than a decade as a media producer. Jim was involved in the production of vhundreds of national TV commercials, network branding campaigns, music videos,and corporate communication projects. Jim holds a BS in Mass Communications from Emerson College and earned a MS in Fire and Emergency Management Administration from Oklahoma State University.