"In The Books" #13 Podcast Episode: Fireground Strategies, 4th Ed. with Chief Anthony Avillo

Meet the Author: Anthony Avillo

Chief Avillo began his fire service career in 1984 and retired in March of 2015. Before retirement, he served as a deputy chief in North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire and Rescue, assigned as 1st Platoon regional tour commander. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Fire Science from New Jersey City University, as well as an MS degree in National Security Studies.

Currently he holds many positions that aim to both teach the next generation of firefighters and reinforce skills of those already serving. He is an adjunct professor at Jersey City University and region 3 director of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI). He is also a Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) instructor and member of the FDIC advisory board, as well as being a member of the editorial advisory board of Fire Engineering.

Avillo also authors and contributes to educational materials, such as co-authoring Full Contact Leadership with Chief Ed Flood; being a contributing author of Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and Firefighter II and co-author of its Study Guide; contributing to both volumes of the Pass It On books by Billy Goldfeder; issuing the DVDs Control of Fireground Operations and Forging a Culture of Safety; and cohosting a radio show, Fireground Strategies and Other Stuff from the Street, with Chief Jim Duffy on Fire Engineering BlogTalk Radio. In recognition for his dedicated service, Avillo received the 2012 Fire Engineering/ISFSI George D. Post Fire Instructor of the Year Award..

Episode Highlights:

• The Making of Four Editions: Learn how his original rewrite of Machiavelli’s concepts evolved into a staple manual, and what major updates the 4th Edition brings to the table—covering fire dynamics, engineered lightweight construction, and new incident types.

• Command Presence Through Competence: Chief Avillo shares how proactively cultivating command competence—through constant learning and observation—translates into confident leadership, even before promotion.

• High-Rise Operations Explored: Go behind the scenes on North Hudson’s high-rise protocols—span of control, interagency coordination, managing building systems, and controlling scene complexity.

• Structured After-Action Debriefing: Discover how a well-designed lessons-learned system drives accountability and continuous improvement across departments.

• Iconic Abbey Road Cover Origins: Hear the creative journey behind the album-inspired book cover original concept—a firefighter cover shoot that paid homage to The Beatles and North Hudson’s roots.

• Fireground Playlist: From Bruce Springsteen karaoke to stirring audio like Patton’s war speech and Black Sabbath, Chief Avillo explains how music fuels his mindset and leadership style.

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