Apr 4, 2022

Aaron Johnson  00:03

Welcome to the fire protection industry FERS virtual Summit. Today I'm here with Gus. Gus, thanks for coming and being part once you go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself, tell us who you are, where you started, how you got to where you are today and where you're going or what's next.

 

Gus Gagliardi  00:16

Yeah, so my name is Gus Gagliardi, I'm a registered professional engineer, I work in the construction industry, I do design engineering for a variety of existing and new construction facilities. Started off with a degree in fire protection and safety technology from Oklahoma State, moved on and had a fire suppression role right out of college, and really learned about the nuts and bolts of how to put sprinkler systems together. Spent the last five years almost in my career at FSB, a pretty large, full service any firm in Oklahoma City, the largest think oklahoma city owned firm. So yeah, a lot of hanger work a lot of Department of Defense work high industrial facilities. And then yeah, now I just started a new role as a fire protection engineer at rated engineering, and going to be doing a lot of similar work with the hangars and the DoD work, but also looking to incorporate the full scope of what a fire protection engineer can do as far as work in consulting services. So yeah, that's a little bit about my elevator pitch. Oh, and I didn't mention that. Excuse me, sorry. I am the host of industry, first podcast, fire co tech, where we discuss everything fire protection, and we just basically interview professionals. And we also have solid cast episodes where I do deep dives into topics like codes and standards, specific technologies, and just a variety of fire and life safety topics. So yeah, that's a bit about my career and background in my elevator pitch here. And thanks for having me.

 

Aaron Johnson  02:09

Awesome. And thanks for being here. So that sounds starting a new thing is always exciting. So I'm glad that for that for you, I'm sure. Sure you have some mixed emotions about that.

 

Gus Gagliardi  02:18

Oh, yeah. It's been such a blessing. My, my last five years at FSB was so awesome. Like being a part of a firm that's full service. So I got to, you know, work with structural engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, you know, architects, interior designers. And so it's been great cutting my teeth, with projects and getting to collaborate in house with a variety of design professionals, and just really just to learn so much in the last five years. So it's been tough saying goodbye, these last couple of weeks, but super excited for the new gig and the chance to lean into fire protection some more and, and really discover everything that FP can do. So excited. Excited. Yeah, mix bittersweet, though. You're right.

 

Aaron Johnson  03:05

Awesome. Yep. Now I've been in where you have to move, or can you stay where you're at and still do the job?

 

Gus Gagliardi  03:10

No. So my last commute was 18 miles. And this next commute is only four miles. So super stoked to get such a good opportunity. And it's, like 10 minutes away from my house. So with all the lights red, so it's a good deal. I'm stoked on it. So yeah, super excited.

 

Aaron Johnson  03:30

Awesome. Well, let's get into some other stuff. Thanks for sharing all that. And I'm happy for you looking forward to the new thing that you're going to be doing. So we're gonna come back to your podcast a little bit later, because I want to really dig a little bit deeper into that into this process in what you do. But first of all, tell us about some associations or groups that you're involved in, and what kind of value that you gained from being involved in those groups.

 

Gus Gagliardi  03:50

You know, actually, I found this most recent job opportunity was for through professional organizations, I'm part of SF PE, you know, I've been a member of a member of NFPA, and National Fire Protection Association, society, fire protection engineers, I love perfect societies, there's so much benefit to be gained from them, like, business is all about personal connections and business connections and genuine connections. And so a great way to develop those connections and maintain that knowledge base that you need as a professional is to be involved in professional societies. You know, that's kind of a core tenet of what we talked about on the podcast is like, how to say professionally relevant and professional societies are a great way to do that. You know, most societies bring in professional leaders to speak about, you know, different topics and things to keep you relevant in what's going on in the industry. And so there's so much to be gained networking and having the opportunity to build a web of professionals that you can leave If you have problems in the industry, that's invaluable. I mean, the ability to say, hey, you know, person that I met individual that I met who's a fire suppression contractor or a fire alarm contractor, you know, I'm not knowledgeable on Vesta, can you? Can you help me out and like some of the design practices for this system are, you know, kind of rough order of magnitude pricing for this system. And so, you know, you really, as a professional to have all the tools that you need for your toolkit, you, in my opinion, have to be involved in professional societies, because if you don't, you're not, you're limiting yourself in your options for how to solve problems. And as a professional, you get paid to solve problems. So that's probably a couple of the biggest advantages I see in being involved in professional societies. I named SFP, NFPA, hfsa, American fire sprinkler Association, nfsa, national fire sprinkler Association, AFA American fire alarm Association. Those are probably some of the biggest ones that throw out free webinars, and I have a lot of relevant system information for my field, but they get super niche, you could go all the way down to specific occupancies. Like there's a whole bunch of hangar specific ones, as I'm sure you know, like MRO facilities, sorry, I got a bug in my throat.

 

Aaron Johnson  06:31

No problem. But yeah. Awesome. And well, thanks for sharing. That's a lot that I know that alphabet soup can go on for on and on forever. Yeah, no, no, thank you for sharing that. And sharing those associations are, what they are and kind of what you gain from them. So let's go back a little bit and talk about kind of focus more on the podcast on that podcasting. So you said you're your host, and started this podcast. So So why did you do that? Why did you want to do that? What kind of gap in industry? Do you think that it filled? What were what were your motivations for starting that? And kind of what were the steps you took to get that started?

 

Gus Gagliardi  07:03

Yeah, so I don't think it filled the gap in the industry, but as a professional, a couple years out of, you know, about maybe one or two years into my time at FSB, so maybe like two or three years into being a professional. I was like, Well, I want to know more. And there's only so many resources that a company can give you while they need to maintain production of what product they are selling. And so as somebody who is somebody who wants to learn and somebody who wants to keep a competitive edge, I just thought, how do I connect with people? How do I, you know, make connect these dots. And so, for me, I'm an avid podcast listener. And so I took what I knew, which was fire protection, engineering, and podcasting, and in the confluence of that area, I thought, well, maybe I can leverage this to learn more, and provide a resource to people like me, you know, who want to know more about the industry, but maybe don't have the facilities to, you know, find this information out, you know, how many times as a two year or three year professional get to reach out to people on NFPA codes and standards and talk to them about the codes and standards process. And you know, how that works and technical related information to those codes and standards. I mean, it has given me a seat at the table in which I would have never had, if I would not have started the podcast and really, I think has accelerated my learning process. Like I'd say, at least two or three years for, you know, just my ability to find out information about topics. So I think that was a big reason why I started it. And, you know, the gap that it started to fill in the industry, I still think there's a huge gap to fill. I hope that more people get into it. I hope that we can continue to foster this network of professionals who are looking to put out a variety of content around fire and life safety. I'm not somebody who thinks that there is a finite amount of, you know, content or consumption for good, good fire and life safety information. I think the more the merrier. And I hope more people get into it. But yeah, as far as steps to get there. And, you know, I would tell people that if you have interest in doing something, a blog, or a podcast or YouTube videos, I'd say just figure it out. Just go do it because there is no huge there is no huge financial or technical barrier to go do these things. Really. The only barrier to entry is your own volition and time to go do these things. You know if you have those two things, I think you could get by with a really cheap mic and a cheap computer. And you could probably put something out there that somebody would find interesting and reach out and tell you, Hey, man, I think this is awesome. And if you did it for a couple years, you probably find out that you're starting to get good at it. So that's my, that's my piece of advice on that.

 

Aaron Johnson  10:20

Thanks for sharing. I like that, you know, talk about that gave you a seat at the table. And I kind of had the same experience when I started blogging, about I guess it's been about 17 years ago now or 15 years ago, started doing just, you know, regular blogs, blogs are kind of new back then. And so, but I found the same thing, right, again, got your seat at the table, when you share those articles and and comment I got to interact with people from all over the world, instead of just my little community. So awesome.

 

Gus Gagliardi  10:46

Yeah, it did. Why didn't your your scope of influence or your, you know, ability to network and, you know, like we talked about before connections and, and ability to problem solve? And you know, you talk to me about reaching out to people and get an information for articles. That's so powerful. I mean, like, to give you that avenue to do that.

 

Aaron Johnson  11:07

Yep, absolutely. Absolutely. So, thank you. So how does the how does this kind of decide project this kind of hobby project? How does it impact your day job? And what practical or personal professional benefits? Have you realized from it?

 

Gus Gagliardi  11:23

You know, I would say that on a day to day basis, it's pretty minimal on how it impacts my day job. I mean, I send out I'll send out a couple emails a week to invite guests, I spend the time on the weekends, editing podcasts, maybe like, anywhere from two to four hours producing social media copy, you know, show notes, and mixing and editing podcasts. So functionally, that's what it looks like, as far as time impact. Of course, there were startup energy involved, that we're not talking about. This is me in steady state after I've been doing it for coming up on two years in April. But, you know, what is it given me in my career, it's given me so much, I don't think that I would have this job opportunity that I do now, without the knowledge base, and like the competitive edge that I've gained from, you know, Fostering Connections and becoming a professional who has just leaned into networking and tried to be more competitive, I don't think that I would have the same opportunities, I don't think that I would have, you know, I don't think I would be the professional that I am today without the podcast. So that's kind of a broad statement. But I truly believe that and because, you know, you get to a point in your career, where you're at a company, you may be in a set track of what this experience can bring you. And so how do you differentiate? Do you get certifications? Do you, you know, take on a new, important valuable skill set, you know, how do you make yourself a more competitive professional. So for me, it's, you know, along with my technical expertise, and willing to learn about things in the industry that are difficult and valuable, I think that it is given me a huge advantage over my peers. But you know, that's just my two cents. I'm sure I'm inflated about that idea.

 

Aaron Johnson  13:26

No, it's true. Awesome. Well, thanks. Thank you for sharing. So you do have a lot of great guests on the podcast. I know, we've kind of talked in the past on, you know, how do you get these great guests that come onto your podcast? I'm sure you get, you probably get more nose than yeses, or get just ignored emails. But how do you get the guests that you do have? How do you get them to come onto your podcast? And how do you find these two or three people that you email every week?

 

Gus Gagliardi  13:47

You know, I think that it's easier than you think it's, it's easier than you think. And I'd say my hit ratio is probably closer to like, like 50 or 60%. Then, like, like 40 or 30%. And you'd be surprised. I mean, so people are professionals, and they they are in fire in my safety, their whole lives. They have fascinating jobs. I, I've traveled all across the country. I've been in aircraft hangars that were built in World War Two, you know, I have, you know, worked in probably more than a dozen states, probably closer to 20 states across the US you think I don't want to talk about that. You think that I don't love what I do. And I'm not passionate about that. You think other people in the industry, who have these great careers and experiences don't want to tell people and give people a leg up for their professional careers? No, you look for the passion, I would say and find a guests, people who people who are passionate about they what they do and their involvement in professional societies. Those are the people who are interested after a while you kind of get a sense for who would be interested in this sort of thing. And once you can sniff that out, it's a lot easier to find guests. So, um, I think that there's so many incredible stories in probably a lot of industries, but especially in fire and life safety. And so that process really just looks like a lot of LinkedIn searches or being knowledgeable about industry related topics or fields and searching through, you know, oh, I read a good magazine article. Oh, who's the author on this magazine article? Oh, this guy says, did he, you know, works at the Smithsonian? Oh, that sounds like a good episode. And so, you know, I reached out to Michael Kilby. And he's gracious enough to come on the podcast. And he sits on two NSPA boards or, you know, committees, and for one for historical and cultural museums and another one that I've never heard of, and he's willing to come talk to me about how to protect extremely valuable assets. And so I think it's easier, it's easier than it sounds. And that's some of that barrier to entry is like, how difficult you think it's going to be?

 

Aaron Johnson  16:07

Good. Yeah, that would be the the fear that people have in getting started. So thanks for kind of alleviating that for some of us. So yeah, I've been on your show a few times. And some other people have been and so the, the thing that we all have in common, we talk about gustas podcast is that Gus is the easiest guy to talk to, when we do these shows. So what do you think it is about you or your style that makes you so easy to talk to?

 

Gus Gagliardi  16:31

Man, I just I love people. And I've always been interested in personal stories. If you don't like people, and you don't like talking to people, then podcasting is probably not for you. But for me, I have no trouble talking. And I have no trouble being interested in people and really caring about what's going on in their life. And personally, what moves them. I'd listened to I'd listened, I've listened to all kinds of podcasts. And I used to I was learning how to code. So I would listen to this podcast called, I think it was learned to code with me or something. And basically, it was all framed around personal life stories and how people have overcome adversity and not always found that so compelling. So I've taken little bits and pieces of podcasting style and personal interaction that I've found really touching and compelling. And I try to embody those in the podcast that I have. So I think part of it is genuinely interested in this stuff, you know, it really, if you're not interested, it comes across in the podcast, it's gonna come off flat, you're gonna, it's got to be weak, you know, it's, and people can sense that. And it takes about three seconds for people to sniff people being not genuine and tune out and log off. And so, you know, because there's a billion different things for content you can get these days. So you have to be invested in what you're doing. You have to care, you have to want to talk or else. It's not gonna work.

 

Aaron Johnson  18:02

Right, good. Good. So you mentioned some pot, you're, you're an avid podcast listener listener. So what are some podcasts that you listen to?

 

Gus Gagliardi  18:10

So I guess I could break it down into like, a number of categories? Because, you know, I vacillate between, you know, do I want something interesting? You know, you want to do something like Stuff You Should Know. You want to laugh? Do you want something like two bears? When cave? It's just you know, irreverent comedy and kind of ridiculousness? Are you do you have a personal hobby or project you want to get into? You know, is there something about cooking you want to know about? You know, I used to listen to used to be a great podcast. It's changed host now, but it was like about people for who worked for like getting Bon appetit. Now, not Bon appetit. But some other food magazine in New York, I can't remember. But they would just go over like people's cookbooks and things. So, I mean, I listened to everything you could think of. And, you know, I'll go through periods where I'm listening to only podcasts. And like, you know, I'll burn through like, six to 10 of these a week. Easy. And then I'll switch to something like audio books, or I'll switch to something like all music or so. I think that's why I knew that it was going to work fire Kotek was going to work is because I know how I consume podcasts. And I was like, I don't just like one podcast. I like 20 podcasts. And if it's good, I don't care how many podcasts there are, I'm going to find time to lean into that content. So yeah, that's a little bit of my background on podcasts. It's always hard to answer that because I'm always vacillating between. I like the new stuff as much as I like the well established. There's something fun about being involved when a podcast just starts and you feel like you're a part of something a little bit. It's fun to have that like sense of community that people have, even though you really don't know the person at all.

 

Aaron Johnson  19:59

Yeah, Awesome. Yeah. My thing with the new startups is you get really attached to the show, then they stop after like five episodes disappear. You know? Yeah,

 

Gus Gagliardi  20:08

one thing, the number one thing with any content is be consistent. If people, that's one of the hugest benefits that people get out of podcasts. I know, every Monday, that x podcast comes out, and that gives me comfort. And that gives me enjoyment. And I get a sense of relief as I drive to work on Monday because I get to listen to x podcast. If you can't provide that, then nobody's gonna stick around to hear what you got to say. So first and foremost, be consistent. Otherwise, you can just forget about it. You know, don't even start. Don't even start if you don't want to be consistent because I've seen most podcasts burnout, and it makes me sad, honestly, because some people have great potential.

 

Aaron Johnson  20:57

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Your your podcast listening can be cut down, though, with your new job, your commute, your short commute time. Now,

 

Gus Gagliardi  21:06

I thought about that you can't really get into a podcast in 10 minutes. I was thinking I gotta switch to music now. Because you got to get like some sort of pump up. But you can't like really settle into an hour long podcast. minutes. That's right. That's I had that thought for sure. This week I was just cuts into like me, like really getting into a state of mind going to work.

 

Aaron Johnson  21:29

Get up early, you have to get up the same time. Just get your podcast listening. I know. So tell us a little bit about the practical steps you actually take like, what's the whole process from inviting the guests to preparing to actually posting the podcast? And then you do everything? Or do you outsource some of it to other companies or people?

 

Gus Gagliardi  21:46

No I to everything, I think eventually I will look at kicking some of the podcast editing out. But honestly, like, for the price of what you get for editing, like it can be anywhere from low cost would be for audio only video is a lot more expensive. But the price points for per episode. Like I think I calculated, I forget what the number was I calculated how much money on average I spend. It's like a couple of dollars per podcast episode if you like, if you cut it down to all of the hosting fees, and like everything that I've signed up for whatever email account, and like if you roll all that into one number and divided by 365, it's like a couple of dollars. But that's because I do all of the editing, and all of the media stuff, and all of the shownotes and everything. So functionally, what that looks like, I'll send an email out and ask them to gauge their interests, then I will try to establish the date and or schedule time. After there's a scheduled time I will develop a set of questions. And usually it's easiest for me to think about this questions and categories. So I'll kind of broadly think of some categories for fire code tech, generally, it's people story, like a technical competency issue or topic. And then professional development. So if you think about it in those categories, I generally know that it only takes about depending on the person anywhere from 10 to 15 questions to fill an hour. But that's highly dependent on the person's level of skill and level of passion and level of ease in speaking to fill that to fill that hour. So I've had people where I've gotten through maybe like less than four questions. And then I've had people where I've just like it's pulling teeth, and I got to have like 17 questions to get through an hour. So okay, tighly variable on the person. And so I will record the episode. And then I will mix and master the audio, and compile that and upload it to a hosting website, which distributes it to spark Spotify, Apple, Google Play, like eight different places and distributes it all in one place. So yeah, that's a little bit about the workflow and then it releases every Monday it releases really early in the morning. I don't know why I started that. But it releases like 2am on Mondays, but I figured people could have it whenever they start their commute. So I'm consistent and I think that's important, but that's a bit about the process.

 

Aaron Johnson  24:36

Awesome. So it also looks like since we're on video, it looks like you're in like your own sound booth. So tell me a little bit about like what what you got going on there they

 

Gus Gagliardi  24:44

1. Yeah, I just rigged this up. I just picked this up by I'm in the process of like, getting everything incorporated for video. My brother has a video podcast, so he kind of like charged the path on letting me know like everything thing you need for video. And like, really, if you have a nice camera, which I don't, I'm just using a computer camera, but like, you can set up a certain focus and depth of field. But I'd say the elements are lighting, sound quality. So you set up sound blankets around the room to really dampen the noise and give it that studio s sound. And then, you know, you have lighting. And there's great posts online about how to set up the three different components of lighting or like the, like three point lighting, it's called. So there's like, basically, yeah, just like a backlight, a key light, and like a foot. I don't know the terminology. But so I've tried to incorporate that a little bit for this. But honestly, I just threw up all this stuff this morning. But yeah, I'd say focus on the sound quality, the lighting, and the aesthetic. Like, if I had some knickknacks or something in the background, I think that'd be a lot better. I don't I just threw up a sound blanket to give a nice backdrop and have some fighting. So face isn't washed out.

 

Aaron Johnson  26:06

That's right. Awesome, man. So what is and you've given a lot of tools. And I really appreciate that. Yeah. To the audience today, what's one actionable step that they can go to do today and they say, I want to start a podcast, what's the one thing they can go and do right now. And to get started in that direction?

 

Gus Gagliardi  26:22

Do you need to go record a podcast today, if you want to do a podcast, don't wait until you're ready. Don't wait until you get to sign from wherever you want to get the sign. If you want to do a podcast scheduled podcast today, get your buddy, whoever it is Tell him we're doing a podcast, we don't have to release it. But we're going to do it and I'm going to practice my my skills interview in or having a conversation or whatever scheme you want for your podcasts, go do it today. Because if you can find a reason not to do it, you're going to keep finding a reason not to do it. And that is like the other huge hurdle after you've convinced yourself to do one is to convince yourself to post one. And then after you've posted one, make sure you put yourself in a position to post at the same frequency you've set out. So I recorded like four or six podcasts before I released any because I had no clue how hard it was going to be to keep a churning backlog of professionals and videos recorded. I don't know if that was necessary. It would. It's what made me feel comfortable with the time. But yeah, I'd say if you are interested in doing a podcast, grab whatever microphone and or camera you have today and go record one because the first one you're going to do is going to be hard, and then they'll get easier after that. But if you don't, if you don't actually start recording podcasts, you're not a podcast. So just go do it, go do it. Because I guarantee you, it's easier than what you think it's gonna be. And there's a billion articles online, on how to figure it out. So if you really want it, you can do it.

 

Aaron Johnson  28:11

Awesome. So I know you're in the, we're gonna change gears a little bit and start to kind of wrap things up. You're the you're a fire protection engineer, you're in that field. So what would you say is the current state of the industry for the fire protection engineering field or the aspiring fire protection engineer,

 

Gus Gagliardi  28:28

I'd say I have not in my career experienced a better time become a fire protection engineer, the industry is absolutely white hot for career opportunity, and a chance to professionally develop and get a good job and to have a competitive salary for a good job. So I think that if you have any interest in fire and life safety, and you want to make your foray into the field, say do it now because the industry is on a bull run the market wide hot with opportunity. And I've never seen it be this good in the last six, six years of being in business. So the industry that even despite the all of the supply chain disruptions and all of these inherent difficulties with COVID. The industry is just chugging away for speeding. I don't know how long that's gonna last. But right now it's incredible to see the amount of construction that's going on right now in the construction that I've seen that's been scheduled for the next couple of years. So that is what I see happening right now. The big topics I see in the industry are batteries, lithium ion batteries being a big one. You know, what else heavy timber construction for, like sustainability and kind of environmental impact. That's a huge thing. I see Right now in the industry a push on the national scale. Yeah, I think a big part of thing that I want to be an advocate for is bringing people into the industry. Because another trend that I see on the macro level is a lack in people coming into the field, I see that, you know, the program that I came from Oklahoma State produces about anywhere from 40 to 50 candidates a year, and that doesn't even scratch the surface of what the industry needs for just FPS like, that doesn't even start to, to really move the needle for what we're going to need for people getting into fire alarm, fire, sprinkler, fire protection, engineering, I mean, there's so many jobs, and people from my program go into, you know, safety, and a lot of other different avenues. So they might go work for a petroleum company, or they might go, you know, work for work safety for industry, you know, some accompany like International Paper or something like that. So, so maybe only quarter to a third of those kids are becoming, you know, in the system side of fire and life safety. So, it's a huge boom time. And it's a super consistent job market. So, you know, I would say, Please, please, please get involved. There's so much promise and opportunity right now, for anybody with competency, and it's not too hard to be competent.

 

Aaron Johnson  31:36

Awesome. Thank you. So we're wrapping up here. Before we do, is there anything else that you'd like to share something that you'd like to discuss that we haven't mentioned yet? Feel free to do that now? And then just kind of tell us where where can people find you?

 

Gus Gagliardi  31:48

Yeah, I think that now, as far as topics left, I think we've covered a lot of good stuff. Yeah, just to put a put a big plug in for the podcast here. Fire co tech. You can find it wherever you find podcasts, like we said before, Spotify, YouTube, Apple, Google, play all the above, go find it. There's great topics about whether you like aircraft hangars or fire alarm or fire suppression or you want some tips and tricks on how to pass your Fe or PE. There's great information on these podcasts where I get to view interview professionals like Aaron and people who are absolute leaders in the industry with 30 and 40 years of experience just given out great secrets and not secrets, but just tips and tricks for people to be competitive in the industry. Also, you can find me on LinkedIn am Gus Gagliardi and on Twitter at gags guess what's jiejie ZG us? So? Yeah, I think that I've enjoyed the podcast. Aaron, thank you so much for having me. And yeah, we'd love to do it again. I hope there's another one of these I hope this becomes an annual gig.

 

Aaron Johnson  33:01

Awesome, man. No thank you for your words. And thank you for sharing and taking your time so we appreciate it. Thanks a lot, man.

 

Transcription

Hello. Welcome to the solo cast of fire code tech in these episodes. It's just gonna be me, your host, Gus Gagliardi. There's gonna be a range of topics, but I'm gonna talk about specific technologies, installation, standards, codes, and how they work as well as some other interesting topics that don't neatly fit inside of the context of a normal interview.

Hello, well, welcome to another episode of fire code tech. This solocast is gonna be a little different. I'm going to be playing my interview from last week's industry affair summit with Aaron Johnson, we get into a little bit about my backstory and some interesting information on how to start a podcast.

Really had fun being a part of the summit and was honored to be on a lineup with people who are huge in the industry like Joe Meyer and Chris Campbell and drew locum, and some of the other content creators in the space. If you want to check out some more about the summit and listen to these other interviews, I'll drop a link below.

I think you gotta pay for it now, but it's still available. If you want to pay the premium, don't forget to subscribe and follow us on social media. Oh. And give us a five star review on apple iTunes podcast. If you would be so kind. Welcome to the fire protection industry affairs virtual summit. Today, I'm here with Gus, Gus.

Thanks for coming and being part. Why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself. Tell us who you are, where you started, um, how you got to where you are today and, and where you're going or what's next? Yeah, so my name's Gus Gagliardi. I'm a register professional engineer. I work in the, um, construction industry.

I do. Design engineering for a variety of existing and new construction facilities. Um, started off with a degree in fire protection and safety technology from Oklahoma state moved on and had a fire suppression role, right outta college, and, uh, really learned about the nuts and bolts of how to put sprinkler systems together.

Um, spent the last five years almost in my career at, uh, FSB, a pretty large, um, Full service a and E firm in Oklahoma city, the largest, I think Oklahoma city, uh, owned firm. Um, so yeah, a lot of hanger work, a lot of department of defense work, high industrial facilities. And then, uh, yeah, now I just started a new role.

As a fire protection engineer at rated engineering, and I'm gonna be doing a lot of, uh, similar work with the hangers and the DOD work, but also looking to incorporate the full scope of what a fire protection engineer can do as far as work and consulting services. So, yeah, that's a little bit about my elevator pitch.

Oh, and I didn't mention that. Excuse me. Sorry. Uh, I, uh, am the host of, uh, industry first podcast, fire code tech, um, where we discuss everything, fire protection, and we just basically interview professionals. And we also have solar cast episodes where I do deep dives into, um, topics like codes and standards.

Just a variety of fire and life safety topics. So, yeah, that's a bit about my, um, career and background and my elevator pitch. Aaron, thanks for having me. Awesome, man. Thanks for being here. So that sounds starting a new thing is always exciting. So I'm glad that for that for you I'm sure, sure. You have some mixed emotions about that.

Oh yeah. It's been such a blessing. Uh, My last five years at FSB was so awesome, like being a part of a firm that's full service. So I got to, you know, work with structural engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, you know, architects, interior designers. And so it's been great. Cutting my teeth.

Uh, with projects and getting to collaborate in house with a variety of design professionals and just really just learn so much in the last five years. So it's been tough saying goodbye, uh, these last couple weeks, but super excited for the new gig and the chance to, to lean into fire protection some more and, and really discover, uh, everything that a FPE can do.

So excited. Excited. Yeah. Mix bittersweet. You're right. Awesome. Yep. No I've been in now. Will you have to move or can you stay where you're at and still do the job? No. So my last commute was 18 miles and this next commute is only four miles. So, um, super stoked to get such a good opportunity. And it's, uh, like 10 minutes away from my house.

So with all the lights red, so it's a, it's a good deal. I'm stoked on it. Perfect. Super excited. Awesome. Well, let's get into some other stuff. Thanks for sharing all that. And, um, I'm happy for you and looking forward to the new things that you're gonna be doing. Um, so we're gonna come back to your podcast a little bit later, cause I wanna really dig a little bit deeper into that, into those process and what you do.

But first of all, tell us about some associations or groups that you're involved in and what kind of value that you gained from being involved in those groups? You know, uh, actually I found this most recent job opportunity was through, through professional organizations. I'm part of S F P E. You know, I've been a member of, uh, I'm a member of NFPA and, um, national fire protection association, society of fire protection engineers.

Um, I love professional societies. Um, there's so much benefit to gain from them, like, uh, Business is all about personal connections and business connections and genuine connections. And so a great way to develop those connections and, and maintain that knowledge base that you need as a professional is to be involved in professional societies.

You know, that's kind of a core tenet of what we talk about on the podcast is like how to say professionally relevant and professional societies are a great way to do that. Um, you. Most societies bring in professional leaders to speak about, you know, different topics and things to keep you relevant in what's going on in the industry.

And so there's so much to be gained, um, networking and having the opportunity to, uh, build a web of professionals that you can lean on. If you have problems in the industry, that's invaluable. I. The ability to say, Hey, you know, um, this person that I met, individual that I met, who's a fire suppression contractor, a fire alarm contractor, you know, I'm not knowledgeable on VESA.

Can you, can you help me out in like some of the design practices for this system or, you know, kind of rough order of magnitude pricing for this system. And so you. You really, as a professional to have all the tools that you need for your toolkit, you, in my opinion, have to be involved in professional societies because if you don't, you're not, you're limiting yourself and your options for.

Um, how to solve problems and as a professional, you get paid to solve problems. So, um, that's probably a couple of the biggest advantages I see in being involved in professional societies, I named S F P E N, FPA, a F S a American fire sprinkler association. NFSA national fire sprinkler association, a AA American fire alarm association.

Um, those are probably some of the biggest ones that throw out free webinars and, um, have a lot of relevant system information for my field. they get super niche. You could go all the way down to specific occupancies. Like there's a whole bunch of hanger, specific ones as I'm sure. You know, um, like, uh, MRO facilities.

Sorry, I got fog in my throat. no problem. But yeah. Awesome man. Well, thanks for sharing. That's a lot that I know that alphabet soup can go on for on and on forever. Yeah, no, no, thank you for sharing that and sharing those associations, what they are and kind of what you gained from them. So let's go back a little bit and talk about kind of focus more on the podcast on that podcasting process.

Yeah. So you said you, you, you host and started this podcast, so, so why did you do that? Why did you wanna do that? What kind of gap in industry. Think that it filled. Um, what were your, what were your motivations for starting that and kind of, what were the steps you took to get that started? Yeah, so I, I don't think it, it filled the gap in the industry, but as a professional, a couple years out of, you know, about maybe one or two years into my time at FSB, so maybe like two or three years into being a professional.

I was like, well, I wanna know more. And there's only so many resources that a company can give you while they need to maintain production of what product they are selling. And so as somebody who is, uh, um, somebody who wants to learn and somebody who wants to keep a competitive edge, I just thought, how do I connect with people?

How do I, you know, Make connect these dots. And so for me, I'm an avid podcast listener. And so I took what I knew, which was, um, fire protection engineering and, uh, podcasting. And in the confluence of that area, I thought. Well, maybe I can leverage this to learn more and provide a resource to people like me, you know, uh, who want to know more about the industry, but maybe don't have the facilities to, um, you know, find this information out, you know?

How many times does a two year or three year professional get to reach out to people on NFPA codes and standards and talk to them about the codes and standards process, and you know, how that works and technical related information to those codes and standards. I mean, it has given me a seat at the table in which I would've never.

Um, if I would not have started the podcast and really, I think has accelerated my, um, learning process, like I'd say at least two or three years for, um, you know, just my ability to find out information about topics. So I think, uh, that was a big reason why I started it and, um, you know, the, the gap that it started to fill in the industry, I still think there's a huge gap to fill.

I hope that more people get into. I hope that we can continue to foster this network of professionals who are looking to put out a variety of content around fire and life safety. Um, I'm not somebody who thinks that there is a finite amount of, uh, you know, content or, or consumption for good, good fire and life safety information.

I think the more the, the merrier and I hope more people get into it, but, uh, yeah, as far as steps to get there, um, and. You know, I would tell people that if you have interest in doing something, a blog or a podcast, or, uh, YouTube videos, I'd say just figure it out, just go do it because there is no huge, there is no huge, uh, financial or, uh, technical barrier to go do these things.

Really. The only, uh, barrier to entry is your own volition and time to go do these things. You know, if you have those two things, I think you could get by with, um, a really cheap mic and a cheap computer, and you could probably put something out there that somebody would find interesting and reach out and tell you, Hey man, I think this is awesome.

And if you did it for a couple years, you probably find out that you're starting to get good at it. So. That's my, that's my piece of advice on that. No, thanks for sharing. I like that. You know, you talked about that gave you a seat at the table, and I kind of had the same experience when I started blogging about, I guess it's been about 17 years ago now, or 15 years ago started doing just, you know, regular blogs.

Blogs are kind of new back then. And so, uh, but I, I found the same thing, right? It got, got you a seat at the table. Um, when you're sharing those articles, And comment. I got to interact with people from all over the world instead of just my little community. So definitely, yeah, it did widens your, your scope of influence or your, you know, ability to, to network.

And, you know, like we talked about before connections and. Ability to problem solve. And you know, you talking to me about reaching out to people and getting information for articles. That's so powerful. I mean, like to give you that avenue to do that. Yep, absolutely. Absolutely. So thank you. So, um, How does the, um, how does this kind of the side project, this kind of hobby project, how does it impact your day job and what practical or personal professional benefits have you realized from it?

You know, I would say that on a day to day basis, it's pretty minimal on how it impacts my day job. I mean, Uh, I send out, I'll send out a couple emails a week to invite guests. I spend time on the weekends editing podcasts, maybe like anywhere from two to four hours producing, uh, social media copy, you know, show notes and, uh, Mixing and editing podcasts.

So functionally, that's what it looks like as far as time impact. Of course there was startup energy involved that we're not talking about. This is me in steady state after I've been doing it for coming up on two years in April. Um, but, uh, you know, What has it given me, um, in my career, it's given me so much, um, I don't think that I would have this job opportunity that I do now without the, the knowledge base and like the competitive edge that I've gained from, you know, fostering connections and becoming a professional who has just leaned into, um, networking and trying to be more competitive.

I don't think that I would have the same opportunities. I don't think that I would've, you know, I don't think I would be the professional that I am today without the podcast. So, um, that's kind of a broad statement, but I truly believe that. And, um, cuz you know, you get to a point in your career where, um, you're at a company you may be in a set track of what this experience can bring you.

And so how do you differentiate? Do you get certifications? Do you, you know, um, take on a new. Important valuable skill set, you know, how do you make yourself a more competitive professional? So for me, it's, you know, along with my technical expertise and willing to learn about, um, things in the industry that are difficult and valuable, I think that it is given me a huge advantage, um, over my peers.

But, you know, that's just my 2 cents. I'm sure I'm inflated about that idea. no, it's true. Awesome. Well, thanks. Thank you for sharing. So, um, you do have a lot of great guests on the podcast, and I know we've kind of talked in the past on, you know, how do you get these great guests that come onto your podcasts?

I'm sure you get. You probably get more no's than yeses or get just ignored emails, but how do you get the, the guess that you do have, how do you get them to come onto your podcast and how do you find these two or three people that email every week? You know, I think that it's easier than you think it's, it's easier than you think.

And I'd say my hit ratio is probably closer to like. Like 50 or 60% than like, like, uh, 40 or 30%. Yeah. Um, you'd be surprised. I mean, so people are professionals and they, they are in fire and life safety, their whole lives, and they have fascinating jobs. I I've traveled all across the country. I've been in aircraft hangers that were built in world war II.

You know, I have, you know, worked in probably more than a dozen states, probably closer to 20 states across the us. You think, I don't wanna talk about that. You think that I don't love what I do and I'm not passionate about that. You think other people in the industry who have these great careers and experiences don't want to tell people and give people a leg up for their professional career.

No, you look for the passion. I would say in finding guests, people who, people who are passionate about they, what they do and their involvement in professional societies, those are the people who are interested after a while. You kind of get a sense for who would be interested in this sort of thing. And once you can sniff that out, it's a lot easier to find guests.

Um, I think that there's so many incredible stories, um, in probably a lot of industries, but especially in fire and life safety. And so, um, that process really just looks like a lot of, uh, LinkedIn searches or being knowledgeable about industry related. Uh, Topics or fields and searching through, you know, oh, I read a good magazine article.

Oh, who's the author on this magazine article. Oh, this guy says that he, uh, you know, works at the Smithsonian. Oh, this sounds like a good episode. And so, you know, I reach out to Michael Kilby and. He's gracious enough to come on the podcast and he sits on two NFPA boards or, you know, committees and for one for historical and cultural museums and, uh, another one that I've never heard of, and he's willing to come talk to me about how to protect extremely valuable assets.

And so, um, I think it's easier. It's easier than it sounds. And that's some of that barrier to entry is like how difficult you think it's gonna be. Good. Yeah, that would be the, the fear probably that people have getting started. So thanks for kind of alleviating that for some of us. So, yes. Um, I've been on your show a few times and I've talked to some other people that I've been.

And so the, the, the thing that we all have in common, when we talk about Gus's podcast, Is that Gus is the easiest guy to talk to when we do these shows. So what do you think it is about you or, or your style that makes you so easy to talk to, man? I just, I love people and I've always been interested in personal stories.

Uh, if you don't like people and you don't like talking to people, then podcasting is probably not for you, but for me, I have no trouble talking and I have no trouble being interested in people and really caring. What's going on in their life and, and personally what moves them. Um, I'd listen to, I'd listened.

I've listened to all kinds of podcasts. And I used to, I was learning how to code. So I would listen to this podcast called. I think it was learned to code with me or something. And basically it was all framed around personal life stories and how people have overcome adversity. And, and I always found that so compelling.

So, um, I've taken little bits and pieces of podcasting style and personal interaction that. I've found really touching and compelling. And I try to embody those in, in the podcast that I have. So I think part of it is genuinely I'm interested in this stuff, you know, it really, if you're not interested, it comes across in the podcast.

It's gonna come off flat. You're gonna, it's gonna be weak, you know? It's. Yeah. And people can sense that. And it takes about three seconds for people to sniff. Um, people being not genuine and tune out and log off. And so, um, you know, cuz there's a billion different things for content. You can get these days.

You have to be invested in what you're doing. You have to care, you have to want to talk or else it's not gonna work. Right. Good. Good. So you mentioned some pod you're, you're an avid podcast listener listener. Yeah. What are some, what are some podcasts that you listen to? So I guess I could break it down into like, uh, a number of categories because, you know, I, I vacillate between, uh, you know, Do I want something interesting.

You know, you wanna do something like stuff you should know? Do you wanna laugh? Do you want something like two bears, one cave. It's just, you know, irreverent comedy and kind of ridiculousness. Um, are you, do you have a personal hobby or project you wanna get into? Um, you know, is there something about cooking you wanna know about?

You know, I used to listen to, uh, used to be a great podcast. It's changed host now, but it was like about, uh, people. For who worked for like, I think bone Aite, no, not bone Aite, but uh, some other food magazine in New York, I can't remember, but they would just go over like people's cookbooks and things. So, I mean, I listen to everything you could think of and you know, I'll go through periods where I'm listening to only podcasts and like, you know, I'll burn through like, Six to 10 of these a week easy.

Um, and then I'll switch to something like audiobooks or I'll switch to something like all music or so, um, I think that's why I knew that it was gonna work. Fire code tech was gonna work is cuz I know how I consume podcasts. And I was like, I don't just like one podcast. I like 20 podcasts. And if it's good, I don't care how many podcasts there are.

I'm gonna find time to lean into that content. So, um, . Yeah, that's a little bit of my background on podcast. It's always hard to answer that because I'm always vacillating between, I like the new stuff. As much as I like the, the well-established stuff. There's something fun about being involved when a podcast just starts and you feel like you're a part of something a little bit, um, it's fun to have that like sense of community that people have, even though you really don't know the person at all.

Yeah. Op awesome. Yeah. My thing with the new startups is you get really attached to the show. Then they stop after like five episodes and you, they disappear, you know? Oh yeah. The number one thing, the number one thing with any content is be consistent. If people that's one of the hugest benefits that people get out of podcasts.

I know every Monday. That X podcast comes out and that gives me comfort. And that gives me enjoyment. And I get a sense of relief as I drive to work on Monday. Cuz I get to listen to X podcast. If you can't provide that, then nobody's gonna stick around to hear what you got to say. So first and foremost.

Be consistent. Otherwise you can just forget about it. You, you know, don't even start, don't even start if you don't wanna be consistent because, um, I've seen most podcasts burn out and it makes me sad, honestly, because some people have great potential. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Your, your podcast listening comes to me cut down though, with your new job, your commute, your short commute time.

Now I've thought about that. You can't even really get into a podcast in 10 minutes. I know I was thinking I gotta switch to music now because you gotta get like some sort of pump up, but you can't like really settle into an hour long podcast in 10 minutes. That's right. That's right. I had that thought for sure.

This week I was like, man, but like this cuts into like, Like really getting into a state of mind, going to work. You have to get up early. You have to get up the same time just to get your podcast listening in before you leave. I know, I know. . So tell us a little bit about the practical steps that you actually take.

Like what's the whole process from inviting the guest preparing to actually posting the podcast and then do you do everything or do you outsource some of it to other companies or people? No, I do everything. Uh, I think eventually I will, uh, look at, uh, kicking some of the podcast editing out, but.

Honestly, like, um, for the price of what you get for editing, like it can be anywhere from low cost would be for audio. Only video is a lot more expensive, but, um, the price points for per episode, um, like I think I calculated. I forget what the number was. I calculated how much money on average I spend. And it's like a couple dollars per podcast episode.

If you like, if you cut it down to all of the hosting fees and like everything that I've signed up for whatever email account. And like, if you roll all that into one number and divided by 365, it's like a couple dollars, but that's because. I do all of the editing and all of the media stuff and all of the show notes and everything.

So functionally, what that looks like. I'll send an email out and ask somebody, gauge their interests. Then I will try to establish the date and or schedule time. After there's a scheduled time, I will develop a set of questions. And usually it's easiest for me to think about those questions in categories.

So I'll kind of, uh, broadly think of some categories for fire code tech, generally it's people's story like a technical competency issue or topic, and then professional development. So. If you think about it in those categories? Um, I generally know that it only takes about depending on the person, anywhere from 10 to 15 questions to fill an hour.

Um, but that's highly dependent on the person's, uh, level of skill and level of passion and, um, level of ease in speaking, um, to fill. To fill that hour. So I've had people where I've gotten through maybe like less than four questions. And then I've had people where I've just like, it's pulling teeth and I gotta have like 17 questions to get through an hour.

Okay. Entirely variable on the person. Um, and so I'll, we'll record the episode and then I will, uh, mix and master the audio and compile that and upload it to a hosting website, which distributes it to Spotify, Spotify, apple, uh, Google play. Um, Eight different places and distributes it all in one place. Um, so yeah, that's a little bit about the workflow and then it releases every Monday.

It releases really early in the morning. I don't know why I started that, but it releases at like 2:00 AM on Mondays, but I figured people could have it whenever they start their commute. So I'm consistent and I think that's important, but that's a bit about the process. Awesome. So it also looks like since we're on video, it looks like you're in like your own sound booth.

So tell me a little bit about like what, what you got going on there. The equipment. Oh yeah. I just rigged this up. I just rigged this up by I'm in the process of like getting everything incorporated for video. My brother has a video podcast, so he kind of like. Uh, charge the path on, um, letting me know, like everything you need for video and like, really, if you have a nice camera, which I don't, I'm just using a computer camera, but like you can set up a certain focus and depth of field, but I'd say the elements are lighting.

Um, sound quality. So if you set up sound blankets around a room to really, uh, dampen the noise and give it that studio S sound and then, you know, you have lighting and there's great posts online about how to set up the three different components of lighting or like the like three point lighting it's called.

So there's like, uh, Basically. Yeah, just like a backlight, a key light and like a fo I don't know the terminology, but, um, so I've tried to incorporate that a little bit for this, but, uh, honestly I just threw up all this stuff this morning, but yeah, I'd say. Focus on the sound quality, the lighting and the aesthetic.

Like if I had some knickknacks or something in the background, I think that'd be a lot better, but I don't, I just threw up a sound blanket to give a nice backdrop and have some lighting. So. Awesome. My face isn't washed out. That's right. Awesome, man. So, um, what is, and you've given a lot of tools and I really appreciate that.

Yeah. But to, to the audience today, what's one actionable step that they can go to do today. And they say, I wanna start a podcast. What's the one thing they can go and do right now. And to get started in that direction. Do you need to go record a podcast today? If you wanna do a podcast, don't wait until you're ready.

Don't wait until you get the sign from wherever you wanna get the sign. If you wanna do a podcast, schedule a podcast today, get your buddy, uh, whoever it is, tell him we're doing a podcast. We don't have to release it, but we're gonna do it. And I'm gonna practice my, my skills interviewing or having a conversation or whatever scheme you want for your podcast.

Go do it today because. If you can find a reason not to do it, you're gonna keep finding a reason not to do it. And, um, that is like the other huge hurdle after you've convinced yourself to do one is to convince yourself to post one. And then after you've posted one, make sure you've put yourself in a position to post, um, at the same frequency you've set out.

So I recorded like. Four or six podcasts before I released any, cuz I had no clue how hard it was gonna be to keep a turning backlog of professionals and videos recorded. Um, I don't know if that was necessary. It, what, it's, what made me feel comfortable at the time. Um, but yeah, I'd say if you are interested in doing a podcast.

Grab whatever microphone and or camera you have today and go record one, cuz the first one you're gonna do is gonna be hard and then they'll get easier after that. But um, if you don't, if you don't actually start recording podcasts, You're not a podcaster. So just go do it, go do it because I guarantee you it's easier than what you think it's gonna be.

And there's a billion articles online on how to figure it out. So if you really want it, you can do it. awesome. So I know you're in the, we're gonna change gears a little bit. I just start to kind of wrap things up. You're in the, you're a fire protection engineer you're in that field. So what would you say is the current state of the industry for the fire protection engineering field or the aspiring fire protection engineer?

I'd say I have not in my career experienced a better time, become a fire protection engineer. The industry is absolutely white, hot for career opportunity and a chance to, um, professionally develop and get a good job and have a competitive salary for a good job. So I think that if you have any interest in fire and life safety, and you want to, um, make your foray into the.

Say do it now because the industry is on a bull run. Um, the market's white hot with opportunity. Um, I've never seen it be this good in the last six, six years of being in business. So, um, the industry that even despite the, all of the supply chain disruptions and, um, all of these inherent difficulties with COVID, um, the industry is just.

Chugging away full speed. And I don't know how long that's gonna last. Right now it's incredible, uh, to see the amount of construction that's going on right now and the construction that I've seen, that's, uh, been scheduled for the next, uh, couple years. Um, so, uh, that is what I see happening right now.

Some big topics I see in the industry are batteries. Um, lithium batteries being a big one. Um, You know, uh, what else? Heavy timber construction for like sustainability and kind of environmental impact. That's a huge thing I see right now in the industry, a push on the national scale. Um, yeah, I think a, a big part of thing that I wanna be an advocate for is bringing people into the industry because another trend that I see on the macro level.

A, uh, lack in people coming into the field. I see that the, you know, the program that I came from Oklahoma state produces about anywhere from 40 to 50 candidates a year, and that doesn't even. Scratch the surface of what the industry needs for just FPE like that doesn't even start to, to really, uh, move the needle for, um, what we're gonna need for people getting into fire, alarm, fire, sprinkler, uh, fire protection engineering.

I mean, There's so many jobs and people from my program go into, you know, safety and a lot of other different avenues. So they might go work for a petroleum company or they might go, uh, you know, work for work safety for, um, indu you know, some, a company like international paper or something like that.

Yeah. So, so maybe only. A quarter to a third of those kids are becoming, you know, in the system side of fire and life safety. So it's a huge boom time and it's a super consistent job market. So, um, you know, I would say, please, please, please get involved. There's so much promise and opportunity right now for anybody with competency and it's not too hard to be.

Awesome. Thank you. So we're, we're wrapping up here, um, before we do, is there anything else that you'd like to share or something that you'd like to discuss that we haven't mentioned yet? Feel free to do that now, and then just kind of tell us where, where can people find you? Yeah, I think that, uh, No, as far as topics left.

Um, I think we've covered a lot of good stuff. Um, yeah, just to put a, put a big plug in for the podcast here, uh, fire code tech, you can find it wherever you find podcasts. Like we said before, Spotify, YouTube, apple, Google play. All the above, go find it. Um, there's great topics about, well, whether you like aircraft hangers or fire alarm or fire suppression, or you want some tips and tricks on how to pass your Fe or PE.

There's great information on these podcasts where I get to view interview, uh, professionals like Aaron and people who are absolute leaders in the industry with 30 and 40 years of experience, just given out great, uh, secrets. Not secrets, but just tips and tricks for people to be competitive in the industry.

Also, you can find me on LinkedIn and I'm Gus Gagliardi and, uh, on Twitter at, uh, Gags GU what's G a G Z G U S. So yeah, I think that I've enjoyed the podcast. Aaron, thank you so much for having me and yeah. Would love to do it again. I hope there's another one of these. I hope this becomes an annual gig.

Awesome, man. No, thank you for your words and thank you for sharing and taking your time. So we appreciate it. Thanks a lot, man.

Thanks for listening. Everybody. Be sure to share the episode with a friend, if you enjoyed it, don't forget that fire protection and life safety is serious business. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are by no means a professional consultation or a codes and standards interpretation. Be sure to contact a licensed professional.

If you are getting involved with fire protection and or life. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time.