Episode 14: Jay Comella
The Pipeman Podcast sits down with Capt. (Ret.) Jay Comella, with the Oakland Fire Department (CA), for a wide-ranging conversation about the fire service, engine company operations, and the people and experiences that helped shape his career. Jay reflects on the 1999 LODD of Tracy Toomy, the profound impact it had on him, and how it shaped the direction of the Oakland Fire Department. He also shares stories from the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire, including working alongside salty Vietnam veterans whose wartime experience translated to the fireground, allowing them to call in precision air tanker drops during the firefight.
Jay talks about attending firefighting lectures taught by Andy Fredericks at the burn center in New York to help raise funds for the center. It was through these lectures that Jay first met Andy, beginning a connection that would have a lasting influence on him. The conversation moves into Jay’s work developing hose and nozzle systems and his support for the UL fire attack studies, with much of his own work and experience closely connected to the body of knowledge reinforced by this research.
Jay also reflects on the influence of fire service legends Tom Brennan and Andy Fredericks, including The Book of Andy, Andy’s Father’s Day fire article, and the Rockland County memorial honoring his legacy. It’s a conversation rooted in fire service history, hard-earned experience, and the importance of understanding the “why” behind our operations while continuing to pass that knowledge on to the next generation.
