Jason Hoevelmann's Page

Many times we pass on opportunities to train or learn something although many situations lend themselves to doing so. Look for ways to incorporate the situation or circumstance that you are dealing with into a learning moment. The pictures below are of a company training on aerial ops with a candidate operator.



It was a call for an alarm sounding at a medical building after hours. After looking in the windows and doors and seeing no signs of smoke or fire and with the lock box key…

This week is Safety Week for the fire service and there will be a lot of slogans and banners posted on the numerous fire service websites.  We, as a profession, will blog and instruct on the importance of safety and the initiatives that are part of our fire service culture.

These are all very important and I am not at all implying that these attempts to bring safety to the forefront are not good programs or that the intent is not good.

But, every week this time of year it…

I recently had the distinct honor to present at the Alberta Fire Chiefs Conference in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. My experiences with our Canadian Brothers and Sisters the last two years has been simply awesome! The hospitality is second to none and everyone is always very friendly and they certainly don't skimp on the food!

But, that's not really what impressed me this year. I was asked to present two tracks for their conference; a three hour officer development class and a…

I recently watched a short program about the large, powerful ships that break ice near the poles of Earth for other ships. These machines are enormous and create a phenomenal amounts of power.

Some of the most powerful are powered by nuclear means and can break ice in the oceans and seas as thick as 10 feet. The ships power provides the energy to push and plow through the ice while it's weight and super thick hull do the work and protect the ship from damage.

As the ship moves…