John Mitchell's Page

Here we go again.

By now, we know way too much about the coward with anger management issues who killed a dozen innocent people yesterday at the DC Navy Yard.  I won't repeat his name.

Someone said he never got over "his demons" working at Ground Zero immediately following the 9/11 attacks.  Boy, that sure sucks, eh?

In my opinion, we give these criminals way too much coverage.  They don't deserve our attention.  I'll keep it clean…

Another year has come and gone, and we firefighters have paused to remember the brave 343 who gave their lives on that spectacularly horrific morning in Manhattan.  We re-live the nightmare by peering at images from that crisp morning, reading gut-wrenching stories from survivor families, and admiring the ceremonies, plaques, and walls of remembrance.

It is right that we do this.

And, even without the t-shirts, helmet stickers and seemingly parroted rote…

Ever have trouble pulling out for a run forgetting you left a coffee cup on the bumper?

Yeah, me too. 

In fact, I had this happen several times due to the fact that I couldn’t impress upon a rookie on my crew to make a walk around the engine before it moves. 

After losing a particularly valuable piece of equipment left on the tailboard after a call, I knew I had to…

I read an article by an old acquaintance the other day.  I don't want to identify the author because this is not about the "who", but the "what." 

What a concept.  Here's an excerpt:

“There was a code that said that the coach was always right and you NEVER questioned a coach’s decision in regards to you. Like it or not, you had to respect it. It was not an option!  Sound familiar?  It should!”

“I came up in the fire service at a time…