Jonathan Brumley's Page

The excitement that comes with a new apparatus delivery is probably second only to making a nearly impossible stop or rescuing a victim at a structure fire. After months of anticipation, you can't help but drool over flawless red paint, more flashing lights than an Academy Awards' red carpet, and diamond plating so shiny you could shave in its reflection. Add in the fresh…

It's the beginning of your shift on the engine, and you have just finished a thorough check off of your SCBA; after all, that's the most important piece of equipment you will use today. Your gear is set up for flawless donning because you "have that feeling that you're going to make one." A quick glance at the crosslays has the appearance that everything is in order, but you…

A quick search of "ground ladders" on YouTube will pull up dozens of videos showing how to deploy a ladder using any number of methods. Some videos look like they came right out of the academy textbook, some are a bit more non-conventional, and others still show a single firefighter throwing a ladder with so little effort, the ladder might as well have been a paper…

On the recommendation of a friend, I read Lawrence Gonzales' book Deep Survival: Who lives, who dies, and why*. The book…