Michael Finney's Blog (8)

Fire instructors play a critical role in the development of firefighters. When the recruit begins training, their first exposure to the fire service is the instructor. That experience can often determine the firefighter’s view of training and future classes. Looking back through one’s career in the fire service, or life in general, it is easy to pinpoint teachers and instructors who have made a great impact. What were some of the characteristics of these instructors? What was it about them that… Continue

Whether you are currently an officer, or aspiring to be one, understanding your strengths and how they apply to your leadership is important. We will spend several weeks delving into the strengths you bring to an organization. Based on the book Strengthfinders 2.0, this informal course is an opportunity to interact and engage your findings from the book. The key is the application. How do you begin to apply what is learned? We will investigate ways to apply the findings to your department. To en… Continue

As many of you know, we here in the Cincinnati area experienced the loss of two of our own. Channel 9 here has initiated a Appreciation Day for firefighters on April 17th. Let's not let this be an isolated event. I believe this could be a time to, not only express appreciation to those who serve, to to expand awareness of firefighter safety. Get your community involved! If you do something for April 17th, please post it here to let everyone know of ways to become active in their community. Here… Continue

NOTE: Anyone can attend

Cost:$100.00

Dates: April 25, 2008 (1pm-5pm EST) and May 2 (1pm-5pm EST) This seminar is divided into two sessions.

Bombings, attempted bombings and bomb threats can cause extreme disruption, fear, and even panic in organizations whose personnel are not trained to handle such situations. Inappropriate and costly management decisions are often made due to a lack of organizational planning and a methodology for handling bomb threats… Continue

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We are now beginning to take enrollment for Daniel Sharon's Seminar on Bomb Threat Planning and Management (8 hour class). I wanted to give you advanced notice to notify your departments and people you believe would benefit from the class. The course description is as follows:

About the Class...
Bombings, attempted bombings and bomb threats can cause extreme disruption, fear, and even panic in organizations whose personnel are not trained to handle such situations. Ina… Continue

After much work and rework (well and more rework), we've finally begun to map all the fire departments on Google Earth. Now you can download the file, open it in Google Earth (or Google Maps for that matter) and view the departments on theFireWiki.org. The link to find out more or to download the most recent map, paste the link here into your browser:

http://en.thefirewiki.org/index.php?title=Explore_Fire_Departments_of_the_World
We are adding departments daily, so check back o… Continue

One of my greatest passions, is training. The key, to me, is ensuring that the person on the ground, on the nozzle, or on the engine, has the resources and information they need to be safe. This is why I started the Open Fire Academy (www.openfireacademy.org) and theFireWiki (www.thefirewiki.org). The concept is that greatest good and the most accurate information is built in a community setting. As well, both provide the ability to update information in real time. To ensure that our knowledge b… Continue