Jason Barker's Page

    I was blessed with the opportunity to finally attend FDIC. I has been on my to do list for some time. My opportunity to attend was made possible by the leadership and vision demonstrated by my Fire Chief. Indy became FDIC with building high banners and 38,000 Firefighters filling downtown streets, restaurants, and of course spots to "network".

    The heart of the international fire service was FDIC. The streets and buildings were filled with…

The views expressed are those of the author, and do not represent my employer, or other members of the fire service although maybe they should…

Let face facts, this job is not rocket science. Those of average intelligence, with common sense and basic mechanical aptitude can excel in the fire service. Then why have we lost the basic knowledge, skills and abilities to perform our jobs? It can all fall back upon the lost art of…

It was only a drill, but I found myself hung-up, trapped by one of the tools that were supposed to keep me safe. We were performing a low profile exercise as part of a SCBA confidence course when either the glove strap and/or the radio antenna caught on something. I could not go forward or backward, my mask was pulled off and if it were REAL... I was dead; I had trapped myself!…