All Blog Posts (3,147)

We are reading more and more situations where firefighters are getting reprimanded, suspended, and in some cases fired for what is being shared and posted on-line. It's a brave new world of social media horizons and we must realize that all actions have potential consequences - whether intentional or not.



Be careful what you post, brothers and…

...because what's life without a little Halloween silliness!



STAY FIRED UP, and keep it spooky.

One of the more powerful sentiments I have been hearing and reading in response to suggested firefighting tactical improvements is that it is understood and expected that firefighters risk their lives in the course of their work, and that they need to put their self interests behind in order to save lives and property.  Essentially, the “suggestion”, typically provided in an admonishing tone, is that anything that gets in the way of interior operations constitutes…

What about the E in V.E.I.S?

With all of the arguments regarding VEIS versus VES, it seems that we have forgotten about the “E”. Let’s talk first about mnemonic's. I’m not the biggest fan of them because my personal belief is that if you need a checklist to do your job you should probably become more engaged in your job. Do you need a checklist to do your side…

The Sunday Preach:

Trust your instincts...

Departments that have standpipe equipped buildings should put serious thought into choosing a standpipe pack.  The "we've always done it this way" mentality should not be a guiding factor.  There are multiple different options for standpipe packs. Some are good, some are bad.  Even the good ones have their positive and negative attributes.  

There are a few attributes you want to consider when deciding what fold to use.

1. Lightweight - There is no one size…

“Jacks of all trades and masters of all”.  As firefighters, our charge is to ensure we live up to this incredible responsibility.  The vast array of highly specialized disciplines we must not only comprehend but also more importantly, be proficient with is no easy task.  Being an officer does not make them the very best at everything.  What do you think happens?  A firefighter wakes up the day of their promotion, puts on a light blue shirt and all of a sudden has a higher power of…

The fire service’s sensei has passed from this earth, having left us smarter, safer, and kinder.  Chief Alan Brunacini was a leader on many fronts, while remaining disarmingly, yet sincerely, humble.  Probably the best evidence of the range of his impact and influence will be the plethora of stories you will read from those who had the good fortune to cross his path and benefit from his wisdom.  My direct contact with him was meager, yet he provided me with substantial guidance…

Back in the early 1990s, the Pittsburgh Pirates had Barry Bonds, Bobby Boniilla and Jay Bell and we affectionately here in Pittsburgh, admired them as our “Killer Bs”. And later in the 1990’s, the Houston Astros also were known to have the “Killer Bs”, with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell at the center of attention then. I am at the tail end of the baby boomer generation and I’ve always said that my generation yielded some of the best sports players of all time. I joined the fire service as…

When I entered the fire service twenty years ago things were much different than they are today. We must ask ourselves, why are things different? We have to stop our backward slide or the fire service, as we know it, will die. When I began my fire service career, I had a lot of people that were willing to help me and wanted me to succeed. I've worked with…

Warning: Firefighting is a dangerous occupation. You will be exposed to low visibility and high heat situations. You will be expected to perform with professional athletic performance at the sound of a bell. No warm up. No do overs. No disappointed fans. This is life or death. “That’s no line man.”

Standard. Noun meaning “a level of quality or attainment”.  

Fire departments across the United States have physical fitness standards that must be met to hire on.…

Webster’s Dictionary defines Tunnel Vision as:

• constriction of the visual field resulting in loss of peripheral vision
•   extreme narrowness of viewpoint : narrow-mindedness; also : single-minded concentration on one objective

In the Fire service, we often associate “tunnel vision” with the narrowing field of view during an incident based on a…

Placards are used to help us identify what a vehicle is hauling. They usually have a corresponding number in the ERG to let us know what to do when we encounter the corresponding material.

However would you be surprised to know that people have placards too? Would you even be further surprised to know YOU have…

Read any NIOSH report and failure to do a 360 is usually mentioned as a contributing factor. Unfortunately this has turned the 360 into a check box item rather than something to do in order to gain the entire fire ground picture. I have personally seen critical issues missed on structures due to the first in officer omitting the 360.

This leads to the question, What to look for on a 360? People teach various methods and I have one that was taught to me that is simple to remember, easy…

Whenever we hear about a major tragedy in our nation like a terrorist attack, shooting, or natural disaster, our minds go right to the safety and protection needs of those who are affected. As a nation, we grieve their pain and suffering. The most recent tragedy is no different, as America woke up to hear news of a massive…

Disclaimer: I am not a trained physiologist, licensed therapist, experienced marriage counselor, nor wise in the ways of relationships… I'm barely housebroken! So, posting an illustration about marital matters is more than a little uncomfortable for me, especially since my perspective here is from the robot's point of view. I am an introvert, reserved and awkwardly…

When you examine the cause of litigation in the fire service there is one important fact that we need to address. We sue ourselves internally as opposed to be sued by outside sources with the following statics obtained from Curt Varone’s website.

• A fire department is 9.1 times more likely to be sued by a subordinate than by our customers: A fire chief is 12 times more likely to be sued by a subordinate than by a…