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4 Firefighters Injured in Toronto (Canada) Fire

Four firefighters were injured fighting a six-alarm fire in downtown Toronto. From CTV.ca news:

Four firefighters have been injured while fighting a massive blaze near the Ryerson University Campus in downtown Toronto on Monday morning.

Emergency crews were sent to battle the six-alarm fire just after 4 a.m. at the site near Yonge and Dundas Streets, one of Toronto's busiest…
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Added by Fire Engineering on January 3, 2011 at 9:30am — No Comments

Debate in the Virtual Fire House

Over the years, fire service websites have marketed their sites with the idea that they are bringing the fire station to the firefighters; that they are creating a virtual place where firefighters from all over the world can bring their firehouse

kitchen to your firehouse kitchen; a fantastic concept.

Why do I mention the kitchen? Well;…

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Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on January 2, 2011 at 12:39pm — 2 Comments

Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department to Reduce Staffing

A report from the Los Angeles Times reads, in part:

 

The Los Angeles Fire Department will impose a new round of reductions in fire staffing starting Sunday, part of its effort to slash expenses in a bad budget year, department officials said this week.


Fire Chief Millage Peaks said the department will decrease by seven…
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Added by Fire Engineering on January 1, 2011 at 9:17am — 1 Comment

IS THE CIRCUS IN TOWN?

 

Yes, these are all real life head-lines inspired from this past year! As if public relations wasn't hard enough, we invite this mayhem into our lives and firehouses with our own actions. Trust me, after years in the news industry I can tell you that a head-line speaks volumes towards public perception (after all, who reads or listens to the story, right?).…

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Added by Paul Combs on December 31, 2010 at 9:00am — 4 Comments

Buffalo (NY) Firefighters Injured in Fall Through Floor in Vacant Structure

According to the Buffalo News:

 

Three Buffalo firefighters fell through the floor of a burning vacant house in the city's East Delavan-Fillmore section Wednesday night, and

two of them were injured and taken to the hospital, fire officials

reported.

The injuries in the blaze at 145 Mohican Ave. were described by fire officials at the scene as "non-life-threatening." The

nature of the fire is being described as…

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Added by Fire Engineering on December 30, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments

Plan B





I have noticed that many of my stories, and those of others have a happy ending because of a "Plan B."  What if Plan…
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Added by Peter Lupkowski on December 29, 2010 at 4:30pm — No Comments

In Search of Bigfoot

Apparently, it has become our mission as grandparents to provide our grandson with the Christmas season’s hottest toy.

Many of you will remember the great Zhu-Zhu shortage of…

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Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on December 29, 2010 at 3:06pm — 6 Comments

Christmas and the Empty Chair

Dedicated with utmost respect to Chicago FD, Firefighters Edward Stringer and Corey Ankum, their families and friends.

It’s Christmas Day and there is an empty chair.

It might be a favorite chair in the family room. It might be the chair at one end of…

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Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on December 25, 2010 at 12:18pm — No Comments

You Are What You Read

In between discipline, training, planning, and WOW actual calls it occurs to me that we have some down time that we could responsibly fill with knowledge enhancement activities.  Do you like that?  A new acronym KEA.  Yeah, what the heck does that mean?  Let's call it reading.



It doesn't make a difference if it's printed matter, blogs (thank you dear reader),…
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Added by Peter Lupkowski on December 21, 2010 at 10:22pm — 2 Comments

The Day the Passion Died

Did you feel that this morning?

Don’t by coy.

The tones dropped and you didn’t make the call. Before the first truck could announce “in service”, you were already fabricating your excuse.

But, we know what’s going on, don’t we?

That adrenaline rush that once propelled us to “firefighter of the year” is only a gooey mess of poor descriptions of what is now poor performance.

There was a time not so long ago that you felt like your little village needed…

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Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on December 19, 2010 at 9:51pm — 8 Comments

Lyfe Pulley System

Hello to all, we just got a Pierce Lyfe Pulley sytem and been looking some ideas on how others are using it. The Pierce book does use it at 500# anchor back to the turn table and 250# anchor away from the truck. My question is why does that have an affect on anything? In the past on other areials we would use the top fly section (without the escape tip) to rig mostly a change of direction. Does the same principle apply to them as well? I do know using the top fly instead of the escape…

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Added by Stephen Holloman on December 19, 2010 at 10:01am — No Comments

DECEMBER MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION

Leaders: Why should we expect to retain the quality people we have if we don't give them a reason to stay? Your people are your most valued asset - train them, motivate them, and give them the gift of fulfillment that only the fire service can give! If not, then don't be surprised when…

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Added by Paul Combs on December 14, 2010 at 9:30am — 4 Comments

Try Fueling Your Trucks With Broken Promises

Is a broken promise nothing more than a lie?

I believe that it is, even when you factor in “intent”.

When you make a promise, it is not your intent to break it, but it has the same end result as a lie when you fail to deliver on a promise.

To the person to whom the promise was made, it feels like a lie. It’s the same feeling of betrayal, isn’t it?

What about the motivation for the promise?

Was there ever the intent of…

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Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on December 13, 2010 at 7:00pm — 2 Comments

Pass It Forward

Some training partners and I recently had the opportunity and honor to travel to rural Missouri to help with some safety and survival training. It was a one day event on a Saturday and the department and area that we were in is staffed solely with volunteers. We realized very quickly that these men and women were eager and a little anxious at the same time about this series of drills.

My background in the fire service started in a volunteer department and I am still very involved with…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on December 9, 2010 at 9:49pm — 1 Comment

1999: A December To Remember

Note: Chief Mark Wessel of Keokuk, IA Fire Department is to the left. I am to the right.

December, 1999 delivered a major blow to our brotherhood of firefighters.…

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Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on December 9, 2010 at 7:08am — 2 Comments

SCROOGED!



As I was reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol last week, it came to me that the lessons learned in this classic tale apply to many facets of life - especially in the fire service. And just as the three ghost that haunted Ebeneezer Scrooge that Christmas Eve opened his eyes to what was, is, and will be, so could they warn… Continue

Added by Paul Combs on December 8, 2010 at 9:58am — 8 Comments

The What, Where and Why of the First Line

Nothing does more to improve safety on the fireground than correctly stretching, positioning and using the first attack line (sorry Truckies). The question is, do we take our most effective life and property saving skill for granted? Do you know the WHAT, WHERE & WHY before and/or during the initial attack line stretch? This post asks these questions and offers some discussion to the most fundamental fireground tactic.



1. Does the first line always have to go through… Continue

Added by Matt McDowell on December 6, 2010 at 2:52pm — 1 Comment

PA Governor Torpedoes Firefighter Cancer Bill

Governor Rendell defended his decision to veto this legislation as “too costly”.

Read the story here: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/11/rendell_vetoes_bill_to_expand.html

I support prudent oversight of tax money, but it unnerves me when I see how tax money is frittered away on low priority expenditures and then, when legislation that is both good policy and good… Continue

Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on November 30, 2010 at 12:47pm — 2 Comments

LETTER REQUEST FOR DONATIONS OF OLD, USED, 2ND HAND FIRE HELMETS, TURNOUT GEARS, BOOTS,SCBA PACKS & MASKS AND FIRE & RESCUE EQUIPMENTS.

Good Day,

I’m Stephen Eric P. Chua from the Philippines, me and my group ( 20 persons ). from all walks of life are all volunteer members of our peace & order council in our local community involve in various activities such as, peace keeping, emergency response team ( medical or calamity), and other volunteer works including fire fighting in our local community. We serve as an auxiliary group when needed by our Barangay (Local Community) Captain or Chairman.

As part of it all, we… Continue

Added by Stephen Eric P. chua on November 30, 2010 at 10:47am — No Comments

Lift Up the Laid Off

Often times, I will get an idea for a blog from something that I have heard or read. At the very least, it will give me pause to ponder some of the more obscure issues of the day and to my own bewilderment, wonder why it isn’t a more compelling story.

The other morning, as I was driving into work, I heard on the radio that many who were donating to food pantries last year at this time, were CLIENTS of those same food pantries THIS year. Those who were giving were now getting, so to… Continue

Added by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on November 24, 2010 at 10:55am — 1 Comment

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