All Blog Posts (3,145)

10 Ways to Achieve Better Work-Life Balance

            It seems the only way to get ahead in our profession these days is to get behind at home. I find that I am guilty of living my life in the hamster wheel of “business as usual.” Many articles and books have and are being written about finding a healthy work/life balance. It is a widespread problem that continues to elude people, especially those of us…

Promoting Your Fire Department on a Zero Budget

Joseph Kitchen, Bath Twp. Fire Department (Lima, Ohio)

            If your fire department is like mine, the budget is most likely tight. For the last decade or so, we are all trying to do far more with less funding.  Money for “extra”…

Periodically, the fire service blogosphere will feature a rant from one of us about such topics as the need to keep rescue as our primary function, face risks bravely, and/or generally uphold the traditional values of our calling.  These essays are usually wide-ranging, passionate, and very popular.  I also typically find myself agreeing with much of the sentiments that the writers are conveying, as I suspect most other readers do, even those messages that begin with some version of the…

What Does Vacant Mean?

by David Rhodes…

If you have ran many entrapments, there is a high probability that you have experienced a trapped foot or two. Even with a dash displacement completed, many times the feet are still stuck in or under the pedals. So what are our options? 

 Hydraulic Cutters-too large, space too…

They are questions that are often asked by both those wishing to be a firefighter and by those trying to understand why someone would be a firefighter: what does it take and why do you do it?

I will often reach back into my past and resurrect some of the mental tools that I used during my time as a firefighter. It is a characteristic that is so ingrained into your being that it is yours’ to be used for the rest of your…

We are committed to the job of firefighting

We are the ones who dreamed of being a firefighter

We are the ones who bring passion to our work

We are the believers in the traditions of the fire service

We are the ones who take pride in our job, our tools, our actions and our department…

For quite a few years now, “doing more with less” has been normal operating procedure for most fire departments across the United States, regardless of the location or make-up of the department. Budget restraints have hindered staffing of career departments, and the increased commitment and requirements on volunteers has taken a drastic toll on retention rates. Firefighters everywhere must now take steps to do the same job with the same level of pride and effort, but do it with fewer…

The Sunday Preach:

Clean Up

Cancer has seen a dramatic spike in the fire service. It is increasing effecting our fire service brethren; regardless of race, creed or gender. Having friends and family who struggle and have succumbed to cancers deadly grasp, it is devastating, debilitating and taken many good men and women far too soon. 

Always keep your composure when dealing with the public. There may be times that they may be upset with your performance. Remember they have no idea how we work, so a simple explanation in a calm manner will defuse most incidents. Above all do not lie, give factual information and if you are unsure contact the BC they will get answers. Kill them with kindness.

Fitness testing – a necessary Good?

Back in 2009, I was 45, had served 22 years as an Operational Firefighter, and was (JUST) passing the one mandatory fitness test a year to stay employed.

This was a bleep test, and I needed to hit 8.0 to pass it, but could look…

When I finished Firefighter I, I thought I knew it all.  After all, I had been around firehouses since I was a kid.  I was a fire explorer and I lived and breathed the fire service.

I continued on with classes.  At that time it was more to pad my resume than “really” learn stuff.  Not to say I didn’t learn new things, but I thought I knew everything I needed to know.

Sadly in retrospect,…

On the heels of the somber occasion today at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, where 87 firefighters and fire officers names were added to the monument in Emmitsburg Maryland, we pause and reflect, in their honor and sacrifice. 



While we must never forget their sacrifices, we must also make a commitment to better ourselves in so much that their sacrifice is not in vain. Whether that may be a personal commitment to fitness, a…

How can one become a good firefighter? What is a good firefighter? If someone wants to be a good firefighter do they have to go take a bunch of rescue technician classes, become a smoke diver, or a hazmat specialist? I think if one wants to become a good well rounded firefighter; then they need to master the basics.

In my opinion you need two things to be really good on the fire ground and they are common sense and knowing the basics of whatever it is you do. If it’s at the…

Gaining the Readership Edge is not about spending time with your nose in the latest trade journal. Sure they all offer great information, with many great writers who have invested lots of time and effort putting pen to paper to educate others. No what we are talking about in Gaining the Readership Edge is the ability to take that book knowledge and applying it to the real-world.

We all know that in competitive sports, second place is the first loser.  Athletes (amateur or…

     Have you ever been questioned by an elected official, fire board member, or the general public about what you do and how you do it? Does this sound familiar in any way…”Why do you need four firefighters on every fire truck?...Where does all that money in your budget go? Why do you need this expensive equipment, apparatus, facility, station, etc? Or, how about this one, “I called 911 for an ambulance and a fire truck with a bunch of firefighters showed up…

By: Joe Pronesti

While watching a recent replay of a FDIC webcast Lt. Ray McCormack of the FDNY was emphasizing the need to “dig deep” into NISOH reports and I paraphrase here, utilize them in your department’s structure and response. I immediately recalled a fire my department experienced recently that should be considered as a close call and how if my department as a whole would have heeded McCormack’s advice how we may not of gotten as close as we did to a potentially serious…

Recognizing Suicide Warning Signs in Firefighters and EMTs

Behavioral health is a key component of an overall firefighter health and wellness program. Unfortunately, it is a difficult subject to discuss – many factors affect a firefighter’s ability to understand when a fellow brother or sister is suffering, but that does not make it any less critical an issue.

By far, the number one comment…

Perception has a few different meanings.  For the basis of this blog, I am referring to it as “a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.”

Reality on the other hand is something very different.  It is defined as “The world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an…

Question. I am a firefighter with a ponytail. Can my employer make me trim it or cut it off?

Answer. The short answer is the employer can create a grooming standard and create an exception based on gender. There has been a lot of controversy related to the “right” to display tattoos, piercings, beards, hair length, coloring your hair a bizarre color and other personal displays of…