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Paul Combs's Blog (375)

PRIORITIES


Hey, a man has got to have his priorities, right?

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Added by Paul Combs on February 28, 2013 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

THE EPIPHANY! February Magazine Comentary

A cold, hard February epiphany about firefighter/EMT layoffs and cut-backs.

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Added by Paul Combs on February 15, 2013 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments

SERIOUSLY?



A little Fire Line humor to start your week. Hey, if ya gotta clean the john, you might as well do it the firefighter way!





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Added by Paul Combs on February 12, 2013 at 8:44am — 2 Comments

TITILLATING EXPERIENCE

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller...?  Oh, we've all sat through this class, haven't we?! A class where the instructor reads each word from the never-ending source of dull PowerPoint slides with all the excitement of Ben Stein's character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I feel inspired just thinking about it!



I have often said there are two types of instructors -…

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Added by Paul Combs on January 27, 2013 at 11:30am — 3 Comments

CAR TROUBLE



Carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride, acrolein, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, benzene, toluene, cadmium - these are some of the known carcinogens that are produced during vehicle fires. So why in the world would we attack a vehicle fire without an SCBA?!!



Pack-up, people!

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Added by Paul Combs on January 20, 2013 at 8:52am — 1 Comment

NEED SMOKE DETECTORS?



Smoke detector programs are a great way to help protect your community, assist folks that may not be able to afford them, build trust, and give an overall feeling of goodwill between you and the people under your watch. School programs are another great way to insure that most households have at least one smoke detector hopefully being installed and…

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Added by Paul Combs on January 11, 2013 at 7:00am — No Comments

HEARING, BUT NOT LISTENING

While signing books on Monday during FDIC, a large (pushing 375 lbs) firefighter approached me with his slightly slimmer, but still girthy entourage of three. I extend my hand in greeting, which was met with a chest puffing and the comment "I don't like the way you make fun of big people!" Being taken off my guard by his comment, I respectfully asked if he is a front…

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Added by Paul Combs on January 8, 2013 at 11:30am — 26 Comments

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To all my Brothers and Sisters out there, have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year!!

Paul

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Added by Paul Combs on December 23, 2012 at 8:21am — No Comments

ALWAYS WATCHING... AND JUDGING



"You never know when you're being watched. It's my least favorite part of acting, celebrity."

- Denzel Washington

 

Make no mistake, when you're operating at an incident you are a celebrity. People gather to watch the drama that is unfolding within their neighborhood with admiration, fascination, and curiosity. This is a behavior that has not changed…

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Added by Paul Combs on December 17, 2012 at 12:02pm — 1 Comment

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE


December Fire Engineering magazine commentary.

Click link below to see more of Paul's work or to order prints:
http://www.artstudioseven.com/page-LE_Prints.htm

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Added by Paul Combs on December 11, 2012 at 5:22pm — No Comments

HAZARDOUS CRANBERRIES

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family - may it be a joyous and safe time! Keep less fortunate friends and loved ones in your prayers and be thankful for everything in your life.



...just beware of the canned cranberries!!

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Added by Paul Combs on November 20, 2012 at 7:22am — No Comments

OUT OF POSITION



This is not the time to realize that you should have trained more on aerial ladder operations and tactics - pre-plan your response areas and train on proper placement and quick set-ups! Train, train, train...

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Added by Paul Combs on November 14, 2012 at 10:47am — 1 Comment

VETERAN'S DAY


To ALL our veterans, wounded warriors, and active service members - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

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Added by Paul Combs on November 11, 2012 at 11:31am — No Comments

YOUR TRUE VALUE



This editorial seems very appropriate now that the handshakes and photo-ops are over. Every politician loves a firefighter, especially during an election year!

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Added by Paul Combs on November 8, 2012 at 10:46am — No Comments

SERVING OUR WARRIORS





Shipping out for another USO tour and an opportunity to thank and serve our Nation's Warriors! I will be drawing along side five other incredible cartoonists and look forward to their camaraderie over the next few weeks. I will not be posting during this trip, but will have plenty of stories, photos, and of course, sketches to share when I…

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Added by Paul Combs on October 19, 2012 at 8:01am — 1 Comment

COFFEE MONSTER DRAWING PROCESS

From time to time I get asked how I create my Fire Engineering illustrations. Well, I thought I'd take this month's theme and show you the drawing process.



Every drawing that I do typically starts in my small sketchbook that I carry everywhere. If you seen me at FDIC, you've seen me with this little black book. This is my idea book - where all the things that are bouncing around in my crazy brain get scribbled out before they drive me insane!! Below is the original thumbnail for…

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Added by Paul Combs on October 17, 2012 at 5:00pm — No Comments

COFFEE MONSTER



Getting into the spooky spirit of my favorite time of year!! Watch for full moons and empty coffee pots, everybody:)



Happy Halloween, and be safe out there!

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Added by Paul Combs on October 17, 2012 at 9:30am — 2 Comments

SIZE MATTERS - October Magazine Commentary


Size DOES matter!

Click link below to see more of Paul's work or to order prints:
http://artstudioseven.com/page-fire-ems-prints.htm

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Added by Paul Combs on October 14, 2012 at 10:00am — No Comments

A LESSON FROM 38 SPECIAL



Let's have a show of hands, figuratively speaking... Who likes to be micromanaged and placed under the ever-present scrutiny of a magnifying glass? If you raised your hand, please quietly leave my blog now - I'm sure there's a mega-corporate blog out there in Internetland just for you!



Great leaders lead by placing trust in their subordinates and empowering…

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Added by Paul Combs on October 10, 2012 at 1:24pm — No Comments

LAST TEXT



This illustration is in response to the many letters and emails I've received from followers of my commentary. They state that texting and responding in department vehicles or POVs is becoming very commonplace - and has resulted in a few accidents, as well. To be honest, I'm guilty of doing it myself on occasion. Not while responding, but driving to the station or…

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Added by Paul Combs on September 26, 2012 at 8:23am — No Comments

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