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Paul Combs's Blog (375)

CAUGHT SNOOZING!



Are you feeling drowsy? Lulled to a sense of slumber by the pleasant handshaking, smiles, and promises of utopia? Have the photo-ops and media exposure left you with an exaggerated state of importance? Well here's a wake-up call: YOU'RE IN FOR A BIG SHOCK, BUDDY!!  Politicians promising everything this side of the moon is as old as... well, politicians. Yes, some are… Continue

Added by Paul Combs on October 27, 2011 at 10:05am — 3 Comments

ARE YOU WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD?

Unlike our favorite Halloween monsters and ghouls, the Toxic Twins are very real, and very deadly! Sometimes they kill quickly using heart attacks as their form of malice, other times they kill slowly in the form of cancer and respiratory illnesses. They are invisible, silent and odorless - and indiscriminate!



Are you wearing your SCBA during overhaul and…

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Added by Paul Combs on October 25, 2011 at 3:21pm — 4 Comments

SIMPLE MATH



I have never been very good at math, but even a cartoonist can solve this equation: ((EGO + PRIDE) x BRAVADO) - MAYDAY TRAINING = TROUBLE!!!



Don't get me wrong, I am all for aggressive tactics and training to keep yourself out of trouble. Understanding building construction, fire behavior, the laws of gravity upon a structure being…

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Added by Paul Combs on October 6, 2011 at 3:30pm — 6 Comments

THE FIRE LINE: Daddy's Little Girl

Oh, the things children repeat!



Like many of you, my child grew up in the firehouse - and this is something that I hope she says with a tremendous amount of pride. The station has been her refuge, playhouse, babysitter, and many times, her entertainment. All too often my daughter hung out in the back room watching TV while we gathered to discuss training, debrief from an… Continue

Added by Paul Combs on September 20, 2011 at 10:02am — 13 Comments

SEPTEMBER MAGAZINE CARTOON

Working two months in advance for Fire Engineering magazine can be a bit tricky with timely material like the cartoon above - especially when the material is so emotionally charged. Funny thing is, working that far in advance I sometimes forget what I've submitted - hey, I'm getting older!! However, when I received my copies of Fire Engineering in the mail today, it…

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Added by Paul Combs on September 12, 2011 at 3:24pm — 9 Comments

A DAY OF REVERENCE AND REMEMBRANCE

 

 

We will never, ever forget you!

 

 

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Added by Paul Combs on September 9, 2011 at 6:38am — 10 Comments

THE FIRE LINE: Goldfeder



5,4,3,2,1... Ready? Launch!!



Welcome to the inaugural "The Fire Line," folks!  I'm extremely proud to introduce a fun project that will hopefully bring a grin and maybe a snort or two — this one's just for laughs! Almost everyone is familiar with my biting editorial cartoons, but I'm often inspired to draw something just for fun. No preconceived opinion or point,… Continue

Added by Paul Combs on August 24, 2011 at 8:11pm — 10 Comments

AUGUST MAGAZINE CARTOON

Click image for larger view.



Humor is a powerful drug! We use it on a daily basis without even knowing it, and it's a medicine with healing and regenerative effects. At times, the things we talk and joke about in the fire service would seem crass and inappropriate to the general public, but it performs the job of defusing stressful situations in a way that can't…

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Added by Paul Combs on August 18, 2011 at 5:00pm — 2 Comments

REAL AMERICAN HERO





We Americans love our Hollywood heroes and icons, and Marvel's latest addition to this culture, "Captain America", fits the bill perfectly. Set in the 1940's, he battles his evil Nazi foes with all the swagger and chiseled abs tensile-town can muster. And being a superhero movie junkie, I watched my favorite childhood comic book hero kick some bad-guy a** with… Continue

Added by Paul Combs on August 8, 2011 at 11:13am — 2 Comments

JULY MAGAZINE CARTOON: GOVERNMENT TO THE RESCUE!



Hope you weren't too dependent on all those grants!



 

 

 

 

To see more of my work, visit:…

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Added by Paul Combs on July 29, 2011 at 7:24am — 2 Comments

BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS

 

When I was a kid, I would see a fireman and instantly see a person of authority and respect. Not being raised in a fire service family, that respect came from their uniform and job - not to mention that BIG red truck! As a matter of fact, when I was four, our home burned one winter evening and I remember a fireman coming over to console my parents and even…

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Added by Paul Combs on July 26, 2011 at 9:00am — 6 Comments

PREDATORS ARE LURKING ABOUT

Look-out folks, the 9/11 predators are out in force!!! They are selling everything from "commemorative" ball caps to stickers, patches, posters, helmets, t-shirts, t-shirts, t-shirts, and t-shirts! Some say they're selling these items for a charitable donation (and that's fine) - but please check their true intentions before buying. Verify the charity, if you can. I…

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Added by Paul Combs on July 18, 2011 at 8:41am — 9 Comments

Too BIG



...and sometimes I just feel the need to be silly!!  I do find it humorous to walk the streets of Indianapolis during FDIC and see the sea of hulking SUV's lining the parking lanes and garages. I'm just glad the Hummer craze didn't catch on in the fire service - oy!

 

 

 …

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Added by Paul Combs on July 7, 2011 at 3:56pm — 9 Comments

OUT OF TOUCH

If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, then this technology intrenched generation of youth is from the center of Pluto! Old-school thinking and marketing will be the death knell of today's fire service, especially in the volunteer sector with we don't learn to be creative in our recruiting methods.

 

How is your department coping with these…

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Added by Paul Combs on June 24, 2011 at 2:00pm — 6 Comments

TOUGH TALK - JUNE MAGAZINE CARTOON

 

The kind and gentle approach doesn't work any more - so perhaps the current day Smokey needs an image adjustment! This is just a suggestion, of course:)

 

 

 

To see more of my work, visit:…

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Added by Paul Combs on June 17, 2011 at 2:23pm — 6 Comments

FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER

If you carry a cell phone these days, you carry a camera and video recorder, too. Technology has made life recordable, anywhere, anytime, even when it's inconvenient or inappropriate! Take a moment to notice bystanders on your next MVA or structure fire; my guess is you'll see plenty of cell phones out recording our every move. This is the technological world we live…

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Added by Paul Combs on June 14, 2011 at 7:30am — 7 Comments

FDIC Video Interview

Check out my interview at this past FDIC. Link below...

FDIC Interview

Added by Paul Combs on May 31, 2011 at 1:00pm — 7 Comments

YESTERDAY"S HERO - MAY MAGAZINE CARTOON

 

 

 

Added by Paul Combs on May 23, 2011 at 8:20pm — 1 Comment

HIS JUST REWARDS!



The mastermind of 9/11 is dead! And though it will never erase our memory of that horrible day or bring back friends and loved ones, or 343 of FDNY's bravest - it's a small piece of delayed justice. Seventy two virgins in Heaven? I think not!





 

 

To see more of my work,…

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Added by Paul Combs on May 3, 2011 at 10:48am — 9 Comments

THE BEST MEDICINE

 

I just spent the most incredible week drawing and talking with our Nation's finest! Nope, not fire service personnel, but Sailors and Marines in San Diego. I was honored to take part in a Navy sponsored NCS/USO trip where we visited the USS Peleliu (an aircraft carrier), Naval Fleet Weather Center, Military Hospitals and VA wards, and participated in a panel…

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Added by Paul Combs on April 30, 2011 at 10:53am — 3 Comments

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