Jarrett Eleam



Rank: Lieutenant

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Status:…

The importance of having a tool with you can’t be stressed enough.  Besides using it for forcible entry and venting windows or other operational functions, it can save your life.

It should be a habit that every time you come off of the truck for an alarm there should be a tool in your hand.  And take a tool that you can do something with.  Some of the most common tools are the Halligan and a flat head ax. You can take a pick headed ax and/or a sledge hammer, depending on what your…

Here is my January editorial it's interesting because I wrote it about three months ago. It is somewhat timely given our recent tragedy in Chicago. Fortunately I know the Chicago Fire Department very well and I know that they were very prepared and will conduct a very thorough and very complete investigation. But I guess the question is for the rest of us, are we ready if something catastrophic should…

After 30 years in the fire service, the last six as a hazmat tech for the state of Ohio, I thought I was pretty sharp about dealing with hazardous materials.  Then I transferred to the Health Department as an emergency response coordinator.  Then 9/11 happened.  Suddenly I needed to know a whole lot about some things that I knew very little about.  My colleagues at the health department needed to know about response too.  So the die was cast and we forged ahead.

The…

From the Chicago Sun Times:

A 51-year-old veteran Chicago firefighter died after being found unresponsive at his firehouse quarters on the South Side Saturday morning.

 

Lt. Patrick Hannon was given Advanced Life Support care and was taken to Mercy Medical Center where he died, according to Fire Media Affairs Dir. Larry Langford. He was on-duty and was found…

Have you ever been to the zoo and watched the monkeys fling their own poop at each other?

Yeah; some of you already know where this is headed.…

Practical jokes and “ball-busting” have been a part of the firehouse culture for as long as there have been firefighters. It can be fun, it can bring a sense of inclusion and acceptance, it can be a stress-reliever – it’s a healthy part of the firehouse social climate.

Hazing as I define it is…

It is in sadness and with great honor that we as a Brotherhood post a Line Of Duty Death for 2011 from the USFA. Fellow Brother Firefighter Roy Chelsen has made the ultimate sacrifice in love for their fellow man. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Fire Department of New York.



Roy Chelsen



Rank:…

It is in sadness and with great honor that we as a Brotherhood post a Line Of Duty Death for 2011 from the USFA. Fellow brother Firefighter and Fire Apparatus Operator Richard Paul has made the ultimate sacrifice in love for their fellow man. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department.



Richard…

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Note: The opinions stated in this article are based upon the information contained in the relevant links at the end of this article.

Who is Jeffery Wilkes Bassett?

Author? Actor? Jet-setter? Innocent victim?…

There's a trailer out for an upcoming film entitled "First In, Last Out: A History of Fighting Fire in Indianapolis." You can view the trailer HERE. You can also befriend (be-fan?) them on Facebook HERE.

Read Chief Avillo's follow-up to his article in the December Fire Engineering HERE. In it he describes the benefits of breaking out three different radio frequencies to better handle Mayday operations.

Feel free to leave your thoughts about this concept in the comments here.

Since 1928 America's serious firefighters have gathered under the banner of the fire department instructors conference. We are now 70 days away from the 84th FDIC conference. Starting on March 21 three days after St. Patrick's Day will be our annual pilgrimage to Indianapolis where we show our dedication, our resolve and our unrelenting pursuit of mastery of this the worlds most complicated profession.

Some might question my use of the word complicated but they would be wrong they are…