All Blog Posts (3,119)

An excellent article by Annie Linskey in today's highlights firefighting tactics. The story revolves around the fire reported.

Some highlights:

• An air horn blasted. It was another warning to evacuate. The men got out so quickly they left their hoses in the tower. Less than a minute later, the church steeple collapsed.
• It was unlikely that firefighters could have done anything to save the church,…

Never being particularly fond of PPE, my opinion used to be "if it happens, it happens." I've got a booster line, two guys who have been on the job forever and these fires are a dime a dozen. Push comes to shove I spend a little time in the burn unit at MUSC (There's no longer a burn unit).

Then one day, while training at the drill tower with PPE on, an ember went down my back because I wore my collar in much the…

“I think I taught you how to be instructors, but I don’t know if I taught you how to pass the state test.”  This is what I told my class of fire instructor students at the end of the course today. It’s a shame, really, when you think about it.  

For the past number of weeks, I have been pouring my time, mind, and heart into the course, trying to make it informative, relevant, and useful.  I have taught them…

Everybody knows you need water to control fire. (And, by “everybody”, I mean firefighters, scientists, politicians, civilians, immigrants, elementary school children, your spouse and kids. Everybody.) That’s why fire apparatus are primarily designed around the need to quickly transport water to the location of a fire, engineered as they are with the capacity to carry a booster tank, hose, pump, appliances, and the personnel needed to put it all to work. It didn’t take a series of high-tech…

This Tuesday's election, like ALL elections, will have a tremendous impact on local, state, and federal issues that affect your daily life, as well as fire/EMS service operations. Whether you are Right, Left, Tea Party Republican, Blue Dog Democrat, or somewhere in between, exercise your right to make a difference, and vote! 



STAY FIRED UP, and if…

As leaders, how we respond to circumstances is determined by our attitude and is a direct reflection of our character. Put another way, attitude is the bridge between our circumstances and our character. That bridge can be well built with a good attitude or awaiting catastrophic failure with a bad one. 

We should make every attempt to avoid letting our circumstances dictate our attitude.This is easier…

Fear is a lousy motivator for persons who have joined an organization that routinely confronts danger, especially when, for some, that danger was itself a motivator to join. Now, I am not suggesting that firefighters care less about themselves than your average citizen; just that they generally put the wellbeing of others ahead of themselves. This helps them face hazards that, without such a focus, would cause your average human to turn - if not run - away. Of course, we are also trained and…

STAY FIRED UP, and stay focused, stay dedicated, stay passionate, and prepare for "when it gets real" - because it will!

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For the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege to volunteer at the annual Memorial Weekend sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. From 1998-2000, I worked on a logistical crew moving stuff all over the campus in order to re-set the place for the in-coming families, their grief sessions, ceremonies, etc.…

The Blame Game



​The fire service is an occupation that can literally at times dictate life or death. Structure fires, extrications, medicals as well as a whole host of other emergencies that place us dead center in the middle of stressful situations. Over time it’s human nature that we become numb or to think the calls in which we respond are no longer taxing. This may be how we view our daily…

Thomas Jefferson once said, “With great risk comes great reward.”  There are numerous rewards and incentives of being a firefighter. We are revered and respected members of our communities, the emotional rewards are boundless, and we are granted a lifetime membership into a brotherhood that is linked to firehouses all around the world.  But, as with most things in life, great rewards are often generated from great risk.  In order for something to be classified…

STAY FIRED UP, and don't mess with the coffee!

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October magazine illustration.



STAY FIRED UP, and stay dedicated to the craft!

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Recently, I found myself in the unenviable position of Incident Commander at a house fire that resulted in a civilian fatality. We arrived to find heavy fire from multiple rooms and witnesses telling us that people were inside. An aggressive interior attack and search operations were begun with the 2 first arriving units and supplemented with later arriving companies. One victim was pulled unresponsive from the home and transported by the ambulance provider. The individual later died, the…

In case you missed some of the news stories, this week of October 7^th is National Fire Prevention Week. There’s a lot of history behind this week. I encourage you to read how and when it all started. Many fire stations nationwide hold open houses, provide station tours, respond to requests of visiting this school or that school and for some, at the end of the week, those events are tucked away until next year. I’ve stated as well as many others have, that Fire Prevention…

This month a vehicle fire video out of Kenner, Louisiana was circulated on a number of social media pages including Fire Engineering https://www.facebook.com/58419320350/posts/10156655908095351/ and Stop Believing Start Knowing (SBSK)…

The brotherhood of the fire service is unparalleled, understood only by members of this exclusive club.  Firefighters train alongside each other, rise through the ranks, and entrust our lives to each other’s hands. We understand without explanation what other firefighters are experiencing, even when located halfway around the world.  We know the rush of adrenaline when the pager goes off, comprehend feelings of pride and accomplishment, and understand…

In the 17 years that have passed since the horrible events of September 11^th, 2001, nearly 10,000 heroic firefighters, police officers, EMTs and others who rushed to Ground Zero in the hours, days, and weeks after the attacks have been diagnosed with cancer. More than 2,000 deaths have been connected to a range of 9/11-related illnesses and cancers caused by…

September 20, 2018

I can't tell you how often I have heard, "This is the way it has always been done." Does this mean they are unable to make any other decisions when faced with an emergency?

Every firefighter wants to be a good firefighter but sometimes we must ask ourselves, is good enough really good enough? Let’s talk vacant structures for a second, is a vacant structure vacant because you know nobody has lived in it for weeks or months and it looks run down? The answer…

Contrary to the action-oriented, fix-it, can-do attitude of firefighters that make us so effective in most fire suppression and rescue situations, sometimes the best thing we can do to protect the lives and property of those we are sworn to serve is let some things alone. What makes this “hands-off” approach even more difficult is that the tactic I am here addressing - Ventilation - is one that we had been taught and believed was not only helpful and necessary, but a priority for…