February 2015 Blog Posts (43)

PRE-SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT - Tonight on Fire Engineering Radio Join the Tap the Box guys with host Billy Greenwood and Chief Don DeAngelis as the industry leaders in fire service leadership discuss the leading…

Many departments across the country have a in-house maze for SCBA Confidence training.  These mazes are great for instilling confidence for the brand new fire fighter and maintaining proficiencies for the 20 year veteran.  The issue that I have heard not just in my own department but departments across the county in which I reside is, “I can do this maze in my sleep” statement.  A lot of mazes are constructed modular so different paths can be taken; the maze will also be slightly different…

My friends at Tailboard Training published a new blog post recently. It’s called Ultrahazardous. Everyone in the fire service should read this short piece…everyone from the department chief to the newest rookie, to every person even considering the pursuit…

Working in the fire service has taught me many things. I learned how to become a solid firefighter, a decent cook and learned how to grow tough skin. The one thing I see that many firefighters do is judge others. That is what the fire service is about. From the day you start in rookie school you look around and judge the other candidates. After you get some years under you, you start to judge the other firefighters around you. “He is jam up,” “What was she thinking?” or “That crew is lazy,”…

Just like any other position on the fire apparatus, responsibility and owning your position play a major part in the outcome of the incident or training scenario. We are seeing more and more younger fireman being promoted to the front seat rider as well as young volunteers being forced to ride "shotgun" due to low manpower.…

As I am sitting here at my desk after finishing up daily round of paperwork, daily tour log and browsing the interwebs to kill some time, I sit here and ponder the job. How much I love it, how much I want other brother and sister…

The Sunday Preach



WE BELIEVE...



"Take a good look inside. Why are you here?" pg. 5



We Believe:



~ Like minded individuals enjoy each others company. As such, they often form formal or informal teams.

~Individuals join the team with a series of their own 'similar' yet 'different' personal skill sets.

~Teams need leaders and mentors and coaches and support to recognize and pair the…

A fire at an Iowa feed plant Tuesday demonstrates why firefighters must be cautious and consider the effects of every action when dealing with fires in compartmented areas of manufacturing equipment. Reports stated that a fire occurred within a cooling tower, and upon firefighters opening the tower, the fire flared up.

Fires within pelleting operations are common, especially if a malfunction or power failure causes a disruption in the flow of air or product within the system. Fresh…

It’s no secret that incorporating stress into a training environment has its benefits. It causes us to think and make logical decisions while we are battling increased breathing, heart rate, and auditory exclusion. The first place we can begin this type of training is with new recruits entering the fire service. Incorporating these stressors little by little throughout their practical training in my experience has been the best way to go with a grand finale if you will near the end of their…

I would say there are two questions I field more than any others when it comes to fire streams and apparatus set up. The first is, “How is your engine set up?” and the second, “How would you set up an engine”. I believe most of the time people who ask the first question really want the answer to the second question. So rather than waste the explanation of how an engine is currently set up and what I would change I think it would be best to start with a blank sheet and explain one approach to…

Why Are You A Firefighter?

I was recently invited to speak at the Angola Fire Department Symposium. During the last class of the day which was Leadership: Trust, Love and Thermodynamics, I started off by asking those…

As we pulled out of the firehouse at 0300 hours, the dispatcher informed responding units that they were receiving numerous calls for a serious…

From Captain David Konys

Dealing with manpower issues is a problem that I deal with at the department where I work and where I volunteer.  I am always looking for ways to maximize our manpower and it starts on the training ground.   I usually have a three man engine crew and when we are first in on a working first alarm we are stretched thin, so we have to train to be proficient and everyone knows their roles. We start by talking about what each person’s roles…

VENT LIMITED TEAMS

“It takes two flints to make a fire.” Louisa May Alcott

What’s the condition of our team?

Is our team incipient, smoldering, vent limited, ignited, developing, heavily involved, fully involved or…

In this episode of the Engine House Training Podcast, Kansas City, Missouri Fire Captain Charley Cashen shares his story of survival. Charley was caught in a rapidly changing fire while searching for a victim in the basement of a home in January 2015. Captain Cashen, a 30 year fire service veteran shares his experience, and lessons learned from…

Most departments have internal drama most of it is caused by people who do nothing or people increase the drama to take the pressure off them and make other people look bad. If your department doesn't have internal drama then that is great.

In our career field we endure a lot of stress from incidents where people are at their worst. We see things that normal people don’t see thing.…

Too much? Nah! Who doesn't like a little pop culture parody - and Fifty Shades of Grey was just too juicy to pass on. 



So, what crazy or embarrassing calls have you been on? Share - but please, let's keep it PG rated - just the facts, ma'am.

Click link below to see more of Paul's work or to buy prints:…

“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”

                              -2 Thessalonians 3:13

Don’t get tired of doing the right thing.  That’s what the verse above means, taken at its face.  But to gain a more complete understanding of how it applies to today’s fire service, let’s dig deeper into it, and other verses penned long ago.

First, a little background knowledge.  First and Second Thessalonians were epistles, or letters, written in…

Reputations of fire departments are viewed by people based from many aspects in which each and every member has a part in. The most commonly viewed position of every fire department is of course the Fire Chief and how he/she reacts under certain circumstances. As with any business or corporation, recruitment and retention of quality personnel is one of the…