April 2014 Blog Posts (48)

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I recently sat in on a brief on the new Near Miss Reporting System.  I’ve always been a strong advocate of the Near Miss System since its inception and have used it many times when preparing to teach various topics.  It has a strong history of collecting and providing valuable information to the fire service.  And I’m glad to report that the new reporting system is better, stronger and faster than ever before.  But something struck me during the presentation on the new near-miss…

As a good rule of thumb, cutting vehicle posts within 4 inches of the roofline or 4 inches from the rocker panel, will greatly increase your chances of boron/high strength steel avoidance.…

During the invocation at this years FDIC, Father John Carney compared firefighters to children.  He went on to explain that the qualities shared among children and firefighters was to be trusting, dependant, resilient, honest, sometimes tackless, playful, and to have great imagination.  A firefighters quest for knowledge and…

We all advance at a different pace. Sometimes due to us not being prepared, sometimes just being beat out and other times factors we can't control come into play.



No matter what the reason, use a promotion lost as a learning experience. Not only about the process itself, but where to improve.



Use the time to gain more experience, master the craft and to prove you're the best candidate.



No sulking, no complaining and no…

I’ve been fortunate to be able to help with multiple fire academies in my short career in the fire service, and each class comes with their challenges. The class usually starts with 10-15 people in it and it usually ends with 7-10 students. They drop out due to family issues, academic failures, and practical issues. One of the classes we lost someone who just didn’t want to do the schoolwork. This type of behavior is the stuff that isn’t acceptable. In my eyes, what is acceptable is someone…

Are you suffering from Post FDIC Syndrome? Don’t suffer any longer. Introducing FDIC Spray. Just insert nozzle into the ear and give it a shot. You will be full of passion, commitment, motivation and enthusiasm in no time! But wait there’s more……..…

Well, FDIC 2014 has come and gone and sure enough, no one was disappointed. We had more folks there than ever, there was electricity in the air and learning was nearly off the scale. There’s no other place like it. For me and many others, it’s an annual family reunion. There are a host of men and women I only see once a year and it’s in Indianapolis. For those of you who couldn’t get there, here’s a bit of it from where I…

By Mark vonAppen

"Our standard of performance on defense is to get 11 men to the football on every play," my father would say as he stood before his players to begin the season.  "We have a standard to uphold, and each one of…

I usually take a few minutes on Sunday to get a strategic look at things.  I evaluate the work of the previous week and look at priorities, goals and challenges for the week ahead.  The Sunday after FDIC is a whopper!  So much happens in a compressed time, and I don’t want to miss or lose any of the great opportunities that I was lucky enough to be exposed to or experience.  Here’s a few of the highlights from my week at FDIC:

There is no civil…

One of the great things about the fire service is that we are large in numbers. When you meet someone who is also a firefighter, there's an instant bond and conversation can easily flow. Regardless of how different your departments may be, you still have a lot in common with that person.

I have been fortunate enough to attend FDIC the last 2 years and experience the massive opportunities to talk with other firefighters and do some networking. The classes are great at FDIC, but a lot…

This Hump Day SOS is in honor of Lieutenant Gregory Pickard who posthumously received the Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award today at the Fire Department Instructors Conference.

Courage and Valor are traits are not learned through training. They are not automatically bestowed upon…

Recalling Cowboy

The red phone rang at the fire station with orders from the Fire Chief’s office. A tractor trailer had overturned on interstate 95 and cattle had escaped and were running on the highway and throughout the nearby neighborhoods. The State Police had requested that Lewis “Cowboy” Tunstall respond to round up the cattle.

Cowboy Tunstall was a Lieutenant in our department. He was a farrier…

As many are preparing to make their way to FDIC or are already there, it is important to understand what our roles are as fire service instructors and leaders. Yes, you are both, whether you are an officer or not if you are helping to make the fire service better, you are a leader and instructor at some level.

I was using my knife the other day and it needed to be sharpened. I have an old stone that has sharpened knives for many years.  When you learn how to use that stone and are…

Sunday started out like most other Sundays.

I got up, went to my Room of Reflection and when I was through reflecting, I flushed and proceeded to wash my hands thoroughly with warm water and soap.…

HERE WE GO!!!   It is that time of year again where 30,000 plus like minded progressive brothers converge in Indianapolis.  The trek for many is an annual pilgrimmage. Meeting up with old friends or making new connections within our industry.  The best part of the journey is the stories. All of us have a story to tell.  For most of us FDIC is an opportunity to…