May 2016 Blog Posts (29)

Not many years…

This is the fourth installment in a series exploring the impact of our new understanding of the effects of ventilation on compartment fires, and suggesting modifications to that tactic that incorporate that knowledge.  Rather than fill this space with links, any reader wishing to catch up by binge-reading my prior posts on this topic should start at…

...as if wildfire season wasn't tough enough?!

STAY FIRED UP!

Click here to see more of my work or to order prints:…

STANDING IN THE WAY

For me, as a youngster, the trip to visit relatives on their farm in the Virginia foothills was always exciting. I always thought that my four cousins were so lucky to live in such a special place, where there was never a shortage of exciting things to do. They raised cows and watered them from a claw foot bathtub. Every year they brought…

Dear Supervisors,

I have started to grow increasingly confused and frustrated. This frustration ripples throughout our fire service. It is something I hear from firefighters who work in all parts of the country. It seems lately that…

The fire service is great at remembering anniversaries.  We celebrate when organizations were founded, when we got hired, when we got promoted and when one of our own dies in the line of duty.  It’s a day to reflect and a day to remember.

Yesterday was an anniversary.  Not a good one though.  Yesterday marks three years since I witnessed firsthand a firefighter suicide.  Other guys remembered too.  It caused me to…

We all understand that the extrication of trapped patients from serious vehicle accidents can take time. Commonly, there is confusion about the best rescue method for a particular patient. We…

You can do it. I believe in you. If you set your mind to it, it can be done. I’m proud of you. You did a great job!... These are just a few of some of the phrases that gets us going, some of the things that when we hear we get that “second wind.”

One of…

The Sunday Preach:

"The Introduction"

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned

to repeat it.” —George Santayana (1863–1952).