May 2012 Blog Posts (21)

The halyard is one o f the most ignored pieces of the extension ladder system in use, exposure and maintenance. A ground ladder is a rescue device first, both for our neighbors and our firefighters, untying a halyard to raise a ladder should be framed in these terms.

Very few people are great at untying a knot while wearing gloves, let alone untying a knot which they did…

Wildfire season is already in full swing for many regions, and things look to get much, much worse before the end of this summer. Here's a light-hearted Fire Line look at things to come. Enjoy, and stay safe out there!

To see more of Paul's work, or to purchase prints, please visit…

To all our active, wounded, and retired warriors – and to all who made the supreme sacrifice… THANK YOU!!  Take a moment today to remember what freedom really is, and the blessing that we have as citizens in the USA. Freedom isn't free, and we ALL owe a tremendous debt to those who give, and gave us this…

We all know one - the firefighter/officer so obsessed with advancement that they act, do, and say anything to self-promote their narcissistic agenda. Consequently, it is no surprise that city politicians tend to love these folks because of their willingness to become political puppets.



So, congratulations! If you've made it to the pedestal on the backs of…

I am sure all of us could say we have worked for great officers and for bad officers. I also believe one could advocate that the bad officers teach you more about being a quality officer than the good ones. In my previous department, I had the fortune to work for an officer who was one of the best in the Department. He treated me just like a rookie should be, he gave me a hard time, pushed me to be better, mentored me, and most of all taught me about many parts of the service, especially…

                I started my fire service volunteer career in 2005. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I remember walking in to the fire station across the street from my high school looking for a way to help people and make a difference. I look back upon that experience and I can still smell the food that was cooking on the stove. When I opened the door to the station, I had no idea what would be behind it. I can recall the stares I got as I stood in the doorway lost and waiting to be invited…

Standing there on the asphalt, dripping with sweat and eyes squinting from the noon sun, I think to myself, “Let’s go again.” Most in this world would not even try it once; while a few will stop only by force. The five-story burn tower, in August, at the midday – is not the lazy boy with the A/C on high. For a Firefighter, seeking to out-perform the chemical chain reaction and its affects on the gravity resistance system, it is the most important place to be. Nothing worth doing is…

I'd like to offer some sample scenarios that we've used for some of our assessment center/interview/presentation/oral history/oral resume, etc. courses. I'll have some up soon.  Feel free to post some of your experiences (real or scenarios) that would be a good example of a challenge you may face as a Fire Lt., Captain, B/C, D/C. From initial size-ups to an after action critique and presentation on the event to a community event or a command officers meeting, your daily experiences are…

The real issue for most agencies may be  that there really isn't an attitude or "philosophy" of "development" vs "testing."

If I could have a magic wand, I would create a pipeline to identify, select and groom future leaders... just like you sort of do with those who want to go into a specialty or technological mastery, but we don't do it for leadership. 

I'll try to be better about being here on line.... and would hope you can add some stories, scenarios, success stories or...…

Ego eats much more than brains - it devours everything that is good within your department! Unfortunately the people afflicted with this domineering behavior rarely notice they're the one with the problem. Everyone else, however, can see the shark! Very…

All My Rowdy Friends

While at the "Combat Ready" Class last week many of my fellow firefighters gave me a hard time about some things while we were there, including one of the instructors.  It was a great presentation that I took a lot away from including things that I can implement and live out at all of the fire departments I am associated…

Modesty is a personal trait among many in the Fire Service. Taking the time to view the profiles just in this community you can find this. "Area of expertise: Always a student, expert of none, always learning" are a few examples. There may be those who still "high-five" each other on the front lawn after a good job, but for the most part we are humbled to serve our fellow man.

A…

Today I wanted to piggy-back on my post about inflammation and heart disease (keep the comments and emails coming).  I know that in health and fitness sometimes the best results are obtained from the simplest advice.  So here goes, in my opinion the absolute best thing you can do to lose weight, get healthy, or live a life full of energy is to eat by this ONE RULE:…

I get asked frequently by up and coming firefighters all of the time about what they

should concentrate on in order to be prepared for promotion. Of course, there are the

typical replies about certain types of training and education along with career

development paths. Most are enthusiastic and really into the job and others want an

easy way to a gold badge.

In recent months I have started to offer some new suggestions after witnessing

firefighters jockeying…

Last week, I received notification that I would have an article I submitted to the Carolina Fire Rescue Journal published.  It is a topic that I am very passionate about and feel we all should address.  Here is the link to it on the Carolina Fire Rescue Journal Web site.

Plan for What you can't control

INFLUENCE, every day we have an opportunity to influence those around us. Some days, even if unintentional, the impact of our posture could be negative. Always must we stay vigilant and maintain good attitudes. “Good?” you may be asking yourself. We need to be honest; we are not our best every single day. Although we may strive to, life is dynamic which could keep us from having our best day - everyday. Enter the mighty power of influence. Can you recall a time when you just were in a “blah”…

What is Energy Glass?

ENERGYGLASS™ is the only Optically Clear Building Integrated Photovoltaic Window System in the World.

ENERGYGLASS™ is a patented Optically Clear Vertical Building Photovoltaic Window System that produces continuous Energy from Sunlight, Diffused, Ambient Light and Ground Reflectance and the only 100% FIELD of VISION in the world. The entire surface of the windows is clear – No grids, dots or lines!…

Anyone have any information on rules that all firefighters should follow and obey?  I need them to show my first year firefighters and what is expected of them.

Green Maltese main focus is on building construction however I  also teach alot of search classes as well. So I am going share some of the search drills I have put together. Hope you enjoy and they are useful to you and your crews. They are only meant to be short drills to start kitchen table discussion. In order to get the best out of them please get out and do the hands-on searching application in full PPE and SCBA.…

Well, as promised, I will be posting sketches created during this year's FDIC. I will update this post as I complete the drawings in turn - enjoy! And if you recognize yourself, don't send hate mail - remember, it's all in good fun:)

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

This gentleman had just checked in at the registration desk and was obviously VERY excited…