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May 2012 Blog Posts (16)

Lazy Halyards

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…

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Added by Brian Brush on May 29, 2012 at 1:43pm — No Comments

NATURE'S PLACARDS

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…

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Added by Paul Combs on May 29, 2012 at 9:48am — 2 Comments

REMEMBERING OUR WARRIORS

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…

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Added by Paul Combs on May 28, 2012 at 7:23am — No Comments

METTLE DAY



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…

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Added by Paul Combs on May 25, 2012 at 8:30am — No Comments

The Best Advice

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…

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Added by Jonah Smith on May 24, 2012 at 7:30pm — No Comments

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire

                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…

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Added by Mackenzie-Anne Kelly on May 23, 2012 at 11:30am — 1 Comment

Nothing worth doing is easy.

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…

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Added by Christopher Huston on May 19, 2012 at 10:38am — 3 Comments

EGO ATTACK

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…

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Added by Paul Combs on May 17, 2012 at 4:19pm — 2 Comments

All My Rowdy Friends

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…

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Added by Jonah Smith on May 15, 2012 at 1:12pm — No Comments

Archetype of Self Improvement

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…

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Added by Christopher Huston on May 15, 2012 at 6:30am — No Comments

The Best Nutrition Advice for Firefighters

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:…

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Added by Aaron Zamzow on May 10, 2012 at 6:14pm — No Comments

Two Questions to Ask Yourself

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…

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Added by Jason Hoevelmann on May 10, 2012 at 1:45pm — No Comments

Plan For what you can't control

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

Added by Jonah Smith on May 10, 2012 at 9:23am — No Comments

Our Influence

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”…

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Added by Christopher Huston on May 10, 2012 at 8:00am — No Comments

Personnel Issues

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.

Added by Brent Blamires on May 5, 2012 at 8:26pm — 6 Comments

2012 FDIC Sketchbook

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…

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Added by Paul Combs on May 4, 2012 at 3:30pm — No Comments

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