July 2015 Blog Posts (58)

When starting off in the fire service today it can be intimidating for the new guy. Being at a university like myself I see a lot of new people in the fire service that have no experience at all or have grown up within your family like myself. As a new guy in the fire service, I advise as being new to it to watch and observe someone who has been in…

Do you want to be Fire Fit?

Sadly most of us are not fire fit!  We have all heard by now how cardiac events are killing more of us than anything else.  Obesity & lack of fitness is stopping us from helping those who need our help.  My goal is to share my story and hopefully encourage you to get fire fit.

That was me nearly 3 years ago. I was eating…

Our collective foundation has been shaken.  Beliefs that have guided firefighters at countless incidents for many decades have been proven incorrect, and the actions based upon them potentially hazardous.  Many of the teachings regarding structural firefighting tactics now require review and revision, and even venerable firefighting texts will need to be rewritten.  Whether you agree or disagree with how the fire dynamics research findings are being implemented, and the final version has…

Don’t be an inbred? Are you kidding me? Well now that I have your attention, allow me explain. When…

The military spends big bucks on drones and other technology to provide valuable intel for planning purposes. In their environment it is critical to be able to gather information in an attempt to reduce uncertainty. Obviously this information is best gathered discreetly. Enter the drone. Able to fly undetected, these futuristic machines can be…

Truck Ops According to Jake - Episode #8

Vent. Enter. Search.

Three words that detonate an adrenaline “explosion” in a truckie!

Sure; squirting water is fun and there are times when positioning the big bores can be pretty demanding, but THAT is mundane, when compared to standing on a roof that is so hot that your boots stick to the tar;…

Scenario – We are actively recruiting firefighters and providing a veterans credit for returning veterans. One of the applicants was injured by an IED amputating his leg below the knee. He is wearing a prosthetic and appears to get around OK. Do we have to hire this veteran?

Discussion – It is an admirable position your department has taken by creating an opportunity for returning…

Firefighters are Never Really on Vacation

Joseph Kitchen, Bath Twp. Fire Department (Lima, Ohio)

     We…

It Only Takes One: The Ego Driven Firefighter

By: Captain Aaron J. Heller

I believe that we in the fire service are truly blessed to live out many a child’s dream. We are still the one profession where people know and understand that our top priority is to help them in their most dire time of need. Collectively we have demonstrated this countless times throughout our storied history and we will continue to write amazing chapters to that in the future. Whether we consider it fortunate…

FIRE AT THE “DOLLAR STORE”

By: Joe Pronesti

In this edition we will look at combating a fire in a “dollar store” type of mercantile building, these buildings sell everything you can imagine and are what I call a “mini big box”. The stock in these stores can be considerable and if in a stand-alone building should hopefully present little tactical challenges to the incident commander; big water, collapse zones, etc. But what about these…

Are you planning for success or for failure?

"The key for the engine company to bring water to

each and every reported and actual residential fire is

several fold and begins with correct behavior. Every

single engine company, from the first arriving to the

last one on the final alarm, must come into the game

with finding and…

Predictability and Performance of Buildings on Fire

When we look at various buildings and occupancies, past operational experiences (both good and bad) give us experiences that define and determine how we assess, react and expect similar structures and occupancies to perform at a given alarm in the future. The theory of naturalistic decision-making forms much of this basis. The Art and Science of Firefighting is predicated on a fundamental understanding of how fire affects a building…

How much is enough?

There has been a lot of talk lately about "shutting down" these so called "keyboard experts".  People call these keyboard experts out and demand their experience on the fire ground and often label these people as inexperienced therefore they should not speak on the subject.  It begged me the…

                As firefighters spend more time in the fire service and grow as professionals, they inevitably gain new interests and take on new knowledge to meet the challenges of an ever-growing industry.  They can develop many different, often specialized skill sets along the way.  Advanced rescue skills such as urban search and rescue, collapse, high-angle, trench,…

See how setting goals, staying motivated, and making small foundational changes can have huge results in Lieutenant Robby Owens, Sr.'s personal wellness story.

My Fitness Story

Some fitness articles and web sites offer suggestions on nutrition to workout programming and everything in between. Often times, the ones offering these…

Despite the irreverent title of this blog entry, I'm a fan of SLICE-RS, the acronym for a step-wise approach to controlling structure fires (See MFA #1 - Unlearning).  This synthesis of fire dynamics research findings and tactics, developed through the efforts of dedicated scientists and innovative fire service professionals, has rendered the process of structural firefighting easier, safer, and more efficient.  And, If you're like most of the firefighters with whom I've discussed these new…

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Warrior Mentality - by David Rhodes

I was disturbed when I heard a fire service leader state that “we need to get rid of…