August 2011 Blog Posts (12)

While many hard-working Americans were busy trying to eek out a living and saving towards their retirement, our elected officials were busy stealing our America’s dream. Hope for a better tomorrow was fading as each new bill was passed in the dead of night and contrary to the majority of public opinion.

You realize that the mess that this country is in is our own damned fault; right?

Of course, I would expect many to disagree because we…

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5,4,3,2,1... Ready? Launch!!



Welcome to the inaugural "The Fire Line," folks!  I'm extremely proud to introduce a fun project that will hopefully bring a grin and maybe a snort or two — this one's just for laughs! Almost everyone is familiar with my biting editorial cartoons, but I'm often inspired to draw something just for fun. No preconceived opinion or point,… Continue

Check out www.averagejakeff.wordpress.com for all my thoughts on the fire service.

 

Also hit me up on twitter @averagejakeff

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Humor is a powerful drug! We use it on a daily basis without even knowing it, and it's a medicine with healing and regenerative effects. At times, the things we talk and joke about in the fire service would seem crass and inappropriate to the general public, but it performs the job of defusing stressful situations in a way that can't…

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I just read Chief Reasons ( Art Goodrich) blog titled "Sudden Separation". It was very touching Chief, and I hope that everyone who reads it takes an important life lesson from it. It reminded me somewhat of Chief Rick Lasky's Pride & Ownership class that I enjoyed several years ago in Myrtle Beach, SC. As any of you who have had a Lasky & Salka class know, they are perhaps the most motivating moments you will ever spend in a classroom anywhere in the United States no matter how many… Continue

Anyone in the fire service understands that their mortality is under assault every time the tones drop.

 

You can be gone in a flash in a flashover, a collapse, a vehicle accident, a fall or in a less violent but every bit as insidious manner such as a heart attack.

 

It can be sudden and without warning and it leaves many to ask the question, “Why”?

 

My brother-in-law George was walking down the hallway of…

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CSTI First Responder Operations Class in Simi Valley message... August…

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We Americans love our Hollywood heroes and icons, and Marvel's latest addition to this culture, "Captain America", fits the bill perfectly. Set in the 1940's, he battles his evil Nazi foes with all the swagger and chiseled abs tensile-town can muster. And being a superhero movie junkie, I watched my favorite childhood comic book hero kick some bad-guy a** with… Continue

I am currently an Intern - Strength and Conditioning Coach at Military and Mountain Athlete in Jackson, Wyoming and will be returning to Northern California in September. Upon returning to California, I plan on doing an observational research study on Wildland Firefighters that will be the foundation of future research and what I have been working towards since entering the fire service in 2005.

I want to change the health culture of the fire service in a way that positively affects…

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A few years ago while working in Fairfax County we ran a website that was based on the two county fire departments and the one city department that ran together on calls everyday. It was MutualBox.com and that site contained information about fires, apparatus, operating procedures, equipment and most important tactical advice and commentary. We were able to get one of the most respected and disciplined fire officers from Arlington County, VA. to write some articles for the site. As I was…

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