August 2014 Blog Posts (41)

Here's a quick tip on avoiding problems making a cut at the top of the B-Pillar.  The seatbelt height adjuster is another reason that you should always peel off the interior trim prior to making a cut.

The seat belt height adjuster can be found on the B-pillar and even the C-pillar depending on the type of vehicle. Much like a seat track adjuster, the…

Here's a little end of Summer silliness. Enjoy our last few days of warmth, brothers and sisters - snow is just around the corner.

Take care, stay safe, and always make a difference!

Click link below to see more of Paul's work or to buy prints:…

We're only here for a little while.

Each day someone from each side(s) calls or writes me, pissed off at the world over all the debates in the fire service. Passion, tradition, pride, education, frustration, etc. it all comes to a head. I don't have all the answers and am very, very, very far from being a solution but the past has taught me that time is short. Make your time meaningful in your own way.



Keep it…

Losing Our Experts

A few years back you had your engine guys and your truck guys. You had the guy in the department that was the expert in friction loss and nozzle flow. You had your expert in elevators. You had your guy that knew how to write the truck specifications. The go to guy in forcible…

Is over a dozen too many for the upcoming and speed-reading generations?

Back in 2004 we were given 16 items, "Life Safety…

I have recently been awarded my Graduate Membership from the Institute of Fire Engineers, and what a learning process it has been in regards to studying the fire service.  Much emphasis is placed on advanced studies and the compliance with firefighter safety and fire prevention.  Re-living previous studies and classroom presentations are a must in this business in order for you to progress as a firefighter, company officer, and as an incident commander.

Just yesterday, Captain Jason…

It is impossible to strive for excellence and forget about the well being of your people. You cannot neglect morale. Morale is a choice in the sense that everyone must work tirelessly to protect it because we all have stake in the well being of the company.  It is particularly important that the leader have a…

The Sunday Preach:



'Head on a Swivel'



"Company Officers must not be completely focused on the locking devices on the door itself. Those are forcible entry firefighters' tasks. They must keep their heads on a swivel. While they must offer calm, focused advice to the FE team, they must also be watching smoke and fire conditions and watching the status of the hoseline." Pg.200, "25 to Survive: Reducing…

Many of us have accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge, and have challenged others to donate and help bring awareness to ALS. Unfortunately, firefighters being the competitive creatures that we are, have been taking this a little too far and injuring themselves and others (much like the Cold Water Challenge from earlier this year). This challenge is a great way to bring…

I'm going to be real careful about how I word this post as not to offend anyone. But I have to admit, I have been shaking my head about some posts for a while now and regarding some comments to posts.



I know that the new 'stuff' coming from UL, NIST, ISFSI and others is not popular with some, and I'm fine with that. I have no problem with that at all.



I know and understand that some in the fire service may have taken their tactics to one extreme or another for varying…

Every fire department I’ve ever seen has a uniform.  With that uniform come rules and standards regarding its appearance and the manner in which it is worn.  Nobody hands out a uniform and says, “Here, wear this however you want.”  There is something to be said for uniformity of appearance and presenting a professional image to the public.  I care what I look like to the public.  YOU should care what you look like.  But more important than how we look, we should all care how we…

To Save Lives and Property

Usually nothing is better than the original and that holds true with mission statements. Departments all over have severely missed the mark by a compelling desire to outdo each other with prolific works that are turned into posters and plaques.…

HOW TO WIN A BUDGET ARGUMENT

The Post-Fire Evaluation  --  A Case for Quantifying the Concomitant Save…

What moves you?

Sometimes our most memorable moments are of occurrences from years now past. Our memory holds on to those special moments because the moment moved us in some special way. Many of the lessons that would serve me well in the fire service were learned long before my career began.…

Many years ago I got into a habit of using a stopwatch to time fire and extrication evolutions. At first many thought it was to show how "fast" we were compared to trucks or to test my crew. But after doing it for a while firefighters realized that it wasn't a test at all, but a method we could use to evaluate and speed up if…

I took some time to visit a friend who is recuperating from surgery. This friend is a longtime friend, someone who is twenty + years my senior and someone whom I met as a result of joining a volunteer fire department, a very long time ago. I consider this friend a mentor and someone who helped me grow as a person and as a firefighter. And I told him today that he was an important part of my growing up. We sat and talked for about an hour and a half, along with a family member, who was…

"Our customers are #2" Are you kidding me!!!!!!

I had a long conversation with a friend of mine yesterday who is currently working on his fire science degree. He told me one of his professors made the statement that the fire service…

Photo of Colorado Springs Firefighters at the Denver 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

For the past 5 years the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb campaign has brought thousands of firefighters and civilians together to honor the people and events of September 11^th 2001. At the FDIC 9/11 Memorial Stair…

Are you a senior firefighter, company officer, battalion chief or fire director? Before I even know the answer I want you to know that it really doesn’t matter what your title is as long as you understand that your primary job is to lead a team. Your team may be a team of three or several hundred. A strong leader knows his or her job is to take a group of people, align them with a common goal, get them to work as a team, and march them toward that goal. The bottom line is that you have to…