I am replying to Dave's comments about saying NO to entry into vacant buildings. In LACFD, way back in the late 1980's the we had considerable discussion among most Chief Officers that it was dangerous to committ firefighting co's to vacant buildings. In addition, When the Div 3 (ICS 3rd. floor fire attack) came to the CP asking for 5 minutes more of hose line placement. "Im sure we could wrap this fire up" Many times the IC gave the B/C the five minutes only to discover that within a months…
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Added by Jack A. Bennett on September 29, 2010 at 4:24pm —
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Added by Tim Olk on September 29, 2010 at 10:02am —
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Like much of my commentary, this piece was created out of frustration and anger. I have witnessed kids being cut out of cars they should never had the opportunity to drive, too many times. Obviously, any car can hurt and/or kill. Trust me, I found plenty ways to get into trouble driving a '74 Pinto as a teen. However, placing…
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Added by Paul Combs on September 28, 2010 at 1:30pm —
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Well, Drawn By Fire is almost here and I'm getting excited about seeing my book for the first time!! I will be signing the limited edition prints that will go to the first 100 orders tomorrow - so, big day at the drawing board. Will post a few photos over on my Facebook page when I can.
If you are interested…
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Added by Paul Combs on September 22, 2010 at 2:55pm —
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It is with deep sadness and regret that I post a firefighter fatality Line of duty death from the USFA. Fellow brother firefighter Deputy Chief Mark Johnson. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Hinesdale FD.
Mark Johnson
Rank: Deputy Fire Chief
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 24
Date of Incident: 09/20/2010
Time of Incident:…
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Added by Brad Hoff on September 21, 2010 at 11:16am —
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Well it's finally complete!!! I have uploaded the new book to the Blurb website and it's ready to be sold.
An historical photo retrospective of the Chicago Fire Department. The book features several hundred brilliantly restored Kodachrome images of the men, apparatus and fires from the 1950s and 1960s. Also included is historical data, including dates, locations, equipment information, as well as a wealth of interesting facts and anecdotes. This is a must see book of seldom seen…
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Added by Steve Redick on September 20, 2010 at 7:30pm —
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It is with deep sadness and regret that I post a firefighter fatality Line of duty death from the USFA. Fellow brother firefighter/paramedic James Owen. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Orange County Fire Authority.
James M. Owen
Rank: Firefighter/Paramedic
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 30
Date of Incident: 09/16/2010
Time of…
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Added by Brad Hoff on September 19, 2010 at 7:48am —
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The late Francis Brannigan said it best, "The building is your enemy; know your enemy". Building construction is getting lighter, more synthetic, and failing sooner under fire conditions; we are wearing more thermal protective gear and going in further - it's obviously a dangerous and often deadly…
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Added by Paul Combs on September 17, 2010 at 1:40pm —
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RIDING BACKWORDS – September 2010
Open Door Policies
Generally speaking, an open door policy refers to the availability of management to any employee at any level. Open door policies allow employees to step outside the traditional boundaries created by the hierarchy of an organization – what we know as the chain of command. Open door policies permit employees to bring their concerns to the appropriate level they feel can provide the impetus necessary to…
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Added by John Barrett on September 14, 2010 at 5:30pm —
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Last week's
announcement by the US Transportation Secretary that traffic fatalities have reached the lowest levels in 60 years overlooked an important contributor: EMS. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland cited increased seat belt use and tougher drunk driving enforcement as key contributors to the decline in traffic deaths. There was no mention of EMS. This is a grim reminder that we need better methods of documenting the…
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Added by Mike McEvoy on September 13, 2010 at 2:03pm —
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It is with deep sadness and regret that I post a firefighter fatality Line of duty death from the USFA. Fellow brother firefighter and Edward Eckert. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Stafford Township FD.
Edward Eckert
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 71
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 30+
Date of Incident: 06/01/2010
Time of Incident:
Date of Death:…
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Added by Brad Hoff on September 9, 2010 at 11:04am —
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It is with deep sadness and regret that I post a firefighter fatality Line of duty death from the USFA. Fellow brother Captain Jonathan Littleton. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Pine Level FD.
Jonathan Lewis “Johnny” Littleton
Rank: Captain
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 5
Date of Incident: 08/19/2010
Time of Incident: 2045hrs
Date of Death:…
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Added by Brad Hoff on September 7, 2010 at 4:54pm —
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It is with deep sadness and regret that I post a firefighter fatality Line of duty death from the USFA. Fellow brother firefighter and Chief Driver John Kelly. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Tarrytown FD.
John Kelly
Rank: Firefighter - Chief Driver
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: Pending
Date of Incident: 09/06/2010
Time of Incident: 1837hrs
Date of Death:…
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Added by Brad Hoff on September 7, 2010 at 4:48pm —
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I was enjoying in not having to post for quite awhile anymore LODD's. It is with deep sadness and regret that I post a firefighter fatality Line of duty death from the USFA. Fellow brother Chief Larry Suiter. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and the members of the Green Garden FD.
Larry Suiter
Rank: Fire Chief
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 40
Date of Incident: 09/03/2010
Time of Incident:…
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Added by Brad Hoff on September 7, 2010 at 1:54pm —
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I can't say enough about how much I admire wildland firefighters!! We do brush/field fires in my area, but nothing on a large, hundreds of acre, scale. My hat is off to the men and women who do this day in and day out - stay safe Brothers and Sisters!
To see more of my work or to purchase…
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Added by Paul Combs on September 2, 2010 at 7:31am —
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