November 2015 Blog Posts (42)

*This will be a multipart topic covered over several posts, all focusing on the use and maintenance of the fire service portable radio*

Arguably, the fire service portable (aka the handie-talkie or portable) is the most used piece of equipment at our disposal as a firefighter. I would also argue that it is the most under maintained piece of equipment. This series of blog posts will focus on the use and maintenance of the fire service portable radio, and will cover checkout…

United States Army Manual defines the leader as “anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences people to accomplish organizational goals.”

The Air Force Doctrine Document 1-1, Leadership and Force Development describes leadership as “Leadership is the art and science of influencing and directing people to accomplish the assigned…

In case any of you have missed my preaching on the benefits to the fire service of Modern Fire Attack (MFA) knowledge and methods over the past few weeks, my excuse is that my writing efforts have instead lately been directed toward fire safety in my own community.  

http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/opinion/2015/11/09/editorial-sprinkler-mandate/75463156/

The State of…

There are times when you arrive on the scene of a working fire and what you are faced with may hinder you from taking command. You as the first due unit officer are able to pass command over the radio 1 time. Ensure you are not giving it to the RIC or any special service. The most important things that have to happen on the fire ground is fire fighter safety and ensuring the first line gets to the fire.

Most of you know that I assist with the RIT Combat Drills H.O.T. class at FDIC, and that I am passionate about RIT training and tactics. Why? Because who else will be coming to save us when things go wrong? Take it serious, brothers and sisters, because we are the ONLY ones who can save us!



For more information about RIT training topics, here's a link to…

Cooking in the firehouse is pretty difficult.  One of the biggest fears of every firehouse chef is not preparing enough food for the crew.  This fear usually leads to an excess of available food and larger portions around the table.  So, today I wanted to give you a quick and easy “trick” you can use to get your crew to take smaller servings.

Answer this question:  Which is the larger black circle – the left or the right?…

G********,



I'm a fourteen year veteran volunteer firefighter from Brookline NH, and I'm working on a series of mystery novels based in firefighting, including actual scenes I've worked and training I've taken against the backdrop of fictional mysteries. There are presently four books in the series and all are available at ebooks from Amazon.com (…

Sending out a heartfelt thank you to all my brothers and sisters who not only answer the fire bell, but have also answered the call to serve our country. I am forever grateful for your service, and cherish the freedom that my family and I enjoy because of your dedication, duty to…

Unchaining Your Leadership

I often look for ways to explain to young fire service leaders the paths to follow that will take them to success and to eliminate some of the pitfalls and struggles they will face if they don’t start out correctly and constantly work to get better.

Moving into the first step of leadership is the most important and also the most difficult step to…

It is a quiet Sunday morning and as you the day's shift commander are reading the paper and thinking about brunch and the day's football games when suddenly the tones drop for a reported building fire in your downtown district, as you hear the address you think about the building run through your size up thoughts. Upon arrival you find heavy smoke coming from what appears to be all three floors of an Ordinary construction Type III building in the center of your town's once vibrant business…

It is estimated that, within the last ten years 1,500,000,000 articles and books have been written on Leadership. That is not a typo.

So, if someone tells you, "I have read every book that there is on Leadership", you might want to do a fact check. I mean; the time commitment alone to accomplish that should raise a red flag.

 …

When it comes to vehicle rescue, you will…

Career vs. Job

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

            Many firefighters often use the phrase “career in the fire service” when referring to their employment or their volunteer work. Regularly I attend career fairs where high school and college students express…

I am really a stickler for showering after a fire, whether real world or for training.  I have long believed the faster I can get all the by-products off from my skin the healthier it is for me, and my family.  The problem has always been that lingering smell of smoke even after I showered.  I tried showering first in cool water to remove the contaminants without opening the skin pores more than they already were.  I would follow that with a warm or hot shower.  So I was washing my…

Here are two photos of a highrise building that is being constructed using pre-fab construction methods. As you can see, the A & C sides are placed, then the floor slab of the upper floor, which is held up by struts until the side walls are added. In the second picture you can see the side walls arriving with the windows installed and everything. Mid-rise and high-rise buildings are being constructed like this…

A letter to seasoned firefighters.

You have years behind you. As each passes, it seems like life at the station moves further and further from the way it was when you first came in. Regardless of whether the changes are positive or negative, it is not difficult to recognize their impact. Changes in what is acceptable, how…

When organizations don’t know what their culture is or don't realize the importance of it, they have to borrow one, buy one or try and imitate someone else’s. So as you are busy pouring hours and hours and resource after resource into that Accreditation, ISO rating and Strategic Plan….. don’t forget about your own culture and what works for you in…

Today marks a time when we as Americans get to shout our collective voice and exercise our right to decide which direction our country, our states, and our region will interpret and execute the laws and issues of the land. No matter your political bent, it is your right, and dare I say duty, to get to your local polling facility and have your say. Many important…