December 2015 Blog Posts (48)

As we close 2015 and move into a new chapter in our journey by welcoming in 2016, let's look back at how things went.

For me 2015 was a challenge but through every challenge comes reward. I found out I am going to be a Father again, I started my own company, I was booked to present my Leadership Development class and open for Frank Viscuso, I was able to meet in person three of my mentors, men who…

Where will you be a year from now? Is there something in your life that needs to be improved? How many of us reflect back on 2015 and wish we would have started a change in January? I know I do! So, will we be asking ourselves this same question in 2016, or will we actually put thought and desire into motion. Eat healthier, lift more, work longer without getting tired,…

You Deserve a Health and Wellness Program

Who is the most valuable asset to the fire service?  You are!  You, the firefighter, are the most valuable, most critical, and most important asset to your fire department!  This is why you follow the Phoenix Model, why scene safety is the first step at any of your EMS scenes, and why you change your strategy and/or tactics when an incident begins to move in an…

As 2015 draws to a close, it is a good time to ask yourself where you stand in terms of your personal attitude, accountability and the action you take on your own health and fitness.  As a member of the fire service, it is probably the one thing that you can improve upon on a personal level that has the most influence on every other part of your life and all of the people that are a part of it.

Your impact is more powerful than you may think.  Every day,…

A Different Kind of Christmas Story

As Ted hustled up the short macadam driveway he could smell the unmistakable odor of a ‘job’. It was a chilly evening and he was riding the ‘barman’ seat on the ladder.  Above the wail of the other incoming first due apparatus he could distinctly hear the sounds of his…

Previously in my fire service career I took a college course on Dr. Francis Brannigan’s book Building Construction for the Fire Service. As a Company Officer, I feel it never hurts to gain new information, so I recently took a class on Lightweight Construction.  

One of the first slides in the new course quoted Dr. Brannigan’s book “the building is your enemy, know your enemy” the course continued with another quote, “...buildings constructed with lightweight wood…

When considering the need to modify traditional tactics that many believe still work quite well, thank you very much, it’s important to think back on the reasons behind the new recommendations.  The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) became involved in our business at the request of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the process of the latter’s investigation of firefighter Line of Duty Deaths (LODDs).   When some fatal events could not be…

As we all know today money in our local fire departments is getting tight right? During the time of the AFG being open many fire departments have to make the decision of whether or not to apply for a grant for new apparatus or to keep their old apparatus. Coming from a small department in Rural Indiana we face the time of applying for a grant or refurbishing our 1996 E-one Engine or looking at getting a new engine. With the stipulations of the grant saying the apparatus can't be used any…

People say it's lonely at the top, but that's not…

Question: My Fire Department is trying to fire me or force me into resignation with unfounded charges, frequent transfers to other Divisions and other similar harassment behavior. I am a Battalion Chief, caucasian male and 54 years old. I want to retire when I am 62 and I am not sure I will be able to do that. What can I do?

Answer: There seems to be a recent trend with fire departments forcing older firefighters…

Here's hoping that each of your Christmas wishes come true, and that we all have a safe and glorious 2016. Merry Christmas, Brothers and Sisters!

The headline from “The Hawk Eye” newspaper on December 23, 1999 read: They Gave The Ultimate.

Asst. Chief Dave McNally, 49 at the time, Firefighter Jason Bitting, 29 at the time and Nathan “Nate” Tuck, 39 at the time all died in the line of duty while trying to rescue three children from…

It is our obligation to share our experience and what we know. It was certainly done for us when we first walked through those firehouse doors, so we owe nothing less to the new faces starting their fire service journey. Be the mentor, the voice of experience, and the guiding hand to usher in a new generation of firefighters and EMTs – they are…

Are You a Coachable Firefighter?

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

            A few years ago I responded to the scene of an MVA on a busy interstate in our jurisdiction. I arrived in my chief’s vehicle and our fire and EMS units were already on scene. As I exited my car…

The tables in your station galleys are probably the focal point of the firehouse; hopefully it’s not the bunkroom. Mentoring, complaining, problem solving, and training all occur here over that world class firehouse coffee. We have heard conversation after conversation take place here, but the next time you are engaged in one of those conversations, listen closely. Ask yourself how many I’s are in that galley.

If you want to see where a crew, station, or individuals stand when…

Integrity and personal accountability are two individual level traits that challenge not only interpersonal relationships and the brotherhood but the overall trust in departments as a whole. 

These certainly are not new issues to us. Any time you have human beings involved in making choices of any kind there will be some who make decisions that offer no legitimate benefit to them selves, their relationships or the larger works of their organizations.

So why then is this…

Firefighter Larry Millard of the Endeavor-Moundville Volunteer Fire Department, in Wisconsin was struck and killed while working at an accident scene on I-39 in Marquette County on Friday December 12th. As they were operating on the highway a vehicle approached and swerved to avoid the fire apparatus striking Firefighter Millard.



I have moved back and forth between sadness over the death of a firefighter in a nearby community and anger over the needlessness of it.  I am sick and…

The Sunday Preach:

"The 2 C's"

If you have followed us for any length of time you know our stance on COMPLACENCY in the fire service. Complacency, when left to fester in one person, one company or one department, (while difficult to document with statistics) that complacent attitude, can be a killer. We must prepare for the fire of our career each and every time out the door.

The other C is CANCER. Anyone who is or knows someone who is fighting cancer, knows it is indeed…