All Blog Posts (3,173)

What does the fire department do? If you ask Joe Citizen walking down the street he will reply, “they put out fires”. Yes, our original purpose and still our number 3 job is to fight fires. Years ago, I was one of the guys that moaned and groaned about running a medical call. I have even let the words “I am a fireman, not a medic” slip from my lips from time to time.

As my career has progressed over the years, I see the bigger picture now. Fire Department stands for much more than the…

A MOTIVATIONAL PHRASE IS…

One of our biggest challenges is knowing the buildings (inside and out) that we may have to run into if they are on fire.



As you can see in this photograph, there are four (4) visible, white "stars" on the wall of this two-story, end of the group row house. This, for all intents and purposes, is a tell tail sign that there was…

I will start of with a brief recap of my last blog. I began with a contemplative question that challenged the value of our thoughts and trends, as they relate to risk assessment on the fireground. I opined, that we might be defaulting to a “risk avoidance” strategy because we were falling to acknowledge the other causes that make firegrounds go bad.

I then suggested that the fire service as a whole has done a poor job of offering a subjective and systematic way of assessing…

The box alarm (structural assignment) is transmitted, reporting a fire at the Home Depot. It's mid-afternoon, the building is 100% sprinklered and companies have responded to the reporting address a number of times for false calls, odors, electrical issues, fire alarms, etc. So, what are the chances that its actually on fire? How…

There are many facets of accountability on the fireground today. One of which is the tags, rings or passports that tell incident commanders which personnel are riding each apparatus on the scene. Another major one concerns personal accountability, where the company officer has a duty and…

I have heard things from pistol grips are junk, they instill bad habits, they are the devil, pistol grips are for firearms only. But in all honesty are they really that bad?

I say no, there not bad. To be honest with you I like them on my nozzles, yet I dont even use them unless its for a…

So, sometimes we need a change of pace or we've had a busy day on shift, but we still need to drill. Or, maybe your at your volunteer department and you have some guys just hanging out waiting for the next call.

 Here is a quick drill that, in many cases, will turn into a great discussion and even progress into some flowing of water or advancing of lines.

As the company officer we are tasked with drilling our company and personnel. It doesn't matter whether your…

Let's see a show of hands (metaphorically speaking) - who has a suit of armor that will protect them from almost any accident, catastrophe, or evil genius? Anyone? ...I didn't think so! However, how many of us will take on preventable risks with the same brazen carelessness and complacency as if we're wearing a cape, or a bright red titanium suit?



This is…

Heads Up Firefighting: One Size Fits All

Does PowerPoint make the instructor, or does the instructor make the learning experience? Don't get me wrong, PowerPoint is a wonderful tool and a great visual aid, but when you lean on technology and slides too much, the only thing being taught is that you don't know your material well enough to expand beyond the slides.



PowerPoint is a tool, and just a tool -…

I recently have had a lot of suggestions and requests to post on some volunteer, rural, combination issues that the fire service faces. I started and am still a member of a mostly rural volunteer, now combination, department. My earliest exposure to the fire service was at this mostly rural department.



 We had a large majority of our fires outside of our public water area and our staffing was limited, just like it is today. Most of our trucks were single cab…

That title is so true to the fire service.

I mean let’s think about it. Probie school, we are told wear all your turnouts, how to wear them etc. Yet the same guys telling the probies this are wearing SCBA's without the waist straps on. I don’t know about you, but to me that is a double…

Check out the presentation by NASA Astronaut Mike Mullane which lead to Lance Peeple's article on the Normalization of Deviance...http://headsupfirefighting.blogspot.com/2013/05/normalization-of-deviance.html

       Tactical efficiency means getting the most accomplished, in a timely manner, with the personnel that you have on the fireground. As I've mentioned in previous posts, with the prevalence and abundance of synthetic fuels and lightweight construction, fighting fires in 2013 and beyond is, and will be, different than fighting fires in past generations. The enemy is more formidable and the battlefield is less…

By Ron Kanterman

I got a feeling that you opened this because we just got home from FDIC. In fact it was a killer show. It was my 23^rd FDIC and it simply gets better each year. For me, it’s a family reunion and for one week, it’s the center of our universe. Great training, great expo and great times. Start saving now for next year. It rolls around quick.

“Killer Show” is actually the title of a book (John Barylick, University Press of New England) that was…

To all of the wonderful brothers and sisters who came to my presentation on Interior Benchmarking I thank you. I appreciated all of your questions, comments, and instructor reviews. Take care and stay safe. Lt. Billy Greenwood

Is this what we are coming to?

http://headsupfirefighting.blogspot.com/2013/04/spraying-smoke.html

Note: I wasn’t going to post a blog until after FDIC, but then I watched BC Michael Walker’s address on livestream and it really struck a chord. He spoke to the very essence of what it is to call yourself “fireman”, the strong bond between firefighters and what our communities expect when they call us.…