All Blog Posts (3,147)

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“No passion so effectively robs the mind of its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.”  Edmund Burke

     Fear, as well as the synonymous emotions and actions that accompany it, has no place in the fire service.  For us to examine this powerful emotion, you must understand the type of fear that I am discussing.  We all have trivial fears, and these are not what I want to focus upon; fear of being late for roll call, fear of not getting a raise in the coming fiscal year,…

The initial "Stars and Stripes" represented and accounted for the 13 colonies that were then known as the  "United States of America" . It originated in a time when we battled one country for freedom and independence. The flag and our independence were also raised on a foundation and a belief in God. Today, the meaning of the flag maintains just that, yet it has a farther reach and deeper meaning. For  not only does it represent that initial war, its victory and its human losses…

A couple weeks ago I published a blog post about "defining Firefighter Fit." I appreciate the numerous responses and comments about this question (see that blog post here) and today want to follow up and add some more information and questions about this topic. One of the consensus opinions expressed when asked to define "firefighter fit" was that a…

For the first 14 years of my fire service career I had never questioned the fly out instruction I had received in regards to extension ladders. I just assumed if it was so engrained it must be for good reason. During the ground ladders component of my department’s truck company operations academy the instructor presented us with a letter from Duo Safety (our ladder manufacture) regarding the use of their ladders in a fly in configuration.…

While carrying out perhaps my favorite fatherly duty of reading a bedtime story to my young son, I read a line that sparked a flurry of thoughts in my head.  The line came from Dr. Suess's book I Can Read with My Eyes Shut.  As with most Dr. Suess books, there isn't really a plot to follow just some good rhymes.  However, one line struck me that I related to the fire service, here it is: "There are so many things you can learn about, but you'll miss the best things if…

Passion overflows in the fire service in forms of pride, dedication, commitment and sacrifice. Modern society with our "overwhelming" connection to media has pros and cons. The ability to share your passion is certainly on the positive side of the coin. Fire Engineering is certainly a leader in fire service training, news and information. Add to their repertoire developing the next generation of Firefighters, Officers, Instructors and Leaders. This training community is a testament to this…

      As I had stated in a prevoius blog, The best thing that I had ever done was to join the "FOOLS", thanks in part to my good Friend Jeff Schwering , even thou Jeff and i have never met face to face , we've formed a great friendship , bouncing Ideas off each other, discussing the everyday rants we face as Officers  and just being there when we needed to blow off…

What's the difference between training and experience?

Training will always give you the test last.

Experience will always give you the test first.



Train, train, and then train some more, so when experience hands you that test...

you're ready!  



Training is such a vital part of our work. 

I hear firefighters complaining about having to train, and passing up opportunities to train. 

Unfathomable!!  They want to play, but they don't want to…

You gotta love those frequent flyers!

Buy a print of this illustration:
http://artstudioseven.com/page-fire-ems-prints.htm

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Searching Recreational Vehicles During

Fire Incidents in Industrial Areas

Many jurisdictions have an area that contains heavy commercial or light industrial occupancies that is commonly called an “industrial park” or “business park”. Often times these areas have buildings with large square footages and outdoor storage and loading areas. The…

             As a person who has been in the Fire Service for more than 25 years , i have seen some things that we used to do and Now we do not do many of those things . The days of "WE" are growing very short ,it is now all about "ME", i'm reminded of a Former Chief of mine always correcting me , saying there is no "I" in "WE" and boy was he ever so right , but the funny thing was he never practiced what he preached me.

            I was the guy that sat back and said "I'l never wear…

What makes a good exercise for firefighters?  Any?  All?  Well, if you want to get technical then "yes and yes."  Today I want to give a quick upgrade for the row movement, firefighters, emts, and paramedics are asked to lift heavy things in akward and unbalanced situations.  Keeping this in mind, I often ask firefighters how and if the exercises that they perform on a regular basis challenge their balance, strength and core.  The DB Row is a great exercise and with a few manipulations can…

Union Thugs?  I think not!!!

When you see this post’s title you may wonder, when would I need to do that.  The scenario is a rare one, however, what if a school bus crash causes significant crumpling of the roof effectively trapping the driver and students that are towards the front of the bus.  Here’s an option for school bus roof removal involving a coordinated effort with firefighters and a heavy wrecker.

Involving heavy wreckers at our extrication scenes involves prior training for the coordination to work…

My first June commentary speaks to the perception that firefighters are not worth the money and benefits they have fought so hard to obtain - and to the epiphany when the contrary is realized.

In short, last November Ohio defeated SB5 which would have severely limited the bargaining procedures of public employee unions. This only after a lofty battle…

This post came to me while continuing to design my class for the South Atlantic Fire Expo later this summer. I have always been a huge proponent of calm radio traffic. The calmer the traffic the better the incident generally goes. Sure I have yelled on the radio, sure I have said some dumb stuff on the radio, but with experience comes a calm radio demeanor. This expectation isn't just for the officer either, it should be for everyone who has a radio. These days audio is broadcast and…

There is an argument being made that we cannot have a safe fire ground. This job, inherently filled with risk, will never see a day where everyone goes home. Can we find middle ground where safety and our duty receive equal treatment? Life is overflowing with risk and we perform life altering/ending actions on a daily basis just as human beings. Life as a Fire Service professional gives us a different perspective. We have training and education to handle when those risks of living life catch…

A romance for firefighting begins in each one of us, just as unique as those involved. Our stories are diverse, similar, extraordinary or maybe just ours. My love affair with this calling, the Fire Service, is not special or enthralling, it is just mine.

Sunday is Fathers Day. Some will mark the occasion possibly by serving breakfast in bed or a family cookout. My life has not led me down the path of parenthood in the traditional sense; our puppies are my "kids", so Fathers…

Here is one of our instructors from Engine House Training, LLC showing some very simple techniques for webbing storage.   He is going to be running a series for different uses of webbing, so stay tuned!