All Blog Posts (3,173)

Thanks goes to Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell and Chief Halton as Traditions Training Instructors Larry Schultz (DCFD) and Ricky Riley (Clearwater Fire and Kentland VFD) have been chosen to present our "Waving Red Flags on the Fireground" class. This class will be given Monday morning on April 16th at 0800 hours. At many incidents, all the signs and sounds are there for…

2012… 5th Annual "Keeping Tradition Alive" - Pipes, Drums and Honor Guard Symposium

May 10 & 11, 2012, Lewisville, Texas

It’s that time of year again!  What an incredible event!!  Our City has embraced this with open arms and continues to support this annual event like nowhere else.  Each year it continues to grow and I don’t know how they do it but it keeps getting better and better!

If you get a chance check it out on YouTube by searching…

A simple equation that has great value is Performance = (Knowledge + Desire + Experience). In a previous post, I mentioned this formula briefly, as it applies to training. Today we want to examine our performance, when altered by outside factors or influence.

Performance on and off the fire ground is crucial. From the final test to receive certification to how we function on our next working fire, performance should improve anytime we increase a constant. Measurements of…

I write this in gratitude of the response our local emergency services provided during a mass casualty shooting yesterday and also to the school my sons attend. I also write this to my colleagues in Public Safety as a gentle reminder that training does pay off.

" It Happened Here "

Yesterday, March 8, 2012, a mass casualty incident occurred at the Western Psychiatric Institute Clinic. There were several people shot, a police officer injured and…

We have taught a lot of classes and trained extensively on numerous firefighter operations. One thing that always interests me is the choice of hand tools by firefighters. Each has their own preference and favorite, but in many cases when challenged as to why that specific tool is their tool of choice, the answer is not clear to them.

Some are bound by the fact that they work on a truck, engine or squad. Some are bound by their riding assignment based on what order they arrive on the…

I am new this whole writing thing, so any feedback would be very welcome.  This first bit is something I wrote in reply to a question asked of me about my view of Situational Awareness as it relates to Crew Resource Management.  Please let me know what you think, especially about the wording, flow etc.... Thanks in advance.

Situational Awareness

Situational Awareness (SA) is a term that I have been operating in and around for the better part of my working…

Gender equality has been a long and winding yellow brick road for many women in the fire service. They work hard, train hard, and study hard, but no matter how many times they click their heels and wish for a fighting chance, progress has been painfully slow.



Is progress being made? If the ladies I meet at FDIC and other events are any indication, I’d say…

To start the evolution, the apparatus moves 200 feet to location B.  The tanker is filled from a fill site engine.  When the water tank is full to overflow, the fill line(s) are disconnected (ensure all firefighters are seat belted in prior to moving apparatus), and the tanker moves 200 feet and stops (document your total time for later use with ISO).  Read…

This week's post is a weblink to my YOUTUBE Channel. Over the weekend I presented the first full pilot of SPEED SMOKE STRESS: Is Killing American Firefighters. Please stop by and take a look. It is just a glimpse, I can't give to much away. My goal is to have a version of this course on the docket for FDIC 2013. WIth the support of this training community, I believe this will happen.…

Here are some more pictures from my A Shift buddies, Jim, Bob and Dave at Florissant Valley Fire Protection District. These photos show the challenges of just getting into some of our buildings. It’s a lot easier to get a good look at the working mechanisms and traits of these obstacles during daylight and in non-emergent situations.







Take time to know what is behind these doors and grates. What are they protecting and how secure are they? Is just a…

Oh, where to begin.

As if things weren’t already bad enough in Illinois, I read today where my state is the third most corrupt state in the nation. Chicago has the distinction of being named as the number one most corrupt city in the nation.

For many of us who have lived in Illinois our entire lives, this doesn’t exactly come as a revelation, but it is very frustrating after spending so much time in politics with the idea that we were going to change…

FireRescue athletes are at a very high risk of back injury.  Some research has shown that almost 50% of all firefighters will experience some type of back injury during their career.  Effective core training brings about a proactive approach to protecting your body and joints (especially your back) from injury. Core strength consists of hip, shoulder, and trunk stability. It is the foundation of efficient movement and vital to…

THE SCENARIO:  HEAVY FIRE from the attic w/ extension to TWO other houses!  If this one doesn't test the strength and discipline of your crews and alarm assignments, congratulations!   Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Here’s another moving water drill.  If you missed the portable pond set-up drill, click here.  Move the water as you would in a water shuttle operation.  (Record and document times for later use with ISO).…

Which is better: letting pain and muscle spasm immobilize an injured spine or doing it with the same tools we’ve used for decades?  Should hypothermia begin DURING the arrest?  Do response times make any difference whatsoever in patient outcomes?  The answers to these and other hot EMS topics were intensely debated in Dallas last week at the 14^th annual Gathering of Eagles, EMS State of the Science Conference.

The U.S. Metropolitan Municipalities EMS Medical Directors…

Does your engine have a reserve or secondary line? This line is not a main per-connect, "the second line" or the back up. This line functions as a reserve set up. 

Certain situations may require positioning your hand line to another area. The problem it creates, once it’s charged the time and effort to re-position increases. The line in operation would be shut down, possibly drained, and redeployed which under some circumstances is a labor intensive ordeal. A dry, fresh line is much…

Over the next few weeks several water shuttle related company drill topics will be added.  In Ohio the terminology is tanker, however, it is synonymous with other regions tender terminology.   Many of these skill set times are evaluated when ISO comes to visit you, but more importantly the training will improve your operations.  *Keep track of your times and the evolution description for later use with ISO.…