All Blog Posts (3,147)

How often do we actually train on performing as a team? How often do we examine what we do as a team that makes us function effectively or fail effectively? As firefighters we train constantly to function as part of a team, however, do we always carry that to the field? When a team has worked together and has bonded, they seem to function as the right hand knows without saying what the left hand is doing. A fire brother on mine, David Bullard,…

Building Teams for Leaders: It's the Basics

Any leader that is successful understands that he cannot do it alone. The good leaders are well prepared and adept at building teams, especially building teams with future leaders. Just one of the definitions of leadership states that leaders have the ability to get others to do things they might not do on their. I would add that leaders get others to do things they normally would not do, not because they have to, but…

     Every department, group, organization, team, etc was initially created to achieve a mission. The founding members of the organization clearly understood what that mission was, and focused their efforts on achieving it. Over time though, the organization can lose focus on that mission.

     What is your fire department’s mission? Why does it exist? What is its purpose? What is it’s WHY? Yes, I know that there are many…

Hopefully if you are into vehicle extrication, you study vehicle anatomy enough to understand the mechanics behind each procedure you do. Why does a dash lift when you vertically spread the A post? Why on heavy damage/intrusions does the “A-Plan” dash lift not consistently work? As I have said before, just knowing the steps to perform an extrication plan are not enough. What if said you could complete a dash displacement without any…

                Whether career or volunteer, municipal or private, urban or rural, firefighters are the cornerstone of the fire service, and have been since the Vigiles of Ancient Rome.  Without firefighters, a fire department has nothing and can do nothing.  A fire station won’t provide maintenance to its own apparatus and equipment.  Apparatus can’t drive to fires and pump themselves.  A…

A few weeks ago, I had the humbling experience to be part of a new theory developed by a local volunteer fire company. Colonial Park Volunteer Fire Company, PA., is an all volunteer organization being led by disciplined, energetic, and talented young firemen who want to make a difference for tomorrow. This inspirational group of Company Officers and Firemen decided to develop a mini FDIC in their own backyard; offering and delivering some of the best classes and instruction over a 3 day…

      If you are in a leadership position in a volunteer fire department, you constantly think about resources (people, equipment, funding) to effectively perform the mission of the organization.  How well does your community support your volunteer fire department? Do they show up for your department’s open houses? Does the community understand that a volunteer fire department exists in their…

From my perspective - that being someone who entered the fire service just as the era of "surround and drown" was being replaced by the "get in and hit it up close" approach - the most immediate and practical operational change inspired by fire dynamics research is the early application of water.  While the recommendation to delay ventilation also has significant benefits - and loud critics - “opening up”, especially vertically, was a tactic that many of us who worked in small departments…

The Sunday Preach

Chapter 22: Ladders, Ladders, Everywhere

"Portable ladders want to be used at fires. They want to get out of their ladder racks and be used, see the light of day, be near the heat and smoke, and help you do your job more quickly and easily. They live to be thrown against residential building fires. It makes them happy. They love to be carried or dragged into place by one firefighter. They want to be placed at the level of the residential windowsill for…

As a Company Officer you set the tone for so many things in your firehouse. You contribute to the cultural norms, attitudes, and other acceptable practices. As someone once told me, if it’s not important to you, it won’t be important to them. So where do we, where do you, fall in the responsibility of community risk reduction? I recently took a class at the National Fire Academy and I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about going up there for it. I was worried it was going to be a…

Have a happy and safe Halloween, everybody!

STAY FIRED UP!

Happy Halloween, everybody!

When teaching my classes on High Risk Legal Issues for the Fire Service, a topic that continually arises is how a ruling against a department for a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is enforced against a department. Notwithstanding an outright judgment against a fire department that involves a lot of money to resolve the issue along with resignations, terminations, demotions and other adverse actions, the term I frequently use is the application of…

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The fire service has a very unique organizational make up. Some of us are volunteers, some are paid per call and others do this as a career.  The general…