All Blog Posts (3,147)

The Man in the Box

Our firehouse quartered a two piece engine company, a truck company with a senior aerial and a Tactical Squad, which was designated as a compliment to firefighting staffing with the additional specialty of water rescue. There were fifteen of us on duty every day and each one of us knew what our job was before the bell rang.

There was no question about our…

I recently went to the UL-FSRI visitors day. The goal was to see what they were about and to find my own answers straight from them. You see I don't own a training company, I am not on any type of panels, but what I am and so was the rest of the firefighters that were there, we are students of the craft. We had the same goal and that was to gain knowledge and I believe that is exactly what happened.

The day started with what tests are going to be conducted,…

You Are What You Practice

Learning through failure can lead to success

By David Rhodes 

Published Tuesday, March 1, 2016 | From the March 2016 Issue of …

Take a Look in the Mirror

I was recently sitting in the doctor’s office after completing my annual physical.  As a Fire Chief, this is a moment that I had worked diligently towards the last 14 months.  This painstaking process would ensure that every member of my department received an NFPA 1582 compliant annual physical as well as the full implementation of…

Good manners can be deadly, as in taking the time to excuse yourself before grabbing someone as they are about to step off a curb into the path of a moving car.  In the ongoing debates regarding firefighting tactics, there is a tendency to avoid offending and alienating fellow firefighters by describing those based on the recent research as “another tool in the toolbox”, and “something to think about”.  While not inaccurate descriptions, these new “tools” render many of the others obsolete,…

When is it time to move on…..

“When it comes to forcible entry, we must have options. We must have a plan A, B, C, D, and so on. Even residential forcible entry does not have a “one size fits all” method to success. In order to have multiple plans, we must be adaptable with our tool selection. We also must recognize when our methods aren’t working and when it is time to move to the next plan.” Chapter 19, Page 192.

 The benefit of the internet and social media…

Bailout is a last option for us when things go bad. We can do all of the right things and still find ourselves in trouble. It doesn't and won't happen often when we train and operate in standard manners, but we have to be prepared.

This podcast discusses some basic concepts that we at Engine House Training, LLC teach and believe in regarding firefighter bailout.  I have a also attached the .pdf for the build out of the low prop we use for instructing and…

Yesterday was International Women's Day, and I want to give a special shout-out to all our sisters out there doing the same job as us guys - yes, I said same! To show my support, I posted a painting that puts focus on tough women on Facebook, and the response has rustled up some spirited conversation - and emotions. Unfortunately there have been some…

Often, we run into smaller/secondary entrapments that can be just as challenging as entrapments by the doors, dash,…

 Today’s reality: OJ Kolodziej

In the fire service lately, there seems to be this feeling that lines have been drawn in the sand. What I mean by this statement is either you are going aggressive through the front door every time, or you are standing outside to reset it from the yard. 

The reality that all of us are missing is this, fire does not really care what side of the line you are standing on. Fire has and always…

Question – I have been recently suspended for transporting a patient in my fire engine. Is this legal?

Response – Suspension is one application of a discipline process and is generally used to take personnel off the line to investigate a policy violation, wrongdoing or some other act or actions committed by an employee. Suspension must be in a discipline policy and the conditions under…

Are you ready for the MAYDAY? whether in command or as a company officer/firefighter, we must practice our mental approach and involve scenarios in the classroom that enables members to go through the event mentally not just the physical rescue knowledge such as R.I.T. operations. If you are an incident commander, search out audio from MAYDAY events and utilize the same simulation exercises you train your members on size up for the mental approach to our worse case scenario on the…

            As a young kid growing up in suburban America, I like most of you, developed an unexplainable desire to become a firefighter.  The sound of the federal blaring down the street would draw me to the front window every time the local engine company went on a run.  Firefighters and firefighting was something that seemed bigger than life!  When you stop and think about it, it’s crazy so many of us knew exactly what we wanted to be when we grew up; even before we knew how to count to…

     How is it that the Navy SEALs (and other special operations forces) are able to continuously prevail in combat situations where they are grossly outnumbered?  What is it that allows them to defeat their enemies despite overwhelming adversity?  You may think the answer is simply their extensive cache of high-tech equipment, but you could not be any more wrong.  While possessing the most advanced hardware certainly bolsters their capabilities, they are merely supplemental in nature.  As…

On the recommendation of a friend, I read Lawrence Gonzales' book Deep Survival: Who lives, who dies, and why*. The book…

In a recent conversation I was going back and forth with a few fellow company officers about the normal stuff. You know, how we can single handedly solve all the issues that exist if they would just let us be king for a day. Probably all the same ideas that orbit all of our galley tables. One of them said something to the group that really stood out to me. The comment was made that their organization would be so much better if the…

The Sunday Preach:

The preconnect... are you handcuffed?

Most engine companies have several preconnected attack lines and "the invention of this hoseload allows for quick racking and deploying and can greatly assist in limited staffing departments." 

By Kyle Sanders, Engine House Training, LLC Instructor

Please check out our FDIC 2016 HOT Bailout Class!

Time to talk about the topic no one ever wants to talk about or train on. It always gets pushed off to the side or gets the classic “I’m smarter than that and won’t get in that situation.” This is something that no one expects to happen but can happen to the most…