All Blog Posts (3,147)

By: Chief Billy Greenwood; Extreme Leadership Series

Extreme Instructorship - There is a big difference in teaching adults and children. Thus the professional educator in emergency services education must have a solid understanding of learning intelligences. Have you ever been in a class where the instructor was good, he or she had decent material, but they had somehow missed the mark for student engagement? Now I am not talking about many of the obvious minor faults of an…

It’s Not A Mold It’s A Standard!

              Tom Brands Iowa Wrestling Coach, NCAA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist

When I was a kid growing up the Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Team was the STANDARD! They won multiple National Championships as a team and individuals. The “Iowa” style of wrestling was prevalent and taught. The emphasis was on toughness, conditioning, and BASICS and that created and ideal mindset of being able to…

Alexis Shady & Chris Tobin

There is a quote that we believe represents the vast majority of the fire service concerning buildings, it reads;

“Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray.”

Thoreau, Henry

Simply put, we all see buildings but few understand what they’re actually looking at. That’s a problem, a really big…

As a fire chief or any organizational leader, you set the tone, the vision and the direction that the organization is going to move in. As the person at the rudder of the ship, it is also necessary for you to recognize when change is necessary, and more importantly how to steer the ship through that change without ending up on the rocks.

Policy, procedure or SOP changes can be written and put into place quite easily,…

“It is our obligation to prepare our crews to perform on the fireground with intent and excellence prior to engaging the enemy, and then to trust and empower them to execute when the time comes.”

Hello, my name is Kaci. I love fighting fire (and I’m good at it).

I would like to invite you to dig in to the statement at the top of this page with me, and then do a full-on, introspective status check as to our own…

Ever show up to a scene, take one look, and immediately feel like your head was spinning? Maybe it was the sight of the person covered in blood or the size of the fire that made things seem to be going fast. Perhaps you were met as you stepped off the rig by people grabbing at you trying to get you to move quicker. It might be the sounds of the blaring car horn through the dust from the airbags or the roar of the fire as the windows self-ventilate that barrage your senses and start your mind…

Alexis Shady & Chris Tobin

There is a quote that we believe represents the vast majority of the fire service concerning buildings, it reads;

“Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray.”

Thoreau, Henry

Simply put, we all see buildings but few understand what they’re actually looking at. That’s a problem, a really big problem…

​“Did you hear about the line of duty yesterday?” Nine heartbreaking words no firefighter ever wishes to hear.  But guess what……

Alexis Shady & Chris Tobin

There is a quote that I believe represents the vast majority of the fire service concerning buildings, it reads;

“Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray.”

Thoreau, Henry

Simply put, we all see buildings but few understand what they’re actually looking at. That’s a problem, a really big problem and for…

As much is I appreciate the lifesaving contributions of fire dynamics researchers to the firefighting craft, I am continuously frustrated by the slow pace of the experimental process. Given that a limited number of projects, in particular the UL Ventilation and NIST/UL Governors Island tests (…

Colloquial- used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.Oxford Dictionary, because I like their information, and their commas.

Fire service communication is a very fickle creature. We sometimes appear to share a deep love, or disdain for each other, depending on the moment. I often wonder if we really do want to understand each other, and dialogue? Or do we need the chaotic conversations to hide the underlying anxieties that…

Ownership vs.

The Virtual Tour

            In the fire service, like any business today, Chief’s/Administration…

Lex Shady & Chris Tobin

There is a quote that we believe represents the vast majority of the fire service concerning buildings; it reads,

“Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray.” Thoreau, Henry

Simply put, we all see buildings, but few understand what they’re actually looking at. That’s a problem, a really…

Where is the WHY?

It’s Not Just Millennial’s That Want to Know

One of the most frustrating things that anyone…

The Irons: Forcible Entry & Door Control

Besides the standard ensemble of turnout gear, box light, SCBA, and a radio, it is expected for firefighters to dismount their apparatus upon arrival with the essential tools of the trade (TIC, Can, etc.) with an objective and goal in mind. Typically, this includes a set of irons which tend to be placed off to the side once a fortified door has been forced.

With the door…

In my last blog post I talked about some of the poor reasons we use to avoid change.  This month I’d like to talk about the other side of that coin.  

What are some of the good reasons for embracing change in…

The Importance of Relationships in the Fire Service…

            Data, the empirical information that helps fire departments make educational and justifiable decisions to bring about good change and improvement. Today, many of us use the data born from the modern fire science research being conducted by Underwriters Laboratories Firefighter Safety Research Institute (ULFSRI), to help better understand fire dynamics, the actions and reactions of our tactics, and to learn better methods that improve firefighter effectiveness, safety, and…