All Blog Posts (3,147)

It is said that the fire service is “XYZ years of tradition unimpeded by progress.” It’s time we change that mentality. A simple look at where we’ve been and where we are now in terms of tactics, building construction, apparatus, or staffing levels shows the falsity of that phrase.

I think we are simply hiding behind this statement as a defense mechanism. It allows us to avoid the unknown by remaining content with our present way of operating. We are in essence saying “Sure,…

     The frustrated members of many fire departments, can often be seen gathering in small groups of like-minded people, discussing why they can’t make any improvements or solve the many problems they see, why their department can’t be progressive, and why their particular organization will never be what they want it to be. They constantly see great ideas in the fire service, best practices that other departments are initiating, leadership in other…

   Trust is a five letter word that means so much in the Fire Service, that from time to time it is lost in a person’s character. Whether influenced by peers or it became the norm in the environment that surrounded the individual. Whether your career or volunteer the expectations are the same. Do the right thing of integrity all the time, on and off duty.

   When you enter the fire service, an investigation…

          As I look at the calendar, there are exactly 10 days, until Christmas. It can be an exciting and celebratory time for people, but it can also be a very difficult time. People who suffer depression or perhaps lost a loved one around this time of year can find it difficult to cope. I know for me, this time of year always makes me think about my Dad, who passed away over a decade ago. The pain and suffering never truly goes away, we just learn how…

Education and Learning. At first glance, these might seem to be the same thing, but they are actually quite different. Both are extremely important for the firefighter and something that can specifically be prepared for in the coming year.

In the fire service, we continue to pit education and learning against each other and lob…

I am the problem. Other women like me, who want to put a stop to all the noise and just do the job, are the problem. Sometimes, the problem is the solution.

Some of you will not like what I’m about to say, and that’s okay. I’ll make this clear, I don’t care. You don’t agree with me? You’re entitled to your opinion, but remember, I am too. What’s not acceptable is attacking someone for having opinions that differ from yours. We fight for rights for women and call ourselves…

Is your training foundational or decorative in nature? Meaning, are you doing the fun, trendy activities or spending time on what is referred to as the basics?

Driving by a commercial building construction site recently started me thinking about this idea of decorative versus foundational training. The workers were at the rough-in stage of the build. They had laid the first course of block to establish the footprint of the building and were now engaged in…

Preparing for Promotion; The Interview

Assistant Chief Nicholas Christensen, CFO, MPA

The time has come to submit for promotion.…

What I Learned at “Fire Camp”

Work is work and no matter how good your fire department is, we all are caught up in the daily grind. Stuff does not go the way we want. We have assignments that we are not really into and sometimes we do not see eye to eye with our coworkers. As much as we don’t like it, these are the realities of our workplace, and over time they can impact…

Firefighters must be confident in ground ladder operations. That includes knowing what size ladder is needed to get the job done safely, efficiently, and on the first try. Passing Firefighter I doesn’t make someone an expert. Confidence required for basic skills comes through repetition. No matter how long a firefighter has “been on the job” they must constantly refresh the basics.

Frequently throwing different ground ladders builds confidence in choosing the best…

Firefighters have been provided with new extinguishment strategies that offer better speed, effectiveness, and safety. A triple win! Continuing on the theme introduced with my last post (https://community.fireengineering.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1219672%3ABlogPost%3A691624) regarding the new fire attack vectors recommended by fire dynamics research, first addressing Attic fires, now we will…

In just a few short days, a time-honored tradition will once again take place. Across the country, people will spend their hard-earned money to buy sweet sugary nectar and then hand the treats to complete strangers under threat of tricks. There will be ghosts, ghouls, and goblins galore. There will be princesses, action heroes, and the ever-present “what are you, honey?” costumes that look nothing like what they’re alleged to be.  Just smile and affirm them.  Unless it's an old-…

Does anyone one on here actually read these blogs? Thinking about sharing my thoughts, experiences, etc if anyone has interests.

Would you like yet another Brother sharing knowledge, incites, experiences, points of view? Let me know

Much of the energy expended in promoting, discussing, and opposing Modern Fire Attack (MFA) methods regards the use of exterior streams for controlling fires in structures, an understandable focus given the rather revolutionary, and therefore controversial, nature of the research findings.  (In a nutshell, applying water from the outside was found to be a whole lot more useful, and a whole lot less harmful, than we had believed.)…

The definition of the popular idiom, judge, jury and executioner, as told by Alea Roach is “if someone is said to be the judge, jury, and executioner, it means they are in charge of every decision made, and they have the power to be rid of whomever they choose.”  It seems that fire service is full of those who serve in the role of judge, jury and executioner via social media when it comes to tactics, fire scene videos, radio traffic, etc.  They brag about all the fires they go to and how…

With the debate regarding the benefits of exterior streams and ventilation control having been settled in favor of at least adopting the option to perform these potentially faster, safer, and more effective approaches for controlling fires in structures, many fire service leaders and instructors are asking: “How can our department implement these valuable practices?” Fortunately, the most significant efforts toward making these changes have already been expended by…

        “An organization’s culture is made up of its folklore, its rituals, its group norms, and its meeting protocols. All of these cultural ingredients influence the organization’s adaptability. The culture of an organization is not usually written down or formally documented, but it still powerfully determines what is considered acceptable and unacceptable behavior” (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009). With fire service culture, you have two choices; you…

Across the country, in today’s fast paced world of emergency response systems, we as a community have evolved. But this evolution of response systems does not equally affect our community wholly which can cause problems when trying to coordinate response and mutual aid efforts. In some areas of the country, the morphing of response systems is quite progressive making every incident more likely to be mitigated rapidly by ensuring coverage areas are always protected and the quickest and most…

There are 1,440 minutes in each day, let that sink in for a second.  Now obviously there needs to be time for work, for family, and for sleep.  Let’s try to make a realistic breakdown of the regular day.

• 540: It takes roughly 540 minutes out of your day dedicated towards work (1440 - 540 =…

Much has been written about leadership. Everywhere you turn there are books, podcasts, blogs and so on about the subject. Please consider one more article about it, though.

Leadership is not something you do, it’s something you are given.

I would contend that no one becomes a leader. They are given leadership. I can read all the books or attend every seminar I want to on the subject and still not be a leader. I can have influence,…