All Blog Posts (3,147)

I was sent this picture by a colleague of mine the other day, and after nearly ten years in the Fire Service, it still amazes me to hear the phrase "that's how we've always done it."  At the same time, I hear people talk about how tradition needs to go away.  When did "tradition" become such a loaded word?  Why can we not have tradition, but we must continue…

Repeat after me…”This is my tool, there are many like it, but this one is mine.” If anyone ever asks for my tool at a fire, this is the response they will get. If you have been to at least one fire, you know how important a tool can be. If you have ever taken a real self-survival class, you know how important a tool is. The question is: Do you always carry one? Without a tool, you are just a well-dressed and well-informed civilian.

When I began Recruit School in my former…

This week is another retro-SOS from my original first few months. These were pictures only so now that we are broadcasting out to the FE community and in full blog mode I will add some commentary. Again, if you already saw this one I hope you get another laugh or affirmation that you are not alone in your…

3) Making an all-out effort to win or succeed.

According to Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aggressive this is the third meaning of the word aggressive.

Often times we hear the term used in a sense of operations. An aggressive fire department goes in all the time, an aggressive engine company never uses transitional attacks, an aggressive…

Many times while performing dash displacement/lifts firefighters encounter resistance. Often this stems from tie downs "strapping" that are located under the dashboard in the area of the center console below the radio housing. Typically there is one on each side (hidden behind plastic) and if possible need to be cut to get full range out of your dash lift.…

Normally when Mrs. Smith dials 911 for her emergency or witnesses an emergency, she will receive some sort of emergency apparatus at the place of the emergency incident location. Most times the emergency apparatus will come from a local fire and emergency services department in the community, other times it will not.

In my local area, 90 percent of the time, when the Fire Box is struck, departments from farther away are dispatched rather than the closer one. This boggles my…

Often times, the fire service talks about complacency in firefighters while operating during training evolutions and mitigating emergency incidents.  Fighting the complacency factor is critical in our business, while we must focus on safe operations reducing the critical factors of on the job injuries and deaths.  We continue to train at executing the basics and achieving proficiency, reaching for mastery in our craft.

We get so wrapped up in day to day activities, wanting to be the…

Do you remember your first day? Fresh out of drill school, your first shift? Walking in the bay, the smell of the tinge of diesel exhaust, the smell of the turnout gear in the lockers. The sudden realization that the controlled scenarios have now ended, the decisions you make may have very permanent results and that the danger is now even more real than ever…

What is the purpose of a fire blog? To me it accomplishes several things; including the following: Brain storming, ventilation (not the type accomplished on a fire scene), education, and many more that I am sure I will find out later.

            I have been in the fire service for 10 years now. Several years as a volunteer, 7 at a career department, 7 years working on a day crew (for the volunteer department I was at, had to…

Change is inevitable, but there are those who cling to the past like a monkey with fuzzy hands grabbing a Velcro banana (get it? fuzzy, Velcro… ok, that was bad, but you get the visual). However, change brings progress, and progress is good. We need progress. Progress in gear, progress in apparatus, progress in technology, and progress in… wait for it… tactical…

There are several things that make my skin crawl when it comes to attitudes, performance and passion for our profession. If you read my blog you can probably nail down quite a few.  For some reason there is one statement that I have heard several times over the last few months. This statement just shouts mediocrity, apathy, and indolence. This statement is: “I am not the officer, it’s not my responsibility”. This has generally been used in conversations about poor performance of fellow…

This week is another retro-SOS from my original first few months. These were pictures only so now that we are broadcasting out to the FE community and in full blog mode I will add some commentary. Again, if you already saw this one I hope you get another laugh or affirmation that you are not alone in your thinking.…

What happens when you arrive on scene of an entrapment and have no struts or specialized equipment? Look at your apparatus and prepare for various stabilization scenarios. What do you have to stabilize until backup arrives? The picture shown, is a quick and easy Engine Co. stabilization. Is it better than a strut system? No. But it does work well with a couple wedges for a quick under equipped company. Backboard, come-a-long and wedges is a quick option. Just remember, not every department…

This Memorial Day brings home the realization that many of us in the fire service are veterans of the military and I thank you for that service.

You bring a new commitment and experience to your communities, again in uniform, with many of the traits you learned during your military service - honor, courage, selfless sacrifice's, commitment and duty.

It is important to remember while serving your community you must bring those hard earned traits to your department teaching the…

               Seeing that the Cold Water Challenge is out there and I have been called out Twice and completed , It's Time for a new CHALLENGE and this is one that we all can do ;

              I'm calling out all those Brothers and Sisters to step up and Mentor one New Firefighter in the Their Department .. The Goal is to Pass on our Knowledge to them to make them a better Firefighter and a Better Brother .

             The only reward is this Satisfaction knowing that we are…

We've always heard people are born leaders, they aren't made.

I'm not sold on that theory.

There are some who have that natural ability to lead a group of men and women into battle, but what about those who have been molded over time due to training and dedication to the service?

As a Chief Officer, it's great to sit back and watch a member grow…

The term two-hatter has traditionally been used in the fire service to recognize firefighters who work for a career fire department, as well as volunteer for another. However, on this Memorial Day, I would like to recognize another two-hatter - the men and women who serve as firefighters in their communities, and serve our country as warriors here at home and abroad.…