All Blog Posts (3,147)

In just a few days I like many of my fire service brothers will be heading to the greatest fire service conference on the planet FDIC!

While there we will take classes, walk around the exhibit floors, network, and enjoy the brotherhood that is hanging out with 40,000 like minded people.

The one other thing people will be doing is searching. Searching for that tid bit, that trick, that “secret of the fire service” .

Well I have figured it out! No it’s not RECEO,…

Next week, I, along with over 30,000 firefighters will make the annual journey to Indianapolis to “re-charge our batteries”.  We do this by surrounding ourselves with like-minded, passionate people and by learning from some of the greatest minds in the fire service.  An entire year of policy, politics and being around certain PEOPLE can be emotionally draining.  What if all of those things were actually in place in order to keep us sharp?  A story I recently heard makes a great case for…

With the excitement of heading to Indianapolis and participating in the best fire training event on the planet, I thought I'd post a little pre-FDIC (potty) humor.



NEVER stop training!

See you in Indy!

Click link below to see more of Paul's work or to buy prints:…

Lately I have started to notice an increase of the word “employee” when describing a firefighter. I have heard it in casual conversations about evaluations, physical assessments, management etc. Why do we use this term? I know we are all employees of an organization in the eyes of council members and politicians, but shouldn’t we be more than just employees? If we refer to Merriam-Webster we see that an employee is defined as: “a person who works for another person or for a company for wages…

Brothers and Sisters – I am giving up my words with this post to those who know how to write them – and write them well. Sarah Gura, Chief Kenny, and Lt. Olson have agreed to co-conspire with this post regarding our mentality of invincibility. Please read…

THE AMAZING FIREMAN

Dear Firefighters,

This is a longer…

It would appear that I got a few of you in trouble last year with this cartoon;)



FDIC is the greatest fire training event on the planet, and I look forward to this week every year! Great friends, great classes, and great brotherhood!



Oh, and pipers... lots of…

As I head up to Indy today I’m reminded of 100,000’s of firefighters who become “unmotivated” by departmental climates of politics, charlatans, bureaucracies and just down right lameness. It seems the more you push for professionalism, competence and brotherhood the more disappointed you are the fakers who…

Despite the Boston tragedy, the fireground was once again the exception to where the most victims died.

The following information is a breakdown of the details of…

It can’t happen here! Words I’m sure have been spoken before, and words I’m sure were regretted later. In an age where a 24-hour news cycle chronicles every event where people die, and a culture that needs instant gratification and “attention”, the perfect storm exists where first-responders are being attack in ever more frequency. Some deadly, most are not, but all…

Chief Ron Kanterman -- April 2014

In 2004, Chief Ron Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) invited 200 fire service professionals (250 showed up) to Tampa, Florida to discuss line of duty deaths and injuries and asked us to come up with a national action plan to curb the trends and shrink the numbers. The Sixteen (16) Life Safety Initiatives (LSI’s) were developed as well as the Everyone Goes Home program and Courage to be…

Since the weather has been getting warmer it is allowing more time to train outside and get some real good engine work in. Been practicing a lot of moving lines up stairs. With a 3 person engine it makes it difficult especially in a…

This one has been in the back of my mind for a long time, and it is meant as no disrespect it is just some thoughts and opinions.

I remember getting into the fire service at age 15 and getting introduced to some of the older guys a lot of whom worked for various fire departments around the area some worked in the Urban city but most in the suburban counties. Both had differing opinions on how the best way to do things was.

Then I remember going to college and meeting…

At every teaching opportunity, I make it a point to spend plenty of time talking about risk assessment and risk management. For the sake of discussion lets focus strictly on fireground operations.

My concern is and continues to be a growing and unashamed trending towards total risk aversion.  I have theorized that there are many reasons for the rapid…

Bad Bull

Back in the day we pumped gasoline for customers, washed their windshields and offered to check under the hood for them. We had a mechanic who actually repaired cars, air was free and we were called a service station.

Fire houses were community hubs, meeting places and service…

With all of the acronyms, studies, and science being brought into the fire service today, I often hear of people clamoring for a simpler time. A time when the job was what they describe as simpler. Even as a believer in a lot of these different studies, and I feel that the fire service should be an educated fire service, but at the core of our job what we do everyday has not changed. A lot of these concepts are not even “new” if you are familiar with any fire service history. I learned about…

How often do you tour your TSDF facilities?  

Most fire departments will use the "Rule of Thumb" and wait for HazMat to arrive.  DO you think that is an appropriate response?  OR  Do you think we can take response steps for a release to a facility like this?

Love to hear what you have to say!

Your friend,

Todd C.…

When we dream about fire, and fighting it, our packs are light, movement is easy, water is plentiful and the good guys win. Every time.



In reality, movement is slow, and labored, our bodies feel like they weigh a million pounds and the water clock ticks incessantly in our heads.



Being "in deep" isn't a big deal with a charged line in hand and help behind us, for it is that help that keeps us moving forward, going…

I got a lot of views to the last blog but only 2 with the courage to tell us what he would do.  Thanks Charlie and Justin.  Here are some of their comments . (Remember, these comments are for the last Blog and not the one below.  Do not get confused.  “From the outside we are looking at nothing more than a MODERN style split ranch, so to start our search we are going to start a right hand search towards the sleeping quarters due to time and day. With a three man…

Most died away from the scene than at the scene

Update: On 26 March, the USFA announced the death of an Oklahoma captain/chaplain killed during a fight with another firefighter.

The following information is a breakdown of the details of those members in the fire…

Spring is here and it’s time to do a little spring cleaning but, be careful what you ask for. Would it be interesting to tell the 1 year rookie to “get rid of everything that doesn’t get used anymore” and then see what ends up at the dumpster? Along with the items shown in the picture might also be conversation, common sense, station…