Christopher Huston's Blog (29)

As you may or may not know, the great people here at Fire Engineering Online have allowed me to be a Featured Blogger. All my FE post will now be in that section. Thank you to all those who have supported, read and followed me on this amazing journey. So many new friends have been made because of this online forum and I look foward to making many more. So from now on please stay up to date with this link:…

Many people roam the face of the planet just doing what they do to get by. Some wander aimlessly with no direction, no motivation or even ambition. Few get to realize their goals, their dreams - their passion.

Earlier I sat down to work on a program in development about fundamentals. The terminal objective is to answer, "What’s in it for me" in regards to the fire…

Our profession is comprised of three distinct elements, the department, the crew and the indiviual. All three must synchronize to get the best results. When walking into the firehouse or responding from home, if you are not bringing your personal best the hierarchy will fail to a have foundation for success. We all must play our own game.

During grammar school, I…

Passion overflows in the fire service in forms of pride, dedication, commitment and sacrifice. Modern society with our "overwhelming" connection to media has pros and cons. The ability to share your passion is certainly on the positive side of the coin. Fire Engineering is certainly a leader in fire service training, news and information. Add to their repertoire developing the next generation of Firefighters, Officers, Instructors and Leaders. This training community is a testament to this…

There is an argument being made that we cannot have a safe fire ground. This job, inherently filled with risk, will never see a day where everyone goes home. Can we find middle ground where safety and our duty receive equal treatment? Life is overflowing with risk and we perform life altering/ending actions on a daily basis just as human beings. Life as a Fire Service professional gives us a different perspective. We have training and education to handle when those risks of living life catch…

A romance for firefighting begins in each one of us, just as unique as those involved. Our stories are diverse, similar, extraordinary or maybe just ours. My love affair with this calling, the Fire Service, is not special or enthralling, it is just mine.

Sunday is Fathers Day. Some will mark the occasion possibly by serving breakfast in bed or a family cookout. My life has not led me down the path of parenthood in the traditional sense; our puppies are my "kids", so Fathers…

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton’s third law of motion defines how two objects interact in regards to force. Apply this to our interaction with the fire and emergency environment. However trivial it may be, every action we take has a reaction. Our actions dictate the outcome on scene, positive or negative. Fireground performance or the actions we take, start well before the alarm. Training that includes decision-making, is a key component. Others…

Standing there on the asphalt, dripping with sweat and eyes squinting from the noon sun, I think to myself, “Let’s go again.” Most in this world would not even try it once; while a few will stop only by force. The five-story burn tower, in August, at the midday – is not the lazy boy with the A/C on high. For a Firefighter, seeking to out-perform the chemical chain reaction and its affects on the gravity resistance system, it is the most important place to be. Nothing worth doing is…

Modesty is a personal trait among many in the Fire Service. Taking the time to view the profiles just in this community you can find this. "Area of expertise: Always a student, expert of none, always learning" are a few examples. There may be those who still "high-five" each other on the front lawn after a good job, but for the most part we are humbled to serve our fellow man.

A…

INFLUENCE, every day we have an opportunity to influence those around us. Some days, even if unintentional, the impact of our posture could be negative. Always must we stay vigilant and maintain good attitudes. “Good?” you may be asking yourself. We need to be honest; we are not our best every single day. Although we may strive to, life is dynamic which could keep us from having our best day - everyday. Enter the mighty power of influence. Can you recall a time when you just were in a “blah”…

Self Improvement must be driven from within to have an effect. Outside influences may affect one’s ability to improve but for change to last, one must change for them self.

The Fire Service, by our virtue, has a culture to improve. The tools we use to complete emergency scene tasks are an example. Even today, companies modify tools based on issues unique to their…

It is about 1030 am. In about 2 hours, I will get in my truck and head south. A four-hour drive filled with anticipation and curiosity. My destination; FDIC 2012. It has been roughly 55 weeks since the last time we did this. Each week I put aside just a few dollars to pay for the 7 days of life at the convention, living in the hotel, eating at the restaurants and sharing stories with a few thousand of my brothers and sisters.

I always mentally prepare for an event. Whether it is the…

For this week's post, I am going to take the oppurtunity to discuss my site http://engineco22.net

This past week the site celebrated 6 years on the web. It has had it's up's and down's, but the battle forges on.

Some of the highlights:

• Added video content
• Added online training modules
• • BRAND NEW CONTENT by GREEN MALTESE, Lt. John Shafer and Produced by…

Looking at annual Line of Duty Death statistics, anyone can easily see that cardiac arrest is a Firefighters foe. In fact, heart attack is at least 50% of the reason why we lose so many brothers and sisters each year. We can all agree that improving our health, getting annual medical physicals and exercising are the right things to do. However, I have two questions. First how many of us are working out regularly and to the intensity of the fire ground, getting physicals and eating the way we…

A simple equation that has great value is Performance = (Knowledge + Desire + Experience). In a previous post, I mentioned this formula briefly, as it applies to training. Today we want to examine our performance, when altered by outside factors or influence.

Performance on and off the fire ground is crucial. From the final test to receive certification to how we function on our next working fire, performance should improve anytime we increase a constant. Measurements of…

This week's post is a weblink to my YOUTUBE Channel. Over the weekend I presented the first full pilot of SPEED SMOKE STRESS: Is Killing American Firefighters. Please stop by and take a look. It is just a glimpse, I can't give to much away. My goal is to have a version of this course on the docket for FDIC 2013. WIth the support of this training community, I believe this will happen.…

Does your engine have a reserve or secondary line? This line is not a main per-connect, "the second line" or the back up. This line functions as a reserve set up. 

Certain situations may require positioning your hand line to another area. The problem it creates, once it’s charged the time and effort to re-position increases. The line in operation would be shut down, possibly drained, and redeployed which under some circumstances is a labor intensive ordeal. A dry, fresh line is much…

Disclaimer: As an Advocate for the Everyone Goes Home program, I have a duty to see the mission of reducing Firefighter Line of Duty Death fulfilled. This post was written due to my frustration with the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives being both misconstrued for personal agenda and as a shield to hide behind. In addition, the statements below are not part of the implementation process for the initiatives. My goal is to break down a key element of LSI #1, accountability and personal…

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”- Alexander Graham Bell

The word focus has an interesting origin. This term comes from the Latin word for fireplace or hearth. One can only assume that the definition is a central point, the source of heat in the home long ago. In modern times, this still holds true, as many fireplaces…