All Blog Posts (3,120)

The past two segments of "The Duty To Lead" have covered a variety of topics, including task competence, daily attitude, and perceptions being tied to one's personal affairs. This blog entry will round out the discussion, looking into topics such as the relationship between being an officer and being an instructor, some ways to encourage constant learning on your shift, and a few closing thoughts.…

Things get messed up on occasion at almost every level of almost every occupation.  As an example I posted a Round Table question in Fire Engineering Magazine a month or two ago.  Due to extensive and I must add quite insightful and interesting coverage of Hurricane Sandy in the June and July issues,  it kind of got lost. I think it was a great opportunity for those that “do”, to help those that “don’t” (but should).  And in an occupation that prides itself on brother and sisterhood, isn’t…

If you're not thinking forward, you are already behind! Difference makers prepare and shape their future by always thinking of innovative ways to accomplish a goal. So, are you a progressive thinker, or a complacent wallflower?



Always make a…

Here is another example of business owners expanding their operation upward, when adjacent property isn't available. Although this is good for extra occupancy, especially in a restaurant or bars profitability, it provides for certain obstacles and dangers for firefighters.

As was brought-up (by Jake Rixner) in my previous post about "rear porches", these additions (roof top decks/patios) aren't likely built to code. In a lot of jurisdictions, a roof top deck/patio can't be visible…

Although this type of construction is routinely found in cities around the United States, it is not all that uncommon to find them in the Main Streets of small town America.

WorkingFireChief.com has posted photos of rear porches in the past, but this type of configuration continues to pose challenges for operating fire units.

Did you know that…

I have good news and I have bad news.  The good news is that "things" in the fire service are finally changing and changing for the better.  The bad news is that some of you may not like it. 



I just got back from a weekend with some of the largest minds in today's fire service. (Not quite sure what I was doing there.) Here is some of what’s coming or in some cases, already here.

• Did you know that every fire apparatus built after 2008 (I believe – maybe 2009)  has a…

Jefferson City fire reminds us that vagrancy is not seasonal

Early Tuesday morning Jefferson City firefighters responded to a fire at 111 Adams Street. During the course of the fire and investigation a homeless man was arrested for allegedly starting the fire, knowing that other squatters were inside.

“[Police] also…

Last month, we got started discussing the importance of being a good role model for your company as a new officer. This continuation will delve a bit deeper into the importance of fireground competence for company officers and the effects that it will have on your company and the operations that you are involved in. Additionally, we will start to identify some attitudes and personality traits that will positively impact your company.

COMPETENCE BREEDS…

What good is having all your experience and knowledge if you never share it. My guess is you had someone in your career that shared their knowledge with you - return the favor. Teach, share, and pay it…

Rapid Intervention: A dreaded assignment or progressive task for the elite?

Years ago, I hated to hear the words “Engine 212, take Rapid Intervention.” There was nothing worse than having to grab the assignment of RIT (before the terminology changed to “RIC”). You don’t get to fight fire, search, or get dirty and worst of all, you grab a RIT bag and stand in the front yard for hours.

In 2005, Captain Chris Wilson of the City of Raleigh Fire Department…

Simple, yet very effective...Hose Bed Prop-Heads Up Firefighting

As the old saying goes, "you make up time getting out of the door (firehouse) on an emergency run, not on the street (driving fast)".



To compare todays "turnout" times to those of times past, a few different stories come to mind. The first is of Engine Company No. 4 in the (Washington, DC) District of Columbia Fire Department.…

Many cities are feeling the economic pinch of poor budget management or simply bad economic luck. Whichever the case may be, some city managers are pointing fingers at everyone else, of course, for their plight. This cartoon is not stating that some public employee unions are blameless, because in part, they are (that's why they are in the car and not standing along…

This phrase has been used countless times in the fire service to describe nearly as many positions: from the chief, the company officer, the senior firefighter, to the guys riding the backstep; although in my experience the most important person on the job is the training officer.



Being a firefighter today is not an easy job; our shareholders (the citizens we serve) expect us to be experts at everything from haz-mat mitigation, to wildland firefighting, to paramedicine, to vehicle…

Drilling for effectiveness cannot be overstated enough.  In posts and articles firefighters and officers are imploring that we, as a fire service, put a heavy emphasis on drilling and training on a regular basis.

Over my short career in the fire service, I have been asked many times: “Why do you care so much?” I often answer with: because I can.

Everyone should have that reason to get out of bed and get the day started.  Many days it…

A few months ago I posted about operating on a quint and the idea of reverse laying for first due engines that run with quints.  A great deal of us are operating on these apparatus everyday and don't have a single designation as an engine or a truck, rather we are assigned based on our order of arrival and on what tasks need to be done.  Most of the time we are not assigned by what type of apparatus we arrive in.

Politics, attitudes and every other negative thing you can think of is in and around our firehouses at any given time. Its an unfortunate, yet true fact of our culture/life.



But, through the thick of this negativity, do you ever take a minute to step back and remember WHY WE ARE HERE? Why do or did we have the passion that a…

Talk is cheap. Let's mount up and get moving...Talking in Circles-Heads Up Firefighting