All Blog Posts (3,119)

Blog note: On March 6^th, many of us paid tribute to the memory of Assistant Chief Dennis Olson of the Monmouth, Illinois Fire Department, who died in the line of duty on that day in 1993. This blog raises many questions, may raise many dormant feelings, but it is done with the utmost respect for family, friends, community, fire department and most of all, Assistant Chief Dennis Olson.

Monmouth, Illinois is known as the “Maple City” in west central Illinois.

At…

From digtriad.com:

 A firefighter who fell through a floor while fighting a house fire this weekend said he's happy to be alive and thankful for his co-workers.

"I feel very fortunate," said Winston-Salem Fire Captain Darron Southern. "The good Lord was looking out for me. It was bad enough to fall down and fall eight feet. But, to only receive a bruised shoulder, I…

At Traditions Training we consistently state at every program we teach... we must be "Combat Ready" as firefighters.  For some "Combat Ready" might just be taken as a "slogan" or a "buzz -word" of the week.  Other's see it as something they have to do personally, a facet of readiness that may just save a life: be it your own, your brother…

A mobile home fire at the corner of Beeline Lane and Amy Lane early Monday morning sent one Harker Heights firefighter to the hospital and displaced four adults.

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The firefighter remained in the Scott & White Intensive Care Unit in Temple with fellow firefighters by his side on Monday evening, Fire Chief Jack Collier…

Today Spartan Motors, Inc. announced that it will acquire Classic Fire, the Ocala, FL-based fire apparatus…

From the Associated Press by way of MiamiHerald.com:

A Daytona Beach firefighter is recovering from injuries after the first level of a burning home collapsed and dropped him into the basement.

The firefighter was searching for victims in Friday night's house fire when the floor gave way. He was taken to the hospital with a leg injury. He has not been identified.

Hey Everyone,

Be sure to start following the National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System page on facebook.  It is a great resource to obtain "Report of the Weeks", training information, and current trends delivered right to your newsfeed!

http://www.facebook.com/firefighternearmiss

I'm not sure what else I can say about the current political climate and keep this blog PG rated. I think I'll just let my cartoon say it all.

To see more of my work, visit:…

Everyone Goes Home just released a new seatbelt PSA. It's already been posted at least once on the Fire Engineering Community site. It still fascinates me that we need to have this conversation...that we haven't just done the right thing and started buckling up. It's such a simple thing. It can be a hassle, yes--if you've never "practiced" donning what you need to don while…

Blog Note: Another public sector employee has been fired for posting disparaging remarks about their employer. Is it a freedom of speech vs. employee conduct issue?

Read the article here: http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110224/NEWS/102240313

Good or bad; the explosion of the use of social media for its velocity and reach comes with some…

The NFPA 1917 Standard for Automotive Ambulances draft closed for comment in December 2010 and the Committee met in Dallas during February 2011 to review the 1,785 comments received. Many comments and proposals for change were duplicative: 133 received on Vehicle Data Recorders (VDRs), 136 on maximum top speed of 72 MPH, 131 on estimated in-service vehicle weight, 132 on visual indicators of tire…

Edit Note: I wrote that "protesters are getting doctors' notes". It should have said "teachers". I apologize for the error.

In addition, the Taft-Hartley Act outlawed the closed shop in 1947, but allowed for union shops. The errors have been corrected.

February 23; this just in:…

I was a senior in high school when the fire at Philadelphia's One Meridian occurred. It's impact for me, at that time, was solely that a friend of mine who worked there during summer vacation wouldn't be returning to his summer position. I was still two years away from…

For those who don't know yet, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is now part of the Fire Engineering family. I am pleased to introduce myself as Associate Editor Chris Mc Loone.

It has been an…

You would have to be living in a very deep h*** not to have noticed the vicious pro vs anti-union rhetoric being slung by everyone from politicians to the old lady walking her dog down the block.This is a nasty and dirty line being drawn in the sand, and one that my state of Ohio will face shortly (if not already with SB-5).

I am not a union member,…