All Blog Posts (3,119)

After 30 years in the fire service, the last six as a hazmat tech for the state of Ohio, I thought I was pretty sharp about dealing with hazardous materials.  Then I transferred to the Health Department as an emergency response coordinator.  Then 9/11 happened.  Suddenly I needed to know a whole lot about some things that I knew very little about.  My colleagues at the health department needed to know about response too.  So the die was cast and we forged ahead.

The…

From the Chicago Sun Times:

A 51-year-old veteran Chicago firefighter died after being found unresponsive at his firehouse quarters on the South Side Saturday morning.

 

Lt. Patrick Hannon was given Advanced Life Support care and was taken to Mercy Medical Center where he died, according to Fire Media Affairs Dir. Larry Langford. He was on-duty and was found…

Have you ever been to the zoo and watched the monkeys fling their own poop at each other?

Yeah; some of you already know where this is headed.…

Practical jokes and “ball-busting” have been a part of the firehouse culture for as long as there have been firefighters. It can be fun, it can bring a sense of inclusion and acceptance, it can be a stress-reliever – it’s a healthy part of the firehouse social climate.

Hazing as I define it is…

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Note: The opinions stated in this article are based upon the information contained in the relevant links at the end of this article.

Who is Jeffery Wilkes Bassett?

Author? Actor? Jet-setter? Innocent victim?…

There's a trailer out for an upcoming film entitled "First In, Last Out: A History of Fighting Fire in Indianapolis." You can view the trailer HERE. You can also befriend (be-fan?) them on Facebook HERE.

Read Chief Avillo's follow-up to his article in the December Fire Engineering HERE. In it he describes the benefits of breaking out three different radio frequencies to better handle Mayday operations.

Feel free to leave your thoughts about this concept in the comments here.

I will be attending many fire service events in the coming year and I thought it would be a good idea to keep these special events separate from my monthly commentary blog. On this site you'll see my photos, comments, video, and yes, sketches from my experiences (like FDIC). I will include a post and link on my commentary blog (as well as Facebook) to let folks know when I've posted new content. As always, I sincerely thank you for your continued support and look forward to sharing my…

Four firefighters have been injured while fighting a massive blaze near the Ryerson University Campus in downtown Toronto on Monday morning.

Emergency crews were sent to battle the six-alarm fire just after 4 a.m. at the site near Yonge and Dundas Streets, one of Toronto's busiest…

Over the years, fire service websites have marketed their sites with the idea that they are bringing the fire station to the firefighters; that they are creating a virtual place where firefighters from all over the world can bring their firehouse

kitchen to your firehouse kitchen; a fantastic concept.

Why do I mention the kitchen? Well;…

The Los Angeles Fire Department will impose a new round of reductions in fire staffing starting Sunday, part of its effort to slash expenses in a bad budget year, department officials said this week.

Fire Chief Millage Peaks said the department will decrease by seven…

Yes, these are all real life head-lines inspired from this past year! As if public relations wasn't hard enough, we invite this mayhem into our lives and firehouses with our own actions. Trust me, after years in the news industry I can tell you that a head-line speaks volumes towards public perception (after all, who reads or listens to the story, right?).…

According to the Buffalo News:

Three Buffalo firefighters fell through the floor of a burning vacant house in the city's East Delavan-Fillmore section Wednesday night, and

two of them were injured and taken to the hospital, fire officials

reported.

The injuries in the blaze at 145 Mohican Ave. were described by fire officials at the scene as "non-life-threatening." The

nature of the fire is being described as…

Apparently, it has become our mission as grandparents to provide our grandson with the Christmas season’s hottest toy.

Many of you will remember the great Zhu-Zhu shortage of…

Dedicated with utmost respect to Chicago FD, Firefighters Edward Stringer and Corey Ankum, their families and friends.

It’s Christmas Day and there is an empty chair.

It might be a favorite chair in the family room. It might be the chair at one end of…