For years nearly every nozzle manufacture has been attempting to bring some type of new and attractive technology to the tried and true smooth bore. In my short career I have seen countless variations of integrated, variable choice, or adjustable diameter tips/nozzles, none of which have gained much traction beyond the exhibition floor.

Some would stop the…

Displacing vehicle dash assemblies can be a challenging task at times. Many options are available when a vehicle is sitting upright. However, displacement options can quickly diminish when vehicle orientation changes or the involved vehicle is pinned against various objects. Todays "Quick Tip" will show an alternative technique that is quick, and many times can provide enough displacement to free trapped patients. I have used this method many times when a…

Milwaukee, Louver, Rochester Peak, Syracuse, Tee Pee Cut.

What is right for us?

I had the opportunity to attend FDIC the past month and was fortunate enough to take the eight hour HOT class Urban Essentials.  If you ever get the chance to go to Indianapolis for FDIC take Urban Essentials, lots of skills that you can take back to your home department and implement.  At Urban Essentials one of Milwaukee’s finest truck companies…

There is plenty of change going on the world these days, and the fire service is no different.  We are looking into the science of our business and debating how to apply it, wrestling with generational issues, technology, etc., but one of the most striking changes to come along in the last ten years or so has been the way we get our information.  And it is important to recognize these changes and how they influence our industry.  Our younger members may not have the experience to recognize…

We have the distinct honor and pleasure to offer our Firefighter Bailout class at FDIC 2015 this year as one of the HOT classes.  We feel, like most, that we should train and drill constantly on the basics like engine company operations, search, ventilation, fire behavior, ladder work, forcible and the list goes on, to prevent the need for a firefighter to have to exit an…

I talk a great deal about the role of the company officers and how they influence the members of your department.  When teaching officer development we hit hard on setting and establishing expectations and ensuring that there is follow-through with those expectations.  I was recently asked about expectations for my company officers.  They aren't too different from what I expected from my crew members when I was a company officer.

It's only a little more than a month away and I'm starting to get excited! I'm presenting for the first time and I'm hoping to see each of you there. Mark you calenders for Thursday, April 23rd, 3:30 p.m. - Rooms 109-110, for Drawn By Fire: A Decade Of Fired Up' Toons.

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Drawn by Fire: A Decade of Fired Up 'Toons…

This throwback photo was taken in the seventies at the retirement party for Raymond “Raybo” Adams. Raymond was an “old timer” when I joined his company. He also was the star pitcher on the department baseball team and he could still “bring the stuff” as he aged.

The picture always reminds me of the old and the new and the generational differences that we hear so much about in the Fire Service. It also causes me to stop…

As I am sitting here at my desk after finishing up daily round of paperwork, daily tour log and browsing the interwebs to kill some time, I sit here and ponder the job. How much I love it, how much I want other brother and sister…

VENT LIMITED TEAMS

“It takes two flints to make a fire.” Louisa May Alcott

What’s the condition of our team?

Is our team incipient, smoldering, vent limited, ignited, developing, heavily involved, fully involved or…

Why Are You A Firefighter?

I was recently invited to speak at the Angola Fire Department Symposium. During the last class of the day which was Leadership: Trust, Love and Thermodynamics, I started off by asking those…

Too much? Nah! Who doesn't like a little pop culture parody - and Fifty Shades of Grey was just too juicy to pass on. 



So, what crazy or embarrassing calls have you been on? Share - but please, let's keep it PG rated - just the facts, ma'am.

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

 “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” Joseph Stalin

After recently reading Dan Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational, and his use of this quote, I pondered if this quote from the feared Communist leader Joseph Stalin could help reduce our line of duty deaths and the answer is YES! While Stalin’s quote was most likely intended for more sinister purposes it does…

Penciling is for Drawing a Nozzle Fully Open

When recruit firefighters are told one thing and then shown something different they end up applying what they were…

Leading Without Rank

Joseph L. Kitchen, Fire Chief – Bath Township (Lima, Ohio)

Shiny collar brass, gleaming white helmet, command vehicle, right front passenger seat, forty hour week. Do any of these make…

Who’s Gonna’ Fill Their Shoes

 In 1985 the late great George Jones release the country music hit, “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” The song talks about…

(Yellow symbolizes the backside of the A post, Red is showing the sever from the additional (deep) cut)

One of the most common complaints I hear about completing dash displacements is the lack of actual "lift" or the feeling of resistance during the lift. This can be caused by a…