All Blog Posts (3,132)

“I just don’t understand the kids being hired these days.” How many times have we all heard this? I am sure too many times to count. Chances are that it is usually being said by an officer who is trying to lead these newly hired firefighters. There is a fairly good chance that the same thing was said when that person entered the fire service as well. In this article, I will discuss a few areas that officers seem to struggle to connect with their newer…

“While we are postponing, life speeds by” - Seneca, Roman Stoic Philosopher

We each have 168 hours in a week with which to accomplish things. We have to budget time for work, sleep, food, relationships, and leisure. There are plenty of time management books, podcasts, and apps that claim to have the ability to help us get more things done.  But the issue isn’t always a time management problem. It’s a person problem. After all, if everyone starts with the same amount…

Vehicle Variables: 4 Key Factors to Aid in Size-Up

An initial size-up for any emergency response has the ability to set the tone for the duration of the incident. For EMS runs it is the initial general impression of a patient. With hazardous materials incidents, the initial identification of placards or shipping containers can determine the initial actions taken on part of responding units. One of the most…

We aren’t trained as educators in the fire service, we are trained as presenters.

Educators make sure they are hitting on different learning styles, reach different cognition levels, and have a mastery of their subject. They have the ability to read the room to see if students are truly understanding and then clarify as needed. Educators spend hours preparing for a class in order to deliver the most relevant content.

Presenters, however, often just read from a premade slide…

I was having a conversation with a firefighter the other day and he was expressing some frustrations he was having at work. They were easy issues to talk about and work through, but something came up that I have heard before. The Us vs. Them mentality or mindset. Us being the firefighters and officers on the line and Them being the chief officers or executive staff in your departments.

There are many things that can contribute to the Us vs. Them mindset or problem within a…

Everywhere you turn it seems the topic of leadership is present. Books, blogs, and podcasts constantly talk about what leadership is, how to achieve it, or how it is displayed. One of the most commonly discussed areas is on the characteristics that leaders have.

An example of this is influence. It is no secret that leaders have tremendous amounts of influence on those around them, both positive and negative. How they exert that influence is key. So it is a good thing that this…

Do you remember your thoughts or feelings when you put on a fire helmet for the very first time? Maybe your feelings were different than the ones being written about here, but you can follow along and reminisce. On that day, there may have been happiness, excitement, exhilaration, and anticipation on what was yet to come. Calls for help, emergency responses. Red lights, sirens, and air horns oh my! There may have been some angst, nervousness, and shyness, even…

We have all watched the news and social media apps with articles and videos from Texas and surrounding states of frozen and broken pipes. Most of the videos show broken residential pipes and sprinkler system breaks that are all too common in the northeast. The one video that made me stop in my tracks was of a water tower with a broken supply pipe. The water reserve for the whole system was no longer filling the system with water; instead, it made a lake on the ground below. I questioned if…

The “Extrication Boss”: Pre-Planning and Size Up for Company Officers

A highly promoted practice in the fire service, especially for first arriving company officers, is to conduct a size up and perform a 360 of structures upon initial arrival to incidents involving alarm activations and reports of smoke or fire. Being prepared for a successful mitigation to a working fire most often…

Worker Compensation claims during the Covid -19 Pandemic

America appreciates the first responders who place their lives on the line every day during this C-19 pandemic. Unfortunately some of us become sick and some will die as a result of this exposure. For those who are working in this hazardous environment, there is an associated amount of stress that you may contract the disease and affect friends, co-workers and family members.

With much of the country in…

In Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he discusses 5 principles that are essential to success as a team. Patrick lists the five dysfunctions as Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability, and Inattention to Results.  Let’s discuss how these principles can be applied by the fire service instructor to not only ensure success of the individual, but also how those same individuals can learn how to function in a team environment with…

“The new look had brought with it not only a new kind of weaponry but a new kind of warrior as well. Actually, the new breed was kind of a warrior diplomat; as bloodless ballistics seemed to be phasing out the role of fighters on the future battlegrounds, the emphasis increased on the diplomatic side of soldering”

“But then, suddenly, it was too late, even for a tourniquet: Chief of Staff Taylor disbanded all the Old Army regiments, with all their history and tradition to…

A career with an Industrial Based Fire Department can be a truly rewarding experience filled with the same level of camaraderie, brotherhood, and tradition of the surrounding local municipal departments.

Along with the same similarities such as training, morning rig checks, and stories shared around the firehouse dinner table, the Industrial Fire Service comes with other elements and experiences unique to the environment at hand that a firefighter wouldn’t normally encounter…

Establishing Engine Company Success by Estimating the Stretch

As the first arriving engine on scene to any working fire, you can set the tone for success or failure right from the stretch, literally. Determining the length of hose to pull from the bed first is a skill set that comes with education and experience that is earned and gained out in the…

For firefighters, it is pretty common for them to interact with, well, fire. While many firefighters go headstrong into a burning building to put the fire out and rescue any victims that may be inside. For you full-time folks the components of fire and the importance of understanding combustion is reviewed everyday but for us small-time, maybe more rural volley fire departments this needs to be reviewed and better appreciated. …

The little things matter when it comes to lifting and stabilizing heavy objects. The strut that is a “little crooked” when you started can quickly become very crooked and unsafe under a substantial load. Our attention to detail must stay sharp when setting up to stabilize and lift.

Below is an example of taking a shortcut that could be catastrophic later. Photo A is a picture of the base of a stabilizing strut with the ratchet strap secured into the manufactured attachment point. This…

The Art of the Resume; Tips for Success

Nicholas Christensen, CFO, MPA

It could be…

Low Angle Rescue: A Quick, Simple and Effective Approach

In this article, I will review a simple method of accessing an injured patient with a low angle rescue element involved.  Low angle rescues are generally considered to fall between 15 and 35 degrees. Examples include motor vehicle accidents involving vehicles down embankments and injured runners or hikers…

We are in an age of declining fire. In direct correlation to this, is the disappearance of the fire department mission and the art of firemanship. Meanwhile, resentment is rapidly on the rise. True firemen are like starving artists. Their sole focus is to be a part of an organization with passion and drive to be good at the job. They are consistently…

The goal of Firefighter Rescue Survey (FirefighterRescueSurvey.com or check us out on Facebook) is to gather as much information as possible from actual rescues in the hopes of making us all more effective and efficient on our firegrounds. By collecting data from firefighters who have been in the exact situation that most of us spend a career preparing for, we hope to provide firefighters from around the…