All Blog Posts (3,172)

When considering the command process, there are numerous interferences that do not allow the Incident Commander to fully execute his or her battle plan. Let’s look at the ordinary every day citizen. When bad things happen, “people” usually band together and want to help. (The first major human behavior study for a large fire was performed by John L. Bryan after the MGM Grand hotel fire in Las Vegas in 1980) His theories have proven themselves time and time again, e.g. the WTC bombing in…

            As a firefighter, most of us focus on pushing our operating limits. Some of these times, we find ourselves in uncharted territory. This uncharted territory creates situations where we have a decision to make – take the risk or not. The safest and least critical decision is to do nothing. It is a promise that you will never be criticized if you meet status quo. However, meeting status quo is not how a leader thinks.…

Moving past fear

Many fire organizations have Human Resources (HR) departments that deal with many of the issues related to the needs of firefighters and staff. HR deals with recruiting and hiring new firefighters, providing information about medical benefits and compensation, ensuring compliance with laws and ordinances, providing a pathway to local EAP Programs and responsible for employee development and firefighter training supporting your training division. HR is…

You are the officer on the 2^nd due ladder truck on a commercial structure fire, and your assignment is to report to the rear and give a report. You cannot get your ladder truck physically to the rear, but you must get to the rear and give a report to command. What tools will you take and what jobs are you going to do? A good truck crew will deploy ladders to the roof, coordinate ventilation with the inside crews, and force doors.

When focusing on…

The Sunday Preach: Evening Edition



"Shape up!"



"The onus for fitness is not nor should it be placed on the fire department. It falls directly on you. While it is beneficial for both the department and the firefighter to keep yourself in shape, it has to start with the individual. Department sponsored and encouraged fitness programs are great to help those persons who need that little extra boost or…

The Enemies of Trust

Trust is a value that occurs in both ourselves, our teams, and our organizations. Creating and maintaining trust is paramount for leaders, yet unfortunately many do not see the need for giving attention to it. Leaders can make the mistake of assuming that their rank and the ability to say because I said so binds people to their decision. But how does one define trust and what does it look…

As we grow as leaders we should realize that there are different types of leadership.   Among these is lassiez faire.   It may very well be the most difficult to master.   Aside from authoritative leadership or democratic leadership, it is more hands off.   When you have an efficient crew who performs well on most occasions, this can be the ideal form of leadership because it allows others to develop their leadership presence.  However, the fine line is drawn between lassiez faire and…

Training – “The Collapse Pile”



Within the fire service, it is essential for every member to be “jacks of all trades and masters of all”. Fire suppression, technical rescue, EMS, Hazmat, etc; the list of our roles and responsibilities continues to grow each year. It is mandatory we stay in a constant state of readiness. At the start of our tour, we must ensure we are prepared to perform any task that may present itself. With that said, the various tasks we perform have different…

Some firehouse traditions should not be messed with, right? But this whimsical take on our traditional carnivores-only-kitchen-club poses an interesting question about what tradition really means in the fire service, and when it's appropriate and advantageous to change it. Change never comes easy, even when it's in our best interest to blaze a new direction. I'm a…

As leaders, we must understand how to give power away and to reign it in, within boundaries.  Leaders who mentor those under them must relate this to the way that a race horse is trained.  We hire employees and recruit volunteers who are essentially thoroughbreds.  Strong, energetic, and have an enthusiasm for “running.” If were to buy a race horse, then you certainly wouldn’t be afraid to let it run.  Yet, as leaders we sometimes don’t recognize the fact that our thoroughbreds need to…

Most of us took this job because it was all we ever wanted to do. Some call it a calling, some are following in their parents footsteps. I remember when I was 7 all wanted to be was a firefighters. I remember my mom taking me to the fire house in Greenbelt MD, where my dad and grandfather volunteered.  At 4 years old my mom told me I use to try to walk the fire house dog (which was a Dalmatian named Pepper) but most of the time the dog ended up dragging me across the engine room floor. When…

Faced with one of the most demanding jobs around, firefighters are trained to act in dangerous and volatile situations. Entering unfamiliar structures that are actively on fire with a ton of heavy gear giving limited mobility, is the number one dangerous situation that comes to mind when thinking about firefighters. But on a daily basis we are presented with a multitude of dangerous encounters. Car wrecks on busy highways, power lines struck down in the crash, taking care of medical patients…

Almost 20 years since the day you first started this, you used to say to yourself “I can’t wait to get on the job.” Years of mental stress, physical stress, time away from family and lost friendships over Fire House politics have taken their toll on you. You ask yourself “has this become a job?”

In every fire house across America there is someone just like you, someone who has lost their motivation, lost their desire…

If, like me, you are a regular visitor to the FE Community, you will have noticed a sparsity of postings over the past few weeks, my own blog included.  I suspect that the explanation for my slacking is shared by many other regular contributors, and that is the vast amount of ideas and information we are sorting through since returning from FDIC International 2017 in Indianapolis.  While I spent a lot of effort on my own presentation, adding updates right up until my assigned time on the…

While teaching leadership classes over the past several years, I often wonder how long it would take my students to master the Art of Leadership. Is it one or two classes; experiences in the field as a leader; higher education at the Bachelors or Masters level; boots on the ground or a combination of all aforementioned?

Then I wonder about the amount of time it takes to become proficient at our leadership skill…

Pre-Rigged Systems for Hauling/Lowering a Downed Firefighter

When dispersing equipment and tools amongst your apparatus and response units, a lot of time and thought is used to determine what the best fit for the best…

The Company Officer: Competency First

A lot is written and talked about how the Company Officer is the backbone of the American Fire Service. I believe this to be true although I am always quick to point out at the same time that we need soldiers too, and a good senior man in particular is invaluable. But the Company Officer holds a special…