Featured Blog Posts (259)

Give it rest will you? You’re not perfect.

My coworker, so to speak, Ray McCormack and I were having one of our regular discussions on all things fire and most things disturbing in the fire service and we were on the subject of internet and Facebook experts. Ray’s sharp with writing and came up with the Safety ADHPD (Attention Deficit Hyper Photography…

By: Brian Brush

In most settings window bars are more deterrent than actual fortification.  There are places where window bars and coverings can be substantially built and designed as an obstacle, for example commercial occupancies or vacant property systems.  For the…

Oh, there's always that one firefighter who must put the "fire" in firehouse chili!

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The box alarm (structural assignment) is transmitted, reporting a fire at the Home Depot. It's mid-afternoon, the building is 100% sprinklered and companies have responded to the reporting address a number of times for false calls, odors, electrical issues, fire alarms, etc. So, what are the chances that its actually on fire? How…

By Ron Kanterman

I got a feeling that you opened this because we just got home from FDIC. In fact it was a killer show. It was my 23^rd FDIC and it simply gets better each year. For me, it’s a family reunion and for one week, it’s the center of our universe. Great training, great expo and great times. Start saving now for next year. It rolls around quick.

“Killer Show” is actually the title of a book (John Barylick, University Press of New England) that was…

Note: I wasn’t going to post a blog until after FDIC, but then I watched BC Michael Walker’s address on livestream and it really struck a chord. He spoke to the very essence of what it is to call yourself “fireman”, the strong bond between firefighters and what our communities expect when they call us.…

While doing research for this blog, I came across a couple of very interesting articles that I will provide the links for and I would encourage you to read them and perhaps, pass them along. They were very enlightening and take my thoughts to a wider spectrum when thinking about responses and pre-plans. They can be found at the end of this piece.

With yesterday’s (April 10, 2013) incident in…

Report: The first recorded history of fire attack exposes the true motivation for the engine company!

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Hey, a man has got to have his priorities, right?

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-The following is the script of a two minute radio broadcast that happened twenty five years ago by the great Paul Harvey, on his hugely successful radio program, "News and Comments by Paul Harvey". My Harvey was a great broadcaster who had a tremendously kind spirit. He was know for taking the obscure and introducing it to the rest of us in a beautifully eloquent way. The challenge was made more difficult because, for you youngsters, Mr. Harvey was a radio broadcaster; no…

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller...?  Oh, we've all sat through this class, haven't we?! A class where the instructor reads each word from the never-ending source of dull PowerPoint slides with all the excitement of Ben Stein's character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I feel inspired just thinking about it!



I have often said there are two types of instructors -…

Smoke detector programs are a great way to help protect your community, assist folks that may not be able to afford them, build trust, and give an overall feeling of goodwill between you and the people under your watch. School programs are another great way to insure that most households have at least one smoke detector hopefully being installed and…

To all my Brothers and Sisters out there, have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year!!

Paul

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"You never know when you're being watched. It's my least favorite part of acting, celebrity."

- Denzel Washington

 

Make no mistake, when you're operating at an incident you are a celebrity. People gather to watch the drama that is unfolding within their neighborhood with admiration, fascination, and curiosity. This is a behavior that has not changed…

December Fire Engineering magazine commentary.

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http://www.artstudioseven.com/page-LE_Prints.htm

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Now that I have your attention, it is time we speak about buckling up. Before your attention wanes because you think this is yet another fire service writer imploring you to wear your seatbelt, realize that I do not wish to speak of seat belts in this post. I do wholeheartedly agree with wearing a seat belt on the apparatus, but that is a subject for another day. Take a look at the photos below, and I want you to take in the stark difference between the two.…

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family - may it be a joyous and safe time! Keep less fortunate friends and loved ones in your prayers and be thankful for everything in your life.



...just beware of the canned cranberries!!

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Bleeding the Line

Many habits are formed in the academy and on the drill ground.  Some of these habits are good and some not so good.  We try to create a realistic scenario and environment as much as possible during drill.  Due to many constraints we are faced with the need to adjust what we would or should really do because “this is only a drill.”

Firefighters are taught very early on to open the bale, bleed the air and check the…

From the time the alarm sounds, stresses begin to deteriorate our abilities to function as we do normally. The alarm itself kicks off an acute physiological response which immediately reduces cognitive and physical abilities. We pile on gear which restricts our movement, retains heat, and weighs down our body. The trip to the alarm in the rig is exciting; sirens, the smoke column, and radio traffic continue to ramp up emotion. Now we arrive to find the ball is set in motion; firefighters are…