All Blog Posts (3,173)

Because of the special season that we’re in, I decided to take a brief break from the Chaplain Program specifics and share some thoughts about this time of year that means different things to different people. Some celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and even Festivus J (If you would like to share your experiences of “airing your grievances” or “feats of strength” around the Festivus pole, let me know). Regardless of what you celebrate, this month of December and the holidays that are…

Merry Christmas to my firefighter brothers and sisters. Stay safe out there.

From my family to yours, wishing you all the best in life for the New Year. Indeed so fortunate to have good health, good friends and a loving family.... both at the firehouse and at home.  



With the turbulent times that we see happening around us, know that we must always continue to look at for each other, on the fireground, in the firehouse, and all places in-between.  



Life, much like the fireground, can be…

I wish to take this opportunity to wish all my friends and fellow bloggers a very Merry Christmas.

Thank you PennWell, www.fireengineering.com,  and especially Bobby H., Erich R., Scott Nelson and the best blog manager around, Peter Prochilo.

You have provided me with a platform to share my diverse thoughts to a very…

LEAP-FROGGIN'

In my opinion, success at an extrication scene is based off efficiency, tactics, and teamwork. One of my…

The Sunday Preach



PP...V



"There is a tendency that if someone sets up a PPV fan at the front door, it should be started and run." (Pg. 208) "While companies are still checking for pockets of hidden fire is not the time to fire up the fan!" (Pg. 209). "25 to Survive: Reducing Residential Injury and LODD"



Positive pressure ventilation (PPV) certainly deserves some discussion in the residential…

It’s not hard to remember December in 1999.

That year, in the month of December alone, this nation’s fire service lost EIGHTEEN firefighters in the line of duty.

Two fires accounted for half of that total.

On December 3,…

I'm of the belief that success is a result of happiness.

Unfortunately, there are many that seek success so they can be happy. That is backwards. Simply due to the fact that success is never enough, so you keep pushing to get that next goal, so you can be happy again. Ultimately, you will rarely achieve that happiness, since you keep pushing past your previous…

In recent weeks I have had the opportunity to be involved in both sides of the promotional process: as a participant and as an interviewer.  Both are stressful and will challenge you.  You must be able to pull from your training, education, experience and coaching in both circumstances to arrive at a positive decision and hopefully with a successful outcome.

This post is going to focus on  being the participant in these processes.  In my classes on officer development I try to hammer…

Who is walking your halls?

By: Chad Hoefle

choefle@es-il.org

As many of you do on a daily basis, you walk the halls of the firehouse. You may be doing chores, giving tours, answering the door, or even just stopping in with your kids on your day off. Maybe it’s that you are a volunteer or a paid on call member and you are stopping by to see if there have been any calls in the past day or so. No matter why you are walking the firehouse, unless you take a…

Firefighters have physically and mentally demanding jobs which means we (as fire rescue athletes) have demanding nutritional needs to match.  Unfortunately, research confirms that most are deficient in some essential nutrients. The most common deficiencies are in protein, water (hydration), healthy fatty acids, and the essential vitamins.…

Do a quick internet search on vehicles vs. guardrails and your photo results will be…

The Sunday Preach



A December to Remember.



For several reasons, 'tragedy and loss' during the month of December always stings just a little deeper. In the line of work we are in, we know that all too well... we see 'tragedy' on a daily basis.  



Our beloved fire service is not immune either, with several line-of-duty deaths occurring during December. Most recently, a residential building fire that…

The fire occurs in a small, 540 sq. ft. Frame bungalow.  The alarm is sounded at 0630 hours on a Sunday morning.  As in the photo, there are vehicles parked on the “D” side of the structure. 

“Attack” has been assigned to the first due engine.  Your crew is assigned “Search”. 

Develop a search plan including entry point, where you will start and end up the search.  Also include search type and any other considerations.

View video at:   …

When the Sleigh Is Out the Rig Fills In

Have you ever noticed that if Santa is in a parade, being delivered to a public function or is just needing a ride around town, that it’s usually a fire engine filling in for the sleigh? Now I don’t get much snow where I live and sleighs are rarely seen. In fact the closest thing we have to a sleigh or even a sled is an…

C O U R A G E to C L O S E the G A P

As a follow up to the “Revenge of the Nerds” blog from November, I wanted to clarify my position because there have been some out there in the Social Media world that have been critical of the blog and many others that took offense to it. It was not written to offend anyone or to drive a wedge between the two sides. In the past there have been many one-sided comments made on current fire service culture. It’s…

Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property in a wintery municipality (hereinafter "the Fire House") a general lack of stirring by all firefighters and creatures therein, including, but not limited to a mouse.

A variety of foot apparel, e.g. stocking, socks, bunker boots, etc., had been affixed…

Every organization has a culture. It is either created by design or default. Creating a culture of customer service does not happen by accident. Buying into the concept of layered leadership (the need for leaders throughout your entire organization) is especially important when it comes to customer service.

Helping others seems to be part of the DNA of most firefighters. Creating culture; however, goes beyond just being a good person. There has to be a clear and focused objective or…

Recently, I have been reading articles on this subject with much uneasiness.

In fact; I hesitate to call suicide a “subject”, because for many; suicide is real and has impacted them. It has reached out and grabbed them in some way. It is someone very close to them, someone they know or someone famous, whose career they have followed.

And, are loved ones LEFT to make “sense…

PUT A TAG ON IT

The Fire Service as a whole and we who are fortunate to be a part of it need triage. In our day to day we seem sometimes unwilling to exercise the same honest, thorough, open and sometimes painful assessment that we use in a mass casualty incident.

Whether in prevention, service delivery, leadership, training, team dynamics, morale, community assessment of…