Featured Blog Posts (259)

This photo shows a way to make an SCBA face piece for your RIT bag/kit glove friendly. You can use a garden hose or any kind of rubber tubing or hose that would be easy to grab with a gloved hand. We used a small bungee cord and ran it through the bonnet and attached both ends to the hose. This allows for easy feeling and grabbing the back of the mask with gloved hands.…

Has your fire department ever found it necessary to “commandeer” equipment in order to mitigate an incident?

Does your state laws allow in specific circumstances for a representative of the fire department, at the direction and command of a fire department’s ranking officer to take public control of private equipment with legal immunity should that action cause negative reverberations?

Is your fire department willing to go beyond that threshold where it becomes more important…

Getting into the spooky spirit of my favorite time of year!! Watch for full moons and empty coffee pots, everybody:)



Happy Halloween, and be safe out there!

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

Automatic Fire Alarm Complacency

By: Tony Kelleher and Ricky Riley

Recently, we have had several discussions; both within my own areas fire department and in other departments across the country with regard to their policy and attitudes towards automatic fire…

I suppose I am fortunate that one of the only ongoing debates between my wife and I are the nuances of loading the dishwasher.  You see, I load the dishwasher the way it was designed to be loaded.  My wife, she believes randomly loading the dishwasher.  We both think that our respective methods work best for fitting the most dishes and getting the job done the best.  Much like the fireground, and numerous other “hot topics” right now, there are many different opinions and theories on the…

On this eleventh rememberance of the events of September 11, 2001 The Terry Fund would like to say thank you to al those who have made such a positive change from the horror of that day. Thank you to Chief Halton and the great folks at FireEngineering who make training is more important than ever. Thank you to Paul Combs who has been able to take the feelings and heart of every firefighter and family member and put those to paper for all the world to see. Thank you to the thousands of…

Once a firefighter, always a firefighter - in this life and beyond!

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Do you workout on shift?  Should you workout on shift and what is the best workout to perform?

This is a major…

Hollywood movie plots can be so far removed from reality that the viewer has to wonder which planet the protagonist and antagonist are actually playing out their epic conflicts. Mega-bombs, apocalyptic super viruses, shoot-outs were no one runs out of ammunition, or an insane high speed chase through congested city streets. All so extravagant in their role playing…

From time to time I get asked if I ever worry about inuring my hand or eyes fighting fires. My answer is always a swift and confident "no"! My explanation sometimes leaves people puzzled, but I try and explain that if I think about injury, injury will most certainly happen. It's much like an athlete who throws their body into stressful situations with little regard…

For some truly unfortunate reason there seems to have been a number of chaotic events in my state over the last few months. Wildfires, two Police LODDs and most recently the devastating mass murder and assault in an Aurora movie theater that left over 70 injured and 12 dead at the time of writing this.

Regarding the Aurora shooting specifically my neighbor asked me yesterday, “How can you even prepare for something like that?” I provided a stock answer of MCI drills, multi-agency…

Buy a print of this illustration, visit:
http://artstudioseven.com/page-fire-ems-prints.htm

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While carrying out perhaps my favorite fatherly duty of reading a bedtime story to my young son, I read a line that sparked a flurry of thoughts in my head.  The line came from Dr. Suess's book I Can Read with My Eyes Shut.  As with most Dr. Suess books, there isn't really a plot to follow just some good rhymes.  However, one line struck me that I related to the fire service, here it is: "There are so many things you can learn about, but you'll miss the best things if…

             As a person who has been in the Fire Service for more than 25 years , i have seen some things that we used to do and Now we do not do many of those things . The days of "WE" are growing very short ,it is now all about "ME", i'm reminded of a Former Chief of mine always correcting me , saying there is no "I" in "WE" and boy was he ever so right , but the funny thing was he never practiced what he preached me.

            I was the guy that sat back and said "I'l never wear…

Unless you shut your trap, it's a voice that can easily be drowned out among the others at the firehouse.  Amid the cacophony of noise in the kitchen of the firehouse, I was privy to a conversation today with one of the most senior firefighters in my department.  Needless to say, it left an impact on me, not so much in what he said as how he said it.  His emotion, choice of words, patient manner, and friendly demeanor spoke volumes about his character.

In a department the size of mine…

I am sure all of us could say we have worked for great officers and for bad officers. I also believe one could advocate that the bad officers teach you more about being a quality officer than the good ones. In my previous department, I had the fortune to work for an officer who was one of the best in the Department. He treated me just like a rookie should be, he gave me a hard time, pushed me to be better, mentored me, and most of all taught me about many parts of the service, especially…

To all our active, wounded, and retired warriors – and to all who made the supreme sacrifice… THANK YOU!!  Take a moment today to remember what freedom really is, and the blessing that we have as citizens in the USA. Freedom isn't free, and we ALL owe a tremendous debt to those who give, and gave us this…

                I started my fire service volunteer career in 2005. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I remember walking in to the fire station across the street from my high school looking for a way to help people and make a difference. I look back upon that experience and I can still smell the food that was cooking on the stove. When I opened the door to the station, I had no idea what would be behind it. I can recall the stares I got as I stood in the doorway lost and waiting to be invited…

Modesty is a personal trait among many in the Fire Service. Taking the time to view the profiles just in this community you can find this. "Area of expertise: Always a student, expert of none, always learning" are a few examples. There may be those who still "high-five" each other on the front lawn after a good job, but for the most part we are humbled to serve our fellow man.

A…

While signing books on Monday during FDIC, a large (pushing 375 lbs) firefighter approached me with his slightly slimmer, but still girthy entourage of three. I extend my hand in greeting, which was met with a chest puffing and the comment "I don't like the way you make fun of big people!" Being taken off my guard by his comment, I respectfully asked if he is a front…