June 2010 Blog Posts (58)

Are You a Disciplined Fireman?

Dave LeBlanc challenges us to reconsider what discipline means.

Well are you? This doesn’t mean you are well behaved or obey all the rules. In fact let’s explore what it actually means. …

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Added by Bill Carey on June 10, 2010 at 6:00pm — 2 Comments

Dichotomy

I am roundly criticized for not yelling and generally being a wet blanket for exciting fun stuff. My outward form is quiet and thoughtful. It’s my form of the typical command presence. Inside however I am a maze of flashing lights and dichotomy. That’s the part I want to share, the other half.

Here’s the way my internal “dad psyche” works. I live at threat level “blue” for guarded, as in the Homeland Security Advisory System. The sound of our tone for an MVA with injuries interrupts my… Continue

Added by Peter Lupkowski on June 10, 2010 at 12:38pm — No Comments

Rescue Report: Woman Crashes Car into LA Flood Channel

By Tom Vines

Los Angeles-area rescuers arrived on scene to find a station-wagon down about 10 feet in a flood channel with high vertical walls but, fortunately, no flowing water. After a quick assessment, paramedics applied spinal…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 9, 2010 at 4:30am — No Comments

Why Thinking Inside the Box Keeps Us Safe -- & When It's OK to Think Outside the Box

What’s Good About the Box?

Before thinking “outside the box” related to a new tactic, strategy or piece of equipment, we must first test the theory against 6 fire service principles

By Jim Baird…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 8, 2010 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

Reservist Fire Fighters

Establishing a more effective Service Model to…

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Added by Rick Franks on June 7, 2010 at 1:05pm — 5 Comments

Run-to-the-Curb is Top Story

It's been more than a month since my presentation at FDIC and my live Internet radio talk show on FirefighterNetcast from the show floor, but a lot of exciting things have…

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Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on June 7, 2010 at 12:30am — 2 Comments

EMT

Well, went back to EMS..got a 94 on my class written, passed the NYS practical and now just waiting til the NYS written on the 17th!

Added by Beverly on June 6, 2010 at 6:32pm — 3 Comments

A Chat with Easy

We interrupt this post to bring you some history.

When you use the phrase 'band of brothers' be especially mindful of who you are talking about, especially this month.

We owe them all our thanks and respect.

"The picture was taken at Greenham Common Airfield in England about 8:30 p.m. on June 5, 1944. My 22nd birthday."…

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Added by Bill Carey on June 6, 2010 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

May Backstep Roundup

Here is a recap of the postings and provocations from Backstep Firefighter for the month of May. Each month we will give you a brief summary of our posts and related subjects.

"Over-estimating Technology"

May was relatively quiet and far as the number of posts, but what… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on June 5, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

from Tony in Philly

From my brother firefighter Tony in Philly...Here are some observations from the recent Harrisburg Fire Expo show:"If nothing else, I have to witness again and again the immutable fact that the fire service will take anybody." Dewly Whacker, wearing the stained tee shirt stretched tight over his gut, carrying the $1500 light bar that he will install on his $200 truck, while his tired-looking and very ugly wife pushes the carriage containing the mean little results of his sperm colliding… Continue

Added by Chris Couell on June 5, 2010 at 10:32am — 5 Comments

Cultivating Leaders: How to encourage the development of well-rounded leaders in our department

By Chief Jeffrey D. Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE

From the June 2010 issue of FireRescue magazine

Leadership development” has to be one of the three most common topics on any fire service conference program. Although that’s appropriate, I wonder if our leadership programs back home are intentional and integrated into the daily work of our organizations?

As chief officers, one… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 5, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...June 4, 2010

It's a warm day in NJ and today begins our Relay for Life event at Mennen Arena. We have a team of about 40 people in support of one of our own who has cancer. Our team was put together last minute but it doesn't matter. We do what we need to do. In a short time we raised over $5,000 for the American Cancer Society.

I am happy to contribute to Relay and looking forward to showing support for someone who has made a real contribution as a firefighter and a police…

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Added by Denise Imperiale on June 4, 2010 at 5:59am — 1 Comment

Structure Fire in Clarendon, VT

Busy day for Rutland County, VT area fire departments.

A reported structure fire in the Mill River condominium apartments in Clarendon Vermont was reported at 9:58 am. The fire was ruled under control at about 11:30 am. Firefighters and equipment remained on the scene until after 1 pm.

My new young LT requested Mutual Aid immediately based upon not knowing how many firefighters would show up, being it was a week day and the time of the day. That is a very big factor in… Continue

Added by Norman E. Flanders on June 3, 2010 at 10:30pm — 5 Comments

Firefighter Wives- What Makes Them So Special?

We all know about the emotional weight carried by firefighter's wives (and husbands) that comes from having him go off to work or respond to a call not knowing if he'll return in one piece, or not at all.

If that one quality wasn't enough, we know that there are many unique

qualities that make wives of firefighters so special- their ability to

juggle the family when he's not home, last minute changes in… Continue

Added by Firefighter NetCast on June 3, 2010 at 9:10am — 8 Comments

A woman has died after being stabbed and then set alight at a Melbourne petrol station

A woman has died after being stabbed and then set alight at a Melbourne petrol station where her alleged attacker told frantic bystanders to "let her burn".

The 42-year-old Bayswater North woman had been airlifted to The Alfred hospital on Tuesday morning in a critical condition with burns to almost 100 per cent of her body, as well as stab wounds.

She died early on Tuesday evening.

After attacking the woman at the service…

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Added by Leo Cartwright on June 3, 2010 at 8:46am — No Comments

In Search of Restitution: 9/11 responders look to litigation, medical monitoring, legislation

FireRescue magazine's Technical Rescue Web column

In Search of Restitution: 9/11 responders look to litigation, medical monitoring, legislation

By Harold Schapelhouman

Recently, someone from the news media contacted me to see if I was involved with litigation surrounding the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) response. Like many responders, I had been approached by a group of attorneys who were… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 2, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

Popping Doors: Tips for removing doors during extrication incidents

QUICK DRILLS

Popping Doors: Tips for removing doors during extrication incidents

By Homer Robertson

Extrication has made some huge strides since the introduction of the Jaws of Life to the fire service in the 1970s. The types of vehicles we encounter are constantly changing; in turn, we must keep up with the changes.

Most fire departments today perform a huge range of tasks,… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 2, 2010 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Reinventing Fire Prevention: Creative ways to enhance efficiency are welcome, but we can’t take it too far

Reinventing Fire Prevention

Creative ways to enhance efficiency are welcome, but we can’t take it too far

By Jim Crawford

The current economic crisis has put a great deal of pressure on local governments to stop doing business as usual. Costs of doing that business continue to rise, when most government revenues are shrinking. As a result, we’ve been challenged to reinvent ourselves. How do we balance the fact that we can only do so much with… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 1, 2010 at 8:00am — 1 Comment