Featured Blog Posts – November 2008 Archive (26)

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): Culinary Throw-Down

Our business meeting is held the first Tuesday of the month (Presidential Election be damned), and every month three members of my department are selected to prepare the group meal at the conclusion of the meeting. We are charged with feeding anywhere from 35-60 folks a full dinner, while still keeping the total food costs to under $100.

That works out to roughly $2 per person for a plate of chow.

Now that's a challenge.

We've been fed everything from "The… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on November 6, 2008 at 9:22am — 6 Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...November 6, 2008

I am writing this post from my kitchen laptop with sore shoulders right now. Yesterday was a two-fold day for me. It was my one year anniversary at my firehouse in Morris Township, NJ. It was also the day of my first live burn.

Since I did a vehicle burn on Monday I was anticipating a bigger fire, more instructions, and a tougher situation. I know you can't really compare a vehicle fire to a burn in a building, but when… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on November 6, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

Rebel or Revolutionary - You Make the Choice

With all of the change going on in the atmosphere, I was contemplating the difference between being a rebel and a revolutionary. It seems to me that there are plenty of firefighters who are a little mixed up and don't understand the difference. The problem is that while revolutionaries effect change in a situation, rebels simply refuse to obey.

Why should that matter? When we… Continue

Added by Mick Mayers on November 5, 2008 at 11:11pm — 2 Comments

Books for Emergency Service Families

I am a book junkie, especially when it comes to my office. I really like to have a lot of resources relating to the work that I do as a chaplain on hand. I have learned quite a bit from reading various titles on grief, trauma, traumatic stress, abuse, and fire & police families. I have learned a lot in my education but there is always room to learn more. Reading books helps me better myself as a chaplain.

Denise over at Laughing with Spoons wrote a beautiful post called I Am. She… Continue

Added by Wendy Norris on November 5, 2008 at 9:12pm — No Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...November 1, 2008

Today I had a super instructor who actually works at a major company in Morris Township. He taught us so many things about fire extinguishers. Some of the things that stuck in my mind were:

-If you look at the fire extinguisher, note the amount of feet it says to stay away from the fire. Some are 6 feet, 12 feet, etc.

-Start at the root of the fire meaning the bottom. Don't just start spraying… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on November 1, 2008 at 3:38pm — 1 Comment

What motivates me?

I was reading comments on the discussion "What motivates you?" So many people wrote things that I can say are part of the reason I am a firefighter. There are so many reasons but I think the biggest one, the one that keeps gnawing at me is that I don't know how not to be a firefighter.

When I was little, I watched my uncle go to calls & I wanted to go with him. As I grew older, I became more involved with the fire department in any way I could. My closest friends were involved… Continue

Added by Jenny Holderby on November 1, 2008 at 3:43am — 4 Comments