All Blog Posts Tagged 'FireEMSBlogs' (18)

Spaghetti

You are an engine company, not an Italian restaurant.

Despite what hoseload you choose to use, how you configure your hosebed and the number of members arriving as an engine company there is no excuse for spaghetti. It is even made worse when the engine is nosed in or "beached". Your 150' or 200' hoseline is…

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Added by Bill Carey on February 10, 2012 at 10:41am — No Comments

The Pressurized Water Extinguisher, aka "The Can"

New contributor reminds you that "the can" is not a door chock.

PWE, PWC, piss can, water can, the can…whatever you want to call it, its’ an essential tool in a firefighters toolbox. Many take the can for granted. Often times, you will see it in the foyer, holding open a door.…

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Added by Bill Carey on January 12, 2012 at 5:29pm — No Comments

"Not Gonna Do It" - Editorial

Graphic photo begins to be cool to share. Why?

There's a fine line between using images for news and self-promotion, between documenting an event or making an event into an advertisement. Recently a Associated Press photo is making it's way slowly across Facebook as one of those motivational…

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Added by Bill Carey on January 12, 2012 at 5:19pm — No Comments

Lesson In Awareness: D.C. Rear Tenement

You never know what to expect downtown on Side Charlie.

Near the intersection of South Dakota Avenue and Buchanan Street Northeast, between Engines 17 and 14, lies a duplex. What makes it different from the duplex next door is the addition on Side Charlie. Local news station WJLA recently reported that the owner of 4605 South… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on June 30, 2011 at 7:53am — No Comments

Remain Calm, All is Well

Dave LeBlanc on how the smart firefighter keeps his head while everyone else is running around losing theirs.

Maintaining your calm on the fireground maybe be one of the most important skills you can acquire. There is enough excitement and confusion already, if we arrive and start screaming and yelling nothing will get done.

In December, Baltimore had a fire that claimed the lives of six people. In… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on June 25, 2011 at 11:40am — No Comments

We Try Harder - Firehouse Zen

Fresh out of the oven, some humble pie. Served with the right amount of self-critique, this can be a tasty dish. Latest post at Firehouse Zen.

Added by Mick Mayers on April 27, 2011 at 11:02pm — No Comments

Why We Search: Shared Post Courtesy of CMD-FD, on Squatter Resourcefulness

Camden squatters and the resourcefulness and creativity which they have attained.

We are adding to our "Why We Search" page with a very well written post from Gabriel Angemi of the Camden, New Jersey Fire Department and his blog CMD-FD. We thank Gabriel for allowing us to pass along this latest detailed coverage of squatters thriving in… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on February 1, 2011 at 7:32am — No Comments

January on Backstep Firefighter

A monthly review of our popular postings and the editorial cartoon.

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January was an interesting month of issues for Backstep Firefighter as we looked at the vacant, abandoned building searches and hyped-up commentary as well as victim survivability profiling. Dave LeBlanc reminded us that a significant part of our job is search and… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on February 1, 2011 at 7:30am — No Comments

Engine Co. Probie: Where Am I Going?

The new guy was just putting away the last dish when someone yelled "First due box!" He's the last one on board and the engine pulls out just as he closes his door.

Bouncing back and forth in the cab, he buttons up, and tries to slip his arms into his SCBA straps. Forgetting his radio, he slips out of the SCBA and slips the radio on. As he leans against the rig while taking a corner, he notices his hood on the floor of the cab.… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on November 8, 2010 at 7:15am — No Comments

Running The Line: Estimating the Stretch

The housewatch wakes you, hitting the intercom yelling "first due box!". At o-dark-thirty did you hear the address? Did it tell you how many lengths you'll need?

Author's Note: Purpose of post is not to specifically critique the actions in any video and/or photographs, but to prompt discussion and illustrate various points. No fireground operation is 100% perfect. - bc

A recent… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on November 4, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments

November Training Prompt: How Is Your Truck Work Defined?

November's training prompt challenges you to look at one important part of truck work: Ladders.

Truck work, or ladder company operations, do not require a ladder company apparatus. Having a 100' aerial or a 75' tower ladder is a great advantage; however many of the key truck work basics do not require the "stick." For some of you, these basics are covered by the firefighter riding across from you (he or she may be the forcible entry… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on November 1, 2010 at 5:19pm — No Comments

Where's The Water? Delays and Reasons Why

A San Francisco apartment fire garnered a lot of attention from the customers about where the water was. Take this misunderstanding and turn it into a list of 'What if..." drills.

An apartment fire in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood became a short video sensation as it captured what appeared to be a delay in getting water onto the seat of the fire. As usual most comments about the firefighting, from civilians and firefighters,… Continue

Added by Bill Carey on October 22, 2010 at 12:15pm — No Comments

2010 NFFF Memorial Weekend - Live!

RETURN TO THIS PAGE FOR THE LIVE SUNDAY BROADCAST

Memorial Service Broadcast: Sunday, October 3, 2010 9:00 am - 12:30 p.m. EST

(Telecast Begins at 9:30 a.m.; Service Begins at 10 a.m. Eastern Time)

This year if you are unable to travel to Emmitsburg you can still take part in the NFFF 2010 Memorial… Continue

Added by FFN WebTeam on September 30, 2010 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Willy And The Firemen

Dave LeBlanc looks at a struggling Massachusetts department and politics.

I think that most of us would agree that as much as it shouldn’t be, politics are an integral part of public safety. Maybe not where the rubber meets the road, but certainly any fire chief today must be able to clearly and articulately state his case and advocate for…

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Added by Bill Carey on August 19, 2010 at 8:43pm — No Comments

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

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.