Hello, my father Bill Hennick wanted me to share this note with you on Baltimore's recent tragedy. 

Brothers & Sisters,

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Here’s a simple, yet important drill on orientation with the hoseline.  Lt. Jason Deptula from Vermilion Twp. FD sent the write up over.

As we are all taught in our firefighter classes, the female connection on a hose connects to the make end of the next section.  Using the progression of female to male can lead us out of a building or “smooth bump bump to the pump”. Read…

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Emphasis has been on Rolling Stock -- Not Tactics

by: Lou Angeli

 

(St. Louis, MO ) - Ever since Neil Svetanics, former Chief of the St. Louis Fire Department, popularized the "Quint Concept" 20 years ago, the nation's fire departments have gone crazy for quints. The concept that some said was a only a passing fad is still claiming new…

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I think I finally put it all together….I understand it now.  Call it an epiphany or a moment of clarity, but suddenly it all made sense.  During a recent class the instructor made several references to the standard EGH ethos, “We come first” and “Risk a lot to save a lot”.  As I listened though, I understood that while he spoke of these things, his perspective was different. …

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Many of you have taken Firefighter Survival Training.  While it varies from place to place, depending on the instructors, the core information and intent is the same, to prepare firefighters to save themselves when things go wrong.  From bailouts to low profile maneuvers to breathing control, all these things are taught to teach firefighters what to do when things gone wrong and they get…

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First-Due Arriving Companies; Are You Prepared?

Christopher Naum,SFPE

Thecompanyofficer.com

As the First-Due Fire Company; Officer and crew, Are you prepared to address the fireground variables and occupancy risks upon your arrival and during the initial stages of your deployment and operations? Are you combat ready or passively engaged?…

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The First-Due Fire Officer

Christopher Naum

TheCompanyOfficer.com

On the most recent edition of Taking it to the Streets^TM we had a vibrant and insightful program in which we discussion some of…

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From: www.TigerSchmittendorf.com

THIS IS A DRILL! This is not an actual event. Participants are student actors and real first responders. These photos were taken at the…

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On site at FDIC

Success as a Company Officer: It starts long before you get the badge

By Cindy Devone-Pacheco



Often in life, we can’t plan our future; we just have to work hard and hope for the best. But according to Ray Gayk, Deputy Chief of the Ontario (Calif.) Fire Department, those who hope to promote to the company officer level someday should probably sit down and start making some plans.

Beware the…

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Rio Hondo Regional Truck Academy

Class 4, June 7-12 & 14-18, 2010

Applications are currently being accepted

www.riohondotruckacademy.com

Company Officer Development

Quality Assurance: As a company officer, you are responsible for the successful training of your crew

By Kurt Ederer







Success in the fire service means providing quality emergency response and great customer service while ensuring the safety of both your firefighters and the public. It means keeping up with technology and staying ahead of the ever-increasing challenges of saving life and property. To do… Continue

Respect the Rank

Refusing to do what’s right because you don’t respect the company officer hurts you & the whole crew

By Scott Cook

Photo Chris Mickal



I know I tend to put the responsibility on the company officer and upper echelon for crew and department performance. But that doesn’t excuse some of the stuff those of us who ride backward do that can negatively affect team performance.



For whatever reason, some of us don’t want to… Continue

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. Instinctively he leans down to pick it up and is jerked to a halt… Continue

Best of the Best

FDNY’s Mike Hayes is FireRescue’s Company Officer of the Year



Captain Michael C. Hayes of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Ladder Company 28 is the recipient of the 2009 FireRescue magazine Company Officer of the Year Award, which was presented to him on Aug. 28 at Fire-Rescue International in Dallas (watch the… Continue

From www.tigerschmittendorf.com:



Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a home in Clarence Center, NY around 10:20pm on Thursday-February 12, 2009 - killing 50 people and changing the lives of thousands more, including mine.



I responded in the first wave of emergency services personnel sent to help restore order to the chaos that the crash created.



Frankly, I’m not ready to write about this experience… Continue

On this Superbowl Sunday, I’m reminded of an article I read recently on an NFL production crew directed by Bob Fishman. The article paints an amazing picture of the action that occurs in the production trailer, and how the decisions and actions of one or two people determine what millions are watching on their screens—indeed, their actions determine how those viewers experience the event.



But the article hit home… Continue

Last night I cooked dinner for our firehouse and Morristown NJ softball game. Our company won the game, but that's not really what the event was about. It was about participation on a team, and working together for a common goal which is what the fire department is all about.



While I was setting up for the game, I was with the old timers, whom I spend every afternoon with at Station 4. No matter what problem you have, or question you have, the old timers have a good and sometimes… Continue