I have had a bad case of writers block and just haven’t been able to settle on a topic for a new post and the then rains came. Man did it rain here in Colorado for the last couple of days; it has rained on a biblical level. One area south of Colorado Springs received 9 inches of rain in four hours.…

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I have a question. Why is it that most firefighter shifts start around 7:00 am? Why are firefighters forced to deal with rush hour traffic and add to the rush hour mess? After all we work a 24 hour shift, why couldn’t we begin our day at say 10:00am or 11:00am?…

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There is a life cycle for a firefighter. Some people say as a child, I want to be a firefighter when I grow up and they do. Some like me fall into it and now a days there is a new type of firefighter, the well educated-advanced-degree-holding-uncommitted-I-need-a-job-for-now kind.…

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I saw these videos today Must see Videos and it got me thinking of the good old days on the streets. I remember people screaming at us when we blocked traffic on surface streets and even worse language when on the Interstate. We block lanes of traffic not so we can hide behind the fire…

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by: Lou Angeli

Veteran responders: Remember back in the day -- before the internet -- when contact with one another was through print magazines or via "pen pals?" Back then we learned of LODDs, huge incidents, apparatus deliveries and job notifications through magazines like Firehouse, Fire Engineering, Fire Chief, JEMS and monthly…

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How and why to feed the media beast

By Janelle Foskett, managing editor, FireRescue magazine



Have you ever watched video of a serious fire emergency, like the San Bruno (Calif.) gas explosion, or read a scandalous story online about a fire chief’s alleged inappropriate behavior, and found yourself wondering, “If this happened here, at my… Continue

ALWAYS BE PREPARED:

USFA offers a quick response program to help firefighters become more pro-active in their communities.

The Quick Response Media Corps (QRMC) is a free U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) initiative open to all members of the fire service. QRMC provides members with up-to-date information about the latest USFA public education campaign news. The goal of QRMC is to…

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FROM: www.tigerschmittendorf.com



I consider myself a student of effective public and media relations. One of the most difficult messages a fire chief or public information officer must convey is that of a tragedy where, despite our best efforts, the results are fatal.



I often coach fire officers and public officials at incident scenes as how to best deliver difficult news. While I encourage them to focus on the role of the… Continue