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Tiger Schmittendorf

, Male

Angola

United States

Profile Information:

What State do you live in?: NY
Type of Organization: Volunteer Fire Department
Job Function: Fire Chief/Commisioner
Years in Fire/EMS:: 34
Primary Fire/EMS Department:: Erie County Department of Emergency Services-Fire Safety Division
Years With Department/Agency: 15
Dept. Web Site:: http://www.erie.gov/fire
My Training:: Nationally Certified Fire Instructor
About Me:: HERE'S THE BIO THAT'S INCLUDED AT THE END OF ARTICLES I WRITE:
Tiger Schmittendorf serves as Deputy Fire Coordinator in the County of Erie Department of Emergency Services which manages three training facilities, 45 fire instructors and the training of 97 fire departments and 5,000+ firefighters.

He is a Nationally Certified Fire Instructor and a firefighter since 1980.

Schmittendorf brings 15 years of experience in engineering, sales and marketing management to marketing the product he loves: the fire service. He specializes in recruitment and retention, marketing, training and management consulting for counties and fire departments around the country.

He suffers from an extremely dry sense of humor and routinely makes an ass of himself, often in public.
Day Job:: Deputy Fire Coordinator
Relationship Status:: Married
Facebook or Other Online Profile:: http://www.tigerschmittendorf.com
Why I Joined Fire/EMS: I grew up across the street from the firehouse and was a part of it from age 8. I couldn't wait to become our department's first junior firefighter when I turned 17 and then an active firefighter a few months later when I turned 18.

I proudly enjoy helping people but any firefighter who tells you they don't love it for the adrenaline rush... is lying.
Why I Love Fire/EMS: In addition to the great experiences I've enjoyed as a volunteer firefighter, I've been blessed to be able to make a career of it. There isn't anything I'd rather do. This is the best damn job in the world.
Top Issues Facing Responders:: Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters.

I believe the survival and success of the Volunteer Fire Service relies on our ability to create more opportunities, for more more people, to volunteer less time.

Comment Wall:

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LadyChaplain

250 of the good, bad and the ugly.

Jan 3, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

OK. I'll be nice.

Nicely done. Keep up the good work.

Jan 3, 2008
LadyChaplain

I hope all the boys knwo how to read their numbers because of the fact that they told me that I'd never make it at Bellevue and that once I started firefighter I i'd quit... well now they can kiss my.... broken boots haha.

Jan 3, 2008
Jennifer

I don't belong to any. I just volunteer with the local area firefighters on different projects.

Jan 3, 2008
LadyChaplain

I am definitely not a happy kid. I was supposed to attend the seminar today.. and well... jackass of a boss decided that I absolutely needed to be at work today! :-(

Jan 3, 2008
LadyChaplain

okay okay I'll take it.

I will be at the next one though... because the boss thinks I have night class :-)

Jan 4, 2008
LadyChaplain

Oh, and don't say that you actually MISSED me being there... you'll be sick of me soon enough, trust me. haha.

Ok, enough useless commenting... time for bed.

Jan 4, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

Thanks for the warning.

Jan 4, 2008
Jennifer

Hi Tiger! To answer your question--- any and all projects. I waitressed with them for tip a firefighter night at Chilis to raise money for St. Jude for example. Other things like MDA projects etc. My most recent project was actually for them because I baked over 2000 cookies and delivered them to each firehouse including each engine, truck, battalion, HQ etc. in the city. They are a great bunch and had a tough year because we lost one of our best. RIP John Keane. Any other questions just ask!

Jan 4, 2008
LadyChaplain

Oh not a problem :-) I figured I wouldn't let you go without one. I know firefighters are expected to work without warning, but I'll give ya this one.

Jan 4, 2008
LadyChaplain

Hey... Doyle 2-9-3 wants to know when the course rosters are going to be posted. He's a very impatient individual.

Jan 7, 2008
LadyChaplain

Back from DC and the city's still in one piece... how'd that happen? lol.

Jan 10, 2008
Mick Mayers

Hey, thanks Chief. I debated back and forth as to whether I should change my avatar or not, since that T6 lid is as much of a part of me as my right arm, but I'm kinda liking the thing right now so I'll see if it stays. The helmet as my avatar, that is; I intend to hold on to the position for a while.

Jan 10, 2008
Chris Couell

Hey nice page! u got mad web skills.

Jan 11, 2008
LadyChaplain

Apparently you are ill aware of what happened in my neighborhood while I was away...

Massive power outages, trees down that rivaled October's storm, and streets shut down due to debris...

All while I was sleeping in my hotel room several hundred miles away..................

Jan 11, 2008
LadyChaplain

Sooooo when do I get to come to work for ya?!

Jan 13, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

I'll try to speak to the Commish tomorrow. I have a very busy week, day and nite.

I'll keep you posted. You're becoming ALMOST as big of a nag as Mel. She's always on me about my FASNY articles.

Keep up the good work!

Jan 13, 2008
LadyChaplain

I agree with Mel... you haven't seen nagging yet...

I just don't want to fail that class... I can't afford to tarnish my GPA like that :-P

Jan 14, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

The reality is that recruitment and retention success only comes with a lot of hard work. There are a lot of ideas that work, the challenge is to figure out which ones work for your department.

I'm currently assisting Genesee County and will be working with Orleans and Niagara soon.

Let me know if you folks are interested in some help.

Jan 16, 2008
LadyChaplain

12 calls into the year... and we get a cooker.

::sigh:: Fires never come at convenient times.

Jan 19, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

Sorry I missed it.

Jan 19, 2008
Mike Carey

Thanks for the add Tiger. Glad you like the photos

Jan 19, 2008
LadyChaplain

Oh I'm sure somebody will be bad mouthing us on tv for it in due time... that's when it will get very interesting. lol.

Jan 19, 2008
Justin Payne

just wanted to say hello.

Jan 19, 2008
Wendy Norris

I'm sorry it's taken me forever to get back to you. You commented on my page back in December. Ugh..it's been crazy. Anyway, here is a link to my story: http://www.firefighterministries.org/wendystory.htm

Jan 20, 2008
Reggie Cervantes

I drove out here in a rented Uhaul, with two kids and two turtles to start over. We got the PTSD Counseling we needed and its a perfect place to raise kids and the air is good when its not blowing tumbleweeds at 35mph.

Jan 21, 2008
LadyChaplain

I'm starting to sleep through my pager... there goes my call percentage for the year lol.

Jan 22, 2008
LadyChaplain

Can I help it? Honestly. I don't think so.

Jan 22, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

Sleeping through your pager? Slacker.

Don't feel bad. I've gone from 60% to about 6%, but that's on purpose. I needed a break.

Jan 22, 2008
LadyChaplain

Yeah! You're tellin' me. I almost slept through that structure fire. If it weren't for a FF from another district telling me to "run!" I don't think I would have gotten up.

Jan 22, 2008
Dave, NB 9

peek - a - Boo

Jan 22, 2008
Dave, NB 9

Your not taking photo's in Armor?

Jan 22, 2008
Jennifer

Hi Tiger how have you been? Stay Safe! =)

Jan 24, 2008
Jon

Tiger. Thank you so much for your blog about bob. we will all miss him so much as a mentor, teacher, friend, and brother. again thank you and stay safe.

RIP Bob Newell

Jan 25, 2008
LadyChaplain

Hey Tiger... just wanted to check in and say hi. Hope you're doing well and keeping it all together considering what's happened. McK

Jan 27, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

Thanks McK -

This is a tough one for me. Partly because it was so unexpected and I had literally just talked to him.

And, mostly because Bob was a great friend and a real treat to be around. He taught me a lot and had a frequent habit of bringing me down to earth.

Jan 27, 2008
LadyChaplain

Np :-) I do serve more than one purpose... I can be a pain in the ass, but I'm also a pretty good kid too :-) I watch out for my olders.

Jan 28, 2008
LadyChaplain

Ummm well the little gif of stitch is pretty much what i've looked like for the past 24 hours... and basically just vocalizing my disgust with the human race.

Jan 30, 2008
LadyChaplain

I promise I won't wear my hat sideways to the class tonight

Jan 31, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

Wise choice on your part.

Jan 31, 2008
LadyChaplain

But then again... I might be coming right from work... in which case, I might be so clouded over by urban influences that I might forget...

Jan 31, 2008
JP Moore

Hey Tiger. Thanks for the "add." It was good to talk to you out at Clarence Center. It was nice night out.

Jan 31, 2008
LadyChaplain

Alright, so I lied. I wasn't coming home to go to sleep... I should have said I was coming home... going on firefighter nation for 3 hours... then going to sleep lol.

Good class tonight, although I did spot some people sleeping in the audience haha.

See ya next week :-)
~The punk~

Jan 31, 2008
Tiger Schmittendorf

You mean to tell me I wasn't shouting loud enough?

Jan 31, 2008
Steve

Sorry about your lost Tiger, hope everyone is doing ok. How are you folks holding up after the storm ?

I

Jan 31, 2008
LadyChaplain

Apparently not... there was one guy in my row, and then a guy in the row behind me. I think they are rural firefighters - which explains a lot :-P

Feb 1, 2008
Steve

Yes, I knew Wally he isa great guy ! I heard he moved to Maine from Rockland county he was a member of Monsey FD

Feb 1, 2008
Mike Carey

Hey Tiger, hope all is well. Have a great weekend!

Feb 2, 2008
rob

ok, go ahead and send me the invite

Feb 3, 2008
LadyChaplain

I found a picture of a Santa Claus flashing a gang symbol... talk about inappropriate lol.

Feb 7, 2008