Type of Organization

Industrial/Institutional, Emergency Management, Private EMS, Other Response Agency Type

Job Function

Assistant or Deputy Chief, President / Administrator / Commissioner, Training Officer, Safety Officer, EMT - Basic, First Responder, Hazardous Materials Team Member, Emergency Management Coordinator/Staff, 911 Operator/Dispatcher, Administrative Staff / Team Member, Driver / Engineer, Other Emergency Services Staff, Other

Years in Fire/EMS:

27

Primary Fire/EMS Department:

LNM Emergency Services Consulting

Years With Department/Agency

15

Other Past or Current Departments and Organizations

Texas Engineering Extension Service, Emergency Services Training Institute, College Station, TX (WMD EMS Instructor & EMS Instructor), Mutual Aid Emergency Services, Absecon NJ (Assistant Chief, Corporate Training & Safety), West Collingswood Hieghts Fire Department, Haddon Township, NJ (Safety & Training Officer), Haddon Township Office of Emergency Mannagement, Haddon township, NJ (Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator), Mercer County Fire Academy, Lawreceville, NJ (Senior Fire Service Instructor) as well as multiple part time fire and EMS postions since 1981.

My Training:

Certified firefighter and EMT-Basic since 1981, Certified HAZMAT Technician since 1986, Certified Fire Service Instructor and certified HAZMAT Instructor since 1986, Certified Incident Commander since 1989, Certified EMS Instructor since 2002.

About Me:

I'm really just one of those lucky guys that found the fire service then found a way to make a living doing it since I was old enough to make a living. I manage to have had one hell of a career even if I can't seem to hold a job ;)

Day Job:

Freelance Fire Protection Consultant/Author/Instructor/Whatever

Relationship Status:

Widowed

Facebook or Other Online Profile:

http://LNMolino.com

Why I Joined Fire/EMS

I am a product of the "Emergency" phenomenon. I grew up watching that show and was soon chasing fire trucks around my town in South Jersey. BLS EMS was a part of the FD and since it was a way to make a living I have been fortunate to have never had a real job and to have done nearly everything one can do in the fire and EMS service both in career and volunteer functions.

Why I Love Fire/EMS

The camaraderie of the fire service as a whole

Top Issues Facing Responders:

The question really is a local one. If your talking about rural versus urban versus suburban they all have similar but different issues. Staffing is a bear in all of the above, money is seemingly ALWAYS the issue, even in those places that have seemingly endless supplies of same. The issues are very much real where they are and for what they are and if we are ever to get past some of them we need to stop pissing on each other (or the OTHER Public Safety services) with those "us versus them" arguments that are oh so prevalent in firehouses (and other public safety houses too). Hell we can overcome anything if and when we work together too bad we rarely do that. I've said it before and I will say it here the ONLY thing that the American Fire Service does with any consistency is a Line of Duty Death funeral and argue amongst itself! The time to change that was really over when Ben Franklin was a Chief Officer but we seem not to get it.

Do you get it?