Scottsdale AZ – Interesting call worth sharing to keep everyone safe.  Jeff Zientek, HazMat Captain and author of the very easy to use HazMat Field Operations Guide  shared the following information. The dispatch was for a hazardous situation and this is what the Engine Company found. - See…

Honor our nation’s fallen firefighters with a simple act. Ring bells in your community during the weekend of October 3-4, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. Join Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters by holding a small ceremony in your community to recognize heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice protecting us.

Fire departments,…

Join the U.S. Fire Service in honoring the lives of 84 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2014 and three firefighters who died in previous years during the 34th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service on Sunday, October 4.

The service begins…

An evening with MaryAnn The Medium will be an uplifting experience she will help you to connect with whomever you've come to cherish. While enlightening your evenings experience. It will be held at The North Patchogue Fire Department at 33 Davidson Avenue, North Patchogue N.Y. 11772. Here's a link to access map data; https://goo.gl/cDU779







The night will be October 17, 2015 and will start promptly at 7pm.

Tickets are…

http://www.averagejakefirefighter.com/2015/09/09/the-double-keyed-deadbolt/

Every year around September 11th I like to take a moment and reflect on the significance of the day and honor those that sacrificed (and continue to sacrifice to this day).  I encourage you to do this workout, share your results and challenge others to do the same, at least once a year (on September 11th).    This "tribute" workout is difficult but has a…

http://www.averagejakefirefighter.com/2015/06/23/the-bear-crawl/

http://www.averagejakefirefighter.com/2015/08/14/check-your-nozzles/

http://www.averagejakefirefighter.com/2015/09/09/the-double-keyed-deadbolt/

With all of the debate about exterior versus interior, I wanted to share a video that I use in many of the tactical classes that I teach and offer a few observations.  First, this is a video that is used for learning, not to critique the methods or tactics that were or were not deployed during this fire.  Second, we were not there and do not know all of the circumstances surrounding why they made their decisions.

Overall, I think they did a pretty good job in the end.

When I…

I passed my first rural firefighting exam on Monday night with flying colours; the next two will be occuring in the next month or so, and then I will be fully trained up go on the frontlines. 

I won't be able to enjoy summer like I used to, but the big plus side is that I will be serving my community during our lengthy fire season. 

The RIT/RIC dilemma raised its ugly head again last week when my friend Doug Mitchell (25 to Survive) posted a chart of FDNY’s RIT statistics from 1989 to 2008.  The stats that really grabbed my attention were 1. The elapsed time from the working fire declaration (10-75) until the Mayday, 19 minutes, and 2. Who found the Mayday firefighter.  First alarm units, excluding the F.A.S.T. or RIT team, found the Mayday firefighter 76.47% of the…

Do you workout on shift?  Should you workout on shift and what is the best workout to perform?  How do you schedule your workouts around your shifts or calls?

This is a major concern for the fire rescue athlete.  On one hand we know we should be working out to stay and get fit for duty. Yet , if we burn out in the gym we won't be able to perform when it…

        Whether it’s halligans, hooks or hoses, the unfortunate truth is that too many firefighters are using inferior tools and equipment on the fireground…and this needs to stop. To most of the brothers and sisters that will take the time to read (and watch) this, this is old news; but to many of our brethren, this is the first they’re hearing of this.

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What does it take to become the go to guy in the firehouse?  What does it take to step beyond the go to guy and become an "elite" firefighter?  Well, elite firefighters have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort mastering his or her skill set through thousands of hours of training and life experiences. Looking at experience alone, the elite firefighter has often been provided opportunities to succeed from many people who have invested time in said development.  The author Malcomb…

“If everyone on the Team was like me, what kind of Team would it be?”

The above quote is attributed to the Navy SEALs. The question it asks is an important one. Would the Team succeed if everyone was like you? Are you putting your best effort in?

Imagine if there was a sign above the door to your dayroom that said, “If everyone on…