From my blog at FireGroundWorks.

We often talk of the challenges we face in the field; the ambiguous, complex, and confusing incidents that attack our senses and tax our ability to beat them. Instead of all the talk about “what” we face, why not focus on “how” we can successfully win against it.…

I have been asked if Firefighters are good in bed and since I’ve only slept with one, my ex-wife, I have a very limited data base on the subject. I won’t discuss my ex-wife in this post as that is far too private for a blog. I will offer some stories about firefighters in bed that I do know all too well.…

Local newspaper headlines report the sad news of another fallen hero. The tragic death of a brave firefighter who has died in the line of duty. A dedicated professional who sacrificed his or her life that others may live or that homes and property would be saved from the ravages of fire. Most people halfheartedly acknowledge the event while searching for more…

Becoming a firefighter is quite a process and always has been. The testing has taken many forms over the years. When I tested in the early 80s it was so grueling I vomited following the physical agility test and had to sit in my car for 10-15 minutes before I could drive.…

I have had a lot of friends ask me how do firefighters feel about all the things that have happened this week in America, from the Boston Marathon to West, Texas and the many other tragic events less reported. I can’t speak for all firefighters and would never attempt something so arrogant as to try and express how it feels to lose a…

Excerpt with permission of blog posted at pipenozzle.com

Firehouse.com reprinted a New London Day article reporting that Poquonnock Bridge Fire District czar Alan Ackley wants to take PBFD into the future by returning to the past, a vague romanticized past where PBFD property owners were protected by volunteer firefighters. You might ask him to first read …

I have a friend who lives in England, who is in his late 90's, who collects fire department trading cards, I am asking all brothers and sisters out there if your department have these cards to please send to me so I can send to him, I will in turn send you cards from my department as a trade off. If anyone in any department would like to do this, please send me an e-mail at:…

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.…

Follow the link below to my article on ensuring our basic life-saving equipment is checked often.  Essentially these are the tools that take care of us!

http://openthenozzle.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/take-care-of-the-tools-that-take-care-of-you/

Follow the link below to an article I posted on my webpage.  It identifies what our RIT companies should be doing on the fireground.  Just because we have caught the RIT assignment doesn't mean we have to just stand around grumbling because we didn't catch the first line.  Click the link below to continue reading.…

Follow the link below to an article I posted on my webpage about developing a training program for your fire department.  The information provided can be very helpful to new and old training officers or just anyone assigned to cover a drill night. 

http://openthenozzle.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/developing-an-annual-training-program/#more-79

Author’s Note: I address firefighters in this article, but the information provided applies to any and all emergency response professionals.

Suicide is a very serious topic that we rarely discuss. Each year, thousands of adults and children either attempt or complete suicide to resolve problems or put an end to emotional pain. As a result of their deaths, surviving family members and friends not only grieve, but must cope with feelings of guilt, anger,…

Longtime Firefighter - EMT James Alexander will be receiving a 35 year Service Award on Monday, April 8, 2013 @ 7:00 PM at 13791 Lake Blvd in the City of Shasta Lake, California at Fire Station 3. The Award Presentation will be held during the regularly scheduled Shasta Lake Fire District Board of Director's Meeting. This event is open to the Public for all those who wish to attend.

It is with great sadness to announce our Chief and friend has paased away . Mathew Simpson of Lake Hamilton Fire Dept in Hot Springs , Arkansas passed away today after a short battle with cancer . Please pray for the family and community . God Bless you Matt . You are a great friend .

       I AM SURE that somebody, somewhere has blogged on this issue, but I'm going to go ahead and do it, because it's something that is on my mind at this moment.  It's a REAL problem in the fire service as a whole.  Historically, the Department I'm on has had morale problems, as have many others, however, I feel that we have been doing a really good job of getting it back on track for the most…

   Hello friends.  This is my first attempt at a blog so I figured I'd give you a bit of a background on who I am and my experience. First,  I've been a Firefighter for the better part of 8 years.  I started volunteering as soon as I got out of high school in Lebanon, MO and quickly realized that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  I became a full time Firefighter in the early part of 2009 with St. Robert City Fire and Rescue in St. Robert, Missouri.  As a matter of fact,…

I have been trying to write this up for about three weeks now, and I even tried writing another blog to get my head geared toward writing this one. Earlier this month my dad had a massive heart attack and he almost died. He is 52 and has been trying to get into better health here lately but it caught up with him. The say he will make a full recovery and with cardiac therapy should be able to do everything he was doing before the heart attack, but his days of packing up and leading an…

As Easter rolls around again I am reminded of a call that nearly cost me my job. Years ago just days after Easter my crew was called to a difficulty breathing call. Yeah that was all the information we got as was the situation many times. Not that dispatch didn’t want us to have more information; sometimes a little info was all they could gather.

We arrived emergent at a nice suburban home and were greeted by a near hysterical mother and a somewhat calm dad. They quickly…

What do you need for survival?  I’m not talking about your phone, technology or a certain person; I mean what does your body need to survive?  If you said food you would be correct… the single most important thing you need to focus on at that point is what to eat.…

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…