Featured Blog Posts – February 2009 Archive (40)

How to deal with people who set the standards too high for themselves

So my latest question through my mind that hopefully somebody can shed some light on: I have a particular individual at the station that I am in charge of that consistently talks a big game, as if he were the cats meow when it comes to the fire service. However he is consistently setting the bar for himself so high that he can never attain the level he wants to achieve, and then when he fails he takes it out on himself and everybody around him. Training with this particular individual can be… Continue

Added by Jacob Fouts on February 12, 2009 at 6:44pm — 4 Comments

NIOSH Releases Vacant Structures Alert

NIOSH just released a draft alert on the dangers of fighting fires in vacant/unoccupied structures. The alert includes case studies of four incidents where firefighters died and were injured fighting fires in unoccupied structures.

Many of the recommendations in the alert are unsurprising, if important. In a quick scan, two stood out in my mind:

• Establish, clearly mark,… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 12, 2009 at 3:14pm — No Comments

Anamosity amongst ourselves

It seems as if the good old boys club has taken a turn for the worst, we are a small dept. with a lot of testosterone and not to mention a slight amount of estrogen (that would be me)!! Their' s so much animosity amongst our people. We are supposed to be a family yet at every turn someone amongst us is cutting someone else down. What happened to the good old days when " i got your back meant something". Our dept. is divided by some invisible line that needs to be relinquished. Let go of the… Continue

Added by Angela K Sjogren on February 12, 2009 at 12:51pm — 4 Comments

Stimulus Package Update

The full text of the Senate-passed stimulus bill has been posted. Couple notes about fire/EMS funding:

FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS

For an additional amount for competitive grants, $500,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2010, for modifying, upgrading, or constructing State and local fire stations: Provided, That up to 5 percent shall be for program administration: Provided further, That no… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 10, 2009 at 5:22pm — 24 Comments

The Good of the Whole

Recently I was talking with one of my fire service colleagues about the economic problems it seems nearly all departments are facing. He said he was happy because at least for the time being, his department had managed to avoid position eliminations or other drastic measures in exchange for all members agreeing to a 4 percent pay cut across the board.

Now it’s surely a sign of the times that taking a 4 percent pay cut seems like a good thing, but his comment got me thinking. In my… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 10, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Ghosts at the Firehouse

Every fire department has a history that is capable of going back hundreds of years.

Our firehouse has been standing for a long time... long before I was even born. They say that a ghost is nothing but a memory preserved in time. The people at the firehouse are torn between those who truly believe it is haunted, those who have seen things but ignore it, and those who have never seen anything and are totally skeptic. Based on my own experiences, I fall into the first category I named. I… Continue

Added by BTFD604 on February 9, 2009 at 2:31am — 11 Comments

Continuation of "When are WE gonna learn"

First off, let me start off by saying I am not a writer or a typer and I make mistakes. I try to correct as many of them as I can find, but I am not perfect and I am continuously finding errors and correcting them so please forgive me if you see an error.

Second, I am open to any criticism, discussions or whatever you want to call it based on my writings. I have been in the fire service for over 20 years and have very round shoulders and will let the crap flow on by and take the… Continue

Added by Brady Matthew Grim on February 8, 2009 at 4:30pm — 3 Comments

The Three Cuts Approach to Managing During the Economic Downturn

Cut Back

You may have to cut back on your use of metered services, fuel for non-essential apparatus movement, and out-of-town training. This includes keeping the thermostat at 68 degrees F, turning off the lights when everyone leaves the room, using energy-efficient light bulbs, bringing the meals to work instead of going shopping in the engine, and training locally as much as possible.

Caution - Look at the economic downturn as a chance to do more… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on February 7, 2009 at 6:30pm — 6 Comments

Coatesville's Arsonists: Please God, Not the Firefighters?

COATESVILLE, PA (February 7, 2009) -- Since the first of the year, firefighters in this once bustling steel town have seen more work in a few short weeks, than they might have seen during their entire career. A string of arson fires, now totalling 29, have plagued the city's 12,000 residents, and the multi-agency task force investigating the blazes have no solid leads.

It's a news story that is making world headlines, and has many in the fire-rescue services sitting on the edge of… Continue

Added by Lou Angeli on February 7, 2009 at 6:13pm — 4 Comments

It is a Labor thing ....

There are over a million individuals who identify themselves as firefighters. Almost 350,000 make firefighting a career, 292,000 of them are members of a local chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

WHEN IAFF MEMBERS "TWO-HAT"

Two-hatters are IAFF members who volunteer at another department that is represented by another IAFF local. The conflict is about the activity of a trade union member in… Continue

Added by Mike Ward on February 7, 2009 at 5:00pm — 15 Comments

TNT: The Accidental Runner: Who Says I’m Frigid??

Me, I do, actually.

Preface: I’ve started my training for running a half-marathon in June for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Team in Training” fundraising athletic program. . I’m running in memory of Tanner Zullo and Aidan O’Malley, and in honor of Brianna Blank (her dad, Dave Blank, is a member on here).

We had our first group run this morning (more commonly known among the runners as the “Group Grope” …same way as the runners refer to Team in Training as “Team and… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on February 7, 2009 at 2:46pm — 9 Comments

IAFC’s 2009 Safety Week theme focuses on personal responsibility

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Billy Goldfeder, chairman of the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section, about the theme for this year’s 2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week, June 14–20: “Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility.” Here’s the scoop:

Goldfeder says it’s easy to see how diligently so many national fire organizations, along with the USFA and the fire service media, have worked to provide resources to… Continue

Added by Janelle Foskett, FireRescue on February 6, 2009 at 3:30pm — 2 Comments

Your Share of $800 Billion

Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the economic stimulus package. In fact, there’s been a lot of ridiculous analogies made about what $1 trillion looks like; I heard one commentator say if you started when Jesus was born (when is that exactly?) and spent $1 million a day, you wouldn’t have reached $1 trillion yet. One of my favorite bloggers posted this chart in an attempt to show how silly such… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 6, 2009 at 3:22pm — 2 Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...February 5, 2009

Today was the big day. It was my graduation from the Morris County Training Academy. I saw everyone from my class, as well as the guys from the class I had to stop during the summer (the full-time class). I can't describe the feelings I had sitting next to my Chief… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on February 5, 2009 at 10:17pm — 6 Comments

A Basic Drill but a Good Drill

We have had very few drills this past year and what drills we have had have been the same thing time and time again. Last night we had a drill and it was to be an SCBA recertification drill. When everyone assembled at the firehouse in the upper bay we were informed that the drill was going to be a little different. Everyone was wondering what the drill was going to entail. The Lt. running the drill stated that it wasn’t going to be an SCBA recertification as everyone expected. We went over the… Continue

Added by Kimberly A Bownas on February 4, 2009 at 9:13pm — 25 Comments

Resolving fire ground issues

Fire ground conflict in the Philippines was a all time issue plague the career vs. volunteer units for a long time. Volunteer units which is approximately 70 % more than the gov't counterpart - majority of which in the national capital region which is Metro Manila. Although, we get the job done most of the time. Fighting fire side by side with our career counterparts has the cold and uneasy feelings is still there. But the question of efficiency, liability, dormant resources, injuries, and… Continue

Added by Michael Vito on February 3, 2009 at 10:30pm — 7 Comments

Outrage at Public Safety Pensions

A hostile feature article in Forbes magazine about public safety retirement and the DROP program:

Don’t let anyone tell you the American dream has faded. the truth is the U.S. is still minting lots of millionaires. Glenn Goss is one of them.

Goss retired four years ago, at 42, from a $90,000 job as a police commander in Delray Beach, Fla. He immediately began drawing a $65,000 annual pension that is guaranteed for life, is indexed to keep up with inflation… Continue

Added by Mike Ward on February 3, 2009 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

Not Another Sports Analogy!

On this Superbowl Sunday, I’m reminded of an article I read recently on an NFL production crew directed by Bob Fishman. The article paints an amazing picture of the action that occurs in the production trailer, and how the decisions and actions of one or two people determine what millions are watching on their screens—indeed, their actions determine how those viewers experience the event.

But the article hit home… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on February 1, 2009 at 6:00pm — 7 Comments

Then, and Now

cattaraugus 2.jpg

On a late summer day in 1949, the members of the Cattaraugus Fire Department are putting their new pumper through its paces. A drafting operation has been established at an unknown location in Cattaraugus County, New York.

The truck has just arrived from Young Fire Equipment in Buffalo, and is equipped with a 500 GPM… Continue

Added by Joe Stoltz on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — 9 Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...February 1, 2009

Usually when my blog is silent for awhile it means I have a lot of things happening with my daughter, and for those of you keeping up with what's happening, I want to tell you how successfully the planets lined up yesterday.

It started with Friday not being a good day, and the end of a very long week. I so feel like I am in this all alone, and still have not taken that step to join a support group or other group to try to… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on February 1, 2009 at 8:56am — No Comments