Remember the old saying “Don’t shoot the messenger”? I was just recently reminded of the adage and how we in the fire service need to heed its meaning as much as anyone. As I was cutting up freshly felled trees on my ranch I heard a voice from my past. It was of an experience I remember as though it just happened. I was a probationary firefighter in my first full time paid position at a small department when I decided to take advantage of some down time and train on chain saw maintenance. As I… Continue

Sure a Parade Load looks great, and our employers (citizens/ taxpayers) always deserve to see that we take our job seriously. We should do everything with a maximum amount of pride and professionalism, but more importantly, a Parade Load has an important functional purpose. That rain guard should protect the hose. If hose is "bulging" out of it, then the loops just get wet, look ugly AND potentially allow hose to be grabbed unintentionally by an… Continue