June 2009 Blog Posts (115)

Breaking the News: How to inform your personnel about layoffs

Breaking the News

How to inform your personnel about layoffs

By John Sullivan

Note: This article is part of a special FireRescue magazine series on the economy and its effects on the fire service.

After a recent Board of Engineers meeting, I had the inauspicious task of telling the firefighters on my shift that our department will face a tremendously difficult fiscal year in 2010 and what the ramifications of the new budget will… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 9, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Data-Driven: How to track specific performance factors to prove your department's worth

A Different Kind of Size-Up

Departments that can empirically demonstrate their value are best positioned to survive economic downturns

By Todd J. LeDuc, MS, CFO, CEM

Note: This article is part of a special FireRescue magazine series on the economy and its effects on the fire service.

Successful private sector businesses have long used a data-driven approach to track performance. And, in fact, many EMS systems have well-developed… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 9, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Number Crunching: Stats from Fire Fighter Close Calls on public safety budget cuts

Number Crunching

Initial conclusions from reader input to FireFighterCloseCalls.com about nationwide public safety budget cuts

By Shannon Pieper

Note: This article is part of a special FireRescue magazine series on the economy and its effects on the fire service.

If you read the Secret List, the noncommercial and free e-newsletter from FireFighterClosecalls.com… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 9, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Show Your Fallen Brothers and Sisters - and Their Families - That You Care

Firefighters across the U.S. are urged to show the families of fallen brothers & sisters that you care by signing a Web-based Memorial Book to honor those lost in the line of duty.

By signing the Memorial Book at www.sperianfire.com, firefighters will help make a $60,000 donation by Sperian Fire possible to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The donation will be made by Sperian Fire in the names of the firefighters who have signed the Book.

"We're asking… Continue

Added by NFFF on June 9, 2009 at 10:21am — No Comments

FFN Biggest Loser Challenge: Time to post some results!!!

Okay kids, I've given you all awhile now to start your weight loss adventures. Its time to see you have done so far. Use this page to post your results so far. If you are just starting, feel free to post your starting and goal weights here or at the original blog. I'll start... If you remember, my starting weight was 178. I'm down to 176. Yeah its only two pounds but I was really wanting to lower my BP; which started at 158/102... Just took it... down to 146/88. So I've still got some work to… Continue

Added by Dustin J. Millis on June 9, 2009 at 1:02am — No Comments

We've all got one! Certified Dement

Here's a link to one of ours. BTW, ain't police (never was) lost leg to diabetes, not hydraulic fluid; has been thrown out of every volunteer organization there is. This is his latest ploy.... BTW did I tell you he's a nutcase?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ1waxdzhao

Added by Nancy Lankford McCain on June 8, 2009 at 7:37pm — No Comments

JUNE 2009

HELLO EVERYONE HOPE EVERY BODY IS HAVING A GOOD YEAR. EVERYONE STAY SAFE AND KEEP UP GOOD WORK. BEEN EXTREMELY BUSY . EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT SUMMER

Added by AARON POYNTER on June 8, 2009 at 4:48pm — No Comments

A Truckie's Guide to Knowing House Layouts

TRUCK COMPANY OPERATIONS

Where Are the Bedrooms? Get familiar with common house layouts so you can find people faster

By Peter F. Kertzie

When driving down a residential street, I often find myself glancing back and forth at the houses on either side. Why? I’m trying to guess their layout. Most of the fires I respond to are in single-family, wood-frame buildings, so I use this mental pre-planning exercise to help me figure… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on June 8, 2009 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

NHRA: Jay Payne Salutes Firefighters With FireIce

Multi-time champion drag racer Jay Payne expanded his fan base exponentially this weekend by welcoming FireIce as the primary sponsor of his Valvoline Top Alcohol Funny Car. As part of the agreement, Payne and FireIce, a non-toxic, biodegradable fire suppression gel, will salute the nation's 300,000 firefighters at racetracks around the country.

"This is an exciting day for our race team," Payne said. "Obviously, sponsorship is… Continue

Added by Rob Rosovich on June 8, 2009 at 10:41am — 4 Comments

True calling

well i have found my calling. As a firefighter now all i need to do is get the first responder and then its on the trail to the Paramedic wooooooohooooooooooooo have a safe and wonderful night

Added by Kelly Holdiman on June 8, 2009 at 1:30am — 1 Comment

EMS CALLS

Has any one out there been on a atemted sucide call with a young person? I have had one that is stuck in my head. Does any one have any advice?

Added by Eric Hamlett on June 7, 2009 at 11:22pm — 4 Comments

The Monkey Parable and Resistance to Change

Once upon a time, some researchers conducted an experiment. They obtained five monkeys and placed them into a single cage. In the center of the cage was a stairway that terminated in thin air. After a hungry night in the cage, the monkeys saw a researcher lowering a bunch of bananas through the bars above the stairs. The monkeys immediately charged up the stairs toward the food. Other researchers immediately blasted the monkeys with ice cold… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on June 7, 2009 at 10:12pm — 4 Comments

Charity Work Injury

Ok so in the louisville area in kentucky we do a thing called the WHAS crusade for children, in which the fire departments have road blocks and do door-to-door to collect money to benefit children whose families cant afford the medical care needed, research to help childhood diseases and equipment to help special needs children live a fairly normal life. The fire departments collect the money in their district for a week bringing out the sirens and lights to each house. Then on sunday they go… Continue

Added by Jessica Travis on June 7, 2009 at 8:01pm — 2 Comments

HUGE mock crash and car wash- All are welcome to come check it out!!!

Just a note to those who may be in our area in the next few weeks: Chester Twp. Volunteer Fire Dept will be hosting a car wash on Saturday the 13th at Ceasers Creek Flea Market on St Rt. 73 just off I-71 starting at 10 A.M.

MOCK CRASH: This will also be at the same flea market on saturday the 27th of this month starting a 2 P.M. It will be a HUGE event. We're having careflight come in and Channel 9 news is supposed to be shooting it. This will be a three car incident based off the… Continue

Added by Daniele on June 6, 2009 at 2:30pm — 2 Comments

Just for fun....

Wow! What a response to my first blog post! Thanks everyone! I am really liking this site, all my new friends and fire family from around the world!

I know I am not the only one that turns to my computer in the evening to wind down and relax before going to sleep, so I wanted to ask everyone a question.....just for fun.

How do you wind down and relax? Don't hold back, this could be interesting and another way for us all to have a little fun and get to know each… Continue

Added by Tammy on June 6, 2009 at 1:07am — 8 Comments

Time Will Tell: FireRescue article sparks discussion about oldest firehouse

Who says getting old is bad? Getting old means growing wiser and perhaps more dignified and even commanding more respect, right? I’d like to think this is just as true for fire stations as people. The members train hard to learn everything they can about their craft and then pass along this knowledge to the new recruits. And as a station grows older, our respect for the station—and what it symbolizes to the community—grows exponentially.

In the April issue of FireRescue, we published… Continue

Added by Janelle Foskett, FireRescue on June 5, 2009 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

Dear Mayor and City Manager ...

CHIEF BILLY GOLDFEDER

FireFighterNation.com Commentary

Dear Mayor & City Manager,

Odds are at this point, as hard as we have tried, you still don't seem to understand the need for our department, YOUR fire department, to be well prepared and fully able to respond quickly when our citizens call 9-1-1 for a fire. Mr. Mayor, this has nothing to do with how many fires we have -- it has everything to do with every fire we have.

Actually, at this… Continue

Added by Firefighter Nation WebChief on June 5, 2009 at 2:00pm — 5 Comments

The Final Inspection

THE FINAL

INSPECTION

The Marine stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, Marine,

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of… Continue

Added by Jason McDonald on June 5, 2009 at 11:04am — No Comments

Finally something good...

So I am halfway with teaching the very first EVOC course in the Philippines. All that is left is the practical part of the course and my 12 students did well with the classroom.

So its a bit interesting to introduce NFPA standards to a 3rd world country but they vowed they will follow the standard as much as they can since not all things can be adopted for practical reasons. I am happy the course went well.

Added by Jason McDonald on June 5, 2009 at 6:25am — No Comments

Looking for ideas.....

Hello everyone and thanks for taking the time to read my blog. My name is Tammy and I am in charge of fundraising for the Bakerton Fire Department in Bakerton, West Virginia, USA. I am interested in hearing what suggestions all my new friends here at FirefighterNation can give me on fundraising ideas.

I have already brought up a few ideas to our membership over the past year, but now I would like to get a little more adventurous. We have a few items that we would like to purchase for… Continue

Added by Tammy on June 5, 2009 at 12:15am — 5 Comments