Hello everyone! I am mortified that I haven't updated my blog in probably a year. I hope all my friends on FFN are well.

I am doing well. I am still a volunteer FF although at my age I am delegated to the Accountability board most of the time and truly happy with that! I even designed my own and last drill got to use one our department received for large structure fire/incidents. I also manage our Facebook page and email campaigns so although I'm not out there so to speak I'm…

Excerpt from post at pipenozzle.com on Ackley Argle Bargle and the Ecology of Fire.  Reprinted here with permission.  

"But the hazard load won’t go away no matter who runs the department or runs it into the ground. Firefighters see the world as a collection of hazards so the rest of us don’t have to look at them, and the total of hazards in a protection jurisdiction is the hazard load. It’s all part of the ecology of fire, of all things that burn. Firefighters know…

Not long ago, I read an article suggesting firefighters should slow down during training sessions to increase duplication of the skills presented.  This seems like a valid argument to ensure basic and advanced skills are learned and mastered.  We can look at this type of training as practice, where more time is needed to focus on the subject.  While I agree we must take more time when learning new skills and reinforcing important information, our training must also include high intensity and…

by: Lou Angeli



During my career, I’ve covered a number of wildland fire campaigns as a video and photojournalist.  One thing I’ve learned is that when Mother Nature whips a firestorm, she does so with a vengeance.