Featured Blog Posts – August 2008 Archive (22)

The Beginning. 8/30/08

O.K. Now that I've gone to Wikipedia to find out exactly WHAT a blog is, I can start using this part.

I am sitting here at the firehouse, almost praying for a call, just to have something to do. The race doesn't come on for 4 more hours, and I can't go home because the Bitch is still moving out...with MY kids! I still want to know just HOW she can afford $900/month rent selling Avon! Yeah, Right!

And I'm typing with one hand because the left hand is holding the screnn of the laptop… Continue

Added by TJC44 on August 31, 2008 at 12:23pm — 2 Comments

Deployment to the Gulf Coast...

Hey All,

As many of you may already know, I volunteer for an organization called Hancock Hope which supports Fire Departments both Paid and Volunteer, as well as communities that are hit hard by natural disasters and where FEMA and the government fall short with funding and clean up.

Anyways, I got the call about 9am this morning (Saturday 8/30) from Dan Macakanja the president for Hancock Hope. He told me that they are assembling a team to leave next Saturday/Sunday and going… Continue

Added by Scott Runkel on August 30, 2008 at 8:44pm — 5 Comments

FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS IN TYLER, TEXAS 2007

I have a brother in law in kilgore texas who is asking about a fire in tyler which killed 2 volunteer firefighters. I s there anyone out there who can tell me where to find the info on this or do u know anything about this fire. It is said the chief sent volumteers into something they had no business going into.

Added by GRAMI2007 on August 30, 2008 at 10:19am — 4 Comments

Tired of Being a Sheltered Little Girl

Ok, I'm just so fed up with everyone's opinion about me being a firefighter. My aunt actually said that a girl on the fire department was cute. CUTE?! Is cute standing in the middle of a CRP field on fire with flames 10 ft. high trying to keep it from spreading to a farmer's house or crop fields?? Is cute chomping at the bit to go on a call, dreaming of fighting fires and keeping myself and my brothers on the fire dept. safe??? Maybe it shouldn't anger me, but darn it it really does that… Continue

Added by Ashleigh on August 25, 2008 at 12:45am — 9 Comments

Live Auction: Fire Art and Collectibles to Benefit Fire Chief

As part of a large fundraising effort for Evans Center Firefighter Dennis Allen, a benefit scheduled for September 6, 2008 will feature a live auction of firefighter art and memorabilia. The benefit will run from 2-8pm and the live auction will kick off at 5pm.

Former Chief Allen received a double lung transplant on July 2, 2008 after suffering from the deadly disease: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for more than two years. He is currently… Continue

Added by The Dennis Allen Project on August 24, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Loving Fire and Rescue

Today once again I realized how much I love fire and rescue, even when it was running all the comercial building fire alarms that hit right at supper time! There's a certain pride in helping others when their day is at it's worse that I love. Most people complain about it, but I even love going into the assisted living home to check out the fire alarm that goes off several times a day. I just love to go in there and shake their hands and see their smiles. They are always begging us to come back!

Added by Abby Lawton on August 22, 2008 at 10:04pm — 4 Comments

Recruitment & Retention Toolkit: Brotherhood

This article is one in a series of toolkits focusing on recruitment, retention, fire service marketing and leadership. It appeared in the August edition of FASNY's The Volunteer Firefighter magazine.

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Evans Center Chief Dennis Allen Demonstrates Brotherhood. Now He Needs Our Help.

Last month I said we’d take the summer… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on August 22, 2008 at 1:28am — 4 Comments

Do you really want that big fire???

So ive offically been in the fire/ems service about two years now, but Ive grown up around it almost my entire life. One thing that I hear almost all the time is how ff's are bored, tired of the ems runs and false alarms, they say that they want to catch that really big fire. Now as much as I love putting out fires, my chief used to tell me all the time that I had to think of the person on the other end of that call, the victim. As we get soooo excited and pumped up when that call for a working… Continue

Added by Dustin J. Millis on August 21, 2008 at 2:54pm — 6 Comments

Learning Curve ONE: Dealing with difficult partners.....

Disclaimer:

This blog is not meant to demean, belittle, or slander the current person(s) that I am working with. I do not have the intention for doing this. I will not mention names, dates, or specific information, nor add add any form of false truth to the events that I write about in these discussions.

To begin with, I am working with a very difficult person at work right now. This person calls me names, mostly derogatory in nature, and usually beginning with four… Continue

Added by Jason on August 20, 2008 at 10:15am — 7 Comments

Journalist Jill Carroll - Former Hostage in Iraq -- Makes Career Change to Become Virginia Firefighter

The Washington Post reports that Jill Carroll, the journalist held hostage in Iraq for three months in 2006, is making a dramatic career change -- leaving the Christian Science Monitor to become a Fairfax County firefighter and EMT. Yesterday she began five months of training for her new job, the Boston Globe first reported.

Why the switch? Carroll, 30, who mostly avoided the spotlight… Continue

Added by Firefighter Nation WebChief on August 19, 2008 at 1:30pm — 1 Comment

Advice to Rookies

This is very likely to piss of the old timers, but I want to start talking about it, in hopes that our industry can find what it really needs and dispense with what is either outdated or does not work. I found this advice on a fire website today, and while some of the items are great advice, others really smack of hazing and a lack of teamwork. I am going to publish the original in black and my thoughts on it are underlined. I would like to see what kind of discussion this prompts to find out… Continue

Added by Joel C Kelley on August 18, 2008 at 6:00pm — 6 Comments

Why I’m Here

There have been posts asking people why they became a firefighter or an EMT and there have been some interesting reasons on why they are doing what they do. Well, here is how I decided to become an EMT and a firefighter.

My father was in the service. He used to tell me stories here and there about how he wanted to travel overseas, while some of his friends wanted to be stationed here in the States and stories of being a doctor in the service. As it turned out, my father was stationed… Continue

Added by Kimberly A Bownas on August 15, 2008 at 9:33pm — 10 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): "This One Time....at Boot Camp?"

I traveled to Erie County in mid-July to attend Firefighter 1 Boot Camp under the auspices of the White Hatted Wonder. For personal reasons I withdrew after two days of training, but what an experience those two days were!

For anyone interested in completing FF1 in a compressed time frame while testing your limits and endurance, this is the appropriate format to find out just exactly what you’re made of. Upon arrival the first morning, we were split into smaller companies and… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on August 14, 2008 at 9:24am — 7 Comments

Aaaaaaand the Stats to Prove that We're Still Killing Ourselves the Same Old Way

USFA report highlights lack of seat belt use in '07

By FireRescue 1 Staff

A lack of seat belt use accounted for a number of vehicle-related LODDs last year, according to the USFA.

The Firefighter Fatalities in the United States 2007 report reveals that in 19 of the 27 incidents where seat belt status was known, 11 firefighters were confirmed as not wearing seat belts at the time of the incident.

During calendar year 2007, a total of 118… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on August 14, 2008 at 7:21am — 14 Comments

Lessons Learned

Okay, so I've been here for a long time (in FFN terms anyway) and have yet to make a blog post. I'm going to cheat and use a part of the speech that I gave Saturday night when I was installed as President of the Vermont State Firefighters Association....

There are many lessons that I have learned over the span of my fire service career. I’d like to share a couple of them with you.

The first is “don’t run”. We all know, or should know, that running on the scene is to be… Continue

Added by Kristy Oxholm on August 11, 2008 at 5:02pm — 3 Comments

A Fire Department having too many volunteers?

I was a part of one fire department or another from 1992 until 2003. When I moved away to another part of the county, the fire department there said they already had too many volunteers? Ever since then I have often wondered this....HOW CAN A FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE TOO MANY VOLUNTEERS!!!!!!!! I would think they would want more....I really miss being on the department....love helping others....Can anyone give me a reasonable explanation of this.....

Added by Brian on August 11, 2008 at 4:31pm — 9 Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

For those of you that have kept up with my column, many of you know about the anxiety I've felt trying to manage going to the Fire Academy full-time with the antics of my teenagers, the horrible real estate market, and trying to do it all like many business women my age.

Today I did something I was really nervous about. It may seem soooo simple to some, but today I rode a motorcycle. Just like flying, I was nervous about this. Being uncoordinated, and hating rides and motion, I was afraid… Continue

Added by Denise Imperiale on August 9, 2008 at 8:00pm — 1 Comment

The inside out or is it the outside in?

Having been a Fire Chaplain for over 25 years has made me love fire service so much more than I did when I got started. Starting out at a volunteer/partially paid department and learning on the job really did a number on my initial confidence. that I kept asking myself " why do these guys spend double or triple what they make to be on call for extreme times and have to work a job with this commitment to even be here?"

It all started when I was a new mission pastor in town and was… Continue

Added by David Ebel on August 9, 2008 at 3:38am — 2 Comments

OJT, Degree, or a combination

This is a blog that could actually turn into a good discussion as others read this and think about what is said as compared to what they have seen in their own department or area.

Recently, as may have happened in other areas, a person was given a position with out meeting the eligilbility requirements as set forth by the department mainly due to the fact of a degree. Now don't get me wrong, I think a degree is a good thing and has its place and use when appropriate. Do I think it should… Continue

Added by Duane M Messner on August 8, 2008 at 11:37pm — 3 Comments

Pictures Being Uploaded causing Negative Public Perception

I don't want to sound like I am preaching here, but what is with all of the pics being uploaded that show alcohol being consumed. I think that we need to set a higher standard as Firefighters than just partying. What kind of example do you think this is setting for anyone that views the public page. I am sorry but too much is just that.... too much. I don't see what it does besides makes you look like you drink alcohol a whole lot. I believe that we should think about what we are going to put… Continue

Added by FF Schoen on August 8, 2008 at 7:30pm — 20 Comments