From by blog at FireGroundWorks.

While recently attending the Fire Rescue International Conference in Denver, I took some time one evening and toured the Da Vinci Machines Exhibition at the Denver Pavilions. On loan from the Museum of Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, Italy the exhibit featured more than 60…

Do you workout on shift?  Should you workout on shift and what is the best workout to perform?

This is a major concern for the fire rescue athlete.  On one hand we know we should be working out to stay…

After seeing a couple variations of sleeves for high-lift jacks we made a few.  Brother Firefighter Stout helped with fabricating them and tracking down some steel.  You can read more about the “OJ Sleeves” from the brother’s in Michigan or view some pictures from Andrew Brassard’s variation here.…

From by blog at FireGroundWorks.

How do you do it? How do you get through the chaos of daily social media? With the influence of email, texting, Twitter, and Facebook we are now caught…

Whenever I have an opportunity to visit another area, whether on vacation or traveling for other reasons, I always enjoy meeting other firefighters.  I’ve learned so many things from visiting fire stations in other parts of the state and country, and I’ve also met a lot of great people.  Often, as a part of the first few minutes of conversation, the inevitable question comes up: “Are you a career firefighter, or a volunteer?” 

Being the passionate volunteer that I am, I…

In preparation for annual house inspection, we are stripping and waxing the floors. I am reminded of a day over three decades ago: I was a very young produce clerk at Kroger. My father comes in to buy groceries for fire station #14 just down the street where he is assigned.

I am so proud to see him in his uniform and for him to see me working my first "real" job, but a little embarrassed that he happens in while I am mopping the floor.

"Ah, nothin' wrong with that," he tells…

After reading the NIOSH Investigation report for the Line of Duty Death of Firefighter John Davies that occurred in Worcester, Massachusetts in December of 2011, a certain amount of confusion remains.

Based on the finding by the committee performing the Investigation, the Worcester should have used VSP (Victim Survivability Profiling)…

See the full blog entry at pipenozzle.com:

"There’s more, much more needed to win the political debate than touchy-feely, feel-good public relations, of course. Firefighters need to lock and load with cold, hard fact. Lots of them, and I don’t mean run stats. Even the busiest departments touch the daily lives of only a small percentage of the population, and that’s good. Fewer runs, safer city, and therein lies the political paradox for firefighters. The safer taxpayers feel,…