By Michael E. Cox, Jr.



Training a large number of career recruit firefighters can be a daunting task for any department; however, when a department is faced with a skyrocketing number of vacancies due to attrition, increased overtime costs, a year-long delay in the hiring process, plus one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression, the difficulty level of such an undertaking grows exponentially.



In November 2008, Anne Arundel County Executive John…

By Joseph A. Masington & Guy Seeley



Today’s challenging economic climate has had a substantial impact on fire services across the country, forcing many communities to slash budgets, and forcing even the most fiscally minded fire department leaders to make tough choices regarding available resources, from closing fire stations on a rolling or permanent basis to reducing the number of firefighters on duty during a given shift.



As a result, the amount of…

TECHNICAL RESCUE

By Harold Schapelhouman



On Thursday, Sept. 9, at 1812 HRS, the San Mateo County Public Safety Communications Center (PSC) received a report that an explosion and subsequent fire had occurred in the Glenview neighborhood area of San Bruno, Calif., a city within San Mateo County, which borders the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay, the City of San Francisco and Santa Clara County. This region is often…

REALITY CHECK

Beware the Lowering of the Bar

When standards of conduct begin to slip, the consequences can be far-reaching

By Scott Cook

Last month I wrote about the collision of USS Hartford and USS New Orleans and its relationship to the fire service, specifically in relation to officer responsibilities. You’ll recall…

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Fit for Duty? Company officers must set the example when it comes to physical fitness

Story & Photos by Jeff & Martha Ellis

To tell people to “lead by example” almost sounds cliché these days. The expression can mean different things to different people. But one thing is certain: It does not…