Whether it’s halligans, hooks or hoses, the unfortunate truth is that too many firefighters are using inferior tools and equipment on the fireground…and this needs to stop. To most of the brothers and sisters that will take the time to read (and watch) this, this is old news; but to many of our brethren, this is the first they’re hearing of this.

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What does it take to become the go to guy in the firehouse?  What does it take to step beyond the go to guy and become an "elite" firefighter?  Well, elite firefighters have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort mastering his or her skill set through thousands of hours of training and life experiences. Looking at experience alone, the elite firefighter has often been provided opportunities to succeed from many people who have invested time in said development.  The author Malcomb…

“If everyone on the Team was like me, what kind of Team would it be?”

The above quote is attributed to the Navy SEALs. The question it asks is an important one. Would the Team succeed if everyone was like you? Are you putting your best effort in?

Imagine if there was a sign above the door to your dayroom that said, “If everyone on…

This was our Monday afternoon cover assignment, that went horribly wrong at 1:50 in the afternoon.....

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/crash-involving-burns-harbor-fire-truck-caused-by-second-driver/article_c9fbbdcf-9ddb-5a17-baa0-29a536311270.html

Hello my name is Stephen Smith I am a 28-year-old quadriplegic with a physical disability called cerebral palsy and I use an electric wheelchair for my mobility needs

The musings of a confused fireman firefighter

Disclaimer: I am not, have never been, will not be, against any research that can be used to make our job safer. We all know firefighting is ‘inherently dangerous’ because it says so on every piece of equipment we wear. Anything we can do to improve our ability to…

I have had a of of requests for quick workouts that can be done with minimal equipment.  Here is a re-post of one of my more popular cardio interval workouts I created for a firefighter/medic that has no equipment and only some stairs and a parking lot. This can be used as a cardio interval training workout day (for those following the FRF Rapid Fat Loss or FRF Ultimate fire Rescue Athlete…

It's great to say you take responsibility for a mistake or to say that you need to improve or make changes.  That's only half the battle though.  You must take meaningful steps and actions to actually correct the mistakes, make the improvements and changes that are needed.  Taking action is the part of taking responsibility and ownership that is hard, not verbalizing them.

I was lucky to have some great officers and leaders influence my career path in the fire service, and in life.  They were always offering sound advice and sharing their experiences. Some I heeded right away and others I had to learn the hard way.  Either way, their words and actions provided me a template to use to work to be a good firefighter and, later on, officer.

Now I have the opportunity to pass along the valuable bits of information that was passed to me along with my own…

Hey FFN We are running a class for new Lt.s and I'm looking for some good .jpg images for size up and tactics training. I'm looking for 3 deckers, taxpayers, mixed use, and hi-rise. Any hel would be appreciated
Thanks
Capt. Keith Edson
Providence Fire Dept.

I was at an EMS conference this weekend that promoted multi-agency training during different types of emergencis but focused more on mass-casualty incidents and the challenges of limited resources in rural areas. This was a great first step in training and communicating between multi-agencies and will hopefully continue and grow.

What do other fire departments do for multi-agency training especially in rural areas?

Hello Guillaume;

My name is Bob Dubbert, and I am a Captain with Vancouver Fire Rescue. I am also the President of Firefighters Without Borders Canada. We are a nationally registered non-profit charity that delivers equipment, apparatus and training to firefighters and other responders in less developed countries. To date we have embarked on 17 overseas training missions and delivered over 700 tons of equipment and 49 emergency vehicles to 16 countries. Our website is…

Spring has sprung, and that can only mean one thing.......it's FDIC season! With the day to day operations of the firehouse, running calls, apparatus maintenance, phone constantly ringing and training, not to mention, Im back in school again. You begin to get run down and even shutter when the tones drop. A vacation is nice, some time away to relax with the wife and kids.....yeah great, but there is nothing that recharges my batteries and love of this career like FDIC. 35,000 of your closest…

Before you go Hog wild (sorry, had to say it) on bacon please read the following disclaimer.  Let me state up front that saying bacon is “healthy” does not mean it’s healthy to eat it in huge quantities nor does it mean it’s healthy to eat large amounts seven days a week. Try to stick to small servings, blot extra bacon grease off to lower fat intake, and avoid adding extra salt or other high sodium seasonings.  I suggest to consume only 2 or 3 slices and only once a week.  Also,…

We would love for you to all come down and join us for a great outdoor experience with  Radio Riot. There will be food, drinks and some good old fashion fun. So please come down and show your support.

 Thank  you the NPFD.

A healthy dose of fear is good. Too much is debilitating

If you read the magazines, social media or take a class, you can’t help…

Does your size-up typically look beyond the moment you arrive? With a good working fire, this may be an obvious part of a response. But what about for those responses where we arrive and believe there to be no fire? If nothing is burning, is there really anything to size-up?

While a good size-up should give us a clear picture of what we have and what we need to do to mitigate the situation, we must also consider the events that we may or may not actually see happening, as well as…

We have the distinct honor and pleasure to offer our Firefighter Bailout class at FDIC 2015 this year as one of the HOT classes.  We feel, like most, that we should train and drill constantly on the basics like engine company operations, search, ventilation, fire behavior, ladder work, forcible and the list goes on, to prevent the need for a firefighter to…