IFSTA  E-Learning courses are now available. I have completed many of them. I highly recommend the courses. The courses are very detailed and adhere to NFPA standards. The courses are great for initial or refresher training. Upon completing a course you will receive a certificate of completion.

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I’ve been on somewhat of a rant about getting back to the basics with some extrication techniques lately.  Mainly because we sometimes get overzealous in our efforts to use the most fancy electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic tools.  Tunnel vision, maybe.  Remember, you may need two or three options to perform a rescue.  Keep it simple, fast, and safe.

A recent training opportunity allowed the same scenario to be set up 6 times.  The firefighters were told to perform the rescue the first…

SUPPORT for medical treatment abroad. Firefighters from Valjevo Aleksandar Mitrovic is suffering from a serious illness and in Serbia had been treated for two years, but without success. He started treatment in Germany, the first cycle of therapy gave good results for a 50% improvement. It is necessary for the second cycle of 20,000 euro. Please good people, and especially his colleagues firefighters to be paid as the bank account:

Aleksandar Mitrovic 205-1001549236383-05 Commercial Bank…

We recently received several new fire engines. These beautiful Pierce Quantums are everything you could want in a fire engine. However, it seems there is at least one thing that some people don't want. The seats in the engines have sensors that can tell if someone is sitting there and whether or not the seat belt is buckled.

Last week, as I was gathering my gear from the engine, the Captain who relieved me asked the engineer if the engine had one of those seat belt…

Great training with Avon (OH) firefighters of all experience levels.  Thanks for the invite.  Pictures are worth more than words as usual, so the summary will be short.

• What tools are on your rig?  Different haligans, axes, sledgehammers?
• Gap, Set, Force the door!  Repetition is hard to come by, so take advantage of acquired structures and props.
• Know your saw; starting, stopping, changing the blade.  I encourage a little friendly competition.  Who on the crew…

Good day to all;

We would like to appeal for help from our fortunate brothers & sisters in firefighting & rescue world, regarding donation of old used, 2nd hand fire helmets, turnout gears,hoods, gloves and fire boots, for us to use it here in fire respond in Metro Manila, Philippines. Most of us respond to fire scene without proper PPE. We hope for your kind & generous understanding.

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Good day to all;

We would like to appeal for help from our fortunate brothers & sisters in firefighting & rescue world, regarding donation of old used, 2nd hand fire helmets, turnout gears,hoods, gloves and fire boots, for us to use it here in fire respond in Metro Manila, Philippines. Most of us respond to fire scene without proper PPE. We hope for your kind & generous understanding.

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Once again, the country is honoring the First Responders who fell on 9/11. Big ceremonies are happening all over the land with politicians using the date to get photo ops with firefighters and police. Then on 9/12, they will go back and continue the fight to take away benefits negotiated by us, which we worked 25 to 30 years of daily danger for. When we left our families to go to work, our wives and children did not know if they would see us come home. Many of my friends have died…

It was an honor to carry FF Van Hine's name up 110 floors during the Sacramento 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. Even with the training I did it was an incredibly hard climb.

From the sky... a flash of silver,

Than a rumble, then a roar.

And there,where once the towers stood,

T'was empty evermore.

When the dust had settled,

And the devastation bared,

The nation stood in anguish,

As they prayed some might be spared.

And all the quiet heros

Rose now, as if one.

They gathered across the country,

To do what needed to be done,

The voices that once echoed

Down the hall and on…

My Heart is heavy, thinking back to that fateful day. When you embraced your calling and put yourselves in harm's way. My life goes on and I will live to see another day. But my heart will forever be burdened, remembering you as the ashes fell away. I call upon all my brothers now, to stand up, to salute you, on this 9/11 memorial day !

Mike Smith

Shortly after I woke this morning, I was standing in my kitchen making coffee and preparing to make the usual Sunday morning big breakfast, when I heard the ever-familiar tones of my husband's and son's pagers.

As a wife and mother of firefighters - and as the city's emergency management director - I know there is no guarantee of a quiet Sunday morning.

A few minutes later, my shirtless firefighter son - who is now working to become a paramedic - came running up the stairs,…

On Sunday September 11, 2011, at 8:00 am, a Memorial Service will be held at the quarters of Engine 40 Ladder 35 "The Cavemen" in remembrance of the members of The Cave who made the Supreme Sacrifice on 9/11/2001. Engine 40 Ladder 35 is located at 131 Amsterdam Ave and West 66th Street in…

343 firefighters will climb 110 stories  at the Renaissance Building in Downtown Sacramento on Sunday 9/11/11. Over 3,000 others will complete a 5K Run/Walk on the Riverfront. After the completion of the Stair Climb and 5K there will be a tribute concert in the Capitol Mall.

This event is sponsored by the Local 522 Sacramento Area Firefighters, Placer County Deputy Sheriffs Association, Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs Association and the Sacramento Police Officer…

Excerpt from full review of Lauren Manning's story of surviving 9/11 with burns over 80 percent of her body. 

"The story worth reading, and make no mistake about it, is that Lauren Manning is a survivor. She is one tough mother. Instinctively she threw an arm up to protect her face when she was enveloped in flame at the elevator. Intelligently, she ran from the World Trade Center to a nearby lawn and stopped, dropped, and rolled, and with the help of a stranger, put the fire out.…

This truck fire appeared routine on arrival.  The driver reported no occupants in the truck and no hazmats in the box.  You’ll see a quick knock down with water and foam, but burning magnesium kept burning through the foam blanket. Usually more H2O will suppress this type of burning metal fire, but sand was used for final extinguishment in this case.

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Sunday is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11/11 terrorist attacks - the worst terrorist attack in the history of our world. It is appropriate that we honor and remember the nearly 3,000 people who died.



We should remember those who died on the four hijacked aircraft. Some were traveling to take care of business or to visit family. Some were…