If you aren’t watching the new show on NBC called Chicago Fire you should be. The show has a great pedigree it comes from Dick Wolf of Law and order fame and a friend Derek Hass. I don’t give it a strong recommend because I know some of the people involved, but rather because it is serving an educational roll in my opinion.

After the first episode my sister called me. She was nearly in tears after having watched the show. She told me that the show…

This photo shows a way to make an SCBA face piece for your RIT bag/kit glove friendly. You can use a garden hose or any kind of rubber tubing or hose that would be easy to grab with a gloved hand. We used a small bungee cord and ran it through the bonnet and attached both ends to the hose. This allows for easy feeling and grabbing the back of the mask with gloved hands.…

Lt. Bronner sent the following notice about getting your cold weather bags together as the temperature drops.  If you have a cold weather bag share what you have in it so others can get an idea of what works and what doesn’t.  Stay warm.  Read On.

Hello everyone!

Yesterday I was at my firehouse in the parking lot and a member of the OEM was in his truck. He was waiting for the word to drive some water to a nearby neighborhood whose residents couldn't get off their street. I am a member of the OEM but since I am also a volunteer FF, I seldom get to do OEM work during an incident. We were chatting and I mentioned that I was basically camped out at the firehouse. He said, "playing den mother?" Boy, I was insulted but being…

Here is a great "memory jogger" for Command Functions and Size Up from one of our instructors, Scott Hulsey.  I know it's short, but these little cheat sheets can be used during training evolutions or at the kitchen table to stay sharp as an incident commander.

Size-up Matrix…

Seems like forever, doesn't it?

I am ALIVE and well!!! I hope you are all well to!

Love your friend, Denise

work schedule change

It is imperative that you bring your mind to the fight.

For those that follow this blog and Backstep Firefighter, you are aware of our catch phrase. “Expect Fire”. This phrase, inspired by the words of Andy Fredericks, was developed by…

We are building a library of Quick Sh!t sheets.  Also in this post is a video on an innovative way to teach fire behavior to new recruits.  Read on.

Pass it on!

by: Lou Angeli

Veteran responders: Remember back in the day -- before the internet -- when contact with one another was through print magazines or via "pen pals?" Back then we learned of LODDs, huge incidents, apparatus deliveries and job notifications through magazines like Firehouse, Fire Engineering, Fire Chief, JEMS and monthly…

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to chat with a nationally-known fire service legend.  How fortunate for me to be one of the two guys with over seventy combined years in the fire service– just shooting the shit. 

Eventually, the talk turned from how much our management of the emergency scene has changed over the decades our scene management has come over the years- to the importance of situational awareness in general.

Then he reminded me of a well-known story about…

Getting good at getting by can get you killed

The rookie sits in the jumpseat straightening out his SCBA straps, lost in thought. He thinks to himself, that the fire was nothing like what they taught at academy. He wonders if they are all like this. Nothing seemed to happen the way it was supposed to. He forgot to put on his hood, the Lieutenant…

We took a tour of the Humanetics Innovative Solutions factory, which is the only company worldwide making crash test dummies for the auto industry.  These dummies contain an unbelievable amount of technology that provides data about how passengers are affected in various collisions.   This technology really helps explain how…

From my blog at FireGroundWorks.

In a National Fire Academy Alumni blog, John Bierling asks, “Is command failure an acceptable incident outcome?” He continues with this:

Nearly every NIOSH Firefighter LOOD…

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…