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,…

Torches are not a tool that we use everyday, month, or year on our emergency scenes, but if needed can you pull it off the rig, work truck on a job site, or cart in an industrial setting and go to work quickly?  Entrapment and impalements possibilities are never ending and some may require cutting a victim free with a torch.  Brothers in Toledo, Ohio were recently faced with a victim impaled on a 6′ tall Victorian style wrought iron fence.  While stabilizing the victim, they used a Metabo…

Through the years, I’ve participated in numerous interviews with candidates that have applied for membership in our department.  Recently, I started thinking about the challenges of our proud volunteer fire service, and how special of a person it takes to become a professional volunteer firefighter.  In a world where there are many different kinds of people, and many different personalities and priorities, these people give their time and energy to make their communities…

Colorado cries Uncle! I believe I am not alone in asking why so much tragedy has fallen on Colorado? I watched my city burn just a few weeks ago and have dozens of friends trying to find a way back to a normal life after losing everything they owned.

I was directly affected by the Waldo Canyon fire in many ways and am still involved with efforts to help my home town recovery from this event. Then I heard about the shootings in Denver and thought what the hell…

Every organization serves customers. Retail stores, governments, hospitals and restaurants they all serve customers, both internally and externally. So, shouldn’t meeting the needs of all of their customers be a top priority? Trickle-down service may be the most effective way to serve everyone.

Fire departments, like other organizations, are trying to make their way…

In studies about volunteer recruitment and retention, it has been mentioned that some firefighters reach a plateau after several years of service, where they “burn out”.  We lose some of these valuable volunteers to other interests, and all of their fire service training walks out the door with them.  This leaves us with a double impact: we lose a trained firefighter, and we also lose an experienced and participative member of our group.



As members of the fire service at all ranks…

Our brain is powerful and mysterious. It performs simple, routine tasks everyday. It can create entertaining music and art, construct compelling stories, and solve intricate problems and equations. Weighing in at approximately 3 pounds, our brain is our most important asset.

Here’s some “thought-provoking” points about the brain from Laura Helmuth in the July/August…

While on a driving trip to Oregon, my wife and I witnessed a truck VS motorcycle accident. We stopped, I got into character and did what we do. I have been retired for 14 years now but it is like riding a bike, you never forget. When we arrived at our destination, we were having dinner with friends. My wife was relating the trip and mentioned the accident. Our friends asked me "what did you do?" And my answer was,"I took command, stopped the bystanders from doing anything stupid, and secured…

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I have had quite a few friends ask me if I wanted to be involved in the most destructive fire in the History of Colorado and the short answer is hell yeah I wanted to be involved.

I think the feelings I had were mixed. Did I want to be working 16 hour shifts swinging a Polaski? No, I did not. Did I want to sleep in a sleeping bag on an asphalt parking lot? No once again. Did I want to choke on dirt and smoke…

A couple weeks ago I published a blog post about "defining Firefighter Fit." I appreciate the numerous responses and comments about this question (see that blog post here) and today want to follow up and add some more information and questions about this topic. One of the consensus opinions expressed when asked to define "firefighter fit" was that a…

Have you seen a vehicle crash where the front drivers and passenger airbags have not deployed?  The picture to the left is an example of the sensors not initiating airbag deployment.

This post is going to hopefully remind you to stay clear of un-deployed…

this song got me through the academy 5 years ago. just wanted to share it since my daughter had sent it to me back then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Em4fUOrZo

i was feeling sad tonight and it just popped up on my screen.

just had to tell someone who would understand the lyrics.

The medic stood and faced God. Which must always come to pass. He hoped his uniform was clean, He'd gotten dressed kind of fast.

"Step forward now, medic. How shall I deal with you? Have you always turned the other cheek? To my church have you been true?"

The medic squared his shoulders and said, "No Lord I guess I ain't, cause those of us who wade in blood, can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays, and at times my talk was tough. And at times I've been…

My home town Colorado Springs, Colorado is on fire. The beast known as the Waldo Canyon fire took three days to get here, but get here it did. Yesterday afternoon I stood in front of my house and watched as this beast clawed its way over a mountain ridge and then charged down the foothills and in to virgin territory.

It looked like a volcanic eruption the colors were intense black and brilliant orange, a true hell storm. I have seen many fires in…

The extrication world has changed over the years in more ways than one.  Vehicle construction, tool technology, and an evolution of techniques has created both challenges and advancements for rescue personnel.  As you read this post and watch the video below, reflect on some old school techniques that still work, but also embrace technology in the extrication world.  Read…

Yesterday the department had a barbeque in the hopes of recruiting some new members to the fire department. Although only a handful of new people came by for a hot dog or burger, it was loads of fun. I guess looking back the reason it was fun was because no one complained about the department or SOPs or gear that's not new. The guys put up the ladder and demonstrated with some of our junior program members the proper techniques for climbing the ladder. There is something to be said for kids…

The Fire Chief of my home town has had a YouTube video made about him. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the format; it has been used hundreds of times on YouTube. It is the famous Hitler rant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYJNoicuGeA&feature=player_embedded

Hitler sits at his desk surrounded by his staff of officers, all the…

**WARNING**

This blog is in no way a replacement of or supercedes any and/or all Fire Department S.O.P./S.O.G.'s, or replace training in regards to fire ground operations.  This topic is to give a general understanding to firefighters in hopes to promote firefighter safety and improve fire ground…