Mary Ellen Shea's Blog

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): My Fleeting Four Minutes of Fame

I’m pretty darned excited to be able to share that as of….well, right now actually….. I’ve joined Art aka “ChiefReason”, Mick Mayers and a group of very talented and passionate fire service bloggers on “TheKitchenTable” at www.firerescue1.com

I can’t state with any confidence or certainty that I’ve written anything of the same caliber as the folks I’ll be sharing that space with, but I will fully admit that I’m electrified and flattered to have been asked to join in. My writer’s soul… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on January 10, 2009 at 1:50am — 12 Comments

Marketing Your Fire Department: Opportunities and Tactics

I already posted this as a discussion, but felt it merited a blog post as well.....so here goes...

Unused Resources, Lost Opportunities

I’ve been struggling with something for a bit, and decided rather than trying to be politically correct, or trying to avoid sounding like I’m giving a good friend a shameless plug…..I’m going to give a good friend a shameless plug for all the right reasons, and if you don’t like it…..too bad; Freedom of Speech and all that.

Have… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on January 2, 2009 at 10:01pm — 5 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): Screw The Holiday Season

Screw the Holiday Season?

Call me Ebenezer if you’d like. But you couldn’t be more wrong. I love Christmas.

It’s not my favorite holiday (I reserve that for the one holiday when I can indulge my passion for horror movies , haunts and costumes) but there’s an aspect of this Season of Giving that I embrace wholeheartedly……the opportunity for reflection and grabbing hold of what’s important. The opportunity to take stock and choose your priorities; the opportunity to… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on December 22, 2008 at 6:48am — 21 Comments

Everyday Heroes: Faith in Humanity

We're all dealing with tough economic times. Open up the newspaper and you are bombarded with dispiriting, depressing news....some of it heinous, and you sip your coffee and wonder how human beings can behave in such a depraved fashion. How can we treat each other with such cavalier cruelty?

It's not just the headline grabbers that I'm thinking about.....how about the driver who deliberately cuts you off in traffic....or the person who elbows you out of the way, steps on your foot,… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on December 22, 2008 at 6:48am — 6 Comments

Counting Your Blessings: The Best Damned Job In The World

I have no idea what's gotten into me. For the longest time I blogged on here like other folks change their socks (one would hope that would mean on a daily basis, but I take nothing for granted). Then I was sucked into a vortex of road trips for work, which coincided with a serious family issue. But lately, and fairly suddenly, I can't seem to contain my thoughts....even in blog format, particularly in blog format. Out of nowhere...I'm a Blogging Tour de Force...If rap were my milieu....I'd be… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on December 22, 2008 at 6:47am — 11 Comments

Black Ice, The Great Equalizer: Take Two

In light of the current weather conditions here in Melbany, I thought it would be prudent to re-post this piece. I wrote it right around this time of year last year (the big tipoff was the reference to reindeer jammie pants, like my candy cane antlers, I only wear those in December).

We're having one hell of an ice storm in Albany right now, and according to the weather report on the news, it's not just us. Snow, sleet and ice are piling up from Poughkeepsie to the Adirondacks. With… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on December 14, 2008 at 6:40pm — 17 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG (irl): Fire and Ice …Hot Dogs and Chainsaws

My title kind of sounds like a country song, doesn’t it? All that’s missing is the broken-hearted horse, a ten gallon hat, and the kitchen sink.

We had a pretty damaging and intense ice storm in Albany that started up on Thursday, Dec. 11 at mid-day and finally finished at around noon on the following day. And it didn’t affect just my area either; there was storm damage, cataclysmic power loss and ice and snow buildup all the way from Poughkeepsie to New Hampshire.…

Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on December 14, 2008 at 6:39pm — 12 Comments

Leadership Conference Home Run in Syracuse!

I’ve just returned from Syracuse, NY where I was assisting with running the FASNY Fire Service Leadership Conference. This was an eight hour, one-day program focusing on the needs of our current and future fire service leaders in terms of risk management decisions, the tactics and strategies used effectively by true leaders, and mindful strategic thinking on the fire ground.

The day started significantly earlier for me and the FASNY Chiefs Committee than it did for most, as we had… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on November 16, 2008 at 8:22pm — 4 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): Culinary Throw-Down

Our business meeting is held the first Tuesday of the month (Presidential Election be damned), and every month three members of my department are selected to prepare the group meal at the conclusion of the meeting. We are charged with feeding anywhere from 35-60 folks a full dinner, while still keeping the total food costs to under $100.

That works out to roughly $2 per person for a plate of chow.

Now that's a challenge.

We've been fed everything from "The… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on November 6, 2008 at 9:22am — 6 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): The Mattydale Incident

I'm not the sort of person to take pleasure in other's misfortunes....unless it results in something funny.

I have a peculiar sense of the absurd......and a disconcerting habit of "hee-hawing" when something strikes me funny. Even when it's inappropriate....ESPECIALLY when it's inappropriate.

It's not my most attractive characteristic, but I'm an avid audience of the theatre of "D'oh".

Drill last night......this was the very first time EVER that I actually debated… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on September 25, 2008 at 1:06am — 18 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): "Boom Boom, Out Go the Lights"

I don't know how your department categorizes its interior firefighters vs. exterior-only in terms of accountability tags, but in my department....green means "Go" and red means "exterior only" . I've been working hard toward getting my interior tags since I started, and was informed last week that I had finally reached that last bastion of holydom, also known as "cleared for interior attack".

Make no mistake, by achieving this goal, in no sense did I feel that I was prepared… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on September 17, 2008 at 3:53pm — 20 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): "This One Time....at Boot Camp?"

I traveled to Erie County in mid-July to attend Firefighter 1 Boot Camp under the auspices of the White Hatted Wonder. For personal reasons I withdrew after two days of training, but what an experience those two days were!

For anyone interested in completing FF1 in a compressed time frame while testing your limits and endurance, this is the appropriate format to find out just exactly what you’re made of. Upon arrival the first morning, we were split into smaller companies and… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on August 14, 2008 at 9:24am — 7 Comments

Aaaaaaand the Stats to Prove that We're Still Killing Ourselves the Same Old Way

USFA report highlights lack of seat belt use in '07

By FireRescue 1 Staff

A lack of seat belt use accounted for a number of vehicle-related LODDs last year, according to the USFA.

The Firefighter Fatalities in the United States 2007 report reveals that in 19 of the 27 incidents where seat belt status was known, 11 firefighters were confirmed as not wearing seat belts at the time of the incident.

During calendar year 2007, a total of 118… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on August 14, 2008 at 7:21am — 14 Comments

Dodging Johnny Law

I'm a law abiding citizen, in general, with one exception.....I love fast cars and I love to drive fast.

Double clutch used to be my middle name when I had the pedals to merit the name (my '72 Barracuda).

Up until recently I wasn't driving anything speed-worthy, and frankly, I'm stil not driving my dream car....but it's far zippier than what I was cruising around in lately.....

So...

Tonight I'm on the Northway southbound; it's late, I haven't had anything to drink so… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on August 2, 2008 at 12:30am — 17 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): "D'Oh!"

I’ll post a blog about my boot camp experiences later, after my thoughts have been published in The Volunteer Firefighter magazine, so stay tuned for that.

I participated in drill night with my department this week and I never cease to be amazed at how many ways I can find to make a complete ass of myself.

It’s astonishing really. Disturbing, but astonishing. At least this week’s antics didn’t feature any eight-legged crawlies.

I’m still on vacation, so I spent the… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on July 31, 2008 at 10:35am — 16 Comments

Seatbelts......WHY do we need to keep posting this material? Because we're still DYING

The following message for the Fire Service is from U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade.

Seatbelts: Enough is enough. Buckle up.

On any given day as United States Fire Administrator, I receive an abundance of information regarding the nation's fire service. As one can imagine, some of the information is good — and some is tragic.

It is the information I have been receiving over the past weeks which motivates me to comment today regarding the use – or,… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on July 27, 2008 at 10:38pm — 11 Comments

TNT: The Accidental Runner; F.R.O.G.

Some people wonder why I run half marathons and fundraise for Leukemia, and I’ve posted some comments on here before in my TNT: The Accidental Runner blogs to explain, but I don’t think anything can say it better as to why I do what I do than the note posted below.

One of the kids that the Upstate NY/VT Chapter is running for is Dylan Mayo, 8 years old, from Clifton Park, NY.

He was diagnosed with AML M4 Leukemia on 1/9/07. He and his family have never given up hope. Their motto… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on July 7, 2008 at 9:36am — 9 Comments

Independence Day.

Reposted courtesy of Patrick O'Connor from Shaker Road-Loudonville Fire Department.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Two-hundred-and-thirty two years ago, 56… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on July 4, 2008 at 12:52pm — 4 Comments

The Continuing Chronicles of the FNG(irl): The Bruises to Prove It--Confined Space

Finally we get to go to the Guilderland Fire Tower and do our confined space drill....We were shut down two weeks prior...something to do with 97 degree heat and bunker gear and insurance liability.

Having never even seen a confined space drill, let alone participated, I was a little antsy on arrival. We pull up and I see four massive round concrete towers interconnected by these ridged plastic tubes......a Habitrail on a grand scale if you will. Little did I know that I was the… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on July 1, 2008 at 11:27pm — 21 Comments

TNT: The Accidental Runner; The Port-o-Potty Incident

I ran my half marathon on Sunday (Father's Day) in Lake Placid to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The dawn saw the start to a beautiful day in Lake Placid. After a restless night of tossing and turning the night before....I finally popped half a Lunesta (too much adrenaline, too much overthinking my run strategy, too worried about missing my wakeup call....etc.etc.) and slept like the dead...so at 5:30 I was wide awake and ready to go. I crawled out of bed in… Continue

Added by Mary Ellen Shea on June 18, 2008 at 8:47am — 17 Comments

Mary Ellen Shea's Blog (90)