Tiger Schmittendorf's Blog (98)

MUST-SEE VIDEO: Tower Imploded to Make Room for New Fire Training Facility

Members of the Erie County Department of Emergency Services (ESU) watched from a safe distance as the county's 40-year old fire training tower was blasted with dynamite.

Seven pounds of explosives were used to blast out two pillars, collapsing the tower on to the area previously occupied by the smokehouse training prop, which was demolished earlier this week.

Click here to read the rest of the story and view this must-see video and photos:…

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Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on February 24, 2010 at 9:52pm — 1 Comment

I remember my first time...

Excerpt:

As soon as I got home tonight I settled into my chair in front of the computer with a bowl of corn chowder my wife had made much earlier in the evening. As often happens, I left for drill before I had a chance to eat dinner.

I opened up Internet Explorer where my home page is literally my home page: www.tigerschmittendorf.com and I clicked on the FireEMS Blogs icon in the upper left hand corner to see what my… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on January 27, 2010 at 8:30am — 3 Comments

Two Years Gone By Now

There's a lot of talk these days about what we're missing in the fire service. And with all this discussion of leadership, of mentorship, sharing, caring and passing down values, traditions and the rich heritage of firefighters, I thought it appropriate to revisit a very personal blog I wrote two years ago today.

When we talk about people… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on January 22, 2010 at 8:30am — 3 Comments

New Years Resolution

Download "Fix it. Now." from www.tigerschmittendorf.com

Fix it. Now. A New Years…

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Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on January 1, 2010 at 7:05pm — 6 Comments

Flight 3407 Responders Recognized for Response and Recovery Efforts

Buffalo radio station WBEN-930AM listeners have overwhelming chosen the first responders who responded to the crash of Continental Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, NY on February 12, 2009 as their "Persons-of-the-Year."

Congratulations to all those involved in the response effort.…

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Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on December 30, 2009 at 1:57pm — 2 Comments

@FireRecruiter: Great News---SAFER Application Period Extended

DHS has revisited the existing policy on supplanting for the 2009 SAFER funding cycle. The Secretary has decided that DHS will consider petitions for waivers on supplanting from 2009 grantees on a case-by-case basis and under certain conditions.

In order for all potential applicants to have sufficient time to consider this revised policy guidance, DHS will extend the 2009 SAFER application period. The new application deadline will be 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Friday, January 15,… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on December 17, 2009 at 11:24pm — 2 Comments

@FireRECRUITER.com: VFDs Get Creative About Attracting Recruits

This blog links to an article from the Post Star in Northern New York State which outlines some of the creative steps their fire departments are taking to attract new members.

http://firerecruiter.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/vfds-get-creative-about-recruiting/

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on December 15, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

If you're worried about getting cancer -- you probably shouldn't be a firefighter!

That's what I overheard a certain young fire officer tell a probie recently.

"If you're worried about getting cancer -- you probably shouldn't be a firefighter!"

I didn't miss-hear or mis-understand him, nor did I take his comment out of context. That's exactly what he said.

I nearly blew my cork. What an immature, ignorant, uniformed, reckless thing to say.

Here's all I have to say to him, "This one's for… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on December 14, 2009 at 10:30am — 6 Comments

Chump Change --- for Safety's Sake!

If you are a Fire/Rescue Chief, Commissioner, President, Fire Officer or in a leadership role of a Fire Department or Fire Company, you have the responsibility of ensuring firefighter safety.

With the holidays right around the corner, here’s a cool opportunity for your organization to provide something to your members, and support the work of the Safety, Health and Survival Section of the IAFC. By policy, the IAFC does not fund the section, the section must raise all of their own… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on December 9, 2009 at 2:12am — 1 Comment

Fifteen years ago; in a land far, far away...

I've been blessed to have some widely varied and very interesting experiences in my almost 30 years in the fire service.

Serving as a co-founder and managing editor of The Fire Fighter Newspaper for seven years was one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences I've ever had.

Here's a link to a story about one of those experiences that reminds us all that while we may be a world a part -- the fire service has the unique ability to bring us all… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on December 6, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Run to the Curb!

What kid doesn't want to be a firefighter? Every time they hear a siren or see a fire engine race by, they run to the curb to see what's going on. I call them "Run to the Curb" type kids.

I was one of those kids and I bet you were one too. It's something you never grow out of --- and many of us chose to grow into it.

"RuntotheCurb.com" is a work-in-progress blog and… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on November 29, 2009 at 12:00pm — 3 Comments

RECRUITMENT TOOLKIT: The Value of the Prospective Member Guide

What kind of documentation did you receive when you joined your fire department? Was it thorough, clear, and concise? Did it answer all of your questions about what would be expected of you or did it leave you wondering with information unclear?

Was the information well organized and presented or was it scribbled on a bar napkin over a couple of “pops” at the firehouse.

Other than the application, was there any documentation at… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on November 28, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

TAKE THE POLL: What's Your biggest recruitment and retention challenge?

Recruiting New Members?
Retaining Existing Members?
Getting our Leaders to Realize that We Need to Do Something about our Recruitment and Retention Challenges?

Take this poll at www.firerecruiter.com:
http://firerecruiter.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/whats-your-biggest-challenge

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on November 27, 2009 at 7:30pm — No Comments

Is this our best approach?

From: www.tigerschmittendorf.com

I’ve read and watched this news clip from the NY Daily Dispatch about how training requirements in New York State are hurting the volunteer fire service: http://www.weny.com/News-Local.asp?ARTICLE3864=9148872

Unfortunately, I think it follows a growing pattern of articles and news pieces that focus on the problems – and not… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on November 21, 2009 at 3:18pm — 16 Comments

A Veteran of Many Things

It’s Veterans Day and I have a day off from my county job. (I thank Veterans for both of those freedoms: to work in a job I love and to have time off to spend with my family). The kids are still sleeping and I have some free time to sit at the computer.

I’ve been thinking of my Dad a lot lately. Maybe because a friend recently lost hers; maybe because I spent the last week with a few thousand National Guardsmen; or maybe because recent events in our lives have reinforced the… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on November 11, 2009 at 6:57pm — 2 Comments

Make It Personal

I recently attended a seminar on preparation for line-of-duty deaths and firefighter funerals. If you’ve ever read one of my blogs on FirefighterNation.com, you know that I have very strong feelings about firefighter deaths.

But, for the first time, the subject really hit home with me. While it’s important to plan that stuff, if we really think about it, doesn’t… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 10, 2009 at 6:00pm — 1 Comment

Summer Acceleration Theory

Calcium Anthropologists Warn of Effects of Summer Acceleration

Unconfirmed fiction by: Tige R. Schmittendorf

Editor's Note: I know it's Labor Day. I should have warned you sooner...

One day while taking a requisite course towards my doctorate in calcium anthropology — the study of milkmen and their connection to mad cow disease — I had cause to stop, doze, and ponder the season ahead.

In the midst of my heavy R.E.M. sleep, I… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 7, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments

From the X-Box to the Box Alarm

As I travel around the country talking with other firefighters, a commonly recurring theme of our chat is the future of the volunteer fire service.

The conversation always comes around to the topic of today’s firefighters and the next generation of firefighters. Some “more experienced” firefighters (notice I didn’t use the term older) share that they don’t understand the “kids” coming into the fire service today.

The veterans don’t think today’s recruits share the same… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 6, 2009 at 11:00pm — 9 Comments

Fortune Tellers

In my last blog titled “Dig In.” I talked about the importance of story telling in the fire service and how it serves as a means of sharing experiences, traditions and values from generation to generation. In this article I try to tell a story, and in that story, I hope you can find a lesson to share for generations to come.

Almost every firefighter I meet speaks of how they always knew, from the time… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 6, 2009 at 10:22pm — 6 Comments

What are you going to do about it?

A lot of people look to me for solutions to their recruitment and retention challenges. The fact is, we know what the answers are.

Join me for a conversation about the future of the volunteer fire service as I've signed on with Fire-Rescue Magazine (… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 6, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments