Featured Blog Posts (1,722)

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...March 22, 2011

I am thankful for all that I have but like most people, it's a fleeting thought that passes in a moment of quiet prayer. Every once in a while though I need to reinforce being thankful for where I was and where I am now.

I visited the Market St. Mission Thrift Shop on Saturday afternoon. I feel like the place is full of alot of positive energy. The thrift shop's workers are mostly volunteers who were helped at…

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Added by Denise Imperiale on March 20, 2011 at 9:37am — No Comments

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter

Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...March 20, 2011

Atheists Beware LOL

Yesterday was my CCD class's Confirmation Day. I was thinking how sometimes God gives you something like a GREAT class of kids to keep you motivated. This year was supposed to be my first year off in about ten years of instruction but then a class needed an instructor and there I was.

If you ever get an opportunity to work with a group of teens, you don't…

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Added by Denise Imperiale on March 20, 2011 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

Chesapeake (VA) Auto Parts Store Roof Collapse Double LODD 1996

Chesapeake (VA) Auto Parts Store Roof Collapse Double LODD 1996

Christopher Naum, SFPE

CommandSafety.com

Fifteen years ago, on March 18, 1996, two firefighters were killed in Chesapeake, Virginia when they became trapped…

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Added by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on March 19, 2011 at 11:09pm — No Comments

Frictions: Uncertainties that complicate communication

FIREFIGHTING 360

Frictions: Uncertainties that complicate communication

By Billy Schmidt

Everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.

--Carl von Clausewitz

Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz, dead for almost two centuries, continues to be one of the most important strategic… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 18, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments

Ramblings of a helmet collector #3

I've got a nice little German leather helmet that has sat on a shelf in my workroom for several years because I have no idea of how to restore it. It's made by Rosenbaeur around 1930 or so and has a two-piece hard leather crown with enamelled steel front and back peaks sewn on to it.

When I got it the crown had shrunk and become misshapen and the stitching rotted away. Re-stitching it is no…

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Added by Andy Turnham on March 17, 2011 at 4:25pm — No Comments

Advance Look at What Pierce is Unveiling at FDIC

Ok, that title made you click, didn’t it? I confess it’s a little misleading. True, I DID just get back from an event where the major fire service media were shown a sneak peek at Pierce’s latest innovation, which will be unveiled in a matter of days. However, I also had to agree not to disclose any details until that official unveiling. Well, that’s not entirely true—Pierce did tell us that we were allowed to share three details: it’s a new product, it has to do with increased space in the… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on March 17, 2011 at 9:59am — No Comments

What's in a title?

I know there is a lot of sometimes heated discussion over the terms we use in the Fire Service to describe paid and unpaid Firefighters.

The term, "Professional" in ordinary usage by anyone outside of the

Fire Service means someone who "Follows an occupation as a

livelihood." (Random House Webster's Dictionary, definition 1) by almost

any definition, firefighters who are paid to be Firefighters and make their

livings as…

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Added by Greenman on March 16, 2011 at 8:29am — 10 Comments

Why Test Your Pump? A Quick Refresher

INSIDE THE APPARATUS INDUSTRY

A quick refresher on how to ensure your pump is ready to go

By Bob Vaccaro

Photos Courtesy Keith Klassen

Should you test your pump? You would think the answers would be a no-brainer; however, I’ll bet that if we conducted a survey around the country, we’d find that a large number of fire departments don’t… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 16, 2011 at 7:30am — No Comments

tales from a tailboard fireman

Doug S. is retiring in August. He was a captain when I came on the job in 1973. He is pushing 70 now and is captain of engine 1 in downtown San Jose. It is a running company, lots of calls at night and one of the busiest in the city. I don't know how he does it. When I was in my 30s and 40s I could be up all night and have a life the next day. I would get off duty and could work on my home projects. In my late 40s and 50s night calls would ruin me the next day, I would go home and nap , but I… Continue

Added by mike simms on March 16, 2011 at 1:30am — No Comments

You Probably Won't Die, No Matter What You Do

Does it sound crazy for a firefighter to say that? Maybe it does, but at All Hazards Contemplations, I've pointed out that statistics show that approximately 100 U.S. firefighters die in the line of duty each year, with a smaller number of annual non-firefighter EMS…

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Added by Ben Waller on March 15, 2011 at 10:39pm — 4 Comments

Finding Reliable Web-Based Behavioral Wellness and Self-Help

The NFFF builds resources that address the behavioral aspects of health, wellness & safety for firefighters

By Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki

Following is the sixth in a series of seven articles that describe a new approach to mental and behavioral health in the fire service. Read the other articles:…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 15, 2011 at 8:30am — No Comments

Tales from a tailboard fireman~Taking Heat

I went to a retirement dinner for a good guy. He worked at our downtown station for 30 years. It was a multiple unit firehouse and he always made sure he was on the rig getting the most runs. Usually our union does large combined retirement dinners, but due to legal costs over the last year money is no longer available. This dinner was put on by people he worked with over the years. He was involved in some great rescues and when he realized he could not do the job the way he felt it needed to… Continue

Added by mike simms on March 13, 2011 at 9:04pm — No Comments

Ramblings of a helmet collector #2

Here's a issue I've long pondered. Is it right to renovate or refurbish a vintage helmet? For many years I would do no more than clean up a helmet. I felt that to renovate it close to it's original condition would, somehow, degrade it.

I got to discussing this issue with other collectors and got differing opinions. Quite a few thought as I did, that they should be left "as found" but there seemed to be just as many who felt that, as long as it was in… Continue

Added by Andy Turnham on March 11, 2011 at 5:27pm — No Comments

Forcible Entry:What Are You Doing?!?!

Forcible entry is always an interesting discussion around the service. On one side, you've got the forcible entry purists (myself included). These guys can force a door with a safety pin, a rock and a piece of duct tape. Despite their McGyver-esk skills, they prefer the irons.…

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Added by SAFE Firefighter on March 11, 2011 at 1:21pm — No Comments

Are You Physically Fit? The Wrong Answer Could Cost You

REALITY CHECK

By Scott Cook

In January, Hood County, Texas, narrowly avoided our first line of duty death (LODD). Operating at the scene of a structure fire, a firefighter complained of some chest pain. When he was evaluated, he was found to be having a heart attack. Rushed to the hospital—and defibrillated out of v-fib twice during his course of treatment in the cath lab—he is alive… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 11, 2011 at 7:00am — 4 Comments

Ramblings of a helmet collector

I started collecting fire helmets about twenty years ago. It was just one of those things I fell into. One day I was chatting with the guys in the Fire Brigade Benevolent Fund and one of them mentioned that that they had a load of recently decommissioned helmets for sale as a fund raiser.

So I bought a couple, thinking my two young kids would love them. The did, for a few days and then they were buried in the toy box. But it sewed the seed, I spotted a MSA… Continue

Added by Andy Turnham on March 9, 2011 at 10:45pm — No Comments

We're Much More Than First Responders

Our Changing Role

We’re much more than “first responders,” so we must build skills to communicate that

By Denise Pouget

Fire officers coming up through the ranks today face myriad challenges. Right now, most of us are focused on confronting harsh economic realities within our departments, but we should not overlook some broader, more long-term… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 8, 2011 at 6:33pm — 1 Comment

A Newcomer’s Guide to Participating in the Firefighter Combat Challenge

Where to start when it comes to training, team creation & more

Story & Photos by Michael DeGrandpre

A relay team follows their teammate down the course as he drags the Rescue Randy to…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 8, 2011 at 7:00am — No Comments

Australian Airshow Aces

Hi everyone!…

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Added by Alison Aprhys on March 7, 2011 at 8:41pm — 1 Comment

Hot-Button Issue: Live-fire training in acquired structures

By Kevin Milan

Beyond traditional helmets and smooth-bore nozzles, the most controversial subject in the firehouse is live-fire training. This issue polarizes training officers and departments, and for good reason.

I live and work in Colorado, a state well known for many firsts in fire service training and certification. For example, NFPA 1403: Standard on Live-Fire Training Evolutions, has its roots in Colorado—but…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on March 7, 2011 at 8:00am — No Comments