Coming up in the next few weeks on our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force: News & Issues for Today's First Responders:"

1. We talk with Jeff Dill from the Firefighters Behavioral Health Alliance to discuss the difficulties some of our brothers and sisters go through on the job; some facing such troubling issues that they take their own lives.

2. We'll be at the Great Florida Fire School it Ft. Myers FL to catch mini-interviews and sound bytes from some of the top fire instructors in…

There are plenty leaders standing alone on the proverbial organizational island. It has been said time and time again “the higher up the food chain we ascend, the lonelier we may become.” Why is this so? Perhaps we may have lost sight of how vital our values and principles transcend any leadership style. Let’s identify a few of…

Most of us in the fire and emergency services would agree that leadership matters and is vital to the successful outcomes of any organization. We could also agree that many so called leadership gurus and fire service personalities are out on the circuit pontificating their tricks of the trade. There is certainly no shortage of people instructing or…

In our last article we discussed sleep within the fire service and hopefully provided some insight into how the job itself will affect their overall quality of sleep, which will lead to a number of health issues (type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hormonal imbalances, etc…), In this article our goal is to discuss how the poor sleep will affect the brain as well as hormones, and provide some simple strategies that may help improve your well being.

What are hormones? Simply stated, they…

How is your sleep? This is a common question that often comes when discussing a firefighters health and wellness. Over the years it has become clear to me that the real enemy is not heart disease, fire, or the traumatic exposures but rather the poor sleep quality. It is not uncommon to hear from a firefighter “Coach I have changed my eating habits and started to exercise but I can’t lose weight” and in reality if they do have poor sleep they are climbing an uphill battle. So…

Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Chief (ret) Bobby Halton. If you're a member of My Firefighter Nation, a reader of Fire Engineering, Fire-Rescue Magazine and others; dammit, if you're a firefighter today you have to know who Bobby Halton is. One of the best, well-respected, and well-learned teacher and mentor to the fire-rescue services.

Normally, our podcasts are about an hour long. Luckily and thankfully, my talk with Chief…

Right now, I'm in the studio editing our inaugural episode of Season 2 of "5-Alarm Task Force: News & Issues for Today's First Reponders. This episode features my good friend and a business partner, Tom Mitten, a long-time PIO from Elsmere DE. Tom discussed the duties and challenges of the Public Information Officer's position. What if you're in a smaller combo or volunteer department. Do you need a PIO? How would you go about finding one? Tom fills you in on those questions,…

We returned home this week and got straight to work on Season Two of "5-Alarm Task Force."

We've racked up some great guests for this season, including Chief Bobby Halton, Capt. John Dixon, Captain Andy Starnes, Capt (ret) Dennis Tucker and many more.

Don't forget you can find us on Twitter at either @Dalmatprod or @Cause_Origin. If you're new to Twitter and following us, our second ID, @Cause_Origin was originally created to help generate interest and support in a new project…

Winchester, Kentucky fire shows just how well training can pay off in a small department

Around 10 PM last Thursday June 1st, the Winchester Kentucky fire department which operates out of three fire stations and protects roughly 28,000 citizens responded to a fire on their Main Street, and as with many other fires that occur around the country this website posted raw video from the event.

FirefighterNation:…

Featured Contributor David Polikoff shares how he got started

(Author photo)…

Comply, or else!

STAY FIRED UP, and follow the code!

____

How did your story start?

I was 27 years old.  Never heard of PTSD.  I had just been turned down a week earlier by HR for the hire that was hands down my top pick, my hometown. That particular day I was at work at the Cashway Lumberyard.  Just as I was getting ready to head out with my 26 sheets of ½ inch drywall delivery order. The yard foreman yelled me back, “Carl phones for you.” That’s strange; I remember thinking,…

Over $2,500 in cash and prizes will be given away to Firefighters, EMTs and Medics! 

YOU can Win and more importantly Motivate Others!  

Don't wait, get your program and get started today!

The purpose of the contest is to motivate Firefighters, EMTs and Medics to change the…

I love being a firefighter. Let’s get that straight from the beginning. Aside from my marriage and the birth of my children, it is my greatest accomplishment. But despite the personal satisfaction it has given me I have often been frustrated with the lack of brotherhood and respect we sometimes show towards each other. I don’t mean the “support your brother or sister firefighter without question: right, wrong or indifferent” kind of false brotherhood. What I’m talking about is the true “we…

THE QUICK RACE TO THE GRAVE

Heroin....What's that mean to you or, what do you think about when hearing that word. Another overdose, more narcan, another code, another meaningless death, or another set of parents without a child again. This drug...Heroin…= Epidemic. There’s no other word to describe it. This drug has become the drug of choice in recent years to wreak the most havoc in the families of the loved ones that abuse it and are addicted…

Never get a tattoo you can’t see. Seems like good advice to me!

STAY FIRED UP, and smile!

Although Tim Casey and I had never met in person, we had a long-standing friendship through emails and phone calls. Several years ago, I received his first email. He had attached an article he wrote about his struggles as a firefighter; the nightmares, his addiction to alcohol, and his suicide attempt. He wanted to share his story in an effort to…

So many acronyms, so little time. Show me. Teach me. Tell me. Then get out of my way and trust that I know how to do it.

STAY FIRED UP!

“What are you going to do at 3:00 in the morning when you get that call with people hanging out of windows with an active fire?”

We’ve all heard or said that in regards to our training and preparation at some point in our career. It’s safe to say that it can be considered cliché because it is mentioned so often. But, without a doubt and with no debate, it is true!

On July 20, 2016 my department responded to a report of smoke in…