Link to Podcast HERE

In the last few weeks I posted about being aggressive. In that post I mentioned that we, our department, will search without a hose line.  This seemed to raise some eyebrows and concern about what I…

Training is not just for the bread and butter tasks, but to sharpen skills that we rarely use, too. This cartoon focuses on one of those tasks: standpipe training, tactics and operation. Are standpipes a resource that we use often? Most of us would probably say no. Is utilizing standpipe connections a real and present possibility? I think most would say…

Hello, my friends! My name is Igor Pojar and I am from Moldova, Orhei. Since 2008 I have been a Chief at the Rescue and Fire Department Orhei. Orhei region is situated in a picturesque area, with rich historical traditions that invites tourists to admire it! Orhei region is positioned in the heart of Moldova and it is formed out of 75 places organized into 38 city halls. The administrative center of the area is Orhei, situated at 48 km north from the capital of Moldova, Chisinau. The Orhei…

Perhaps it's time for Smokey to get back to his carnivorous roots... natural knucklehead herd thinning in action.

STAY FIRED UP!



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Please take our poll and let us know if today's public safety and emergency response departments are meeting the needs of its members following the death of one of their own.

When someone we love dies, family members, co-workers and friends are often at a loss as to how to cope with the devastating effects of grief. In the fire service and EMS…

Do you want to know how fit fire rescue athletes make nutritious meal choices?  Here are some shortcuts, go-to recipes, cooking suggestions and go-to snacks for making the life of a fire rescue athlete a little healthier.

Eating healthy with a demanding job can be difficult.  Add in the fact that the firehouse is usually full of non-nutritious choices like cakes and baked goods and its no wonder that obesity, diabetes and heart disease are huge concerns in the fire industry.  Yet, as…

As an artist who has studied human behavior for the better part of my 49 years, I can honestly say "huggable moments" are a societal issue more than a generational one. It's easy to point our fingers at the Millennials and Gen-Zs for this, but as an instructor for the past 15 years I can tell you that the Gen-Xs (my generation) are not much better. Let's face it, we as a…

Its the dead of winter, football season is over and spring seems so far away.  This is also the excuse season, the time of the year where most people fall off the fitness wagon and start to make excuses.  Its especially easy to make excuses and miss workouts if your not seeing results.  So, today I wanted to give you a little guidance and motivation (check out the FRF Fit for Duty…

The old proverb—fire makes a good servant but a bad master—has become too literal a guiding doctrine, for too long. This understanding characterizes fire entirely within the context of how humans relate to fire, while neglecting fires’ innate role within the natural environment, as an ancient earthly element, much older and perhaps much wiser than we human…

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Not sure when I will retire, but I’m all but positive this will be a phone call my wife will make!

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By Jason Hoevelmann with Steve Heidbreder

Tool or No Tool?

     When we go to conferences or sit around with other engaged firefighters there is no lack of lively conversation and debate. From world affairs, to sports teams, bands and of course, tactics! There is no better time spent with other firefighters learning about what others do and why. That is the key, WHY, things are done the way…

For the podcast, click HERE

This episode is a discussion about ground ladders. It’s a basic piece of equipment that has such a huge value to us on the fire ground, but in many cases, get’s forgotten.  They’re forgotten until they are needed, and then it could be a life and death situation for firefighters and victims.

We talk briefly about some…

Attached is an outline we used for a quick winter operations class at work. I ran across this the other day and thought it would be appropriate to post now.  The podcast is here for this topic as well.  Feel free to add and use this as you see fit. If you have some great tips on operating in the winter, please share with…

In my years as a younger firefighter, both as a volunteer and during my career training, it was driven home that we enter building fires with a low profile.  More specifically on our hands and knees.  I was never going to question my instructors, the books or the more veteran firefighters that mentored me.  However, the more fires I got to fight, the more I started to…

Be careful what you ask for, because you may get it... and get it... and get it...