With thanks to the Beatles (OK, Ringo) and the late, great Joe Cocker, that song has moved "mountains" when some couldn't even move "mole hills!" And that title rings true for many, if not most of us.  Of course, it also depends on our ability to discern those who are true friends from those people who are more acquaintances than friends. Often times though, that is difficult to do and it's not unusual for us not to want to make that distinction.

   We wanted to…

We have the great Bob Dylan to thank for those words. Funny how just six words can convey such a strong meaning across so many aspects of life. And for first responders in general and firefighters in particular, times are changing for us at a very rapid pace.

   Even if you've only been on the job for, let's say, five years, you'd got to admit that a great deal about the fire service has changed since 2013! For example, we've seen a great evolution of one of our…

We now know, with certainty, that fire is not necessarily our worst enemy on the fireground. Its by-products are! Whether you’re a career, volunteer or paid-on-call firefighter, means that you can no longer approach what you do as a casual job or hobby.

In this, our 51^st episode of “5-Alarm Task Force,” Chief Anthony Correia joins us to discuss the specific physiological and mental stressors of fighting fire. His explanation begins with your visceral and mental response to…

Listen to our latest podcast with Chief Emeritus Charles Werner of the Charlottesville VA Fire Dept., as he discusses the use of UAS - Unmanned Aerial Systems or drones in public safety. Even if your agency is already using one, make sure it is following all federal regulations. They can literally be a lifesaver! Go to our Dalmatian Productions website

Just finished the first of two very interesting interviews with Chief (ret) Charles Werner of the Charlottesville Fire Dept. regarding new technology for first responders. Today's episode is about UAS, aka drones. There is no doubt that these units will be a "game changer" for all first responder agencies.

On Thursday, Chief Werner will join us again to discuss new 3-D technology that will allow an IC to see exactly where in a structure firefighters are.

The first episode will be…

The “dawn of a new day” is supposed to allow us to start fresh from whatever troubles we underwent the day before. Sadly, today that notion holds no water. Whether you live here in South Florida as we do, or you live “off the grid” and you heard the news on amateur radio, today the sunlight is obscured by the ethereal gun smoke that still hangs over our community where this tragedy occurred and that also drifts over our society as another mass shooting occurs.

We will soon…

February 10, 2018 - We released another episode of our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force," this morning with a longtime follower and friend, Chris Tobin. In this episode, Chris talked about the importance of multiple levels of mentoring in the fire service. Even after 8 years with his current department, he still considers himself the "rookie" in the firehouse, always seeking to learn from those with more experience. On the other side of this coin, he has recently re-established h…

          It has been a difficult start to 2018 for the Fire Service. In less than one week, we lost two of our comrades. On January 3rd, Wamego KS Firefighter John Randle succumbed to his injuries suffered from a fall while returning apparatus to service. And on January 6th, Philadelphia Lt. Matt LeTourneau died as a result of a structural collapse while fighting a rowhouse fire. We mourn their loss along with their families, friends, colleagues and the entire fire service and their…

As I sit here writing this post, we're about 36 hours after the tragic fire in Bronx NY that so sadly took 12 lives. Most of us cannot even imagine losing one family remember or even one neighbor. Yet, one family lost four members, a brave soldier from our Armed Forces, home on Christmas leave, lost his life trying to rescue others, plus another seven poor souls.

The probable cause of this conflagration? A young child, approximately three years old, playing with the knobs on the stove,…

     First - We want to thank all of you who have stopped by to visit our new website. Whether you have hit every page or you jumped to read the blog or to listen to our podcasts, we are grateful that you took the time to stop by and see what Dalmatian Productions is all about.

     As the title of this post indicates, we all must evolve in some manner to maintain and hopefully, improve our…

Just over 1-1/2 years ago, I planted a "seed." What did I "plant?" It was my podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force." Although I was only able to serve in the fire service for eight, short years before an injury forced me to leave, I have never let the fire service leave me. Since 1985, I have tried to stay up-to-date with the growth and evolution in firefighting, leadership, funding, education, etc. One way or another, I kept pace.…

While most firefighters know that October is the "designated" month for fire prevention programs, now is a great time, as well.

We can educate our communities about the need for keep live trees moist and green, inspecting lighting strings carefully, not overloading electrical sockets, times, or extension cords and much more.

This is not a task just for those in your Fire Prevention Office, every firefighter can and should play a role in this effort, starting with your own…

That's right - You'll now be able to access and listen to our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force" from MyFirefighterNation.com. You'll be able to access the latest podcasts while keeping up with some of biggest news in the Fire Service or while chatting with friends.

Just follow directions where you'll see this code. And don't forget, if there's a topic you would like us to address on an upcoming show or if you would like to be a guest, drop us a line to…

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…