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…

I just completed reading the book Relentless Optimism: How a Commitment to Positive Thinking Changes Everything by: Darrin Donnelly. The book is a motivational book that provides a million and one ways that positive thinking can better not only your life, but those around you as well. It uses the story of a major league baseball player that is bumped back down to the minors and his struggle to make it back to the big leagues. The book had two very memorable quotes…

The Future Firefighter: Episode 1724 show notes with Fire Chief Jacob McAfee from the Fresno City College - FCC Fire Academy.

“The bottom line in leadership isn't how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.”   (Maxwell,…

You Are A Hero, Act Like One

Christmas season has come and gone and the New Year has begun; A new year full of hopes, dreams, and beliefs for a better life. During the Christmas season I, like many others, had the distinct pleasure of walking the aisles at many different stores in search of the perfect gifts for nieces, my children, even the family dog. I found something very interesting in my journey for toys to brighten the faces of those I love. To…

Ghosts by Chief Jim Crawford

“Which one of us are you going to tell him about?”  What a powerful question to ask a firefighter.  From the beginning of the fire service firefighters have seen sights that haunt them, and sometimes taunt them, for life.  They are…

          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…

Ask twenty different people and you will receive twenty different opinions on rather they feel volunteer firefighters or career firefighters are the better professional.  So who really is better trained, better equipped, and even better qualified to answer the public’s calls for assistance? In reality, if we could look past the differences, the fire service as a whole becomes stronger and provides a higher level of service to the public.  After all, isn’t that what our ultimate mission is?…

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…

If so how do you know? We already know the overall economic impact of work-related injuries and illness are high in the fire service and is ranked as one of the most hazardous occupation. Unfortunately many programs have not been around long enough to provide any evidence. Worse yet, some…

It may be an unsolvable mystery.

NEW November Fire Rescue magazine editorial: Take Us To Your Leadership.

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My very first encounter with Chief Alan Brunacini was not what I would have hoped for. I was attending my first FDIC and was sitting through a presentation on how to submit articles to become a Fire Engineering author. Being the introvert that I am, I naturally sat in the back row while taking notes. Chief Lasky had…

I'm back after a long absence, just had no real time as I was helping others and I even had an absence from the other group I blog on. Just retired from being a NY State Fire Instuctor. Have been doing some traveling and now going to start doing some Military hops. But hey you need to keep busy when you retire otherwise you will go crazy just sitting around. Hope all of you have been safe and doing some training and driving to and from safe.

I preach driving safe a lot. We just had a…

NEW Fire/Rescue Magazine October editorial cartoon: Scary…

The topic of health and wellness in the fire service has been growing over the years. This can be attributed to a number of factors: workers compensation, absenteeism,, injury reduction, and or improved fitness to decrease adverse health risks/events to help our firefighters.. All of these things are positives in…

The great dichotomy within today’s fire service is all about perceived culture. The improvement of our culture as a whole within the emergency services is relative to our specific paradigms. Much can be done as has been implemented already…

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…