ModelCityFirefighter.com’s newest article of Blowin’ Smoke features Kevin Shea, a retired firefighter from FDNY. We are very excited about this Blowin’ Smoke article and grateful for the opportunity to interview Shea on the site. I had the pleasure of meeting him earlier this year in Chicago at Fire Rescue International. He is about as humble as they come and is a wealth of knowledge. We hope you enjoy the interview.

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As I sat in the recliner last night watching the NBC Nightly News special coverage about Hurricane Sandy last night, I have to admit…tears came to my eyes. Seeing the fires at Breezy Point, the mass destruction on the coast line, and hearing the tales of heroism by the first hand accounts of all those who were there. Little did I know that when this happened one year ago, this destruction would also change my life forever even being 10 hours away.

In mid-October of last year, a…

On behalf of International Speak Like A Pirate Day, an account of the the Jolly Rogers of Rogers Avenue. Consider the items in bold; how do they measure up against your officer and company?

The members of Engine 255 were in the kitchen of their Flatbush firehouse participating in a late-evening drill conducted by “Captain Jack” Pritchard.…

OPINION

Wilmington, DE (April 6, 2012) -- It's been a busy week for volunteer firefighters in New Castle County, Delaware, and fire departments across the nation have learned the details thanks to software known as a news aggregator. In this case, the automatic system discovered the terms firefighters, structure fire, injured firefighter on DelawareOnline, the web version of Delaware's News-Journal.

These aggregators make life easy for news editors (TV, radio,…

by: Lou Angeli

Lewes, DE (March 27, 2012) -- I don't know where to start, but first allow me to make this personal statement. The New York Post, one of America's largest newspapers, is also its worst. It serves up yellow journalism on a daily basis and "...is best used to line the bottom of bird cages."

Yesterday, Monday March 26, 2012, The Post ran a story about a former FDNY firefighter who the paper claims faked a medical condition in order to…

A comment at pipenozzle.com on the funny math used to report response times by FDNY and LAFD.

"For fire departments, measuring anything is tricky. Does the local government brag that it has a good fire department because of the increasing number of emergency responses each year? Nope. Though the fire department would look productive, that would not make the city seem like a safe place to live. Could the local government measure the number of days that pass without an…

I am looking for a current or former FDNY member that might be willing to speak at our 9/11 Remembrance ceremony. The Ceremony occurs in the evening on September 11th each year . Attendance is free to the public and all area firefighters are invited. Attendance runs about 300 to 500 people. Our county fire fighters association will cover cost.

Usually we allot 20-30 minutes for a guest speaker.

This will be our 11th ceremony.  The ceremony is traditionally a…

Get a front row seat next to the Battalion Chief for this working Multiple Dwelling fire in Brooklyn.  Listen to the BC give great radio reports, great size-up information and even take time to talk to the neighbors.  Nice video with links to the popular conversation on Facebook.

Other things you'll see:

• The Command presence
• Notice the professionalism of the operating crews
• Notice the window A/C unit falling to the street (around :40)
• Notice the…

Sunday is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11/11 terrorist attacks - the worst terrorist attack in the history of our world. It is appropriate that we honor and remember the nearly 3,000 people who died.



We should remember those who died on the four hijacked aircraft. Some were traveling to take care of business or to visit family. Some were…

Multiple Alarm Operations with Wind Driven Fire

Christopher J. Naum, SFPE

Commandsafety.com

TheCompanyofficer.com…

The Waldbaum’s Supermarket Fire and Collapse FDNY 1978

by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE

Commansafety.com and TheCompanyofficer.com

The Waldbaum Super market fire, Brooklyn, New York occurred on August 2, 1978, thrity two years ago. Six firefighters died in the line of duty when the roof of a burning Brooklyn supermarket collapsed, plunging 12 firefighters into the flames.…

Put to the Test: A 6-alarm fire reveals the importance of command, control & preparation

By Deputy Assistant Chief Robert Maynes



The fire service believes size-up or situational awareness begins long before your arrival on the fireground; it can start with the receipt of the alarm or with your commute to the firehouse. Size-up is an integral part of acquiring accurate situational awareness. (Situational awareness is simply defined as…