Jack Colley, 62, who guided state preparations through disasters such as the space shuttle Columbia and the evacuation of millions of Texans during Hurricane Ike died Sunday following a heart attack. Jack worked as head of DPS' Division of Emergency Management for 12 years and was involved in the response and recovery of storms, disasters and emergencies.



Many, many Texas citizens owe their lives to Jack. Through lessons learned following Katrina and Rita, Jack was the authority when… Continue

Montana Dispatcher Suspended for April Fool's Joke

Virginia EMS Investigates Alleged False Certifications



N. Las Vegas Captain Indicted on Arson



Two Tenn. volunteer firefighters charged with… Continue

Another tragedy is hitting too close to home for Station 8 of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department. Last year, one of its firefighters lost both legs in an accident. On Thursday, the daughter of the station's fire captain was killed in a crash the firefighters were sent to in northwest Harris County.



http://www.click2houston.com/news/22536909/detail.html



I don't believe that my children ever really… Continue

Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on November 11 which commemorates the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, between the Allies of World War I and Germany. The Armistice was signed in Rethondes, France at eleven o'clock in the morning on November 11, 1918. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a)passed by the US Congress in May 1938 proclaiming, "a day to be dedicated to the… Continue

With discussions about "Health Care Reform" taking place all over the web, with all the outcries at "hometown meetings", armed people walking around at functions attended by the President, is it any wonder that "We the people" are concerned?



I was am a believer in the Bill of Rights, I do not necessarily align myself with "civil liberties" groups and firms. But an email was forwarded to me with an interpretation of the health care plan supported by the President. As I read… Continue

We were called out on a service call, a horse "stuck in a ditch". We arrived on scene and find the horse has fallen through and into a 500 gallon septic tank. Now I personally have never let my horses roam my yard, but the owners of this filly, (that's a young female horse for you city folk) let her do exactly that.



With assistance from the SPCA, veterinarian, and good sedation, we were able to extract the horse in just over an hour, and except for a few minor abrasions was… Continue

As I referred to in my initial post about Nolanville, TX, it seems this was an understatement. A follow up story from Austin, probably had to be tamed down.



Angered residents sparked the special meeting to reinstate the department after Mayor Emma McCullough told the department that the city couldn't afford to keep them on the payroll.



"[It's] a little un-nerving, just because of the simple fact that if they don't have the gas to get to my house to put out a fire then,… Continue

Stories abound from all around the nation concerning, cutbacks in staffing, rolling "brownouts" and stations being closed, all due to budget concerns and shortfalls.



One Texas town, Nolanville, has gone the extra step and severed it's ties... with it's own fire department. You read it right. They cut off ALL funding for their own volunteer fire department. In addition, they cut 5 police officer's positions.



This little town of approximately 2150 residents will now have to… Continue

From the I thought I'd seen it all category.



It seems that civil right groups will have another thing to complain about. It appears that police in Australia used a taser to subdue a violent subject, and the man burst into flames.



Now I'm around officers almost daily who carry tasers, and have helped subdue violent patients where they have been deployed, and not once has this ever become an issue.



I guess the next thing we will see is a power setting on these… Continue

Mr. Common Sense, birth date unknown.



Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.



He will be forever remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, I should work for what I want and maybe it was my… Continue

People who know me and have seen me work, often ask me why I am no longer a Paramedic. There are several reasons, but one reason might be illustrated by the linked article.



Every day it amazes me that the human race has lasted this long. Now before I start getting poison emails, let it be known; I do not think ALL EMS people are this way. I know many many fine medics. Intelligent, capable, caring, etc. But over the last several years, I have witnessed class after class, of, for the… Continue

Satellites could fail as early as next year, potentially disrupting military and first responder operations



"Yikes! Could the sky literally start to fall? According to a new study from the U.S. government accountability office, some important GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year, and all sorts of GPS users — public safety, military and consumers — could begin to experience regular blackouts, failures and inaccurate readings".



Aviation also relies… Continue

This was emailed to me today.



"You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that… Continue

As I watched this story, it didn't surprise me that a workers comp claim had been denied, (common in Texas) until I found out who the insurance company is that the Govt. contracted to handle these American civilian citizens who risked their lives to ensure supplies made it to the troops. I am not now, nor will I condone the actions of KBR in Iraq, during the last few years, but I believe AIG might make KBR look like a convent.



I researched the different insurance policies that I… Continue