One of the issues that is consistently brought to my attention with theFireWiki is the issue of copyrights protection. While many people would love to post to theFireWiki, they are hesitant because of the Open License associated with it. The Open License says that anything posted on the site become... in essence... public domain and anyone can use it or do what they wish. This seems to make a writer uncomfortable and I can understand why. So tomorrow, we are adding theFireWiki's Common Documents (essay.thefirewiki.org). This adds a lot of the security measures that have been of concern:

A number of benefits will result. People will now be able to create content without fear it will be stolen by others. It will also create more control for the original author over the editorial process (no longer have to worry about the random editor.) Content can be created whether a novice or a wiki expert and with an expansive variety of content, the site has the potential of becoming quite a resource.

So, we have two means now of expanding the fire service knowledge base. An open side for those who want to share content without concern for it being reused... and a secure side for those who may share content that is not open for reuse. If you have an article or news item (or other) you are considering... there is now a great way of collaborating with others without the concern that your info will be taken without credit.



So now you can post (and collaborate) on:

• articles
• departmental news
• SOGs
• a book you've always wanted to write
• organizational newsletter
• whatever comes to mind
• training materials

You create the article and set who can edit it! The sky's the limit! Need help getting started? No problem... there is help online as well. The idea is to take make creating a fire service knowledge base safer and better for everyone. So what can you use it for? Let us know... or just start adding!