As a State Advocate for the Everyone Goes Home program I was asked by a department and a good friend to come speak during the 2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week. I was very impressed with how this department has made the steps to improve and adopt the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. Before the presentation started my friend and fellow instructor gave me a tour of his department and we got to talking. He said that a few of his neighboring departments probably wouldn’t show up and I asked why and he said one department said "We had that class before" and another one stated, "That’s Our Drinking Night". That kind of hit a nerve for me knowing that something’s seem not to change until there is a LODD or it’s a standard that is mandatory. Over my 17 years of fire service I have seen a lot of unsafe acts on and off the fire ground. When I was the Green Horn Probie my Captain at the time said to me training and safety is the key to the fire service from that day forward I train all the time and I make sure myself and my crew are always safe so that Everyone Goes Home. Comments like "Its Our Drinking Night" don’t fly and so what if you had the class years ago things and times change and you just might learn something new from a different instructor. Why cant we as firefighters GET IT times have changed, the “do as I say not as I do” motto doesn’t sell anymore. Every year we loose 100 plus firefighters in the line of duty but the number of fires we run have gone down in numbers and technology gives us better equipment to be safe but we still hit that 100 plus LODD's a year. Most of us seem to except that and most of us still think it wont happen to me, well I cant except that number and I know it can happen to me loosing several friends in the line of duty over the years the most recent this past August. We all need to understand change has come and it is going to continue to come. We have to adopt the changes and the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives and become safer and better Firefighters, Officers, and Chiefs. Forget the Drinking night till after training and if you had it before take it again and learn something new. Why are some of us afraid to lead from the front and get our departments on track with the culture change in the fire service you don’t have to be an Officer to be a LEADER. I have heard a lot of excuses from well I am just a firefighter not an officer I can not help change anything, well I just do as my officer says no matter what they are the officer, or I am a volunteer officer I need their votes for next year. Well that’s fine but when I read about you because your Officer said run into a vacant structure because wimps only stay outside and you become a statistic and not a solution to the problem or Officers if I read that you didn’t keep your crew in line and let them fight a car fire without a air pack on and one of them gets hurt or becomes a LODD because you were afraid you wouldn’t get their votes next year to stay as a officer. All I will have to say is YOU JUST DIDN’T GET IT. Remember if we get hurt in the line of duty or loose our life in the line of duty its just doesn’t effect us it effects the department, family, and friends. So the next time you have the chance to make a difference so that Everyone Goes Home DO IT. If you have the Choice to train or go drink, Go to TRAINING. A trained and safe firefighter is still the key to the fire service but a firefighter, officer, or chief willing to adopt change, safety, and training is the master key to the fire service and is a great thing in the changing fire service. Stay Safe, Do The Right Thing, Everyday Is a Training Day, and make sure Everyone Goes Home.

Thank You, Stay Safe, and God Bless
Captain Vince Curry