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WWJD? Renew the passport….

This is going to be a rant.  Maybe I can counterbalance today’s post that includes dead babies with a more light-hearted post tomorrow- perhaps about cute puppies?

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

My wife turned to me today and asked, “Do you think this country is falling apart?  Maybe we should get our passports renewed.”

Her question is timely, as for the past week or so, the news has been full of crazy, extremist, wingnuts publicly going off the deep-end.

The arrests this week of the Hutaree members comes amid what the Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama nonprofit that tracks extremism, has called “an explosion of new extremist groups and activism across the nation.” The organization has cited the economic downturn as a major reason for the change, and contends that the far right has been particularly animated by the election of the nation’s first black president.

Those groups “came roaring back after years out of the limelight,” Mark Potok, director of the SPLC Intelligence Project, wrote in the group’s latest report. Last week, a new Harris poll reveals that 24 percent -repeating now, 24 percent- of Republicans say Obama “may be the Antichrist.”

So what’s a stump-jumpin’, ridge-runnin’ “Christian foot soldier” armed to the hilt who never outgrew playing army, creating an organization with a rank structure straight out of Pokemon to do?

“Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive” -Hutaree.com

From top left, David Brian Stone Sr., 44, of Clayton, Mich,; David Brian Stone Jr. of Adrian, Mich,; Jacob Ward, 33, of Huron, Ohio; Tina Mae Stone. Bottom row from left: Michael David Meeks, 40, of Manchester, Mich,; Kristopher T. Sickles, 27, of Sandusky, Ohio; Joshua John Clough, 28, of Blissfield, Mich.; and Thomas William Piatek, 46, of Whiting, Ind. (U.S. Marshall / Associated Press)

From top left, David Brian Stone Sr., 44, of Clayton, Mich,; David Brian Stone Jr. of Adrian, Mich,; Jacob Ward, 33, of Huron, Ohio; Tina Mae Stone. Bottom row from left: Michael David Meeks, 40, of Manchester, Mich,; Kristopher T. Sickles, 27, of Sandusky, Ohio; Joshua John Clough, 28, of Blissfield, Mich.; and Thomas William Piatek, 46, of Whiting, Ind. (U.S. Marshall / Associated Press)

Yesterday, this from From The Detroit News:

Nine members of a Lenawee County-based militia group were planning to “levy war” against the United States and “oppose by force” the nation’s government, according to an indictment unsealed this morning in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

They had plans to kill a local law enforcement official and, once officers from across the country came to the funeral, to attack the funeral procession, the indictment alleges.

Because, apparently that is what Jesus would do.

Seriously, can you think of a worse day in your career?

Don’t we as first responders already have enough to worry about? This brings to mind this Pulitzer Prize winning photo by Charles H. Porter IV.  It captures a moment in the life of Oklahoma City Firefighter Chris Fields, who on what is arguably the worst call on the worst day of his life, carries Baylee Almon, who became a dead baby shortly after the Murrah Federal Building was bombed in 1995.

Pray you’ll never have a day like this

Accept my apologies for exposing you to the graphic image from that tragic day.  But it bears close scrutiny in order to put the events of these last few days into some sort of perspective.

Imagine what could be going through Chris’s mind as he stares down at the face of such an innocent angel.  Man, how does he still deal with that?

My brothers and sisters, home-grown terrorists who care not about killing babies and massacring cops at a policeman’s funeral don’t give a damn about you or your safety.  In their dimly-lit skulls, these nutjobs are readying themselves for the violence of The Rapture, justifying their mission as following the teachings of the Christian faith.

You know- Thou Shalt Kill.

It’s not just extremist Muslims, folks.

It’s Frank from the car dealership and Jim Bob from the bait store.  Another homegrown threat (again from Michigan) reminds us that terrorism is alive and well and thriving in the hearts and minds of those among us right here in the good old United States who call themselves Christian foot soldiers.

Because, apparently that is what Jesus would do.

Remember that scene safety is still at the top of the priority pyramid.

Be careful out there folks. It’s nuttier than ever.

Posted in Change, EMS Health & Safety, News, WTF?

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Posted by on March 30, 2010 • No comments

The sky didn’t fall…. again.

I used to see myself as far from being an alarmist.  Before uttering a response or invoking a knee-jerk emotion, I felt some pride knowing that I would first take the time to figure out what was being presented, then formulate an informed and measured response/decision/reaction.

Not any more.  I was pulled into the alarmist culture for the last half of a year.

Somehow, the “sky is falling” cries made it deep within my brain and took root, germinating and slowly developing into a plant of deep concern.  Health organizations and government agencies around the world were warning us to prepare for a pandemic of pandemic proportions.

To his credit, Mick Mayers over at Firehouse Zen blogged last April about putting the media hype on the upcoming tragedy into perspective. How right he was!

Katy bar the door!

Pronouncements and prognostications that fully one third of the U.S. population would become ill with the H1N1 virus, claiming the lives of hundreds of zillions around the world.  Especially at risk were those around me that I loved the most- the children.  Who will protect the children?

This wasn’t the first time I had been duped by these Chicken Littles.

Howabout that Avian (Bird) Flu of 2007?  That was to be a major event.  Although many were sickened and some lost their lives, it was not the end of days we were led to believe might occur.   Human cases of bird flu peaked in 2006 at 115, with 79 deaths. The number has since declined, with 73 human cases and 32 deaths in 2009, the WHO said.

This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) is still singing that tune, like the song you can’t get out of your head with a fresh report warning that the danger still exists.

Oh, and remember SARS?  That was back earlier in the decade.  We were taught to be careful of airline travelers and birdies.

And mosquitoes that bite the birdies.

And Canadians.  Especially Torontonians.

Just kidding abooot dat, my puck-lovin’ friends!

Although we should be happy that the cataclysmic apocalypse has not yet happened, the truth is that it still may at some point in the future.  So how effective will the warnings from WHO and other government agencies be?  Falling short on the previous readings of their crystal balls, methinks most will refuse to pay attention when the feces truly hits the fan….

So what’s a previously mild-mannered, even-heeled, children-loving firefighter paramedic supposed to do?

I know! I’ll check to see if there are any expiration dates on the case of N95’s up in the attic…

Posted in EMS Health & Safety, Firefighter Safety & Health, H1N1 Flu Pandemic, News, WTF?

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Posted by on March 26, 2010 • 4 comments

Stay Stoked!

Here is my first First Due Blog Carnival submission.  Many thanks to friend and partner Fire Critic for organizing and hosting the first of many blog carnivals concerning the fire service.  This month’s topic is :I am a firefighter because….  I’ll start out by answering the question: why did I become a firefighter? 

Because I never grew out of the childhood dream to be one.  I guess it’s still possible that I might grow up and reach my potential, but there’s only so many years available, so I doubt it.  This firefighting thing has stuck in my blood for a long time.

Not a great story here of interest to anyone- but me.  I guess I could tell you that I like to help people, and enjoy the excitement of the job.  It’s all been said by hundreds of thousands before me.  Although its an overused cliché, it still accurately describes why I’m in the fire service.

Unlike many of the fine men and women in the fire service, there is no family member that led the way.  I am not the fourth generation firefighter, and I didn’t grow up around firefighters or in a firehouse.

But, as I grew up in the 70’s, the fire service was evolving as well.  The decade brought us “Dazed and Confused” and the rise and fall of disco also brought the birth of paramedicine, and much was being done in the public eye that was inconceivable just ten years earlier.

Ambulances equipped with only the most basic of medical supplies and oxygen served only as taxis to the hospitals (so that hasn’t changed much in some places, has it Happy?).  Very little life-saving was accomplished in the glorified station wagons with lights and sirens.  In fact, ambuli used to be owned and driven by funeral directors.

Talk about repeat customers!

The fire department in my home town ran the ambulance when I was old enough to notice.  They graduated their first class of paramedics, and a couple of those original guys are still doing their thing on suburban Chicago fire departments.

Then came the TV show Emergency! For an impressionable young lad who already “ran to the curb” (as so aptly described by my good friend Tiger Schmittendorf) whenever the screaming sound of fire apparatus approached, the show tipped it in for me.

I was hooked.  I wanted to be a paramedic/firefighter.

As soon as I could, I enrolled in an EMT-basic course straight out of high school.  I secured a job in a business within running distance of the volunteer fire station owned by a firefighter who, at times, would allow his employees respond to calls from work.  So, with EMT certification in hand, I applied for and quickly secured a spot on the fire department.

While the paramedic side of the fire service was the initial lure for me, that quickly changed.  I had the incredible fortune of joining right before my first drill night- an actual burn down of several buildings.  They strapped on this air pack thing and sent me crawling in behind a young lieutenant into an interior fire.  No hose line, no water can.  Just to experience the heat.

If I remember correctly it was only a burn barrel, but my instructor, Tom,  made sure we felt the effects. With extremely limited visibility and very hot temperatures, I made sure Tom felt a little more heat by pulling his 3/4 boot right off his foot as we scrambled out.  To this day, he hasn’t forgotten the young rookie who did that to him.

I’m sure we’ll see a comment from him on that….

Next up, they wanted to make sure this new guy could climb an extension ladder and a roof ladder, then cut a ventilation hole directly over the fire room.  As the third cut was completed, the flap fell in and the fire came exploding out of the hole sending me reeling backward with a revving K-12 almost causing a fall.

Back then, we learned literally in our “trials by fire”. No NFPA 1403 yet in place.  Although not nearly as safe, it sure was cool, and definitely served its purpose in a way we don’t see anymore. I had discovered the pure thrill of battling the red devil and this boy was hooked!

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That’s the story, and I’m sticking to it- with pride.  I urge all of you to remember how you got your start and what it was that motivated you down the path you took to get you where you are today.  Remember the feeling of excitement and invigoration you felt when you first found out you were to become a firefighter.  It’s what I call feeling stoked, and it’s how I like to end most of my posts.

Stay stoked!

Posted in Change, Chicagoland, Firefighters, Just For Fun, Never Forget, Tradition

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Posted by on March 23, 2010 • 2 comments

They found their brother.

The body of a Glasgow, WV firefighter was located just after noon on Friday, following nearly a week of searching after he was swept away while attempting a water rescue in Raleigh County.

Donald “Donnie” Adkins, 32, was in a rescue boat with Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department Chief Marty Blankenship and another firefighter near Beaver when the boat tipped over about at about 1:30 a.m. last Saturday.

A freak rainstorm had inundated the area last weekend, forcing numerous residents to be rescued from their attics and trees near their homes. Flood waters were so high that rescuers were forced to cut through utility lines in order to affect many of the rescues, according to Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper.

Donald “Donnie” Adkins with his sister Renee Coleman, in a photo submitted by the Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department.

“It is with deep sadness that we accept the loss of Glasgow Firefighter Donald Adkins,” Carper said in a news release. “While Kanawha County mourns this loss, we respect Donald’s bravery and sacrifice. I also wish to commend the hundreds of volunteers throughout the state, including the State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis, countless firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, the National Guard and the hundreds of other volunteers who risked their own personal safety in this selfless act of recovery of Donald Adkins who was recovered in Piney Creek, about 4.5 miles from where the boat capsized on Beaver Creek this past Saturday.”

Kanawha County Fire Coordinator C.W. Sigman said for several days this week, there were close to 100 people searching the Gauley River and its tributaries in an attempt to locate and recover Donnie Adkins.

Sigman led the search team that located the body. “He’s downstream in a pile of brush. They’re trying to get him out with chainsaws. There’s a lot of huge brush and tree limbs to cut through to get access to him.”

“It’s in a very inaccessible spot. It’s hard to get to when the water was up,” Sigman said. “When the water went down, it looked like a likely spot, and there he was.”

From the Charleston Gazette:

Adkins was with the Glasgow department for about three years and was a firefighter in Rand before that, Blankenship said.

He had two children and was also like a father to his girlfriend’s daughter, Blankenship said. All are between the ages of 5 and 8, he said.

Adkins had lost his job March 12, the day before he lost his life.

“Donnie was a very loved individual,” Blankenship said. “He was just a good all-around person.”

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said he wanted to commend all of the firefighters and other rescuers who helped with the search, as well as Gov. Joe Manchin, who also lent his support.

“While Kanawha County morns this loss, we respect Donald’s bravery and sacrifice,” Carper said. “We should be reminded that these individuals put their own personal safety on the line each and every day to protect us all.”

Posted in Brotherhood, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, LODD, News, Rescues, Special Operations

Posted by on March 20, 2010 • 1 comment

Volunteers in the Volunteer State asked to volunteer even more.

There are so many things wrong with this story found in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

First, many of the Volunteer State’s volunteers have yet to attain a measly 65 hours of training, even after being full-fledged firefighters for over five years!

Now, the state legislature is now mandating that these local heroes attend the fire training center in Bell Buckle, TN.

Then there’s this: the cost is about $1,500, and firefighters must take the course on their own time and at their own expense (their departments cannot/will not pay for it)!

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

“They (Tennessee state legislature) just keep handing these mandates down and sending me these books telling me what my guys are going to have to do,” Kimball Fire Chief Jeff Keef said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Chief Keef said 78 percent of Tennessee firefighters are volunteers. He fears that the mandate will force rural fire departments to close because their volunteers can’t afford the required training.

child funeralI understand that fear.  Here’s another:

The astonishing number of sub-trained firefighters allowed to assume the liability and responsibility to perform the highly-skilled and potentially life-threatening duties without the most basic training and without the financial backing of their departments and their taxpayers.

How much does a firefighter’s funeral cost the taxpayers?

Posted in News

Posted by on March 18, 2010 • 3 comments

A St. Patrick’s Day Salute to CFD Chief Eddie Enright

When I think of St. Patrick’s Day and the fire service, many things come to mind.  One of those thoughts bubbling up to the surface brings a smile to my face every time. Indulge me with a re-post recognizing the value an experienced veteran with the right approach can bring to all of us, young and old.

With that perspective, I offer up a special note to third-generation firefighter retired Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Eddie Enright who has over 38 years of duty having been assigned to engine, truck, and squad companies after serving his country in Vietnam.  As he would say:

“Only 0 more days til St. Patrick’s Day”

* * * * *

Over the years, I’ve attended a boatload of fire training classes which emphasized leadership, training, and safety. Most were team-taught. A primary instructor would be there periodically, accompanied by a great group of “assisting instructors” who would each bring a certain level of expertise to the specific topic at hand.

There were lesson plans to be followed, objectives to be addressed and met, and the test to prove that learning had occurred. It’s a method of learning quite familiar with firefighters worldwide.

But sometimes, the Fire Gods might truly smile down upon you and bless you.

As you’re sitting in the classroom waiting for the course to begin, you wonder where all the instructors went. Just then, you hear guffaws of laughter just out of sight (probably damn near the coffee and doughnuts). What’s going on?

“Da Chief” is in the building.old fire helmet

Not necessarily the current department chief, but certainly a chief nonetheless.

He’s been around for decades and he’s seen it all. He rose up through the ranks and gained the respect from his peers the old-fashioned way. “Da Chief” earned it.

He knows how to handle the pick-head ax just as well as how to handle the politicians. He knows BS when he sees it and he doesn’t hesitate to call it out.

Just like Underdog, he is humble and loveable. He listens to everyone’s views and becomes E.F. Hutton: When “Da Chief” begins to speak- everyone listens.

Down to earth. Real.

When you are blessed with the presence of this special guy, drop everything you are doing and be near him. Hear what he has to say. Drink it all in.

Not only do you learn from his experience and wisdom, but, more importantly, from the way he relates to those around him. He does not condescend to the rookies; he gives no guff to those with whom he may disagree. He is compassionate and concerned. His smile is contagious and his love of the fire service is completely evident. He fills you with motivation and oozes tradition.

buy him a beer While reading this, do I have you thinking about someone you know that could be like “Da Chief”? If so, make it a point to get him to engage with you and your group. Buy him a beer after class.

It will be the best time you can spend in any fire service training session.

WordPress Tags: IFSI,Enright,leadership,wisdom,motivation,tradition,Chicago,Eddie

Posted in Administration & Leadership, Chicagoland, In Da House, Just For Fun, Leadership

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Posted by on March 17, 2010 • No comments

TMI: Are we creating distracted drivers in our apparatus?

I saw this bumper sticker while speeding down the Northwest Tollway on my way home from O’Hare the other day. I knew I had to have one.

So I whipped out my iPhone and went to “store”.

I searched for, located, then downloaded the iPhone app that connects me directly with eBay.  After logging in with my username and password “eastcoaster”, I simply typed in “h-a-n-g-_-u-p-_-a-n-d-_-d-r-i-v-e” in the search box.

As usual, I had to backspace a few times to get the correct term typed in, but I eventually persevered.  Alas, too many results came up.

Blowing past Elmhurst Rd, I tried again, this time typing in “h-a-n-g-_-u-p-_-a-n-d-_-d-r-i-v-e–_-b-u-m-p-e-r-_-s-t-i-c-” before some jerk-off driving his wife’s mini-van while chatting away on his phone nearly cut me off before I could finish.

I quickly stashed my venti vanilla skim latte in its holder and simultaneously honked and waved with less fingers than my left hand contains, while clutching my iPhone in my right.  What was this chucklehead thinking?

By the time I was ready to exit onto Barrington Road, I still hadn’t found what I was looking for on eBay.  I was miffed until I realized how the trip down the tollway seemed to take no time at all.  In fact, I couldn’t really remember driving it.  What just happened for the last 20 minutes?

I decided to postpone my eBay search until I got home.  It was time to pay some serious attention in case a deer decided to jump out in front of me.  Gotta be extra alert out by me…

That’s one of my peeves, and I would bet many of you share it as well.  It’s the self-important “distracted drivers” that piss me off as they try to multi-task while guiding a multi-ton vehicle hurtling down the road.

Losers.

The whole episode reminded me of a story I had seen in at NewYorkTimes.com, that addressed the increasing amount of gadgetry gradually accumulating in the cabs of emergency vehicles.  In addition to the normal gauges, lights, dials, mirrors, radios, and sirens, more and more electronica is competing for our attention as we attempt to safely navigate our way through traffic as quickly and as safely as possible.

Like a litter of eleven puppies competing for six nipples, we’ve been inundated with computers, map routing and GPS devices, cell phones, and multiple radio frequencies- all looking for a spot in our collective cerebrums as we try to wrap our heads around pre-planning our first few steps upon arrival at the emergency scene.

I ask you this: How much is too much?  When do WE cross the line and become just another distracted responder?

As the NYT article explains, there is no data currently being collected regarding accidents involving emergency responders distracted by TMI.  But there are several anecdotes:

“Philip Macaluso, a New York paramedic, recalled a moment recently when he was rushing to the hospital while keying information into his dashboard computer. At the last second, he looked up from the control panel and slammed on his brakes to avoid a woman who stepped into the street.

In April 2008, an emergency medical technician in West Nyack, N.Y., looked at his GPS screen, swerved and hit a parked flatbed truck. The crash sheared off the side of the ambulance and left his partner, who was in the passenger seat, paralyzed.

In June 2007, a sheriff’s deputy in St. Clair County, Ill., was driving 35 miles per hour when a dispatcher radioed with an assignment. He entered the address into the mapping system and then looked up, too late to avoid hitting a sedan stopped in traffic. Its driver was seriously injured.”

Even my own friend and fellow podcaster Greg Friese was quoted in the article, citing his own experience in which he felt it necessary to demand the distracted driver of his ambulance to step away from his cell phone:

“My partner was checking baseball scores as he was driving a patient to the hospital. I looked through the passageway and said, ‘You’ve got to stop that right now,’ ” recalls Greg Friese, a paramedic in central Wisconsin, who was treating a patient in the back. Mr. Friese also develops online training programs for medics, E.M.T.’s, police officers and firefighters.

“We’re dealing with the carnage, which ranges from the trivial to the tragic, of distracted driving,” he said. “We should know better.”

Yes we should.

As we decide how to utilize the constant array of new technology, we need to address the amount of distraction we’re placing upon our responders.  We need to recognize and accept that too much input may result in a decreased ability to process the information in a way that is useful.  Worse yet, distracted emergency responders may bring increased civil and criminal liabilities upon our departments.

The last thing I need is another fire engine flying past me with a distracted driver while I’m trying to surf the web and revise my fantasy hockey roster.

Jerks.

Posted in Change, News, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, WTF?

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Posted by on March 12, 2010 • 5 comments

“I do not proposition women. I don’t have to. Women usually proposition me. God has blessed me like that.”- Chicago Fire Commissioner John Brooks.


Well, then.

I guess this is the type of egotistical and flippant response that is in order when accused with the rather serious charge of sexual harassment.  Apparently, this is why we are supposed to believe that the allegations must be unfounded.

Just change the focus.

Then get out of Dodge for an “extended 30-day vacation.”

According to a report by the Chicago Sun Times, mayoral chief of staff Ray Orozco, a former fire commissioner himself, was described as livid about Brooks’ remarks. That leaves me wondering how the normally animated Mayor Richard Daley must have reacted.

When the mayor was repeatedly asked last week if Brooks still enjoys his confidence, Daley refused each time to say “yes”.

Oops.

Again, methinks Brooks is bestowed with enough confidence already.

From the exclusive report by staff reporters Fran Spielman and Frank Main, a payroll auditor for the Fire Department, Deidre Green, claims Brooks told her he “desired her in a sexual manner” and wanted to see her breasts, Green said. She claims that Brooks called her repeatedly and moved to lay her off when she refused his advances.

“He told me he liked me and to call him back, which I did,” she said.

But she said she didn’t like his attitude in later calls.

“He would say, ‘I am a breast man. I want a wild woman,’ ” Green claimed. “I said, ‘I don’t like this picture.’ He felt I was subordinate to him.”

If Brooks intended to help her professionally, he didn’t need to do it in late-night calls on his personal phone, Green said.

“Why would we talk at 11 o’clock at night? Why would I have his personal number? When things didn’t go his way, he got upset with me,” she said.

Green said they spoke a few more times on the phone before she confronted Brooks in the office, saying she heard he had a girlfriend.

“He said, ‘I saved your job.’ He said, ‘They want to get rid of you. I can hire you, and I can fire you, and you can sue to get your job back.’ “

The calls ended in October 2008, Green said, but she claims Brooks continued walking past her desk and making harassing comments.

As if that weren’t enough, also in hot water is the Commissioner of the Office of Compliance, Anthony Boswell, who is already serving a 30-day suspension for allegedly mishandling an intern’s sexual harassment claim against a 911 Center deputy. Boswell denies his guilt and is appealing the suspension.

Boswell, a friend of Brooks, is also accused by an unidentified source of trying to spike the investigation of Green’s claims, according to the Sun Times.

Methinks the self-professed well-endowed and God-blessed Brooks will have plenty of opportunity to fend off the women once the investigation by the city’s Office of Compliance has been completed and he finds his calendar wide open, unencumbered by the suffocation of the time constraints of any continued duties as fire commissioner.

giant black cock

Posted in Administration & Leadership, Chicagoland, News, WTF?

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Posted by on March 9, 2010 • 5 comments

Don’t I Know You?

Imagine meeting, for the first time, friends you have already known for a long time.

For months, I have collaborated with a very special east-coaster blogger.  You may have heard of him.  He is Rhett Fleitz, editor of Fire Critic.  He was born out on the east coast just two years before I battled my first red devil, yet Rhett has been one of the first of many who extended their hand in helping me develop the fledgling FireDaily presence since it’s inception late last year.

This east-coaster and I have since partnered up to produce iTunes most rapidly growing podcast called Firefighter Netcast.  If you haven’t heard it yet, the voluminous set of shows (3) are still available for download there and at our website.

The east-coaster and I had emailed, telephoned, skyped, and instant messaged hundreds of times.  Even our kids have met online and become friends.

But not until this east-coaster strolled into town under the cover of darkness at 1am last Friday morning had I actually met him in person.  But it was like I knew him for a long time.  And I did.

The next morning, my east-coaster friend and I set out to network with similar friends, those with whom we had been in almost daily contact, yet whom we had never met.  Rather than try to recount each individual meeting again, you can find a mostly-accurate description of each meeting over at my east-coaster friend’s post entitled “EMS Today in Retrospect, Thanks for the Memories and Meeting Everyone in Person”. He refers to me as Chris Farley (you know, the guy who lives in a van down by the river), and to himself as David Spade.

Hmm- Tommy Boy, eh?  Who’s you favorite baseball team, Rhett?

The Yankees?

From moment one, the ball busting started and never stopped.  I don’t think It never will

Here’s a video from Dave Statter that captures the evening

Great personalities I met for the first time in no particular order:

Mark Brady (@PGFDPIO) the PIO for PG County, Md., always in the news like it or not

Sebastian Wong (@SebWong). Seb and his Musings, EMS Chief (?) San Francisco Fire Department

Dennis Rubin, Fire Chief of DCFD who stopped in to see us on his way back home from Emmitsburg

Mike Ward, FossilMedic, Associate Professor at GWU and longtime EMS guru with an infectious laugh

Dave Statter, STATter911.com and DC TV reporter with an infectious sense of humor

Chris Kaiser, @CKEMTP, firefighter/paramedic and blogger of Life Under The Lights. with an infectious, well…

Justin Schorr, The Happy Medic, San Francisco firefighter/paramedic and the new Johnny Gage of Chronicles of EMS

Mark Glencorse, Medic999.com, UK paramedic and the new Roy DeSoto of Chronicles of EMS

Thaddeus (Ted) Setla, @setla, the constantly-energized producer of the next big thing in EMS online, Chronicles of EMS

Chris Eldridge (@thedridge), videographer with Setla and did wonders for Chronicles of EMS.

Dave Iannone (@cooldavej), Elsevier Public Safety and Go Forward Media. FireEMSBlogs.com, FirefighterNation.com

Chris Hebert (@chebert13). DCFD firefighter also with Elsevier Public Safety and Go Forward Media, FireEMSBlogs.com, FirefighterNation.com, Vikings fan, Capitols fan, half-marathoner, needs twitter followers

Chris Montera (@geekymedic) of the EMS Garage

Jamie Davis (@podmedic) of MedicCast and ProMed Network (an EMS podcasting hub)

Tom Bouthillet (@tbouthillet) of EMS12lead.com, lucky enough to be one of Mick Mayers’ company officers

Kevin @NJDiveMedic bought me more beer than I needed

Matt @Squirrl325 ditto. Matt helped us find a watering hole late Friday night. Lotsa pressure, not a problem for him. Thanks, Matt!

Carissa O’Brien @Carissao

@Ms_Paramedic

Kelly Grayson (@AmboDriver) of A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver and father of one of the cutest kids on the planet

The great blogger TOTWTYTR (Too Old to Work, Too Young to Retire) who wishes anonymity. Another great in the blogosphere.

@Medic61 of Sam the EMT and the podcast GenMedShow

Jared Scott, @MyRTLife, also from the GenMedShow, who taught Chris Kaiser not to leave his smartphone alone while in the restroom

@slayd someone so quiet, he made Kaiser nervous at Saturday lunch Thanks @slayd!

David Konig (@davidkonig) of DavidKonig.com. David and Greg Friese (@gfriese) of EMSEduCast , EPS411, and Everyday EMS Tips created PIO Social Media Training. Greg had a previous engagement, but we will cross paths as well!

April Saling @Epi_Junky Pink Warm and Dry

PLEASE, if I forgot you, let me know.  I want to make this list complete. There is a fog I am trying to penetrate!

Taking nothing away from any of the others I met, I had the honor and privilege to have Mike Ward introduce me to the one and only FireGeezer, Bill Schumm (@FireGeezer).  Bill made the 90-minute trek out to the convention center on Saturday to meet up with all of his fellow bloggers in attendance.  Damn if I didn’t forget my FireGeezer mug for the signatures from these two greats. They promised another opportunity this summer in Chicago, and I eagerly await that special occasion.  True to form, FireGeezer took no time in blogging about our meet-up.

Special and sincere thanks to everyone involved in making the meet-up possible.  So much was done and planned and paid for to make it possible for us to all come together.

Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert and their staff at FireEMSblogs.com led the charge from start to finish, in addition to their duties at the busy JEMS booth during the EMS Today conference.

Mike Ward (FossilMedic over at FireGeezer.com) has long been associated with George Washington University’s Emergency Health Services Program, who generously sponsored the Meet-up at Uno’s in Baltimore along with JEMS and FireEMSBlogs.com, graciously ensuring we were satiated with food, drink and merriment Friday night.

Chris Kaiser was instrumental in the planning stages as well.  You all kicked ass in making this such a memorable event.

So much more happened on the trip that was funny, funnier, downright damn funny, and friggin’ hilarious.  Much cannot and should not be shared, if for no other reason than to guarantee future similar escapades in the future.

That’s what happens when friends get together- even those who have known each other for a long while, yet have only met for the first time.

Even an east-coaster.

Posted in Brotherhood, Just For Fun, News, Videos

Posted by on March 8, 2010 • 5 comments

Fireproof House?

All week long, I’ve been looking at new fire service technology.  Always one for gadgets and things with buttons, I’m still amazed by some of the products that are under development.  Big changes in the way we fight fires are right around the corner!

In my research, I ran across one of the new ways that homeowners are tackling the protection of their houses without standing on the roof with their 5/8 line during the inevitable wildfire season.

Most houses are in danger well before flames hit their doorstep — burning embers can travel up to a mile in the wind. So the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) teamed with Foster-Miller to adapt a tent typically used to protect military vehicles from chemical attacks into a system that deflects flames from houses.

A year and a few hundred yards of fireproof, rugged nylon cordura later, they produced the SAFE Quick Cover, a rooftop system that automatically covers a house or other fire-threatened structure with fireproof fabric. It rolls out the fabric at the flip of a switch, covering an evacuated house in minutes (you couldn’t stay in the covered house, because the fire’s heat would still kill you). “

There are 3 steps to the fireproof tent deployment process:

1. The Quick Cover system is activated, this sets off a semi-explosive chemical reaction similar to inflating a car airbag that unfolds fireproof fabric from roof-mounted storage.

2. Two large fans, like the ones at carnival bounce tents, pump air into airtight, flexible exoskeleton tubes.

3. The fabric cover follows the exoskeleton lead and unfolds along the roof, dropping over the sides of the house.

The system reportedly works and remains rigid, even in strong winds. It could potentially save hundreds of people who die each year trying to save their homes in the face of fire. Additional benefits include the cost savings to insurance companies and home owners who are spared from property loss because of the protection.


Posted in News, Wildland

Posted by on March 4, 2010 • No comments

21st Century Wildland Firefighting Technology

A view of Los Angeles 2009 Station Fire.  (Kevin Dean/Flickr.com)

Just like Groundhog Day kept kicking Bill Murray’s ass, we can count on the upcoming wildfire season to provide a boot of its own- yet again.  As she has for ages, Mother Nature will provide wildland firefighters with more than enough with which to contend.

As state and federal agencies face dwindling resources and taxpayer funding, wildland firefighters find themselves thinking outside the box- looking for new and creative methods to meet these challenges.  Constantly-evolving 21st-century technology are generating some pretty cool new arrows to fill their depleted quivers.

Personal Personnel GPS

Even the simplest GPS navigational devices can also prove indispensible in the hands of out-of-town firefighters trying to locate water sources fast while working in unfamiliar territory. Devices like the Spot Personal Tracker, a budget-friendly gadget and service combination used by some hikers in mountainous terrain, also has potential. It sends signals to a satellite where there is no cell tower or pager network. Just as it does for hikers, it could send “here I am” messages from firefighters back to a server, which would mark a global map with dots or spots giving fire commanders critical firefighter location information at a glance.

Flying Eyes

Imagine you are footing it around the side of a mountain, looking for the best way to attack the fire as it burns in areas close by, yet unable to be seen due to terrain. Wouldn’t it be nice to fly your eyeballs around your immediate area to avoid wasting time and energy going somewhere to look?  Now, an innovative system designed to fly small unmanned aerial vehicles around, rather than above, forest fires. It’s so compact that it could be used by firefighters on scene and stored on fire trucks when not in use. SwissCopter’s Fire Mission system consists of a mobile cockpit, a backpack and the Peyelot helmet, a headset that can pick up signals within the UAV’s 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) range. If you move your head while wearing the helmet, the camera on board the UAV will follow your movements in real time. It looks like you are on board the UAV, and you see everything as if you were on board. No time is lost in getting the images and information to the firefighters; because they are operating the system themselves.

At a potential cost of zero, San Diego State University has an interesting take on another UAV that can be used virtually anywhere by almost anyone. The drones are demonstrated in this video.  They carry two cameras, one for high-resolution photos, and another for real-time video that can be monitored by an IC on the ground. They offer better imagery than NASA’s Ikhana UAV for a mere fraction of the cost and immediacy that can’t be beat.

These UAVs clearly are a welcome new tool. Improved models are definitely viable and will likely be developed as budgets permit, so it can be expected that the civil use of UAVs in wildfire fighting will expand. With the optimal craft, you could fly around a fire, collect imagery, process it, send it down to the ground, and maybe get a fire perimeter every 10 minutes.

Tree-mounted sensors

Better situational awareness is only the beginning. Knowing precisely which areas are at highest risk of fires could transform how we fight them. Voltree Power in Canton, Massachusetts, has developed a shoebox-size sensor that, planted one per acre, could gather microclimate information, such as spikes in temperature and drops in humidity, that signal a nascent fire. In April the Forest Service began field-testing the device, which can run for a decade on voltage generated from the pH imbalance between a tree and soil.

Tree-mounted Weather Sensor: One of Smokey’s new tools for keeping fire at bay  Courtesy of Christopher Huang

To help deal with the flood of new information, the Forest Service and the National Park Service will use the the Wildland Fire Decision Support System, an online tool that crunches data in real time, using fire behavior models and weather forecasts to determine whether to attack flames on foot or call in planes to dump fire-suppressant gel.

Even with technological advances in firefighting, perhaps the best way to minimize damage is to recognize that fires play a necessary role in restoring certain ecosystems, and so we should stop building in at-risk areas and use fire-retardant materials, says fire ecologist Max Mortiz of the University of California at Berkeley. Mortiz recently published data predicting that climate change will increase wildfire activity across much of the U.S. “We don’t fight earthquakes and floods — we coexist with them,” he says. “We need to learn to do the same with wildfires.”

As we progress toward this end, we may begin to see Groundhog Day scenarios give way to the the upcoming advent of spring- and St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted in Change, Fire Prevention & Education, Firefighting Operations, Technology & Communications, Wildland

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Posted by on March 3, 2010 • 2 comments

360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web 3/2/2010

The Dance of the Company Officer

We start out this week by pointing to one of my “favoritest” partner bloggers at FireEMSblogs, Mick Mayers of FirehouseZen.

You know, I really enjoy the dance that occurs between the top and the bottom in the fire service organization.  At the top, the vision and direction of the group are put into play.  Those at the bottom need to accept, or buy into that vision in order for the group to move forward in a unified and cohesive manner.

In the middle we find the officers and supervisors.  Their commitment to the success of the organization is demonstrated by the way they convey the direction and vision from the top to their subordinates.  If they are effective, the organization becomes a well-oiled machine.  However if they don’t buy into the message, there is little hope for their subordinates to do the same.

This is where the officer needs to be able to put the needs of the organization ahead of the need to be pals with their guys.  This is one of the most difficult issues facing company officers.

Therein lies the dance.

As usual, this issue of change and leadership is best addressed by Chief Mick Mayers over at FirehouseZen.  From his latest post entitled “Get Everyone on Board”:

“Regardless of your organization, you are going to have personnel who are resistant to change, and while the troops may or may not decide to go willingly, it is a requirement that your officers or supervisors are.  If your small unit leaders aren’t on board, don’t count on the personnel they supervise joining in to resist them.  It will be much easier on those troops if they can get along with their misdirected officer than if they embrace the change, so you can count on the message not getting through when it is most needed.”

Read his post as there is much more on this topic that is important for all your officers to understand.

Fire Rescue TV

Check out Fire Rescue TV- a new website for firefighters that brings breaking news,new product reviews, and a special weekly fire rescue TV news segment.  All the video is extremely professional and rivals anything found on your home TV.

When we spoke with Executive Producer Martin Grube last week on Firefighter NetCast, he revealed an additional exciting element they have planned.  They will be visiting various firehouses and accompanying their crews during all aspects of the cooking portion of their shift.  Starting with planning, then shopping, then cooking and eating, Fire Rescue TV will follow the entire process from start to finish.  If the station’s crew draws a call, the video crew tags along as well. It’s a unique way for non-firefighters to witness this daily station activity.

So if you are in the mid-Atlantic region and want some excellent exposure of your department, invite Fire Rescue TV to your station!  They also welcome video submissions as well.  Make this new site a regular stop when perusing the interwebs.

Pole-Dancing Fireman

Speaking of videos, here’s some dessert for making it this far in the 360 Burn today.  This came to me courtesy of a tweet from our friend Chester Kopco, AKA FatherCabbage on the twitters.  It reminds me of someone I know.  Howabout you?

Stay stoked!

-J

Posted in 360 Burn, Change, Command & Leadership, Just For Fun, Leadership, Technology & Communications, Videos

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Posted by on March 2, 2010 • 2 comments

Ten years later, Worcester tests new technology that could have saved all 6 lives

New system enhances situational awareness

Ten years of research and development will be put to the test as the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s burn building is fitted with sensors designed to detect changing fire conditions- offering real-time situational awareness to the incident commander.

Firefighters will also be fitted with sensors on their SCBA harnesses.  The sensors will constantly track their location within the fire building, and monitor the environmental conditions as they move throughout the structure.  All information is sent to the IC’s laptop where it is integrated into the strategy being deployed.

Separate sensors in their masks will track their heart rate, respirations, and pulse ox.  Heart attacks are the leading cause of firefighter line of duty deaths.

Firefighters will also deploy an environment-sensor box that extends a mast to measure floor-to-ceiling heat differences. The system has been developed by James Duckworth and David Cyganski, engineering professors at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  They are looking to simulate conditions that lead up to flashover during the testing situations at the burn building.

Worcester (MA) Fire Chief Gerard Dio is helping test the system.  Chief Dio lost two of his men in the 1999 cold storage fire, then lost four more who went in to rescue them.

From the article in Popular Science:

“Years ago, before we got hoods, we’d burn our ears and necks, and that would tell us ‘That’s too frickin’ hot, let’s get out,” says Chief Dio.  Now, firemen feel the intense heat only when it’s seconds from flashover.

“Considering that they’re risking their lives, it’s pathetic that firefighters are using what’s essentially 19th-century technology,” Duckworth says. “This will bring them up to date.”

“I know we did the best job we could at the time,” Dio says, “but this system could have saved all of their lives.”

The researchers hope to have the system in the field by 2013.  Click here for further details and photos.

Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, Never Forget, News, Technology & Communications

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Posted by on March 1, 2010 • No comments

Murphy’s Law for Springfield IL city council; 2 videos to watch -IN ORDER-. No cheating!

As promised this week, the city of Springfield, IL laid off 17 firefighters and began rotating station brownouts this weekend due to their budgetary meltdown .  This brings to over 100 municipal employees that have felt the ax this year. Here is a video from WICS ABC 20 about the lengthy response times feared by citizens in the area of the first fire station closed just yesterday (Sunday).

Oops.

Oh, boy. Ummm…

Talk about timing…

WICS ABC 20 put out another video- just hours after the first one:

When is election day for the city council?

Posted in Fires, News, Staffing, Videos

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Posted by on March 1, 2010 • No comments