A 19-year old Pennsylvania firefighter died in the line of duty while responding to a fire in his POV on Wednesday evening just before 6pm,

Brandon Little of the United Hook and Ladder Fire Company, Company 33, out of New Oxford, Pennsylvania crested a steep hill, apparently lost control of his Jeep Grand Cherokee and crashed through a post and rail fence before slamming into the roof of a house and into a tree.  Debris from the crash flew through the front window of the homeowner who called 911.

Speed is believed to have been a factor.

He was ejected from his vehicle, landing in the road.  Police do not believe he was wearing his seat belt. 

Here is the initial video report from WHPTV.com:

From abc27.com

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The final version of this superb video is finally available.  Brought to us by our friends over at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and

featuring my fine friends at the Chicago Fire Department, this is excellent training and should be seen by every firefighter everywhere.

_________________________________________

“What’s most important is that we all go home.  We’re not Superman. We have families that need you to, so…we have other obligations as well. “

“When you’re a young kid, you got that cape on. you wanna go through walls. And if you don’t have the old timers, they’ll kinda  pull you back a little bit, They say hold on kid, understand what your doing, and why you’re doing what you’re doing, and to give yourself a way out.”

 “Have a wife turn to you, and look at you and say, “What the hell happened here? Where the hell was his hood?  Who was in charge? How did you guys let this happen to him? Why him?  What do I say to them?”

“If you think you’ve got some good reason for not wearing this or for not doing things the right way , write it down.  Because I need to read that to your widow.  Because I’m not going to know what to say.  You say it for me.”

I think the worse day I’ve ever had in my life is when I was five years old and my father was killed in the line of duty.  That day stays with me forever.  It’s like it happened yesterday.  I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that.  And I don’t speak just for myself, I speak for my family, I speak for the firefighters that worked with my father that were next to him when he got killed. It never leaves you.  It’s a scar you’ll always have.

“We don’t have any more room for badges on the wall.”

_________________________________________

Any kid can smear on the war paint.  It’s what you do once you’re all “warriored-up” that shows your true worth on our battlefields.

The firefighter I want with me on a line or with a tool by my side is a brother who is not only aggressive and eager to do the job, but also has the knowledge and seasoning to know when to go and when to think twice when it’s appropriate.  I don’t need young, dumb, and full of a battle cry and a death wish. 

If he aint got no brains, send him the f*&% away..

Stay stoked.

-J

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On Nov. 29, 1988, at 3:40am, the Kansas City (Mo.) Fire Department received an alarm for a vehicle fire at a highway construction project.

Pumper Company 41 arrived on scene 6 minutes later and found two separate fires, prompting them to send for a second pumper company, while they extinguished the truck fire.  The second company, Pumper 30, was advised of possible explosives and arrived on the scene of two trailers on fire six minutes later. Pumper 41 finished extinguishing their vehicle fire and met up with Pumper 41 to assist.  Neither company knew was that the burning trailers contained approximately 50,000 lbs. of a highly volatile ammonium nitrate/fuel oil mixture.

Sixteen minutes later, it happened. 

A massive explosion occurred, instantly killing all six firefighters on scene. A battalion chief and driver who were about a quarter-mile away sustained minor injuries when the windshield in their vehicle was blown in. The explosion shattered windows within a 10-mile area and could be heard 40 miles away.  A second explosion occurred about 40 minutes later, although fire crews were staged at a safe distance at this time.

Repeated radio calls to the two companies went unanswered.  Due to the darkness, firefighters were forced to wait until daybreak to in order to safely venture into the area and search for their missing brothers.  What they eventually found were the incinerated remains of both companies and a massive crater.

Arson was immediately suspected.  The tragedy set off a far-reaching investigation into who started the fires that ultimately led to the fatal explosion. However, it was not until 1996 that a grand jury issued indictments for five people: Darlene Edwards, Richard Brown, Earl Sheppard, Bryan Sheppard and George Frank Sheppard. All five were convicted of aiding and abetting the arson that caused the deaths of the firefighters, a capital offense. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The story takes another turn.

In 2008, The Kansas City Star reported that 15 witnesses in the case were allegedly pressured to lie during the defendants’ trials, prompting the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the case.  Defense attorneys claimed they were never given a one-page police report that could have helped the defendants during their trial 12 years prior. They said the report could have been used to implicate other suspects in the case, namely two security guards who were on duty the night of the explosion.

The investigation is still underway.

A video tribute to the men and the incident:

Rest in Eternal Peace Our Brothers:

Capts. Gerald C. Halloran, 57, and James H. Kilventon Jr., 54,

and firefighters Thomas McKarnin, 42, Thomas M. Fry, 41, Michael R. Oldham, 32, and Luther E. Hurd, 31.

News Coverage as the situation developed:

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“One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six who jumped in the rear, we need massive EMS here.”

Most of you reading this have already probably heard the sad news on the passing of FDNY Brother Joey DiBernardo, one of six forced to jump 4 stories rather than be burnt alive back in January of 2005 in what has come to be known as “Black Sunday.” 

Of the six, Lieutenant John G. Bellew and Lieutenant Curtis Meyran succumbed to their injuries that day.  Firefighters Jeffrey Cool, Eugene Stolowski, and Brendan Cawley survived their jumps along with Lieutenant DiBernardo with massive physical injuries as well as haunting emotional trauma which remains to this day.

This morning an email from www.FirefighterCloseCalls.com (Home of the Secret List) is making its way to thousands of Brothers and Sisters, imploring all of us to take a few short moments to fully understand what has happened and who we have just lost.  Along with Chief Goldfeder and the others at Firefighter Close Calls, I want to make sure everyone gets this important message as we prepare to lay our Brother to rest tomorrow. 

Please ensure these videos are seen by all your companies, either at roll call, or shortly thereafter.  If you are on a volunteer department, please forward this information to all your contacts immediately.

For further enlightenment, utilize the NIOSH report and encourage discussion among your crews.  As usual, Command Safety lays out all the information you need to make the training useable, understandable, and accessible.

Here are the links:

Message from Firefighter Close Calls

Video about Brother Joey DiBernardo

Video about the Black Sunday Fire.

NIOSH Report

Command Safety’s Comprehensive Look at the Incident

God Bless you, Joey.  May he keep you in His tender care.

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Click here to listen to my ranr as I gave it on this week's Firefighter Netcast program

It’s been 10 years since the horror.  How are you remembering?

We see the networks ramp up their coverage of the tragedy with all the videos seen and various fire entities do their best to commemorate the lives of the three thousand taken that day- including 343 of our nation’s finest.

We’re remembering by hearing stories of individual lives lost and those left behind, by attending local tributes, by ringing bells, by running stairs, by wearing bracelets, by carrying photos around our necks and in our helmets, by wearing t-shirts admonishing us to “never forget,” by getting misty at the piper’s playing of Amazing Grace and the mournful notes of a bugler signaling Taps.

It’s the national response to an American tragedy with millions of Americans remembering/commemorating/memorializing- each in their own way.  It’s the way we do things.  We pause, we remember, and we move on.

Is it enough, Brother?  Hell no, it’s not.

Why are our Brothers and Sisters STILL waging a war to obtain benefits from the long-term effects of their heroic actions working “The Pile” in the hours, days, and weeks that followed?

The same government that told them- within days- that The Pile’s environment was “safe” to work in is STILL denying that the cancer ravaging their bodies is connected in any way.  Our Brothers and Sisters are being told that enough time hasn’t past to make that determination. 

How does this make you feel? 

The only reason I ask is that I’m not hearing much from any of you out there whenever these stories of how we are being treated bubble up to the surface.. 

This treatment of the “other heroes” of the days and weeks that followed the deaths of the 343 is ludicrous and they deserve much better than this.

This is pure crap and it pisses me off.  Where is your outrage?

Howabaout the unconscionable lack of progress made in one of the findings of the 9/11 commission wherein police and firefighters are STILL unable to communicate with each other when (not if) the next attack occurs?  Ten years later!

Again, How does this make you feel?  Again, I ask is that because I’m still hearing crickets as these stories get reported.

This is pure crap and it pisses me off.  Where is your outrage?

As we pause to remember the brave folks who gave their lives at The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and in Shanksville, please- don’t forget so many of the others who are still suffering today from working the pile, and those who will suffer in the future because we have –to date- STILL FAILED to do everything we can to help us meet the challenges from the next attack.

So, go ahead and buy the t-shirt.  Wear the bracelet.  Climb the stairs with or without gear.  Put the stickers on your truck bumper and make your helmets look cool.

But I dare you to be outraged and to do more.  Do what the fallen would want you to do.  Make yourself heard whenever you feel that they would want you to do so.

Don’t forget – NEVER FORGET- that the attacks on America and indeed- America’s fire service continue to this very day. 

Never forget that.

Stay stoked, my friends.

-J

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In just a few weeks, our country will “come together” to memorialize the thousands of Americans murdered ten years ago at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, including 343 brave and courageous firefighters.

I envision that at some point, we will all pause and bow our heads, say a prayer, and otherwise honor the memories of the bravery exemplified on that horrific day as hundreds of firefighters committed their lives to the rescue of those trapped in each of the twin towers.

Of course, we all know what happened.  The towers collapsed, and thousands lost their lives.  But many of the rescuers who survived the initial collapse needed rescuing themselves.  Amid acrid and unhealthy conditions, thousands took up that challenge, and stepped up to perform those rescues.

The toxic swirl that engulfed lower Manhattan after the attacks included known carcinogens. Many workers, relying upon government assurances that the air in lower Manhattan was safe, took few precautions or none whatsoever.

In the time since, many have been stricken by leukemia, thyroid, blood, brain and other cancers. Worker-advocacy groups, and doctors who have treated many first-responders, tie the cancers to exposure to the toxic dust and debris at the WTC site.

Questions on the air quality at Ground Zero were posed by rescuers almost immediately.  We urgently checked with our experts in the government, asking that, with all the lead, asbestos and other known carcinogens in “the pile” was it safe for anyone to be searching without adequate respiratory protection?

While we were smart enough to pose the question, were we dumb enough to believe the answer?

Many remember the smiling EPA Administrator looking directly into the camera to reassure the country as thousands continued their frantic searches.

“The concentrations of (asbestos and lead) are such that they don’t pose a health hazard.  We’re going to make sure everybody’s safe.”  -Christine Todd Whitman, Bush Administration EPA Administrator (2001-2003)

Today, the sad reality is that cancer has stricken hundreds of police, firefighters and volunteers who spent hours, days and months searching "the pile" at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan – first in a rescue mission after the Sept. 11 attacks, then as part of the recovery operation.

This week, despite this “anecdotal” evidence to the contrary, a review by NIOSH determined there exists too little scientific evidence linking cancer to time spent amid the dust and wreckage at Ground Zero.  Cited in the failure to link was “a lack of research.”

That means, for now, cancer victims do not qualify for compensation and treatment under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

Don’t worry, though.  More research will take place and, if the findings change, those sick and dying might be able to apply for benefits at that time.  The deadline will be September of 2013, unless new links are found.  Then the application deadline could be extended even further.

The message now to the sick and dying is “hang in there”.

After all, it’s only been ten years.  What’s the rush?

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Today’s Chicago Tribune includes a report by Trib reporter William Lee who draws our attention to the NIOSH report summary released earlier this month on the August 9^th death of Chicago firefighter/paramedic Christopher Wheatley.

You may recall that Chris fell 53 feet to his death while using a fire escape ladder in ascending to the roof of a four-story West Loop building.  He was wearing full turnout gear and carrying a 63- pound hand pump.

In a nutshell, the report summary says that, although Chris was directed to ascend to the roof via an aerial ladder, he instead opted to use the building's fire escape system. 

Second-guessing Chris’ actions and decisions in this case will not help us to understand why he chose this route to the roof.  We’ll never know, so let’s put that aside for a moment.

Rather, I found myself contemplating this thought:  Given the same circumstances, what would I have done? 

What would you have done?

Is it important to follow each fireground order to the letter, or should we have the latitude to act upon our instincts and experience to get the job done?

Take a look at the NIOSH summary report, it’s not that long and well worth your time.  Then ask yourself just how probable it would be that you may have done the same thing.  Next, discuss it with your crew.  How do they feel about this:

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To have a wife turn to you and look at you and say, “What the hell happened here?  Where the hell was his hood?  Who was in charge?  How would you guys let this happen to him?  Why him? What do I say to them?”

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Today marks one year since the fire that took Brian Carey's life. What better way to honor his memory than to learn from what happened that fateful evening.  Indulge me with a re-run of this Fire Daily post from a year ago.

Be sure to check out the details on this year's Fallen Axes Run

at http://rideforboo.org/2011/03/fallen-axes-run/

NIOSH Report 2010-10 is out, and it ain’t pretty.

Familiar? Yes.

Pretty? Pretty hard to swallow…again.

The report once again shines the tired spotlight upon familiar factors that continue to injure and kill firefighters despite our commitment to “never forget.”

But we are forgetting.

First, a short review of the findings made by NIOSH on this interior attack on a well-involved residence with the report of people trapped inside.

On March 30, 2010 The Homewood (IL) Fire Department arrived and found heavy fire conditions at the rear of the house and moderate smoke conditions elsewhere inside. A search crew immediately entered to rescue a civilian trapped in the rear of the house, and a handline crew quickly advanced a 2 ½ inch line into the front door.

From the report, a photo of the A-B corner showing conditions prior to the hostile fire event in which thick, black smoke can be scene billowing out the front door, A-side. Although difficult to see in this photo, the A-side picture windows are covered in soot. What can we determine is going on inside as two are searching and two are operating a hoseline?

Here’s a shot of smoke blowing out horizontally from the B-side window after just being broken out by the firefighter there. Smoke is now pumping out with more speed from the front door. What is going on “inside the box” where the hoseline and search crews are operating? Now are we at a point in which we’re just about to kill firefighters?

At this moment, interior crews observed thick black rolling (moving) smoke banked down to knee level. As ventilation was taking place, the search crew saw flames rolling over through the smoke near the ceiling.

Then it happened.

That which we now all see from the comfort of our laptops and computer monitors- that which we have seen coming for quite some time in this story- moreover that for which we have been trained constantly- a hostile fire event (in this case a flashover) occurs.

It was inevitable here, and it was deadly here.

According to the report, the search crew yelled to the hose crew to “get out” as they exited the building, then returned inside to rescue an injured hoseline firefighter. Once she was brought out, they returned in to find the victim firefighter trapped in his ruptured 2 ½” line with is SCBA facepiece removed. He was quickly removed and worked on the scene by paramedics before being transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

What can you do, reader, to keep this from happening the next time you find yourself on this type of incident, all too common for firefighters throughout the nation?

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Let’s see what NIOSH identified as factors which contributed to the death of one firefighter and the injury of another:

• Well involved fire with entrapped civilian upon arrival
• Incomplete 360 degree situational size-up
• Inadequate risk-versus-gain analysis
• Ineffective fire control tactics
• Failure to recognize, understand, and react to deteriorating conditions
• Uncoordinated ventilation and its effect on fire behavior
• Removal of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) facepiece
• Inadequate command, control, and accountability
• Insufficient staffing.

NIOSH RECOMMENDATIONS

From their investigation, NIOSH offers recommendations which can be extremely useful for any fire department member, officer, training officer, and command staff to get across to their organization before they respond to a similar incident. Here are their recommendations:

Recommendation #1: Fire departments should ensure that a complete 360 degree situational size-up is conducted on dwelling fires and others where it is physically possible and ensure that a risk versus-gain analysis and a survivability profile for trapped occupants is conducted prior to committing to interior fire fighting operations.

According to this report, a 360 was not done prior to the interior attack, and here’s what they would have seen in this photo shot from the C-side.

Recommendation #2: Fire departments should ensure that interior fire suppression crews attack the fire effectively to include appropriate fire flow for the given fire load and structure, use of fire streams, appropriate hose and nozzle selection, and adequate personnel to operate the hoseline.

The report looks at the handline selection of the interior crew, pointing out the relative maneuverability that an 1 ¾” line has over the deuce and a half used here.

“Fire fighters and officers need to understand that while a 2½-inch hoseline provides a greater flow, fire fighters need to be able to move the line quickly and efficiently interiorly, especially when performing a search and experiencing deteriorating fire conditions.”

Recommendation #3: Fire departments should ensure that fire fighters maintain crew integrity when operating on the fireground, especially when performing interior fire suppression activities.

The report describes a point where the hoseline team became separated. The 2010 IAFC ROE of Structural Firefighting states, “Go in together, stay together, come out together.”

Recommendation #4: Fire departments should ensure that fire fighters and officers have a sound understanding of fire behavior and the ability to recognize indicators of fire development and the potential for extreme fire behavior.

From the report: “The search and rescue crew (operating without the protection of a hoseline) were able to make a quick determination that the conditions within the house were imminent to flashover. They made an attempt to alert the victim and injured fire fighter/paramedic, but were too late.”

“If conditions are right for a flashover, there are only seconds to make a decision. Fire fighters will be met with a sudden increase in heat and rollover within the ceiling level. The injured fire fighter/paramedic was unaware that the conditions she was operating in deteriorated quickly. She remembers thick, black smoke pushing down to the floor while in the structure and then “the room and everything in it caught fire.”

“Prior to the flashover, windows on the B-side were vented and thick, black and heavily pressurized smoke billowed from these windows. The IC, and individuals working on the exterior, need to recognize this as a potential for extreme fire behavior and evacuate interior crews. Obtaining proper training and hands-on experience through the use of a flashover simulator may assist interior fire fighters in making sound decisions on when to evacuate a structure fire.”

Recommendation #5: Fire departments should ensure that incident commanders and fire fighters understand the influence of ventilation on fire behavior and effectively coordinate ventilation with suppression techniques to release smoke and heat.

Again, from the report: “During this incident, uncoordinated ventilation occurred while the hoseline and search and rescue crews were inside the house. The victim and other fire fighters, within the small house, were between the fire and the ventilation source. One fire fighter accounts heavy, turbulent, black smoke pushing from a window on the B-side after it was broken. Shortly after, the house sustained an apparent ventilation-induced flashover.”

Recommendation #6: Fire departments should ensure that fire fighters use their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and are trained in SCBA emergency procedures.

The victim firefighter was found with his facepiece removed. No conclusion has been drawn as to whether he removed it or whether it became dislodged from an exterior force. But the report emphasizes that firefighters be trained on those SCBA emergency procedures which have been shown to offer the best possible chance for survival.

Recommendation #7: Fire departments should ensure that adequate staffing is available to respond to emergency incidents.

See if you’ve heard this type of staffing report before:

“During this incident, the victim’s department responded with three personnel on the engine and two personnel on the ambulance, but the Still assignment also consisted of an engine, two ladder trucks, and a squad, with four fire personnel on each. It was routine to have an ambulance respond with an engine on a first due fire assignment. Due to short staffing, the ambulance personnel were tasked with fire suppression activities, thus taking them out-of-service as a medical unit.”

“Also, due to short staffing, the lieutenant/acting officer (IC) was required to ride and operate as the officer of E534. This removed him from his command response vehicle which would have allowed him to command at a tactical level versus having to potentially perform tasks.”

[Reader: Insert your emotional comment here]

Recommendation #8: Fire departments should ensure that staff for emergency medical services is available at all times during fireground operations.

During this incident, the victim and the injured fire fighter/paramedic responded in an ambulance. Upon their arrival to the scene, the IC immediately tasked them with interior operations due to staffing issues. The IC did not request an additional ambulance to respond to the scene for medical care until after the victim was down within the house. Additional resources (e.g., apparatus and personnel) arrived minutes after the ambulance’s arrival.

Recommendation #9: Fire departments and dispatch centers should ensure they are capable of communicating with each other without having to monitor multiple channels/frequencies on more than one radio.

During this incident, the IC had to monitor more than one radio and even had to go to the cab of his engine to accomplish this task. Having to monitor multiple radios and potentially take your eyes off the scene for a moment could be extremely detrimental to the management of the incident.

Recommendation #10: Fire departments should ensure that the incident commander, or designee, maintains close accountability for all personnel operating on the fireground.

During this incident, the accountability system was never set in place and a PAR was not conducted following the Mayday.

Recommendation #11: Fire departments should ensure that fire fighters wear a full array of turnout clothing and personal protective equipment appropriate for the assigned task while participating in fire suppression.

During this incident, the victim was discovered without a hood over his head or rolled down on his neck. NIOSH investigators could not determine whether this equipment was properly donned prior to the incident.

Recommendation #12: Fire departments should ensure that a separate incident safety officer, independent from the incident commander, is appointed at each structure fire.

Although there is no evidence that this recommendation, or certain others made above would have prevented this fatality, it is being provided as a reminder of a good safety practice.

Recommendation #13: Fire departments should ensure that all fire fighters are equipped with a means to communicate with fireground personnel before entering a structure fire.

During this incident, the victim did have a radio, but it was positioned in the back pocket of his station pants. Thus, when he donned his bunker pants, his radio became inaccessible during the incident.

Recommendation #14: The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) should consider developing more comprehensive training requirements for fire behavior to be required in NFPA 1001 Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications and NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications.

Here, here! Let’s not forget the basics: Building Construction and Fire Behavior! Check this out and compare it to your training records:

“According to documented training reviewed by NIOSH investigators, the victim, injured fire fighter/paramedic, and IC had a combined 24 hours of fire behavior training out of 5,654 total combined training hours. Additional fire behavior training to include such areas as theory, chemistry, physics, smoke reading, current research, and the cause and effects of tactics during fire suppression operations may improve fire fighter safety.”

24 HOURS BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM!

Again, I ask you, “How can the death of brother firefighter Brian Carey teach us that his life was not lost in vain?”

Again, I tell you: “Learn from what happened from that day. Then perform a long hard look at the way your organization operates, and utilize what you’ve learned here to make the changes necessary to ensure you and your brothers head home after the fire.

I can tell you that the news reports here in Chicago are all approaching this story from the standpoint that the fire department was "ill-prepared" in this case. Imagine how this sucks for this fire department, and each of the members that have to re-live the events of that night all over again- this time while being publicly undressed in the press.

Then empathize with them and ask yourself how you would feel- as a proud firefighter- if this had been your department?

Don’t allow yourself the superficial response of pointing your finger at this department. That won’t help now. Instead, turn the finger back toward yourself and create from this tragic story a positive learning experience and opportunity to improve your situation.

START TODAY!

Stay stoked!

-J

Be sure to check out the details on this year's Fallen Axes Run at http://rideforboo.org/2011/03/fallen-axes-run/

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photo by Capt. Willie Wines

This Thanksgiving weekend gave us the chance to reflect on all for which we are thankful.  Whether it be for the love of family, the camaraderie of friends, or any of the various blessings bestowed on us over time, the opportunity to pause and reflect is always welcome.

It also got me thinking about one special event for which I am grateful to have been involved.

Earlier this year, my partner Rhett Fleitz and I were honored to receive an invitation to participate in the activities at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s 2010 Memorial Weekend on the grounds of the National Fire Academy in beautiful Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Firefighter Netcast was asked to help begin to produce a collection of audio stories about the fallen firefighter heroes told by family members.  Led by the family escorts, many surviving spouses, parents, brothers, and sisters graciously offered very personal and highly emotional accounts to help us all come to know their loved one in a very intimate manner.  The stories will be made available at FireHero.org

One story that had an immense emotional impact came up right out of the box, in our first interview of the Weekend. Most of you will remember the tragic story of firefighter Steven “Peanut” Koeser who died less than a year ago when a trash container on fire exploded killing him and seriously injuring many others.

Kelly Walesh and her daughter, Lexus, shared a powerful story of the kindness and gentleness of Lexus’ daddy, a man who loved the fire service nearly as much as his family.  NFFF’s Dave Statter, a veteran  news reporter got us off to a start by doing the actual interview, but I had a chance to talk at length with both Kelly and Lexus immediately afterward and was blessed with a personal account of how “Peanut” affected their lives in the short time they all had together.

I felt truly blessed to have them share their stories.  If any of you readers have a young daughter, you’ll understand how it must have been to talk with young Lexus.  Hearing the memories from this sweet angel brought me directly into the emotional extremes of love and loss being remembered that weekend.

I’ve just received word that both Kelly and Lexus will be on CBS News Sunday Morning this weekend as part of a spotlight on volunteer firefighters. Please check it out to hear a little of what we heard in October, and be thankful that you are so loved by those around you.

God bless you both, Kelly and Lexus, as well as all the others who have suffered the indescribable loss of a firefighter lost in the line of duty.  We all stand with you.

photo by Glenn Udsen

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