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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 John Mitchell on March 8, 2010 • 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 John Mitchell on March 2, 2010 • 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 John Mitchell on March 1, 2010 • Comments

Fire Daily’s Back Page- Are We On The Same Page?

“MAYDAY, MAYDAY!”

Did you get enough training so far this week?  Because you are a proud and professional firefighter, I already know your answer.  So allow me to offer some more.

Here’s a little something to think about:

Is everyone on the same page regarding MAYDAY’s on the Fireground?

Many departments have “talked” about MAYDAY’s, maybe even practiced one on that burn down in September, remember?  No, seriously, do you remember?

MAYDAY’s are like aircraft crashes- very rare but we’d better be ready to act decisively when they occur.  This is when you need to be at your peak performance.  It’s Showtime.

  • Have you put much thought into what you should do if confronted with a situation in which you need to initiate a MAYDAY?
  • Do you know what information to give on the radio?
  • Have you heard of the acronym LUNAR?  Quick- what does it stand for?
  • As you come to realize you are having the worse day of your life, will you able to verbalize that information succinctly and effectively?
  • How will the other members of your own company respond to a MAYDAY report from a company operating nearby?
  • Is some form personal accountability utilized on EVERY incident?

The time to answer these questions is now, BEFORE the crisis, so that your actions will be effective and REFLEXIVE.  Your ability to respond to this nightmarish event WILL make the difference between a successful outcome and a department funeral.

So What Should I Do?

Start with a thorough review your department’s SOP’s/SOG’s on initiating and reacting to a fireground MAYDAY. Sit down with your company and make sure that you understand what will be expected of you should a MAYDAY occur.

Sadly, there are still some departments out there without an SOP/SOG for MAYDAY’s.  If that’s your case, don’t let that stop you.  Step up.  Draft one up with your group and submit it to the proper people on your department.  Get the ball rolling.  It’s your ass on the line, too.

Practice verbalizing your own MAYDAY.  Actually performing this task will make it more AUTOMATIC for you when the feces hits the fan.  That’s where you want to be in your head- AUTOMATICALLY ACTING.

Review the responsibilities of each crew operating at your incident when a MAYDAY is called.  Do you drop everything and save the firefighter?  Ignoring the fire can kill your trapped comrades, as well as those who need to effect a rescue.

Bottom Line: Everyone on your department needs to be on the same page so that you act REFLEXIVELY and EFFICIENTLY together when a MAYDAY is called.

*     *     *     *     *

Watch this video from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation ‘Courage to be Safe Program’ of a MAYDAY in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It will get your juices flowing to make sure you are all on the same page

» The Mayday – “Are you ready?”
Kevin Sehlmeyer, Chief of Training, Grand Rapids Fire Department (MI)

Next Steps:

If you haven’t already done so, visit the Everyone Goes Home Website and take advantage of the Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives Resource Kit Volumes 1 – 4.  DVD’s 1, 2, and 3 offered for viewing on this page.

Then click here to request a copy of DVD #4 be sent to you free of charge.

Finally, share them with every firefighter you can.  Keep on training. Help spread the word.

Help get your team better prepared so that Everyone Goes Home.

Stay Stoked!

-J

-Send me a note on a MAYDAY in which you may have been involved.

Share your experience so that others may benefit.

Posted in Close Calls, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Training, Videos, training-fire-rescue-topics

Posted by John Mitchell on February 25, 2010 • Comments

Pre-FireGeezer Fire Geezers – 1943 FDNY Video

(Here’s a video that will even make Bill feel young)

From the YouTube description:

This All Hands building fire took place sometime during the fall or winter of 1943, and shows the Fire Patrol arriving on the scene and carrying tarps in to protect property.

The engine that took the hydrant first was perhaps an American LaFrance, made in the early 1920’s.

Note, the neat looking rig that the Fire Patrol was using.

The rest of the engines on the scene all appear to be Macks, some of which had open cabs while others had enclosed cabs.

Note the gasoline tanks were located behind the cabs.

On the enclosed cab engines you can see what looks like a Federal Sign and Signal Model l8 emergency warning light.

This video was complied and edited from movie film in the Stillman Fire Collection Archives. The original movie was silent. We added the sound track, and if you want to view it as it was taken then turn off your computer speakers.

Posted in Just For Fun, Tradition, Videos

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Posted by John Mitchell on February 22, 2010 • Comments

Chicago FD rescues two of their own in this awesome 1980 video

I ran across this video made in 1980.

Chicago Fire Department rescues two of their own the old-fashioned way-

climb on up and drag them out.

fire building 27th and Dearborn

Posted in Rescues, Videos

Posted by John Mitchell on February 20, 2010 • Comments

DC Snow Time-lapse Video: It’s like watching a marshmallow in a microwave

Even as we here in Chicago deal with the newest round of snow, we’re captivated by this short time-lapse video of snow falling last week in the D.C. area. Wonder if the microwave will explode when the next round of 1-2 feet hits this week!

Hang tough, my Mid-Atlantic friends!

Posted in Just For Fun, News, Videos

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Posted by John Mitchell on February 9, 2010 • Comments

Indoor Video of a Catastrophic Fire Event

I’ve read about and heard from a few firefighters who have told me that they were in a room which flashed.

The mere fact that they are able to relate such an experience is almost always a clear indication that a flashover did not occur.  Certainly some type of catastrophic fire event (CFE) took place, but in all likelihood, no one survives a flashover and lives to tell about it.

So what happened?

A trick question that always gets my students is:  Does it really matter what type of CFE it truly is?

The answer is hell yes!  Why?

If we want our crews to survive, we need to constantly be aware of the what’s going on inside the burning box we’re crawling through.  Different CFE’s give different clues as to what will be occurring next.  Recognizing these clues will make the difference between crawling out of the structure, or being carried out by your brothers.

In the spirit of training, here is a cool video (from fireman985 over at FireRescue1.com)  of a catastrophic fire event taken from five feet outside the door of the room.  Watch it closely as it develops, then make your guess as to what type of CFE it may be.

Above all, learn to recognize these clues and keep your brain engaged constantly next time you’re crawling through that burning box.


FlashoverTV is powered by FireRescue1.com

This is a flashover as viewed from 5 ft away from the doorway. The fire was allowed to continue on purpose to achieve the flashover. I captured the footage with my special camera. A secondary smoke explosion in the attic blew two sheets of tin off. I use the footage for training. Hope you can use it for instruction as well.- fireman985

“

Posted in Firefighting Operations, Training, Videos, training-fire-rescue-topics

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Posted by John Mitchell on February 3, 2010 • Comments

Sleight of Hand in Franklin Park, IL?

When performed by a well-practiced magician, a sleight-of-hand trick serves as an amazing piece of entertainment, wowing young and old alike.  The foundation, of course, is pure deception- tricking your eyes and ears and brain into believing something which truly isn’t.

You may recall last week a post from FireDaily called “Didn’t See This Coming…” in which we focused the light of day on the amazing turn of events in Milwaukee, WI.

In an effort to close a budget deficit, the City scrambled to slice and dice their public safety budgets by eliminating truck companies and instituting a daily plan of rolling brown-out closure of fire stations.

Amazingly within weeks, reports of the City scrambling once again- this time to hire new firefighters and paramedics as quickly as possible addressing the –wait for it- SURPRISING need for manpower required to fulfill their mission.

While there at least two or three sides to every story, we seem to have graduated into a culture of spin- in which an audience (the public, the taxpayer, you, me) is ripe for entertainment and easily fooled by anything said.  After all, if you heard it on the news, it must be true, right?

We have progressed into a society that no longer calls the truth the truth, or a lie a lie.  We are a people who have grown accustomed to “grey areas” in which one plus one can actually equal a submarine- if it can be expertly explained away before the next episode of Jersey Shore is on.

Remember when then-President Bill Clinton explained to us that what really mattered was what “the definition of the word is… is?”

Huh?

How about when Alaska’s investigation of “Trooper Gate” found that Sarah Palin had abused her powers as their Governor?  Out came the cape and wand, then the abracadabra: “”Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that.”

Huh?

Are we so numbed to the bull that we have come to accept whatever we hear?

Or worse- are we too lazy to demand accountability of those who tell us mistruths, misspeaks, ahem… lies?

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain!

Last night, a report on my local TV news station aired regarding the potential layoff of six firefighters from Franklin Park, IL, a community adjacent to the City of Chicago, O’Hare Airport, and an incredible amount of rail traffic carrying tons of hazardous materials daily throughout the village.

Now Franklin Park is not immune to the financial cesspool found all across the country.  Tough decisions have to be made, many unpopular.  It’s tough to be the guys who have to find a way through these difficult times.

But as we find ourselves increasingly amenable to having our budgets slashed in all areas- including public safety- we should not be led astray by the mal-truths, the mischaracterizations, the sleight-of-hand which is becoming the norm lately as well.

We need to throw the flag on the bull when we hear it.

In Franklin Park’s case, the plan is to eliminate six firefighter positions (on top of the five they had already lost) as well as dumping one of its two ambulances providing EMS coverage for a population of 19,000.

Get your flag-thowing hand ready…

Read this gem as reported by Paul Meincke of ABC7 News as published here.  It’s from Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pedersen who, when asked about the risk to public safety, offered up this little gem:

“I spoke with my chief and three commanders, and they indicate there’ll be the same response time. Every single one of the firemen are EMT qualified. So, they’ll be responding just as they are now with trucks and ambulances,” the mayor said.”

FLAG!

But wait.

Better pick up that flag and stuff it right back into your ass pocket.  Why?

Aha, didn’t catch it, did you?

Read it again.

Can what he is saying can be the full truth even when interpreted in each of these ways?

Without the layoffs, here’s the response scenario:

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

With the layoffs, here’s the response scenario:

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

In fact, if Franklin Park had only one firefighter/EMT, the response scenario still does not change!

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

What is your definition of “response time?”  See?

Abracadabra, Alacazam! Now you see it, now you don’t!

So How Do We Get Real Answers?

By asking real questions:

“If I dial 911, when will the first paramedic arrive at my door?”

“If I dial 911, will that paramedic have an ambulance with equipment?  If not, when will an ambulance arrive?”

“If I dial 911 and your ambulance is out on another call, when can I expect another ambulance to arrive at my door, you know, to replace Franklin Park’s second ambulance?”

“If my home catches fire and I need to be rescued in the middle of the night, will my chances be greater or lesser of making it out alive if you cut your manpower down by almost 25%?”

“If a train carrying six carloads of methylethylbadsnot derails in our gem of a city, or a tornado hop-scotches across our community this spring, is our emergency preparedness plan current and viable despite the changes in manpower levels you want to institute?”

“Am I more safe or less safe with less firefighters on duty?”

and an obvious question to see just how fast that whizzer can get spinning:

“How come I’m getting less but my taxes keep going up?”

Sleight of hand is more difficult to get by if you are paying attention.

This is what you’re up against, folks:

People who know they can spin their message to suit their needs

vs.

a public that won’t take the time to press the issue and get the hard truth.

Still itchin’ to throw that flag?

OK, me too.  Here’s a few opportunities:

In this, the second decade of the new millennium, we have video to capture what is said so we may compare it later to what is done.  Here are some of the examples from then-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen on March 2009 at a Special Meeting of the Franklin Park Firefighters Local 1526.

“…When you make that emergency preparedness plan, you’re going to put a formula in there for a minimum number of people to be available to handle that emergency. And if you don’t have that number in the contract, that there’s going to be a specific number of people, than the formula you’ve set up for your emergency preparedness plan isn’t worth very much money….I think we can do a better job, and I think with that emergency preparedness plan, you’d have to take a look at putting into the contract a specific number of people guaranteed.”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

“…One of the things that I think is important for the fire department is to bring it back up to full staffing. I know you’re short three people right now and I think that you deserve a full accompaniment on each one of your staffs. I think that we can do that by cutting down on litigation, I think we can cut down on the wasteful spending- 800 thousand dollars on ornamental concrete on Grand Avenue…”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

“…I don’t think we should reduce the number of stations we have… Should there be a contract that has a specific number of firefighters that are guaranteed and if the number goes below that min number should they be replenished? I think it’s important to maintain that minimum number with regard to the emergency preparedness issue…”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

* * * * *

If you want more information the current issue in Franklin Park, IL, you can find it at the Franklin Park Local 1526 website, including info on a rally scheduled for January 23.  The Village also has a website, but I couldn’t find anything on it about the upcoming vote, and the major changes that face the Village today.

Posted in Chicagoland, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing, Videos, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on January 19, 2010 • Comments

360 Burn Size Up of the Fire Web- 1/13/10

And the Winner is……….

Mark Glencourse, the creator of Medic999, emerged victorious in what ended up to be a neck-and-neck race to the finish for the Best Fire/EMS Blog of 2009.  Congratulations, Mark!

FireGeezer sure gave him a run for his money, as they each traded leads in the exciting final stretch.  But Mark had an entire Kingdom of loyal readers mobilized and they came through as the contest ended last night. He stayed up late (1:00 am UK time) to take the honor of becoming the first guest on the live premiere edition of FirefighterNetCast to accept his “award”.

Obvious to all but the most childish (;->), no one here wanted an Oscar or was hurt because they weren’t considered or didn’t win.

There are no trophies, but there is the sheer triumphant joy of “bragging rights”. Those that truly know the fire and EMS services can appreciate the value bragging rights bring.

On the NetCast, Mark spoke eloquently to the goal of the “contest”: a means by which to expand the awareness of so many excellent bloggers out there, whether in the contest or not.

He is “spot-on” (methinks is a favourite saying acrost the pond) with that viewpoint.   We really are fortunate to have so many high-quality bloggers sharing their thoughts, views, and perspectives.  If you have a few favorites which you regularly visit, be sure to take time to check out some of the other talent out there as well.

To those of us who lost and have the bitter taste of defeat today- I say- wash that taste away with a high-end lager and say what we always say here in in The Windy City (home of the Cubs): “Just wait ‘til next year!”

You can read Mark’s reaction to his win here.

Appreciation must go out to my buddy and partner Rhett Fleitz over at FireCritic for spending is valuable time, talent, and treasure in creating and hosting the contest.  If he wasn’t running the project, there is no doubt you would have seen FireCritic vying for the gold as well.

Also a quick shout-out to my Mom- Hi Mom, thanks for voting for me!  Yep, just you and 14 others!  No, it’s OK, I’m fine.  Again…

Congratulations again to Mark, as well as all the other fire and EMS bloggers.  Let the 2010 games begin now!

Helmet Cam and the Outside Vent Guy

Speaking of excellence in fire/EMS blogging, head on over to Traditions Training Blog and catch an excellent helmet-cam video of DC Firefighter Joe Brown as he performs the tasks as the “Outside Vent Guy”.  While viewing the video, Joe adds important training tips on laddering, opening up windows, gaining access, and vent-enter-search practices.  This is a must-see video for any firefighter that wants to be on top of his game as a truckie.

You may also want to check out Joe in yet another DC Fire helmet cam video of ”Outside Vent Guy” at my earlier post, “Be This Guy.”

We are so pleased to have Traditions Training Blog as one of our newest partners here on FireEMSblogs.  Traditions Training is composed of fire department veterans from around the country, including the Washington, D.C. metro area and City of New York. The mission of Traditions Training is to teach “beyond the book” and provide knowledge and skills that will enhance your safety, efficiency, and knowledge as a firefighter.  Be sure to bookmark them and stop in regularly!

Too Aggressive or Too Safety-Conscious?

One other member new to FireEMSblogs.com, but certainly a seasoned veteran fire chief and nationally-recognized fire service leader and educator, Christopher J. Naum joins us with his newest blog The Company Officer.

In a recent post entitled Company Fortitude & Courage to be Safety Conscious,  Chris tells us that “dynamic risks must be managed at the company level with a balanced approach of effective assessment, analysis and probability within company and command decision making that results in safety conscious strategies and tactics.”

Does your company have this level of courage, or is there room to evaluate your ability to recognize the situation and adjust the manner in which you accomplish your fireground tasks?  Let this blog plant a seed in your head as you embark out into the new year.

Content Was King!

A final thank you to all who listened and participated in the live premier of Firefighter NetCast Tuesday night.  Despite the technical glitches that seem to always be lurking in the shadows, Rhett and I were absolutely thrilled and honored to have the caliber of discussion and listener participation to make the show truly special.  Special thanks to our featured guest, Bill Carey over at Backstep Firefighter for his vast knowledge and continued focus on Line of Duty Deaths.

A live netcast brings special surprises, as we found out by calls from Chief Art Goodrich (Chief Reason Art) and Christopher Naum (see above).  The interaction between these three guests was simply extraordinary.  I believe this may have been the first time these gentlemen spoke together on one show, as well as relating to input from our listeners in the live chat room.  We are indeed proud to be a part of that.

If you missed it, you can link to the raw feed at our site (hurry, before I have a chance to splice and dice out the glitches!) and make it available on iTunes.

Our next NetCast will also be live, this time at 9pm ET on February 4.  The featured topic will be Old School vs. New School and Social Media.  All the information can be found here.  We hope you can join us!

*   *   *   *   *

Human Horror

As we watch the unimaginable human horror unfolding in Haiti where thousands have perished in the most intense earthquake there in 200 years, our hearts pour out to all those affected.  On a personal note, our family has an adopted child next door in the Dominican Republic and despite several attempts, we still aren’t able to determine her conditions.  Please pray for all of the victims.

We are so proud of the USAR teams and other specialized rescue workers from the United States who are either mobilizing now or are already on scene doing what they do best.

An earthquake survivor carries a small baby in a shanty town on the outskirts of Port au Prince, following a major earthquake in Haiti, Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Marek/American Red Cross, ho)

Posted in 360 Burn, Command & Leadership, Disasters, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, In the Line of Duty, LODD, Leadership, Line of Duty, NetCast, News, Tips and Tricks, Training, Training & Development, Videos, training-fire-rescue-topics

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Posted by John Mitchell on January 13, 2010 • Comments

Every Day- A Firefighter’s Life

Posted in Firefighters, Pub Ed, Videos

Posted by John Mitchell on January 10, 2010 • Comments

360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web 12/12/09

The New Haven 20 Finally Get Their Due

Amid blaring bagpipes, the crowd erupted with even louder cheers, whistles and shouts when firefighters entered a high school auditorium to receive their promotional badges after a 5-year legal battle that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court victory. Read more on the promotions of the group who became known as the New Haven 20 and the finish line they crossed yesterday in a contest that began back in 2003.

Berkshire County Loses National/Local Treasure

A five alarm fire marks the end of a historic and beloved building in the Massachusetts Berkshires this week.  The Egremont Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, having been around since before the American Revolution.  The three-story wood frame structure did not have a sprinkler system.  Of course, the cause has not yet been determined.  One firefighter suffered minor injuries. Read more from the Boston Globe here.

VIDEO:  When it becomes second nature, training can save your life.

Toronto firefighters on a residential second-floor interior attack forced to bailout a window and down a ladder.  See how each firefighter came down the ladder and file it away in your memory banks under training.  Also a great “Reading Smoke” video…


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Posted in 360 Burn, Administration & Leadership, Close Calls, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighters, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Training, Videos, training-fire-rescue-topics

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 12, 2009 • Comments

We wish you a Merry Walmart and a Happy Best Buy. Not so fast… Enter Kiva.

Here we go again. We’ve been seeing posts regarding Christmas and the policies involving the display of signs on public buildings.

Bah, Humbug.

My family and I don’t understand the conflict involving the passing of good wishes to everyone during the holiday season.  We have heard the arguments, understand the dilemma faced when religion meets government meets litigation.

Why have we become so “eager to be offended?”

While we’re talking about “whatever happened to Christmas,” you may have noticed I have been featuring some videos on the site that display how uber-capitalism and has replaced the celebration of humanity and spirituality during the season.  Instead of wishing each other a Merry Christmas, or a Happy Hanukah , or any other expression of peace and love, perhaps we outta just say “We wish you a Merry Walmart and a Happy Best Buy.” Here’s one of my fav’s:

Have we lost it?

We feel all of this is counter to what we believe is the true meaning of the holiday season- whether Christian, Jewish, Afican-American, Hindu, Muslim, Neptunian, Blogger, or whatever.  It’s not about being unyielding, inflexible,or even confrontational.

It’s about love for our fellow man.

Our family said enough is enough.  Since last Christmas, our family has pledged that we will be spending less on ourselves and giving more to others.  It’s a simple as that.

Well, not quite that simple.

My eight-year old daughter used to get dozens of presents for Christmas, and will have a tough time adapting to the sudden downturn of goodies headed her way under the tree this year.  But she will be learning what I think is a valuable lesson as she goes through her life.  I hope she takes away from this lesson a certain capacity for compassion for her fellow humans- something I think might be a key element in our idealistic view of the future of humanity.

Let me start by saying I don’t think that what we’re doing is necessarily the right thing to do, nor may it be right for any of you.  We are not evangelists, we aren’t putting our values up against yours, and we are not better than anyone else because of our decision.

I simply want to tell you about how our family decided to counter-steer a bit and try to head back toward what we believe is closer to the true meaning of the holiday season.  It’s just right for us, and it might be a something you wish to consider as well.

Donating time, talent, and treasure to religious and social organizations will continue.  But in addition to throwing dollars to the needy or sheckles in the kettles, we’ve discovered an innovative way to invest in the future of those less fortunate than us.

It’s called micro-financing.

Here’s how it works:

You take a Jackson and a fin and you give it to a micro-financing organization such as kiva.org.   They take your $25 and add it to a pool of other donations that gradually add up to a sum that constitutes an amount of money that has been applied for by a person in need.  You even get to peruse the applicants and decide for yourself who to help out.  It could be to buy a goat in Eastern Europe, beauty supplies to be sold in Senegal, or even a struggling business owner right here in the U.S..

But it is a loan.

So, after a certain period of time, your loan will be repaid!  Your original investment is available to you and you have the option of taking your money back or re-investing in another loan.  That same $25 can be used over and over and over again.

Of course, there is the chance you’ll never see your $25 again.  But catch this:  The default rate on these loans at Kiva is under 2%!

See, these people are so dedicated to their chance to dig themselves out of poverty that they treat their loans as a crucial part of their character.  In fact, if one loan recipient is having trouble paying back their loan, it’s not uncommon for other loan recipients to step in and assist them in order to keep the program running in high gear.

Here’s a short video describing Kiva; there are several others out there if you are interested.  Just search for kiva on youtube.com.

Instead of turning beggars into survivors, we can turn them into providers.  Instead of just feeding the poor a fish, or even teaching them to fish, we’re financing a local fishing entrepreneurship that can be built upon for many others benefit..

If you think this is something in which you might like to participate, it couldn’t be simpler.  Just go to Kiva.org and they walk you through the steps.  It takes all of 10-15 minutes and can make a huge difference.

Once you make your loan selection, you can tie it into one of many “groups”.  We’ve started a Kiva Fire EMS group It’s a good way to show how much firefighters and EMS workers care about their fellow man.

So whether you choose Kiva or any other micro-lending organization, we’re sure you’ll find it rewarding to feel the true meaning of the holiday season begin to reappear.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.

In the spirit of brotherhood,

-J

Posted in Brotherhood, In Da House, Videos, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 5, 2009 • Comments

Be This Guy

We’re reading today of the hullabaloo and goings-on down in Houston regarding the use of helmet cams.  It got me thinking of the helmet cam I saw last month on YouTube courtesy of 30Engine.com, the website of our brothers at District of Columbia Fire’s Engine 30 and 17 Truck.  It shows the actions of the truck’s tillerman, assigned as the outside vent guy.

As you watch it, notice how he sees what needs to be done, then does it.

Does this guy know his job?

Do you want this guy on your crew?

Better yet, are you like this guy?

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Be this guy, whether you’re on the truck, the engine, the box, whatever.

Know your job, recognize what’s going on, see what needs to be done, then do it.

Be this guy.

-J

Posted in Firefighting Operations, Training, Training & Development, Videos

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Posted by John Mitchell on October 27, 2009 • Comments

Fire Ravages Historic Mall in Estes Park

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has joined local authorities investigating one of the largest fires in over a half century in downtown Estes Park, CO.

According to the Estes Park Volunteer Fire Department Public Information Officer Sue Pinkham, fire was initially reported at 6:19am at the Park Theater Mall, at 116 East Elkhorn Ave. It took firefighters from several area departments until noon to gain control of the huge blaze which destroyed a major portion of the historic building.

“The good news is the fire department was able to protect the adjacent structures and save the Park Theatre, which is very historic,” Pinkham said. However, burned areas have not yet been deemed safe for shop owners to inspect their losses.

Thick, acrid smoke could be seen across the valley, and caused additional problems as it blanketed the downtown area, sending several to the hospital with respiratory complaints.

No firefighter injuries were reported. “The only fire-related injury was a woman with chest pains,” Pinkham said.

A video from the Estes Park News has some excellent footage of how the fire progressed from “smoke coming from the corners of the building” to a raging fire. The video shows what appears to be a flashover as firefighters conduct venting operations, as well as excellent footage to exercise “smoke reading” skills:


Posted in Fires, News, Videos

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Posted by John Mitchell on October 20, 2009 • Comments