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Watch CBS News Sunday Morning this weekend….

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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Posted in Brotherhood, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, LODD, NetCast, Never Forget, News

Tagged Dave Statter, firefighter lodd, firefighter netcast, John Mitchell, Kelly Walesh, Memrial Weekend, national fallen firefighters foundation, nfff, Rhett Fleitz, Steven Koeser, Steven “Peanut” Koeser, thanksgiving

Posted by John Mitchell on November 28, 2010 • No comments

Sending love. Literally.

I had originally planned to remain silent today, letting others share their thoughts on this special day. But as I began to peruse some of the rhetoric being shared by a few (thankfully) that still are filled with hatred and venom, I began to think about love vs. hate and the role it plays in my life.

The accelerating growth of Firefighter Netcast has brought me away from my family more this year than at any other time in recent memory. We have been in many different places in just a few short months. We have been fortunate and honored to meet some very interesting people, and have generated relationships that are sure to endure for years to come.

Being away from home has affected my youngest daughter as well. We have attempted to bridge the miles with video phone calls on a nightly basis, no matter where we are.

But I want to relate an interesting development that has come about in the relationship between us. We have come to recognize a very interesting way of “sending our love”.

This revelation came about during a phone call while I was away in Baltimore this summer. My daughter asked me if I had “felt an overwhelming sense of love” from her at about 9:00 that morning. I initially smiled and wanted to instantly respond with a “yes, of course I did, sweetheart.” But I paused, and tried to remember what I was doing at 9:00.

Astounded, I realized that I had been thinking about how far she had come in spite of the rough start she had when she was born. You see, she was born at only 25 weeks, critically ill from a fetal infection, certain to die if left in the uterus, almost as certain to perish if taken out so early. It was the most agonizing time of our lives.

I vividly recall watching helplessly, transfixed at the heroic efforts to intubate her tiny purple body and give her life. Lungs just dried paper-like sacs, not lubricated enough to expand. Staff traded places each taking a shot at tubing my little girl, then stepping aside to let the next person give it a go, shaking their heads at their failures. Seconds turned to minutes. It reminded me of some of the difficult tubes we encountered in the field.

Me and Lexi exchanging love, kangaroo-style.

But this was different. This was my little girl.

I prayed harder than I had ever prayed before. But beyond that, I felt a sensation, one which I will have difficulty describing here. At that moment, there rose a powerful and palpable physical sensation in my torso, as if I were transmitting emotion straight to my helpless newborn. Crazy at it sounds, I felt as if I were “sending love” in an unspoken, non-tactile method. It was the first time thus had ever happened, but I remember it as clear as day, and will never forget it. I never spoke of it to anyone then or since. But the feeling has been a part of my life regularly from that moment on.

Remember the news story out of Australia last week about a baby born at 27 weeks? After hospital staff tried to resuscitate the child for 20 minutes they gave the parents the heartbreaking news that their little boy had died. But his mother placed the baby on her chest (just as we did ours) and used the kangaroo method, which involves skin-to-skin contact between mother and child. She remained in that position for two hours and soon the infant’s gasps became more regular and, after a while, he opened his eyes.

Sent love?

Certainly, this all could have a very reasonable explanation. The feeling I experienced in the NICU may have been an intense physical reaction to fear; the feeling my daughter had at 9:00 could have been coincidental. But I am certain it was all real.

Why am I telling this to you? Because I want you to know that is is possible. I want you to consider that you can also “send love”.

Literally.

On the day in which we remember so many lost souls- brothers and sisters who gave their lives in the service to others- why not try open your hearts in a new and powerful way to send them love.

Concentrate on them.

Concentrate on their wives, their husbands, their mothers and fathers, their brothers, and their sisters.

Try to visualize their children, now nine years later, having grown up a bit more in the absence of their magnificent parent.

Then send them love.

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Posted in Never Forget

Tagged 9-11, 9/11, FDNY, firefighter, firefighter families, firefighter netcast, hate, hugs, kangaroo, love, september 11, september 11th

Posted by John Mitchell on September 11, 2010 • 5 comments

360 Burn Size Up of the Fire Webs 9/9/10

Ellen Kicklighter

Beat That!

Firefighters from the Macon- Bibb Fire Department competed in the Georgia State Firefighters Competition Events this past month in Savannah Georgia. This event was part of the Ga. Association of Firefighters/Georgia Fire Chief’s Association Joint Conference that is held in August each year.

43-year old firefighter Ellen Kicklighter won First Place in the “Individual Rapid Dress” becoming the first female firefighter ever to win this Georgia State Firefighters Joint Conference event.

It took Kicklighter just 38 seconds to gear up and pack up, after which she put on that huge smile. Congratulations, Ellen!

“What if” Questions Are Sooo 90’s.

With his article September Training Prompt, Cut the blue wire – No! the red wire!, my good friend Bill Carey over at Backstep Firefighter addresses the point that this isn’t your father’s fire service anymore.

Building construction changes result in changes in fire behavior.

New automotive technology change the way we approach what used to be a “typical extrication.”

Smells of home-cooked meals wafting through our neighborhoods have been replaced- literally- by the small of meth cooking in multiple homes in the same block.

While the fire service continues its role as a front line responder, the fact of the matter is front lines continue to change. Questions that used to begin with “What do we do if…” now start quite a bit differently- “What will we do when…”

Take the lesson Bill offers us and apply it to your own agency. Begin the process of preparing for the new challenges that we face by answering the nagging basic question that keeps popping up: “What will we do when….”

Free Firefighter Podcasts- Load Up Your iPod!

Art Goodrich interviews Rob Schnepp and Steve Pasquale. Producers Rhett Flietz and John Mitchell are also pictured.

Speaking of not your father’s fire service, how about “not your daddy’s fire service radio podcasts!” I invite you to check out the newest of Firefighter Netcast’s programming from the floor at Fire Rescue International in Chicago last month.

Special guest Steven Pasquale (Sean Garrity) from TV’s Rescue Me was interviewed by Art Goodrich, and the Netcast team created their first video netcast of that interview regarding the roll-out of cyano kits.

Additionally, Fire-Rescue magazine Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach hosted about a dozen high-quality interviews of nationally-recognized fire service leaders, fire chiefs, and keynote speakers on a wide range of timely topics important to firefighters, company officers, and fire chiefs across the nation.

Take a minute to check out the line-up over at Firefighter Netcast where you can download all of the past episodes. They are also available on iTunes.

Finally, please pause for a moment and pray for the swift recovery of a Bowie (Prince George’s County (MD) volunteer firefighter Patrick Ivey. Today, he will be undergoing the first of manu surgeries to his head for third degree burns he suffered when the helmet he had strapped on became dislodged by falling debris during an interior attack. He is in good spirits, let’s keep the vibe going…

Also, you may have heard about Forest Ranger Tech Don Lamb of the Kentucky Division of Forestry. While fighting a wildland fire yesterday, he was struck by a 10-foot burning log that had rolled off of a bluff down onto him. He was airlifted to the hospital unconscious from the blunt trauma and with blistering burns. Please keep your thoughts with him, his family, and friends as well.

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Posted in 360 Burn, Chicagoland, Firefighting Operations, In the Line of Duty, Just For Fun, NetCast, News

Tagged Art Goodrich, Backstep Firefighter, Bill Carey, bowie fire, cyano kits, don lamb, ellen kicklighter, female firefighter, fir podcast, fire rescue international, fire rescue magazine, fire service podcast, firefighter netcast, georgia association of firefighters, georgia fire chief's association, georgia state firefighters competition events, individual rapid dress, kentucky division of forestry, kentucky wildfire, macon-bibb, patrick ivey, rescue me, sean garrity, steven pasquale, Tim Sendelbach, what if

Posted by John Mitchell on September 9, 2010 • No comments

Just Say No

As you probably already know, an unprecedented meeting of the American fire service met in Tampa back in 2004. The Life Safety Task Force generated a list of 16 Life Safety Initiatives. I’m sure most of us had seen or heard them. But, if you are truly dedicated to saving your lives and the lives of those on your department and your crew, you will have come pretty damn close to memorizing them. Yes, they are that important.

I’d like to touch on one of those today. It is the fourth initiative, and it reads as follows: “All firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices.”

In preparation of our latest program over at Firefighter NetCast, I was exposed to the arguments both for and against the use of positive-pressure attack. Chief John Kriska, a proponent of PPA, was the featured guest for the program which can be found at our site http://FirefighterNetCast.com or over at iTunes under firefighter podcasts. I ran across what may well be the best video out there to demonstrate what happens when a PPV is set in a doorway and started before adequate thought is given to its potential effects.

I have accumulated a fair amount of training whether it has been in the classroom, at a controlled practical evolution, or on the fireground itself. I know you have too, because I’ve seen you there as well, learning new ways to perform tasks, honing skills you’ve already learned, and perhaps even sharing your knowledge with others.

Help me then if you will, to figure out why we continue to see examples of near-fatal consequences on the videos regularly making the rounds on the internet? Surely you know of a few of these head-shaking videos, and you may have seen this one as well.

This article is not meant to argue whether or not PPA/PPV should be used on your fireground. Rather, as you watch the video, count how many “trained firefighters” it takes to kill an interior crew. Take a peek:

As this video clearly shows, there are several on the fireground who seem to have forgotten some of the basic stuff we learned in our very first fire training classes: fire behavior. As a “trained firefighter”, can you read the smoke? Does it tell you what is happening inside this “box”? Has the fire vented? Will it? What’s going to happen when it does vent? Where do you want to be when this happens? Would you have done anything differently before crawling inside?

Of course!

Sitting here in front of your computer monitor, not many of you would miss the signs of an impending hostile fire event, would you? I wonder if the guys in this video would see the same signs if they were watching the video rather than performing the dance toward death. If they were “trained” they probably would have seen the problems. Why then, did no one speak up in a real situation?

I’ve seen it locally. Firefighters with decades of experience seem to forget some of the basics. Perhaps they take a shortcut, emboldened by the lack of disaster as their shortcut worked so many times before. These are trained professional firefighters, many of them friends I have known for years. They know better. Why, then do we do stupid things on the fireground?

Maybe it’s because we have gotten away with it before.

Maybe it’s because no one stopped us before.

Maybe it’s because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

But, maybe our luck will run out one day, as it does about every 80 hours here in America.

As a firefighter, do you feel you have the ability, indeed the responsibility to say “NO” to your company officer? As a company officer, do you feel you have the ability, indeed the responsibility, to say “NO” to your chief officer?

In this video, who should have said, “NO”? Everyone. Even the camera operator, if he/she were a “trained firefighter” should have the ability, indeed the responsibility, to keep our brothers and sisters from killing themselves, purely because we don’t feel it is our place to say “NO.”

Departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines must allow for “All firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices.”

But moreover, each member must realize that they are not only able -but as trained firefighters- also responsible to stop unsafe practices. We need to establish ownership of this responsibility.

If you or your department hasn’t made this paradigm shift, the time is yesterday. Take your own steps now to enact each of the 16 Life Safety Initiatives. Let each of us “trained professional firefighters” all work together to get the job done safely so we all go home at the end of the day.

Just say no.

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Posted in Administration & Leadership, Change, Command & Leadership, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighters, Firefighting Operations, NetCast, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos

Tagged 16 Initiatives, EGH, everyone goes home, firefighter fail, firefighter netcast, john kriska, Life Safety Task Force, national fallen firefighters foundation, nfff, sixteen initiatives, stupid firefighters

Posted by John Mitchell on August 26, 2010 • 1 comment

360 Burn Size Up of the Fire Webs for 8/20/2010

“Enjoying Vacation, Wish You Weren’t Here…”

From Backstep Firefighter, my friend David LeBlanc shares a story about the current woes being suffered over at the fire department in Lawrence, Massachusetts. As David writes, the Lawrence Fire Department finds itself faced with the challenges not unlike most every other department in the nation- doing more with less every day.

However, David relates, just as their mayor left on a Caribbean vacation, he made sure another 23 firefighters got slapped with pink slips on the way out the door. A shift of 13-15 is left scrambling to protect 80,000 with the only help available as mutual aid.

What do you think the aid companies have to say about that?

Read what happened after the sun-drenched mayor returned at the article here. Seriously, we can’t make this stuff up….

if it looks like ......

Philly Brown Stuff Bubbles to the Surface

FireGeezer pointed his spotlight upon an interesting video from Philly. They, too, are suffering from staffing cuts which are being addressed by the fix-all cure of rolling brownouts which began at the beginning of the month.

Early on in the video, former assistant city comptroller Brett Mandel spoke plainly about the logic of brownouts:

“If you’re going to say that a fire station is not needed for Thursday night, well then, why is it needed for Friday night? And if it’s not needed for Friday night, well maybe we don’t need that station.

On the other hand, if we need it for Friday night, why don’t we need it on Thursday night?”

The video ends with a contentious back and forth between the union president and the fire commissioner all played out on live TV. With more of these types of interviews bubbling their way to the surface, maybe the public will gain more of an understanding of just how politics affects their local fire service.

it sure takes balls...

Gubbamint Discounts

As we wade our way through the economic mess with no end in sight, and the newly empowered attack upon the pensions of public employees, are we still thinking about the way the public perceives us? What’s your take on these “fire department discounts?” If your guys have been on the receiving end of half-price dinner or free coffee, and you didn’t get the same discount, would you ask for it?

Would you demand it?

Captain Schmoe over at Report on Conditions gives his view here.

Another Blogger from Hilton Head Done Good!

Tom Bouthillet, Prehospital 12-lead ECG

Finally, a warm welcome to my friend Tom Bouthillet, a Fire Lieutenant / Paramedic with Hilton Head Island (SC) Fire & Rescue. Tom’s superb blog Prehospital 12-lead ECG is now up and running right here on FireEMSblogs.com, which should always be your first stop after FireDaily.com and FirefighterNetCast.com. Give him a peek!

He is the second blogger that “done good” from HHI, home of B/C Mick Mayers (Firehouse Zen).

Let’s hope Tom has better taste in hockey teams…

Stay stoked!

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Posted in 360 Burn, Administration & Leadership, Brotherhood, EMS Topics, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing, Tradition, WTF?

Tagged Backstep Firefighter, brett mandel, brownouts, Captain Schmoe, david leblanc, fire daily, fireemsblogs.com, firefighter netcast, firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, hilton head island fire & rescue, John Mitchell, lawrence massachusettes, layoffs, Mick Mayers, philadelphia fire, pound pound, prehospital 12-lead ECG, Report on Conditions, Staffing, tom bouthillet

Posted by John Mitchell on August 20, 2010 • 1 comment

Explore the poisons in what we commonly call “smoke”

www.FirefighterNetCast.com

On Thursday, July 29th, Firefighter Netcast Presents The Voice of Reason will welcome special guest Shawn Longerich, Executive Director for the Cyanide Poisoning Treatment Coalition (CPTC) and can be found on the world wide web at www.FireSmoke.org.

The mission of the CPTC is to “focus the required attention and resources on the issues, the CPTC aims to increase awareness about the risk of fire smoke cyanide exposure as it relates to Awareness, Prevention, Protection, Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment”.

Please join Art and his guest, Shawn Longerich on Firefighter NetCast at 9:00 pm EDT on Thursday, July 29th for a very special evening as we explore the poisons in what we commonly call “smoke”.

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Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, In the Line of Duty, NetCast, training-fire-rescue-topics

Tagged Art Goodrich, Chief Reason Art, CPTC, Cyanide Poisoning Treatment Coalition, Fire critic, fire daily, fire department web page, Fire Service, firefighter, firefighter netcast, FirefighterNetcast.com, John Mitchell, Live Netcast, Netcast, Podcast, Rhett Fleitz, Shawn Longerich

Posted by John Mitchell on July 28, 2010 • No comments

Thoughts and Prayers are Hollow Without Conviction

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, co-workers, and friends of Rocky Mount, Virginia Fire Chief Posey Dillon, who died today along with Firefighter William Daniel “Danny” Altice in a horrific traffic accident while responding to a house fire.

I’m following this tragedy from many sources, but I know my partner Rhett is all over it at VA FireNews. If the initial reports coming out of Rocky Mount are true, these two firefighters have died while not wearing their seat belts.

I’ll say it:

WTF.

We will never know if seat belts would have made a difference. Initial reports seem to say that a vehicle hit the apparatus. Nothing they could do, right? Plus, anytime any fire apparatus flips multiple times, the chances for survival are bleak.

But what are the chances for survival if the occupants are not belted?

As we all pause, yet again, to claim that our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters and their families, make a difference. Vow to never let your apparatus turn a wheel unless EVERYONE IS BELTED.

Whether you are the company officer, the driver, or riding backwards- never accept- for any reason- that the apparatus moves without everyone belted. Period.

Has your department attained 100% compliance with signing the International Seat Belt Pledge?

International Seat Belt Pledge

“I pledge to wear my seat belt whenever I am riding in a Fire Department vehicle. I further pledge to insure that all my brother and sister firefighters riding with me wear their seat belts. I am making this pledge willingly; to honor Brian Hunton my brother firefighter because wearing seat belts is the right thing to do.”

Last week at Firehouse Expo, I had the honor and priviledge to sit down and talk with Dr. Burton Clark, originator of the seat belt pledge. He is a man who has, for years, tirelessly been spreading the word for firefighters to buckle up.

We were recording an interview for Firefighter NetCast in which this wise man brought up a very valid point:

Wearing seat belts save firefighters lives, yet not all firefighters are wearing them. We can all make the decision to wear them. We can “decide”, as an entire group, to save lives.

This is different from deciding that heart attacks won’t kill us. This is different from deciding that walls won’t collapse, and stairways won’t fail. This is different from from deciding that flashovers and backdrafts and all the other hostile fire events won’t take us out.

We can’t decide on these. But we CAN DECIDE that failure to wear seat belts will no longer kill us.

I am sickened at the continued unnecessary gut-wrenching agony we all face as we begin the process to bury more brothers. Especially if it isn’t necessary.

As we watch the funerals, refuse to accept anything less than complete adherence to wearing belts. Commit to save ourselves from ourselves.

Put some oomph into your words concerning thoughts and prayers.

Click here for the link to the Seat Belt Pledge, and get your department 100% compliant.

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Posted in Firefighter Safety & Health, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, LODD, NetCast, Never Forget, News, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, WTF?

Tagged burt clark, danny altice, dr. burton clark, everyone goes home, firefighter, firefighter death, firefighter funeral, firefighter netcast, international seat belt pledge, John Mitchell, national fallen firefighters foundation, Never Forget, nfff, posey dillon, rocky mount, seat belt pledge, seat belts, william daniel altice

Posted by John Mitchell on July 27, 2010 • 3 comments

Firehouse Expo in Balty!

Hey all-

Leaving this AM for Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. If you’re in the neighborhood, look us up, we’ll be netcasting from the booth of Firegeezer and Dave Statter. It’s the perfect opportunity to latch onto the highly collectible Firegeezer mugs with the added bonus of Bill’s signature to make the mug a prized possession in your day room or anywhere else the mug may travel.

I also wanted to help spread the word about this fire service g uru who is the next one taking his wildly appealing written stuff to the next level- a live podcast in which you can participate.

It all happens live Wednesday night- or download it after the fact at iTunes. You can get all the links and details on his announcement here.

He is Christopher Naum, the newest member of our family. He joins Art Goodrich, Tiger Schmittendorf, Rhett Fleitz and yours truly as the Firefighter NetCast team.

Stay stoked out there, and hit me up for a beverage in Balty!

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Posted in Brotherhood, Command & Leadership, Firefighting Operations, Just For Fun, News

Tagged Art Goodrich, baltimore, Christopher Naum, CommandSafety.com, Dave Statter, FireCritic, FireDaily, firefighter netcast, firegeezer, Firegeezer mugs, Firehouse Expo, John Mitchell, pound pound, Rhett Fleitz, STATter911, Taking it to the Streets, Tiger Schmittendorf

Posted by John Mitchell on July 20, 2010 • 1 comment

Firefighter Storytellers Wednesday Night: “My dad was a Chief at the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire.”

Like many other firefighters, Tim Sendelbach’s roots in the fire service started with his dad.

A fire chief in his hometown of Wilder, Kentucky, Tim’s dad was one of the many firefighters who responded to the horrific Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire on Memorial Day weekend in 1977.

You may recall it is the third deadliest night club fire in U.S. history, claiming 165 lives and injuring 200 more.

Now the editor-in-chief at FireRescue Magazine, Tim will share his unique perspective on this historic fire live this Wednesday night at 9pm ET on “Firefighter Storytellers”

Don’t miss this great opportunity to call in to talk with Tiger and Tim, hang out in the chat room, or just listen in live Wednesday night at 9pm ET as Firefighter NetCast brings you another engrossing edition of “Firefighter Storytellers” hosted by Tiger Schmittendorf.

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Posted in Disasters, Fires, Major Incidents, NetCast, Videos

Tagged Beverly Hills Supper Club, firefighter netcast, Firefighter Storytellers, FireRescue Magazine, John Mitchell, night club fire, Rhett Fleitz, RTTC, run to the curb, Tiger Schmittendorf, Tim Sendelbach, Wilder Kentucky

Posted by John Mitchell on July 12, 2010 • No comments

Wingnut of the Week: Homeowner Says Firefighter’s Gear Set Off Explosion That Severely Burned Them

Today, I’m editing the most recent program from Firefighter NetCast which aired live Tuesday night, July 6, 2010. It was the Happy Hour with guest host Justin Schorr, a San Francisco firefighter/paramedic, and well-known blogger otherwise known as The Happy Medic. Many thanks to Justin, a natural for guest-hosting our podcast. We hope to have him back soon!

After eliminating about a thousand “uhhh’s” made by yours truly, and only about 8-9 minutes in, Justin has brought up the story of four Sacramento firefighters who were investigating an indoor natural gas leak at a home on Monday when the home suddenly exploded. The firefighters inside were all burned about the head, face, and arms from the blast, but all miraculously survived.

Here is a KCRA.com video from a press conference held earlier this week that gives quite a bit more detail into the incident and the investigation that continues, including a look at the conditions of the firefighters.

I did a quick follow-up on the story and became outraged when I saw the newest headline from the KCRA.com website where the original story broke on Tuesday.

It is here I found Fire Daily’s Wingnut of the Week.

According to that report, as our four brothers are just starting the recovery process from their extensive injuries, the homeowner named Chris Liu, sat in his car in front of what was left of the home, still dressed in his American Airlines pilots uniform last Tuesday and told investigators he suspected the firefighters caused the explosion.

Whoa. The firefighters blew themselves up?

He declined to be interviewed on camera, but from his car, the airline pilot reportedly speculated that the act of forcing entry into his home sparked the gas fumes. You know- the sparks and stuff that come off wood.

Or, he continued, maybe it was the static electricity in their clothing.

Yeah, that’s the ticket. Why don’t you investigators take a look at the static electricity theory.

Nice, Captain Liu.

Howabout we leave the flap settings, ILS intercepts, and all that other cockpitting crap to you, and let us do the firefighting and the associated investigation into an incident that nearly killed four of us.

By the way Captain, the professionals investigating the incident have already recovered evidence- “physical evidence” nonetheless- that indicates the incident was a deliberate act. You know, like the kind of criminal act that could potentially murder innocent people including your public servants, leaving their families forever crushed by the selfish act of one motivated to such evil.

According to acting Sacramento Fire Chief Lloyd Ogam, the evidence found by investigators would not normally be in a vacant home. Someone must have put it there, huh?

Maybe it was the combination of physical evidence AND the static electricity of the firemen’s clothing.

KCRA.com also reports that Captain Liu (airline pilot, not fire captain or fire investigator captain) was “upset” that his wife had been questioned by investigators as to her knowledge of the incident.

So sorry to upset you, Captain Liu.

Although I was never taught the glideslope of a Airbus A320 on a crosswind landing at Albuquerque, my extensive training and experience as a long-time fire investigator teaches me that the questioning of your wife is a normal and necessary component of a comprehensive investigation into any fire incident, especially in what now looks to be a criminal act with near fatal consequences.

In fact, along with all parties that had an interest in the property, get ready to be asked the same questions, Mr. Liu. The gall of those investigators!

When you’re done Sherlocking the cause and origin of the incident, why not change out of your pilot’s uniform and pop on over to the UC-Davis burn unit to check how the brave firefighters and their wives and children are getting along during this horrifying ordeal at the vacant home you are fixing up? You know, the quarter of a million dollar home you reportedly bought last year for 38 grand after it foreclosed last summer.

Static electricity? Maybe.

Something else? Maybe.

See how premature and unfair it would be to come to a conclusion on this investigation, Captain Liu? Now, many of us brothers and sisters are interested more than ever in the outcome of this one.

So settle back, relax and have a nice flight Captain Chris Liu. You’ve earned your wings, sir.

Fire Daily’s Wingnut of the Week.

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Posted in Close Calls, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, NetCast, WTF?

Tagged Chris Liu, fire chief lloyd ogan, firefighter netcast, Happy Hour, Happy Medic, John Mitchell, Justin Schorr, KCRA.com, Rhett Fleitz, Sacramento fire department, Wingnut, wingnut of the week

Posted by John Mitchell on July 8, 2010 • 3 comments

360 Burn Size Up of the Fire Webs

It’s been awhile since my last post, so shame on me. However you, the blog reader, has had no shortage of extremely interesting content from all the real bloggers out there. I’ve been reading right along with you, and am amazed daily with all that is out there for us firefighters and emergency responders. So I’m back today and already have another few ready to go. It happens like this- sometimes articles come spewing out like ash from an Icelandic volcano. So, without further ado, here’s my newest 360 Burn Size-Up of the Fire Webs:

The Voice of Reason

Let’s start off with the main reason Fire Daily has been squelched recently. In addition to the new demands at home, Rhett Fleitz (FireCritic) and I have been busy contending with the incredible growth over at our collaboration, Firefighter NetCast. The feedback and download activity has exceeded our wildest imagination of where we would be mere months after show number 1.

As Firefighter NetCast moves forward, you will notice an exciting change. We will be offering new programming with well-known hosts, each with their own show, their own opinions, their own takes on the fire service, and their individual offerings that make Firefighter NetCast the best place to catch timely and meaningful internet programming for firefighters. Stay tuned as we begin to roll out several new shows already in production. We’ll be announcing their premiers very shortly!

Monday night, we introduced the newest member of our Firefighter NetCast family- Art Goodrich (ChiefReasonArt). Suffice it to say that this crusty old guy has been around for quite awhile and isn’t afraid to share his opinions and his take on what’s happening in the fire service.

But, here’s what makes Art so special: Although you may not always agree with what he says, you will always be treated with the respect you deserve as a fellow firefighter. Art demonstrates to all of us the “Art” of meaningful dialogue without the trash of disrespect which we see all too often. It is a valuable lesson to us in this day and age.

He calls it “The Voice of Reason”, and you can find it here, as well as on iTunes later today. Seriously, this was a great show with many more to come!

The Weekly Weasel

If you are as interested in the leadership aspect of the fire service as I, you probably have already seen Mick Mayer’s new feature over at Firehouse Zen called “The Weekly Weasel.” He encourages his readers to submit stories of firefighters unencumbered by leadership skills. Know of any? Not a very rare breed, unfortunately.

Anyway, he starts us off with his take on the type of leader best personified by Staff Sgt, Webster from Heartbreak Ridge. He goes on to offer suggestions on how to deal with this narcissistic megalomaniac. Entertaining and educational. Vintage Firehouse Zen.

Want to know what $40,000 of fire related damage looks like in a sprinklered apartment?

Finally, Captain Schmoe over at Report on Conditions shows us how a simple grease fire in a sink can cost forty large in restoration repairs when it is extinguished by residential sprinklers. The pictures tell the story.

Anti-sprinklers? Hardly. But like he says, maybe we all have the wrong side job…

Stay stoked!

-J

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Posted in 360 Burn, Command & Leadership, NetCast, News, Training, Training & Development

Tagged Art Goodrich, Captain Schmoe, fire sprinklers, firefighter netcast, Firehouse Zen, heartbreak ridge, John Mitchell, Mick Mayers, Report on Conditions, Rhett Fleitz, sgt. webster, the voice of reason, weekly weasel

Posted by John Mitchell on May 19, 2010 • No comments

Fully Engulfed Meteor: You Make the Call

Last night, while I was working on finalizing plans for our Firefighter Netcasts at FDIC next week, a strange even occurred. The evening sky lit up from what is claimed to have been a meteor about the size of a soccer ball headed straight for the area of Lone Rock (oh, the irony) in southwest Wisconsin.

Here is a police cruiser’s dashcam video

From Pat Curry at WGN News:

Over in Avoca, 55 miles due west of Madison, where rumors of treetop fires spread, volunteer Adam Lins said he didn’t hear of any such fires. But he did see the blazing fiery object overhead while his wife and he drove home from a meeting.

“It started out small, then got bigger and bigger,” Lins said. “It was going from northwest to southeast and looked like it was headed somewhere around Highland or Lone Rock, about 8 miles away. It was going very fast. My wife saw it better than I though.”

And then something happened, Lins said.

“We stopped to talk to people in the street. About a minute afterward we heard what sounded like a sonic boom. You could feel it.”

My thoughts turned to those of the poor company officer, who, when dispatched to a call of a fully-engulfed meteor fire, would begin pre-planning his attack.

Does your department have a SOP/SOG on mitigating this event? Go ahead, look.

If none exists, then you are in luck. If you are a firefighter looking for a bugle, or a bugle looking for a band, here’s golden opportunity to prove you are a self-starter, a problem solver, a go-getter.

Prepare a draft SOP/SOG for meteor fires (you may also want to include asteroids, depending on what they made you for dinner that night). Specifically, you may wish to address the following points:

What level of response should be assigned?

What size line should be used?

Is this a HazMat incident?

Are there any government agencies that should be notified?

Should we wake up the Chief?

Submit your suggestions in the comments section below.

Today is the beginning of the rest of your career!

Or not.

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Posted in Chicagoland, Close Calls, Firefighting Operations, Just For Fun, NetCast, News

Tagged firefighter netcast, firefighter promotion, Greg Friese, meteor, meteor shower, SOG, Wisconsin

Posted by John Mitchell on April 15, 2010 • 4 comments

THE PLACE TO BE- Friday night at FDIC.

Going to FDIC at Indy? Excellent!

Like beer? Wine? Soda (south) Pop (north)? Appetizers?

I Thought so.

So where’s THE place to be when you’re at Indy on Friday night, April 23rd?

Join with hundreds of thousands (or so) of your brothers and sisters at the famous Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery just blocks away from the Convention Center at 10 West Washington.

This party promises to be one of the largest “Meet-Up’s” to date. It offers tremendous opportunities to network with your favorite Fire & EMS bloggers from the FireEMSBlogs.com community like Statter and Tiger, Chief Reason, oh my!

Also indulging right next to you will be contributors to FireRescue Magazine. Members of our FirefighterNation.com family and many of our Facebook fans will be bumping our elbows, so don’t spill your drinks while laughing at their hilarious stories. Get all the event details here.

Become my Facebook Friend here, become my FirefighterNation friend here.

What? You want to buy me a drink, too? Sure!

I’ll do you one better and give YOU a free drink ticket. After all, I don’t want you to shake my hand unless your holding a beverage in the other! After you listen to me long enough, you’ll need a another drink…

So, stop by any of the booths listed below to latch onto one of a limited number of free drink tickets to get you started! The Meet-up is sponsored by our friends at:

FireRescue Magazine, FirefighterNation.com and FireEMSBlogs.com: Booth #3755
Black Diamond: Booth # 410
Black Helmet Apparel: Booth # 138

By the way, those two trailblazers over at Firefighter Netcast will be podcasting live from booth 3755 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, thanks to the generosity of the folks over at FireRescue Magazine, FirefighterNation.com, and FireEMSBlogs.com

Stop over and say hi and pick up a drink ticket from them. You might even get them to sign their brand new mug for you (ala FireGeezer muggage)

After the great experience in Baltimore last month, I am really exited about this bigger and better upcoming meet-up and looking forward to pressing the flesh with as many of you as possible.

I hope you can make it!

Buy me a drink. You’ll need it.

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Posted in Firefighters, In Da House, Just For Fun, NetCast, News, Tradition

Tagged Black Diamond, Black Helmet, FDIC, fireemsblogs, firefighter netcast, FirefighterNation, FireRescue Magazine, Indianapolis, Indy, Meetup, tea party

Posted by John Mitchell on April 6, 2010 • 6 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

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

Tagged chester kopco, company officer, father cabbage, fire rescue tv, fire service leadership, firefighter netcast, FirehouseZen, John Mitchell, martin grube, Mick Mayers, pole dancer

Posted by John Mitchell on March 2, 2010 • 2 comments

DeKalb County- four sides to every story

I’ve always said there’s three sides to every story: one side vs. the other- then somewhere in the nebulous mix, the truth is rooted. Three sides.

I’m going to modify my adage now following further revelations concerning the storm clouds engulfing the DeKalb County GA fire department.

You may recall the tragedy in Dunwoody on January 24, 2010 in which Ann Bartlett, 74, died when a fire swept through her home after firefighters responded to her early morning emergency call and left when they couldn’t find a blaze. Five hours later, they responded to a second 911 call from neighbors and found the home fully engulfed. Her body was found in the home’s remains after the fire was extinguished.

Less than a week later, acting officer William J. Greene, Capt. Tony L. Motes and Battalion Chiefs Lesley Clark and Bennie J. Paige were fired for “neglect of duty” following an investigation into fire response time in the Jan. 24 fire. A little over a week after that, Fire Chief David Foster resigned

Before it was all over, a total of five firefighters and their leader- gone.

Hmmm.

The incident was the focal point of a lively discussion featured on Firefighter NetCast this month. A similar refrain was heard during those discussions: “This is too bizarre, there has to be more to the story that we haven’t heard.”

Hence, the fourth side of the story: that which we don’t know.

As the days and weeks progressed, little bits of information have bubbled to the surface. Fourth sides.

Two of the four officers initially fired are looking to be reinstated. They say they were fired for violating a department guideline in that they failed to establish command during the initial response. They claim they could not establish command because they had no scene yet.

Now a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting another fourth side to the story. A. Lee Parks, the lawyer for former fire chief David Foster, claims the resignation was retaliatory.

“It was not voluntary”, Parks said.

And if any of us fell into the trap that he was resigned due to the Dunwoody fire, we may need to pull ourselves up and out of that conclusion.

It seems that other dark storm clouds had been gathering before the cloudburst at Dunwoody.

According to DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, the chief and county administrators have been talking for several months about a number of problems in the fire department. Ellis declined to identify those issues, saying they are now the subject of an internal investigation by the county’s human resources office.

Ellis confirmed that one of those issues was the Dunwoody fire.

“I had some concerns about his handling of things and the aftermath,” Ellis said. “It wasn’t the sole factor.”

Another factor may be that the chief had filed a discrimination claim two weeks before he was resigned.

As these new developments emerge, more questions are raised, including:

Why was the chief resigned?

Were the four other officers who lost their jobs and careers pulled into the developing rift between Ellis and Foster?

Is there any culpability in how the call was handled by the dispatchers?

And, I still maintain there HAS TO BE MORE to why the responding crews were unable to locate a burning building called in by its terrified occupant!

Maybe these fourth sides of the story will continue to surface. Until then, best to hold off on your conclusions!

Stay stoked!

-J

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

Tagged A. Lee Parks, Burrell Ellis, David Foster, De Kalb County, Dunwoody, firefighter netcast, firefighters fired

Posted by John Mitchell on February 18, 2010 • No comments

What The Hell Were They Thinking?

Head on over to Backstep Firefighter and watch this interesting video from 1982.

After watching the video, editor Bill Carey suggests some thoughts to contemplate as he begins his focus on “whether or not various safety initiatives and programs have developed a culture of digital safety officers and keyboard battalion chiefs.”

Like it or not, tomorrow’s technology is here. In fact, next year’s technology will be here within months. Such advances in the internet and social media continue to have profound effects on each of our departments and agencies (think back to all the “what the hell were they thinking?” YouTube videos as examples).

Bill also steers us to the last Firefighter Netcast which featured the topic of old-school vs. new school firefighting and the effects of social media and the internet. You can link to that program here, or download the podcast for later listening over at iTunes.

So are we ready to handle all this technology?

When we see firefighters making mistakes on a video, the unfortunate yet inherent desire to criticize others combined with the immediacy and worldwide distribution that new technology offers often results in departments shying away from such exposure.

Yet, the same technologies that scare some away presents unparalleled opportunities for all of us to learn. And the curiosity to continue learning is exactly what makes you a smarter, more professional firefighter (as opposed to the comfy-yet-surprised 4-year veteran I posted on earlier).

My hope is that we all reach a certain level of new-age maturity, where knee-jerk criticisms can be throttled so that departments increasingly share the wealth of what they have learned from their mistakes.

Because the reality is simple: with today’s technology, far away is now in your day room, and tomorrow is here yesterday.

Stay Stoked!

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Posted in Change, NetCast, Technology & Communications, Training & Development

Tagged Backtep Firefighter, Bill Carey, fire department technology, firefighter netcast, YouTube

Posted by John Mitchell on February 11, 2010 • No 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)

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

Tagged 999medic, Art Goodrich, Backstep Firefighter, Bill Carey, Chief Reason Art, Chris Naum, DC Fire, FireCritic, firefighter netcast, firegeezer, Haiti earthquake, Haitian earthquake, helmet cam, Joe Brown, Line of Duty Deaths, LODD, Mark Glencourse, Medic999, outside vent guy, Rhett Fleitz, The Company Officer, Traditions Training, USAR

Posted by John Mitchell on January 13, 2010 • No comments

If You Had Something Valuable, Would You Share It With Your Crew? You Do! And You Should!

SHARE THE WEALTH!

Yesterday, I ran a post focusing on quick, simple, and innovative tailboard training sessions. Those of us who see the length and breadth of all four seasons, including the frosty bite of Old Man Winter, have come up with a few great ideas to train on a small scale- say a company of 3- inside on your bay floor. I asked if you might want to SHARE THE WEALTH with the rest of us looking to become better at what we do.

The results are quite impressive. Dozens of ideas have flooded in already, and not one is a repeat of another. You can submit your drill suggestions simply by commenting on this post, or by emailing me at blog@firedaily.com. Keep them coming, we’ll be sharing them all shortly.

We can’t speak about SHARING THE WEALTH without again giving a shout-out to our friends at VentEnterSearch.com. I have yet to find a better site devoted to forcible entry and rescue techniques. Specifically, they feature a page called Tips From the Bucket of submissions from their readers sharing their wealth. If you have a moment, page through their site- you’ll find them quite interesting!

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite Fire EMS Blog of the Year 2009. You can vote every six hours until the polls close January 12 at 17:59 hrs ET. The winner will be announced on the live premiere episode of the Firefighter NetCast Tuesday night at 8pm ET. Check out the Firefighter NetCast website for all the details and links.

* * * * *

Many of you have changed shifts this new year.

Perhaps you are working for a new company officer or B/C. The fire service is a dynamic, ever-changing experience. Whether you feel you’ve made a move for the better or otherwise, look to your new changes as a perfect opportunity.

You now have an opportunity to learn from a new cache of individual knowledge from your new partners, or offer your own bits of wisdom to them. In either case, your opportunity to SHARE THE WEALTH results in a team that becomes better prepared to meet the challenges we all face in the coming year. It sounds cliché, but if you strive for professionalism, you’ll probably get there sooner than you think!

Again, keep the suggestions for tailboard training drills coming, and stay warm out there!

Stay Stoked!

-J

Firefighter NetCast Premieres Live Tuesday, January 12 at 8pm ET

Click the logo above for more info

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Posted in Brotherhood, In Da House, Tips and Tricks, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics

Tagged Fire EMS Blog of the Year 2009, firefighter drills, firefighter netcast, tailboard training, VentEnterSearch, winter training