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As a fire academy instructor it is my job to help develop new training methods to teach to the set standards outlined by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep the training new and exciting, especially when teaching the very basics of...

This article is the third and final in a series of learning how to effectively manage a MAYDAY situation as seen from the Rapid Intervention Team. We have previously discussed Incident Commander and company officer responsibilities, now let’s move forward and talk about t...

In the last article we discussed Incident Command priorities and skills to effectively manage a MAYDAY event. Now I would like to focus on the tasks that the officer leading the Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC) should perform. As always please refer to your departments SOG’s...

Remain Calm & Composed First and foremost it’s imperative to remain calm. This is easier said than done especially since the firefighter is one of your own. Remember, if you start screaming and losing your bearing on the radio it will invite everyone else to do the same. Keep...

Building a Foundation For Success There have been a lot of discussions lately about all of the information and science towards firefighting. Fire service professionals, article writers, and web-sites are constantly reminding us of staying on top of our game in regards to strategy...

In the fire service there are a set of standards that we strive to achieve. Have you read them? We as fire officers should be very familiar with NFPA 1021, also known as the “Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications”. The intent of the standard is to...

The Japanese word of “Kaizen” can be defined simply as seeking continuous improvement. Let’s examine how we can improve upon our level of customer service. Modern demands and expectations of the citizen customers require that we do a better job of planning for the...

Beware! Watch out! Look around, this phenomenon is happening all around us all the time! Are we setting ourselves up for failure? How many times do we as officers allow this to happen? Curious as to what I’m talking about? It’s called “Normalization of...

The Knowledge is There but the Initiative is Gone! How as officers can we instill the knowledge and proficiency into our crews and create an environment where anything less will not be tolerated? One way is to be technically and tactically proficient. Making sure your crew works...

Congratulations you are now a newly promoted company officer! Now what? How are you going to set the tone of your company? Listed below is what I feel are of the biggest mistakes you can make to ensuring a fundamental breakdown of your crew. Setting Your People Up Towards Failure...