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How to Get the Most Out of Firefighter Lectures, Classroom Training, and Seminars If you’re like me, you’ve attended many firefighter lectures, classroom training’s, and seminars. I’ve had the privilege of training with many of the great leaders in the...

You’re the Incident Commander of your fire service career! Not the Fire Chief, the Battalion Chief, Captain, Lieutenant or anyone else. You are!  Depending on how your department is configured, those people in their positions can help, but you are the Incident Commander of your...

Fire departments are an integral part of the community we serve.  The majority of fire department-community relations occur in moments of crisis with departments responding to the fire or EMS call.  If fire departments are going to continue being relevant in the 21st century, we...

We have all heard stories about firefighters that have struggled early on in their career.  Some of these firefighters overcame their struggles to have successful and fulfilling careers. Others saw their careers extinguished faster than a vehicle fire. Regardless of the outcome,...

Becoming a Company Officer is not an easy task.  There are many things to learn and many things to do.  For this reason departments often require new officers to have a probationary period during which time they are evaluated by superiors.  If this period describes your...

When I became a Lieutenant I was immediately assigned a mentor to assist me during my probationary period, which has become a standard practice in our department.  My mentor was the Captain of the Training Division.  My mentor asked me to go to lunch one day, and during our...

In the fire service, a job that is often overlooked and under-appreciated is the fire inspection. Some departments are fortunate to have dedicated staff for this endeavor. Other departments combine staff and field personnel to make this happen. Regardless of the staffing...

The subject of diversity in the fire service is likely to bring a strong response depending on your perspective. It is still a topic that is difficult to discuss openly. However, it is my hope that we will do so. In doing so, we will embrace our brotherhood (notice the “her” in...

I remember when I first tried to get promoted to company officer in 2011. I studied hard. I knew the material. I knew how to study. At least, I thought I did. Needless to say, I didn’t get promoted. I remember the disappointment. I remember the embarrassment of failing. So from...