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Firefighting Is Both A Job & A Lifestyle Being a firefighter/EMT is really more than just a job: it’s a lifestyle.  Whether you perform the duties as career or volunteer, it is a job and a lifestyle. We all have a job to do to protect life and property.  But before we...

Have you ever witnessed a firefighter who is superb on the fire ground but completely incapable of getting along with others at the fire house? This is a bigger problem than we realize. What is it that they are missing? Consider this: A doctor who is the most skilled in his...

Look At the Pictures Take a look at the pictures that accompany this article. Make it a long look. Let those pictures sink in. The Story My driver and I were standing about five feet from the rear bumper of this engine company when that driver plowed into us. I’ve heard bombs go...

Structural Collapse Call What kind of information can you give your dispatcher to make your structural collapse call run smoothly? First and foremost, remember the basics in communication we discussed in a prior article. Does your fire department or dispatch center have...

Beware of the Firefighter FIRE Extinguisher. I am not talking about the tool and I am not talking about putting out the fire that we are called to extinguish at emergencies. I am talking about the fire that burns in all of us who are called to this noble profession. God has place...

The Performance Review Many departments use some type of formal performance review and development (PRD) system as a part of their overall human resources program.  The typical PRD document includes line items that describe job duties for a specific position, and a rating system...

Why We Must Build Our In The Fire Station Leadership Skills 90% of our time and energy as fire officers happens away from the fire ground. – John Dixon Most of us fire officers spend the bulk of our training learning how to lead on the fire ground, yet most of their issues...

Disclosure There are numerous acronyms associated with teams designated for the rescue of a firefighter in distress.  It doesn’t matter if we call it RIT, RIC, or FAST, there are some tools that are essential to the team’s operations.  In this series, we are going to discuss five...

The Exercise Ball Over the past few weeks I’ve discussed why calorie/activity trackers, foam rollers, resistance tubes and yoga/stretching mats are excellent tools for firefighters. Today’s important health tool is an exercise ball. The exercise ball is another versatile,...

Webbing is one of the most important tools we can have as a firefighter with it’s limitless uses. The ingenuity firefighters have always amazes me especially when it comes to webbing. We are going to discuss  only 7 of the ways firefighters use webbing.  The most common...