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Slow down! We need to look at the clues and cues of what is happening around us. Is the room that we are operating in showing signs of an impending flashover? Is the temperature in the compartment that we are operating within increasing by the second? What information is the...

Working as a firefighter is a physically demanding job, taking our bodies to the limit. Personal protective equipment shields us from many hazards but it also limits our ability to move at times, reducing our range of motion and adds weight to our back, neck and knees.  Because...

In the fire service, we are well trained on the subject of Rapid Intervention and MAYDAY scenarios. We train on possible downed firefighter situations and how to extricate ourselves or our brothers. For the non-fire service reader let’s give a brief summation of a May Day...

When looking at the weather, especially in the job as a firefighter, it is often necessary to consider data on different scales.  For example, if one is trying to model the air-flow between buildings within a city, we’re talking small scale.  Eddies around buildings mix and they...

In part 3 we discussed the four areas that must be addressed when moving into a leadership position. Now that you have moved into the position, you have to step up and be the leader your team wants and needs. Firefighters need good leaders. It is now up to you to be that leader....

I used to think only women worried about their skin, especially when it came to dry hands.  Then over the last few years I have worked with some men who have told me they worry about it too. They even ask if there is any lotion they could use. They often complained that they have...

In our lives, we have all reached a point where we have felt the weight upon our shoulders is too much to bear. Maybe you are at such a point in your life right now?  The voice in your head is saying “If one more thing happens I will not be able to stand.” Each daily stress and...

There is no denying that any aspect of emergency services is stressful. Some responders may not recognize dispatchers as being part of the 911 link but in the dispatch community we are often referred to as “the first, first responder”. Many things differ about the...

The fire service is alive with discussion on fire behavior science and how it will affect firefighters. There are those that are encouraged by this and there are those that are refusing to even acknowledge the information before them. I am encouraged that there is debate because...

The Promise There are very few arguments to be made that exercising is not good for your health. Throw together some cardio, weight training, healthy eating and some consistency over a long period of time and you have a recipe for a long, healthy life. But as firefighters, there...