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I cannot help but think I am in the twilight zone! For whatever reasons, I continue to see with my own eyes apparatus positioned on incidents along highways in positions that exposes the crew to fatal collisions with drivers that cannot, won’t or just plain don’t care about...

In previous articles we talked about the truck company as a team and the role and responsibility of the truck driver/operator. In this segment I want to touch on the subject of just where we put that large toolbox on wheels when we arrive. The Thought Process Many, many people...

Welcome back to the final part of our discussion on the quint.  In Part 1 we discussed the background of the quint and some of the thoughts a department must examine when purchasing this piece of equipment. In Part 2 we will wrap everything up by discussing the compartments and...

Modern fire apparatus comes in all shapes and sizes. From mini-pumpers that fit into parking garages to rescue’s that seem to stretch for a city block, one can let their imagination run wild when its time to spec out a new piece of apparatus. Often overlooked as an optio...

Just What Should They Be Doing? We often hear of the truck officer as a “supervisor” of the truck team. I have come to learn that this position requires far more than an ability to supervise or direct firefighters. They are a link in the chain, an integral part of the team, and...

In my previous article we touched on the importance of positioning the ladder truck. In this article we will explore more of the foundation for optimizing your position. One important key to any truck company is knowing your district. I cannot overstate the importance of this...

In previous articles we talked about the truck company as a team and the role and responsibility of the truck  driver/operator. In this segment I want to touch on the subject of just where we put that large toolbox on wheels when we arrive. The Truck Driver Many, many people have...

In order to have the best chance to save someone’s life firefighters must be prepared to conduct aggressive search and rescue at the scene of a fire. In order for a search to have any real value it must be performed early in the incident. Any delay will reduce the chances...

The role and responsibly associated with the job of ladder truck driver/operator or engineer or chauffeur or whatever you call it, is one of the most important in the fire service. Without being redundant, if the driver doesn’t get us there, we don’t help anyone. That is also...

What Can We Do? As the fire service moves closer to understanding that our own need to call for assistance earlier, more MAYDAYs seem to be occurring on the fire ground. Is this a bad thing? I don’t really think so. Quite the opposite actually. It shows that we are learning that...