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The Bandwagon….the new age is upon us

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Urban Firefighter Magazine (aka Urbanfirefighter.com, I will refer to it as UFM in this post) has officially been released. The site is something I have been waiting on for some time. UFM boasts a newer age in delivery of fire training, tactics, and the like.

Connect with UFM on twitter, facebook, rss feed, and google buzz through links in their sidebar.

In my words…

urbanfirefighter-homeUrban Firefighter Magazine is a refreshing collaboration of some of the best. Not to take away from some other great venues. They offer their content free and online. It is available in print…if you print it out. No postage, no subscriptions, no renewal. As I can see in their first issue they offer some great content (I have not read it front to back quite yet, but I did read some and scan the rest). They are part of the new age in content delivery and acceptance much like some of the blogs you might read day in and day out.

UFM will probably not run some of the greats out of business, but they will give some a run for their money.

Erich Roden and Ray McCormack are the senior editors and have created a stand-up product. Erich maintained the blog TheHousewatch.com which featured writing from Erich and Ray McCormack prior to creating UFM.

FireGeezer gives his synopsis here and Dave Statter offers some words on the project here.

So why the title of the post “The Bandwagon….the new age is upon us”

The reason is because many long time published in print mediums have focused more and more on their online versions. Seeing an ever increasing customer base utilizing the online versions of their publications coupled with decreases in subscriptions, many companies are realizing the need to offer more content online.

In the fire service you can look at Firehouse Magazine, Fire Engineering Magazine, and Fire Rescue Magazine among others offering an online community and/or full content through online subscriptions.

As this occurs, we will see more of the advertising base move to online advertising and a decrease in print advertising. This is great news for someone like me who offers an online news site at VAFireNews.com. The small guys like me have maintained with the few advertisers who have understood the benefits of advertising online with the smaller venues.

What about the blogs?

For instance, UFM is offering blog type content as well. There are many other sites which have created a community of blogs. Together, these communities create a form of an online news site with the culmination of blog content on their homepage. Examples of sites like these are FireEMSBlogs.com and FirefighterNation.com.

Blogs like mine, which are attached to a community of blogs, as well as blogs which are stand alone should begin to see a trickle down effect of advertisers trying to get their claws on our sites.

and so I consider it the bandwagon…a good bandwagon. The process of moving to the online communities that is.

I commend Erich and Ray as well as any and all of their contributors and investors for creating a top notch site/online magazine. I look forward to reading their content and learning from some great firefighters and writers.

If you are interested in advertising information on their site/mag please contact them here.

If you are interested in advertising on the Fire Critic or VAFireNews.com please email me here.

Posted by on February 27, 2010 • Filed under: News, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Introducing the First Due Blog Carnival

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Finally….

It has finally happened. The blog carnival that many fire bloggers have been discussing for months is here.

Introducing the First Due Blog Carnival…for fire bloggers, by fire bloggers!

All bloggers are welcome!

The First Due Blog Carnival is a brainchild of many fire bloggers.

first due blog carnival1aFollow these links for more information on the First Due Blog Carnival

If you are a blogger, be sure to keep up to date on when the First Due Blog Carnival is happening and where it is being hosted.

The first episode of the First Due Blog Carnival is “I am a firefighter because…”. All you have to do is write a blog answering the question and post it no later than March 22nd. Then email the link to me at firecritic@firecritic.com and I will include it in the first edition of the First Due Blog Carnival on March 24th!

You can really get into “I am a firefighter because…”. Maybe it was Emergency, maybe you are 2nd or 3rd generation, maybe you just always wanted to do it. Get down and dirty and tell us why you became a firefighter, why you stuck with it, and why you are proud to tell people you are a FIREFIGHTER when they ask your profession. Add in all the juicy details of when, where, and how you got your start. Other information such as your first fire, your worst fire so far, your biggest learning experience (read: mistake), etc. The sky is the limit!

I will post reminders between now and then! You have plenty of time to let me know if you don’t understand it or need some questions answered.

Posted by on February 25, 2010 • Filed under: First Due Blog Carnival, News • Tagged: , , , ,

Blogger Meetup, Chronicles of EMS, and more at EMS Today

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There will be a blogger meetup at the EMS Today Expo in Baltimore next Friday (March 5th). The meetup will include many big names in EMS and Fire blogs. The crew from Chronicles of EMS will be there as well. Fans, readers, friends, and many more will be there!

The Fire Critic will be there! As a matter of fact, I am riding the medic truck tomorrow just to get in the right mind set to hang out with so many needle throwers!

The Happy Medic is boasting this as the largest Fire/EMS blogger meetup of all-time.

Let me know if you will be there in the comments section. I am looking forward to rubbing shoulders with many whom I have never met and would love to know who to look for!

Some of the greats from FireEMSBlogs.com and many other bloggers will be in attendance including the bloggers from The Happy Medic, 999 Medic,  Life Under the Lights, EMS Garage, MedicCast, Fossil Medic of FireGeezer.com, and Fire Daily and Fire Critic (also known as the team of Firefighter Netcast). Please let me know if I need to add a name to the list!

Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert will also be there. They are the team who originally brought you Firehouse.com and now bring you FirefighterNation.com, JEMSConnect.com and FireEMSBlogs.com!

The event will be held at:

Uno Pizzeria Harborplace- Pratt Street Pavilion, 2nd Floor
201 East Pratt Street
Harborplace
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-625-5900

Sponsored by George Washington University, JEMS and FireEMSBlogs.com

Posted by on February 25, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

He’s Back….Your Favorite Blogging Captain

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If you follow the Fire Critic then there is a pretty good chance that you have heard of the Engine 9 Blog. This blog was a finalist for the Blog of the Year 2009. Unfortunately, soon after the contest was over one of the main contributors to that blog was moved. A and C shifts were the main contributors, the Lt. on A and the Captain on C. Engine 9′s Blog is still moving along.

I have great news for you though. Captain Willie Wines Jr., the more colorful writer on the Engine 9 Blog,  has gone out on his own. Since being moved to a different station he has finally started a blog. Many of his fans and readers hounded him to move out on his own. I am happy to say that you can now join in on some of the great writing you were used to before over at IronFiremen.com. Check it out. He is only 2 posts deep, but look for plenty more in the future!

ironfiremen

Posted by on February 24, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , ,

Tonight…Live Firefighter Netcast

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Tonight is the next live Firefighter Netcast.

Join John Mitchell of Fire Daily and myself for the next installment of the fastest growing firefighter netcast/podcast at 9pm EST.

firefighter_netcastWe will be discussing many topics including:

  • The upcoming EMS Today Conference – Both John and I will be there!
  • The meetup at the EMS Today Conference on Friday…more info soon
  • The First Due Fire Blog Carnival
  • FDIC – John and I will be there.
  • Firehouse Expo in Baltimore – John and I will be there
  • And many news topics.

The theme for tonight is open mic night. Feel free to call in and discuss what is on your mind.We are looking forward to hearing from our listeners tonight!!!

Go on over to Firefighter Netcast for more info.

The First Due Fire Blog Carnival is the first of its kind for the fire service as far as I know. The idea comes from some of the greats in the Fire/EMS Blog community. If you have a blog and would like to get involved in the Blog Carnival just leave a comment. More on that tonight at the live Firefighter Netcast. Be there!

Posted by on February 23, 2010 • Filed under: NetCast, News, Podcast • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Monday Morning Shoutout – Life Under The Lights

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This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to Life Under The Lights or (LOTL). LOTL is run by a Chris Kaiser, a Firefighter/Paramedic in Illinois (the S is silent).

His blog focuses on para-medicine, although he runs the occasional fire. His insight on EMS 2.0 is thought provoking and well examined. He has recently been involved with Justin and Mark in their latest videos “A Seat at the Table“…

Chris was also featured on Firefighter Netcast among other things. Life Under The Lights is celebrating a year on the net this month. I look forward to big things from Chris in the future and read his site daily!

Check out Life Under The Lights for yourself!

lotl

Posted by on February 22, 2010 • Filed under: Monday Morning Shoutout, News • Tagged: , , , ,

Gone But Not Forgotten

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Each of us will eventually come to a time where we discontinue active firefighting and/or EMS. Whether we retire, are put on disability, move on to something else, stop volunteering, or move to a support role, we will not be active in our profession forever.

Most of what I see in my department is retirement. It seem as though the decision to retire is a very emotional one. Most may talk like they can’t wait to leave, but the fact remains that they don’t want to find out the department can operate without them. It makes sense after giving the department 25-30 years of dedication.

And then there are some who leave on disability. Many who have left due to injury in my department don’t get disability. We had a guy recently who was moved to dispatch. That is a whole other story, and a very depressing one at that. Our jobs are dangerous, risk is imminent, and injuries are common. Having to leave our profession due to injury has to be depressing.

Just because these guys are not in the company anymore you don’t have to forget them. I can only imagine not being able to do what I love. Your life goes on as it was…to and from work, enjoying the camaraderie, running calls, and solving the World’s problems at the kitchen table.

I know of at least 3 of my “blog” friends who have begun blogging due to injury. One is back on the job, one is still fighting for disability, and another had to take early retirement due to injury. Blogging is apparently therapeutic. I commend them for maintaining active blogs and keeping themselves involved in the firefighting community.

As a firefighter who maintains a keen understanding of the Brotherhood (all the ups and downs too), I realize the need to not forget these guys who aren’t hopping on the truck anymore when the tones go off.

I hate hearing about how the phone calls start tapering off and communication ceases. There is no need to forget them…give them a call. Invite them for a meal.

And for the guys who are sidelined, be sure to stop by for a meal from time to time. That is a great way to maintain a friendship with your peers. As time goes on, newer guys join or are hired. If you want to stay in the know and meet the new guys just stop in from time to time and enjoy the company.

Then you can tell them about “Back in the Day”!!!

Posted by on February 19, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , ,

Fire Critic will be on the Doctor Anonymous Show Tonight

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firefighter_netcastThis evening (Thursday the 18th), John Mitchell and myself will be featured guests on the Doctor Anonymous Show. John and I are the crew of Firefighter Netcast. John also runs FireDaily.com.

You can follow Firefighter Netcast on twitter and facebook as well. The links are at FirefighterNetcast.com.

Doctor Anonymous uses Blog Talk Radio just like we do on our netcasts.

You can read more about our show tonight here including a video preview of the show.

It will be new to us being featured on another show. We have called in before on others shows, but never featured!

From Doctor Anonymous:

So, I hope you’ll be able to join us live on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 9pm Eastern Time for Doctor Anonymous Show 147. For those who may be new to the show, there is a chat room during the show. You can also call in to say hello. There is even a webcam so that you can see me do the show live before your very eyes. Don’t forget to become a Facebook Fan of the show. Also, check out the video promo below. Hope to see you for this week’s show!

Posted by on February 18, 2010 • Filed under: NetCast, News, Podcast • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Watch Ray McCormack’s FDIC Speech From Last Year

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Hey all,

I will be writing more about this in the near future…but take this for what it is worth.

I have pulled the embedded videos of the FDIC speech. I do not have the videos, nor did I upload them. I merely linked to them where they were located.

I have done this out of respect for those involved.

This was not an easy decision, but I feel as though it was the right one.

I felt at the time that people should see the video. I still feel that way, but I do not know everything involved with the speech and the issues surrounding it.

Again….out of respect.

Posted by on February 16, 2010 • Filed under: Firefighter Safety & Health, News, Safety, Videos • Tagged: , , , , ,

#CoEMS Being a Part of Something New and Refreshing

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CoEMS-logo1-small23I remember when I began this blog, one of my first new acquaintances was The Happy Medic. At the time, he was living under the pseudonym Steph Frolin. We exchanged some ideas and we were both running anonymous blogs (his more so than mine). It didn’t take me long to figure out who HE was though and he totally busted my over-the-top investigative skills by saying yeah that is me and it is no big deal…although he was still anonymous. I considered it OUR little secret at the time.

Justin, as we all call him now that he has “come out of the closet” with his anonymity, was very excited about this project with Mark Glencorse (999 Medic).

I apologize, but I am sure I am paraphrasing stuff I have already written.

Fast forward to this last weekend, enter in many other key players like Ted Setla and Chris Eldridge, mix up hundreds of giddy followers of #CoEMS on twitter, throw in over 3,000 fans on facebook, showcase the writing of dozens of great bloggers, and don’t forget about the social media inept following whose numbers are unobtainable and you have the Chronicles of EMS.

I was there to watch the premiere online and was able to chat with other viewers. The buzz was great!

What is even more amazing is watching, reading, and imagining this grassroots effort take hold.

These guys are not missing a beat. They are pounding the pavement to spread the word about their project, our project, your project.

For EMS professionals not to be in tune with what these guys are doing is like ignoring the next big thing. This is not a fad though. This is a realization of change, a necissary step in making our service better, and a bandwagon that has room for all of us.

For EMS industry leaders, the time has come to embrace the cutting edge of a movement and involve yourself with the professionals who make this industry work.

I must say that episode 1 was excellent. I watched it today with the guys at the station and I heard many comments. One comment that really stuck out was when Justin was helping a patient step into the back of the ambulance…a medic/firefighter watching with me said he applauded Justin for having the guy walk on his own knowing that he was being filmed. Whether it is or isn’t protocol, it spoke volumes on Justin’s behalf (as viewed by us) that Justin was willing to do business as usual and NOT cater to the depths of worrying about what others might say by his performance at work.

After all, that is what it is all about….how we/they/you DO EMS. There were many other examples as seen in the show. The introspect that Mark and Justin were able to give about how San Fransisco/United States does stuff versus how it would be done in the UK was a breath of fresh air.

Keep up the great work guys, we are watching, we are learning, we are INTERESTED!

Posted by on February 16, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News • Tagged: , , , , ,

Undercover Boss…Keeping Chiefs in Touch

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poster from demotivateus.com

poster from demotivateus.com

Have you caught the new show on CBS titled Undercover Boss? They have featured two episodes, one of a waste management company and another for Hooter’s. The premise is simple…the CEO/President goes undercover and works along side the grunts in the company. The CEO then learns or relives the enjoyment of the job at various levels.

I think this would be great for Fire/EMS Chiefs across the Nation. Put them on the rig and let them go to work.

Chances are that they won’t be undercover due to the size of most departments, but the premise could still work. Plus with the Chief not actually being “undercover” it will mean more of us keeping our jobs when we start talking at the kitchen table!

How many of you work for a Chief who has never ridden a rig in your department?

How many of you work for a Chief who has been off the rigs for decades?

Do you think it will help for the Chief to reconnect? Many of us probably work for Chiefs who we see more on the tv than we do in our own firehouses. Does your Chief appear to have a keen understanding of what you do? Some are great leaders who do not “forget where they come from” and yet others lose all correlation to the fact that the men are what make them great Chiefs.

I just wonder what they might learn about:

  • Morale
  • Brownouts
  • Running BS calls on the ambulance
  • How memorandums they publish effect us in the company
  • How we juggle our schedule and family life
  • How we juggle pre-fire plans, hydrant maintenance, company drills, training, territory drills, calls, cooking, and all the other stuff we do on a daily basis.
  • Good company officers vs. bad company officers
  • lost benefits

What do you think? Good idea or bad idea.

Posted by on February 15, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , ,

Monday Morning Shoutout – FirstDueMedic.com

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This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to FirstDueMedic.com. FirstDueMedic.com is a blog titled “The Gate Keeper” with a site built around it and is a personal journal about a volunteer firefighter and EMT who is currently in schooling to become a Paramedic. Look for him on twitter @FirstDueMedic and on Facebook.

Ronnie Grubb runs FirstDueMedic.com and his bio states:

In 2006, with a resurging interest in public service and the time to devote to his community, Ronnie rejoined the ranks of the volunteers in Henry County and began the arduous task of retraining and recertification. It was during this time the he noticed that he had entered into a realm that had changed and was now foreign to his memories of what emergency work was about.

Ronnie has aligned himself with those whose mission it has become to establish Emergency Medical Services into a respected career and profession. While pursuing an associate’s degree and certification as a National Registered Paramedic at Patrick Henry Community College, Ronnie has developed a high threshold for professionalism and quality of service that was imparted through his instructor and mentor, Jeff Reynolds.

The bonus for me is that this is a blog that is very close to my locality. I love bumping into another blogger near me and I look forward to reading more from FirstDueMedic.com. Keep up the great work Ronnie!

firstduemedic

Posted by on February 15, 2010 • Filed under: Monday Morning Shoutout, News • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Making Progress…Setting Goals

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I enjoy setting goals for myself like most of us. Over the years, many of my goals have changed. I have met some of them and changed others as my life changes. I don’t have a laundry list of things to do in my life…no bucket list yet. However, I do have things I plan on accomplishing. Some remain in my thoughts as I move closer to achieving a goal and others are remembered from time to time and adjusted with the times.

For instance, at one point I really wanted to become a fire service training instructor. I obtained my certificate in Instructor I and II (I have not completed III yet). However, once I obtained the certifications and I taught a few classes I realized that teaching in the formal atmosphere was not all that enjoyable for me. I do like helping out during live exercises, I just don’t find classroom teaching to be my cup of tea.

This year will mark my first in about 5 that I don’t help out with our recruit schools live burns. The main reason is because of special classes that were put in place for instructors. We were to take these classes on our own time without reimbursement. I simply don’t have free time to burn like that. I would much rather spend time at home with my family. In addition, our department isn’t giving free handouts of any sort so why should I. It just goes against my convictions.

Therefore, training in a formal atmosphere is out for now. I am ok with that. I did what I set out to do in getting the certificates and now I can teach at any point I would like to in the future.

There is one accomplishment that still resides in my heart though. It started out as wanting to have a published photo in Firehouse magazine possibly. The problem is that I am not a huge fire buff. I am an amateur photographer, but I just don’t get to many fires off duty. The stars would have to align perfectly for me to get a shot worthy of publishing.

More recently, this realization of being published in a trade magazine has morphed into wanting to have a published article in Fire Engineering magazine. After all, it is one of the few trade magazines I subscribe to. It is the cream of the crop if you ask me.

To see my name attached to a print worthy article would be a huge accomplishment for me. Not in a “look at me I am the man” kinda way, merely a personal accomplishment.

This morning, I finally got to open up my January Fire Engineering and to my enjoyment I saw an article by Jason Hoevelmann. Jason is a brand new acquaintance of mine. He just recently began a blog titled “A Firefighters Own Worst Enemy“. He wrote an article on a training evolution that a company did in his department. The article was excellent.

I have written articles for several websites. I enjoy doing it when I can. When I saw Jason’s article it got me thinking about writing for Fire Engineering.

Here is the thing…I am one of those guys who is a jack of all trades and master of none (in the fire service that is). One thing I do know a good bit about is driving and operating apparatus. Maybe I will have to delve into that.

Whatever it is that I decide to take a whack at getting published, I plan to do it in the next year. So look out World here I come.

It is a good idea to set goals, occasionally adjust your goals, and accomplish them when you can.

What are some of your goals?

Posted by on February 11, 2010 • Filed under: News, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Captain Phil Harris of “Deadliest Catch” Dies of Massive Stroke

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Captain Phil Harris. The photo from NBC. Read more here.

Captain Phil Harris. The photo from NBC. Read more here.

You may wonder why I am writing about Captain Phil Harris. This has nothing to do with firefighting…but actually it does.

Captain Phil Harris of Discover Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” has provided quality television for 5 seasons. The show is a favorite of mine and other firefighters. Harris had a massive stroke while the Cornelia Marie was in port in St. Paul Island, Alaska on January 29th. He passed sometime in the past couple of days. In the end, he was showing signs of improvement. Rest in peace Captain.

You might be wondering what this has to do with firefighting.

Here is my take…Captain Harris was a no BS Captain who expected the best from his crew. His crew relied on the Captain to keep them safe as well as put them on the crab. He relied on his crew to work efficiently and in the end they would make a ton of money in a short period of time.

Much like we rely on our Captains to keep us safe, make the right decisions, and put us in the right spot to fight fire or mitigate other emergencies…in turn, our Captain relies on us to work efficiently and take care of business.

The way in which Captain Harris carried himself on his ship was admirable. All you can ask for is a fair and equitable Captain who is willing to stick to his guns and chew your butt when you make mistakes.

The guys on those ships work a skilled trade that is learned through OJT and experience. We operate very similar although we do get training prior to fighting fire. Their job also ranks as one of the most dangerous in the World along with ours.

Posted by on February 10, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Fire destroys Lancaster Township home

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Firefighters battle flames, snow, and bitter temperatures. View article here.

Cold temperatures and a thick blanket of snow dogged firefighters early Sunday as they battled a house blaze in Lancaster Township.

“It definitely made things tough for us,” Lancaster Township Fire Department Chief Ron Comfort Jr. said.

Firefighters were dispatched to 1725 Southport Drive at 1:19 a.m. after several people in the neighborhood called 911 to report the house was ablaze.

Posted by on February 9, 2010 • Filed under: News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , ,

The Fire/EMS Blog of the Year Contest in Retrospect

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fcems094I offer this post as an open book as to some of the issues I had, lessons I learned, and practices I will continue. The contest ended in January. I have finally gotten around to posting what I learned.

Medic 999 has been declared the winner! Read more about it here

First of all, let me say how I feel that the contest was a huge success. I enjoyed putting it together and watching it grow. As some of you might know, I enjoy showcasing other blogs here on Fire Critic. I will continue to do so, and I love to see more and more people becoming connected with blogs that cater to their needs for reading, learning, and networking.

Here are some lessons learned. Feel free to post your thoughts, frustrations, or praise in the comments section. I love hearing feedback and will need it to make this grow into a World Class Contest!

Announcing the Contest

  • It is clear that this contest might have benefited from a longer time frame. However, I am pleased with the way it turned out. I am not sure if I will lengthen it or shorten it next year.
  • A press release will be provided next year to announce the contest.

Nominations

  • There were some issues with nominations like more than 1 a day by some people. I tried my best to take care of this and inform them. In th end most of the blogs were nominated by more than one person which alleviated the issue.
  • Nominations were somewhat difficult to track because they were coming in via email, twitter, and contact form. I hope to add facebook next year. While they were somewhat difficult to track, none were left out.
  • Some of the nominations were made with great comments on the blog being nominated. Others were a mere nomination.
  • I tried to ensure that every nominated blog knew they were nominated. This became difficult when I realized that some blogs do not publish an email address. However, I believe I was able to contact each and every one!

Judging

  • The only issue I had here was that I waited too long to get my judges on board. In the end, I didn’t hear back from 1 judge after I asked them to judge the contest.
  • I tried my best to get judges from inside and outside the Fire and/or EMS service, but I think it is important to have some from both sides and outside our service.
  • I believe that the judges did a great job in dissecting the blogs and rating them!
  • I will allow more time for the judges to judge next year. This was not possible due to the time crunch this year.

Voting – here is where a majority of the issues came in

  • I realized early on that I will not be able to make everyone 100% happy!
  • I need to have a backup plan! During the process I had to change voting platforms. The swap was fair and all votes were imported into the new platform.
  • The reason I switched from the first platform (a wordpress plugin called WP-Polls) to the second (PollDaddy) was because of issues with people not being able to vote at all via some versions of Internet Explorer as well as some smartphone based browsers.
  • I got a lot of feedback during the voting which helped me understand what issues there were and for me to make proper adjustments.
  • Voting should be carried out using IP logs and cookies.

The Contest in General

  • I really wanted to offer a prize for the contest. It just didn’t happen, therefore I will work on this more next year!
  • I had fun doing the contest, but I cannot deny that it was a lot of work!
  • I believe that a lot of blogs were given plenty of traffic which hopefully will build to their readership.
  • The contest was definitely Worldwide! We had a blog nominated from the UK as well as one from Poland.
  • Next year, I need to have everything in line prior to starting the contest next year.

Moving Forward

  • Next year, I would like to expand into different categories for Fire/EMS Blog of the Year. For instance EMS Blog of the Year, Fire Blog of the Year, Best Fire/EMS News Blog of the Year…and maybe even get into web sites themselves. I will have to see what I come up with or what I hear from you all…

Below I will list the Finalists in finishing order, followed by the rest of the nominated blogs. Please be sure to check them out, follow them on twitter and facebook, and subscribe to their rss feed!

We had around 70 nominations for 23 blogs, 10 finalists who garnered 3,381 votes.

  1. Medic 999 – 999Medic.com
  2. FireGeezer – FireGeezer.com
  3. Engine 9 RFD – EngineCompany9.Blogspot.com
  4. STATter 911 – Statter911.com
  5. The EMT Spot - TheEMTSpot.com
  6. The Happy Medic – HappyMedic.com
  7. Rescuing Providence – RescuingProvidence.com
  8. Everyday EMS Tips – EverydayEMSTips.com
  9. Fire Daily – FireDaily.com
  10. Firehouse Zen – FirehouseZen.com

The rest of the nominated blogs who were not finalists are below in no particular order:

If anyone has any comments, suggestions, questions, or ideas for next year please feel free to leave a comment, use the contact form in the navigation bar above, or email me at firecritic@firecritic.com.

Posted by on February 9, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , , ,

South Africa orphanage fire kills 15

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The first reports were that 11 had died. The number has risen to 15 in an orphanage fire in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Hope in Christ Home at eNgogo orphanage caught fire early this morning.

At least 8 (somre reports say 11) of the dead were children.

Read more here and here

Posted by on February 9, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , ,

Dekalb County Incident in Retrospect

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Last night on the Firefighter Netcast, we discussed the Dekalb County, GA incident. At the time of our discussion, we were joined by ChiefReason Art, and Christopher Naum. I enjoy talking to guys like the two of them. The reason why I like talking to them is that they usually offer a thought, a mindset, or an ideal that I might not have thought of on my own. I am not talking about a varying opinion per say, but more of broadening the scope of the discussion to bring up issues I didn’t have the inclination to.

While the incident happened in Dekalb, this is not about the Dekalb County Fire Rescue Department. This is about the incident, why it happened, and preventing it from happening again….anywhere.

In case you just crawled out from underneath a rock, the Dekalb County incident I am referring to is best portrayed by Dave Statter’s coverage here and here.

Chief Reason Art offers his view of the incident:

And if I was a resident of this county, I would want some assurances that asses will come out of the seats of the trucks and check my welfare, if needed. And that’s really my biggest beef. Even after not smelling smoke or seeing fire, someone could have, at the very least, checked on this lady’s welfare, just to re-assure her. Continue reading his full post on the subject.

There has been an investigation report published by the Dekalb County Fire Rescue Department. The report can be viewed here. I am unclear if there is a further investigation going on or not.

The incident occurred at 1687 North Houghton Court in Dekalb County, Georgia on January 24th. To this point, 5 personnel have been fired over the events and the Fire Chief David Foster resigned.

Art Goodrich brought up some thoughts last night about how long it will take for Dekalb Fire and Rescue to overcome this incident.

Think about how many departments are facing budget cutbacks. Year after year, we have to cut more and more. Now think about hard your locality would be hit by a big dollar lawsuit.  How will anyone be able to afford a settlement or lawsuit and where will they take the money from to pay for it?

How will this incident reflect on the public’s confidence in their department. I don’t know about you but I think I might be second guessing my department if something like this were to happen. The public doesn’t understand what we do and this incident only complicates things. It is unacceptable and the entire incident should be thoroughly investigated to find any underlying issues which need to be corrected.

I feel as though there might be an underlying problem here. Potentially the way in which firefighters do business. If doing a visual from the street is an every day occurrence, there needs to be remedial training done from the bottom up and top down to address the tunnel vision and ensure compliance with strict SOP’s.

If we get a fire alarm, we get out of the truck and do a 360 walk around. We look in windows and shine flashlights into them to get a visual on the inside of the building. We make sure that it is false alarm and we do not take others words for it. If we are able to gain access, we check the area where the alarm is going off and make sure that there are no issues.

If we get a call for a fire, we do the same. This woman called and reported a fire in her house. I will be damned if I am not knocking on her door.

Complacency kills. This is a case study for that.

I have ALWAYS maintained that we can have all the fun at the firehouse. We can play practical jokes on one another. We can cut up and enjoy camaraderie. HOWEVER, once those tones hit we go to work. We should be serious, professional, thorough, and responsible. We are being held accountable…rightfully so!

I am sure that the members of the Dekalb County Fire Rescue Department are VERY committed to their customers. I am sure that they are great at what they do and are great firefighters. I certainly hope they are able to overcome the obstacles which might present themselves after this incident. I realize that this incident and mistakes made during it do not reflect the entire department.

If you take anything away from this, let it be that you have learned from their mistakes.

Posted by on February 5, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Firefighter Netcast Live Tonight

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This is a reminder that Firefighter Netcast will be live tonight.

We will be discussing Old School vs. New School Firefighting and how social media has benefited/hampered us.

Feel free to add some comments for us to think about. Also, plan on being with us live at 9pm EST. Click on the banner to go to FirefighterNetcast.com.

We will also be hitting on some recent firefighting news like the incident in Dekalb, Georgia.

firefighter_netcast

Posted by on February 4, 2010 • Filed under: NetCast, News • Tagged: , , ,

Monday Morning Shoutout – Firefighter Cancer Support Network

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This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. The Firefighter Cancer Support Network has been connecting firefighters with cancer to help them cope, assisting them throughout their battle, and giving them tools so they understand more about the cancer they have.

I remember meeting one of the guys behind the Firefighter Cancer Support Network at the IAFF Convention in Toronto several years ago. I am not sure the name of the guy, but he created it after battling cancer and winning his fight. He created it to help other firefighters.

I dare say that there are not many firefighters in the U.S. or elsewhere who do not know of a firefighter who has been stricken with some form of cancer.

Take a minute to check out the site and learn what they are all about!

firefighter cancer support network

Posted by on February 1, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Health & Safety, Firefighter Safety & Health, Monday Morning Shoutout, News • Tagged: , , , ,