You just have to love Jon Stewart! I know that most cast him off as a comedic news parody, but really it isn’t far fetched at all. The use of humor makes some of his coverage easier to swallow. He typically points out the common sense parts of the news and adds a realistic point of view that we can all relate with!
This latest news segment is about how legislators have imposed a caveat to 9/11 first responders who want to make health care claims via the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. These individuals will have to be cross-referenced on the terrorist watch list. Stewart makes some interesting comparisons to others who do not have to be cross-referenced on this list!
We (firefighters) know that you just cannot beat a tried and true fire department. It is what works for our citizens. A fire department encompasses training, experience, knowledge, tradition, pride, ownership, bravery, determination, brotherhood, and is an all around well oiled machine.
However, none of that compares to the almighty dollar!
This day in age, the beancounters don’t care. All they care about is saving money by cutting fire department funding because they cannot equate our work to anything. Hell, even our Fire Chiefs help them by offering biased statistics that skew to the beancounters benefit.
The beancounters have turned to unconventional ways of replacing their fire departments with cheap and ineffective fire service. This after slashing fire departments to an all time low in relation to staffing, companies, stations, and everything else. Now they just get rid of us…
Public Safety Departments
Can one person do all of this? image from fitsupply.com
The public safety department concept is ineffective and an unsafe money saving option that I just cannot wrap my head around. This is just too much responsibility for one person to do well.
Public safety departments are those which employ public safety officers who are police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. This system is not very popular or widely used in the States.
I say it is ineffective because there are too many “what ifs?”. Who does what? Firefighters rely on the understanding of the public that we are not armed and do not uphold the law in the same sense of a police department. We stay out of conflict and allow police officers to handle that business. Police officers and firefighters have their own skill sets and are masters of what they do. To throw up police, fire, and EMT certifications/training up in the air and expect someone to master them all is not fair or obtainable.
If indeed it were that easy, then I say City Managers should also do refuse collection and cut grass!
At the very least, be your own secretaries! Is that asking too much?
Look at Kalamazoo, Michigan…in 1982, they took 164 firefighters and 219 police officers and cross-trained them to end up with 383 public safety officers. Now they have cut their staffing to 243 public safety officers. What the hell is that all about?
My City is only a little bigger than Kalamazoo and we have 240 firefighters alone. Then again, our most recent past Fire Chief was 2nd in command in Kalamazoo. He was the hatchet man in Roanoke and cut our department as the City wanted it.
Michigan has many public safety departments. There are more localities thinking about going to the model now. They view it as a huge cost saving option. Who cares about service delivery! LET’S SAVE SOME MONEY!!!! YEAH!
Jackson, Michigan officials are trying to follow the leader of neighboring areas and hoping to create a public safety department. Read the articles linked below. Everything is about the money…nothing about service delivery. It is blatantly obvious that the officials in Jackson have no idea what we do, how we do it, and why we do it!
Let’s just say this…if it were such a great idea then everyone would be doing it!
The mindset of officials is unfortunate:
It reflects the changing nature of the fire profession, he said. Of the 94,000 calls for service, only 1,100 were fire related, Hadley said. Advances in fire prevention, technology and building codes reduces the amount of fires. Hadley respects firefighters and their profession, but it is changing.
“It’s a very expensive insurance policy,” he said. “You can’t continue to pay them to sit in the fire station 98 percent of the time.
I think you can pretty much some it up with the comment “You get what you pay for”.
Fire Departments don’t have a corporate CEO who gets richer when the employees are forced to do less with more, meet the minimum expectations, and offer the bare minimum of service.
While I have not worked for a private contracted fire service. I have worked for a private EMS agency in a system status management style of delivery…it sucked. It sucked because it was the bare minimum and while we raced from call to call to meet the needs of our customers, the corporate CEO was sitting back sipping mojitos in his mansion and didn’t give a shit about the customers!
That is where the biggest difference exists. We care. We understand. Our “customers” are our neighbors.
You get what you pay for.
We might cost more…but I assure you, we aren’t getting rich.
We are paid for our knowledge, our experience, our bravery, and our determination.
How many people do you know who would be willing to give up their life so that you might live….for $10 an hour…or even minimum wage? Not me…I would rather be a Wal Mart greeter! That can’t be nearly as stressful of a job…and it probably pays $10 an hour!
It is very disturbing that localities are willing to disband their fire department for a privately contracted fire service to save money but they aren’t willing to cut the budgets of other non-critical departments and programs.
If it has really gotten to the point of contracting your fire service, then trash pick-up, libraries, parks and recreation, lawn cutting, paving, and everything else should also be contracted services….and then they can contract out the person who made the decision in the first place!
What do you think?
I say you can keep both of them…neither are viable options!
Here is some prearrival video that shows Keokuk, Iowa firefighters pulling up to a fire at the Apostolic Faith United Pentecostal Church located on Boulevard Road.
The fire occured aroun 3:30pm yesterday. This report says that 5 firefighters and 3 fire trucks were on scene.
Check out this recent video of a German firefighter doing the fire hose rodeo. This video is similar to the Jackass Fire Hose Rodeo from a couple of years back.
I do not recommend trying this at your firehouse! The translation of the description on the video is: Fire Kränzle review of special signal, Carnival 2011
I just finished teaching two classes in New Jersey on social media for the fire service. My class was similar to the one I taught at FDIC this year but much longer. Both classes ran from 8:30am – 2pm. The class at FDIC was a mere 1 hour and 45 minutes. I couldn’t possibly teach everything everyone needs to know about social media in even a week long class.
It seemed as though everyone was able to learn something at each class. The first class was taught at the Ocean County Fire Academy and the second at the Middlesex County Fire Academy. Both of these were very impressive training facilities.
I have learned so much from teaching about social media. Here are some of the finer points:
Very few of the attendee’s departments use social media
Very few of the attendee’s departments have web sites which are updated
Many are very weary about using social media before the class
Most leave the class with an understand that social media should be used by their fire department
It is not easy to explain social mediums and how to use them
Training centers SHOULD have high-speed internet available to the instructors and attendees
The two largest hurdles for me were:
Not knowing exactly what the attendee wants to learn about social media
Not knowing what type of department each attendee is a member of and what the needs are
The most common suggestions on the evaluations were:
Having a handout of the powerpoint presentation
Offering examples of the social mediums during the class
Having internet available for the class to use via computer, smartphone, and for the instructor.
I appreciate any and all feedback on the class. As for having a handout, my powerpoint presentation is 100 slides. That sounds like a lot, but it isn’t overbearing. I don’t read from the slides and don’t have to stare at them to teach. I just have a problem with all the paper that would use. More than likely I will offer a handout in the future of the presentation.
As for offering examples, I did have Willie giving examples via his computer, my aircard (which was running slow), and a second projector that I brought with me. I only did this in the second class. It would be difficult for me to pull it off by myself…and it would be much easier if I had a high-speed internet connection! However, the training centers did not offer it for my use.
All in all, the class was great! I could not be happier. It was great working for Kean University and I hope to come back in the fall to teach more on social media!
Move over Situation and J-Woww (although you are welcome back anytime!)…Rhett Fleitz and Willie Wines Jr. have taken over Seaside Heights, New Jersey and the Jersey Shore! We just got word that we will be on the next season in Italy!
Check it out below if you don’t believe me!
Actually, we are up here teaching Social Media in the Fire Service in Ocean County and Middlesex County!
And here you can see Willie Wines Jr. in action when he gets some liquor in him! Hat tip to Damien for the video!
Warning: Language (better late than never!)
The Portland Fire & Rescue Department in Oregon has utilized Youtube to spread the word on their hiring process. They use their own firefighters to tell the World about why they are Portland Firefighters.
This is a perfect example of using social media to spread the word on recruitment for an upcoming hiring process!
If you are looking for a job, you better hurry! They only accept the first 4500 applications!
This day in age, new fire stations seem more like the inside of a school or jail than a firehouse from back in the day…Wood trim, wood floors, two-story, cozy and warm firehouses have been replaced with concrete or tile floors, cinder-block walls, single story, institutionalized fire stations. My crew has found a way to make our fire station more like a firehouse…through our own hard work and dedication.
Bottle rack for spare O2 and SCBA bottles mounted on the wall in the bay
I am not complaining…The first firehouse I worked in was built in 1929. It was brick with plaster walls, wood floor, steam radiators that clanged all night, terrazzo floors (even in the bay, and one remaining pole that went from the hallway upstairs to right between the fire engine and ambulance in the bay below. The largest room was the bunkroom where everyone had their own bed (at one time that probably meant 5 or 6 men per truck per shift when it housed an engine and ladder). That station was recently closed and consolidated. The ambulance became medic 5…the engine no longer exists. Another engine company bit the dust…and it was one of the busiest in the City.
Our workbench...this thing is solid and has gotten plenty of use already!
Now I work at Station 3. The station is 2 years old and replaced station 10 which was located at the airport. The suppression units (engine and medic) went to station3, the ARFF trucks remained.
Station 3 has stained and epoxied concrete floors, cinder block walls…and up until about a year ago NO history or character.
A little over a year ago I got moved out here with a brand new crew. My Captain was promoted from a different shift and joined us on A-shift. Two firefighters had been here, another came from a different station, and then there is the
Custom Run Board that hangs behind our kitchen table.
boomerang Lieutenant…He was promoted, but due to a simple addition error at Fire Administration they took his bugle away. He still moved here as a firefighter and they moved me to be the Lieutenant.
We all agreed that the fire station needed to be turned into a FIREHOUSE. After all, we were set to spend A LOT of time at the station and wanted it to be more like a home…a firehouse!
Many firefighters across the Nation and beyond have found ways of doing this. Mascots, Wall Shields, Custom Kitchen Tables, and other customizations around the firehouse to make it feel like a home.
This reclaimed solid oak table was found on the side of the road. We hacked the legs off and painted the original RFD logo from Roanoke in the early 1900's.
We are no different. Throughout the past year, we have been busy. We have spent a lot of our time when we aren’t cooking, training, and running calls we have been setting up the wood shop in the bay and doing work!
We are still working on our custom kitchen table. We have been plagued by decisions on what to do and how to do it throughout the project. We have been working on our kitchen table for about 6 months. The good news is that it is nearing completion. We still have to build the base, do some finish sanding, mount a coin and plaque, stain and epoxy it…but we are getting their. We opted to not do the typical tongue and groove top and went with pine 4×4′s with a cherry edge band and cherry inlay. There is also a purpleheart piece in the middle of each side. The top sits on a painted metal frame that the base will attach to.
I think it is important for firefighters to take pride in their stations. Whether they know how to knit, woodwork, metalwork, or paint they can chip in to customize the station and turn it into a firehouse. I wonder what this place will look like in 50 years when I am long gone!
Our custom kitchen table still in the works...We hope to finish it before we retire!
With the exception of the workbench, the firefighters at my station have paid for all of the projects. The FD chipped in to pay for our workbench.
Feel free to send in photos of your kitchen tables or other projects you have done around the station!
Our pride and joy...a custom fire place hearth that sits under our hanging tv. We even placed real logs with flame "Christmas" lights in it. Trust me, this thing almost seems like it kicks off heat!
A reclaimed picnic table and table with solid umbrella were stained/painted for when the weather is nice.
A compartment we removed from the back of the cab is now used as a toolbox on the wall in the bay.
Some decals on the windows of the engine
We custom mounted some hand tools in this compartment. Before this, they just sat on the shelf.
Here you can see we mounted some nozzles and the adapters on the wall inside this compartment to organize them.
We made custom magazine racks in each of the restrooms. They also hold up to 4 extra rolls of toilet paper. Notice our literature!
Our station coin for #3 (front)
The back of the station coin for #3
A custom rack for hanging spare leather radio straps on.
A custom accountability tag board for the shifts that are off and extra tags. Also note the "Greenhouse" Incredible Hulk sticker on the door. The station is LEED certified and therefore known as the "GreenHouse"!
Ah yes, another “Top Ten List”. It has been a while. As with most of these Top Ten Lists, you the reader often have ideas that might fit into the list that I leave out. I challenge you to comment with something(s) that I might have left out! I might be biased in that I am an informal leader…I act when the Captain is off and run interference when I can. I would much rather nip something in the ass before the BC finds out about it…or before the Captain has to be a Captain!
Thanks to the guys who sent in their photos in short order on the Fire Critic Facebook Page…If you aren’t a fan yet do it now!
So what if I ranked them 10-1…it doesn’t really matter, they all work for the greater good!
10. Laugh together
Share a joke! Keep it Clean! If you see something funny or hear something funny be sure to let everyone in on it! I love seeing people laugh. Whether it is because something I said or at my expense I love it. I think laughter is the best medicine. Everyone deserves a laugh!
St. Louis Rescue 2 as sent in from Bruce J. Stelmach on The Fire Critic Facebook Page
9. Understand Each Other
Not every firefighter is born of the same cloth. Some of us were made for this shit…others are looking for a paycheck. Did you ever stop to think that maybe you could rub off on the “other” guy? Likewise, not all of us grew up in the same neighborhoods or live in the same now. You have to learn about each other and understand where they are coming from. You have to appreciate the differences and learn from their lives as they learn from yours
8. Stick up for One Another
Rumors in the Fire Department? Never! Actually, some might be surprised how often other companies are talking about each other. The next time you hear someone talking about a member of your crew stick up for them…or if it is true, get to the bottom of it and let your guy/gal know the things are being said so they can better themselves.
7. Share Your Experiences
You have fought fire, they have fought fire…sit down in the war room and talk about the worst fires, the best fires, the lessons learned, how you might do things differently on a call you were on. Trust me, they will learn and you will learn. Don’t just talk…listen! You aren’t the baddest mutha out there!
Big Jim (in the middle) is named after one of our firefighters who was killed on the job in 1999, Jim Clark. Kiddos of all ages love him! This is Ladder 2, B-Shift from Midwest City, OK. Submitted via The Fire Critic Facebook Page
6. Treat Each Other Like Family Some guys/gals have a hard time adjusting to firehouse life. Give them a hand and treat them as you would want to be treated. Sure, you can pull pranks on them…but be sure it is in a little brother/sister kinda way. You aren’t out there to kill the rookie, just let him know you have the upper hand…and be sure to treat them like family!
5. Counsel and Console
If you see an issue, problem, or shortcoming then nip it in the ass. Don’t let it escalate. Get to it before it gets to the Captain and try to counsel your coworker/teammate. Listen and understand the issue and then offer your thoughts. Console your brother and sister firefighters if needed. We don’t always get a day away from work when shit gets bad. Take a minute to listen to your brother/sister firefighters. I am all for checking out the apparatus, but if someone needs to vent then listen!
Lt. Brian Dalrymple, Wayne Tyler, Rodney Spruill, Rick Nunnally, Mark Owens, and Danny Owens RFD (Richmond, VA) Rescue Company 2 "A" shift as submitted by Danny Owens on The Fire Critic Facebook Page
4. Paint the Tools Together
Nothing says company pride and ownership than keeping the tools ready for use and looking pretty! Do it together. Share the load and have everyone chip in. Who cares if you catch a fire the night after you paint the axe, you will look good using it. You might be surprised by what is talked about while men/women stand around sanding, painting, taping, and looking at a freshly maintained axe!
3. Hang Out Together How often do you get a chance to drink a beer with the guys/gals you work with. Invite their families. After all, your wives, husbands, girlfriends, children rarely get to meet each other. They hear about your family at work enough…let them meet each other and hang out. Have a cookout at your house and invite the whole crew. Take everyone out for a picnic, bowling, local event, etc. Give them a turn to meet each others families outside of the firehouse.
2. Train Together
I admit, my company might not train as much as we should. I could offer you many excuses…We try, but it doesn’t always work out. Try giving each member of the company something to train on each month. This builds teamwork and bonds. Each member has something to offer. Plus…as I have always said that you will learn more by teaching than by sitting in a class. Put your firefighters to task and have them teach you something. I guarantee you will learn something.
1. Eat Together This can be easier said than done. Some guys are picky eaters. Some like to piss of the cook. Whatever it is, try to do your best to offer a menu day-to-day that all the guys/gals will like. Breaking bread together can cultivate unity and cohesiveness within the firehouse. Some might think this is not a big deal…try working in a firehouse where the kitchen is broke up…or have that one guy/gal who doesn’t eat with everyone else. It can do much more harm than you might realize. Even in the worst case scenario that you CANNOT eat what everyone else eats…at the very least eat at the same time and at the same table as them. You might be surprised at how the World’s problems are solved at the kitchen table!
So there it is, the Top Ten Things You Can Do To Create Cohesiveness in your Firehouse. What do you think is missing? What would you add/delete. Do you think there is merit to what is written…or do you think The Fire Critic is full of it?
Next week, I am teaching a longer version of the class I did at FDIC this year. The class is offered two days in a row through Kean University in New Jersey.
Social Media: Fire Service’s Next Biggest Innovation will be offered:
Wednesday April 20th at Ocean County Fire Academy Thursday April 21st at Middlesex County Fire Academy
The class will be a lot more in depth and cover much more information than I was able to cover in an hour and 45 minutes at FDIC. The feedback I recieved from FDIC has helped me focus on what the participants are looking for!
If you are interested in having me teach at your department or potentially consult your department on creating a full social media presence please let me know at firecritic@firecritic.com.
Also, if you live, work, or volunteer in the area where I will be teaching in New Jersey be sure to connect with me. I won’t have anything to do during the night and might want to see around a bit. Wouldn’t it be great to have your department featured on FireCritic.com?
The story came out that no ambulances were available. Now, Detroit City Officials are saying that isn’t the case. The claims by City officials as reported in the linked news reports below would have some people feeling as though everything was copacetic and that the spin was created by the media. Those of us who work in EMS easily find holes in these accounts.
You be the judge…
“A third call came in to EMS at approximately 2:16 a.m., and it was dispatched at 2:23 … to the 12th Precinct,” Green said. “Three minutes into that call, the unit was called back.”
This really doesn’t tell us anything… How long did it take to dispatch them? How long would it have taken for them to get there?
and
Deputy Mayor Saul Green said a 911 call came in at 2:16 a.m. and an ambulance was dispatched seven minutes later, but was called off after police transported the victims to a hospital.
Dispatched 7 minutes later? If units were available, shouldn’t they have been dispatched earlier? I don’t know how Detroit works, but 7 minutes is a LONG time from call to dispatch.
This entire situation smells fishy to me.
Detroit has been plagued with issues for a long time. Luckily for them and the victims, no other deaths occured due to the failed response. You just have to love the spin put on by officials when everything doesn’t come together…
This fire occured on April 3, 2011. The three alarm fire was at 824 Mountain Avenue in Westfield, New Jersey. See more great footage of fires from AllHandsGoingToWork on Youtube.
This video is pretty neat because it is a time lapse of 75 minutes of an apartment fire in 5 minutes. The fire occured on March 8th.
I try not to armchair quarterback videos. Instead, I attempt to offer some observations I see in the video to offer some insight as to what might be going on. After all, it typically isn’t fair to quarterback the videos because they rarely show all of the details of the incident.
This video is no different. Two things I noticed right off were the platform placement and lack of water.
I did some searching on news of this fire. The fire occured in at 50 Chestnut Street in Ware, Massechusetts. Ware is west of Worcester. The house was originally a single family dwelling, but had been converted into 15 apartments over a decade ago. This is common…sound familiar?
The fire toned out at 9:53 am. Eight departments fought the blaze including Ware, Palmer, North Brookfield, Warren, Belchertown, and Hardwick. 1 person was transported, there were no reported firefighter injuries.
“Many of the units were not evacuated so a lot of our immediate resources went in to make sure the building was cleared,” says Ware Fire Chief Thomas Coulombe. (source cbs3springfield.com) This might be the reason for lack of water from the view of the video. The firefighters were able to make it to the 2nd floor, but the 3rd floor was too hot.
Below the timelapse video is another video of the fire News links are here:
Here is a close call out of British Columbia involving an Air Ambulance that is on scene to pick up a patient. At 2:18 the helicopter takes off and clips power lines. Luckily no one was hurt.
I have posted on flash mobs here at Fire Critic before. Typically my point has been how interesting I think they are and how building construction might not be designed to hold so many people at once. This post has nothing to do with firefighting…
This one is different. This flash mob occurs at the Beirut International Airport and seems as though it is sanctioned by the airport (although I am not certain).
What I do know is that in America, the airport would have been shut down for something like this. American air travel is so locked down, people are scared to sneeze in airports. That is the wonderful outcome of living in a world of terrorism…Not that traveling in Beirut is safer, maybe just a little more laid back!
Sign me up…You get off the engine, walk up to the scene, pick up a hose line that is flaked out and charged and start fighting fire…that is how easy this firefighter in Oakley has it in this helmet camera footage.
Of course it probably didn’t happen exactly like that, but that is how it appears!
This latest news segment is about how legislators have imposed a caveat to 9/11 first responders who want to make health care claims via the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. These individuals will have to be cross-referenced on the terrorist watch list. Stewart makes some interesting comparisons to others who do not have to be cross-referenced on this list!
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