Best of the Rest – Win This Helmet, Learner, 5280Fire, South Dakota, Challenge Coins and more!

There is a lot of new stuff here on FireCritic.com. The latest “Random Rigs” is here, and the latest “Firefighter Randomness” is here.

I am still waiting on some more photos for the first editions of “Motley Crews” and “Critic’s Cribs”. Send in photos of your crews and firehouses to be included!

If you are in South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota or anywhere near there, you will want to be at the South Dakota Firefighters Benefit. Captain Wines and I will be there, come join us for a great event for firefighters, by firefighters, about firefighters. This is the first year of this event and the planners are working hard to make it one helluva a good time! Check out more at SDFirefighters.com.

Shoutout – 5280Fire.com

I cannot do this shoutout any more justice than their words:

“5280Fire’s Buffs are not fire paparazzi, stringers or fire truck chasers. Never do we wish for property to burn, and hate loss as much as the firefighters we document. Our personal mission is to capture their moments of triumph that can seldom be seen in the mainstream media. 5280Fire’s contributors are 100% volunteer. Just like our forefathers we’re found in the dark early morning hours, bearing the harsh winters to continue this great tradition.”

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Training

The Hose Jockey – Training for the Fight.

“As firefighters, we all know the common apprehensions associated with in house or even academy sponsored training. Many firefighters fear they will fail, feel that they will learn nothing, or that it is only for people who haven’t been there and done that. One problem I see is that many departments or companies decide to train only to “check the box”. We all know ISO, NFPA or the CFAI require a certain commitment to company level or department sanctioned training in order to remain compliant, but many of us lose the opportunity to make these sessions meaningful.”

Events

Roanoke Fire Officer Seminar: Chris Naum will be in Roanoke, VA for our 5th Annual Fire Officer Seminar on September 20th and 21st. The topic will be Fire Star Command; Redefining Fire Officer Training for Operational Safety & Excellence. Read more: 2012 Fire Office Seminar Registration Form

South Dakota Firefighter Benefit: Captain Wines Jr. and I will be in South Dakota for the benefit. We will be speaking as well. Look for us on our tour across the State with Spartan ERV as well. In the meantime, be sure to get a raffle ticket for a custom Phenix leather. Click here for info on the raffle for the helmet —>

Fired Up For a Cure – Roanoke Fire-EMS puts on this event for the second time on September 22, 2012. Last year was a huge success. I will be running the 5k hopefully (I haven’t checked if I am off yet). More info here.

Tweet of the Week

News and Opinion

LODD – Fire Captain Davis Dies At St. Elmo Fire Hall

IronFiremen.com – Captain Wines is hot on the trail of what is going on in Wythe County, Virginia. He has the latest here and the original post here. The Speedwell VFD was shut down to be reformed and re-established by the County Government.

IronFiremen.com – A miracle in Roanoke…Read about it here!

Fully Involved – Mark VonAppen lays down his latest musings in “Learner”. Read it!

Moon-shining Firefighters – You might remember my post on Fire Chief Tim Smith who starred in the Documentary “Moonshiners”. The crew is getting geared up for the next season! Read the latest here

Fired Ohio Firefighter seeking getting his job back. Ohio firefighter let go for sexual harassment appeals firing. Brian Monaghan is accused of exposing himself to female subordinates at his fire station

Statter911.com– Six Firefighters Suspended in Elizabeth Township, PA. But no one at Blaine Hill VFC will say why. 

This fire in Coldstream, British Columbia on August 20, 2012 was caught by a couple of angles. More on the fire here