Best of the Rest – Our Shirts are in, Wolfpak Review, and Links to Other Great Blog Articles!

I still have so much to catch up on. I swear I need to hire some staff to keep this blog going…I guess you just never know where this blog will be in a couple of years.

The first “Motley Crews” column was posted the other day. Check it out here. If you want your photos shared on FireCritic.com be sure to email them to firecritic@firecritic.com.

The biggest news of the week is that the Fire Critic/Iron Firemen shirts are now available. They are being made by our friends at Crosstitched. The shirts are made in the USA on US made shirts…and get this…the price is only $15. We were amazed at how easy the crew at Crosstitched were to work with. They made the entire process so simple and created the shirt we wanted! Special thanks to our Brother Nate Camfiord for taking the time to watch us pose and snap some great photos!

“Hey Brother” Fire Critic/Iron Firemen shirts available now!

Shoutout – Crosstitched

About Crosstitched products: Crosstitched understands what it takes to make a great product.  We spared no expense in the making of our apparel. All of our shirts are pre shrunk, and printed with discharged inks.  This means the ink is printed into the shirt, keeping it’s soft feel.  With this process you will not have that plastic like feel, and it will not crack or fade.  We take pride in our product, and have not sacrificed quality, to cut costs. You deserve the very best.

Product Review of the Week – Wolfpak Leatherworks

I have plenty of product reviews to catch up on. I am buckling down and getting them knocked out in the near future…This week I completed the review of Wolfpak Leatherworks. Check out what I have to say about Wolfpak at FireProductReview.com!

Events

Oct. 6th – Rick Lasky is in Staunton, Virginia this weekend! You can attend his signature “Pride and Ownership” seminar for free (with a canned food donation). Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend due to the NFFF Memorial Weekend. More info here

Oct. 6-7 – National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Weekend

Captain Wines and I are heading to the NFFF Memorial Weekend this weekend. Let us know if you will be there. I will be posting more on this in the next couple of days. Until then, check out this link for information on how you can participate even if you can’t make it.

Tweet of the Week

News and Opinion

Another Huge Giveaway – First Due Tackle and Boron Extrication are giving away a bunch of stuff… Read more here

National Firefighters Endowment – Have you filled out the 2012 National Firefighter Census? Fill out the form below and be entered to win a free Phenix TL-2 leather helmet. Fill out the census here

Ambulance Driver has the winners of the Kilted to Kick Cancer fundraising event. In all, they raised $22,475.55 in just 30 days. Great job by all! Captain Wines and I really wanted to participate this year but we couldn’t pull it off with our travels. We did wear our kilts a bunch, but we weren’t able to raise money for the effort. Read more here

IronFiremen.com – How to Kill a Fire Department. Captain Wines rants about FD Leadership killing the morale in a fire department. Low morale leads to no confidence in an administration. High morale motivates a Department to perform to higher standards. That said, leaders who are well respected, who have worked through the ranks and understand the feelings, needs and sacrifices of  their members are better equipped to motivate those members. They understand that even the little things can make a big difference. They know that it’s better to tell the hard truth rather than leading the members on with misgivings, deceptions  and lie after lie. They understand that as firefighters, we can handle the bad news …. we see it everyday! Read more here

FireCritic.comWe Aren’t Victims, We are Firefighters

Statter911.com – Dave has a transitional attack caught on video in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Check it out here

Suicide: Saving our Brothers after the call – This one is from right here at FireCritic.com. I offer some links and information for those who might need it…for themselves or others. Read more here

Turnout Blog – Eric Lamar has the scoop on the who pinned the mustache on Chief Ellerbe. Read it here

Fire Service Warrior – Jonah Smith asks “What do you weigh?”. It isn’t quite what you think and it is definitely worth your time to read. Check it out here

Fire Law Blog – Kurt Varone has a story of a Chief who was fired for accepting $100 from a thankful citizen. I don’t know how many times we have been offered money or for others to buy our groceries or lunch and we never accept it. This is why…Read it here

Model City Firefighter – Andrew Catron writes about his recent 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. Read about it here

ELAFFHQ.com – Batman vs. Superman. Read it…