Product reviews are in the works. I have about 10 of them to complete. The hold up is the new site. Look for it in a couple of weeks. If you want/need a product review, let me know and I will set it up!

Shoutouts

• Web site: National Firefighters Endowment
• Facebook page: safefirefighter. Check it out, like it, and join the discussion.

Quick Drills

You can view all of the weekly drills by FirefighterCloseCalls.com here. Try these two at the firehouse this week:

• Vol 18-211 Structural Watch Out Situations
• Vol 20-240 Personal Performance Rating Log

News and Opinion

National Firefighters Endowment. The NFE is giving away a bail out kit. You can enter the sweepstakes once per day. It ends Friday! The bail out kit was donated by JB Rescue, Inc. in North Ridgeville, Ohio. Click here to enter. Plus you get 5 entries for every friend who signs up through facebook!

Presenting Dave and I. Dave Statter and I will be presenting in Ohio in May. Dave is already thinking up dreamy names for him and I. Not to worry, I get it a lot. It just never works out for the other guy. They always seem to want to be the bad guy!…I quote

“Come see Superman & Lex Luthor together: Or maybe it’s more like Austin Powers & Dr. Evil. Dave Statter meets Rhett Fleitz. Somehow I ended up on the same bill with THE Fire Critic at the Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation’s 2012 Leadership Conference. It is May 23 & 24 in Newark, Ohio. Lt. Steve Robertson from the Columbus Division of Fire will also be at the conference and may end up having to referee. Click here to sign up.”

Petaluma battalion chiefs appear in Chrysler Super Bowl commercial. Two Petaluma Fire Department battalion chiefs appeared in one of the acclaimed Super Bowl Sunday commercials. Phil Sutsos and Jack Schach appeared for about two seconds in Chrysler Group’s “It’s Halftime in America” narrated by Clint Eastwood.

Statter911.com - Must see video of a fast moving fire: See the firefighter starting to run in the picture to the right? There is good reason. Firefighters in Australia had just pulled up on a box truck fire only to see the location of the fire suddenly move to the other side of a busy four lane road. Don’t miss this video.

Backstep Firefighter  So Much For That “It’s Not Vacant Until We Search” Ideology. Bill dissects a fire where a search occufred, a victim was missed, and a body was recovered during demolition.

IronFiremen.com (America’s Fire Captain) just wrapped up a 3 part post about our latest trip to New York City (Haw Dilly). Check them out here, here, and here.

FireRescue1.com:

• Firefighter critical after Philly fire. Lt. Martin Melvin was in critical but stable condition Sunday night in burn unit at Temple University Hospital
• Utah dad blows up house with sons inside. More than 2 years ago, man’s wife went mysteriously missing; man’s emails seemed to confirm that he planned deadly blast

MN8 Products is the leader in illuminating technology for firefighters. They also have a blog where you can keep up with their travels and new products! Check it out here

Firefighter’s Truck Stolen As He Battled Fort Gibson House Fire. A Green Country firefighter is fired up. The firefighter was the victim of a thief while he was out risking his safety on a house fire. When Virgil Walters got in his pickup and headed to the Ft. Gibson fire station for a house fire call, it was like most other calls he’s had during 16 years as a volunteer.

Check out these stories of rescues…Winston-Salem - Firefighters found a 3-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl unconscious at the house on 1809 Trellis Lane, off La Deara Crest Lane near 25th Street. INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Firefighters rescued a man from a house fire Monday afternoon in the 200 block of N. Glenwood in Independence, Mo.

This is firehouse antiqueing!

I am seeking information on this topic. Leave links, info, etc. in the comments please.

Discuss it on the Fire Critic Facebook Page as well

I have a friend, a brother, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). He is a Firefighter & Paramedic in a dual role department. His recent diagnosis was shocking for him to say the least, but he has held his head high. I cannot imagine what he is going through and it shows his strength. He is currently on light duty due to the disease. I admit, I did not know much about the disease until he told me about his diagnosis. He informed me of what he knew about it and I have read up on it a little since then. There is no cure for MS. Also, Multiple Sclerosis is not the same as Muscular Dystrophy.

Image from U.S. National Library of Medicine - The World's Largest Medical Library

I speak with him occasionally about his progress and the disease’s progression. Since his diagnosis, he has been able to begin medication which (from what I understand) will lessen the effects of MS and prolong its progression. He wants to come back to work and when I spoke to him the other day he said he felt great. His medication has helped with the signs and symptoms he was experiencing prior to the diagnosis.

I hope he is capable to return to work. I also hope that if he isn’t able to, our department doesn’t cast him away as they have some of my other brothers who have suffered from ailments (including injuries sustained at work).

So what is Multiple Sclerosis?

PubMedHealth:

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

It is more common in women than men and commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20-40.

The outcome varies, and is hard to predict. Although the disorder is chronic and incurable, life expectancy can be normal or almost normal. Most people with MS continue to walk and function at work with minimal disability for 20 or more years.

The range of people who are effected by MS is 2-150 out of every 100,000.

More information on Wikipedia here.

I have not been able to find much information on firefighters and/or EMT’s who suffer from the disease and are able to maintain an active duty role in suppression operations. I have found several articles on firefighters able to continue working in a non-suppression role.

I did find this article about Oswego Firefighter/Paramedic Dave Sackett from April 2011.

MS has not changed Sackett’s daily work routine. He completes all trainings, all house duties and all physical tests. However, he is more cautious and refuses to take any risks that put himself, co-workers or patients in danger. read more

I also found a thread on MSWorld.com. the thread started in July of 2010 and has been updated as recently as September 2011. read more

If you have any information, words of wisdom/encouragement, or links to other stories please leave them in the comments section below.

A South Bend Firefighter has been demoted for taking a video of a recent fire with his cell phone.

The report does not state whether or not the “impromptu video” took away from a task the firefighter was completing. When I teach/present on social media, I always remind the guys/gals that they are firefighters, not reporters. They should leave the reporting up to others. I am also a huge proponent of taking pictures of your crew when the job is done.

I wonder at what point this video was taken. Was it really worthy of demotion?

I would also love to see the Facebook Policy for South Bend.

ABC57:

“As far as the punishments, the union doesn’t dole those out, that is an administration thing. Our job is to make sure that it is fair and equitable from member to member,” Kottkamp.

Through documents obtained by ABC 57 News and through close sources with the fire department, that is not the case. Several firefighters have gone unpunished for violating the same Facebook policy, including an instance back in 2010, where a firefighter posted an internal email to his Facebook page, followed by snide remarks. Yet, no action was taking against him.

The union says the new policy is violating the firefighters’ First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech. Read more

Best of the Rest is a weekly column aired every Tuesday. If you have something to share, let me know! Our shoutouts (formerly the Monday Morning Shoutout) is now in this column and includes a Facebook fan page, blog or web site, and a Twitter user.

Shoutouts:

Facebook fan page of the week: The Fire Service Warrior – it is about being combat ready in the fire service. Need I say more?

Blog/ web site of the week: S.A.F.E. Firefighter Blog – S.A.F.E. stands for Smart, Aggressive, Fundamental, Efficient.

Twitter user of the week: Greg Friese has been a long time friend of mine who I met through various circles. He stays connected using social media. If you are into social media, EMS, or Education you should follow him. @GFriese

Quick Drills:

You can view all of the weekly drills by FirefighterCloseCalls.com here. Try these two at the firehouse this week:

• Basic Skills Vol 20-235 Ladder Carry & Raise
• Safe Apparatus Positioning

News:

FDNY Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund – The Fire Critic, IronFiremen.com, and MN8 FoxFire have teamed up to raise money for the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund. Read more about it here, here, here, and here. Go Directly to MN8 FoxFire web site to donate/purchase. 50% of purchases go to the fund. 100% of donations go to the fund.

Captain Jeff Bowen

STATter911.com – Dave Statter is out first with this story about what Jay Bettencourt went through in the futile rescue of Jeff Bowen. We are turning STATter911.com over this morning and tomorrow to Firefighter Jay Bettencourt of North Carolina’s Asheville Fire Department. You may recognize Jay’s name from our coverage of the fire on July 28, 2011 at a medical office building at 445 Biltmore Avenue that took the life of Jay’s friend, mentor and captain, Jeff Bowen. Jay was seriously injured in the fire. This is a must read story!

The Fire Service Warrior – Quit Telling Me To Change My Culture. Although this was written a year ago, the post has found some new life being passed around facebook. It is short, sweet, and to the point! Check it out.

Police Officer Saves a Dog Stuck in a Fence – The End Will Blow You Away - You will NOT believe the end of this video! It’s hilarious and amazing all at the same time. After the police officer frees a dog stuck in a fence, the dog shows his appreciation in the cutest way ever.

Fire Truck Blog - Many of you have been asking for an update on 11-year-old Kyle McGetrick, the Barnegat, New Jersey boy who has been battling cancer for seven years. Jim Duffy, who read about Kyle here on FireTruckBlog.com in December, will have Kyle as a guest tonight on the Internet radio showFireground Strategies & Other Stuff From the Street that Jim does with Deputy Chief Anthony Avillo on Fire Engineering Talk Radio. It starts at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Here’s the link 

Hybrid Medic – Why it’s important to be nice - You as a provider have a fiduciary responsibility, that is, having the characteristics of trust. If you display behavior that is not consistent of being worthy of trust, then the patients will not trust you to deliver the best care and certainly not for their family. This is important in all cases, but even more so in cases that involve poor outcomes, because poor outcomes could equal lawsuits even if you delivered stellar care, simply on the assumption that because you acted poorly that you performed equally as poor.

FireGeezer – Semi wipes out ambulance at accident scene - A TOLEDO, OHIO, AMBULANCE WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED Saturday morning after a tractor-trailer jacknifed and crashed into the unit that was stopped at an accident scene.

FireRescue1 - Zoe Saldana plays real-life hero after Calif. car crash. CULVER CITY, Calif. — A new celebrity hero has joined the ranks of real-life do-gooders. Zoe Saldana jumped to the rescue of an injured elderly woman this week in Culver City, Calif., after witnessing a car accident that left the driver with a scratched and bloodied face.

Surround and drowned in Detroit

This house fire happened on Hawkins Rd. off Hammond Lane in Centreach. No injuries. Great job by Centereach FD with a little help from Selden FD

As the “Best of the Rest” column continues to grow, I have added a Facebook Fan Page of the Week and two Quick Drills by FirefighterCloseCalls.com. More regular content to be added in the future. As always, if you have something to share, send it in!

Over the weekend, we reached over 3000 fans on our Facebook fan page. Click “like” here to join as well. I offer plenty more information on Facebook than you will see on the blog. I also have over 2500 followers on Twitter @FireCritic. If you are more into Google +, I have got that set up too. Check out Fire Critic on Google + here.

I just got finished watching Food Inc. It left me wondering what the hell I am eating. I shall continue my ways of eating healthier foods. My wife and I eat healthy at home, but I think we shall make the move to organic. I might have puked in my mouth a little when watching the documentary. Read more about it here.

Shoutout:

Facebook Fan page: Rescuing Myself

Rescuing Myself – Check out this newer blog that has been online since September 2011.

Now, on to a more serious topic. One of the biggest reasons I am looking forward to being at FDIC, the 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb. I signed up today and can honestly say just submitting my information kind of choked me up a little. This will be my first stair climb, hopefully not my last. I will be climbing in honor of Captain Terence Hatton, Res1cue. Read it here

The site is run by Trevor: I’m a 19-year-old second generation fireman. The fire service has always been a big part of my life. I started writing this blog to pass along things I see and feel. Good and bad. I expect no one to take any of this as a gospel, but I expect myself to learn a lot.

Keep up the great work Trevor! I will see you at FDIC.

Quick Drills:

You can view all of the weekly drills by FirefighterCloseCalls.com here. Try these two at the firehouse this week:

• Know Your Streets! 
• Hose Lead-Out Drill

News:

California High School student devises possible cancer cure - Angela’s idea was to mix cancer medicine in a polymer that would attach to nanoparticles — nanoparticles that would then attach to cancer cells and show up on an MRI. so doctors could see exactly where the tumors are. Then she thought shat if you aimed an infrared light at the tumors to melt the polymer and release the medicine, thus killing the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells completely unharmed. Read it here

Hero Rush – Do you have what it takes to complete? Hero Rush gives you the chance to put your mettle to the test. You’ll run an intense 5k+ race with multiple fire-related obstacles. Climb ladders and slide down poles, crawl through windows and break down doors, scramble through HAZMAT slime and locate trapped victims — but be careful — you might get the fire hoses turned on you! Don’t just play in the mud — be a Hero! Read more here

IronFiremen.com – Willie recently travelled without me. This time, back to Cincinnati. Read about it here: Firefighter Innovation…Homemade Tools and the 1st Road Trip of 2012. He posted an even better post on Sunday…Becoming Infectious

1st Generation Firefighter- Another blog from Southwest Virginia? Apparently so, although I have no clue who it is. Two posts have been written. We will give them some time to see if they last. Latest post: Experienced Based Training

FireGeezer – The self proclaimed Geezer has a story of a pre-historic tree that burned in Florida. We think at the very least, he is still young at heart! Read it here

Leatherhead 109 -   A skilled, attentive fire officer is much like that with his company.  Observing, critiquing, suggesting, …disciplining, but all the while remaining a “Brother”.  Like a file taking the burrs from an axe blade.  What kind of officer are you? Do you “hone” the firemen you lead?  Or are you like a grinding wheel, gouging, burning, removing too much steel? Read more here

Backstep Firefighter – Complacency can KILL YOU.Treat every alarm as the real deal… your life as well as the lives of your Brothers and Sisters may very well depend on it. Read more here

Mike Elston and Smitty attended the Pride and Ownership class and expanded on their experience on the 2 House Blog

2 House Blog – A local blog near me talks about the Pride and Ownership class we attended. Read it here

Average Jake FF – Why Aren’t You? The big question I have is WHY AREN’T YOU? Why aren’t you writing articles, reading up, drilling? Why don’t you care? I know putting yourself out there for all to critique can be hard, but for me even if one person comes up and says “I really liked your article” then it was all worth it.  Read more here

S.A.F.E Firefighter - First Due Friday; 2-Story Balloon Frame Rockin’ on the Peninsula

Fire Law Blog - Florida Firefighters Sued for $1.4 Million in Fatal Accident

FireCritic.com – I have written two parts of an in-depth look at Pride and Ownership in relation to my department. Check out part 1 here, and part 2 here.

STATter911.com – Dave Statter typically stays in front of the big news even before Fire Engineering, Fire Rescue1, Firefighter Nation, and Firehouse.com… Check out these articles:

• Rural Metro under fire in Western New York. Claims it failed to report ambulance crew arsonists & investigation of billing practices.
• Wief who asked to be beside her dying husband in ambulance says crew left her on side of road. Questions about care after Maine skiing accident.

Fire Rescue 1 - Chicago brotherhood embraces fallen NC firefighter’s family. When Fire Capt. Will Caviness of North Carolina died running the Chicago Marathon, the brotherhood of firefighters took care of his family. Read it here

Firefighter Nation- Rescue Operations on Italian Cruise Ship Halted. Costa Concordia ran into a reef Friday night and capsized into the port area of Giglio. Read it here.

Fire Engineering – Ray McCormack asks if the fire service should have an Annual Attack Certification for Firefighters. My biggest question is: Would there be a Volunteer Certification and a Career Certification? Read it here

Firehouse.com - Study Finds Firefighters Have Higher Rates Of Obesity Than Public. This is just embarrassing. Hey LAZY ASSES, get off your asses and do something about this. Talk about black eye for the fire service… NO EXCUSES. Read it here

Kenneth Michael Hedrick is remembered with a service 20 years after his death in the Line of Duty. Watch it below. Another perfect example of Never Forgetting.

Here is a decent video showing a complicated, involved, and presumably very well choreographed rescue of a woman and her two daughters. The three family members were rescued, ages 36,10, and 10 months. The driver of the semi died in the collision. The incident happened in Buellton, California.

The amazing part of this rescue is that the vehicle was teetering on the side of a bridge 100 feet above the ground. Seriously, watch the video to see the site.

This, my friends, is what it is all about. Training, diligence, determination, experience, knowledge, and teamwork.

I listened to Chief Rick Lasky’s “Pride and Ownership” today. I am pumped. If you have not heard it, you are missing out.

Check out this video about a brand new technology being developed by Tanagram Inc. They are developing Headmounted display (HMD) Augmented Reality (AR) technology. Yeah, I know…what the hell does that mean? Watch the video!

In my words: Think of it as fighting fire with the same types of heads up displays you have when you play Modern Warfare. That description probably sucks, watch the video and you will see what I mean. I just wonder how many fires you have to fight before you get to PRESTIGE!

Apparently this has been under development for a little while. Check out Tanagram’s site for more news and videos created last year about the technology. It seems as though we might be a little closer to seeing this stuff be available though.

The big question….will our fire departments be able to afford it?

Maybe they will pick The Fire Critic to do a product review and testing! I can hope, can’t I?

This technology is being developed for the military and public safety in mind.

From their site:

Tanagram, under a grant provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), developed a phase-zero self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) enhancement that leverages HMD / AR technology to display critical factors all-the-while not obscuring the firefighter’s field of view. Dubbed Helmet with Embedded Active Display for Emergency Responders or HEADER, our concept vision was researched with participation from the Champaign, IL Fire Department. (We even sent a few people to firefighter training!) In our literature review, we found little research has been done with regards to embedded, mixed media (augmented reality) display technology that focuses on unobtrusiveness and consumer acceptance (our fancy word for user friendly). Because of this we are sharing our work with you in hopes that it sparks a conversation that will be very relevant, very soon.

Also as seen on Firefighter Nation

Best of the Rest this week…

Reminder: if you want to be included in the “Best of the Rest” just let me know!

Check out this Facebook page: J5 Firelids…this one is new to me. However, if you are in the market to customize your helmet these guys offer custom inserts for your helmet. They offer handcrafted professional accessories created by a firefighter for firefighters since 2008.

If you are looking for a decent example of how to build your community on facebook, check out MN8 Products Facebook Page. They are currently at over 11,000 fans! It is all about communication and building a buzz!

CharlotteObserver.com: Off-duty rookie firefighter alerts couple in burning home - As house fires go, the one early New Year’s Day wasn’t a doozy, but for rookie firefighter Henry Calle it was a big one. Calle, who is 24, had just finished his 24-hour shift at Station 31 on Ridge Road and was heading home with his car windows down. As he passed a small white-frame house on MallardCreek Road, he caught a whiff of smoke. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smoke, pouring from the attic. Read more here

Chad Ochocinco got a reply from @FireCritic on Facebook. I am sure he cherished it and blogged about it!

Ochocinco offering condolences to the family and friends of Peabody FD's Firefighter James Rice.

Chad Ochocinco on Twitter – I have been sitting on this story waiting for the right time to bring it up. I thought it was kinda neat that Chad Ochocinco mentioned the Peabody LODD on Twitter. Ochocinco has over 3 million followers on twitter. It is great to see someone with his celebrity offering condolences for one of our fallen. Follow Ochocinco on Twitter @Ochocinco

Boron Extrication - GM Announces Safety Enhancements for Chevy Volt

TheTailboard.com – Written by Teague Kenny. Read an article on the DCFD..err FEMS…err DCFEMS, or whatever they didn’t agree on…Let’s Hear it for the D.C. FEMS!

Raising Ladders – Need more on DCFD/DCFEMS? This one is hilarious. RaisingLadders.com: Comment Cards

The Fire Critic Product Reviews: You might have seen my brand new helmet adorned with a custom shield from Box Alarm Leather. I am working on a product review for the shield now. Soon I will be wearing custom leather suspenders from Wolfpak LeatherWorks (only seen on Facebook, but a web site is in the works). I currently am wearing Overhaul Logo Nylon Suspenders from Black Helmet (review coming soon). There are so many great firefighter owned and operated companies out there. Be sure to hook up with Fire Critic on Facebook and let us know your favorites! I also have two book reviews coming soon. I just finished the books.

Brotherhood Instructors – Speaking of reviews, the Brotherhood Instructors offer a review of the Bam Bam Tool. Read about it here

Shortage of volunteer firefighters - WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WDTN) – They’re experts at putting out flames, but now they’re fighting something else. ”There is just not the interest there used to be out there,” says Washington Township Fire Chief William Gaul. Over the last decade Washington Township has seen a dip in volunteer firefighters. Continue reading

FireRescue1.com – The Domino Effect, a FireRescue1.com blog by Mark van der Feyst offers this one. Handicap firefighting: Water source issues - Whenever we respond to structure fire, having access to, securing water source is vital component of overall fireground operation

Firefighter Nation - Two Dead, One Critical after Philadelphia Apartment Fire

TurnOut Blog – TurnOutBlog.com is a new blog on the horizon by Eric Lamar. Read his latest about Firehouses: History versus Safety here

Quick Takes on STATter911.com – Dave Statter offers his usual rundown every Monday of his biggest stories from the week prior as well as some other goodies that don’t require a separate article. This is always a great stop every Monday to see what is going on in the World of Fire. Check out Quick Takes for January 9, 2012

FireGeezer – Do you need more fire news? Check out the News Ticker over at FireGeezer.com. Read it here

And finally, I will let you all be the critics! What issues do you see in the video below? It doesn’t matter what department it is…just take a look and discuss how things might have been done better. Is that a red (booster) line?

Click “like” above to share with your friends on Facebook! 

Last January I posted what ended up being my most visited article on FireCritic.com. It is good to see that everyone is looking at the serious stuff! Actually, the majority of that is from search engines. You can check out the first post here – The Best of Motivational…or Demotivational Firefighting Posters. I did not repost any from the first post in this one (not intentionally anyways).

Consider this part 2. If you have more to add, send them to me and I will do a part 3 later.

These are motivational and/or demotivational posters about our profession(s) of Fire & EMS. Some of them are funny, some are sexy, some are serious.

There is also a facebook page that just cropped up “Keep Fire in Your Life” that displays motivational firefighting posters.

Some are apparently from VeryDemotivational.com and DemotivationalPics.com.

As always be sure to “like” Fire Critic on Facebook!

Welcome to a new column here on FireCritic.com. I am shooting for having this column run on Tuesdays each week. If you have something you want to share whether you are a reader or blogger, have a video or photo, or anything else just let me know.

The Best of the Rest is a column featuring other bloggers, videos, news, and information you might have missed over the past week or so. Enjoy!

You can also follow along and connect with The Fire Critic via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Youtube.

As seen on FailBlog.com

Addison Fire Protection District – Can this be real? FailBlog.com has this photo of the message board at Addison Fire Protection District Station #3. The message “Better to arrive late than never”..WTF? Who approved this? Maybe the Chief’s message was directed to firefighters and should have read “Better to arrive safe than never”…or maybe it is meant as a message to the citizens and should have been “Call 911 and we will get there whenever we can”.

Daily911Deals.com - 40% OFF MN8 Foxfire Illuminating and Reflective Helmet Tetrahedrons. EXCLUSIVE NEW PRODUCT! I think they are pretty decent tetrahedrons. Read my review here.

Firehouse Zen- Chief Mick Mayers continues to lay it down in his writings that occasionally have me seeking dictionary.com for a definition. Don’t let that dissuade you from reading though. He offers some great insight to the fire service. Check out: OKAY, IT’S 2012: NOW WHAT? and 2012: “WHAT IF?”.

Statter911.com – Dave offers a video of a house fire in Maryland. This is video posted yesterday of a December 23 fire in Upper Marlboro, Maryland (Prince George’s County) Raw Video: PGFD House Fire in Upper Marlboro. Switch to Defensive Operations

911 Memorial Stairclimbs – The majority of the stair climb events are now affiliated with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. One of the original climbs is a bit smaller scale and has a local feel. The Albequrque Stair Climb started in 2003. Read more about it here. If you are looking for a stair climb event check out http://www.9-11stairclimb.com/

Here is a lost photo I just found. This is a picture of Willie and I immediately after climbing 110 floors in Atlanta at FRI for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

FireGeezer.com - A FIRE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT in a downtown brothel in Mitchell, Australia, is still deemed suspicious by the fire investigators.  The Canberra area business was closed for New Year’s Day, as all the city’s brothels were when smoke was discovered coming from The Gentlemen’s Club on Grimwade Street around 11 pm. http://firegeezer.com/2012/01/02/brothel-fire-suspicious/

The Colorado Firefighter Facebook Page - This page continues to impress me on the sharing of links and information. Check them out here and click “like”!

ELAFFHQ.com – Their latest post “Raise money for a good cause, and get a chance to win a leather helmet” is just that…a chance to win a Phenix Leather Helmet. The chances are $1 a piece and the helmet will be given away once they reach $1000 for the National Firefighters Endowment. Click here to go directly to the donation page. They are currently 1/4 of the way to their goal! The Fire Critic gave $50…If I win the helmet I will give it away to pay it forward!

Fire Service Warrior – This site continues to impress me. The latest post “Brotherhood Insurance: A Pay for What You Get Policy” by Brother Brian Brush is a great post on the Brotherhood of the Fire Service and a must read!

IronFiremen.com – America’s Fire Captain Willie Wines Jr. outdoes everyone on his End of Year Review for 2011. Even though this post probably took three weeks for his little fingers to type, it is well worth a read. See what he has accomplished this past year!

Firefighter Nation – They have the story and the video of a huge fire at a former Illinois factory here.

Happy Medic – The Happy Medic is handing out his “Best of 2011″ awards. Check them out here!

IronsandLadders.com – This blog is great on content. Their latest post “Thru-The-Lock Time Trial (storefront doors)” is just one of many great training videos available.

Brotherhood Instructors – One of the leading privately owned and operated by firefighters instructing team offers “Forcing Doors in Zero Visibility – By Andrew Brassard” Check it out and continue your learning!

FireRescue1.com – They offer this story: Authorities probe fire attacks on 4 NYC sites “Blog post that may be linked to attacks: ‘Throw 10 Molotov cocktails into these mosques and burn them down’” Read it here

I love sushi and I love wasabi. I understand the use of wasabi and how it enhances the flavor with a little spice. I would never eat a spoonful of wasabi. I don’t think this next firefighter ever will…again! He might say this is a near death experience! Maybe this is the new cinnamon dragon challenge!

Crews battle flames and smoke at Westport Presbyterian Church

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -

As dozens of onlookers packed Westport Road Thursday evening, all they could do is watch as Westport Presbyterian Church burned.

“We were out in Westport and my wife got a message on Facebook saying ‘Westport’s burning,’” Luke Rocha said.

Rocha, like many others, went down to see the flames shooting from the roof of the historic church that stood at Westport and 40th street for more than 100 years.

Video of the fire is here