This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to Queen City Burns by Taj, a 24 y.o. firefighter in the South (I am not sure if he wants his full name/location posted). Taj is trying to make a difference. He is part of the bloggers trying to make a cultural change in the fire service through writing, training, teaching, and learning. This crowd has actually got me working out half-regularly now and I thank them for the motivation and inspiration!

I see similiarities between Taj and I. I was 24 once. I just hope that his road is a little easier than mine and he makes as much difference as he can in the fire service. We need change…who better to it come from than the younger generation who know what the fire service can be while understanding the foundation that has built the fire service to this point. These are our future leaders.

Taj is inspirational with his posts. He makes you think and he stands by his words.

Queen City Burns Blog – Facebook - Twitter

Although I might be the enemy.

Taj does not like the bad stories related to the fire service. He doesn’t think they should be shared, talked about, or given credence. I disagree.

My thoughts…if everyone turned a blind eye to the robbery prank in Macon-Bibb, Georgia, what would be next? If firefighters who don’t know the difference between right and wrong didn’t learn that this was a terrible idea, what would be next? I think these incidents need proper coverage showing the damage it can do to the fire service to prevent it from happening again…or worse.

About Taj:

I’m a 24 year old firefighter. My first due is a mix of poverty stricken ghettos, multi-story commercials, and multi-family dwellings. The purpose of this whole project is to both exercise the mind and the body. Through sharing my ideas and activities, I hope to learn as much as I can from others. On the QCB’s facebook, twitter, and main site, I freely support the writings and broadcasted thoughts I find worthy of discussion and, hopefully, worthy of your time. While we openly discuss problems within the fire service, I hope to at least add suggestions to alleviate them. Website hits do not matter to me. I will not cater to the trash-type broadcasting crowd. I have no interest in discussing blatant mistakes of specific departments nor will I partake in the spreading of their dirty laundry. I will not be a part of something I feel is destroying everything I hope to have a piece in building. There are enough places to find the current “viral video” of firefighters doing stupid things, on and off the fireground. This was not, is not, and will never be one of those places. Some may see this as sweeping it under the rug, I find it to be a mature way of staying out of the drama.

Hey, look everyone…a brand new Monday Morning Shoutout! It has been a while, huh?

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to Ride Out Comic. Ride Out Comic was created by Fire Medic Art.

Ride Out Comic is fairly new. So far, so good I think. It should be interesting to see if one of the Fire Magazines picks up the comic strip to run on their mag, or if one of the mainstream fire web sites picks them up.

Great job on the comic strip, keep up the great work.

Hell, if he is paying attention, maybe he’ll make a funny as hell comic about the lovefest between Dave Statter and Willie Wines Jr. Although I have to say that there is an interesting lovefest brewing between Mike Legeros and Dave Statter so Willie better watch out…

Read more about the crew at Noonie Creek Fire Rescue here. This crew is the usual cast of Ride Out Comics.

Ride Out Comic online - Facebook – Twitter

The cast of Ride Out Medic: Geno the driver, Jonny the probie, and Case the Lieutenant. I don't know about you but I think Noonie Creek needs some badge bunnies!

About Ride Out Comic:

Ride Out is a deeper look into the life of firefighters. Whether around the fire station or at home with the family 24/7 they’re always firefighters.

Many of the situations you will see weekly will attempt to depict the humorous side of firefighter life that many people do not get to see. I offer no guarantees that everyone out there will laugh hysterically at all of the humorous situations for a few reasons: 1) you probably had to be there. 2) not everyone understands the rules and protocols a firefighter has to follow on a daily bases. Sometimes you might see a few editorial strips from the everyday happenings around us. Many times these strips wont have the original Ride Out characters  due to the storyline or message trying to be delivered.

On the flip side there will be a few situations that might tug at your heart strings. These situations will be meant to show the serious side of a firefighter and his dedication to not just a job but a way of life. A life lived everyday, 24/7.

So jump on-board, put on your seat belt, and enjoy the Ride Out.

About the artist:

Darrell is a Firefighter Paramedic in North Texas. When he is not fighting fires or tending to the sick, he has armed himself in just the last 3 years with a self-taught passion for drawing with graphite pencils. He combines his passion of art with his love of firefighting and sports to create art intended to

• provoke thoughts of a period in time
• an unforgettable moment
• as an inspiration for the future.

All this is done with continuing to go against the norm and staying with traditional mediums that seem to be fading in this new generation of computers and technology. Many of his drawings take approx. 20 to 40 hours to draw with attention given to detail.

He is married to his best friend for over 23 years and as he always says “We are still newlyweds!” If that is not enough Darrell and his wife, own a family business. They manufacture Salsa, Sauces, and Hot Sauces. Darrell has 2 kids in college and one in high school. All 3 still hang around to assist in the family business that was founded in 2005 known as Big Dawg Salsa.

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to a new blog I found titled “24/7 Student of the Fire Service“.

The blog states “Not a T-Shirt Guy’s Blog (Protected by the First Amendment)”

I like what I read…I think this blog will gain some traction. This is a newer blog on the scene. Check it out.

The blog is run by BLANE2469. I am not sure if he offers his real name, but it wouldn’t be hard to figure it out…so I won’t use it just for sake of me not being the one to out him.

Here are some pointers on the blog (not that he asked, but I feel the need to help out).

• The black text on purple background is not that easy to read.
• Lose the auto-play songs. If I want to listen to it, I will hit play. This could be awkward for someone going to your site while at work behind a desk.
• See if you can’t go to a wider layout. Most people don’t use 600 wide layouts anymore. This makes more content for less scrolling.
• Go ahead and get the domain http://studentofthefireservice.com to replace the longer http://studentofthefireservice.blogspot.com/ (all you have to do is forward the domain to your blogspot.com address. $10 a year max.

Just a couple of suggestions….and can be used for anyone starting a blog!

Keep up the great work!

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to Just A Vollie. Just A Vollie is a fairly new blog on the scene and is actually a newer format to something that started out as an email blast.

Yeah…I know that it isn’t Monday morning anymore, but when you keep my hours you learn to fit in what you can whenever time allows.

Just A Vollie is run by Captain Matt VanGiesen, a 3rd generation volunteer firefighter.

Matt had been sharing current events and history/traditions with a small group of firefighters via verbal and email discussions. As the group began to grow, Matt felt there was a need for a better forum for his musings….enter the blogosphere Just A Vollie. The blog has been online since December 2010.

Some of his favorite blogs and daily reads can be found in his sidebar.

As far as his most memorable experience as a blogger it was finally posting the first article and the positive reception he got from his friends and readers.

His worst has been the fear of the unknown and the feeling of being exposed.

He also wrote:

What else would you like to share: In June 2010, I had an article published in Fire Engineering (Live Fire Training in Acquired Structures). The fact that I write something and people actually want to read it is extremely humbling…

Welcome to the blogosphere Matt. I am sure you will enjoy it!

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to Christopher Naum’s BuildingsonFire.com.

About the site: The authoritative and informational site that provides leading insights on fire service issues related to Building Construction for the Fire Service,  Firefighting Operations and Command Risk Management for Operational Excellence and Firefighter Safety.

Naum also runs CommandSafety.com and TheCompanyofficer.com

The newly developed Buildings on Fire site is one that Naum has been working on for several years. He has finally had the time to put it all together and offers great training and information on the site. Be sure to check it out and bookmark it!

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to The Fire Service Warrior.

Christopher Brennan offers up his thoughts on the blog and a refreshing take on aggressive, smart, and yet safe firefighting. WHAT? Certainly the Fire Critic doesn’t think that you can be aggressive AND smart AND safe! NO WAY…way!

The Fire Service Warrior offers this unique “mission statement” that has been dubbed the Ethos of a Fire Service Warrior. Ethos? Yeah, I had to look it up although I kinda figured what he meant by it. Ethos: English word based on a Greek word and denotes the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, a nation or an ideology.

What I love about it is that in the same text we have “wear…all PPE, if we aren’t 100% sure…WE SEARCH, and …train everyday”

Yup, that about sums it up. I have a feeling that this blog will continue an increase in traffic and conversation.

Interesting fact: this blog has been online since 2008!

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to a newer blog on the block – Backwards and stupid. The blog may be new, but the person behind it has definitely been in the business a while.

Hallway Sledge (the username of the anonymous author) has a unique writing skill… they write as they talk…with profanity and all when necessary.

Backwards and stupid came up on my radar recently after a series of great posts. The blog began in October 2010.

In one of the more recent posts, Hallway Sledge writes an article titled “The Pussification of the American Fire Service”.

the article is a reply to an article which appeared on Fire Engineering by Retired Chesterfield County Battalion Chief Bob Avsec (whom I remember when I vollied in Chesterfield). Avsec wrote an untimely article on the recent Chicago LODD’s of Edward Stringer and Corey Ankum. Avsec’s article has since been pulled by the FE.com staff.

There are plenty more decent articles on Backwards and stupid as well.

Check out Backwards and stupid

FC Note: I have missed the MMSO in the past several weeks. The truth is that sometimes I don’t have any blogs to feature. I have a slue of them now. Or you can send in your own here!

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to the newly designed and revamped Traditions Training Blog. The blog has been around, but they decided to move the discussion to their facebook page. Now they are back with a vengeance!

The Traditions Training Blog is hosted on the FireEMSBlogs.com platform and is a part of the larger web site TraditionsTraining.com.

Follow them on Twitter @TTraining

Check them out for great tips and tricks!

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to FireTactics.net – The site for fireground tactics, strategy, and firefighter survival topics.

The site is run by Ron Kuley and Keith Bresnahan. both from Fairfax County Fire & Rescue in Virginia.

The purpose of this site is to simply create dialogue between the members of your shift/station as you review these events, pictures, and videos. Any of the incidents or topics we review on this site can happen anywhere, at any time, especially here in the Fairfax County/Washington DC metro area. So think about it…

Be sure to stop in, check it out, leave a comment, and send them stuff in the future if you want.

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to ChicagoFD.org. The site is very well done and includes a lot of history of the Chicago Fire Department.

The site is described as: Welcome to the ChicagoCivilDefense.org – Fire & Rescue Unit / E.P.D.S. Website. Dedicated to Robert J.Quinn, Fire Commissioner / Acting Director, and ALL former members of the Chicago Civil Defense & the Chicago Fire Department.

You could spend hours on this site watching their videos, looking at pictures, and learning about the Chicago FD. You can also listen to live dispatch.

Here is something you don’t hear everyday…

Battalion 19 at a working fire on 9/16/2010 at approx 05:50 hrs. calls Englewood to report Squad 5 picking up and they are refusing. Battalion 19 orders the Office to send in a Deputy (2-2-5) because he has a disorderly Squad Co. Listen to the audio here

Chicago Fire Department RESCUE ME

This is a great video that shows hard work at getting brother firefighters out of harms way. What I found amazing was how the first guy who was rescued then stayed on the ladder and helped rescue the next guy.

Watch all of ChicagoFD.org’s videos on youtube here