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Do You Use Facebook? Do You Tweet? Why?

A great friend of mine, Jeff Harkey, recently wrote an article titled “More Twitter, Less Facebook“. His view is that he can get more bang for his buck using Twitter than Facebook. He goes on to say (in my words) that he would rather the quick rich exchange of information as forced by Twitter than the random, sometimes useless, and less content rich updates on Facebook.

Be sure to take the time to read Jeff’s entire article here.

Jeff Harkey operates FireNews.net among other sites. He is a steward and fan of the fire service. His view of Twitter vs. Facebook is a mixture of thoughts on his personal use as well as business use of both sites. I can relate…kinda.

FireNews.net – Facebook – Twitter @FireNews

Jeff states:

“Reading through my Facebook feed is very time consuming, and I usually don’t feel smarter when I’m done. It’s also hard to tell when I’m done. Where did I leave off last time? Oh yeah, I think I remember seeing that puppy before…….

Reading through a Twitter feed is fast and efficient. I can easily read new Tweets from where I last left off and be sure I haven’t missed any messages.”

I do not have a clue how he keeps up with either. With over 5900+ followers on Twitter (I follow 3900+), I can’t keep up with hardly anything more than conversations between myself and others. I often check to see what is trending within my followers, but other than that I realized a long time ago I wouldn’t be able to keep up.

As for Facebook, I have 2900+ friends on my personal Facebook profile. I DO NOT know each of them personally. As for The Fire Critic Facebook Page, there are over 25,000 fans. The good thing about a Fan Page is that it is up to them to keep up with what is going on. The interactions are kept to comments, messages, and postings on the wall by others. That is just one of the pages I update.

FireCritic on Facebook – Twitter @FireCritic

When I read that Jeff likes Twitter over Facebook I thought that he meant for business use…for which I thought he was crazy. Facebook provides A LOT of traffic to FireCritic.com. However, once I realized he was talking more about his personal use, I could somewhat understand what he was saying.

Here is where it is different for me…

The Fire Critic has become more of an alter ego for me than just a “blog” I operate. I don’t mean a Jekyll and Hyde type of relationship, but many of the readers of The Fire Critic know me from operating it. I run the Facebook Page just like it were me talking. I update it more often than I do my own Facebook Profile.

As for Twitter, I used to have a personal account (FireFleitz), but I haven’t updated that in years. I do all of my updating via FireCritic on Twitter.

I do enjoy the fact that you HAVE to be brief and concise when using Twitter, but I also like the ability to hold more in-depth conversations on Facebook.

What do you think?

Do you use Facebook?

Do you use Twitter?

Which do you prefer and why?

Posted by The Fire Critic on June 16, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Social Media, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Facebook, Facebook vs. Twitter, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Firenews.net, IronFiremen.com, Jeff Harkey, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Twitter, Twitter vs. Facebook, Willie Wines Jr.

French Firefighters Test New Technique at Fighting Fire WITHOUT Water!

2 comments

My working title was “European Firefighters Will Do Anything Not to Fight Fire with Water”. Obviously, I am kidding, yet I am sure that there will be many who won’t get the humor. The play is about how many European Firefighters believe that American Firefighters are too aggressive, take too many risks, and die when we shouldn’t.

The video was shared on SEPAF Facebook and came with the following text (translated):

Fire extinguishing demonstration car with firefighters from Saint Omer.
Coverage can be used by any public, car dealers, garages, parking, underground car park etc. …
coverage for a general public.?

The video and company who produces this product are from France.

To be completely honest, there might be a useful application for this technique…somewhere. Do they make one that fits over a house?

Has anyone used one of these? What did you think?

Some more information (translated from SEPAF Facebook page):

54M SQUARE COVER FOR FIRE CAR IS AVAILABLE AT 62 PREV SAFETY
8 March 2012, a massive fire left one vehicle ravaged the underground parking of the Place Vendome in Paris. Result: more than 100 firefighters mobilized for more than 6 hours, 25 vehicles involved, 30 vehicles destroyed, and other structures damaged by smoke and intense heat cars.

Youtube video below

Posted by The Fire Critic on June 9, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Fires, News, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Car Fire, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Fires, France, French Firefighters, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Improving Fire Department Morale at the Administration Level

7 comments

This article is part of the “Owning the Job” series here on FireCritic.com. Read more articles from the “Owning the Job” series here.

Recently, I wrote an article that got a lot of attention. Apparently “Improving Fire Department Morale at the Company Level” was a popular topic. Many of us are sitting in the same boat…morale is low. It is so low in my department, part of our promotional process involved a presentation on 3 ideas to improve morale within our department. It will be interesting to see what happens with all of the ideas.

Illustration by Paul Combs of http://drawnbyfire.wordpress.com/. On Facebook “Drawn by Fire”

I also fessed up to the fact that my presentation was catered towards our “Administration” correcting the issue. I think that most of us will point the finger at our administrations, local government officials, and the economy for our morale issues. However, with the previous post about correcting morale issues at the Company Level, I do believe that we have some work we can do to make things better.

And yes, there are plenty of ways in which Administrations everywhere could improve morale.

And no, not all of them require filling our wallets with more money…but lets be honest, better pay does help improve morale.

This isn’t a thesis on the subject. This is a common sense approach I took the time to type up. I am sure there are 100′s of other ideas to improving morale. Before you continue to scoff at the notion that someone has to explain to you some ideas to improve morale, take the time to read this. I guarantee there is something in it for you.

Here are some ideas for improving morale from the top down:

Be Honest

Probably the single biggest way to lose your credibility is to lie. Firefighters are adults, we can handle the truth even if it isn’t what we want to hear. I have seen Chief’s lie and continue to lie…to the point that some firefighters lost all faith in their managers (notice I didn’t say leaders). Don’t lie. It is unbecoming.

Be Proud

Have pride in your department. Have pride in your firefighters. Have pride in what you do and how you do it. If you aren’t proud of something, change it. Look for better alternatives. If you exude pride, others will too.

Be Professional

Remain professional all of the time. Don’t let a few seconds ruin your credibility, public perception, or firefighters perception of you. You are in a position that warrants professionalism. You are a public servant too.

Make sure your firefighters have the uniforms, equipment, tools, apparatus, etc. to help them look professional.

Understand Traditions

Firefighting and Fire Departments have traditions that are over a hundred years old. Some good, some bad. By now, most of the traditions that should have gone by the wayside have (most were due to safety reasons). Unfortunately, some of the great traditions which offered no harm in continuing to be a part of FD life have gone by the wayside too. Traditions are behaviors, beliefs, even events that are passed down from one generation to another which hold a significance within individual companies, departments, or localities (in relation to firefighting). Traditions that have been lost CAN be reintroduced. Make sure you are holding onto traditions that are worth it and bring value to your department. Be sure to place value on traditions as the firefighters see them too. Some may not seem like a big deal to Administration, but might be a huge deal to the firefighters.

Stop Micromanaging

We see it in the private sector, we see it in the public sector. The ones behind the desk constantly think up new ideas to make themselves look good…and potentially even benefit the department. Yet the work is delegated to others. This process is somewhat the norm. HOWEVER, once delegated, there is no need to breath down the neck of the ones doing the work.

Similarly, the Battalion Chiefs and Company Officers know how to do their jobs…RIGHT? After all, they WERE promoted to those positions. Let them do their jobs. They don’t need anyone checking up on them, or higher-ups micromanaging them.

At the company level, let the company officers do their jobs. Unfortunately, I know plenty of company officers who enable micromanagement. Instead of making a decision, they call their BC to ask them what to do. If I were a BC, I would expect the company officers to make decisions and get the job done. IF NEEDED, they would be able to reach out, but don’t enable micromanagement.

Restore Faith and Responsibility in Your Company Officers

Once the micromanagement is corrected (if present), you must restore the faith in your company officers. This might mean creating a leadership and/or management course designed specifically for your department. It isn’t remedial…it is constructive and continuing education. Be sure they know their role(s) and are well equipped to take care of business.

Listen and Understand

Much like firefighters are told to be seen and not heard, Administrative staff must do the same from time to time. Hold meetings that are informal and allow everyone in attendance to ask questions and get answers.

Stop in firehouses occasionally and enjoy a cup of coffee with the crews. Be sure to call first and let them know you are coming…Having the Chief stop by without calling is like having the inlaws stop into your house unexpectedly. Letting them know you are just swinging by for a minute is the right thing to do. Plus, being at the firefighters firehouses enables them to be more comfortable to ask questions and hold conversation.

Communicate

Communicate with your department members. This means both formally and informally. If a memo needs to be written, write it. Write emails and keep them informed. There is no way of ensuring that everyone is reading your memos, emails, etc. But you can make sure that the information is there if they are seeking it.

Embrace Social Media

Fire Departments should embrace the use of social media for a multitude of reasons. Improve communications with local media, showcase what your department is doing, fire prevention messages, product recalls, create relationships and open communication with your citizens and visitors, get feedback on how your department is doing, and positive public relations are just a handful of reasons. If you are already utilizing social media, continue building your online footprint.

Positive Reinforcement

Praise your members for a job well done. This doesn’t have to be a reward system, just a simple acknowledgement of a job well done. Do this on a regular basis and let your firefighters know you are proud of them, you are taking notice, and you appreciate them.

Get Involved in the Community

Make sure that your department is involved in the community. Get Fire/EMS companies out to events and show them how community involvement can help the citizens and visitors (your customers) how professional your department is and how they are active in the community. This one step alone can be the difference in community support for raises, equipment, apparatus, and other things.

I have never understood how some firefighters get a bad attitude when we have to go out in the public. We are Firefighters, we should be acting like it. Our Administration should ensure that we understand this is a “traditional” part of firefighting.

Eat at the Firehouse…or at least drink the coffee

Be available to eat a lunch or dinner at the firehouse. This might be a little more difficult if you have been in the position for a long time and have never taken the opportunity to break bread with the firefighters. I know at our house, we always offer coffee. If it is around lunch or dinner time, we typically offer for them to stay for dinner. The invite is never taken up. We don’t offer just to hear ourselves speak. The next time someone offers, take them up on it if you can. That opens the door to doing it again in the future. Be sure to pay up for meals though. Remember, that food is bought by the firefighters. This simple gesture could be the beginning of a great form of communication for you.

If you don’t have time to eat, let them know you will take them up on the offer in the future…and follow through with it. If you are offered coffee – drink it!

Participate in Training

Do you think that because you are THE Chief or a Chief you do not have to participate in training? Think again. Training next to your firefighters shows them you are interested in what they do. It shows them that it is ok to train, it is good to train, and that you are not above training. If it doesn’t feel good to get out there and get your hands dirty next to your guys then you should retire.

Don’t Forget Where You Came From

Man, this is a popular saying around firehouses. Don’t forget where you came from…Often heard told to a newly promoted officer. And yet, other times we hear “He forgot where he came from”. Don’t do it. Remember how it was to be a firefighter. Remember all the hard work you put in to getting promoted. Remember all the good times and the bad. Don’t forget them when you leave the firehouse for administration. Those guys rely on you doing your job with the understanding that you still remember what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Of course, there are those Chiefs who have never been on a fire engine. I am not debating what you think of that process, but there stands to reason why these Chiefs need to understand that they didn’t move up the ranks on a fire engine…and that maybe some more training is needed for them to fully understand what firefighters do from day to day. Obviously, much like all of these ideas, they depend on what type of department we are talking about…but I think you can take something from these ideas and cater it to your needs.

Be Fair

This one is plain and simple. Use policy to dictate your actions if needed. Don’t make up unwritten rules as time progresses. If you do something for one, offer it for everyone. If you punish one way one time, do it the same in the future.

Do The Right Thing

Typically this is easier for firefighters than Administration. The motto often offered up by FOOLS has become one of my most defining thoughts. Administrative Chiefs often have their bosses inhibiting them from doing what firefighters think is right. If explained properly, firefighters can understand it (See above: Be Honest). Either way, you should always strive to do what is right. What is right? Look at your mission statement and core values. If you don’t have a mission statement and core values create them. If you have them, follow them!

Ride Along

Get out there and ride with the firefighters. This can go in conjunction with eating at the firehouse. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to pull a whole shift with them. If you stop by the firehouse and they get toned out, hop on the rig with them.

Allow Ride Alongs

Offer ride alongs to others. I love having ride alongs at the firehouse. My Captain isn’t too keen on it. We have ride alongs frequently at my firehouse. Offer these to the public. You will be surprised how much the public doesn’t know about what we do.

Keep Your Door Open…And Mean it

You have an open door policy? Really? How often do firefighters take you up on meeting with you? If it is frequently, you are doing it right. If there is almost never a knock at your door, you might want to rethink if the firefighters really believe you have an open door policy.

If you have that policy, live by it. Let the informal meetings that arise be off the record. Hell, take your badge off and discuss things like men if you have to. This doesn’t mean that either party gets to be unprofessional, it just shows that there is no rank in the room and someone has to get something off their chest.

Don’t Operate on Rumors

Oh the rumors. Chiefs are not going to control the rumor mill. Likewise, they shouldn’t let the rumor mill control them. I have seen anonymous letters do some pretty damaging stuff in our department. Anonymous doesn’t mean anything to me. I am wasting my time reading it. If someone doesn’t have the nuts to put their name on something it isn’t worth reading. If someone is scared of putting their name on it due to retaliation, you have a bigger problem.

Rumors are not verified, speculative, and passed down from one person to another. Feel free to dispell the rumors as you hear them. Some rumors are spread out of fear. Others become rumors when communication is broke down.

Better Benefits

I would be remiss if I did not mention pay and benefits. A decent salary, affordable health care, and other benefits attract the kinds of firefighters you want working for you. If not maintained, you will see some of your firefighters head for greener pastures. Stay up on comparisons of similar localities for pay, benefits, and health care. Keep that information updated and by your side. When Council asks, brings it up, or says there isn’t a problem you will be able to show the data. Be sure to keep a close eye on the other public safety departments for parity within your locality.

Fight For Your Department

In order to be successful at improving morale in your department, you have to believe that it is worth it. You have to want the change and you have to create the change. You have got to fight for your department. If your departments members are down in the dumps because of this and that, make sure they understand what they DO HAVE, and what you are going to fight to get them.

You are the public figure of the fire department, you are the spokesperson, you are the face people put with the department, and the first name they come to. Act like it.

Here are some other thoughts, and some reiterated from above via The Fire Critic Facebook Page:

A chief that backs, supports and Listens to his officers….
Officers that provide that same respect to their firefighters…
Remember your roots and don’t kowtow to the politicians.
I found in my experience as a volunteer fire chief and a group leader in industry, there are three simple things that if done, tend to work well. 1) Show your folks appreciation. 2) Keep them in the know. 3) Make them part of the decision making process. It is that easy.
Lead by example. Simple, but effective.
Let the guys do their job. Be proactive for them not reactive. Simple as that.
Simple solution…a fire chief needs to remember he has one job…..TAKE CARE OF HIS PEOPLE!! EVERYTHING ELSE falls under that!!!
Answer your questions or concerns without talking down to you. You seem to get that when you are just as intelligent or more intelligent then those in the hierarchy.
Talk to your people. Too often the higher level admins stay in the office and become mythical figures. Get out there and let them ask you questions. Be human.
The do as I say not as I do attitude is gone in this day and age
Get out of your office and take an interest in the people in your department. Give your people a pat on the back when they do a good job.
Never ask your crew to do something that you wouldn’t or couldn’t.
As a BC and only being on the job for 20 years I have spent time at every level on the organization. I have worked with good boss’s and not so good. I believe that I am better than I use to be. I have a simple ideology approach and its been mentioned before by another chief. I’m a dick when I need to be and an advocate the rest of the time. I expect the very best from my guys and will give them the tools to succeed. My department does not gain anything from poor performers. If your not adding value to the team than I will flush you out. I let the men and woman do their jobs that I pay them for and accept that I cannot make everyone happy including the chief.
Be with us and don’t criticize us for wanting to go to specialized training (get that a lot from volunteer chiefs)
Here’s another one…don’t throw your people under the bus! Those from DC can relate I’m sure.
Have their back when they are right, kick their butt when their wrong. Buy the crew ice cream once a month for no reason.
Remember where they came from. They were once sitting in the back of the engine running line up the stairwell. Keep the thought of the guys who do the work in mind. The politicians will get over the decisions you make if its for the best of the citizens and the department.
You can’t be one of the guys but IF you are in a leader position and No one is following you? Your just taking a walk. Just saying.
Eat with your crew, on occasion, know the name of all of your Firefighters,and communicate clearly and consistently with everyone!
In my department it seems the line has one opinion on where the department is headed, and administration another. How admin delivers future plans is a “down your throat” approach, especially when we ask questions they can not answer. When this happens it create a major disconnect, and we see little value in running with admins ideas. Then the next natural step is to loose trust and confidence in admin. We are smart monkeys allow us to help…quit worrying so much about writing a paper for some good ole boys society that chief want to belong to.
A good ole fashioned company picnic.
Trust your officers. Criticize behind closed doors, praise in public. Listen to your men. Don’t be afraid of the word liability.
communicate with your guys, let them know what’s going on and not keep them in the dark about the department.
Never forget where you came from. Be honest with the men. Always speak the truth even if it hurts. Always remember the foundation is men
Praise them. Give them an attaboy every chance you can.
Get to know your people, listen to them, and then encourage positive behavior and self-starters. Recognize and reward valued employees, and know that the loudest guy isn’t necessarily the hardest working one.

Posted by The Fire Critic on May 29, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, News, Owning the Job, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Company Operations, EMS, EMT, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Department Administration, Fire Service, Fire Station Kitchen Tables, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Improving Morale, IronFiremen.com, Kitchen, Morale, Owning the Job, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Willie Wines Jr.

Improving Fire Department Morale at the Company Level

4 comments

This article is part of the “Owning the Job” series here on FireCritic.com. Read more articles from the “Owning the Job” series here.

Recently, I was giving the task of putting on a presentation for my promotional process. The presentation was 10 minutes long and the topic was “Present 3 ideas to improve morale in the department”. I decided to talk about the following: Positive Reinforcement from Management, Pay for Performance, and Utilizing Social Media more (shocker there). I won’t bore you with an in depth look at my presentation. I focused on issues related to Administration improving morale. I could have split it up, I wasn’t placing blame. The problem was identified already. The solution was not.

What I would like to discuss is the opposite…How do we improve morale at the company level?

How can We Improve Morale from the Ground Up?

Illustration by Paul Combs. “Drawn by Fire” on Facebook

Below is a list of ideas to improve morale. Some might make minor dents in the problem; Others might make a huge difference. Most of these will work in all types of Fire and/or EMS Departments.

If you have read this far in the article, you are interested in improving morale. I wish you the best and I am available for questions. Feel free to offer your own ideas in the comments.

Professionalism

Look professional
Act professional
Be professional
Be positive, smile, and laugh often
Leave your ego at home

Camaraderie

Hang out together on duty: Eat together, workout together, train together. Get together before/after morning checks to discuss local news, what everyone did on their day(s) off etc.
Hang out together off duty: Have your coworkers over for dinner and include their families. Get together at a local park for a picnic.
Invite another firehouse over for a friendly game of basketball, training, cornhole, or dinner.
Be positive: Be nice, be friendly, be a friend. Not everyone has the best days every day at the firehouse…some have to ride the medic unit time to time!
Motivate others: Be mindful of the strengths and weaknesses of others.

Company Pride

Create a logo or mascot for your firehouse. Get patches, shirts, coins, chips, and/or stickers made. (NM-Coin.com for coins and TheChipSite.com for chips)
Build a custom firehouse kitchen table. (examples here)
Have Wall Shields make you a custom wall shield for your firehouse. They do kitchen tables too!
Clean all of the tools on your rig together. Paint them up in a paint scheme unique to your firehouse.
Check out FirehousePride.com for some other examples.
Look and dress professional. Lose the “I fight what you fear” or “Big Johnson” t-shirt and where a uniform shirt with the rest of the crew.
Check out “Turning a Fire Station into a Firehouse”
Check out my firehouses custom kitchen table here
Social Media: Create a Facebook page, twitter account, instagram account, blog, or other social media account for your firehouse and/or fire department. Share information that other firefighters might enjoy as well as the community. Show off your pride, invite the community into your firehouse. Create communication, relationships, and conversation with others. Be seen!
Open House: Have an open house annually or each month for your community to come in and see their firehouse!

Training

Territory: Put a map up and see how much each person can get. Then go out and drive it. Pay attention to hydrants, long hose lays, building construction, oddities.
Equipment: Go over new equipment and old equipment. Get it off the rig and go over it with everyone. You might know something others don’t and vice versa.
Tools: Discuss what tools you have and why. Discuss other uses for tools and identify tools you might like to have on your apparatus…then try to acquire them.
Apparatus: Quiz each other on what gear is in which compartment on the apparatus. This will bring everyone up to speed on where things are properly placed.
Formal Classes: Keep an eye out for available classes in your area and encourage your Brothers and Sisters to attend the class with you.
Informal Classes: Identify topics your company wants to learn and refresh on. Then, identify different company members to teach the classes to the company. Follow through and schedule the classes on duty.
Critiques: When you get back from the big one, schedule a critique in the firehouse of the incident. Be positive, use constructive critisism when needed, and identify areas that your company needs to train on more often.

Apparatus

Wash the rig when it needs it.
Clean the dash and vacuum and/or wash out the interior regularly. Fire apparatus can get real dirty real quick. The same with EMS apparatus.
Wash out the compartments regularly.
Thoroughly check the apparatus each day.
Identify issues and make corrections and/or write it up for future maintenance.

Firehouse Integrity

Don’t complain about other shifts at shift change. If there is a complaint, take it to your company officer to handle.
Clean up after yourself.
Clean as you expect the other crews to clean when you aren’t there.
Leave the firehouse and apparatus cleaner than it was the day before.
Get a subscription to fire service magazines and leave them around the firehouse for others to read.

Speak up, listen, and understand

Speak up for yourself. Make yourself heard when you need to.
Listen when others are speaking. Listen to other ideas.
Understand what others are saying and why they are saying it.

Health and Fitness

Workout together. Change up the workouts to the needs of your company.
Eat healthy foods. Cook things that everyone enjoys, but make it healthy.
Workout on your days off. Some of the guys in my department get together to ride bikes on our greenway, run 5k races, and workout at the local gym together.
Be positive. Understand that not everyone is trying to kill it in the gym. The fact that some are in the gym is a huge improvement for some.

Probably the biggest thing you can do is have a positive attitude…which is also one of the hardest when morale is low.

The ideas below were shared on The Fire Critic’s Facebook Page:

Schedule training at the beginning of the shift when you’re fresh and not burn out. This also sets the tone for the remaining part of the shift… You made being a fireman more important than washing the ambulance… Guys will see that! (Jamie Goodlet)
Sit around and talk more as a crew. This helps build camaraderie. Don’t just talk about anything, again, the focus has to be on firefighting. Call all the guys out of their individual rooms or corners of the station all to one place and let the stories begin. (Jamie Goodlet)
Good, quality, practical training… It has to be practical and fun or nobody is going to want to do it. Invest some time into planning the trainings and make it more of an event than a spontaneous drill. (Jamie Goodlet)
Lead by Example. Even if you’re not the senior Guy or the boss, lead! If something needs to be done do it. If the rigs are dirty clean them. When you are at the Firehouse it is yours. IF YOU CARRY A RUSTY TOOL THEN YOU LOOK LIKE A RUSTY TOOL! (Michael Kiernan)
Stick together. Be the epitome of camaraderie - gather (regularly) together – the bigger the group the better – “regular” night at a local restaurant, bar-b-q’s – rotate to each others house, etc. “BE” without admin. (Kevin Wilkes)
Water Battles – Make time to have fun when possible. (Jan Sudmersen)
Integrity. Positive attitude. Trust. Don’t get caught up in the gossip/ politics. Do your job, know your job.
Take some pride and ownership. Be the person that’s always wanting to train and learn, take pride in even the boring work (cleaning toilets). Be the role model of a good firefighter. That is infectious it can even spread up the ranks. Take pride in your company, make up a slogan, have t shirts and patches made… (Eric Bollar)
Don’t fall into the “negativity” trap. All it takes is one positive person to bring everybody up (Craig Patti)
Have a small cook out at the station invite the members and there families. (Buddy Jackson)
Be your ‘brothers’ keeper. Constant positive outlook and let them know you see their strong work and efforts. Amazing how far a simple ‘attaboy’ carries morale. Amazing that so many upper management types never seen to get that. (Brodie Verworn)
Remain positive – attitude is contagious. One person with a positive attitude can change an entire company. A positive company can change an entire battalion. A positive battalion can change an entire shift. A positive shift can change an entire department. That’s all it takes. (Tom Stanton)
Little contests in house (engine 1 v engine 2) doing simple skills (hose rolling, knots, push-ups, ladder drills, etc…) so that you are getting training but also getting some bounding and brotherhood from the contests. (RJ RescueHumor)
Individual Company Pride! (Bryan Gallup)
Cookouts involving the guys at the house and family maybe even the neighbourhood (Alex Johnson)
Always be positive and supportive of new members and I courage and if needed push them along to get classes. Show respect to all members weather that be junior firefighters or the oldest fire police member. Don’t get involved in the “click” bull shit and talk smack about other members behind their backs. If a member has a screw up on a scene don’t scream and yell at them pull them aside later and talk through what happened and how it could be done differently, because the screaming and telling drives members away. (Garrett Yager)
Find better training and partner up people that dont like each other and make them work through it. Everyone has to understand they are on the same team at the end of the day. (Brian Jackson)
Eat meals together. Train together. Pride and ownership. (Jeff Hardy Jr.)
A little fire service/department or company history goes along way for some good morale. Guys feel good to know they’re part of something that has been much greater than themselves for a long time in our nation. (Ty Damron)
Upbeat, jumping in to help And share, encourage, ask questions and try to improve myself which hopefully will improve others. Lead by example. (Irene Silknetter Fitzkee)
Train compete and involve ur family outside firehouse w firehouse family. (Jaymie Robles)
Leaders stand next to the company and show them how to do it or encourage the guy doing the job. (William Gates)
Be supportive both in the station and in the community. Care about the people on your team, not just as team members, but as human beings. LISTEN…sometime people just need to talk. (Stacey Nicholas)
Train! Learning new techniques or reinforcing old ones always motivates people! (Jamie Burgess)
Positive reinforcement and focus on positive compliments. (TJ Vandermark)

Posted by The Fire Critic on May 23, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, Must Read, News, Owning the Job, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Company Operations, Custom Kitchen Tables, EMS, EMT, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, Fire Station Kitchen Tables, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Firehouse Kitchen Tables, Improving Morale, IronFiremen.com, Kitchen, Morale, Owning the Job, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, The Kitchen Table, Willie Wines Jr.

The Best Fire, EMS, Rescue, and Haz Mat iPhone and Android Apps

1 comment

Below you will find the names of most of the top Fire/EMS smart phone applications (Apps) as shared by the readers on the Fire Critic Facebook page. I did not share the links, because most are found on either your iphone or Android marketplaces. All you have to do is use the terms below to search for them on your phone. Not all of them have a dedicated web site.

Feel free to add more in the comments! Which apps do you use?

Fire

IAFF Procal
FireEng. Field Officer Guide
Fire Rescue 1
Firefighter Log
NIMS ICS
Fire Officer
Fire officer field guide
CommandSim
Oncallff
Fire Academy
Fire alert
Fireground 360
Fire Command Worksheet
EZ-shift
Leaky nozzle firehouse scheduler
The Firefighter Pocketbook
iPAR Fire (iPAR Fire Lite)

Staffing/Paging/Scheduling

Firehouse Scheduler
Mass Incident Paging
fire shifts
fd shift calendar
Resgrid

Friction Loss/Pumping

FLcalc
firepump
Calculator for pump ops
911 Toolkit
Two Tone Detect: Not an app but a computer program called two tone detect. Records the page outs from my scanner and sends an audio file to my phone via text or email.

Dispatch

Cadpage
ScannerRadio
Active911

Rescue

CMC Rescue Guide
Hybrid Excrication Guide
Extrication Zones Pro
Extricate
knot guide
TEEX Swiftwater
ExtractionPro
rescue knots
QRG

EMS

Resuscitation
FiRST
IED
Critical
InforMed
PediSTAT
SafeDose
Micromedix
Med Toolkit
EMT
Medibabble
Merck Manual
Diagnosaurus
NEOtube
ER Res.
Itriage
Easy PCR
EMS Assist
State Protocols under iBook
Wiser (wiser for iOS)
Epocrates
PEPID
ECG Guide
Critical Care ACLS Guide
EMS ALS Guide
EMS BLS Guide
ReUnite

Haz Mat

NAERG
Hazmat Guide
Drager Gas Detection
Hazmat Evac
2012 ERG
Chem Safety
Cargo Decoder
placard +
Mobile REMM

General

Google Translator
iTranslate
Dropbox
Army Mountaineering

Weather/Mapping

RadarScope
WeatherTapZoom
Myradar
Google Earth
iMap Weather Radio

Games

Emergency

Posted by The Fire Critic on May 6, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, EMS Dispatch, EMS Topics, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighters Guide, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, HazMat, News, Patient Management, Safety, Social Media, Special Operations, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Android, Applications, EMS, EMS Apps, EMT, Facebook, Fire, Fire Apps, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Haz Mat Apps, iphone, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Simulators, Smart Phone Apps, Social Media, Training, Willie Wines Jr.

“Get Off The F$@%ing Radio!”…I think we have all said this at one point in time, just maybe not on camera

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I think we have all said this at one time or another. This short clip below captures just that moment in time where we have something to say…but someone else apparently won’t shut up on the radio. I guess you could say that we just hope that it doesn’t get caught on video. It doesn’t matter who this is or where it happened…it is pretty funny.

Posted by The Fire Critic on May 2, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, Fail, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Fires, humor, News, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, House Fire, House Fire Video, Humor, IronFiremen.com, radio traffic, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Product Review: Blackjack Helmet Flashlight Holders

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I just finished a product review on several of the Blackjack Helmet Flashlight Holders.

You can view it on our site FireProductReview.com. Check it out and check out the other product reviews. You can rate the products as well!

Click on the image to read the review

Posted by The Fire Critic on April 22, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Product Reviews, Technology & Communications, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Black Jack Helmet Flashlight Holders, Blackjack, Blackjack Helmet Flashlight Holders, BlackJack Holder, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Review, Fire Service Product Review, Fire Service Review, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Product Review, Firefighter Review, Firefighting, Firefighting Review, FireProductReview.com, IronFiremen.com, Product Review, Product Reviews, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Willie Wines Jr.

Video: 4 Alarm Row House Fire in Jersey City, NJ. Check out the Trench Cut on this Job. (3 Videos)

1 comment

Video by: AssociatedPress. Video info: Firefighters battle a four-alarm fire in Jersey City, N.J. spreading through a row of homes. Some six of the 14 homes are believed affected by the blaze. (March 27). The fire occurred on Belmont Avenue. 100 Firefighters worked for 3 hours to contain the fire. More news on the fire here, and here.

Take a look at the trench cut the firefighters made across the roof-line. What a job that must have been!

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

(more…)

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 27, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Fires, News, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: 4 Alarm Fire, Apartment Fire, Building Fire, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fireground Video, House Fire, House Fire Video, IronFiremen.com, Jersey City, Jersey City Fire Department, New Jersey, Rhett Fleitz, Row House Fire, Social Media, Trench Cut, Truck Work, Ventilation, Verticle Ventilation, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Company Snapshot: Fire Cam (FireVideo.Net)

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The “Company Snapshot” is a brand new column here at FireCritic.com. If you would like your company to be featured in a “Company Snapshot” please email us at firecritic@firecritic.com.

Fire Cam

FireVideo.net / FireCamera.net
Facebook Page – 7k+ fans
Youtube (username BobbyBushae) - 3k+ subscribers and 1.4 million video views

Fire Cam Owner Rob Schield

Fire Cam is owned by Firefighter Rob Schield who took some time to answer our questions about his company and products.

What products to you manufacture and/or sell? We manufacture the Fire Cam 3 HD, Fire Cam Mini HD, Fire Cam 1080 and Fire Cam HD Dash Cam

Can your products be purchased from local dealers? No, only through a few distributors like The Fire Store and on the FireVideo.net online store.

What makes your products better than others in the market? You can go to the front page of www.firevideo.net and see “Heat Test” video on the front page which will show you other helmet cameras failing fairly quickly and ours passing with no problems.

Also, with being a full time firefighter I knew that we needed to build a product that would be able to stand up to multiple fires and other incidents. It needed to be NFPA compliant and also intrinsically safe. We spent a lot of time testing different product designs in which some have failed in the past. The new “Fire Cam HD” line of camera is the best yet. ALL of our cameras have been tested by professional testing facilities such as the Maryland Fire Service Institute and Texas A & M Fire University just to name a few. We are proud to say that our cameras have passed heat testing and IP68 pressure testing.

Also, we added the “Fire Cam Damage Warranty” which if your cameras components accidentally get damaged in a fire, or however its damaged, you are covered for a FREE replacement. There is no other warranty on the market like it! How can you go wrong?

Where is your company located? Belleville, IL. just 20 minutes from St. Louis MO.

How long have you been in business? I have been a full time firefighter for 14 years in East St. Louis and we see a lot of fires. After coming up with the idea of putting a small camera on my helmet in 2006, I shot a video that went viral over the weekend which was posted on Break.com. Here is the video – http://www.break.com/index/fire_helmet_cam.html . You can see the date was Oct – 2006. That video was the 1st fire helmet camera video and was only a 320×240 VGA camera and it looked SO bad! Technology has changed so much. Due to the response I had from firefighters around the USA, I knew I had a good chance to develop something for the fire service that no one else has done before, so I developed “The Fire Helmet Cam™”. The first website you can see here at www.firehelmetcamera.com . We used to resell the ATC-2000, but after finding out there were copycat companies trying to resell the same thing and take over our idea, we hired a few engineers and now manufacture our own. Now we manufacture our own “Fire Cam” brand of cameras. We make sure that our customers know this because our cameras are stamped with our trademark “Fire Cam” and can be identified on the side of all of our cameras. We did this because a few companies are reselling their cameras as “Fire Helmet Cameras” which they buy off of eBay and resell to customers who do not know any better. These knock of cams are really hurting people who buy them because when they fail, they call our company wanting a replacement, but then they realize it’s not ours and they are out of luck with no fire footage and a failed camera. You can see a list of these on our website at www.firevideo.net under the “Compare” page.

Are your products made in the USA? Since no high component electronics are manufactured in the USA, our cameras are engineered and designed in the USA and manufactured in China.

What is the best experience your company has had in relation to providing products to the fire service? Over the years we have had so many. They range from Fire Investigators thanking us for designing a great product due to arson litigation where our cameras were used in court and also the high amount of calls we get from Fire Chiefs thanking us due to the way the cameras and free SOP/SOG’s we have provided them with have helped their dept with training, critique, review and investigations.

Are any of your employees firefighters? Where? Yes, we have several employees that work in Volunteer and Paid fire departments in our area. Most of them work with customer service or technical support for Fire Cam.

Does your company get booth space at conferences? If yes, what are some of the highlights of those shows? Yes, we go to the Firehouse convention in Baltimore sometimes and always try to go to FDIC every year. We will be there this year hopefully showing of some really cool new products. The best part of FDIC is the firefighters that we meet that tell us about their experiences with our cameras and of course it give us a chance to get out and see other new products and meet new people.

Fire Cam will be with BlackJack Flashlight Holder at FDIC (booth #3038)

What new products can we expect from your company in the future? Ahhh, one must wait for good things to come! We actually have several new products that will become a “game changer” that only a handful of people know about. These will definitely bring video technology to a new level in the fire service. We might have a prototype ready to see at FDIC if you want to stop by our booth!

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 22, 2013 • Filed under: Company Snapshot, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Helmet Camera, News, Technology & Communications, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Cam, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCamera.net, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fireground Video, FireVideo.net, helmet, Helmet Cam, Helmet Cam Video, Helmet Camera, Helmet Camera footage, Helmet Camera Video, House Fire, House Fire Video, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Rob Schield, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Forcible Entry Training Opportunity in Bedford, VA This Weekend!

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Guest post by Nate Camfiord (photos by Nate as well).

What: VPFF Forcible Entry Academy
When: March 23, 2013 8am
Instructors: Dave Barlow & Scott Kraut (Local 2068)
Where: Bedford County (VA) Visitors Center. 816 Burks Hill Road Bedford, VA 24532
Who: Class is open to 24 firefighters. Class is offered at NO cost to members of VPFF affiliated Locals. All Firefighters are welcome.

For those in the Southwestern, VA region (or beyond) please consider attending this outstanding training opportunity being taught by two of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s most seasoned and highly proficient instructors – Captain Dave Barlow and Lt Scott Kraut. I have personally observed both of these men facilitate numerous Field Training Operations (live burns, etc) and each are very “hands-on” oriented in their style. The event is guaranteed not to disappoint! The class is offered free to VPFF members.

View the class information here and here.

To register, send the following information to trainingacademy@vpff.org:

Name
Email
Telephone contact
IAFF Local if applicable

Social gathering following the conclusion of class.

Instructors:

Captain Dave Barlow

Dave Barlow

Dave Barlow is currently assigned as the Captain of Field Training at the Fairfax County Fire Training Academy. Dave began his fire service career as a volunteer in 1995 and was appointed to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue in 1998. Over the past 15 years, Dave has been primarily assigned to one of the departments Technical Rescue Companies as both a firefighter and officer. Dave also served as a Rescue Squad Officer on the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team on numerous missions including Haiti and Japan.

Dave has been a fire service instructor since 2002, adopting common sense, principle based teaching methods that promote operational effectiveness and teamwork on the incident scene.

Scott Kraut

Lieutenant Scott Kraut

Scott Kraut is currently assigned as a Lieutenant on the Tower Ladder at Company 40. Prior to his assignment, Scott held a three year position at the Training Academy where he was responsible for and in charge of training the 1400 career and volunteer field personnel.

As an experienced instructor, Scott has a unique way of teaching and a true passion for firefighter safety that begins with operational readiness. Scott is a graduate of the West Point Leadership program and strives to develop leadership qualities in all aspects of training from firefighter to Battalion Chief.

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 20, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Bedford, Dave Barlow, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Forcible Entry, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Scott Kraut, Social Media, Training, Virginia, Virginia Professional Fire Fighters, VPFF, Willie Wines Jr.

Let’s Talk about the Ole Radio Strap/Radio Pocket Debate. Fairfax County Releases Detailed Report on the Topic

6 comments

How do you wear your handheld radio? Do you even wear one? Do you use a strap? Do you use a radio pocket on your coat? Do you care? Do you have a reason why you wear it one way or another?

I care…that is, I care about how I wear my radio. I wear it a certain way, the way I like it. I wear a radio strap on my right shoulder hanging down to below my left hip. I am right handed and access the radio with my left hand. Oh…and I put the radio in its hoster backwards facing in. I also wear the strap under my coat, with the mic sticking out the top of my coat and hanging down a couple of inches. I wear an anti-sway strap to keep it in place and keep it from swinging too far front. The Gerber sheath is for a knife.

The way I wear my radio strap. I turn the radio face in and place it in the holster. Does anyone have a reason not to do this.

I bet Fairfax didn’t think about that when they did their report (wearing the radio facing in). I do it for the simple reason that the cord comes off the right side of the radio and when I turn the radio facing in, it follows the line of the radio strap closer. Call it aesthetics, it is what I do and I have never read anything about this placement being negative.

I don’t have to visualize my radio in order to use it. Our radios give an audible beep when you change the channels so I can tell what channel I am on by how many beeps there are moving from the main channel.

The Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department released a very detailed report “Portable Radio Placement in the IDLH” on the pros and cons of wearing your radio in a strap under the coat vs. in a coat pocket. You can read that report here (.pdf).

P.J. Norwood recently wrote about the radio debate on FireEngineering.com

Much like everything else Fairfax County does, they didn’t spare any expense at providing a thorough and detailed report…then openly shared it for all Firefighters to learn from.

I recently posed this question on the Fire Critic Facebook Fan Page and was amazed at how many people wore a radio strap EXCEPT for with turnout gear. I can’t imagine having to change how I wore my radio depending on the call I got. Some departments, oddly including Fairfax County, PROHIBIT the use of radio straps.

Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department released a General Order in 2009 mandating the turnout coat radio pocket as the only way to carry the radio. Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue have a similar policy. - from the report

There is a ton of great information and data in the report. I suggest you read it in its entirety and forward it to your Chief and Safety Officer for their review.

Here is the Conclusion from the report:

Firefighter Safety and Communications is synonymous. The ability to have reliable communications on the fire-ground is critical to the safety of the firefighters operating in the IDLH. Dependable communications can save a firefighter’s life or prevent a bad situation from getting worse.

Although the Radio Pocket has been integral to the bunker coats for many years, recent hard looks and analysis have proved that there are significant dangers associated with using the radio pocket. Whether it is signal loss from the antenna being too close to the body or the inability for the closure to keep the radio in the pocket or exposure of the Remote Speaker Mic to thermal insult potentially locking the tactical channel from everyone on the fire-ground, it is clear that just one of the negative factors is too much risk for our firefighters. Having all three major factors endangers our firefighters to an exponentially high level.

The negative results from the Radio Pocket are clearly identified and proven. Any concerns about the viability of the recommended best practice of wearing the portable radio RSM under the coat, but hanging the radio below the coat line with the antenna canted away from the body would be purely speculation. A recent close call fire where a fire officer fell through the 2nd floor onto the first floor, prove that in a real-life dynamic fall, the radio stayed in place, as he was wearing it under the coat. Wearing the radio in this fashion is not new and no direct connection to this manner of carrying radios has produced a negative effect, as evidenced by the numerous safety issues experienced with the radio pocket.

Entanglement issues are eliminated, Radio signal loss is improved, the RSM is protected, and access to the controls is at hand. The ability to disconnect the RSM, if practical, is still there and arguably easier. An attempt to bypass a damaged RSM by depressing the PTT button on the radio itself is still available by tilting the radio up and talking down to the portable.

There is simply no valid reason to object to the practice that has been identified. In fact, with the identified critical safety issues associated with the radio pocket, beyond the potential of injury or death to firefighter, the opportunity to litigious liability is too great. There is no way to avoid the liability of such an obvious safety issue.

By committing to sounding the alarms against the Bunker Gear Radio Pocket, the safety for firefighters is increased not only for an individual user, but the entire fire-ground.

Another resource to check out is the FEMA/IAFF Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service (Oct. 2008)

How do you wear your radio? Why?

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 8, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Technology & Communications, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, IronFiremen.com, Lapel, Leather, Mic, Norwood, P.J., Portable, Portable Radio Placement in the IDLH, Radio, Radio Pocket, Radio Strap, Radio Strap vs. Radio Pocket, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Strap, Wearing, Willie Wines Jr.

Owning the Job: Video Ideas To Share With Firefighter Recruits on the First Day of Recruit School

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View more articles related to “Owning the Job” here

This morning, my department’s training Lieutenant called me. He was looking for the video that he and I watched along with the rest of our recruit school 14 years ago today on our first day with the department. He wasn’t quite sure on the title of it, and unfortunately I can’t remember it at all. So I did what I always do…I asked you guys over on the Fire Critic Facebook Page…and as always, you guys came through for me. No matter the question, I can always rely on the knowledge and experience of the 20k+ friends, fans, Brothers and Sisters on the page to help me out. After all, contrary to popular belief I do not know everything.

d fitch fire medic art everyone goes home on fire critic

Artwork by FireMedicArt.com (D. Fitch)

Our next recruit school begins on Monday, and the Lt. is looking for that video or another to show the recruits on the first day. I believe the one he is looking for is titled “To Hell and Back” and that is what he thought to, but he couldn’t find it. I believe that is the name of it, but I couldn’t find it online anywhere. I am guessing we have a copy at the training center.

Below are just some of the videos that were recommended by the FB Brothers. I will add that this article was a quick idea I had after all of the great examples shared…and then I sat down and watched all of the videos, one by one. I was holding it together until the Pipes started playing on the Kyle Wilson Tribute video…then I lost it.

Feel free to share more in the comments below.

Fire Fighter Anthem – This One’s For The Firefighters

Rick Lasky Part I

Rick Lasky Part II

Brotherhood Trailer

FDNY He Ain’t Heavy He’s my Brother

Firefighter Motivation

The Station Nightclub Fire Video

FDNY Black Friday Audio with Transcript (more on the fire here)

Sofa Super Store Fire

Houston Firefighter Mayday Video/Audio Part I

Houston Firefighter Mayday Video/Audio Part II

Chicago Fire Department – Everyone Goes Home

Worcester, MA Cold Storage Warehouse Fire

St. Louis Fire Department – St. Louis City Fire Academy

Kyle Wilson Tribute

LSU FETI Recruit Program

BROTHERHOOD Life In The FDNY (Part 1 of 9)

Into the Fire Trailer

A few more links:

Video: Ground ladder collapses, crew falls

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 1, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Close Call, Command & Leadership, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Fires, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, Lessons Learned, Line of Duty, Mayday, News, Owning the Job, Rescues, Rescues, Safety, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Apartment Fire, BROTHERHOOD Life In The FDNY, Brotherhood Trailer, Building Fire, Chicago Fire Department - Everyone Goes Home, Close Call, D. Fitch, EMS, Everyone Goes Home, Facebook, FDIC, FDNY, FDNY Black Friday Audio with Transcript, FDNY He Ain't Heavy He's my Brother, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Fighter Anthem - This One's For The Firefighters, Fire Medic Art, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Motivation, FirefighterCloseCalls.com, Firefighting, Fireground Video, FireMedicArt.com, House Fire, House Fire Video, Houston Firefighter Mayday Video/Audio Part I, Houston Firefighter Mayday Video/Audio Part II, IAFF, In the Line of Duty, Into the Fire Trailer, IronFiremen.com, Kyle Wilson Tribute, Line of Duty, Line of Duty Death, LODD, LSU FETI Recruit Program, MA Cold Storage Warehouse Fire, Paramedic, Recruit School, Recruit School Videos, Rhett Fleitz, Rick Lasky Part I, Rick Lasky Part II, Social Media, Sofa Super Store Fire, St. Louis Fire Department - St. Louis City Fire Academy, The Station Nightclub Fire Video, Video, Willie Wines Jr., Worcester

Company Snapshot: Glove Crafters

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The “Company Snapshot” is a brand new column here at FireCritic.com. If you would like your company to be featured in a “Company Snapshot” please email us at firecritic@firecritic.com.

Glove Crafters

What products to you manufacture and/or sell? We manufacture Structural Fire Gloves, Industrial Gloves, Glove Straps and Heat Pads

Structural firefighting gloves include the Fire Armor, Fire Hog, and Fire Pro II. Wildland firefighting gloves offered include the Wildland.

Can your products be purchased from local dealers? Yes. Click here to find a dealer near you. If you are a dealer and would like information on carrying Glove Crafters Gloves Click Here to Contact Sales@GloveCrafters.com.

What makes your products better than others in the market? All our products are made by American master crafters who are experts in putting together quality handmade gloves. We take pride in every stitch. You simply won’t find a higher quality glove anywhere in the world. You can read about our Master Crafters here!

Where is your company located? Glove Crafters is located in Quitman, Arkansas population 765. Check out a video of our shop here.

How long have you been in business? We are going on our 3^rd year and we have 106 years of combined glove seamstress experience.

Are your products made in the USA? Not only are all of our products made here in the USA but all the components in our glove are made in the USA also.

Does your company get booth space at conferences? If yes, what are some of the highlights of those shows? We set up a booth at FDIC each year. We enjoy showing off our products and meeting the brave men and women of the fire service. We enjoy seeing the smiles on firefighters faces when they try on our gloves for the first time. You can read more about what others have said about our products here.

What new products can we expect from your company in the future? We are working on a new 3D Glove that will be released this Spring.

Glove Crafters offers “Freebie Fridays” where they give away products each Friday. To enter to win simply click here.

Additional information on Glove Crafters products:

ISO 9001 Registered – Having a manufacturing quality assurance program that is registered to ISO 9001 and monitored by an independent outside organization ensures that every glove that you receive is consistent in its materials and construction, providing the same exacting quality to ensure the highest levels of performance and safety.

Certified to NFPA Standards – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) establishes the most rigorous product standards in the world to offer the greatest protection to firefighters everywhere. Our fire glove products meet and exceed these extensive requirements of the applicable NFPA standard. Our certification is continually subject to verification.

Check out the Fire Critic’s review of the Fire Armor gloves by Glove Crafters on FireProductReview.com

Posted by The Fire Critic on February 13, 2013 • Filed under: Company Snapshot, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Wildland • Tagged: Arkansas, EMS, Fire, Fire Armor, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Hog, Fire Pro II, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Gloves, Firefighting, Firefighting Gloves, Glove Crafters, GloveCrafters.com, IronFiremen.com, New Wild Fire Gloves, Quitman, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Wildland, Wildland Firefighting, Wildland Gloves, Willie Wines Jr.

Helmet Camera Video: Hang On There Bam Bam…I Got This…Try Before You Pry Works at Car Fires Too!

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I could be wrong, since I wasn’t there, but this appears to be a learning experience for at least one of these firefighters. I admit that at car fires, if you don’t get to the hood latch before it burns or lengthens under the heat it negatively impacts the ability to open the hood. Occasionally, we need tools to open the hood up to and including a couple of rounds with the K saw. However, in this case captured in this helmet camera video…it doesn’t appear to be the case…Then again, the firefighter with the halligan might have knocked it loose.

The Video was removed by the FD

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 22, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Fires, Helmet Camera, News, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Car Fire, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fireground Video, Helmet Cam, Helmet Camera, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

The Change Begins – Training and Dieting For a Goal

1 comment

I am drinking a beer as I type this. The last beer until the middle of May…the last of many things until the middle of May. Read on to find out why.

Over a year ago, my wife began an epic journey into what many wouldn’t even think of. My wife is an extraordinary woman. She works a career with Advance Auto Parts, at their corporate center in Roanoke. She is the breadwinner of the family. Among working, keeping the family going, and supporting me in all of my endeavors, she wanted more. She began working out. She wasn’t overweight, but just like me she hadn’t taken care of her body the way she should have. Once she began her workout program, she put her sights on competing in a figure and/or bikini competition.

This is my breaking point as captured by paparazzi on the beaches of North Carolina in August of 2011.

She put all of her spare time into working out and dieting to get ready for the competition. This is where I benefited. Not only was my wife in the best shape of her life and hotter than ever, she got me into working out. For that I will be ever indebted to my wife…yet another example of how she has made me a better man.

So there I was…following along with The Fire Service Warrior, becoming an advocate for healthier firefighters, and beginning to finally becoming fit for the first time since I had been hired as a full-time firefighter about 12 years prior.

This was just over a year ago.

My wife didn’t get to compete. It broke my heart. She had worked so hard…come so far. She had dieted for months, never once cheating…not even a morsel. Due to health reasons she is still battling, she was unable to compete. We only found out a month before her competition…From doctor to doctor we sought answers.

The good news is that I believe we have found out what was wrong. The bad news is that it might be something that she has issues with for the rest of her life.

The GREAT news is that she is planning on competing again.

What does this have to do with me?…I am going to compete with her.

That’s right. I am going to compete as well. It is a bodybuilding competition. I have worked out with my wife two times a week for over a year. That time is priceless for us. She even has a personal trainer. He is a great guy. Robbie Royston, our personal trainer, might have more fun than us when he trains us.

And so it begins…the dieting and consistent working out. Working out will not be a problem. I have worked out 2-5 times a week for over a year. With the exception of the past 3 weeks when I was injured, it has been constant and I am loving it.

I have yet to get into the CrossFit workout. I haven’t had the chance. It isn’t an excuse. I get a free membership to our local Gold’s Gym, my wife works out there, and I can work out with other firefighters. It just makes sense. I am not ruling out CrossFit in the future, but it isn’t in the cards right now.

I do not know what will happen in the end. I am not doing this to win. I am doing this for me. I am doing this to see what I look like after a strict diet. After that, we will see where I go from there.

More than likely, my frame will go from the current 165 lbs. to 140-145 lbs. It will be interesting to see how it all goes.

There are actually two competitions I will be competing in with my wife.

April 20th – INBF Pro/Amatuer Mr/Ms Virginia VirginiaBodyBuilding.com

May 5th – OCB Atlantic Super Show BodyBuildingTickets.com

That means that I will not be drinking at FDIC…not to worry, I am just as much fun sober as I am drunk!

Needless to say, this will be a huge challenge. Starting tomorrow, I will be on a protein rich diet coupled with working out. The strict diet will also be enjoyed by my wife. I cannot wait until the day we are in Richmond having a blast…half naked…sculpted…and loving it!

I think she is only doing this because she knows she is capable of it…it doesn’t matter to me. I appreciate all of the prodding she has done for me this far.

Beyond my wife, so many of my Brother and Sister Firefighters are inspirations to me. I appreciate all of the help thus far and on with this challenge. I will keep you posted on the program.

I just hope I have the will power for it.

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 13, 2013 • Filed under: EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, News, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Willie Wines Jr.

Helmet Cam Video: This Truckie Works Like a Machine at a House Fire in Landsdowne, PA

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I shouldn’t have to tell you how much of a fan I am of helmet camera footage. In the video below, we get to “ride along” with an OVM (Outside Vent Man) riding the truck for the Landsdowne Fire Company (PA). Watch the deliberate and obviously learned actions by this firefighter as he sets ladders and clears windows during a bedroom fire.

Update: The fire was is Yeadon, Pa. With Lansdowne Truck 19 and East Lansdowne Engine 24 arriving first due.

Check out the Landsdowne Fire Company web site

Check out their Youtube channel too

About the video:

ELFD Engine 24 and LFCO Truck 19 making quick work of a bedroom fire. Helmet camera footage is from the Outside Vent Man’s helmet camera. Check out FDcam.com

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 26, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Fires, Helmet Camera, News, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fireground Video, Helmet Cam, Helmet Camera, House Fire, House Fire Video, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Video: Firefighters Use Rebar Cutters to Rescue Women from House Fire

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The only thing between life and death for this woman is the metal security grate covering the window of this dwelling. With the help of a rebar cutter, firefighters are able to gain access to the woman. What is better, is that once rescued the woman looks to be doing much better than before when she seemed lifeless. No clue when or where this occurred.

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 23, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Fires, News, Rescues, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Apartment Fire, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fireground Video, House Fire, House Fire Video, IronFiremen.com, Rebar Cutter, Rescue, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Kill The Flashover

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I work in a department where we utilize a traditional (some might say aggressive) interior attack on fires at every chance we get. Sure, there are some empty lots in our City…including some parking lots downtown. We haven’t saved every building…but our track record is pretty good. Chalk that up to our quick responses and ability of our firefighters. I wish I could say that we get decent fire training made available by our department numerous times each year, but that is not true. I wish I could say that our staffing levels and lack of closing down companies are the reason why our responses are so quick, but our story is very different.

We are just like every other department, we get the job done with what we have to work with.

Transitional attack is something you might see in our department, but you probably wouldn’t hear anyone using the terminology “Transitional Attack”. It would merely be a case of cooling the fire prior to heading inside if needed.

One thing I will note is the old teaching of pushing the fire through the house…I have never seen this happen. I am not saying it can happen. I will just say that the way we used to teach that you HAD to fight fire from the unburned side to keep from pushing the fire will not always occur if you get in their and put plenty of water on the fire.

Kill The Flashover

Their motto is “We test, we demonstrate, you decide”

Watch the video below…

What do you think?

Kill the Flashover is an experiment. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t find a definitive web site for the project. Joe Starnes’ web site has information on the project(2011 here and 2012 here) and then points to BShifter.com. I couldn’t find any information other than “Blue Card Certification” on BShifter.com though…nothing on Kill the Flashover. Maybe I just couldn’t find it.

There is a Facebook Fan Page for Kill the Flashover here.

There is a Youtube channel for Kill the Flashover here.

The Average Jake Firefighter recently wrote about the video I shared above. The post “So Traditional Attack is Wack Huh?”, delves into what you watched above and discusses its use in his departments.

Mark Vonappen also speaks on the topic in a post titled “Pride and Anecdotes”.

What do you guys think?

Here are some other videos from Kill the Flashover

Kill The Flashover (Burn Down Training Moment) Albemarle, NC
Watch this video closely and comment what you think the training moment is. There is a very important lesson in this short video that we all need to learn from.

Kill The Flashover Using Air Intake
This video clearly demonstrates the effects on temperature that something as simple as closing a do can do. This footage was taken during the first Kill the Flashover burn held in Shelby, NC in 2011. For more information on Kill the Flashover see us at www.facebook.com/killtheflashover

Posted by The Fire Critic on May 18, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Average Jake Firefighter Blog, BShifter.com, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighting, Fireground Video, Fully Involved, House Fire, House Fire Video, IronFiremen.com, Joe Starnes, Kill the Flashover, Mark Vonappen, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Best of the Rest – Learning to Crawl, Fingerprints, Chicago Fire, All My Rowdy Friends…and More

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The other week, I had a Brother contact me about visiting Roanoke. When Brothers visit Roanoke, Willie and I try our best to roll out the red carpet and put our best foot forward. Unfortunately for Willie, he has two left feet! Chief Scott Morrison from Knotts Island Volunteer Fire Department was in town working and I ensured him we would have a good time. Willie and I both would have taken him around, but Willie was working. Therefore it was my job to show him as much of Roanoke as I could. I think we stopped in or drove by firehouses 1, old 1, 2, 3, old 3, 5, 7, 8, old 9, and 13…not bad for a half day of touring. We broke bread with Captain Wines at 13 and were delighted when Willie Sr. showed up with a friend for lunch as well. It actually gave me a chance to step into some of the houses I don’t get to all that often. I even met two firefighters who I hadn’t met before from the last recruit school.

Captain Wines, Chief Scott Morrison, Lt. Rhett Fleitz

We got a new guy at #3 A-shift about a month ago. Aaron (prounounced A-run) Parker is from the last recruit school and is fitting in just great. I will be introducing my entire crew this week hopefully. I have been meaning to do it, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. It will be worth it, trust me!

Other than that, everything is busy as hell. Lacrosse season ends this weekend with a league tournament. I coach my son’s U9 and U11 teams and the U11 will be playing in the tournament. It should be a blast.

Dave Statter and I are gearing up for our presentation on Social Media in two weeks. Join us at the Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation’s 2012 Leadership Conference in Newark, Ohio for May 23 & 24. Click here to sign up.

a little humor for your day. Shared by Benjamin Kimball

Shoutout – AESTFire

Facebook – AEST Inc.

About - In March of 2009 we incorporated to meet an ever-increasing need to provide quality training to area emergency service and industrial organizations. AEST Inc is comprised of many highly qualified, trained, and professional instructors.We all began as firefighters. AEST Inc expanded our services to include testing pumps, ladders, and fire hose all on site at your department. We are able to provide an excellent service at an affordable price.

Training

For EMS Training, check out CentreLearn. Our good friend Greg Friese is on the team there. They have a blog set up here as well…and on Facebook!

Tac-Med LLC is running some online training via their Facebook page. Check it out here.

FireGround Flowthrough – The Order of Operations. Check out this article by Chris Brennan of Fire Service Warrior.

Green Maltese offers Fireground Considerations. Check it out!

Video: Jason Jefferies teaches us how to crawl…check it out! Thanks to Chief Mike France for posting this in the Fire Service Training/Safety FB Group!

Tweet of the Week

Seems reasonable!

News and Opinion

Mark Vonappen offers us “Fingerprints” in his latest installment at Fully Involved…sink your teeth into this one. Mark’s musings are becoming very popular due in part to the topic, in part to the writing style, and in part because it is unforgiving, candid, and no nonsense. I love it!

I took this pic from the bumper of their fire engine a week into the recovery efforts after one of the worst tornadoes Indiana has seen in a long time! -Bill- Nineveh FD

Chicago Fire Preview: Clips From NBC’s Drama Show Fire And Heated Conversation. Have you heard of the new series on Firefighters based on Chicago’s Bravest? Get the sneak preview here!

Retired Norfolk Firefighter Sara Jones needs your help in her 4th battle with Cancer. Read more about it here.

FirstDueTackle.com put together a pretty decent list of Training web sites, blogs, and magazines in this post here.

All My Rowdy Friends…The Hose Jockey talks about “The Network” that is being created and he is a part of. If you don’t know what “The Network” is, read the post and then start reading some of the other great blogs out there!

5 Terrifying Secrets About Riding in an Ambulance…just as it implies, from Cracked.com

Backstep Firefighter - OHIO Close Calls. Blaming Radios and Remembering Past Tragedy Calls show hindsight and misguided blame. Are we sure we’re headed in the right direction when looking for “lessons learned”?

IronFiremen.com – America’s Fire Captain Willie Wines Jr. talks about “Old School Captains” and gets a little validation for his abilities.

Jury awards more than $800,000 to family of fallen firefighter. The civil trial for Kilgore firefighter Kyle Perkins’ death is finally over. After rehashing the 2009 tragedy in a two-week trial, Monday’s verdict is a small victory for an East Texas family, and a brotherhood of East Texas firefighters.

This video was shared on Facebook:

Posted by The Fire Critic on May 15, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Best of the Rest, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, News, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Best of the Rest, Centrelearn, EMS, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Firefighter Crawl, Firefighting, IronFiremen.com, Jason Jefferies, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, The Hose Jockey, Training, Twitter, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Owning the Job. Part IV – Misunderstood Requirements

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Read all of the “Owning the Job” articles here

Maybe you have seen these…

Before I get started…here is my disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of these personally and I am not speaking on their behalf. I am offering my opinion of what they mean to me and sharing that with you in this collection of thoughts. Before you read on, please understand that I appreciate smart aggressive firefighting, it is what I live. I think there are some small things that some firefighters view as others trying to change the way we fight fire…I view them as tools for making us better and understand they must be understood properly and implemented into our game plan. They don’t really make us “safe”, they make us “smarter”.

Let no man’s ghost return to say, “My training let me down.” — Aaron Heller, Captain, Hamilton Township Fire District 9, New Jersey

I have seen plenty written on these topics, initiatives if you will. I have read, dissected, and think I have a decent understanding of what they are and where they came from.

At the very basic level, most of these came from the loss of a firefighter(s). They have been formulated by best practices, lessons learned, and blood spilled. In fact, they are mostly committee based and I can only imagine the conversations when some of these were nailed down.

I remember the first time I read the “Rules of Engagement”. My thought was something like “You mean to tell me I am expected to go through these 1 at a time when I roll up on a fire…before any action?”. I imagine others might have thought the same thing.

My second thought was…hell, I already do most of that. Then I began reflecting on each rule of engagement. These things are a piece of cake if you are willing to understand them and add them as a tool in the toolbox.

Rules of Engagement for Firefighters (there is a longer section for incident commanders)

1. Size up your tactical area of operation.
2. Determine the occupant survival profile.
3. DO NOT risk your life for lives or property that cannot be saved.
4. Extend LIMITED risk to protect SAVABLE property.
5. Extend VIGILANT and MEASURED risk to protect and rescue SAVABLE lives.
6. Go in together, stay together, come out together.
7. Maintain continuous awareness of your air supply, situation, location and fire conditions.
8. Constantly monitor fireground communications for critical radio reports.
9. You are required to report unsafe practices or conditions that can harm you. Stop, evaluate and decide.
10. You are required to abandon your position and retreat before deteriorating conditions can harm you.
11. Declare a Mayday as soon as you THINK you are in danger.

Hell, it doesn’t get much more basic and clearer than that. As a matter of fact, it is like firefighters wrote it. Why in the World would a firefighter scoff at these? This isn’t asking too much. This guidance could streamline some of the thought processes for firefighters in the heat of the battle.

I fight what you fear

Really? You have a shirt that says “you fight what I fear”? Take it off. Chances are you don’t. Chances are that when confronted with a fire, you fear it too. You should. Fire is dangerous. We do a dangerous job. We aren’t dangerous. We shouldn’t be. The shirt should read “When confronted with what you fear (fire), I take calculated risks to ensure that I save lives and property”.

16 Initiatives

There are some great teachers out there who teach on the basis of content. Then there are others who teach on basis of some $50 words put together to make people think What the F#$% is that? Firefighters are just that…Firefighters. The majority have a high school education. Talk to them in a way they will understand. Make sure it makes sense. The 16 Life Safety Initiatives do just that. Read them here. No, really…read them. Take the time to read them and share them with your guys. Trust me, the minds who put that together weren’t wasting their time. The abbreviated ”cliffs notes” are here. Fire Department members should be using them to guide their focus in planning for the future. We can’t change the past, we can have an effect on the future. They are guidelines.

Did someone say SAFETY again?

Deal with it. Until the end of time, we are going to be pressed to be safe. It is only right. We have a dangerous job. I know that, you know that, THEY know that. Have you ever wondered if pencil pushers are asked to be safe? No, because their mundane jobs aren’t dangerous. We need to get over getting hurt feelings when asked to be safe. We need to understand that being safe is not asking too much.

Whoa…is The Fire Critic bowing down to the Safety Nazi’s? Not a chance.

Don’t get me wrong, some of us can go too far. They are the ones who need to be educated as well. We need to be safe and they need to have an understanding that our jobs are dangerous. Being safe and having a dangerous job are different…and can be accomplished at the same time. That is where we become S.A.F.E. firefighters (to borrow a term from here). Smart Aggressive Fundamental Efficient. It may not encompass everything, but I think it hits the nail on the head pretty well.

Trust me, to ask firefighters to be safe is not the same as asking for a company of yard-breathers. The goal is to go home in the morning…of course without a silhouette of the skyline burning behind us.

What about laying it all on the line?

Ah…here is something that people DO NOT like talking about. What about giving our lives for others. I mean, entering a situation where the outcome might be death. Hell, I don’t know how to explain it (remember, nobody talks about it). This is the stuff of heros. I mean the events that make firefighters call other firefighters heros. Whether the outcome is everyone going home or nobody going home, these are the events who define “Firefighters”.

Like doing a search for a victim in less than plausible conditions, yet where someone might still be viable. Yeah…what the hell does that mean? Hell, I don’t know. Have you ever been to a scripted fire? Yet…have you ever heard of victims being found in a room that could still sustain life, yet all around it looked like the face of hell?

These are the moments when we have to base our decisions on everything we know…and we find out we know more than we thought.

No one was ever called a hero for saving a couch against all odds.

Arm Chair Quarterbacking

We are all guilty of picking apart incidents we weren’t at. I do it. We would have done it better. We would have done it differently. Some organizations were built to dissect actions of others to find issues that might be prevented in the future. Tactical firefighting culture has been improved by dissecting incidents which have effected the fire service. We learn, we adjust, we train, we implement. Think of the Denver drill or other drills similar. The creation of the Rapid Intervention Team is another.

Seat Belt Pledge

Apparatus design will continue to change until we get firefighters using their seat belts. I know…it is difficult putting on your seat belt when gearing up in the back of the rig because every second counts and we have to be in the combat ready position when the driver pulls the air brake. What if you wreck on the way there?

The seat belt pledge means a lot to me. I drive, I am always buckled up. I am a decent driver…but not everyone is. By “not everyone is” I mean the other drivers you pass on your way to a call. I had the scare of my career this last cycle. I thought that a woman and possibly children were about to die because they pulled out in front of us. Luckily, I was able to keep it from happening. Were my guys belted in? I am not sure. I doubt it though. I am working on the seat belt pledge…I am working on our culture in my firehouse.

Are you working on yours?

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 24, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Owning the Job, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: 16 Life Safety Initiatives, Courage to be Safe, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, FireCritic.com, Firefighter Wave, Firefighting, IronFiremen.com, Owning the Job, Rhett Fleitz, Rules of Engagement, Seat Belt Pledge, Social Media, Willie Wines Jr.

Owning the Job. Part II – Past, Present, and Future

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Read all of the “Owning the Job” articles here

After writing the first part “PRIDE AND OWNERSHIP. PART I – SELF EVALUATION” I have had a lot of time to think. The eyes are looking this way (this is a good thing). Hopefully, I can pull off what I am hoping to do. I need feedback! I need to know that you are thinking the same things, or different things. I need to know what is working for you, or isn’t working.

One note, While I use “Pride and Ownership” in the title, these articles are about what I took from the class and how I am using what I have learned. There is no official affiliation with Chief Rick Lasky or Pride and Ownership.

Pride and Ownership – Past, Present, and Future…

In order to understand what is missing, we must understand what was here before us. None of this is about placing blame. Do you know your departments history?

As I said in the “self evaluation”, I know our history. I wrote a book about it. Our department was formed from 4 volunteer fire departments (actually there were a couple more, but 4 major players). Volunteers is part of our heritage, but it is more than 100 years removed. Basically, we are a fully paid fire department and have been since 1903 (March 1, 1903 to be exact).

These men were here way before me. Roanoke Firefighters pose in front of their engine...very proud. When was the last time you took a photo of your company in front of your apparatus?

I have pictures of our Firefighters doing everything from building props at our Zoo to collecting money for MDA, from fighting 100 year fires downtown to fighting for our citizens needs.

Our firefighters gave up their vacation to implement the 3rd platoon back in 1972. I cherish the work schedule I have now, and it didn’t cost me a thing.

Our firefighters fought for many of the benefits ALL of our City employees take for granted. I may have had some battles since I have been here, but the ones before me are the ones who fought so hard!

To what do we owe the men who founded our department? The honor, respect, dignity, integrity, pride, tradition, loyalty, and brotherhood that created it? Why am I sitting here almost 125 years after the first fire department in Roanoke was created seeking ways to bring back the best of what it has been? What has been lost? Where can we find it?

This is going to be a long uphill battle…yeah, I am used to that. I don’t like failure, but realize that this thing is bigger than what I am capable of. I need help. Will others get it?

Walk into one of our firehouses and ask them how things are…

You will hear all types of stuff, not much of it will be good. However, I know that each of them loves what they do. They just want it to be better. They want it to be the way it should be. Are they willing to make changes?

Our firefighters don’t believe in our management, our IAFF Local is broke, and our leaders accept mediocrity. Our firefighters are our best asset. You put our guys in front of anything burning and they will put it out. They can figure out and fix anything…except their fading department. What we lack is a blueprint. We have leaders, we have some great leaders. They just aren’t focused on saving our department.

We have had numerous bumps in the road…and championed them with being excellent stewards in our community…in the past. We still have battles, but we don’t champion them with being stewards anymore. We are paycheck collectors through and through.

We have excuses. That is all…excuses why we don’t do this or that, why this is that way, why we aren’t who we should be.

We are not involved. We should be. We should be seen here there and everywhere doing great things.

Hell, even the ones who take the time to lead or try to create change are beat down. I have never understood it.

So where do we go from here?

Unfortunately I do not know. I am going to start with my company. I know of another Brother who did the same in my department. I understand it was well received. That is a great start.

I know it needs to start with me…Whatever I do, I have to start it with me. It isn’t about me, I just have to begin the change within myself to effect change in others.

Wish me luck

What about you? Does any of this hit home with you in your department?

What will you do?

The video below is of Retired Captain Pete Price. He passed away a couple of weeks after I filmed this at one of our retirees breakfasts. He had great stories and shares some of them in the video below. This is some of our history…

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 16, 2012 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Owning the Job, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Chief Rick Lasky, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighting, History, Honor, Integrity, IronFiremen.com, Pride and Ownership, Respect, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Tradition, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Video: Bionic Firefighting Headmounted Display is Being Developed by Tanagram

1 comment

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

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 11, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, HazMat, Helmet Camera, News, Special Operations, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: Augmented Reality, EMS, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, HEADER, Headmounted Display, Helmet with Embedded Active Display for Emergency Responders, IronFiremen.com, Military, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Tanagram Inc., Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Best of the Rest – Fires, Stair Climbs, Training, Best of 2011, a Huge FAIL and Much More

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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

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 2, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Best of the Rest, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Humor, News, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb, 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, Best of the Rest, Brian Brush, Brotherhood Instructors, Church Fire, Dave Statter, ELAFFHQ.com, EMS, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Nation, Firefighter Prank, Firefighter vs. Wasabi, Firefighting, FireGeezer, Fireground Video, Firehouse Zen, FireRescue1, House Fire, Humor, IronFiremen.com, IronsandLadders.com, NFFF, Paramedic, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, STATter911.com, The Happy Medic, Twitter, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

The Secret List Isn’t Really a Secret At All

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The Secret List is an email list that began in 1998, but has roots even deeper than that. This article is a look into how The Secret List began and what it is all about.

The information below was gathered from a phone interview with Chief Billy Goldfeder and maybe a little bit of research online.

The Secret List or TSL technically began in 1998 as an email back and forth from Chief Billy Goldfeder and many of his friends and other fire service leaders.

However, prior to the email version of TSL, Chief Jack McElfish (currently in Sandy Springs, Georgia), used to mail out information in a manila envelope. The news was stuff he found or that others found and mailed to him. Whether it was written correspondence or copies of articles, the information was sent to several others and the list began growing. Word spread and peoples addresses were added to the list and McElfish made more copies and spent more money on stamps. For you young bucks, google what we used to do prior to email!

Fast forward to 1998, Billy Goldfeder bought his first computer and found the internet. Al Gore’s invention had grown and Goldfeder put it to work. The email version of TSL was born. TSL was the same as before, but now with typed information and links to stories on news sites around the World.

They original email list went to notable fire service leaders and others. The list grew as more found out about the list and asked to be on it.

The name “The Secret List” was originally just a gag among some veteran firefighters

That’s right, the name “The Secret List” originated from a little humor. Not the purpose, the name. People started asking who was on the list and Goldfeder would simply tell them it was a secret…A Secret List…THE Secret List. In order to keep everyone from asking who was on the list, Goldfeder soon began adding “The Secret List” in the subject line along with the subject of each email.

I asked Goldfeder how many people were on the list now and for each of their names and email addresses. Would you believe that he told me it was still a secret! Actually, he told me that it is several hundred thousand direct subscribers in addition to the over 160,000 who read it on Facebook.. This includes members from all over the World including the UK, Canada, Australia, France, the Middle East, and countries ending in “vakia” and “thania”. Many US Soldiers are also members.

You can “like” TSL on Facebook.com as well!

So what is The Secret List exactly?

TSL is based on firefighter survival. It is mission focused. It isn’t the latest news and politics, however some are included because some politics ARE about firefighter survival.

Ever since it’s inception, TSL has remained on point and focused on firefighter survival. Nothing more and nothing less.

Enter FirefighterCloseCalls.com

Maybe you have heard the name Gordon Graham (GordonGraham.Com). Maybe you haven’t. If you haven’t, you should immediately crawl out from under that rock in which you live.

Gordon Graham asked Goldfeder about creating a web site to share the information on TSL. The idea was simple, Goldfeder would produce the information and Graham would fund it.

FirefighterCloseCalls.com - The Home of The Secret List was born. The site is advertisement free and not for sale, although it is probably one of the most valuable fire service web sites in existence today. It is ad free because it is mission focused. Goldfeder and Graham do not want any business politics entering into the equation and want to retain the ability to say whatever they want whenever they want to say it. They make no money directly from the web site.

Read their mission statement here

FirefighterCloseCalls.com has grown since its inception.

The site is led by:

Retired Highway Patrol Commander Gordon Graham J.D.
Chief Billy Goldfeder, EFO
Chief Forest Reeder
Chief Brian P. Kazmierzak, EFO
Chief Rudy Horist
Retired Fire Marshal Ignatius Kapalczynski
Retired Chief Chris Shimer
Chief Patrick Kenny
Director Barry Furey

Read more about these men here

The site now includes various sections like:

The Secret List
Close Calls
EMS Close Calls
Personal Survival
Training and Safety
Weekly Fire Drills
Videos
Communications
Fire Reports
Firefighters Killed at War
Non-Traumatic Firefighter Deaths
Firefighter Staffing

They even have a “sites we like” section…Maybe I will make the list some day! (cough, cough). Although, Statter isn’t on their either. Just don’t tell Dave that. It would crush him!

The Secret List is sent out when there is important information to share. There is no frequency to their emails. The guys behind the list/site monitor the news 24/7 for information they think should be shared.

One final note is that Goldfeder said that TSL is about giving back to the fire service. You might think of it as paying it forward, Goldfeder says he is blessed with what the fire service has given him and he wants to be able to give back for others to learn. Additionally, he has been in the unique position of being directly involved with numerous LODD’s over the last nearly 40 years as a fireman, company officer, and Chief. From investigations, to working with Chiefs and Locals in preventing recurrences’s as well as losing firefighters he was personally very close to over the years, The site is not about “SAFETY-ING” out the fires service.

Goldfeder further stated:

“Some visitors to the site or readers of TSL think that we are trying to eliminate risk. That’s ridiculous. This is a risky job and some risks must absolutely be taken. Additionally, some LODD”s are not avoidable and those who perform those are as heroic as anyone can get. That’s not the ones we are talking about. We are talking about the unnecessary risks, the ones where firefighters and officers did things that resulted in nothing other than to get themselves hurt or killed…Actions that were predictable from the start and initial and on-going size up. In those cases, the lack of training, leadership, experience, etc. lead to the tragic but unnecessary deaths. Who determines what is an unnecessary LODD? Rad the reports and speak to those who were on scene. The LODD families can often provide some “shut up and listen” insight on how their loved one died and didn’t have to. Our focus is to simply help firefighters learn from some bad stuff, close calls as well as LODD’s – so they just don’t get repeated.”

Oh, and if you ever wondered what “WTF” stood for, I am assured that it means “Well Trained Firefighter”. When I asked him if he was ABSOLUTELY sure it didn’t mean “What The Fuck” his reply was “WTF are you trying to say Rhett?”

Keep up the great work Billy, Gordon, Forest, Brian, Rudy, Ignatius, Chris, and Pat!

If you would like to subscribe to The Secret List via email click here, otherwise click on over to FirefighterCloseCalls.com and check it out!

Posted by The Fire Critic on November 3, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, In-Depth Report, News, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Barry Furey, Billy Goldfeder, Brian P. Kazmierzak, Chris Shimer, EMS, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Close Calls, Firefighting, FirefigtherCloseCalls.com, Forest Reeder, Gordon Graham, Ignatius Kapalczynski, IronFiremen.com, Patrick Kenny, Rhett Fleitz, Rudy Horist, Social Media, The Secret List, TSL, Willie Wines Jr., WTF

Social Media in the Fire Service: Catch the Class in New Jersey Soon!

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I will be in New Jersey teaching about Social Media in the Fire Service at the end of the month. Willie Wines Jr. will be traveling with me, but he will only make it to the second class. He will be in New York City with Zach Green of MN8 Products (Foxfire) hanging out with some of the guys/gals from the FDNY. I will rendezvous with them in NYC in the evenings.

My goal with these classes are to make them as interactive as possible. I enjoy questions and helping others understand social media and what it can do for them and their companies, departments, organizations, and even personal networking!

There is still room in the classes if you want to attend.

To register:

Registration is through myNewJersey, the state’s website. The registration instructions are on page3 of the Fall 2011 Course Brochure. Here is a link to the brochure:

http://www.keanfiresafety.com/PDFs/Fall2011CourseBook.pdf

If you are from out of State, you might be able to skip the online registration. Contact me and I will put you in touch with them.

Here are the places and times I will be teaching. The actual name of the class is “Social Media: Fire Service’s Next Biggest Innovation”.

Rhett Fleitz teaching social media at FDIC 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 8am
Morris County Firefighter and Police Training Academy
500 West Hanover Ave
Parsippany, NJ 07950

And

Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8am
Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center
53 Academy Dr
Westampton (Mt Holly), NJ 08060

The class focuses on getting started as well as how to utilize social media. I will also be focusing on what not to do with social media and how to keep from making some mistakes others have made.

Willie and I will be making a cannonball run up and back, but might have some time to stop in to some Fire Departments if you want to meet up.

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 18, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Social Media, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: EMS, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, Fire Service Social Media, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, IronFiremen.com, Kean University, Policy on Social Media, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Social Media in the Fire Service, Social Media Policy, Social Media Policy for Firefighters, Social Media Training, Twitter, Willie Wines Jr.

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Here is where it is different for me…

Has anyone used one of these? What did you think?

Be Honest

Be Proud

Be Professional

Understand Traditions

Stop Micromanaging

Restore Faith and Responsibility in Your Company Officers

Listen and Understand

Communicate

Embrace Social Media

Positive Reinforcement

Get Involved in the Community

Eat at the Firehouse…or at least drink the coffee

Participate in Training

Don’t Forget Where You Came From

Be Fair

Do The Right Thing

Ride Along

Allow Ride Alongs

Keep Your Door Open…And Mean it

Don’t Operate on Rumors

Better Benefits

Fight For Your Department

How can We Improve Morale from the Ground Up?

Professionalism

Camaraderie

Company Pride

Training

Apparatus

Firehouse Integrity

Speak up, listen, and understand

Health and Fitness

Probably the biggest thing you can do is have a positive attitude…which is also one of the hardest when morale is low.

The ideas below were shared on The Fire Critic’s Facebook Page:

Fire

Staffing/Paging/Scheduling

Friction Loss/Pumping

Dispatch

Rescue

EMS

Haz Mat

General

Weather/Mapping

Games

Fire Cam

Instructors:

Dave Barlow

Scott Kraut

Here is the Conclusion from the report:

How do you wear your radio? Why?

Glove Crafters

Additional information on Glove Crafters products:

The Video was removed by the FD

What does this have to do with me?…I am going to compete with her.

Kill The Flashover

What do you guys think?

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News and Opinion

Let no man’s ghost return to say, “My training let me down.” — Aaron Heller, Captain, Hamilton Township Fire District 9, New Jersey

The name “The Secret List” was originally just a gag among some veteran firefighters

So what is The Secret List exactly?

Enter FirefighterCloseCalls.com

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