Archives for fire-blogs

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

Shoutouts

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

Quick Drills

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

News and Opinion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FireRescue1.com:

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

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

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

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

This is firehouse antiqueing!

Posted by The Fire Critic on February 7, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Best of the Rest, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, News, Rescues • Tagged: Backstep Firefighter Blog, Best of the Rest, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, Dave Statter, Facebook, FDNY, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, House Fire, IronFiremen.com, National Firefighters Endowment, NFFF, Paramedic, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Willie Wines Jr.

South Bend Firefighter Demoted for Taking Cell Phone Video

1 comment

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

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

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

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

ABC57:

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

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

Back in September, South Bend’s Facebook policy was in the news:

The South Bend Fire Department was supposed to implement a new Facebook policy Today but the local firefighters’ union has stepped in voicing serious concerns over the new social networking policy.

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

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 25, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, News, Social Media, Videos • Tagged: cell phone camera, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, EMT, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fireground Video, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Social Media in the Fire Service, South Bend Fire Department, South Bend Indiana, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Best of the Rest – Reviews, Chevy Volt, Volunteers, Firehouse History, and @Ochocinco on Twitter

1 comment

Best of the Rest this week…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boron Extrication - GM Announces Safety Enhancements for Chevy Volt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 10, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Best of the Rest, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, News, Videos • Tagged: Boron Extrication, Chad Ochocinco, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, Dave Statter, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, FireGeezer, Fireground Video, House Fire, House Fire Video, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty Death, LODD, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, TheTailboard.com, TurnOut Blog, TurnOutBlog.com, Twitter, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Chicago Fire Department – Everyone Goes Home – Watch and Share

1 comment

This video is from the Chicago Fire Department and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. It provides insight to some of what Chicago’s firefighters have been through dealing with Line of Duty Deaths (LODD’s), close calls, continuing to learn, and adjusting to change.

Check out FireCritic.com on Facebook

I challenge you to watch this entire video. Then share the video with your Brother and Sister Firefighters.

YOU HAVE TO LEARN.
You have to train.
You have to be ready.
Wear your seatbelts.
Understand what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Some of the topics include seatbelt usage, situational awareness, health and wellness, calling a MAYDAY, PPE, and much more.

If you think you got some good reason for not wearing this or for not doing things the right way write it down. Because I need to read that to your widow. Cause I’m not going to know what to say. You say it for me. – Chicago Chief of Training Peter VanDorpe

If this video doesn’t make you sit and think about your job and how you do it, you just don’t get it.

Sincere thanks to CFD Commissioner Bob Hoff, the Chicago Fire Department, Chicago IAFF Local 2, and the entire crew at the NFFF especially Rob Maloney, director of this video, for a spectacular job.

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 28, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Close Call, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Mayday, Must Read, News, Rescues, Training, Training & Development, Videos • Tagged: Bob Hoff, CFD, Chicago, Chicago Fire Department, Close Call, Command Fire Apparatus, Commissioner Hoff, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, Dave Statter, EGH, EMS, EMT, Everyone Goes Home, film, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fires, House Fire Video, IAFF, Illinois, In the Line of Duty, IronFiremen.com, JoEllen Kelly, Line of Duty, Line of Duty Death, LODD, movie, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, NFFF, Paramedic, Rhett Fleitz, Rob Maloney, Robert Hoff, Ron Siarnicki, Safety, seatbelts, Social Media, Steve Redick, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Video: 5 Alarm Fire in San Fancisco Western Addition. 60 People Displaced with Half of SF Firefighters Working

1 comment

A 5 alarm fire engulfed two buildings in San Francisco’s Western Addition. The buildings were residential apartments and displaced over 60 residents.

150 firefighters were on the call equaling about half of San Francisco’s firefighting force.

News links:

MercuryNews.com:

Heavy winds helped spread the fire until firefighters contained it by 2:26 p.m. Firefighters were initially pushed back by the intensity of the fire but managed to prevent it from spreading to other buildings in the neighborhood. A total of four buildings were damaged. Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said the fire began in the back of a three-unit Victorian building at 1502 Golden Gate and swiftly blew through the roof.

… The fire quickly spread to a 25-unit apartment building at 1015 Pierce.

MN8 Foxfire Illuminating and Reflective Tetrahedrons 40% off here while it lasts!

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 22, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Videos • Tagged: Apartment Fire, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Fireground Video, House Fire, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, San Francisco Fire Department, Social Media, Video, Western Addition Fire, Willie Wines Jr.

Social Media Discipline During Firefighter Injury or LODD

3 comments

Today I got a great question about utilization of social media in regards to firefighter injuries and Line of Duty Deaths.

The question:

What are you seeing with departments in regards to attempting to control what goes out by their members in regards to LODD and serious injuries?
A little background behind my question. In 2008 I was transported to the hospital from a fire scene. Prior to getting to the hospital someone in the dept sent a text message out identifying who was going to the hospital. Radio discipline was fantastic and never said who or what unit or anything, but the text was sent and there were people waiting at the hospital. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and we have a firefighter go to the hospital with chest pains and this time there are facebook pages popping up before he gets to the hospital. I know that we can’t control the buffs who listen 24/7/365 and seem to know what I had for lunch before I have it. But what are some of the things you are seeing out there?

Instead of simply sending him an answer, I figured it would be a perfect idea for an article and am writing my response below.

The short answer for the last part of that question is that unfortunately we are seeing too many people share too much information too early. At the very least, firefighters should keep their mouths shut until the department makes a formal release on the situation.

You might also get some insight on this very topic recently discussed about the shooting incident at Virginia Tech. Read about that here.

First of all, you have to understand that web sites and blogs share information they get on the subject of firefighter injuries and LODD’s when they occur. For the most part (and my personal protocol) we DO NOT disclose names until they are disclosed by the department officially. Often (and I think Dave Statter would agree), we are provided names and details far sooner than the department is prepared to disclose the information. We rely on the department to disclose this information officially, and even then many of the details are not shared on our sites because they are too raunchy, disrespectful, unofficial, and not necessary for everyone to know.

Department procedure for disclosing information

Departments should have procedure established for disclosing information via one source. Whether that is the Public Information Officer (PIO), Fire Marshal, Fire Chief, City/County Official, Police Department, or other delegate, the information should be shared from one source. Administration should make it clear that once the information gathering begins, the gathered information should be accumulated with the same process and remain local to the department. This information can then be dissected and only the facts pertinent to the incident worthy sharing with the public should be made known to the public. This information should be agreed upon by more than one person (possibly senior or executive staff including legal counsel). One of the biggest criteria for disclosure of information regards the involved party(s) family. Basically, you have a duty to make sure that the family has had ample time to notify their entire family members and that the family is ready for the news to be shared. As for the details to be shared, that is going to be done case by case. There could be potential issues regarding arson, death, other injuries, crimes, etc. including input and concerns from other departments such as legal counsel and police offices.

This includes controlling the use of names in radio traffic. Keep in mind, I can listen to hundreds of departments radio traffic as long as I have an internet connection.

The important thing to remember here is that the department controls the information. The department can always disclose more information later. They CANNOT take back any information they share once it is shared.

Controlling social media

News will be shared. Speculation will exist. Rumors will fly. Departments will only be able to control legitimate information shared in a professional manner. I mean that if a news organization shares bad information, the department can call them and clear the air. However, if an eye witness shares bad information it will more than likely be outside the ability to control that information. The control of information on social networks might be frustrating, but utilization of the format above and below can and will help!

Controlling firefighter reporters

If a firefighter is injured or killed within your department it is not your duty, responsibility, or need to share that information. Let the department share the information. I don’t mean you cannot discuss it within your company, but there is no need to post anything on Facebook until your department discloses that information.

One thing I was disciplined during recruit school was that I am a firefighter. Not a reporter, not a source for information. I am not allowed speaking with news crews unless I am told to or given permission by a superior. I was taught it, I learned it, I follow it.

Not all firefighters are taught that unfortunately.

Do yourself, your department, your brother and sister firefighters, and the ones involved a favor and keep your mouth shut. If asked about a name or details, just tell them you don’t know or you cannot tell. It is not your responsibility.

Don’t text, don’t update anything on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, web sites, or anything else. Even putting up a little bit of information can become a headache. For instance, if you were to put an update about “Keep our department in your prayers during this time” can create a whirlwind of people asking what is going on. With those questions comes other people answering them who could be thousands of miles away looking for information and sharing it on your status update without a care in the World if the information is accurate or legitimate.

This is about respect, right vs. wrong, and discipline. (Remember Willie and my motto: Respect, Honor, Tradition, Pride, Brotherhood).

Trust me, when a firefighter is injured or dies in the Line of Duty, people are looking for information. Everyone wants to know what is going on, who is involved, how did it happen, why did it happen, etc. Depending on the severity of the incident, Departments might be getting hounded by local news, National news, organizational leaders, etc.

Plus, people will want to come help. In order for them to establish the event warrants their response they want to know what is going on.

Summary:

If you are senior level in your department you have a duty to disclose certain information in a timely manner once the information is prepared and the party(s) involved are ready for the information to be shared.

If you are a member of a department when serious injury or death occurs within your department… Respect your brother and sister firefighters by keeping your information to yourself and allow your administration to do their jobs.

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 15, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Social Media • Tagged: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Willie Wines Jr.

Fire Chief Tim Smith Stars in Show about Moonshiners in Virginia

67 comments

Have you seen the show “Moonshiners” on the Discovery Channel yet?

There is also quite a discussion going on over at VAFireNews.com where the original post about the show was published. Check it out here.

Did you know that the lead character, Tim Smith, is also a Fire Chief? That is right. He is the Fire Chief of the Climax Volunteer Fire Department in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. That is about an hour from where I live.

From what I have seen on Facebook, it seems as though there are many people who think that Tim is running some huge illegal moonshine operation and was dumb enough to invite cameras behind the scenes…and then invite the cops as well. That isn’t the case at all. The show is about moonshining, the history, tradition, heritage, and everything else.

I originally put together a short article on VAFireNews.com titled “Virginia Fire Chief Finds Fame on Discovery Channel’s New Show Moonshiners“. I have known about the department due to my role as editor of VAFireNews.com, but have never visited the department. Most recently, I saw their new tanker at the funeral for two Rocky Mount, VA LODD’s last year (Franklin County). The link above also has related local news coverage of the show and Tim.

Tim’s wife Shelby is also a member of the department and his son JT hopes to become a junior firefighter in the future. JT is also a big part of the show Moonshiners.

You can read more about Tim Smith on his site TimSmithMoonshine.com.

Photo from the Discovery Channel

You have to realize that in Southwestern Virginia and down into North Carolina and Tennessee, moonshine has a heritage that has made the area what it is today. You can read more about moonshine on Wikipedia there is also a lot of information on the distilling of moonshine here.

Franklin County, Virginia is known as the Moonshine Capital of the World. ~~That is where I get my moonshine from!~~

As far as I can tell, it seems as though there is a huge misunderstanding which comes from the drama of the television show and what is really happening. While I didn’t bug Tim with a bunch of questions I probably know the answers to already, I will offer this:

WSET:

“Nobody in the whole series was actually making any liquor, we wouldn’t allow that. If we knew somebody was making liquor they would have been in the next episode in handcuffs,” said Jesse Tate.

After writing the article on VAFireNews.com, I received a phone call from Tim.

Tim can’t disclose everything or answer every question because he is under contractual obligation with the Discovery Channel. However, I was able to ask some questions and get some answers.

Tim Smith has been the Fire Chief for Climax since 2004. He was just re-elected in November of this year. He is a mechanic, maintenance man to be exact, by trade and that is what pays the bills. He works 60 hours a week. His role at the fire department is voluntary. Tim also spent 6 years in the United States Army.

Tim tells me that the show “Moonshiners” is entertainment. The show, like all the other shows on tv, is meant to attract and audience. The show is made up of real people and maybe some added drama. The show was actually filmed a year ago in Pittsylvania, Virginia. Tim would like this to say …Most of the show was filmed in Pittsylvania County, Virginia He is an expert on the heritage of moonshine and its production.

He assures me the show is not about Police or the Fire Department it is about moonshining with a storyline.

Chief Tim Smith is in the center of the picture surrounded by other members of the Climax VFD. Picture courtesy of the Climax VFD.

However, he also tells me he has a keen belief that the shows prosperity could potentially benefit his fire department. For example, the Climax VFD is in dire need of an ambulance and/or 1st responder vehicle. The previous ambulance they had was donated by the Alta Vista Rescue Squad (also in Virginia). The engine blew a head gasket while sitting in the apparatus bay. They had the truck repaired only to have the engine lock up on them soon after. The fix would have cost the department around $9000, money they simply don’t have so they had to give the truck to the repair shop.

He told me they have applied for a grant of up to $20,000 to potentially buy a used unit, but they have not received word on the approval of the grant yet.

In the meantime, they have re-purposed their brush truck as a 1st responder vehicle and have gotten the applicable State EMS licenses for the vehicle.

The show Moonshiners is a 6 episode series on the Discovery Channel. Currently, there are no plans of a second season. However, with 3.2 million viewers you just never know!

Tim assures me that the community reaction to the show has been very positive.

As for the cynics, Tim adds “Maybe the same questions would be asked if a fire chief was found growing marijuana in the state of California. Is it Legal or Il-legal, to do that on a tv show? Example: Weed Wars.”

Captain Willie Wines Jr. and I are planning on heading down to visit with Chief Tim Smith and other members of the Climax VFD in the near future.

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 9, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Videos • Tagged: ABC, Chatham, Climax, Climax Volunteer Fire Department, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, Discovery Channel, EMS, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Chief Tim Smith, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Gretna, IronFiremen.com, JT Smith, Moonshine, Moonshiner Tim Smith, Moonshiners, Pittsylvania County, Rhett Fleitz, Shelby Smith, Social Media, Tim Smith, VAFireNews.com, Video, Virginia Fire News, Willie Wines Jr.

Rip Shears – Product Review

1 comment

I was sent some Rip Shears to do a product review. I received a preassembled set and one to add to shears we already had. I haven’t done many EMS product reviews, but I figured the guys on the medic truck might be able to use them.

I placed both sets on the medic unit and asked the guys to let me know how they perform. The were used occasionally, and I was told that they did speed up the process of removing clothes.

I wondered how they would be faster than just starting with scissors and then tearing the clothing. I finally got my answer on a call were we had to remove some clothing. I grabbed a pair of trauma shears with the Rip Shears attachment. I cut the bottom cuff of one leg of denim jeans on a patient, then ran up the leg with the Rip Shears. I have to admit that they cut smoother and in one action than ripping twice or more with my hands.

The Rip Shears are a simple attachment to trauma shears that we already carry. It makes sense. We aren’t adding ANOTHER pair of shears, we are making the ones we carry better. That is always one big question when I get products…Do we need it, do we have to add another tool, or are we making a tool better? In this case, we are making a tool better.

The blades can wear out, but they sent a replacement set of blades with them. I have not had to replace the blades yet.

Rip Shears Web Site – Youtube – Facebook

The Rip Shears cost around $15 and can be bought here. This would be a great gift for any Paramedic or EMT!

The Rip Shears hanging in the ceiling of our Medic Unit.

This model actually glows in the dark. This could save time if you are operating outside in the dark!

According to their site:

Rip Shears are the Worlds’ fastest trauma shears! Rip Shears enable emergency medical personnel to drastically reduce the critical time required to access and treat wound sites under multiple layers of clothing, equipment or body armor. Just snip and rip! Originally designed and tested by US Navy SEALs to perform in the harshest environments. The Ripper unit is 100% made in the USA and will bolt onto most sets of standard 7 1/4″ EMS trauma shears. Its user-replaceable blades, made form 440A surgical-grade stainless steel for durability and corrosion-resistance, receive a proprietary treatment to improve cutting ability and edge retention, making them last 5x longer than standard carbon steel blades. Available either as preassembled Rip Shears (scissors imported) or as a retrofit (Ripper unit only).

The Fire Critic offers product reviews. Please visit this page for details on how to get your product reviewed and what our policy is on reviews.

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 4, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Product Reviews, Videos • Tagged: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, EMS Product Review, EMT, EMT Products, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, IronFiremen.com, Paramedic, Product Review, Product Reviews, Rhett Fleitz, Rip Shear, Rip Shears, Social Media, Willie Wines Jr.

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

1 comment

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: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, 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.

NFFF Memorial Weekend Coverage. VueToo and Live Video of Vigil Service Tonight

No comments

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has really stepped up coverage of the Memorial Weekend this year. So many more people will be able to follow along this year. More pictures, more video, more tweets, more facebook updates, more everything.

Here is the live video of the Candlelight Vigil which will be available at 6:30pm tonight.

I will be updating throughout the day onhttp://twitter.com/firecriticand on the Fire Critic Facebook Fan Page

I am going to try to keep up on the information, however Dave Statter has the inside scoop on most of this stuff as well.

Here are some important links:

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 15, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Videos • Tagged: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, Dave Statter, EMS, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, NFFF, NFFF Weekend 2011, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Video: 70 y.o. Man Struck and Flipped by Loose Fire Hose In Revere, Mass.

2 comments

Wait until the 00:42 mark in the video to see a 70 year old man get completely flipped by a loose hose being dragged behind an engine. The accident happened in Revere, Massachusetts. It appears to be a preconnected crosslay that came loose and came completely out of the hosebed. For those not in the fire service, these crosslays are typically 200′ long and are connected to piping on the truck. That is why the hose remained connected to the apparatus.

There would not be any warning system to warn the firefighters that the hose was not secured in the bed. Although newer apparatus have been designed with webbing covering the hose on fire engines after a child was killed in a similar accident several years ago in Pennsylvania.

Kurt Varone has more on the need for hose restraints and prior accidents with loose hose striking people here

WHDH.com:

“The engine was to the right, he was on the ground. And there was a hose,” said Pantano.

Fire Chief Gene Doherty said when he heard the incident on the radio, he went to the scene.

“It wasn’t transmitted what had occurred, I just knew the inflection of the voices of the officers calling for additional help that something was drastically wrong,” Chief Doherty said.

Chief Doherty said someone had flagged Engine Four down, and when the crew got out they were stunned to see what had happened.

If the video doesn’t play below click here

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 6, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Videos • Tagged: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video

Social Media and FireCritic.com…The Big Picture

6 comments

This article serves two purposes:

To help the readers understand what information is shared and where it is shared.
To help other bloggers learn how to engage, share, and grow their social media networks.

FireCritic.com is a hybrid blog and social experience. The blog doesn’t quite fit in to a specific category like many other blogs. Other blogs might be lumped into training, news, or personal categories yet the Fire Critic fits all of these. In addition, I pay close attention to my Fire Critic Facebook fan page and Twitter. A lot of the information from the blog is shared on Facebook and Twitter, but there is even more updates on the two than on the blog.

Some people don’t like the moniker “blog” and would rather use the name “web site”. It doesn’t matter to me. To fully understand what the Fire Critic is, you should follow along on Twitter and the Fire Critic Facebook fan page as well. Various readers engage the Fire Critic in different ways. Some twitter followers might not visit FireCritic.com, likewise some Facebook fans might not follow along on Twitter.

Work-flow of FireCritic.com:

Blog posts are automatically shared on Twitter (I use twitterfeed.com)
Blog posts are manually added to the Fire Critic Facebook fan page. This is not automatic so I can customize the update and control the time of publish on Facebook.
Fire Critic Facebook fan page updates are automatically shared on Twitter (through connecting Facebook to Twitter under page settings)

I also have a facebook fan page box on my sidebar of FireCritic.com

Since the Fire Critic Facebook fan page automatically updates to twitter, anytime I add photos, updates, or most anything else it posts to twitter without me having to do a thing. I used to use Networked Blogs App on Facebook, but I would rather do it manually to customize the text and thumbnail. I have found this to be more beneficial than the automatic update via Networked Blogs.

FireCritic.com the Blog

FireCritic.com is a fire service blog. Probably ranked within the top 10 fire service blogs in the U.S., the blog offers news, product reviews, humor, videos, training, and links to other great information on the web. Consider it controlled chaos, I write about whatever comes to mind, whatever stories are going on, and anything else I think up. Many other bloggers have shared information through FireCritic.com and I do not mind sharing information I find useful to my readers. Readers can comment on blog posts and I try to answer any and all questions as well as engage others on the site.

The Fire Critic Facebook Fan Page

The home of FireCritic.com on Facebook. I share the links to posts on FireCritic.com, engage readers about other news, stories, and information. If I have a story that has a lot of pictures, I will typically add a photo album on Facebook where they can view the complete set of pictures. Others are welcome to post on The Fire Critic Facebook fan page as well. I welcome the conversation and I am always looking for good stuff to read. Currently I have 1505 fans and I hope to increase that number every day!

Fire Critic on Twitter

This is where it can get fun, interesting, and weird. My Twitter @FireCritic account is fairly popular for being in such a small niche. As I said before, my posts on FireCritic.com and my status updates on my Facebook fan page are automatically fed to my Twitter account. Yeah, I know some people just don’t get twitter. I say it is a great tool in connecting with readers. Think of it as texting without having to give out your phone number. I add dozens of stories each day to my Twitter account 24/7 that you won’t see on FireCritic.com or the Fire Critic Facebook fan page. The sharing of information is ideal. Plus, you might be lucky and be following me during one of the few times I drink and tweet (happens a handful of times a year)…things get real interesting then! I monitor twitter off and on throughout the day. Currently I have 2044 followers on twitter. That number fluctuates through the day. Typically in a given week I will gain about 30 new followers and lose up to 10. Losing followers is normal because there are so many people who follow and unfollow just to try to get people to follow them without following back. The easiest way to get me to follow you is by retweeting on of my tweets, mentioning me, or asking me a question. I try to follow anyone who does any of the three of these. The reason is simple. I use Tweetdeck on my computer and they make it easy to follow others so I don’t have to actually log into Twitter to see who is following me.

Google +

I admit that I am a newbie to Google +. I have created a personal account, but I don’t think you can create business accounts yet. I am learning as I go. I think there will be value in Google +, there just isn’t enough for me to spend a lot of time on it yet.

Engaging others is what it is all about. I use other forms of social media too. The ones listed above are the ones I spend the most time on.

What works for you? How can I improve? Do you have any questions?

If you have any questions on how I set up any of the automatic feeds between twitter, facebook, or the blog let me know!

Now hurry up and connect with me on the Fire Critic Facebook fan page and Twitter if you haven’t already!

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 28, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Must Read, News, Social Media, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Facebook, Facebook for Firefighters, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, FireCritic, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Google, Google Plus, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Twitter, Twitter for Firefighters

The Fire Critic and IronFiremen Challenge Coin…Coming Soon

10 comments

Thats right, Willie Wines Jr. and I have spent some dough. We decided to get some challenge coins made. Well to be completely honest, they aren’t challenge coins. They are actually poker chips. But they will do the trick. They are lighter, cheaper, and they have our stuff on them. What could be better.

They will be available soon! We will likely be selling them on our site and handing them out to our friends. We should have them by the time we get to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg in October.

Check them out below. Let us know what you think!

Oh, in case this whole “poker chip” thing is new to you, we have the information for you. Willie and I first saw a poker chip at the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Prince George’s County, Maryland. We thought the chips were great! We asked about them and Kelly (who planned the climb) set us up with Sean at TheChipSite.com. These guys are firefighters and are still building the company. They are a breeze to work with. You can actually get a hold of someone on the phone or email. They have a couple different sizes of chips and are a fraction of the cost of metal challenge coins.

TheChipSite.com – Facebook

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 22, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News • Tagged: Challenge Coin, Chip, Coin, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Poker chip, Firefighting, Florida, IronFiremen.com, Poker Chip, Rhett Fleitz, Sean Duncan, Social Media, The Chip Site, TheChipSite.com, Willie Wines Jr.

FRI Wrapup – A Great Time in Atlanta

No comments

This is from my continued coverage of Fire Rescue International last week. You can read more posts related to FRI 2011 here.

By now you should have figured out that I had a blast at Fire Rescue International 2011. Willie Wines Jr. and Jeff Harkey enjoyed the trip with me this year and we accomplished a lot. We got to hang out with a ton of people, some new friends, and some we have known for a while. We had a lot of laughs, had some time to reflect, and were able to continue telling people about Daily911Deals.com.

FRI was a success. Each conference we travel to has been a better and better time than the last. Each one offering its own new adventure. This time was no different.

Willie and I started out the trip with a visit to my sister, Valicia’s, house in Atlanta. I hadn’t seen her in almost a year. It was only the second time since I had seen my nephew Sebastian. What a cute little guy! Willie and I took my sister, her husband Carlos, and Sebastian out to the Front Page News restaurant.

After spending the evening with them we settled in early because we would be up early for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in the morning.

Our team at FRI. Cheryl Horvath, Martha Ellis, Rhett Fleitz, Mark Nugent, Chris Riley, Willie Wines Jr., and Matt Tobia. Sorry for any spelling mistakes.

Wednesday morning began early. We go to the Westin Peachtree Plaza early for the stair climb. We saw some familiar faces from the NFFF at the climb including Victor Stagnaro, Cathy Hedricks, and Billy Hinton. We ended up climbing with Matt Tobia and other Chiefs from across the Nation. Willie and I were surprised by the number of firefighters climbing in gear. We were impressed with the turnout, but figured that the majority would be travelling and not bring their gear. We were wrong. There were many local firefighters climbing and it was great to see so many in gear.

You can read my account of the climb here and Willie’s account here.

Dinner with the crew from MN8 Products and Fire Rescue TV

Willie and I are doing our 3rd climb this weekend in Greenbelt, MD. The climb will be in the 28 story Maryland Trade Center. I will be climbing with Willie Wines Jr., Willie Wines Sr., Thomas Warshaw, and Bill Carey. We look forward to the event on September 11, 2011. This will be a fitting tribute for the 10th anniversary.

On Wednesday, we also went out and enjoyed dinner with the A-shift crew at station #63 in John’s Creek. Great dinner, great comradarie, great times. Thanks to the entire crew: Captain Akins, Lt. Eddie Lee, FAO Phil Pirkle, FAO Kevin Castleberry, Sgt Tom Johnson, FF Jost Cater, FF Brandon Kingrey, and FF Grant Eckard.

On Thursday, Willie and I headed over to Atlanta Firehouse #11 to check out Motorola’s $1 million donation to the NFFF and for Atlanta FD’s announcement of 100% participation in the Seat Belt Pledge.

Friday and Saturday kinda all ran together. We did enjoy a great meal at a Mexican joint courtesy of Zach Green from MN8 Products. We were there with his crew and the crew from Fire Rescue TV including Martin Grube and Mariah Leavitt.

During the expo, Jeff and I made our rounds and spoke with numerous businesses who are excieted about Daily911Deals. Look for some of those deals coming up. I also met up with two women I know via the internet. My face is not as recognizable as Willie’s, but some people have hear my name before…ok, actually more people know me as the Fire Critic, but it doesn’t hurt having an uncommon name. I was speaking with these two women for about 10 minutes before I handed them my card and they instantly realized who I was.

Me with the ladies of Industrial Fire Journal. Beth Lee Kershner on the left and Kelly Francis on the right. Follow them on twitter @thefiregirls

Willie, Jeff, and I also helped stow away the better angels exhibit. Read about that here.

Willie getting frisky with Rhett

Saturday night was a memorable one. Willie wrote about it in a post titled “FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR RHETT FLEITZ AND JEFF HARKEY“. Let me just say that his account was not exactly 100% truthful. He was right on point with the account of Jeff Harkey though. Jeff led us down a path that Willie and I had not been in before. Where he started stretching the truth was about how Willie felt about being in that establishment. First of all, Willie signed up for drag night. He will be escorted by some great looking men. He will be right at home.

The “guys” wouldn’t stop buying him drinks and before Jeff and I knew it Willie was sucking face with 5 other guys. We told him we didn’t take any photos. We did, but you can’t see them yet. Willie still has to make several trips to Atlanta to go shopping with the only 3 females who were at the restaurant. When we left, Willie had them chanting BROKEBACK, BROKEBACK, BROKEBACK. They still think he was in the movie. Everyone kept asking us if we knew of any other “alternative lifestyle men” other than Willie. We told him he was the only one we knew and that he had won a night out with us two handsome and happily married straight men. Willie couldn’t get enough of it!

On Sunday, we headed home. Although we still had plenty to do. We had two stops before getting home. We stopped by Charlotte FD Station #1 and met up with Captain Blake Redden and 911 Dispatcher Jeff Williams. Jeff sat us down and showed us the dispatch center which is located inside Station #1. This station was huge. The dispatch center seemed to be top of the line. Jeff had some great stories for us about the recent earthquake, how they do business, and some war stories about some of the busier times inside the center. Blake showed us around the station and answered all of our questions. Thanks for the tour guys!

I still can’t get over the fact that you guys don’t use crosslays!

L-R Charlotte Fire Captain Blake Redden, Ironfiremen.com's Captain Wines, Charlotte Dispatch Supervisor Jeff Williams and The Fire Critic Rhett Fleitz

After Charlotte, we stopped by Davidson County Fire Station #1 and got to chat with several of the firefighters there. We got a tour of the station and their apparatus. The fire station is combination volunteer/paid part-time. Ryan Monteith, Julia, and Bill Shick showed us around. Willie and I always have a great time visiting other stations.

Ryan Monteith, The Fire Critic Rhett Fleitz, Captain Wines of Ironfiremen.com and Bill Shick

Also read “LOOKING BACK ON ATLANTA” by Willie Wines Jr. on his recap of Atlanta.

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 6, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Humor, News • Tagged: Atlanta, Beth Lee Kershner, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, Facebook, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Rescue International, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, FRI2011, Humor, Industrial Fire Journal, IronFiremen.com, Kelly Francis, Mariah Leavitt, Martin Grube, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Willie Wines Jr., Zach Green

John’s Creek FD A-Shift…Firemen’s Firemen

1 comment

Willie and I hung out with firehouse #63 in John’s Creek on Wednesday night. They invited Willie and I was his date. Willie set it up and we headed out there after settling in to our hotel room.

You can read what Willie wrote about the visit here.

On our way out there we wanted to make sure we beat the traffic. It was not near as far as we thought it was and we go there pretty quick. So we did what we thought was right. We stopped by and bought them a cake.

A-shift with Willie and I

We pulled up and half of the crew was outside waiting on us. It was like we were picking up their daughter for prom…

We got out of the truck and this is what I immediately thought…

Captain Mark Akins has a great station with some great guys and runs a pretty neat crew.

Lt. Eddie Lee has fun having fun. He likes to laugh and we would have a blast working together. This guy reminds me of me.

Sergeant Tom “Sloppy Joe” Johnson knows how to cook. He had the steaks going on the grill and was ready to feed us.

The entire crew: Captain Akins, Lt. Eddie Lee, FAO Phil Pirkle, FAO Kevin Castleberry, Sgt Tom Johnson, FF Jost Cater, FF Brandon Kingrey, and FF Grant Eckard

What more could we ask for. Oh yeah…it was A-shift too. Willie didn’t know what to do. All this time he thought C-shift was the shift to be on. He has a new found respect for my shift…A-shift.

What Willie doesn’t realize is that if he moved to A-shift, his crew would have to cut the grass, take the trash out, empty the dishwasher, wash the trucks, wash out the bay, and do the station laundry…he thinks maids do it now.

Dinner with the crew

We felt right at home. We could have grabbed our gear and put it on the rig and we would have fit right in. As a matter of fact, after discussing how the City of John’s Creek treats their employees we wish we could have put our gear on their trucks. I mean really…could it be a night and day difference? Apparently so.

These guys were great. All of them. We were shown half the station and then got to eat a great meal. Afterwards they wouldn’t let us clean up and they showed us the rest of the station.

Their station is immaculate. As a matter of fact, we were amazed when we thought the station was about 3 years old only to find out it was built in the early 1980′s.

I could talk about these guys for several more days. I probably will.

Willie and I made our exit. We didn’t want to stay around forever. You have to keep them wanting more. Until then, I will sit by my phone and await their Chief’s call that they are hiring. I’m young…I could start over, but I don’t think they could handle me.

Thanks for the dinner guys. Willie is still crying about not having a piece of that cake.

Lt. Eddie Lee, myself, and Captain Mark Akins

Posted by The Fire Critic on August 26, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, News • Tagged: Atlanta, Brandon Kingrey, Eddie Lee, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, FRI2011, Fulton County, Grant Eckard, John's Creek Fire Department, Jost Cater, Kevin Castleberry, Mark Akins, Phil Pirkle, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Station 63, Tom Johnson, Willie Wines Jr.

Full Coverage: Firehouse Expo 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

2 comments

As you know, Willie Wines Jr., Kevin Totten, and I climbed 110 stories as a part of the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Firehouse Expo. We climbed with 320 others, some of whom we knew already and others who we met for the first time.

The event was a huge success. All I can really say is that you have to participate in one to really understand.

Below is more coverage and video of the event.

Here is a view from several of us who climbed in it

Willie Wines Jr. - The climb
Thomas Warshaw – For the Honor of 343 Brothers
Fire Critic – Rhett Fleitz – 110 FLOORS FOR 343…NEVER FORGET. HONOR, RESPECT, TRADITION
Joe Schmoe didn’t climb because he wasn’t there, but he had some kind words here

Here is some local news coverage

Firehouse.com - 9/11 Stair Climb at Expo Honors Fallen FDNY Bravest
WBFF – Fox45 – video of the climb
ABC2 – Firefighters to pay tribute to fallen 9/11 firefighters
Baltimore Sun – Firefighters climb stairs to honor lives lost in Sept. 11
CBS – Stair-Climbing Memorial Honors Firefighters Who Died Sept. 11

When you can climb and how to sign up

If you are interested in participating in a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb all you have to do is find one near you. Willie Wines Jr. and I are planning on doing the stair climb in Atlanta during Fire Rescue International and either the climb in Richmond, VA on Sept. 11th or the one in Greenbelt, MD on Sept. 11th. We have not signed up for any of them, but once we clear our schedules we plan on signing up!

One other thing I have to mention is the Better Angels display. This memorial is awesome. There is a short video here.

Posted by The Fire Critic on July 27, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Videos • Tagged: 343, 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Better Angels, Carolina Fire Pages, Chris King, Collective Buying, Daily 911 Deals, Daily EMS Deals, Daily Fire Deals, Daily Police Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, DailyEMSDeals, DailyEMSDeals.com, DailyFireDeals, DailyFireDeals.com, DailyPoliceDeals, DailyPoliceDeals.com, Emergency Medical Services, EMS, FDNY, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department of New York, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Firehouse Expo, Firenews.net, Group Buying, IronFiremen.com, Jeff Harkey, Kevin Totten, Law Enforcement, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, NFFF, Offensive Attack, Offensive Attack Inc., Paramedic, Rhett Fleitz, September 11, September 11 2001, September 11 memorial, September 11th, Social Media, Tommy Warshaw, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

110 Floors for 343…Never Forget. Honor, Respect, Tradition

9 comments

Yesterday in Baltimore at Firehouse Expo, I participated in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

Honor, Respect, Tradition, and Never Forgetting. Finishing the climb for the 343 was difficult but bearable.

I did it knowing there was water on the 1st, 16th, and 20th floor of the Hilton in Baltimore. I climbed 22 floors 5 times in full turnout gear. I did it with Willie Wines Jr., Kevin Totten, Jody McIntosh, Cory Patton, and Chris King. We did it together.

The difference between us and them was that we did it in honor of them. We did it without an airpack, without fear, without trepidation.

We did it to help others never forget.

They are the 343. 343 members of FDNY who climbed in full turnout gear to fight the fires and rescue the people of the World Trade Centers on September 11th.

They climbed with tools. They climbed knowing that they were in their coffin…a cinder block stairwell. Every floor harder and harder on their knees. Sweating, second thoughts about their calling. Sporting events, school meetings, barbecues, and normal lives left behind because they were there doing it… Never to return to their lives.

On that day, September 11th, they became a statistic.

But not to me. Not to the American Fire Service. Not to the Brotherhood.

And I never forgot. I will never forget. I remember where I was. I was on the job that day…but I was in a safer place, far from Ground Zero.

It is my duty and my conviction as a FIREFIGHTER to never forget.

Yesterday, at the 9/11 Memorial stair climb at Firehouse Expo I climbed for Martin McWilliams of Engine 22…and on that last lap, the last 22 floors I climbed for another fallen brother. Upon the reach of the top of our second to last lap I grabbed for a cup of water. I saw the photo of Raymond York of Engine 285. His picture had fallen off of the member climbing for him. I instantly picked it up and tossed it in my helmet band.

I climbed for those guys…Martin and Raymond…and for their 341 brothers who died on September 11th.

They had it harder than me. My climb pales in comparison to their climb. I will never have a climb as difficult as theirs.

But I climbed. We climbed. 323 people climbed for the fallen. Some of them being friends or relatives of the fallen. We climbed together, in remembrance, in honor, for respect of what they did, part of the tradition, and to NEVER FORGET.

Team 19 before the climb. Cory Patton, Kevin Totten, Jody McIntosh, Willie Wines Jr., Me, and Chris King.

…

My feelings

During the climb I stayed mostly silent. I focused on what they did and what I was doing for them. I tried to understand what they were going through.

When my calves burned I wondered if they ever felt that.

When I felt like I didn’t have anymore to sweat I wondered if it crossed their mind.

I never felt as though I couldn’t make it and I doubt they ever had a doubt themselves.

If you ever have a chance to participate in a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb I suggest you do it.

If you don’t think you can complete it call me and I will walk with you.

Do it for the honor of completing the climb for the 343. Do it for the respect you have for the fallen. Do it for the tradition of truly NEVER FORGETTING.

Thanks to ALL of the individuals who made the 9/11 stair climb possible… The Baltimore Inner Harbor Hilton, Baltimore City Fire Department, NFFF, and all who volunteered.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pay my respects.

Team 19 after the climb. Kevin Totten, Me, Cory Patton, Chris King, Willie Wines Jr., and Jody McIntosh.

Me and Tommy Warshaw with Willie Wines Jr. before the climb. Tommy was in team 3 and we have known each other for some time through twitter and facebook but met at the climb for the first time.

Posted by The Fire Critic on July 23, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Must Read, News, Social Media, Special Operations, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: 343, 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Carolina Fire Pages, Chris King, Collective Buying, Daily 911 Deals, Daily EMS Deals, Daily Fire Deals, Daily Police Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, DailyEMSDeals, DailyEMSDeals.com, DailyFireDeals, DailyFireDeals.com, DailyPoliceDeals, DailyPoliceDeals.com, Emergency Medical Services, EMS, FDNY, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department of New York, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Firehouse Expo, Firenews.net, Group Buying, IronFiremen.com, Jeff Harkey, Kevin Totten, Law Enforcement, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, NFFF, Offensive Attack, Offensive Attack Inc., Paramedic, Rhett Fleitz, September 11, September 11 2001, September 11 memorial, September 11th, Social Media, Tommy Warshaw, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

Announcing Daily911Deals.com – Collective Buying for Fire, EMS, and Police

No comments

Daily911Deals.com is a collective buying site geared towards the fire service, emergency medical services, and law enforcement. Read on below for the full press release.

All you have to do is subscribe here to get email notification of great deals!

If you are a business, visit the business site to find out more about featuring your product!

Email Subscription – Facebook Fan Page - Twitter

The press release is below
Download the full color brochure and press release

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Offensive Attack, Inc. is launching www.Daily911Deals.com during FirehouseExpo®, which is being held in Baltimore, Maryland, July 19-23, 2011.

Daily911Deals.com is a web-based collective buying site focusing on three markets: the fire service, emergency medical services and law enforcement. Products and services that will appeal to these public safety markets will be featured at significant discounts and for a limited amount of time.

A stand alone web site has been developed to explain the concept to potential businesses and merchants who may have a product or service that they wish to feature. A significant attribute to a merchant is that they pay nothing to have a product featured. Daily911Deals.com processes all purchased vouchers and send the proceeds directly to the merchant. Order fulfillment takes place on the merchant’s or distributor’s web site, which increases their exposure and the opportunity to sell additional products. Full details are available at www.business.daily911deals.com.

Visitors to the site subscribe to alerts when new deals are being offered. All deals will have a minimum number of required purchases to “activate” a deal. Daily911Deals.com will increase the reach and brand awareness of the merchant’s products through pervasive social networking outlets. Daily911Deals.com is operated by Offensive Attack, Inc. and is proud to be the first collective buying site dedicated to public safety workers.

Offensive Attack, Inc.
www.offensiveattack.com

Posted by The Fire Critic on July 19, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighters Guide, Funding & Staffing, News, Videos • Tagged: Carolina Fire Pages, Collective Buying, Daily 911 Deals, Daily EMS Deals, Daily Fire Deals, Daily Police Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, DailyEMSDeals, DailyEMSDeals.com, DailyFireDeals, DailyFireDeals.com, DailyPoliceDeals, DailyPoliceDeals.com, Emergency Medical Services, EMS, Fire Blogs, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Firenews.net, Group Buying, Jeff Harkey, Law Enforcement, Offensive Attack, Offensive Attack Inc., Paramedic, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Video

Video: The Dave Statter School of Firefighting…

1 comment

I have found the holy grail of firefighting videos!

Recently posted on youtube is this gem that captures the Dave Statter school of firefighting in all it’s glory.

…and now you know where Dave and all of the trolls who leave “I fight what you fear” comments on his site learned how to fight fire! I can hear the instructors in the background screaming “YOUR DOING IT WRONG”!

I’m just getting warmed up for Firehouse Expo in Baltimore… after this post, it should get pretty good!

You are welcome!

Posted by The Fire Critic on June 17, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Humor, News, Videos • Tagged: Dave Statter, EMS, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Firefighter, Firefighting, Humor, Rhett Fleitz, Video

Traditions Training Blog is Back! – Monday Morning Shoutout

1 comment

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

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

Follow them on Twitter @TTraining

Check them out for great tips and tricks!

Posted by The Fire Critic on November 8, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Monday Morning Shoutout, News, Special Operations, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Service Blogs, Fire Training, FireCritic.com, Firefighter Training, Firefighting Blogs, Monday Morning Shoutout, Rhett Fleitz, Traditions Training, Traditions Training Blog, TraditionsTraining.com, Training

Video Coverage: Northern California Mall, Roseville Galleria Burns

1 comment

Firefighter Nation has the story of the Roseville Galleria Fire in Northern California here.

City officials said part of the roof on the mall’s south end collapsed as huge clouds of black smoke poured from the 1.3 million-square-foot Roseville Galleria, which is about 17 miles east of the state capital.

A supposed armed man had barricaded himself in the mall and set the place on fire.

The best videos from the scene are below:

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 21, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Videos • Tagged: California, EMS, Fire, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Nation, Firefighter Netcast, FirefighterNation.com, Mall Fire, Northern California, Rhett Fleitz, Roseville Galleria, The Fire Critic

In Retrospect…The FireEMSBlogs.com Meetup

1 comment

The FireEMSBlogs.com meetup was a huge success. The event was hosted by Fire Rescue Magazine, Firefighter Nation, and FireEMSBlogs.com. The event was also sponsored by Black Helmet and Black Diamond Boots.

My time at FDIC was a blast. We managed to pack the week full of friends, fun, and work (Firefighter Netcast). The people I have met through this blog, twitter, facebook, etc. will stay with me for a long time. Our occasional chance to meet is always fun!

L-R Chris Kaiser, Art Goodrich, Rhett Fleitz, Justin Schorr, John Mitchell, Tiger Schmittendorf, Chris Hebert, Dave Iannone, Chris Naum, Bill Carey

L-R Chris Kaiser, Art Goodrich, Rhett Fleitz, Tiger Schmittendorf, John Mitchell, Justin Schorr, Chris Hebert, Mike Ward (if you look close between Chris and Dave in the back), Dave Iannone, Chris Naum, Bill Carey

Whether it be through commenting on each others blogs, following each other on twitter, being friends on facebook, or any other of the many social mediums we stay connected. We know when each other are having a bad day, working, having a birthday, or whatever.

There may not be an exact core of the fire/EMS interwebs, but it grows daily. Mostly it is championed by several leaders. And yes, the Fire and the EMS interwebs are connected. The leaders are not self proclaimed or “formal” leaders. They might not even realize they are leaders. However, they have a following and stay connected to others through social media. These leaders have “tribes” or followers and the various tribes are interconnected as well. I would name a few but I would probably leave out many. The point isn’t the leaders, but the followers. Most of the leaders are followers in other tribes and so on… You get the point.

We all have a stake in this and we are all working towards the same goal…connecting.

One way of connecting is by meeting up. One of those meetups was held this past weekend at FDIC.

The night began with a get together for several of the bloggers. Consider it some down time for the guys/gals to network before the crowd arrived.

I had a great time meeting and talking to everyone!

I was honored to be asked to announce the winners of the raffle items. There were Black Helmet Hats, $100 gift certificates to Black Helmet Apparel, Firefighter Monopoly, and a pair of Black Diamond Boots given away.

A lot of thanks from John and myself to Chris, Dave, Bill, Paul, Jeff, Tim, Shannon, Olga, and everyone else!

All in all it was a huge success… I will give the rest via photos of the night!

: Here is an overhead shot of the crowd! It was a great time!

: L-R Chris Kaiser, Art Goodrich, Rhett Fleitz, Justin Schorr, John Mitchell, Tiger Schmittendorf, Chris Hebert, Dave Iannone, Chris Naum, Bill Carey

: Some guys I met...I told them I wouldn't remember their names but that I would post the picture!!! I am a man of my word!

: The same booth babes from Black Diamond Boots who were hounding me apparently were also into the owner of BD! I knew it was too good to be true!

: James from Black Helmet Apparel and firefighter Carrie McAtee (not one of Black Helmet's models as we previously posted...but she could be!!!)

: An anonymous blogger behind Justin Schorr, Chris Kaiser, April Saling, and ?

: Rhett Fleitz, Susan (@SusanABI), and Peter Kirk from SaintGobainOneSuit

: Mike Ward, John Mitchell, Chris Kaiser, Tiger Schmittendorf, Justin Schorr, and Dave Iannone (in the back)

: Here is the fun pic...I was never in drama in high school. Actually I was taking the photo.

: This is the entire crew of bloggers, Fire Rescue Magazine, FireEMSBlogs.com, and more! I will not even attempt to identify everyone.

: Chris Hebert, Tiger Schmittendorf, Art Goodrich, John Mitchell, Bill Carey

: Tiger Schmittendorf, Rhett Fleitz (in the back), Shelly Wilcoxon, John Mitchell. Tiger and John are sporting the Black Helmet hats they won!

Posted by The Fire Critic on April 30, 2010 • Filed under: Must Read, News • Tagged: Art Goodrich, Bill Carey, Black Helmet Apparel, Chris Hebert, Chris Kaiser, Chris Naum, Dave Iannone, Facebook, FDIC, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Daily, Fire EMS Blogs, FireCritic.com, FireEMSBlogs.com, Firefighter Nation, Firefighter Netcast, FirefighterNation.com, FireGeezer.com, John Mitchell, Justin Schorr, Mike Ward, Rhett Fleitz, Shannon Pieper, The Fire Critic, The Happy Medic, Tiger Schmittendorf, Tim Sendelbach, Twitter, Twitter in the Fire Service

FDIC in Retrospect…Great Time, Great People, Great Netcasts

6 comments

I managed to attend FDIC this year for the first time. I was there in the official capacity as co-host of Firefighter Netcast along with John Mitchell (FireDaily.com). I was also there representing The Fire Critic and many other projects I am in.

I must state first and foremost…

Tim Sendelbach, Shannon Pieper, and Paul Andrews at the Fire Rescue Magazine Booth

A sincere thanks to Fire Rescue Magazine, Firefighter Nation, and FireEMSBlogs.com for sharing their booth with Firefighter Netcast. Special thanks to Dave Iannone, Chris Hebert, Tim Sendelbach, and Jeff Berend as well as the rest of the crews of the aforementioned companies. The hospitality, networking, assistance, and conversation was very much appreciated!

Firefighter Netcast made its debut at FDIC pulling off 2 live netcasts from the show floor as well as around 10 hours of total audio. The first live netcast featured Ray Gayk and Billy Goldfeder and the second with Tiger Schmittendorf and Tom Merrill. We had to scratch on the live netcast with Ron Siarnicki and Cathy Hedrick on Friday, although we did tape the podcast. The netcasts are online and the other audio will be presented as podcasts and should be published on FirefighterNetcast.com once we complete editing this week.

The rundown of the week…

Rhett Fleitz, @Fire_Captain (twitter), Chris Kaiser, Justin Schorr, and John Mitchell

Rhett Fleitz, Jason Quimbly aka @Fire_Captain (twitter), Chris Kaiser, Justin Schorr, and John Mitchell

The hijinx began with John picking me up at the airport…. This guy is like my wife (not always right, but never wrong). We get a long well and it only took a little while for me to piss him off! Then again, and again, and again!

We had lunch with Chris Hebert, Dave Iannone, and Bill Carey and enjoyed the company. These guys are a riot to hang out with unless you get Bill riled up and he starts yelling!

John and I picked Tiger up at the airport where the real fun began. John and I were both meeting him for the first time. If you were in the truck with us, you would think we had known each other for years (years I will continue to try to get back).

Tiger’s wife couldn’t understand how he would just get off a plane and into a vehicle with people he has never met. That is how we are. We wondered the same thing… especially with us! We were going to take him to dinner at Chucky Cheese! That would have sealed the deal!

Rhett Fleitz, Ron Siarnicki, Cathy Hedrick, and John Mitchell

We also met up with Fred Simon (FirstResponderLiablility.com). He is a lawyer and a firefighter! Our first show on Thursday was with him and we plan on having more commentary with Fred in the future!

Just to show how well we get along with others… I ended up sharing my room with Fred for two nights. He had intentions of commuting back and forth to Louisville, but I wouldn’t have it. Fred is a great guy and we had a great time hanging out with him!

John and I had a very busy show. As a matter of fact, we were so busy that we only had a little bit of time to get around to many other exhibitors at the show. I never did make it over to the Lucas Oil Stadium to see all of the apparatus. That was a bummer.

Rhett Fleitz (The Fire Critic) poses with the booth babes at Black Diamond Boots!

As I said before, I did make it to one spot and these booth babes hounded me to have their picture taken with me! What can I say… The Fire Critic is on the up and up!

Sorry I wasn’t able to get around to taking a ton of photos with the babes…work had to be done.

However, you can check out the following links for more pictures and information on our time at FDIC!

Justin Schorr (The Happy Medic) and Chris Kaiser (Life Under The Lights) met up with us and became part of the entourage that is many of the bloggers, followers, and twitter friends of FireEMSBlogs.com blogs.

Chris McCorkle (BlackJack Holder) and Rhett Fleitz

I also got to meet and hang out with Chief Reason Art Goodrich (ChiefReasonArt.com). To me, this guy is somewhat of a Fire Service Legend. He is one of those guys who emboddied the great things about Firehouse.com forums, then a creator (If I am not mistaken) of IACOJ, then on to Firefighter Nation, and finally culminating with his own blog. Art is a GREAT guy! He is opinionated and sticks to his guns. He is very articulate with his comments and his depth of knowledge shines through when he talks. You would think this guy has an entire research team that provides him with a thesis before he opens his mouth… It is that good! Many thanks to Art for snapping a lot of the photos we got at our booth!

The team at Fire Rescue Magazine was very helpful with Firefighter Netcast. I am not sure they understood what it is we were planning on doing, but they seemed to be impressed with our delivery!

Brandon Roark and Rhett Fleitz

I got to meet up with a ton of guys who stopped by to see me and what we were doing as well. Some of these guys I have known through the internet for years. Guys like Brandon Roark (South Bend Indiana), Jason Quimbly (@Fire_Captain on twitter), Robbie and Danny Owens (Henrico Division of Fire, VA), Some guys who know me via VAFireNews.com from Portsmouth, Chris McCorkle of BlackJack Holder, Martin Grube (FireRescueTV.com), David Furtado (The Battalion), and many others.

I was able meet up with Jason Hoevelmann (FirefightersEnemy.com), who presented his class and actually had to turn people away it was so packed. Jason will be a future guest on our show!

Tiger Schmittendorf took John and I to the ISFSI party and I got to meet Dan Shaw and Nick Martin (Traditions Training). We recently had them on Firefighter Netcast and enjoyed meeting them in person!

At the ISFSI party, I got to meet Billy Goldfeder for the first time as well as Christopher Naum (CommandSafety.com and TheCompanyOfficer.com). Chris was a guest of our show on Friday and has been on our show as a caller in the past. I spoke with Doug Cline who will be presenting in my area in September.

The Wild Beaver...Our office in the late night!

Our late evenings were spent at the Wild Beaver. The Wild Beaver is kinda like a Coyote Ugly and was packed with firefighters! Plenty of networking and drinking went on there!

If you are in Indianapolis, the best steaks we had were at St. Elmo’s and Harry and Izzy’s.

Not to worry, if your name doesn’t appear in this post it will in the future. I still have to do a post on the FireEMSBlogs.com meetup! That will be coming soon!

Then we will have several posts up here and at Firefighter Netcast on the netcasting and podcasting that was done! Come back often to check it out! There are also a ton of other photos to share!

Posted by The Fire Critic on April 26, 2010 • Filed under: NetCast, News • Tagged: BlackJack Holder, Chief Reason Art, Chris Hebert, Dave Iannone, FDIC, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Daily, Fire Rescue Magazine, FireCritic.com, FireEMSBlogs.com, Firefighter Nation, Firefighter Netcast, John Mitchell, Rhett Fleitz, The Fire Critic, The Happy Medic, Tiger Schmittendorf

First Due Blog Carnival Episode 1 “I Am A Firefighter Because…”

14 comments

This is the first episode of the First Due Blog Carnival. I really enjoy reading the various posts from Fire Bloggers on the theme “I am a firefighter because…” . I was interesting how the theme was interpreted and how the various bloggers offered their thoughts on themselves. For those of you who submitted to the carnival be sure to post about it so everyone knows where to find it and check out the various stories! Feel free to grab the logo at the bottom of the page!

If I left anyone out please let me know asap and I will add it.

If you want more information on the First Due Blog Carnival click here. Let me know if you would like to host a future episode. The First Due Blog Carnival is not mine, but actually a blog carnival for the fire service. At this point, I am merely an administrator of the blog carnival.

Updated with 2 late submissions at the bottom!

Fred Simon at First Responder Liability offers probably the shortest post about why he is a firefighter. I really like: I am a firefighter because my non-firefighting friends are envious of me. Fred is a firefighter and a lawyer. I will call him for my next grievance! I have enjoyed reading this blog for a while now. Fred didn’t plan on focusing so much on firefighting with his blog, but he told me that is where it has progressed and is enjoying it!

*******

Joe Schmoe’s take on “I Am A Firefighter Because…” offers his introduction to the fire service following a very exciting career as a juvenile delinquent (jk). A great read! If you don’t read his blog “Report on Conditions” regularly you are missing out on a great fire blog! Who doesn’t like this guy? He writes an anonymous blog yet offers great posts from his job as well as funny stuff everywhere. This guy is hilarious! Tune in for his posts regularly.

*******

The Happy Medic offers his views on why he is a firefighter in a post he had written prior to the blog carnival. His story is a heart warmer and I can only imagine the pride his father must feel after reading this. Check out Sunday Fun – Dad for Justin’s story! Justin might have the best assignment of all Medic-Firefighters being assigned to an Engine!

*******

Notes from Mosquito Hill offers another previously written piece which validates that I picked a useful topic for this episode of the blog carnival. His post titled “The Show Must Go On” explains his firsts in the fire service.

*******

Captain Strauss offers a brand new blog to the mix with Captains Chronicles. She is not new to blogging though as we spoke briefly through email. Strauss offers her post “I am a firefighter because…” and gives thanks to her father and grandMOTHER for her becoming a firefighter. Look for big things from the Captain in the future. I think she is one of those bloggers that has plenty to say!

*******

Tiger Schmittendorf runs the blog TigerSchmittendorf.com. His post titled “It was in the cards” offers a superbly written composition of how and why he is a firefighter. You just have to love the way this guy writes! I must add that Tiger also runs the blog “Run to the Curb” which embodies a lot of us firefighters when we were younger.

*******

Here is another interesting read from the site Run to the Curb: RttC Kid: Chief John Buttino. It was submitted by Tiger and was recently posted on the Run to the Curb site. Check it out here.

*******

John Broyles, 1-Union-801 blog, points to Emergency as a reason for “I am a firefighter because…” . Another new blog on the block, check out his writing and be sure to friend him on twitter where I met him @ssgjbroyles. John is not your everyday firefighter, he is a military firefighter. He compares Military EMS to Civilian EMS…if that is what we call what we do.

*******

Mick Mayers of Firehouse Zen offers the story of how a kid who grew up listening to Philly Fires became a Chief in South Carolina. A 3rd Generation firefighter (from what I can deduce) who is entrenched in the lifestyle and writes a great blog. Check out “I am a firefighter because…” on Firehouse Zen.

*******

This may shock you, but the blogger behind The EMT Spot is a firefighter too! He offers us “I’m a firefighter” to let you know why he became a firefighter after 10 years as a paramedic. I’m a firefighter because I love putting people in the back of an ambulance and taking them to the hospital, but I also love going inside buildings that are on fire, tracking down natural gas leaks, rappelling off stuff, sawing stuff, breaking stuff, checking out alarm panels and crawling through the mud on the bottom of a lake.

*******

Chief Reason Art grew up believing that firefighters were the bravest, most honorable and unselfish people that walked the Earth. His post on why he is a firefighter offers an introspect into his life and why he became a firefighter. I have really enjoyed getting to know Art through his blogging and him calling in to Firefighter Netcast. I know this…This guy is passionate about FIREFIGHTING! He is a true icon in the fire service and his opinion and ideals are certainly worth reading and listening to. You may not always agree with him, but you will always learn something.

*******

John Mitchell at Fire Daily offers his reason for becoming a firefighter and paramedic. He also goes into depth on his first experience battling the red devil. He joined the FD “back in the day” when you learned trial by fire and gives a great example of fighting his first training fire. His post, simply titled “Stay Stoked“, is exactly how he ends each post and hopes that you continue to “STAY STOKED”!

*******

Bill Carey over at Backstep Firefighter takes us back to Salisbury, Maryland where his father was a firefighter. He offers us a first hand account of what it was like to grow up in a firehouse and follow in the footsteps of his father. His on-the-job training and experiences are glanced over (I am sure he has seen his share of fire) and it is not a surprise because he is a very modest man. His post titled “I am a firefighter because…” hits the mark and gives his story. Check it out!

*******

Shari over at Two in, Two out offers her story of being a firefighter’s wife. How could I not pay tribute to a firefighter’s wife? After all, they are our backbone…unless you are a female firefighter. You should also note that she just began her blog. Stay tuned for more! I always enjoy reading about the other side of the coin…what our wives view and how they feel about our jobs.

*******

Hydrant Girl doesn’t offer “I am a firefighter because…”. Instead she offers “I want to be a firefighter because…”. She offers her story and some photos as a late submission to the episode.

*******

Not Trained, but We Try Hard offers an emotional account of his experience with a LODD. He talks about the potential of leaving the business and why he does the job after the torment of losing two of his brothers. His post is aptly titled “Why am I a firefighter????????”

*******

Last, but certainly not least is my own account here on Fire Critic of why I became a firefighter as well as how I became a firefighter. I hope you enjoy my story as it is very close to my heart. It is who I am and as John would say I continue to “Stay Stoked”. I am one of those “Run to the Curb” kids that Tiger talks about and I hope to continue to enjoy what I do for many more years! My post is aptly titled “I am a firefighter because…“.

So there you have it. The first episode of the First Due Blog Carnival with 14 blogs on board. I hope to see the number of bloggers increase in future episodes. I understand that many don’t know what this is or what to think of it.

Be sure to post a link to the episode on your blog and get involved next time…

Next Months First Due Blog Carnival will be hosted over at Backstep Firefighter. The theme is “Influential Fire Reports”. Look for more information soon.

For the full information on the First Due Blog Carnival just click on the image below.

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 24, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, First Due Blog Carnival, Rhett Fleitz

Blogger Meetup, Chronicles of EMS, and more at EMS Today

10 comments

There will be a blogger meetup at the EMS Today Expo in Baltimore next Friday (March 5th). The meetup will include many big names in EMS and Fire blogs. The crew from Chronicles of EMS will be there as well. Fans, readers, friends, and many more will be there!

The Fire Critic will be there! As a matter of fact, I am riding the medic truck tomorrow just to get in the right mind set to hang out with so many needle throwers!

The Happy Medic is boasting this as the largest Fire/EMS blogger meetup of all-time.

Let me know if you will be there in the comments section. I am looking forward to rubbing shoulders with many whom I have never met and would love to know who to look for!

Some of the greats from FireEMSBlogs.com and many other bloggers will be in attendance including the bloggers from The Happy Medic, 999 Medic, Life Under the Lights, EMS Garage, MedicCast, Fossil Medic of FireGeezer.com, and Fire Daily and Fire Critic (also known as the team of Firefighter Netcast). Please let me know if I need to add a name to the list!

Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert will also be there. They are the team who originally brought you Firehouse.com and now bring you FirefighterNation.com, JEMSConnect.com and FireEMSBlogs.com!

The event will be held at:

Uno Pizzeria Harborplace- Pratt Street Pavilion, 2nd Floor
201 East Pratt Street
Harborplace
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-625-5900

Sponsored by George Washington University, JEMS and FireEMSBlogs.com

Posted by The Fire Critic on February 25, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: EMS Blogs, EMS Today, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, Largest Fire/EMS Blogger Meetup, Medic 999, Rhett Fleitz, The Happy Medic

Archives for fire-blogs

Video: The Dave Statter School of Firefighting…

Traditions Training Blog is Back! – Monday Morning Shoutout

Follow them on Twitter @TTraining

Video Coverage: Northern California Mall, Roseville Galleria Burns

In Retrospect…The FireEMSBlogs.com Meetup

FDIC in Retrospect…Great Time, Great People, Great Netcasts

First Due Blog Carnival Episode 1 “I Am A Firefighter Because…”

Blogger Meetup, Chronicles of EMS, and more at EMS Today

Hook Up With The Fire Critic

Recent Comments on FireCritic.com

Most Recent Fire Critic Posts

Most Commented Fire Critic Posts

FC Favorites

Archives

Categories

Pages

FireEMSBlogs.com Community

Featured from across Fire/EMS

ICC Code Development Process…

What are the odds? Vacaville, CA firefighter…

Listen to the Firefighter Netcast’s…

Wind Driven Fires…

Archives for fire-blogs

Shoutouts

Quick Drills

News and Opinion

Department procedure for disclosing information

Controlling social media

Controlling firefighter reporters

Summary:

Rip Shears Web Site – Youtube – Facebook

FireCritic.com the Blog

The Fire Critic Facebook Fan Page

Fire Critic on Twitter

Google +

TheChipSite.com – Facebook

Here is a view from several of us who climbed in it

Here is some local news coverage

When you can climb and how to sign up

My feelings

Email Subscription – Facebook Fan Page - Twitter

Hook Up With The Fire Critic

Recent Comments on FireCritic.com

Most Recent Fire Critic Posts

Most Commented Fire Critic Posts

FC Favorites

Archives

Categories

Pages

Tags Across FireEMSBlogs.com

FireEMSBlogs.com Community

Featured from across Fire/EMS