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Dave LeBlanc on Firefighter Netcast Live Tonight With his Brand New Show “The Front Seat”

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Dave LeBlanc is about to set out on his own after being a guest on several Firefighter Netcast shows including Art “Chief Reason” Goodrich’s show “The Voice of Reason”. You can find those shows and all of the archives over at Firefighter Netcast (http://firefighternetcast.com).

Now, DAVE IS BACK and BETTER THAN EVER! Dave LeBlanc is setting out on his own and created his own show on Firefighter Netcast titled “The Front Seat” (previous working title was “Taking Up”).The Front Seat will be airing tonight at 9pm EST. He will be on the air with John Mitchell and I. It has been a while since John and I have gummed it up on The Firefighter Netcast Show as we have been rolling out new shows about every month here at Firefighter Netcast.

Listen in to The Front Seat tonight live at 9pm EST

Feel free to call in and talk with Dave, John, or I tonight live!

PLUS…tonight you get to hear me talk!

The Firefighter Netcast Family is proud to have Dave join the ranks of our dedicated and loyal hosts.

We are sure the the ever expanding listener base will welcome Dave’s show and find it to be a very useful tool for learning!

Just look at that stache! I bet that gets all the babes! What do you think Parapup? Giving Willie a run for his money?

Firefighter Netcast is on Itunes!

Posted by on April 6, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, NetCast, News, Podcast • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Gearing up for FDIC…The Fire Critic Offers Social Media Training

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I will be teaching a class on Social Media for the Fire Service at FDIC this year. I am excited for my first teaching engagement in a venue as large as FDIC…does it get any bigger? I have many friends teaching at FDIC as well. I will write about their classes in the near future.

The class is titled “Social Media: The Fire Service’s Next Big Innovation”

Thursday, March 24, 2011
1:30 PM-3:15 PM
Room 134-135

Here is the teaser:

Social Media: The Fire Service’s Next Big Innovation
Lieutenant Rhett Fleitz, Roanoke (VA) Fire-EMS Department
Learn the “in’s and out’s” of social media for the fire service. Many questions about these media (blogs, twitter, facebook, MySpace, YouTube, skype, podcasting, text messaging, and so on) will be answered. Learn to be proactive by developing a social media standard operating procedure. Become acquainted with some of the ways departments are using these media for recruitment, retention, informing journalists and citizens, and publishing news. The benefits and potential consequences for personal use of these media by employees are also discussed. ALL LEVELS

Although that teaser only scratches the surface of the information I will share!

Who should attend? Anyone interested in social media, blogging, and branding their department online. Administrators who want to learn about social media, get examples of social media policies, as well as firefighters who want to brand their companies and departments. There will be information for all levels!

I am still working on the presentation. Since social media changes every day and new ideas, tools, and applications are created every day this is an ongoing project.

If you have a social media policy you would like to share or think your Fire Department excels in the use of social media please contact me. I am always looking for examples to share.

I will also be at the Fire Rescue Magazine booth 4244 set up with Firefighter Netcast. John and I will be recording live netcasts while we are there similarly to last year!

I don’t know what else I will get into while at FDIC, but I am certain that we will have fun! Willie Wines Jr. (IronFiremen.com) will be travelling with me once again!

John and I had a blast with FDIC last year. The event was the first major show for Firefighter Netcast. Since then, we have recorded almost 100 shows. We don’t have a solid schedule yet, but we are expecting to record some podcasts for Tiger Schmittendorf, Chris Naum, Doug Cline, Billy Hayes, Dave Statter for FireHero Radio, and much more.

Below are some of the shows we recorded at FDIC 2010:

  • Chief Ron Siarnicki- National Fallen Firefighters Foundation – This special NetCast was taped live on Friday, April 23, from the floor at FDIC 2010 in Indianapolis. Firefighter NetCast is very excited to have a chance to present Chief Ron Siarnicki to our audience.
  • EMS Two Dot Oh – On Friday, April 23, Firefighter NetCast had a visit from a couple of leaders in the concept of EMS 2.0. Justin Schorr is an urban firefighter/paramedic in San Francisco and hosts The Happy Medic. Accompanying Justin is Chris Kaiser, a rural firefighter/paramedic in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
  • Firefighter Storytime! Chief Tom Merrill, Snyder (NY) Fire Dept. – From the floor of FDIC 2010 on Saturday, April 24, our final NetCast from the exhibit floor featured two special guests from Erie County, New York. We began our series “Firefighter Storytellers” with author, presenter, instructor, emergency manager and leader in the emergency services community Tiger Schmittendorf.
  • From Blue Shirt to Bugle – The Most Difficult Transition in Your Career - This show featuring Billy Goldfeder and Ray Gayk was originally aired as a live netcast from the exhibit floor of FDIC. John and Rhett enjoy discussion about what to do and what not to do when you get promoted. This is great training for you or your company. Listen in at the firehouse!
  • Challenges on the Modern Fireground – We were eager to turn over one of our shows to the fine folks from FireRescue Magazine, who graciously hosted Firefighter NetCast at their booth along with Firefighter Nation at FDIC.  Without their assistance, our live programming from the exhibit hall would not have been possible.
  • Changes in Building Construction and Fire Behavior – John and Rhett are joined with Chris Naum to discuss Changes in Building Construction and Fire Behavior. Chris is a a fire service leader in the field of building construction and fire behavior. Chris addresses the need to re-visit these core subject areas to bring us up to speed with the many changes facing us today.
  • Distribution of Photos and Videos Taken by Firefighters at Work – John and Rhett discuss legal issues surrounding photographs and videos taken while on duty with Fred Simon. Some of the information will astound you about who owns the material!

I will also be teaching the same class at Kean University in New Jersey (dates below):

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy
402 Roycefield Rd Hillsborough, NJ 08844

Thursday, April 21, 2011 - Middlesex County Fire Academy
1001 Fire Academy Dr Sayreville, NJ 08872

These will be more in depth 5+ hour classes on social media in the fire service. For more information check out KeanFireSafety.com. However, I don’t believe the classes are posted yet.

Posted by on February 16, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

And the Winners are Iron Firemen and Ambo Driver

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Here is the moment you all have been waiting for…

The winners for the Black Diamond Boots Fire & EMS Blog of the Year for 2010-2011 are:

Iron Firemen.com – Fire Category

A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver – EMS Category

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It was a hard fought battle on both sides. This year there were around 90 nominations for 42 blogs and during the votes there were almost 5000 votes. All of the numbers were an increase from last year. Congratulations to both of you!

Iron Firemen won with 36% of the votes for fire blogs. Ambo Driver won with 37% of the votes for EMS blogs. It should also be noted that while Iron Firemen won with a sizable lead, Rescuing Providence gave the Ambo Driver a run for his money!

Thanks so much for the diligent voters and all who nominated their favorite blogs! Feel free to give me any feedback on what I can do to make it better! Next year I am looking at a few changes…but it will definitely be back!

This year, our winners will walking away with a brand new pair of Black Diamond X2 fire boots as well as bragging rights for the next year!

You can see the Black Diamond X2 Boot below as well as check them out via links below!

Black Diamond Boots - Web Site – Twitter – Facebook

Here is a bonus photo for you of the Black Diamond Babes!

Posted by on February 2, 2011 • Filed under: Blog of the Year, Contests, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Must Read, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sharing the Wealth…Passing the Torch

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This is my submission for this months First Due Blog Carnival being hosted over at Fire Daily. If you have not submitted yours, you have until midnight May 26th to submit it to John at Fire Daily!

The First Due Blog Carnival this month is looking for great stories relating to how you have had the wealth shared with you. That is, some jewel told to you by someone else which has been a moment of clarity and helped define you.

Here is the problem… I cannot for the life of me figure out one “moment of Zen” in which I have had told to me. Truth be told that as much as I talk I listen just as well. My memory sucks, but I do retain the important things. I just can’t think of a true “moment of zen”.

I have had the opportunity to hang around many firehouse kitchen tables, gotten to meet many industry celebrities, enjoyed working with some great firefighters, and met many “unsung” heroes who have so much great information to share.

One thing that someone recently told me was that the fire service is so different that many other professions. He was speaking to the fact that when we come up with a new idea, new ideals, new  ideology, new technology, or new ways of doing things we share it with ALL firefighters. In so many other professions, that information is held close to the heart yet over the heads and out of reach of their peers.

first due blog carnival1aWe are different in that aspect and I believe that is why I have heard so much.

I have also gotten so many little tidbits of information because I like to ask questions. I learned a long time ago that people like hearing about themselves. If you are tactful you can learn a lot by talking and listening to others.

In my days, I have hung around many retired firefighters in my department. They took a liking to me because I am interested in the history. That history was their lives. So many firefighters forget about the ones who came before us because they are so wrapped up in themselves.

Since I don’t have a juicy “moment of Zen” for you, I will instead give you some things I have learned along the way from some great guys. I don’t take credit for any of these. Some are serious and others humorous!

  • You are replaceable… For those guys who think that they walk on water, to the beancounters we are all just a single notch in a magic number that creates budgets. This is more for the paid guys but I think it keeps us grounded. It is unfortunate, but most administrators and politicians don’t give a shit about you or your family. Kinda hard to swallow isn’t it!
  • Never underestimate fire… Whether you have been taught to do it one way or another, always have a backup plan. Fire is unpredictable!
  • Always prepare for the worst… No matter what incident, what circumstances, or whatever else if you prepare for the worst and it doesn’t come, the outcome will be easier to handle.
  • Don’t kiss ass… This is plain and simple. And yes, we all know it is going on when it happens. Don’t think for a minute that we think you are being sincere!
  • Don’t be so hard on yourself… Don’t worry about making the wrong decision. If you made a decision at all you are doing better than some. Mistakes lead to experience too. Ignorance is making the same mistake twice.
  • A complement can go a long way… How many times have you been told you did a good job? The same goes for others. We hand out criticism too often and complements not often enough. Whenever you have the chance you should give your peers at least a pat on the back.
  • You have to give respect to get respect… If you don’t understand it you probably are not respected!
  • Volunteer vs. Career… It doesn’t matter. Seriously guys, it is about being professional and getting the “job” done!
  • Never say “never”… I learned this early on. In firefighting, no matter what you are talking aboutff there is never a “never”. It will happen!
  • Enjoy your job… If you come to a moment where your job seems like a chore reevaluate what you are doing, set goals, and move forward.
  • Family first, job second… Your family comes before your job…always!
  • The people we work for (in most cases our citizens) do not and probably will not ever fully understand what we do, why we do it, or many other aspects of our jobs.

For some other inspirational reading you might check out Fire Nuggets one liners here.

Learn, train, have fun!

Posted by on May 25, 2010 • Filed under: First Due Blog Carnival, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

First Due Blog Carnival Episode 2 in the Books

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Bill over at Backstep Firefighter just published the 2nd episode of the First Due Blog Carnival. He did a superb job with his topic as well as capturing the essence of each article in episode 2…did I just use the word essence?…sorry about that!

There were some new blogs in the mix and some non-bloggers who submitted their articles to be posted on blogs as well! It seems as though this thing is catching on. Episode 2 titled “Influential Fire Reports” struck a cord with a lot of people and really helped put a thumb on what has influenced many firefighters! I must say that the best part of episode 2 is the thought that a family member may come across it and see that their relative’s death/injury resulted in a positive learning experience for someone else. It also proves that no one is forgotten…

You can read episode 2 here

Episode 3 is being hosted by Fire Daily. He is quick on the draw with getting the information out quickly! Especially after doing a ton of editing to finish up Firefighter Netcast’s audio from FDIC! Great job John! Get your submission in by May 26th to be included!

You can view the “call for submissions” for episode 3 titled “Share the Wealth”. This is a great opprotunity for more blogs to get involved in the First Due Blog Carnival…cough cough…Traditions Training…Vent Enter Search…Irons and Ladders… That is right, the topic is inclusive of just about every Fire and EMS blog out there! There is no reason why all you narcissistic bloggers don’t hop on board to get more readership and share your stories with everyone!

first due blog carnival1a125John has also offered anyone who doesn’t have their own blog and would like to contribute to post their article on his site! See, us bloggers are very friendly!

I look forward to seeing more and more bloggers getting involved in the First Due Blog Carnival!

Read episode 2 here
Read the call for submission for episode 3 here

Catch up on all the information you need to know about the First Due Blog Carnival here

Posted by on May 3, 2010 • Filed under: First Due Blog Carnival, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

In Retrospect…The FireEMSBlogs.com Meetup

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

Rhett Fleitz, Susan (@SusanABI), and Peter Kirk from SaintGobainOneSuit
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)
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.
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.
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
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!
Tiger Schmittendorf, Rhett Fleitz (in the back), Shelly Wilcoxon, John Mitchell. Tiger and John are sporting the Black Helmet hats they won!


Posted by on April 30, 2010 • Filed under: Must Read, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Firefighter Netcast… Have you heard this? Great Training for the firehouse!

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If you have not seen it yet, Firefighter Netcast is the home of live radio and podcasts on the internet. We were at FDIC and recorded many great topics with great guests.

The guests include Chris Naum, Billy Goldfeder, Ray Gayk, Tim Sendelbach, Mike Kirby, Scott Shaw, Fred Simon, Tiger Schmittendorf, and Tom Merrill.

The hosts of Firefighter Netcast are John Mitchell of Fire Daily and myself.

Rhett Fleitz, Ray Gayk, Billy Goldfeder, and John Mitchell

Rhett Fleitz, Deputy Chief Ray Gayk, Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, and John Mitchell

The training value of some of our podcasts from FDIC are great. Much more is great for conversation.

Take some time to check out our podcasts and listen to our live netcasts in the future!

Here are the links:

Challenges on the Modern Fireground with Tim Sendelbach (Editor in Chief of Fire Rescue Mag), Captain Mike Kirby, and Firefighter Scott Shaw. Mike and Scott work for Cincinnati FD.

Changes in Building Construction and Fire Behavior with Christopher Naum (CommandSafety.com and TheCompanyOfficer.com)

From Blue Shirt to Bugle – The Most Difficult Transition in Your Career with Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder and Deputy Chief Ray Gayk

Distribution of Photos and Videos Taken by Firefighters at Work with Lawyer/Firefighter Fred Simon (FirstResponderLiability.com)

More coming too! We still have to finalize editing on our discussion with Ron Siarnicki and Cathy Hedrick with NFFF/EGH, discussion with Justin Schorr and Chris Kaiser, and discussion with Tiger Schmittendorf and Tom Merrill.

Once we are completed we will add the links here!

Posted by on April 29, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Must Read, NetCast, News, Podcast, Technology & Communications, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

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

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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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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 on April 26, 2010 • Filed under: NetCast, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fire Critic will be on the Doctor Anonymous Show Tonight

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firefighter_netcastThis evening (Thursday the 18th), John Mitchell and myself will be featured guests on the Doctor Anonymous Show. John and I are the crew of Firefighter Netcast. John also runs FireDaily.com.

You can follow Firefighter Netcast on twitter and facebook as well. The links are at FirefighterNetcast.com.

Doctor Anonymous uses Blog Talk Radio just like we do on our netcasts.

You can read more about our show tonight here including a video preview of the show.

It will be new to us being featured on another show. We have called in before on others shows, but never featured!

From Doctor Anonymous:

So, I hope you’ll be able to join us live on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 9pm Eastern Time for Doctor Anonymous Show 147. For those who may be new to the show, there is a chat room during the show. You can also call in to say hello. There is even a webcam so that you can see me do the show live before your very eyes. Don’t forget to become a Facebook Fan of the show. Also, check out the video promo below. Hope to see you for this week’s show!

Posted by on February 18, 2010 • Filed under: NetCast, News, Podcast • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Fire/EMS Blog of the Year 2009 Finalists and Voting

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fcems09_300x250_3finalistThe Fire/EMS Blog of the Year 2009 contest finalists have been announced and voting has begun. Our judges narrowed down the nominated blogs to ten. Now it is time to vote.

Click here to go straight to the listing of finalists and voting area. You may vote once every 8 hours.

Click Here to Vote

Our Finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Vote here, vote often, spread the word.

The winner will be announced on January 12, 2010 at 8pm EST on the FirefighterNetcast.com first “official” live netcast! Tune in to follow along and listen in for the winner!

Posted by on January 6, 2010 • Filed under: Contests, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Firefighter Netcast – Coming January 12, 2009

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firefighter_netcastFor a little while, I have been talking about podcasting. It is one of those things that was on my list of things to do way before Fire Critic came about, but it just kept being put off. A short while ago, I looked around for a partner in crime. John Mitchell (FireDaily.com) and I decided we would give it a go. Since then, we have been diligently working on all things “podcast”.

We ran a test podcast the other night and it was insightful. To be completely honest we learned a lot.

On January 12, 2010, we will be debuting the first of many live netcasts over at Firefighter Netcast.

What is Firefighter Netcast you might ask? Our goal right now is to create a brand of prerecorded podcasts and live netcasts. We also hope to create live radio shows at the spur of the moment if the need arises (think of breaking news reports for large incidents). You never know, you might see us at events in the future doing a live netcast (yes Firehouse Expo and FDIC we are available).

The show on January 12th will be live. We will be discussing LODD’s and everything encompassing them. Did you realize we finished the year with less than 100 LODD’s? Do you think they should all be considered LODD’s? Do you know of other firefighter deaths which should be considered LODD’s? Are we doing enough to prevent LODD’s? How many LODD’s are acceptable if any?

Join us on the 12th to let us know what you think! You will be able to live chat while the show is going on as well as call in to speak with us!

You can click here to subscribe to the show on January 12th!!

Catch up with Firefighter Netcast on Twitter (@ffnetcast), Facebook, and Blog Talk Radio!

Posted by on January 1, 2010 • Filed under: NetCast, News, Podcast • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

The Netcast is coming

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That is right!!! The Fire Critic is partnering with Fire Daily to create an all new podcast/netcast for the fire service. The first one will be on January 12th at 8pm EST. Please mark your calendars. Further information will be available.

We are going to keep the discussion fresh and capitalize on the ability of our listeners to call in.

We will have plenty of information available prior to our launch. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments!

Posted by on December 21, 2009 • Filed under: NetCast, News, Podcast • Tagged: , , , ,