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Controlling The Fire Service Media…Bloggers Keep The News Flowing!

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Firehouse.com, FireEngineering.com, FireRescue1.com, FirefighterNation.com, and many other web sites are great places to get your news and opinion. Some of them have magazines in print which have been around much longer. Print magazines are great for news and information, but cannot compete with the more instant ability to publish online.

Fire and/or EMS service blogs can be another form of online news site. Maybe not all blogs publish news all the time, but most do from time to time.

Probably the epitome of fire service news blogs are STATTer911.com or FireGeezer.com, although any other blogs cover news events from around the world.

The news doesn’t have to be breaking news either. Many bloggers are great writers and offer free original content on their sites. Take Chris Naum’s CompanyOfficer.com and CommandSafety.com, Mick Mayer’s FirehouseZen.com, or Art Goodrich’s ChiefReason.com. They all offer top notch writing and insight.

Naturally, the larger media companies created blogs. Firehouse.com and FireEngineering.com offer blogs from some of their contributing editors. FireRescue1 and FirefighterNation took a little bit different route.

FireRescue1.com came up with the Kitchen Table; a conglomerate of bloggers which for the most part offers syndicated material from the authors own blog hosted elsewhere.

FirefighterNation.com is a hybrid site. Part message board, part news site, part blog network, part social network site. They offer blogs for any member who wants to publish in the format. In addition, FireEMSBlogs.com was loosely created out of the site.

What I have found most interesting is how many bloggers will break news stories, write articles, or other information that soon after you will see in the mainstream fire service media.

Sure, it is given that if a news story breaks that the mainstream fire service media is going to cover it. However, what is ironic is the other stuff. Articles written on various topics are obviously read and then soon after you will see another article on the topic in one of the larger media outlets.

I have about 5 examples from the last month…including stuff heard over podcasting later to be revealed in an article elsewhere.

It just goes to show that bloggers matter and are doing a great job! Keep up the great work…

Posted by firecritic on July 7, 2010 • Filed under: 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 firecritic on April 30, 2010 • Filed under: Must Read, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some Wednesday Reading for You

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Chief Reason Art disects LODD’s in the States here

Backstep Firefighter Blog discusses the Shot heard around the Firehouse

The Happy Medic wrote a book (ok just a long post) titled “EMS Fail or Client Fail” – worth the read

Legeros has a caption contest at Raleigh/Wake Firefighting Blog

Joe Schmoe has written a very compelling and emotional account of a rescue and subsequent “The Longest Ride” – A must read

FireGroundVideo.com has numerous new videos from across the States and elsewhere….stop in and don’t forget to rate them while you watch!

FireDaily.com is gaining momentum…He is enjoying the blogging and has a comical video for you to view about the Private Fireman!

Last but certainly not least… The FireGeezer has a story about a man who spent 5+ hours in a septic tank before being rescued.

Enjoy the Wednesday reading tips from the Fire Critic

Posted by firecritic on September 30, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , ,

Blogfest 5 – Fire Critic Mug Shot for Firegeezer

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I got my Firegeezer mug a while back. I actually bought two and gave one to a friend. I have never gotten around to taking a photo until now. This is part of my messy desk. Yeah, I operate on dual computers when I am at home although my office is basically my laptop and whatever else is in my laptop bag at the time! Click on the image to purchase yours today!

Boy those eyes from the Fire Critic banner sure do stare at you don’t they!

firegeezer mug shot

Posted by firecritic on September 10, 2009 • Filed under: Blogfest, News • Tagged: , , ,

The Guys who give our Profession a Bad Name

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In a world where firefighters are scrutinized more and more each day, some make it easy for reporters to make a story. Gone are the days of firefighters being the “Good” guys just by namesake alone. Sure we can hope that “imposter’s” are given the fullest of penalties for acting like firefighters, but what about those among us who do not deserve to be firefighters let alone ranked officials.

FireGeezer has an ongoing list of those of us who have decided not to play fair and have found themselves on the other side of the law. For years, the fire service has had to deal with theft, fraud, larceny, racism, sexism, and other lewd acts by firefighters on and off the job. One thing can be certain, it will catch up with you and NO it is not worth it.

Follow along with FireGeezer as he uncovers the list of former firefighters, EMT’s, and ranking officials within the fire service who have been given the gift of the mug shot! LINK HERE

The latest in the list offers a remark by FireGeezer that it is the 9th in 8 days. Incredible.

All I can say to all these idiots is “GET OUT, WE DON’T WANT YOU RUINING OUR FIRE SERVICE!”.

Posted by firecritic on August 24, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: ,

Fire Pole or Sliding Chute – Check this out

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slide

Fire Slide. Image from VAFireNews.com

Firegeezer recently posted a question for everyone to help out answer about the safety of Fire Poles. I am not trying to steal this thunder, so please visit the post to see the exact question and offer an answer if you have one.

Actually, what I wanted to show was a Sliding Chute. This slide was actually recently placed in a BRAND NEW firehouse in Dale City located in Prince William County, Virginia. VAFireNews.com has the story and many great photos of the inside and outside of the station. The really cool thing is that not only does the firehouse have a fire pole and a sliding chute, they also have plaques explaining the history of them. See what I mean below. Click here or on the images for the entire photo story.

Does anyone else know of other firehouses with sliding chutes in them? Photo evidence would be nice!

And be sure to check out the original post over at FireGeezer.

The plaque at the sliding chute reads:

Prior to the invention of the slide pole, stairs and sliding chutes were common in fire stations. The chutes allowed the firefighters to quickly get to the horses and wagons, which were housed in a stable below the sleeping quarters in the hayloft.

The horses would try to climb the stairs to the hayloft, so designers responded with spiral staircases. While hard for the horses to climb, these types of stairs were slow for the firefighters to descend.

The sliding chute was eventually replaced by the sliding pole, however the chute remains a quick and safe way to get to the apparatus from upper floors of the fire station.

Posted by firecritic on August 18, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , ,

North Carolina Fireworks Explosion

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Joseph Chestnut / AP

Joseph Chestnut / AP

While checking out the World News tonight I noticed another fireworks explosion…this time in North Carolina. An earlier post detailed several large fireworks explosions caught on tape here. This time it was while the fireworks were being unloaded. The interesting thing is that while I was working tonight we had a standby at our local fireworks show. I noticed how the fireworks company had utilized 2 Ryder trucks to transport the fireworks from wherever the company keeps them. I do not know if they make their own or purchase from a larger company. I didn’t take the time to look, but I did wonder if the trucks had placards for the explosives they were transporting. I also realized how the shit would hit the fan if we were to have a call for a similar truck that caught fire. That would be a bad day!

Unfortunately, 2 men lost their lives in this explosion and three others injured. Two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and exhaustion, and the planned fireworks show was obviously cancelled to for the town of Ocracoke.

The explosion also posed other logistical issues. Ocracoke is surrounded by water and transport there is by ferry. The explosion was described as 40 minutes of fireworks that went off in 4 seconds.

As always when I report on “news” I check out Firegeezer and of course they beat me to it. Check out their coverage here.

There is also plenty of coverage over at the Pilotonline.com.

Posted by firecritic on July 4, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , ,

Rolling Brownouts, Firehouse Roulette, Firehouse Closures, Layoffs…

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Call it what you will, but I call it poor management.

The three highest priorities in any jurisdiction should be:

  • Public Safety
  • Education
  • Refuse Collection

Those are in no particular order. Those are the necessities. PERIOD. Over the last 5 or so years..maybe longer, firefighters and EMT’s have seen their budgets cut, hacked, and brought down to an all time low.

I don’t care where you are or who you work for, your City/County/Locality should not be cutting the operational funds of any fire and/or EMS department without completely cutting other programs. When I say “CUTTING”, I mean completely gone like they never existed before. Things like economic development, risk management, transportation, technology, fleet management, social services, homeless assistance, general services, planning, neighborhood services, parks and recreation. These departments should be decreased to a skeleton crew and or merged with another department. Other programs should have been deleted way before we got to this point.

Below are stories about Station Closures, Brownouts, Layoffs, and such from the past month to today. Today is important because it is the first day of many jurisdictions fiscal years.

And yet some firefighters have agreed to make up for budget shortfalls out of their own pocket! And to think that there are some assholes out there who just don’t get it. The Administrations, Fire Chiefs, City Councils, County Supervisors, Aldermen,etc. will never understand that we mean business and we are in the business to save lives! We don’t stand up for what we believe in just to hear ourselves talk. Check out these ALL-AMERICANS.

These are just some  examples of closures, brownouts, and layoffs as well as some departments who have given up even more to prove the point that we CANNOT afford anymore cuts for our safety and that of our citizens. Feel free to chime in if you have another City, Link, Story related!

Posted by firecritic on July 2, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Keeping up with the Joneses

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Not all of us firefighters can tour the U.S. for all of the great fire service conferences, conventions, training events, etc. Most of us do have the capability of getting on the internet from time to time. For those of us who do not get to go to the events, we have websites who offer introspect that can be regarded just as important.

There are many great websites out there which offer opinion, training, and editorial on the fire service. Some are updated daily, others updated from less but are still very important. Don’t get me wrong, the news sites are great for keeping up with what incidents are going on; some even showing what to do, what not to do, and close calls we can all learn from. The bonus for firefighters are sites which offer that some news with opinion, and others mostly opinion. Some of the sites I am referring to are Firegeezer, Firehouse Zen, Firefighter Hourly, Firefighter Behavior, The Housewatch, and even STATter 911 from time to time.

These sites offer a variance of views and commonly elicit comments which offer even more viewpoints of issues. The commentary, whether you agree or disagree with the viewpoint, will make you think.

This happens on websites all the time, it happens at conferences occasionally too. Probably the most visible case is Lt. Ray McCormack’s talk at FDIC this year. The HouseWatch spoke of it here and Firefighter Behavior hit on it here. Unfortunately, I was not at FDIC. Even more unfortunate is that as much time as I spend on the computer I missed the talk completely because Fire Engineering Editor Bobby Halton had it pulled from internet circulation just days after it appeared. By all accounts, from what I have read, the  speech was well deserved and the ones who “got it” were those who were able to look past some of the words and understand the meaning. I believe that it was a tremendous disservice to the fire service to have the talk pulled from the internet with little explanation. After all, don’t we deserve the right to formulate our own opinions. For those who came out with a harsh thumbs down on the talk, there were plenty in line to offer explanations of how they inferred the talk and how it made sense. I can only hope that one day we will all be able to read or watch the talk and be able to formulate our own opinion and learn.

In this business, it is easy to play it safe and stay on course of talking about the “feel-good brotherhood” of the fire service. Who the hell is anyone to point out to cracks in our foundation? I think that is what we need…a better understanding of what problems have created cracks and the assistance we need to fill the gaps.

One of the biggest band-aids in the fire service is how we still do our jobs understaffed as safely and as well as we have done in the past. We have to face the facts; we run more calls, we have more regulations, we have less staffing and fewer trucks. Yet we are expected to do it as well as we did before with a smile on our face. Not everyone gets to respond with the staffing levels of the FDNY or DC. Even those large departments have lost companies. Some lose minimum staffing, others lose entire companies.

It is up to us to ask the serious questions. It is up to us to expose the cracks in the foundation that politicians and administrators don’t want the public to know about. It is up to us to bring our issues to the forefront. We need to stand up for what is right and demand what we deserve.

Utilize the websites listed above to learn and review the fire service. Whether you agree or disagree with their standpoint I assure you that you WILL learn something.

Posted by firecritic on June 14, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , , ,