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Best of the Rest – SnoMageddon, FF Obesity, Protecting Lives, The Firefighter Harlem Shake, and much more!

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A bunch of great links below. Check them out. I don’t waste my time putting them up here for nothing! You can’t find this kind of concentrated fire/EMS news,links,info anywhere else! Send in your links and information to share: firecritic@firecritic.com.

Here is an article about my department. It seems as though all of the old firehouses will be gone in time…It probably won’t be overnight though.

Paul Hasenmeier at First Due Tackle is seeking information and a name for a tool that has been on a rig a long time. Any help is welcome.

Backstep Firefighter – This is a great read about “Our Jobs” and “Victim Survivability Profiling” titled PROTECTING LIVES and written by David LeBlanc. Be sure to read this one!

Michael Morse of Rescuing Providence has been awarded a $25 thousand dollar grant from the Rhode Island Foundation. Read about it here

Jason Hoevelmann has created a new Facebook Page for The New Fire Officer (and also titled the same). Check it out here

Captain Willie Wines Jr. writes a post about a recent visit to the Lexington, VA FD and asks for a Do Over. Read it here

Ben Feagle writes about Rocket Propelled Fire Engines and Leading in Front on Leatherhead109.com. Interestingly enough, while I knew his name and I am unsure if we have met…I did get to read a bunch about him in the words of one of his very humbled former firefighters. Brandon Roark talks about Feagle on The Model City Firefighter new column “Blowin’ Smoke“. I should definitely be reading more of Feagle’s articles!

Fire Chief offers and article on “How to Combat Firefighter Obesity“. While I may not verbalize it much on this site and elsewhere, I cannot stand seeing obese firefighters. It is counterproductive to our purpose.

From Within The Fire – The latest is Dealing with Grief and Loss. Think of this site as an online Bible study for firefighters and others.

Dave Statter “King of the Buffs” has a helmet camera video out of Throop, PA. Check it out here

FireRescue1.com has a story of a helicopter crash that killed 3 people while filming an untitled military reality show by the Discovery Channel. Read about it here

If you haven’t seen the Firefighter Version of the Harlem Shake, click here now for a good laugh!

Brother in need of help after House Fire (From MN8 FoxFire): We are all part of the firefighter family. When one of us goes down we all help them back up. This weekend one of our brothers was unfortunately on the other side of our job. His home caught fire. Most of the house was salvaged however the room of origin contained his firefighter memorabilia collection. He lost it all. Please help him rebuild his collection by sending a patch, t-shirt (XL) or other firefighter memorabilia.

Please send donations to:
MN8-Foxfire
C/O Justin Fund
500 Wyoming Ave.
2nd Floor
Cincinnati, Ohio 45215

Make sure to include your return address because we will be sending a special Foxfire gift to anyone that donates an item.

Here is a picture of Engine 32's crews from Huntington Fire Company #3 of the Shelton (CT) Fire Department, trekking through the snow for over 1 mile to reach a stranded motorist who had been trapped in his car for over 12 hours. http://www.facebook.com/huntingtonfire
Here is a picture of Engine 32's crews from Huntington Fire Company #3 of the Shelton (CT) Fire Department, trekking through the snow for over 1 mile to reach a stranded motorist who had been trapped in his car for over 12 hours. http://www.facebook.com/huntingtonfire
Lodi Fd having fun while on stand by waiting for the next alarm
Lodi Fd having fun while on stand by waiting for the next alarm

This is Josh from the Latham FD.
This is Josh from the Latham FD.
Engine 4 Charters Hose Co.4 with the Ansonia Fire Department, Ansonia Ct. Apron almost clear but road has 4' of snow.
Engine 4 Charters Hose Co.4 with the Ansonia Fire Department, Ansonia Ct. Apron almost clear but road has 4' of snow.


Below is a feel good story out of Hillsborough County, FL.

The ducklings that fell through a grate and into a storm sewer have been carried to safety, thanks to the efforts of Hillsborough County firefighters and other rescuers. (Feb. 10, 2013) [Carolina Hidalgo | tampabay.com]

Posted by on February 12, 2013 • Filed under: Best of the Rest, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Voting for Your Favorite Fire and/or EMS Blog of 2012

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The quick links to vote are below:

Vote on for the EMS Blog of the Year

Vote on for the Fire Blog of the Year

Vote on EMS1.com for the EMS Blog of the Year

Vote on FireRescue1.com for the Fire Blog of the Year

Complete rules are here

Here are the blogs on the ballot(s) in no particular order…

EMS Blogs on the Ballot

Fire Blogs on the Ballot

Posted by on March 14, 2012 • Filed under: Blog of the Year, Contests, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Best of the Rest – Shaved Heads, Daytona 500 Fire, The Bowring, The Hose Jockey, and a Great Article to Read

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A quick note about comments on FireCritic.com. Don’t cuss, your comment will not be approved. Other than that, I don’t appreciate or approve assaults on others. That is all.

Shoutout – FireProductReview.com

Web Site: FireProductReview.com

Facebook: Firefighter Product Review

Twitter: @FireReviews1

The Bowring Tool

Feature post: The latest review completed is on the Bowring tool. I (I am one of the reviewers and the site administrator) am seeing how benificial this site can be with letting others rate the products too. I gave the Bowring a 7. The user score is a 3.1 (7 votes total) as of this writing. The site gives users and visitors the ability to rate the products themselves. You don’t have to login to offer your thoughts. If you want to login, you can register or use Facebook to connect. It is as simple as that!

It seems as though there are 3 kinds of people when it comes to the Bowring. Those who love it, those who hate it, and those who have never heard of it.

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

The Blog of the Year Contest for 2011-2012 will be starting on March 1st. This will be the third year for the contest. This year, FireCritic.com teamed up with FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com for the contest. The sponsor this year is the American Military University. Look for more information on the contest, how and when to nominate, and when voting begins in the next two days!

9/11 Memorial Stair Climb - Why We Climb: Taking the Step to Honor and Heal - When five firefighters from Colorado first gathered in the spring of 2005 to climb the stairwell of a local office building, they intended to do it for conditioning and camaraderie. They never thought that, within six years, they would be coordinating a series of nationwide climbs to honor the lives of the 343 firefighters from FDNY who died on September 11, 2001 and help their survivors heal. As we approach the 2012 9-11 Memorial Stair Climbs with the inaugural event at FDIC on April 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium, we look back at a recent event that explains why we climb. Click here to register for the FDIC climb and here to find other climbs this year.

Brotherhood Cuts – I have been mentioning this for weeks. It goes down on March 10th. MtAirynews.com picked up the story and I am even mentioned in the article. Firefighters Shave the Day - “I have decided to join friends and firefighters to shave our heads and mustaches to raise money to help protect each other. The funds raised will go to purchase bail-out kits for fire departments in Surry County,” said Gillett. Read more: Mount Airy News – Firefighters to shave the day

Speaking of Shaving Heads… Check out 9 Year Old Jordan!

Jordan and her brother at their father's firehouse on 9/11/11

Jordan B. is 9 years old. Her father is a long time reader of  The Fire Critic.This year, Jordan is shaving her head for St. Baldrick’s. Read more about this little girl here. Read it here

Jordan is hoping to raise $3000. She has already raised $1780. Help her out! Her message: I’ve answered the call to be a hero! I’m having my head shaved to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer, but more importantly, to raise money to find cures. Please support me with a donation to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. This volunteer-driven charity funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U. S. government. Your gift will give hope to infants, children, teens and young adults fighting childhood cancers. So when I ask for your support, I’m really asking you to support these kids.

A lesson in Social Media - Site Unseen: Red Sox Spring Training Park Gaffe: Boston’s beloved baseball team is moving into JetBlue Park this spring in Ft. Myers, Fla. The new crown jewel of the Grapefruit League cost an estimated $78 million to build … but they probably wish they’d spent a few more bucks. A resident not far from the new ballpark owns the most likely web domain name for the Red Sox new spring home. Eric Engelman purchased the site last year. Read it here

The Hose Jockey has an excellent awareness article and video on MAYDAY scenarios. Check it out here

One of the best articles I have read all year resides on FireEngineering.com. The article titled “Thirty Five Years: An Open Letter to My Father”: I barely knew what a screwdriver did when he taught me to tie knots, told me handcuff knots are good for dragging a lifeless firefighter and he taught me a snap bowline and winked, said, “Impress them with that one, kid.” He gave me a prussic and a couple of carabiners and showed me 20 things to do with that loop of rope, like hanging onto a 2 1/2 for an hour despite squad telling me I am a wuss.  Read it here

IronFiremen.com – America’s Fire Captain Willie Wines Jr. has been following a local story of a volunteer Chief who has been outspoken against the hiring of a County wide Fire/EMS Director. Willie shoots it straight and offers some quotes from the misinformed Chief. The latest is here. Read previous posts here and here.

Jerry Perdomo is still missing in Maine. I posted here and here on the story. Firefighter Nation has been keeping up with the story and its latest here.

ELAFFHQ.com – The guys at ELAFFHQ are giving stuff away. Word is that they will soon be giving up their identities. Willie and I couldn’t be more proud of this couple for coming out of the closet! Get your swag here!

Statter911.com has the latest on our brothers in Bladensburg here

By now, I am sure you guys have seen the video from the Daytona 500 last night when Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer truck. If not, the video is below

Posted by on February 28, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Great article on Smartphone Apps for Firefighters

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I have written about smartphone apps in the past, but FireRescue1 has an article with many more…and plenty of information on them.

Some of the applications are free, others cost money.

What applications do you use?

What about your department?

Check out the article on FireRescue1 as well as another list in the comments of that article.

 

Posted by on November 16, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Social Media • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Teen Charged in Fake 911 Call that led to Fire Truck Crash. His Fault or not?

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A teenager in Connecticut was charged with making a false 911 call. The problem isn’t just the prank call. The problem is that a fire truck crashed on the way to the call.

Read the whole story with video here on FireRescue1.com

What do you think? I agree that it is wrong to make fake 911 calls, but do you think it is his fault for the fire truck crashing?

Should the punishment be more severe?

Posted by on October 14, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dr. Stefan Svensson Insults America’s Bravest at FRI

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I did not attend the class by Dr. Stefan Svensson at FRI this year or in 2007. My opinion on what I have read, heard of, and discussed are below.

This year, Dr. Stefan Svensson spoke at Fire Rescue International. He did the same thing in 2007. Both times he tore apart his view of the firefighting in the U.S. I say “his view” because if you know anything about firefighting in the United States you know that it is not the same everywhere. I could pick out some huge differences in firefighting just about anywhere I go…differences beyond the obvious like which coast you are on, staffing (# of positions in addition to being staffed or responding from home), and standard operating procedures (SOP’s).

ugh…headache

My very first thought was that maybe firefighting in Sweden is not dangerous. Maybe, they won’t risk anything for anything and that as long as nothing happens to their firefighters then everything is peachy.

Firefighting is dangerous. We can do everything right and we still might die. We can do everything right, and put everything on the line and others may die. Not many people like talking about it, but our job is dangerous and we might lose some firefighters along the way doing our jobs. We understand that. We train, learn, teach, understand, and preplan so that we can minimize that risk…but the risk remains.

The only reason why I am writing this is because I hope that too many people don’t take his opinion the wrong way.

It is irresponsible to compare firefighting in the US to that in Sweden.

He might has well have been comparing the FDNY to a rural volunteer fire department in Montana.

You just can’t compare them.

The only place where this talk might have an application is if he were talking to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). They wouldn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but at the very worst they may think we need more funding for the deffiencies Dr. Svensson talks about.

In 2007, the article in FireRescue1.com from Svensson’s first speach offers this:

Just one firefighter has died in the Scandinavian country in the past seven years, while the United States already has more than 80 line-of-duty deaths this year alone.

Sweden has about 16,000 firefighters compared to approximately 1.1 million in the United States – but the difference in death rates is marked. 

The article on this years talk can be read here.

I need to see more data on this. More than can be offered in a class at FRI. Details like comparing firefighter death and injury rates, comparing civilian death and injury rates, comparing pre-incident value and dollar loss after fire, building codes, fire codes, building construction, as well as a complete comparison of qualifying criteria which dictate a Line of Duty Death.

I still do not think you can lump all of the fire departments in the United States into one category.

The FireRescue1.com article states (quoting Dr. Svensson):

“I see a very serious lack of knowledge in the U.S. fire service especially when it comes to fires in buildings.

“There seems to be a lack of understanding of what’s going on inside the building and what’s going on outside the building.

“Venting the fire is not always the solution; sometimes it’s the cause of a lot of the problems especially if you don’t have the knowledge.”

HUH? Speak for yourself. You are not talking about my department…not our firefighters. That is where some of this got personal. That the IAFC would allow this guy to come back and give a similar talk to 2007.

I work for a very aggressive fire department, we contain fires to the room of origin or at least the floor of origin a large majority of the time. As for LODD’s, I will not comment. I think it would be irreverant because anything can happen at anytime. I do not want to jinx myself or my brother/sister firefighters. 

Maybe I am missing something. Maybe I don’t have a clue about firefighting at all. Maybe all of the great instructors in the American fire service don’t have a clue and we need a wake up call from a Dr. in Sweden.

I will agree with the Dr. about one of his points though.

He points to health/fitness being an issue in our fire service. I WILL not fall into a trap of grouping firefighters across the US into one category. I will instead look at how so many fire service leaders utilize LODD statistics to point out that too many of our firefighters are dying of cardiovascular issues. I feel as though that this is an issue. It is something we need to continue raising awareness on.

What do you guys think?

Posted by on August 29, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, News, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday Morning Shoutout – The Kitchen Table

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This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to the Kitchen Table is a blog offered by FireRescue1.com.

The Kitchen Table blog is a place for the growing online firefighting community to get the daily buzz. As the firehouse kitchen table is where firefighters in a station gather, The Kitchen Table blog brings firefighters together for a global conversation.

A lot of the writers also have their own websites and/or write for other websites like Firehouse.com or FirefighterNation.com. Check them out.

kitchentable

Posted by on July 27, 2009 • Filed under: Monday Morning Shoutout, News • Tagged: , , ,