I got accepted to the Virginia Fire Officer Academy (June 9-14) at the University of Richmond. The VFOA is put on by the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association. I am excited for the opportunity.
There has been a lot of articles, videos, and updates on FireCritic.com and the Facebook page. Be sure to keep up!
If you are planning on being at FDIC, I will have the itinerary for myself and Captain Wines up soon!
We have had 3 Line of Duty Deaths in the past several days. They are below:
Check out Crosstitched for a deal. They have several new designs available on their web site. They have been announcing them on their Facebook Page. Here is one example: Firemen’s Prayer Burnout Printed In Metallic Ink, With Foil. 3XL-4XL Printed On Solid Black 100% Cotton. Available Under Size. Get Your Weekend Pre Order Discount, Plus Spend $50 Get Free Shipping. http://www.crosstitched.com/firemans-prayer-burnout/, while you are there you can pick up the Fire Critic/Iron Firemen “Hey Brother” T-shirt.
STATter911.com - Interim Fire Chief Quits & Lets Everyone Have it. Read Scathing Resignation Letter From San Bernadino, CA Chief Paul Drasil.
VAFireNews.com continues to offer up fire and EMS news from across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Check out the web site here
FireNews.net offers news from across North Carolina. Asheville recently had a big fire at a historic cotton mill and FireNews.net has pictures and info.
Fire Law Blog delves into the First Amendment and the Press’s right to take photos
First Due Questions asks how many departments include an RIT/FAST Team on the Initial Alarm?
FirstDueTackle.com has a great extrication article on Garbage Trucks and Lifting a Heavy Load
Hero Rush - The obstacle race by firefighters for everyone. Are you in? Join the nearest race to you and save $10 with promo code Save10 and join the “343″ wave to support the NFFF. Details and dates at HeroRush.com – bring the crew, family & friends.
PGFDPIO.Blogspot.com:
This story was authored by a Prince George’s County Firefighter that suffered severe burn injuries while battling a house fire in Kettering four years ago. A firefighter that had sustained such horrific burn injuries we were not sure he was going to survive. He did survive and than we became concerned that he would never be able to return to work as a firefighter again, he did. On the fourth anniversary of his sustaining burn injuries he has shared, on his Facebook page, his thoughts as he remembers them and we have reprinted them here.
For previous coverage of this story click here and here and here. A Safety Investigative Team report of the incident can be read here.
In his own words, Fire Fighter Daniel McGown writes….. (Read it here)
Tribute Wine by Distant Cellars
Tribute Wine from Distant Cellars to Support the NFFF. You might remember I told everyone about the Tribute Wine being available from Distant Cellars last month, well it is finally time to order! Check out what I wrote about Distant Cellars and why they created the Tribute Wine and then go buy some! More information here (or the direct link to the wine)
Public Safety Confessions on Facebook – a new page has sprouted up and I am wondering what you all think about it. Here is the idea behind it:
It is a “confessions page”. People who need to vent or bitch out a person with out actually publicly doing so can. We have a anonymous survey up so anyone can submit a confession and then I post it to FB. It can never be tracked back to the person. These confessions pages are all the rage on college campuses. Way for kids to vent about school, and professors and life as a student. There are a few rules including: no mentioning people by name, no saying exact depts, no talk of doing illegal activity, no harassment.
Best of the Rest – FDIC Stair Climb, Fire Videos, Bullies, FNG, Fitness, MN8, NFE, and Much More!
No commentsI am getting geared up for FDIC. If you are going, the only thing you HAVE to do is participate in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. I wrote about it just yesterday here.
The Fire Service Warrior meetup (Facebook Event Page) will be April 24, 2013 at 5pm at the Ram Restaurant and Brewery. Be there!
I will be posting our itinerary when it gets a little closer. You will be able to find Captain Wines and I split between the MN8 Foxfire booth #5571 and Black Diamond Group booth #2401.
It’s promotional testing time again. This is one of the books I bought. I would love to tell you what it is, but I would have to kill you. We aren’t allowed posting the text book list online according to a memo. I wish I could tell you more about the $230 purchase I made on the books…but I can’t. BTW, this is not one of the books on the list.
In case you missed it, I was busy this weekend with a series of videos on FireCritic.com. Check them out here:
More Content from the other great blogs and web sites:
Check out the custom inserts for our Phenix TL2 helmets. J5 Firelids sent these to us. Check out J5 Firelids here.
Fire Law Blog offers us Cyberbullying – The Ugly Side of Social Media
Firehouse Zen offers two great articles recently “I am a Bully” and “The FNG“.
True North is giving away a scholarship (paid trip to FDIC). This year, they renamed the program “Lt. Richard A. Nappi Training Scholarship”. Read more about it here
Firefighter Nation – Monte Egherman writes about Building a Functional Fitness Program
MN8 Foxfire’s new illuminating helmet bars
STATter911.com found a great video: Arrival video: House fire in Calverton, MD. PGFD in action from 1991. Plus an apartment fire in Oxon Hill.
MN8 Foxfire has rolled out the brand new illuminating helmet bars (to the right). Read more about them here.
Mike Legeros has pictures of a fire on Roger’s lane here. AND…you can buy his books Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting or Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting, Volume II. Read more about that here.
Challenge Coins – I collect challenge coins and trade them. If you would like to purchase one of our coins, check out NM Coin. That is the only place you can get them unless you catch us with one to spare. If you would like to trade, let me know at firecritic@firecritic.com. Below is the National Firefighters Endowment Officer’s Club Chief level coin. Mine is number 005. Learn more about the Officer’s Club here.
This is my Officer’s Club coin from the National Firefighters Endowment. To learn more about the Officer’s Club and get your own coin, check out this link.