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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.

Best of the Rest – Fires, Stair Climbs, Training, Best of 2011, a Huge FAIL and Much More

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Welcome to a new column here on FireCritic.com. I am shooting for having this column run on Tuesdays each week. If you have something you want to share whether you are a reader or blogger, have a video or photo, or anything else just let me know.

The Best of the Rest is a column featuring other bloggers, videos, news, and information you might have missed over the past week or so. Enjoy!

You can also follow along and connect with The Fire Critic via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Youtube.

As seen on FailBlog.com

Addison Fire Protection District – Can this be real? FailBlog.com has this photo of the message board at Addison Fire Protection District Station #3. The message “Better to arrive late than never”..WTF? Who approved this? Maybe the Chief’s message was directed to firefighters and should have read “Better to arrive safe than never”…or maybe it is meant as a message to the citizens and should have been “Call 911 and we will get there whenever we can”.

Daily911Deals.com - 40% OFF MN8 Foxfire Illuminating and Reflective Helmet Tetrahedrons. EXCLUSIVE NEW PRODUCT! I think they are pretty decent tetrahedrons. Read my review here.

Firehouse Zen- Chief Mick Mayers continues to lay it down in his writings that occasionally have me seeking dictionary.com for a definition. Don’t let that dissuade you from reading though. He offers some great insight to the fire service. Check out: OKAY, IT’S 2012: NOW WHAT? and 2012: “WHAT IF?”.

Statter911.com – Dave offers a video of a house fire in Maryland. This is video posted yesterday of a December 23 fire in Upper Marlboro, Maryland (Prince George’s County) Raw Video: PGFD House Fire in Upper Marlboro. Switch to Defensive Operations

911 Memorial Stairclimbs – The majority of the stair climb events are now affiliated with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. One of the original climbs is a bit smaller scale and has a local feel. The Albequrque Stair Climb started in 2003. Read more about it here. If you are looking for a stair climb event check out http://www.9-11stairclimb.com/

Here is a lost photo I just found. This is a picture of Willie and I immediately after climbing 110 floors in Atlanta at FRI for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

FireGeezer.com - A FIRE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT in a downtown brothel in Mitchell, Australia, is still deemed suspicious by the fire investigators. The Canberra area business was closed for New Year’s Day, as all the city’s brothels were when smoke was discovered coming from The Gentlemen’s Club on Grimwade Street around 11 pm. http://firegeezer.com/2012/01/02/brothel-fire-suspicious/

The Colorado Firefighter Facebook Page - This page continues to impress me on the sharing of links and information. Check them out here and click “like”!

ELAFFHQ.com – Their latest post “Raise money for a good cause, and get a chance to win a leather helmet” is just that…a chance to win a Phenix Leather Helmet. The chances are $1 a piece and the helmet will be given away once they reach $1000 for the National Firefighters Endowment. Click here to go directly to the donation page. They are currently 1/4 of the way to their goal! The Fire Critic gave $50…If I win the helmet I will give it away to pay it forward!

Fire Service Warrior – This site continues to impress me. The latest post “Brotherhood Insurance: A Pay for What You Get Policy” by Brother Brian Brush is a great post on the Brotherhood of the Fire Service and a must read!

IronFiremen.com – America’s Fire Captain Willie Wines Jr. outdoes everyone on his End of Year Review for 2011. Even though this post probably took three weeks for his little fingers to type, it is well worth a read. See what he has accomplished this past year!

Firefighter Nation – They have the story and the video of a huge fire at a former Illinois factory here.

Happy Medic – The Happy Medic is handing out his “Best of 2011″ awards. Check them out here!

IronsandLadders.com – This blog is great on content. Their latest post “Thru-The-Lock Time Trial (storefront doors)” is just one of many great training videos available.

Brotherhood Instructors – One of the leading privately owned and operated by firefighters instructing team offers “Forcing Doors in Zero Visibility – By Andrew Brassard” Check it out and continue your learning!

FireRescue1.com – They offer this story: Authorities probe fire attacks on 4 NYC sites “Blog post that may be linked to attacks: ‘Throw 10 Molotov cocktails into these mosques and burn them down’” Read it here

I love sushi and I love wasabi. I understand the use of wasabi and how it enhances the flavor with a little spice. I would never eat a spoonful of wasabi. I don’t think this next firefighter ever will…again! He might say this is a near death experience! Maybe this is the new cinnamon dragon challenge!

Crews battle flames and smoke at Westport Presbyterian Church

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -

As dozens of onlookers packed Westport Road Thursday evening, all they could do is watch as Westport Presbyterian Church burned.

“We were out in Westport and my wife got a message on Facebook saying ‘Westport’s burning,’” Luke Rocha said.

Rocha, like many others, went down to see the flames shooting from the roof of the historic church that stood at Westport and 40th street for more than 100 years.

Video of the fire is here

Posted by The Fire Critic on January 2, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Best of the Rest, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Humor, News, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb, 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, Best of the Rest, Brian Brush, Brotherhood Instructors, Church Fire, Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, Dave Statter, ELAFFHQ.com, EMS, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighter Nation, Firefighter Prank, Firefighter vs. Wasabi, Firefighting, FireGeezer, Fireground Video, Firehouse Zen, FireRescue1, House Fire, Humor, IronFiremen.com, IronsandLadders.com, NFFF, Paramedic, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, STATter911.com, The Happy Medic, Twitter, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

John Walsh on The Economy and Cutting Police, EMS, Fire, and Teaching Positions

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Check out this video of John Walsh talking about our economic situation and the cuts to Police Forces, Teachers, Paramedics, and Firefighters. After watching this, you might just sit back and think…cool, this guy is rooting for us. However, the biggest part of what he is saying is “we gotta speak up”.

That means one of two things:

1. We educate, speak out, vote, and promote our cause and our needs because it is the right thing to do and our citizens deserve it. Start by simply sharing this video/post with others.

or
2. We occupy something…any ideas?

Check it out. He offers some facts that are hard to swallow.

Thanks to some Brothers on Facebook for sharing this video. Be sure to check out Fire Critic on Facebook and “like” us and follow us on Twitter @FireCritic to stay in the loop. You just never know when I might start promoting an #Occupy movement that benefits us!

Posted by The Fire Critic on December 21, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Videos • Tagged: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Service, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, IronFiremen.com, John Walsh, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Twitter, Video, Willie Wines Jr.

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

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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.

Social Media and FireCritic.com…The Big Picture

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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

5-Point Breakaway Safety Vest 50% off. Only $9.99 on Daily911Deals.com

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Tomorrow morning, the 50% Off Bundle Pack of Sample AFG Successful Narratives from Firehouse Grants deal ends. Remember they extended the AFG grant application deadline by a week!

Yesterday, Daily911Deals started a brand new deal: $9.99 For an $19.99 5-Point Breakaway Safety Vest at Reality Workwear.

If you have not checked this site out you are missing out. You can register if you want and sign up to receive email notifications when new deals are available.

Daily911Deals Web Site - Facebook - Twitter

They also launched their “Refer a Friend” affiliate marketing.

Anyone can share and earn. If you have a web site or blog you might be able to earn more!

Daily911Deals is paying $5 credit just for putting their code on your site. In addition, you will earn $5 credit every time someone clicks on your ad to Daily911Deals and purchases for the first time.

Full details and instructions for the Refer a Friend affiliate marketing is here.

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 1, 2011 • Filed under: Daily911Deals, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News • Tagged: Daily 911 Deals, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Facebook, Fire Critic, Fire Department, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Law Enforcement, Paramedic, Police, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Twitter

Fire, EMS, and Police Bloggers are Becoming Spokespersons for Products and Services

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Every time I turn around there is a new company setting up shop in the Fire, EMS, and Police markets. These new and typically smaller businesses are doing their research. They are investing the time to create a social media rich marketing plan.

Larger businesses are doing the same, although this is probably in part because the marketing firms they are hiring use social media as much as they can. The firms see the value in it.

Willie Wines Jr. recently helped out in the MN8 Products booth at Firehouse Expo. Not only was he a huge draw, he blogged about it and was even seen kissing some babies!

Whether it is a small business with a small budget or a larger business with a large budget, they are basically doing the same thing… in theory.

Utilizing Facebook to connect with your customers is a vital marketing task that usually takes a skillful eye and many hours to stay on top of. Twitter is similar, however the reach is not as wide. That reach doesn’t matter though…you cannot pass up the opportunity to connect with a customer.

Bloggers are a key point in this connection. Why? That is simple…we have followers. Tribes, if you will. Most bloggers are connected to other bloggers and the whole social media thing is [BAM] connecting thousands of people!

Many bloggers are very connected with social media. Even so, many socially connected firefighters, EMT’s, and even some police officers who don’t blog in the beginning end up creating a blog in the end.

So what about this spokespersons claim I made in the title of this article?

Here is the thing…Fire,EMS, and Police don’t really have many ”Celebrities”. Outside of the Editor in Chiefs of our trade magazines or the women and men who teach at almost every event there aren’t many ultra-recognizable names in our fields. For the Firefighters you might think Bobby Halton, Tim Sendelbach, Billy Goldfeder, Rick Lasky, Alan Brunacini, for a couple of examples. Even then, my view is skewed because I write about some of these guys, have followed them for years, and recognize someone who knows what they are talking about when I see it. Those guys have put in decades of time teaching, creating, writing, and spreading the word of what they know. They have been there and done that. I know it, you know it, everyone SHOULD know it.

Again, what about the spokespersons claim in the title?

Companies want to spread the word of their products and services. They want to make it as affordable and effective as possible. Sure, having a picture of a big name celebrity firefighter holding the newest innovative product on a banner can have a positive effect on the product and company. But what is the reach? What is the cost?

Similarily compare print advertising to online advertising.

Does that person post about the product on their blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.? What is their reach? What is their cost?

This is where bloggers come in. Fire, EMS, and other Public Safety bloggers have reach that most companies do not realize. Thousands of loyal readers, thousands of facebook friends, thousands of facebook fan page “likes”, thousands of twitter followers. Each of those mediums feed to more and more people. A single blogger could have a reach of more than 10,000 people.

When I think of spokesperson, I don’t mean on television spots. I mean creating a working relationship between companies and bloggers.

Think of Zoll’s collaberation with Chronicles of EMS (ChroniclesofEMS.com). Justin Schorr, Mark Glencorse, Ted Setla and many more could be seen at the Zoll booth at conventions. I saw first hand how having these “celebrities” on hand really drew in a crowd. It seemed a lot more effective than just having the sales persons walking around in the booth all day. It gave people another reason to stop in and say hello. Hell, I did it.

Another example is Willie Wines Jr. (IronFiremen.com) being in the MN8 Products booth at Firehouse Expo. Willie will also be at the MN8 booth at Fire Rescue International. People come up to him all day long to meet him.

How does it work?

It is really this simple…Willie blogs about where he is going to be (advertising the company and/or product) and when people get to the conference they seek him out.

Sure, having busty tall blond booth babes works very well too. But that typically just gets guys to stop and stare for a little while. Having a personality that many people know prior to the show in your booth can be an even bigger draw. Plus, what do those booth babes know about your product? You probably gave them a 5 minute crash course on your product and expect them to be experts. Once they leave the show they aren’t going to write about the fun they had, the people they met, publish pictures from your booth, or any of that.

But it doesn’t have to be at exhibit halls only.

Product reviews, advertising on blogs, and simply communicating with bloggers are other ways to engage bloggers and make use of their social networks.

It is about connecting, networking, and working together.

More about this in the future!

As for bloggers, here are two steps you can do to increasing your branding and making it a little more personal…

Make sure your readers know who you are. Include a picture of yourself on your blog. Do you really want to be known as an avatar? Quit hiding behind your banner and logo.
Don’t shy away from who you are. If people want to know who it is being the blog let them know. After all, if you are writing about something shouldn’t you stand behind it.

Fire Critic Note:

If you have not “liked” Daily911Deals on facebook yet you are about to miss out. Head over to the facebook page and “like” us, then subscribe. The deals are starting soon! That is why I haven’t been writing much on FireCritic.com. Once we are live, I will be back to my normal posting!

Posted by The Fire Critic on August 8, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Social Media • Tagged: Chronicles of EMS, Daily911Deals, Daily911Deals.com, EMS, Facebook, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Foxfire, Justin Schorr, Mark Glencorse, Mn8 Products, Offensive Attack, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Ted Setla, Twitter, Willie Wines Jr., Zoll

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 The Fire Critic on April 6, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, NetCast, News, Podcast • Tagged: 911, @TheFrontSeat, Allingtown fire, arson investigator, Backstep Firefighter, Backstepfirefighter.com, Bill Carey, Dave LeBlanc, David LeBlanc, Dennis fire department, East Harwich, East Harwich fire, Fire Critic, Fire Daily, Fire EMS Blogs, Fire Podcast, fire radio, fire techniques, Fire Training, FireCritic.com, FireDaily.com, Firefighter Netcast, Firefighter Podcast, Harwich station 2, John Mitchell, Paddy Brown, Rhett Fleitz, Taking Up, The Front Seat, Twitter, West Haven Fire

FDIC is a Success for this Guy!

1 comment

Today, I presented my class at FDIC “Social Media: The Fire Service’s Next Big Innovation”. All in all, I was very pleased with the class and I think that everyone was able to walk away with a little knowledge.

Don’t get me wrong, I had/have a lot to learn (in so many ways!). The 1 hour and 45 minute crash course on social media brought up numerous questions and I found it to be very telling of where the fire service is in breaking through to the power of social media.

I went into the class with the thought that if I can learn what the attendees want/need to know I will be better suited for teaching the class in the future. I found that while I spoke about the basics of the utilization of social media, some of the questions were for the more advanced. That is ok….however, in reviewing the evaluations on the class I found that some thought it was too basic and others thought it was not basic enough. Hopefully the majority found it useful!

Rhett Fleitz Teaching Social Media for the Fire Service at FDIC 2011

Thanks to Captain Willie Wines Jr. for stopping in to snap a photo for me!

I must say, those evaluations are very helpful, no matter what is said. I appreciate all of the attendees who filled one out. I even got gigged for looking at my phone. Apparently it came off as me checking messages. In all actuallity, I was merely checking the time since I don’t wear a watch. I learned a lesson though and perception is everything.

It would have been great to walk into the class knowing exactly what everyone wanted and needed to know, but we have to start somewhere. Social media is such a complex interactive and every changing technology. I thought it was important to offer the groundwork to build a foundation for social media. It appeared as though that is what people were looking for.

The lesson I learned is that 1 hour and 45 minutes simply is not enough time to properly teach social media. Not that it was a revelation, but we gave it a go!

Next month, I will be teaching a similar class in the 5-8 hour time frame. I think that will be plenty of time to delve into social media and even assist the attendees with starting out on their own and making it work for them.

Whether you were able to attend the class or not, I am always available for questions and assisting others in getting started! We have a long road before social media is widely accepted in the fire service. Until then, we can learn from those who make it work!

FDIC videotaped the class. I do not know if it will be available to anyone to see or if they will just be using the video for other purposes. I will let you know if it becomes available.

If you are interested in the .pdf file of my presentation please let me know. I will have it available in some form or fashion soon enough.

Thanks to all those who attended. It was my honor and I enjoyed it tremendously. As always, whenever I teach…I learned a lot!

Feel free to connect with me. I am always available to answer questions and help out if possible!

Rhett Fleitz
FireFleitz@gmail.com
FireCritic@FireCritic.com
Twitter: @FireCritic
Facebook Profile
Facebook Fan Page

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 25, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Blog Tips, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News • Tagged: Facebook, FDIC, Fire, Fire Critic, Fire Department, Fire Department Instructors Conference, FireCritic.com, Firefighter, Firefighting, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Social Media in the Fire Service, Twitter

Product Review – Lion Technical Footwear Marshall 14″ Pull-on Fire Boots

1 comment

Lion Technical Footwear recently sent me a pair of their Marshall 14″ pull-on firefighting boots for a product review. I received the boots promptly and was very pleased with the look and feel of them. The first thing I typically look at on new boots are the toe cap and the straps. I know there are more important factors that differentiate a good boot from a great boot, but that is what I look at first.

My boots after 3 months. It feels like you are wearing slippers when you have them on!

The toe caps: Vibram® nitrile-rubber toe area covering provides full toe area scuff protection. They look good and they have kept up with the day to day wear and tear.

The boot straps: The straps are sewn INTO the boot and not ONTO the boot. Hopefully this will give them some extra strength for those of you who hang your boots on a hook. As for guys like me who merely use them to carry the boots from one spot to another they should work just fine. The straps are actually made of 1″ Nomex® webbing.

First Impression: I wore these boots around the station for a couple hours before putting them in my turnout pants just to break them in a little bit. They were a little snug because of the extra padding/insulation but they quickly conformed to my foot!

These boots are built for comfort!

Lion Web Site – Facebook - Twitter - Youtube

These boots are comfortable. Think slippers kind of comfortable. They have extra padding/insulation inside and they are just comfortable as can be. I have actually been wearing them for 3 months now and I must say I am thoroughly pleased. I do wonder if what seems like “extra” insulation will be hot in the summer months, but I have yet to pull my feet out of them with dripping wet socks. Sure, I have worked in them and have gotten all sweaty…which means these boots must be able to breathe pretty well. I assure you this…while wearing them during the cold months, my feet never got cold!

The sewn in 1" Nomex Webbing Straps

The heal has a special Lock-Fit Ankle Support System™ which provides anatomical ankle padding that ensures the foot is securely positioned within the boot. The sole is built with a Lenzi® puncture-resistant midsole. This is a very important part of the boot since we rarely get to see where or what we are going to step on. After all, fire boots are all about protecting your feet!

So far after 3 months…Lion is right with their tagline “Comfort That Won’t Quit”

Two drawbacks to these boots…both minor I think.

Made in Canada...a lot better than made elsewhere but nothing beats "Made in the USA"!

They are made in Canada. I consider Canada almost as good as made in America and certainly better than made in China or Indonesia…but I still love seeing that “Made in the USA” on the tag.
The extra padding means that the boots run a little big. This doesn’t mean that you should order them any different than your normal size shoe. It does mean that the overall size of the boot is a bit larger by external measurements than other boots.

The Lion Technical Footwear Marshall 14″ Pull-on boots retail for $299.99 (pricing as found on TheFireStore.com)

Bonus for Female Firefighters - The Marshall 14″ Pull-on and Commander 12” Zip-Lace Design come in Women’s sizing!

Who would have thought that men’s and women’s feet were different?

Lion Technical Footwear Marshall 14" Pull-on Design

Here are some other key points about the boots:

Marshall 14″ pull-on design product flyer - Commander 12″ zip-lace design product flyer

CROSSTECH® fabric membrane.
Cambrelle® lining —300 gram polyfelt insulation.
Slip-resistant, breathable micro-fiber technology protective heel strip enhances foot stability and minimizes wear on Cambrelle® fabric lining.
Lenzi® puncture-resistant midsole.
Wide fitting toe cap with rubber lip tested to withstand an impact up to 92.2 foot pounds meets NFPA, CSA and ASTM standards.
Goodyear® storm welt construction provides maximum durability and enables easy repairs.
Lock-Fit Ankle Support System™ provides anatomical ankle padding that ensures the foot is securely positioned within the boot.
Removable shock-absorbing foam footbed is anti-odor, anti-fungal and breathable.
Double ridged ladder shank reduces painful arch compression.
Vibram® Fire & Ice™ sole offers durability and superior traction at both temperature extremes.
Large 1” rugged Nomex® webbing boot straps with reinforced stitching ensure easy donning and doffing.
Thermoplastic heel counter individually molded to every size for custom fit.
Leather bound, padded collar trim for better all-around fit with no chafing.
Vibram® nitrile-rubber toe area covering provides full toe area scuff protection.
Silver 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material provides added visibility.

Proudly wearing my Lion Technical Footwear Marshall 14" Pull-ons

About Lion Technical Footwear:

A comfortable boot is essential to safety on the fireground because when your feet hurt, you can lose mobility and stamina. Made with top-grade U.S. fire-resistant leather, LION Technical Footwear brings superior working comfort, flexibility, safety and durability — run after run. The back of a LION Technical Footwear boot is designed to match the anatomical shape of your heel and the molded ankle guard provides a comfortable, athletic fit. The Lenzi® puncture-resistant midsole offers 30% greater coverage area than a stainless steel sole and the breathable CROSSTECH® fabric ensures better comfort. The patented Lock-Fit Ankle Support System™ grabs the ankle and foot to improve surefootedness and reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls.

Here is a short video about Lion boots. Check out more videos on their youtube channel here!

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 March 12, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, News, Product Reviews, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: ASTM, Boot Review, Cambrelle, Comfort, Crosstech, CSA, Facebook, Fire Boot Review, Fire Boots, Fire Critic, Fire Department Boots, Fire Review, Fire Service Product Review, Fire Service Review, FireBoot Review, FireCritic.com, firefighter boots, Firefighter Review, Firefighting Boots, Firefighting Review, Goodyear, Lenzi, Lion, Lion Boots, Lion Footwear, Lion Technical Footwear, Lock-fit ankle support system, Marshall 14" Pull-on boots, National Fire Protective Association, NFPA, Nomex, Product Review, Product Reviews, Pull on Fire Boots, Review, Rhett Fleitz, Scotchlite, Twitter, Vibram, Video, youtube

LEO: The Fire Within Product Review and Their Model Search is ON!

10 comments

LEO: The Fire Within is casual apparel for today’s firefighter. They rolled out their first shirt at FDIC this year.

From LEOFireShop.com:

Why LEO? Look up the qualities of a Leo, the 5th symbol of the Zodiac – honesty, loyalty, self-sacrifice, courage, will, independence and fire. Sound familiar? Not only do these qualities perfectly embody today’s firefighters, but they also embody the fire within – that special quality that every firefighter has – whether you are 5 years or 30 in service.

Honestly, when I heard the name I initially thought that LEO stood for Law Enforcement Officer…luckily I was wrong!

***LEOFireShop.com -* *Twitter @LEOfireshop – Facebook Fan Page***

The original LEO design that was rolled out at FDIC 2010

You can actually check out prototypes for their next designs here as well.

LEO contacted me about doing a product review. I told them my size and they sent a shirt. They currently have two designs. They sent me the black “The Fire Within” shirt they rolled out at FDIC. The newest design is on a white shirt. LEO actually let survey participants choose the second design that rolled out after FDIC.

LEO plans on rolling out 2 more designs next year

I asked for large and I was very pleased to find out that their idea of a large was the same as mine!

Sizing includes: Adult M-L-XL ($19.99) and Youth 8-10-12 ($14.99)
You can get both designs for $34.99 (adult) or $24.99 (youth). Purchase shirts here

My first impression of the shirt was that it was very comfortable! The shirt is 100% cotton and preshrunk by Gildan (softstyle) and made in Honduras (keep reading though). If you know anything about me, I like my shirts made in the U.S.A.

Before I got around to doing this review, I was sent additional information including:

Based on customer feedback our shirts are now being printed on American Apparel t-shirts. 1st design shirts are still not on American Apparel t-shirts but will be in the near future.

Imagine that I would find a bunch of babes wearing the LEO: The Fire Within T-shirts. This is from their facebook page.

The shirt design is done well and not gaudy. I have a lot of firefighting shirts from over the years, but not too many designer type firefighter shirts like this one. Other than the print on the front, the shirt offers a small logo on the right hand arm. The design includes light gray, dark gray, and red as the colors for the design. Not too much….just right!

I must say that I am very pleased with my LEO: The Fire Within shirt! Other than being made in Honduras, I couldn’t really find anything to pick apart. The sizing, fit, and feel of the shirt was very nice and I plan on wearing the shirt more in the future.

However, if I were one of the LARGER firefighters I might find issue with the fact that LEO does not offer XXL or XXXL. I know some guys who would never fit into a XL!

This is a great idea for Christmas!

LEO is Currently Looking for Models!

Here is my submission to being a model for LEO...Imagine that...The Fire Critic a model! What is this world coming to?

You heard me right! LEO is currently doing a model search. They do not require six pack abs (which means I have a chance!). Read more here

We are looking for firefighters to model LEO clothing for the upcoming website – no six-pack necessary. We are not looking for career models, just people with the LEO spirit and confidence to take photos wearing LEO gear.

We are looking for four people to be the face of LEO for our inaugural kickoff year.

Winners will receive:

1 year of bragging rights as the face of LEO
Free access to the latest LEO gear
A sweet cash prize*

If you’re ready to answer the call, submit your name, contact info and a picture of yourself (HINT: if you have a LEO shirt take a picture wearing it!) to LEO (at) Leofireshop.com.

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 November 8, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Must Read, News, Product Reviews • Tagged: Apparel, Christmas gifts for firefighters, Design, Facebook, FDIC, Fire Critic, Fire Department Instructor Conference, FireCritic.com, Firefighter Apparel, Firefighter Babes, Firefighter Christmas Gifts, Firefighter Design, Firefighter Designs, Firefighter Gear, Firefighter Shirts, Firefighter T-Shirts, Firefighting shirts, Gifts, LEO, LEO Fire Shop, LEO The Fire Within, Model Search, Product Review, Product Reviews, Rhett Fleitz, Shirts, T-Shirts, The Fire Critic, The Fire Within, Twitter

Getting your Blog To Work For You, Making the Most of it, Creating a Network, and Gaining Readers

6 comments

It has been a while since I have posted a “Blog Tip” (previous ones on monetizing your blog) on Fire Critic. After speaking with other bloggers and hearing that some of them are reaching for readers and trying to comprehend the best ways of increasing readership I felt I would offer some tips.

These tips can be useful for any bloggers, although some of the tips might be catered to the crowd on the FireEMSBlogs.com network. I have been blogging in some form or another for the past 6 years. I have not learned it all, and I realize that best practices can be altered, discovered, or modified daily.

I will follow up with many more “blog tips” in the future. This is a beginner “blog tip” to get new bloggers rolling and some extra tips for others who are looking for that extra boost.

This article will focus on spreading the word to a larger audience and when, how, and why to write articles.

Writing articles

Be original!

Focus on your audience. Hopefully you have defined your audience. Obviously I have not!
Write at the frequency of your choice. Don’t make it a chore. The Happy Medic has said before that if he sits down and has to think real hard about what to write about he gets up and does something else. This is a good practice. Don’t force it.
Write about your readers…not yourself. Unless you blog in the format like IronFiremen.com, you should write about your readers. Most of them don’t want to hear about you. You can add your thoughts, but don’t make your blog all about you…nobody cares.
Create conversation. You want comments? Ask a question.
Write about controversial subjects. Not everyone is a STATter911.com or FireGeezer. However, you can still write about controversial subjects. Be sure to be clear if you are offering your opinion. Even if you merely write about a subject, whatever you write will be read as your opinion. I often write about stuff without offering my opinion until after the comments begin.
Follow up with your articles. If the commentary leads to more conversation you can write another post about the new information. Likewise, if you are writing about a news story be sure to follow up on any future news on that story.
Pictures and Videos - readers love watching videos and seeing pictures.
Limit your words – Many blog gurus have put a limit of words in a single post. I am not quite that strict on this. However, use as few words as you need to get your point across. Most readers scan the content, they go back and read verbatim if they see something that captures their attention.
Give Credit - if you use a photo or quote another blog be sure to give them credit and link to their content.
Share what you read after you write it….read on!

Sharing, Networking, and Social Media

There are numerous social mediums out there. Facebook and twitter are probably the most worthwhile.

Facebook – Fire Critic Facebook Fan Page

Facebook Fan Page - Create a facebook fan page for your blog! Utilize this fan page to connect with your fans. Facebook is the busiest site on the internet. People spend hours on facebook every day.
Networked Blogs – Networked blogs is an application on facebook that parses your rss feed from your blog to your facebook fan page. You can also post your articles directly from networked blogs to twitter. I don’t recommend this though, you are better off with twitterfeed…read on.
Follow the comments on Facebook. Be sure to follow your blog posts as they appear on facebook. The comments can take off before you know it and they don’t translate to comments on your blog (yet).
Make your Fan Page Known. Be sure everyone knows about your facebook fan page! Make the link easy to find and blog about your fan page!
Facebook Share and Facebook Like – install these plugins on your blog to make it easy for readers to share/like your articles on facebook.

Twitter - Follow @FireCritic

Twitter Username – Make your twitter username easy to remember for others and short! Twitter constrains you to 140 characters. You don’t want half of that to be your blog name if your blog has a long title. Chris Kaiser (Life Under the Lights) uses CKEMTP for everything. The branding of his username makes certain cohesion for people seeing his username on social media sites. He has created a brand others remember.
Syndicate on Twitter – Use TwitterFeed.com to syndicate your content from your blog to your twitter account. That way everyone gets your content as soon as you post it. Twitterfeed can also be used to send your content to facebook, but I recommend using networked blogs for that.
Tweetmeme – install the tweetmeme plugin on your blog. This plugin offers your readers the ability to share your article on twitter easily.
Start Conversation – use twitter to create conversation about topics. Engage other users.
Follow other Twitter users – Follow other twitter users you are interested in. Don’t autofollow. I don’t do it and I think it is cheap. I follow the people I want to follow.
Retweet - Retweet others tweets that interest you. If you do it, they might return the favor. It is a cycle that people create by sharing others thoughts, and links.
Use hashtags – If you are a Fire Service blogger, use hashtags like #Fire and #Firefighter and #Firefighting. If you are EMS, use #EMS, #EMT, #Medic, and #Paramedic. They help! Some people follow hashtags to see what the latest news is on that topic!

Tricking out your blog

Ah, the age old question of what plugins, widgets, and other stuff you should add to your blog.

Social Media links - Be sure to have icons with links to your facebook fan page, twitter account, email, rss feed, and maybe more like firefighter nation account and jems connect account.
Tweetmeme, facebook share, and facebook like - make it easy for others to spread the word about your articles.
Related posts – using a related posts plugin in the bottom of all of your articles can provide more clicks to stories you have written in the past.
Copy other blogs - Don’t copy the content. If you see something you like, ask the blogger what it is and where you can get it!
Statistics – I recommend the very easy and free statcounter along with google analytics for following your stats!
All in One SEO – Search for this on WordPress Plugins and maximize the Search Engine Optimization of your blog easily.

Increasing Traffic

Link to other blogs – If you see an article that someone else wrote link to it. Write a small paragraph about it and offer the link. They will appreciate it and might do the same for you if they see something they like on your blog.
Syndication - Syndicate your blog on twitter, rss through feedburner, facebook, Firefighter Nation, Jems Connect, and other sites that will provide trackbacks and clicks to your content.
Tags and Categories – Especially on FireEMSBlogs.com, but also very useful elsewhere. Take the extra minute to tag your articles appropriately (look at all the tags on this article). Likewise, utilize categories to properly place your articles in respective groupings. You would be amazed at how much traffic you can get from tags/categories being properly used.

Again, this is a list of things to do for the beginner blogger as well as some extras for those who are looking for an extra boost.

Check back in the future for more tips!

What do you have to add?

What works for you?

What doesn’t work?

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 29, 2010 • Filed under: Blog Tips, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Technology & Communications, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Blog, Blog Etiquette, Blog Syndication, Blog Tips, Blogging, CKEMTP, Clicks, Controversy, Conversation, Dave Statter, EMS, Etiquette, Facebook, Fire, Firefighter, FireGeezer, Google Analytics, Increasing Blog Traffic, Life Under the Lights Blog, Networking, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, Sharing, Social Media, Statcounter, STATter911, Syndication, The Happy Medic, trackbacks, Tricking out your blog, Tweetmeme, Twitter, Writing Articles

Massive fire on South Main Street in downtown Mount Vernon, Ohio

4 comments

Correction: Mount Vernon is in Ohio, not Washington as I previously had reported. In case Dave Statter is reading….The Fire Critic is not perfect!

Mount Vernon, OHIO

MountVernonNews.com has been all over this story. They have covered it on twitter, facebook, and youtube.

mount vernon fire on main street photo by corby wise

photo by Corby Wise as seen on MountVernonNews.co

They captured several videos of the fire. In one of the videos they actually talk about using cellar nozzles. That alone is a once in a lifetime!

MountVernonNews.com: The Mount Vernon Fire Department responded to a call of light smoke coming from the basement of the building on the southwest corner of South Main and West Gambier streets at approximately 6:30 a.m.

According to MVFD Assistant Chief Chris Menapace, the fire started in the basement of the building which is used for storage. A gas line ruptured, which helped fuel the fire, Menapace said. Read more

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 25, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Videos • Tagged: Basement Fire, Building Fire, Cellar Nozzle, Chris Menapace, Corby Wise, Facebook, Major Fire, Major Incident, Mount Vernon FD, Mount Vernon Fire Department, Mount Vernon News, MountVernonNews.com, MVFD, South Main Street, South Main Street Fire, Twitter, Video, Washington, West Gambier, youtube

The Fire Critic Reinvigorated with great content, videos, and topics for firefighters

No comments

Over the past several years, I have created several web sites. The Fire Critic has remained one of my favorites.

The past several weeks has brought clarity to its purpose. In an effort to move the site forward, I have decided to update more often with videos, articles, and whatever else is new or interesting in the fire service.

What this means to you is that you will have to check back more often to see what is new and/or scroll down further to see what you have missed!

I have also been working to maximize the potential of the twitter account (@firecritic) and facebook page of the site. As always, you can friend request me as well here.

FireCritic – Twitter @firecritic – Facebook

Interestingly enough, today’s Monday Morning Shoutout here at The Fire Critic goes to ChicagoFD.org. I checked the site out when I found some great videos on youtube from them. The interesting thing about it is that Mike Ward over at Fire Geezer wrote a detailed article on Chicago: Remembering those lost in Chicago: 21 dead at Union Stock Yards in 1910 and 9 dead at Hubbard Street in 1961. Check it out, it is a good read!

This past weekend, I have been stuck at my house trying to pass a kidney stone which my friend Captain Wines so eloquently wrote about here on Ironfiremen.com. Prior to that was the epic anti-climactic “Rhett said” vs. “Dave said” between Dave Statter and I over the events in Obion County Tennessee (Fire Critic links here, here, and here & Statter links here, here, here and here).

Of course, if you weren’t able to catch the live netcast of the discussion on Obion County, be sure to check it out below!

Listen to the netcast right here!

Videos -Videos – Videos

I also posted several decent videos, as did Dave Statter on numerous fires this past weekend. Here is a link to an article with most of them here.

“VACANT” vs. “UNOCCUPIED”

Firefighter Behavior has a decent look at whether or not Vacant Structures are actually Vacant unless we say they are. I have been trying to explain this for a long time. There is a difference between “VACANT” & “UNOCCUPIED”.

In my opinion, vacant simply means no one resides there on a regular basis (i.e. homeowner or renter). Vacant structures can still have people in them. Whether it is squatters or kids playing around, vacant structures can be “OCCUPIED”. The only way to rule out a structure being occupied is by doing a thorough search. Read the story of a child who died in a VACANT, but OCCUPIED structure and why Backstep Firefighter is asking the question When Did It Become Okay To Say ‘No’? They also followed up recently with this post: Why We Search: Baltimore

Have you ever left a coffee mug on the tailboard?

One more thing… FireGeezer has finally come up with a coffee mug that might withstand you leaving it on the tailboard and forgetting about it when you get a call. The new travel mug is available, you can check it out here!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 11, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, News • Tagged: Backstep Firefighter, ChicagoFD.org, Dave Statter, Facebook, Fire Critic, Firefighter Behavior, Firefighter Netcast, FireGeezer, FireGeezer Travel Mugs, Geezer Mugs, Mike Ward, Obion County, Rhett Fleitz, South Fulton, STATter 911, Twitter, Vacant Vs. Unoccupied, Why We Search

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

Monday Morning Shoutout – 1-Union-801

2 comments

This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes to 1-Union-801. The blog, served up on blogspot, is run by a friend I have met via twitter. His twitter username is @ssgjbroyles. The blog 1-Union-8011-Union-801 tagline reads: Mainly how Military and Civilian EMS differ…although the tasks learned are the same.

The blog is fairly new and you know I love finding out about new fire/EMS related blogs. He doesn’t post everyday, but offers his views when you get a chance. When you get a chance head on over to 1-Union-801 and check it out!

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 15, 2010 • Filed under: Monday Morning Shoutout, News • Tagged: 1-Union-801, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, Monday Morning Shoutout, Rhett Fleitz, ssgjbroyles, Twitter

Hooking up with the Fire Critic

4 comments

The wheels are constantly spinning here at the Fire Critic Headquarters. The purpose, outreach, and emphasis are constantly changing…in short, this is a blog about the fire service and what is delivered to you is whatever happens to strike me as interesting.

The Fire Critic Mugs

There are many ways to keep in tune with the Fire Critic.

Twitter – @FireCritic
Facebook fan page
My personal account on facebook if you would like to connect with me as an individual.
RSS Feed - delivered to your email if you want. That way you know when we update!
Firefighter Nation - I don’t use this as much as I should, but hit me up.
You can also hear me on Firefighter Netcast with John Mitchell of FireDaily.com

We also have some very nice merchandise available. The Fire Critic Beer Stein is a hit, as is the apron and the shirts. However, we deliver a solid way of showing your loved one you care…the Fire Critic thong.

We also run the occasional contest here at the Fire Critic. Look for another one in the future. The last one was held on twitter, so be sure to follow @FireCritic!

I also do product reviews. If you have a product you would like me to review just check out the terms here.

If you would like to showcase your blog on the Monday Morning Shoutout check out how to here.

Posted by The Fire Critic on March 12, 2010 • Filed under: News • Tagged: Facebook, Fire Critic, Fire Critic Gear, FireCritic.com, Firefighter Nation, Merchandise, Rhett Fleitz, Twitter

Top Ten List – Influential Fire/EMS Twitter Users

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It has been a while since I have posted about twitter. I have actually not been on twitter that much the past week. I was the target of spam the other day. My account sent out direct messages to a ton of the people I follow or follow me and it really pissed me off.

For the following lists I am utilizing WeFollow.com. They have recently added an “Most Influential” tab that is actually default over the old categorizing of “Most Followers”. WeFollow.com seems to have become the norm for finding out the who is who in various niches. This list is a little bit different than my previous post ” Top 100+ Fire/EMS Twitter Users – Are you included?”

The results are listed #1 – #10, the first being the most influential. One other note is that if you click on the link to the WeFollow.com list it might be completely different from when I published this.

Top ten most influential for #Firefighter

Top ten most influential for #Firefighting

Top ten most influential for #Fire

Top ten most influential for #EMS

Top ten most influential for #EMT

Top ten most influential for #Paramedic

Top ten most influential for #PublicSafety

Posted by The Fire Critic on November 4, 2009 • Filed under: News, Top Ten Lists • Tagged: Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, Rhett Fleitz, Social Networking, Top 10 list, Top Ten EMS Service Twitter Users, Top Ten Fire Service Twitter Users, Twitter, Twitter in the Fire Service

Embracing Social Media in the Fire Service

3 comments

I have been using some sort of social media for years. I haven’t always used social media for firefighting, EMS, Networking though. I originally started out on myspace and have since discontinued the use of myspace for what I think is a more professional and all around better choice of the two.

My post today is about utilizing social media to learn, network, and grow as a Firefighter, EMT, or First Responder.

In my opinion, there aren’t nearly enough of us using social media to its fullest. If you look at the traffic of blogs, followers of some of the best Fire/EMS Twitter users, message boards…Whatever you use to measure the amount of users there is a lot of room for improvement in numbers!

This includes

blogs
facebook, myspace, FirefighterNation, JEMS Connect, linkedin, twitter, youtube, flickr, etc.
forums/message boards

I would imagine most firefighters can direct you to Firehouse.com. It was the first and I am sure it remains the most popular.

But how many can direct you to great daily reads like FireGeezer.com or STATer911.com. I realize those are just two great Fire Blogs and there are so many other great ones.

How many EMT/Paramedics know about Mediccast or TheEMTSpot? How many visit regularly to read the great content?

How many have harnessed the capability of Twitter? How many people realize that they can follow their favorite blogs on Twitter and pick and chose what they want to read by title.

Many of the Fire/EMS Bloggers feed their RSS feed directly to their Twitter account. This means that every time they post a new entry on their blog, the title and url (link directly to the post) are posted to their twitter account.

I have tried (as others have too) to provide a decent explanation of what Twitter is and how you can use it to benefit you the firefighter and/or EMT.

This is a list of just some Fire/EMS Bloggers who you can also follow on Twitter (Blog url – Twitter User url).

The Happy Medic – @TheHappyMedic
Inspector911.com - @Inspector911
EMSEdUCast.com – @EMSEducast
PIOSocialMediaTraining.com – @PIOSMTraining
EPS411.com – @gfriese
VAFireNews.com, VAEMSNews.com, VirginiaFireEMSJobs.com – @FireFleitz
STATter911.com – @Statter
FireNews.net – @FireNews
Mediccast.com - @PodMedic
FireDaily.com - @FireDaily
FireGroundVideo.com – @FireGroundVideo
FirefighterCloseCalls.com – @TheSecretList
HoopieWorld.com – @HoopieWorld
EverydayEMStips – @everydayemstips

I follow these guys and I suggest you should too. If you don’t have a twitter account, set one up at twitter.com and start following these guys immediately. You will be amazed at the amount of information that is communicated on Twitter. Just another way of staying in touch with the ever changing Fire/EMS Service!

As I said, these are just some examples. Feel free to add yours in the comments section!

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 5, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: Facebook, Fire Critic, Fire Service Social Media, FireCritic.com, Rhett Fleitz, Twitter

I am looking for Bloggers who feed their RSS through Twitter

11 comments

This may seem like a different language to some of you. The ones I am looking for will understand the question.

I am looking for bloggers who have a twitter account and feed their RSS feed through their Twitter Account.

This is for a future post on FireCritic.com about the topic.

Be sure to get me your twitter username and Blog url!

Thanks

Posted by The Fire Critic on October 4, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: Blog, EMS Blogs, Fire Blogs, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, Rhett Fleitz, Social Media, Twitter

Blog Tip – Why Fire/EMS Bloggers Should Sign up for Twitter

2 comments

In today’s blog tip, I would like to explain why Fire/EMS Bloggers should at least sign up for Twitter.

First of all, you can read other posts where I discuss twitter or tag twitter here.

So here it goes…

You should sign up for twitter so that someone else doesn’t sign up using your namesake.
You will be amazed at what traffic you receive by using twitter as an RSS syndication platform. That basically means using twitter to automatically post your post title and url (link to your post) on twitter for others to click on.
All you have to do to make this happen is use a client (free) like twitterfeed. Sign up and fill out the necessary information on your blog (including your twitter account and your RSS feed).
Then you can check out this list of 100+ awesome Fire/EMS Twitter users and add some of them to your twitter friends.
After that, you can sit back and watch traffic come from Twitter.
Your posts will be automatically be added to Twitter via Twitterfeed and you don’t have to do anything.
If others like your post, they might reply to it.
If they reply to it (@reply) your joint friends will see the tweet and may reply and/or click on it too. Replies explained here.
If they RT then their followers will see it and they might not be followers of yours. It is a pyramid!
One other useful tip is to join wefollow. This client (free) will enable your Twitter account to show up on lists related to your topics.
On wefollow, pick certain keywords like #Firefighter, #Firefighting, #Fire, #Paramedic, #EMS, #EMT or whatever your fancy.

If you have questions on this please let me know. I love helping out fellow fire/ems bloggers!

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 20, 2009 • Filed under: Blog Tips, Must Read, News • Tagged: EMS Blogs, Fire Blogs, Twitter, Twitter in the Fire Service

A little Experiment of Twitter Users with Blogs

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This is kind of a random post. I posted a question on my twitter account @FireCritic asking about how many had blogs. I know of some, but I cannot keep track of all of them.

Think of this as a little experiment. I simply posted on twitter that I was looking for anyone who had a blog to respond. They didn’t have to be my friends on twitter, but they wouldn’t find out unless they had a friend who RT’d the tweet.

Here are the ones who replied. The following are the blog links with their twitter account following.

Again, this was kind of an experiment. Feel free to add your blog/twitter account to the comments and be sure to follow me at @FireCritic!

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 18, 2009 • Filed under: Must Read, News • Tagged: Fire and EMS Blogs, Twitter

Top 100+ Fire/EMS Twitter Users – Are you included?

46 comments

I have compiled a list of twitter users that I feel are the top 100. I realize that this list may change in the future with the addition of new users. Some time in the future I might revisit the list. Until then, enjoy the list. I will tell you that the list was based on the following criteria…had followers and tweeted about fire/ems news, information, and topics. I apologize but I did not incorporate twitter users who tweeted about going to and from the grocery store no matter how many followers they had.

Be sure to follow me by the way…@FireCritic

Feel free to add your username in the comments! Here is a word to the wise…join wefollow and sign up with tags that relate to yourself. Examples = #Fire, #Firefighter, #Firefighting, #Paramedic, #EMS, #EMT.

The list is not in any particular order and in case you are counting I think the actual number is 112.

@Emergency_In_SF – Follow some of the larger emergencies in San Francisco as they happen!

@LATimesFires – Breaking SoCal fire updates from @latimes + @lanow. Send us your tips. See latimes.com/tweets for 180+ news streams. @latimesquakes tracks seismic news/alerts.

@usfire - Official Twitter account of FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration – Working for a Fire-Safe America.

@CalFireNews – California Fire Information

@FireMom – Writing about the family side of fire life. Freelance writer, editor & social networking addict.

@Chiefsupply – Proudly serving Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, Fire and EMS services nationwide. CHIEF is More Responsive, Period.

@IowaDispatches - ALL REPORTS CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY. Police & fire audio archive of incidents from all over Iowa

@NorthwestFire - A full-spectrum life safety agency protecting Marana and Pima County

@RES911CUE - Bringing you the latest news/weather/fire from around the world & country using over 1000 news sources

@FireInfoGirl - wildland fire news and information

@FirehouseNews – The latest news for firefighters from Firehouse.com

@socalincidents - http://www.socalincidents.com/

@wildfiretoday – wildland firefighting news and opinion

@Firewise - NFPA supports community wildfire mitigation in the U.S. Follow me for updates on the Firewise program.

@BryanFD – Providing the citizens of Bryan with fire protection and advanced medical care. Est. 1871

@FiremanJoe – Volunteer FF,Emergency Medical Dispatcher, Temp Ops Manager

@NFPAFireStats – I am a Research Analyst at NFPA and provide information and statistics about the U.S. fire problem in order to reduce the loss of life and property.

@TexasFiredotcom – Texas-Fire.com news feed

@FireNews - News and Information for North Carolina’s Fire Service

@WIA – We break the news to the Media!

@fire_fighter – Dad- Husband – Firefighter – Engineer – from Germany

@FirefightersWB - Fire fighters without Borders Foundation Europe

@FireGeezer – retired fire captain – active blogger

@CoronadoNF_Fire - This is the official site of fire information for the Coronado National Forest.

@TheHappyMedic – HMHQ is my blog about the real stories of Fire/EMS

@explovent – Explosion, fire and smoke vents protecting your property and workers. Aggregating #comdust news, videos and more at our site Explovent.com and ComDustNews.com

@FossilMedic – university professor, retired fire captain/paramedic

@FHLODD – Firefighter line of duty deaths from Firehouse.com news.

@Jeffpfile – Small business owner, entrepreneur and wine aficionado with ties to NIMO and the wildland fire community. Looking forward to where life takes me.

@FHTraining – Firehouse.com Train

@NCFDChief - Fire Chief of the North Charleston Fire Department.

@emergencyland – Emergencyland is a central collaborative one-stop-shop where emergency personnel and the public can share, learn and exchange information. Coming soon.

@FireCritic - An Unadulterated view of the fire service

@SBVFD – The Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department has been serving the Greenwich community since 1904 with fire protection and technical rescue services.

@barbadosfire – The official Twitter feed for the Barbados Fire Service.

@911EmergencyMA – FIRE EMS

@firechiefmag – http://www.firechief.com/

@bajanfire - The official twitter feed for the Bajan Fire Fighters Network.

@FireFleitz - Firefighter / Web Publisher / Internet Marketing / Fire Service Henchman / Run VAFireNews.com, VAEMSNews.com, PrinstonMedia.com

@truck6alpha – Emergency Services Visionary

@FireBlogger - Retired Fire Capt., Editor of Firefighter Blog, Follow/Report Wildland Fire News, Online Marketer, Conservative Voter!

@firenation – The Professional & Social Network for Firefighters & Rescue, and Home to FireRescue Magazine

@revcrutchfield – Fire Department Chaplain, Founder of www.christ4responders.org, Chaplain to all First Responders and Miltary. Follows Homeland Security, Public Policy etc.

@FatherCabbage – Married GrandPa Retired Firefighter(Fire is out but I’m still Smokin) Security Guard

@JillatLiveSafe - Fire Protection Professional: Safety, Awareness & Advocacy. Building Partners in Prevention. Value Faith, Family & Friends.

@ffhourly – Firefighter Hourly covers firefighters, fire, and fire departments from around the world. We support and report on the bravest!

@NFFF_News – The official Twitter page of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, honoring America’s fallen firefighters and providing support for their survivors

@rakeman – Big fan of firefighting, Heavy Rescue and the internet!

@EGH_Program – EGH® is a national program by the NFFF to prevent firefighter line-of-duty deaths. We also offer fire safety tips for families. Official page.

@Paramedic_Daily

@fire_products – FireRescue1′s product news: deals, grants updates, new products, safety info, videos, and more

@nemofightsfire – husband, father, firefighter, pio, emt, fire prevention!!! wearer of many hats– interested in fire & life safety, homeland security, friends & family..

@usfraorg – PUBLIC SAFETY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH TRAINING, TACTICS & EDUCATION … Fire-Rescue, 911, Police, Military and Civilian Support Teams.

@searchrescuedog – Strengthening disaster response in America by recruiting rescued dogs & partnering them with firefighters to find people buried in the wreckage of disasters

@firemenscu – LAFCU is the trusted provider of premier financial services to our ‘Fire Family’.

@TTraining – Experience-Based Firefighter Training

@vententersearch – The lost art of the fire service

@gfdpipesdrums – Georgetown Fire Department Pipes and Drums

@JerseyMutt – Daddy, Air Force comm troop, volunteer firefighter

@Napa_City_Fire – All releases are a courtesy and may not be all inclusive or timely.

@Getfirefighjobs – Firefighter jobs, careers and community site.

@CommandSafety – Veteran Fire Officer, mentor, author, instructor, visionary; Chief of Training Command Institute, DC

@MikeSuperMedic – I’m Paramedic Mike. Come ride along as my partner and I save lives. WE LOVE OUR JOB. Oh BTW this is mostly fake thanks to HIPAA.

@EMS_United - EMS United is a place for emergency medical services (EMS) professionals to connect!

@EMS1 - The premier First Responder, EMT and Paramedic resource to find relevant ambulance news, identify key EMS training information, interact with each other.

@jemsconnect - JEMS is the source for Emergency Medical Services professionals

@EMSNews – Updates on Emergency Medical Services, Ambulance, Paramedic news pulled from multiple sources. Mostly automated, mostly works. Direct questions etc @dengerin

@EMSRNews - EMSResponder News

@emssafe

@geekymedic – Paramedic Geek..Need I say More

@Medicbuzz - I’m a Paramedic and Nurse involved in disaster planning and response. Member US National Disaster Medical System w/ the NJ1-DMAT. Philadelphia U. Grad Student

@EMSRTraining

@PedroParamedic - Big City Paramedic with a weakness for big dogs, fast bikes and blond waitresses

@gfriese – Greg creates elearning for emergency responders at eps411.com. Author, presenter, photographer, and paramedic. Runner, cyclist, outdoor enthusiast

@medatrain – Online Community First Responder Forum as well as providing everything a First Responder needs to perform their duties

@thebigredguide – The new fire industry website covering products, companies, news and events

@STATter911 – Fire and EMS news from a TV reporter and former firefighter

@LiveFireFeeds - LiveFireFeeds.com, never miss a second!

@NationalFire - Wildland Fire Fighting Equipment

@NWSAFire – Executive Director of the National Wildfire Suppression Assn.

@FireDaily - Your portal to the current issues, events, and wisdom of our fellow Brothers and Sisters in the greatest of all professions.

@HoopieWorld – Western Pennsylvania Fire News Blog and Information

@AerialFirefight – UK based Tangent Link organise technical conferences for the Aerial Firefighting Community. There are other related products in the pipeline. Watch this space!

@helmetdude – Husband, Dad, Fire Fighter, Hero, Jackass not necessarily in that order.

@BrianHumphrey – Crisis communications consultant to government and industry, when not serving as an LAFD Spokesman.

@firelinkcom – Fire & Rescue Community, Firefighter, Fireguru, Fire Photos, Fire Video, Firefighter Social Network

@MsParamedic – Paramedic. Musician. Cattle Farmer. Body Combat enthusiast.

@FiremanRich - ARFF Fire Fighter….Tweet on Twitter & Have Fun! : )

@FirePrevention – 11-year paramedic veteran that believes fire departments should do more to promote Fire Prevention Week. Go ahead and tweet yourself.

@firejobs – Find job openings for Firefighters, EMTs, EMS and Paramedics all over the US at Firejobs.com. 338 positions were updated in the last 30 days.

@firetactics - Today’s Plan is Tomorrow’s Action

@FOOLS_Intl – Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society–an international firefighter organization promoting training, traditions and brotherhood of the fire service

@TheBravest - theBravest.com twitters FDNY New York City Fire Department Live Fire Radio Scanner

@HoustonFireDept – Houston FD CAD. Will display all major accidents, rescues, structure fires, and any call requiring 3+ units. Run by @paulvx and @ghawi (non-official)

@TinaFightsFire – I am a wife to 1, mom to 3, friend to several, have a passion for the fire service. I promote & teach fire/life safety!

@PhillyFireNews

@PGFDPIO – One of the largest and busiest combination Fire/EMS Departments in the Country.

@FireGround – Its only a disaster if you are not prepared

@firefighterspot - Home of the Best Firefighting Video

@TheSecretList – Dedicated to Firefighter Safety www.firefighterclosecalls.com

@FireRescue1 - The fastest-growing website for firefighters, bringing you the latest fire news, expert columns, fire video, fire-EMS, training and product info

@FFBehavior

@DispatchDemon – Emergency Medical Dispatcher and Scanner Freek.

@Inspector911 – We have resources for inspectors on ICC, NFPA, or just inspectors in general, check us out at www.inspector911.com

@apollosfyre – Scanning most of Central Calif

@BigWhiteFireDog – Fight Fires. Co-own a website design co. Raise/Rescue Great Pyrenees Dogs. Love Celtic Music, Good Food, Calif Wines, Micro Brews, My Wife of 25 yrs & my sons.

@SanAntonioFire – San Antonio Fire Department will tweet all major accidents, rescues, structure fires, and any call requiring 3+ units. *Run by @paulvx and @ghawi (non official)

@campusfirewatch - Working to improve fire safety at schools and in the community. Organizer of National Campus Fire Safety Month 2009.

@DougMummert – Public Safety/Public Relations/Community Service

SPVFire – Official Twitter of the Spring Valley VFD, a 501c3 Non-Profit

@LCIMT - The Low Country All Hazards Type 3 Incident Mgmt Team consist of members from all the disciplines in Public Safety. The team covers 14 counties in SC.

@firecamp – As a non-profit wildland firefighter school, Colorado Firecamp serves as drop point #1 for many S-130/190 students getting started in wildland fire.

@LAFD – A full-spectrum life safety agency protecting the City of Los Angeles. To report an emergency, call 9-1-1.

@LAFDTalk – @LAFDtalk is for discussing or querying the Los Angeles Fire Department. For incident alerts follow @LAFD. To report an emergency, call 9-1-1.

@kriskaull - Husband of 1. Dad of 2. Paramedic, technology expert, public speaker. Bozeman outdoor enthusiast. Beer fan. Consummate BUZZ architect. Considering job as ninja.

@EPI_Junky - Mom, EMT, permanent student.

@rescue_monkey – Firefighter/Paramedic; Ham Operator KI4QNB; Hazmat Nut; Aviation enthusiast (Private Pilot Lic. is next on list); Photography

@everydayemstips – Tips, resources, study guides, ebooks for students, EMTs, Paramedics, and Managers

@EMSEduCast – A poscast by and for EMS Educators

@PIOSMTraining

@inquarters14 – Emergency Response Team volunteer, Animal Rescue – I follow News, Fires, First Responders, Anipals, Pilots, L.A. Lakers & maybe you!

@scannerdude - ham radio operator,scanner buff and student of life.

@olorinpc - Geek, Firefighter, blogger, JC Alumni

@ABCOfire - Your ONE source provider in Fire Protection. Follow ABCO Team: @stevesmith1, @Heather04Ann, @MaryeKraft, @TerriPaoletta and Partners @JillatLiveSafe, @NIFAST

@Heather04Ann - Fire Fighters Daughter, Fire Protection Fanatic, Love Walking/Running, Additiced to Tanning, Nascar =LIFE.

@ENeitzel - I am a National PIO, Involved with Fire & Aviation Management. Incident Social Media (ISM) Zealot and a supporter of the 4th Estate.

and yes this list took a pretty long time to compile!!!

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 14, 2009 • Filed under: Must Read, News, Top Ten Lists • Tagged: 100 Top Fire EMS Twitter Users, Twitter

I am a Firefighter. What the Hell is Twitter?

5 comments

I enjoy reading forums across the fire service websites. I REALLY enjoy reading firefighter blogs. I traverse hundreds of websites a day….it is a problem. Just Kidding.

I see a lot of firefighters and EMT’s ask “What the heck is Twitter”. Or better yet “What the hell is A Twitter”? I have heard firefighters in my own department, in my own station ask what it is. Some of them don’t know what email is…so it is not worth too much of a detailed explanation.

Let me explain what twitter is and why it benefits firefighters and EMT’s.

First of all, Twitter (Twitter.com) is a social networking tool. Users can type whatever the heck they want as long as it is shorter than 140 characters.

I actually run two twitter accounts. You can view the FireCritic twitter page here.

It can really be a tool to get information quick because publishers can put a tweet (message on twitter) in a matter of seconds. They can do it from their computer or phone. Therefore, you can get news as it happens.

Many of the Fire Services best Twitter users can be found here and here. They list the top 50 in the tags “fire” and “firefighting” respectively.

You can interact with publishers, bloggers, and webmasters immediately (provided they are online).

Here is the secret…You don’t actually have to tweet to be a user. Many people sign up with Twitter and follow the users they want to follow but don’t actually type any messages. You can use desktop tools like seesmic, twirl, and Tweetdeck as an interface to organize your users into groups even. Or you can simply follow along on the website.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely. If you are reading this, then I know you enjoy reading fire service related articles. Whether it be Firehouse.com, Firefighternation.com, forums, message boards, or blogs. You can follow all of these sites in one format.

For example: Most fire service websites (including this one) utilize Twitter to syndicate our content. If you follow me, every time I post an article on FireCritic.com it automatically gets posted to twitter. What you will see as on your twitter page is something like this:

Saturday Hotshot – Kannapolis Working Fire http://bit.ly/2Qi9Tx #Fire #Firefighter

FireCritic about 9h ago via twitterfeed

The top line is my title of the blog post followed by a link. The url is shortened by a program and links to my site. The #Fire and #Firefighter are tags. The bottom line is my username, when it was posted, and how (I use Twitterfeed to grab my content and turn it into Tweets).

It has never been easier to follow websites, get content immediately, communicate with publishers, and even speak your mind if you want.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Otherwise, I would say to sign up on twitter, follow the links above to follow some of the most popular in the Fire/EMS Service, and check it out. If you don’t like it, then don’t worry about it and forget all about it.

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 12, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: Twitter, Twitter in the Fire Service

I Want to Know the Best Fire/EMS Twitter Users!

6 comments

I am compiling a list of the best Fire/EMS twitter users. I need your input.

My username is @FireCritic.

Leave a comment, send me email or leave me a reply or direct message on twitter on who you think deserves to be on the list.

Feel free to nominate yourself! You never know if someone else will or not.Whether you base it on followers, following, tweets, or just the shear quality of their tweets I want to know.

Anyone and everyone that has anything to do with the Fire/EMS/Rescue service!

- Fire Critic

Posted by The Fire Critic on September 11, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: Twitter, Twitter in the Fire Service

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