Life as a Fire Wife - Cynthia Mills writes about her life as the spouse of a South Carolina firefighter. She shares personal stories as a spouse and auxiliary member.
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The Vigilant Hose Company: A Family Visit
by Cynthia Mills - Sunday May 20, 2012Vacations for us are fun, relaxing, and almost always educational. Maybe we’re a family of nerds or maybe we just value the rich history that our country has to offer. No matter what the reason, we spent Spring break visiting Gettysburg, PA. Of course for a firefighter’s family, what Gettysburg trip would be complete without a visit to Emmitsburg, MD? We took a morning and visited the...
View from the Jumpseat - Ryan Pennington shares his views while riding the back seat of the fire engine in West Virginia. He writes about firefighter safety, tactics, leadership and EMS
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Hose or Hook?
by Ryan Pennington - Friday May 18, 2012Welcome back to the Jumpseat. It has been an exciting couple of weeks here in West Virginia with some new opportunities opening up. Over the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of talking with firefighters from around the country and one question kept coming up. A hook or a hose, meaning are you a truckie or an engine firefighter? There is a distinct difference in the mindset of each. Which...
Retired FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka will take a candid look at news and events impacting the fire service in this blog in the weeks between his monthly column "The Fire Scene" in Firehouse magazine.
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SOPs, SOGs & FOPs for Firefighting
by John J. Salka, Jr. - Thursday May 17, 2012Whether you use standard operating procedures (SOPs) or standard operating guidelines (SOGs) or flexible operating plans (FOPs), the issue is about looking ahead. Every fire department would like it’s officers and members to have as much information as possible about a fire or emergency situation before they arrive. Having this information ahead of arrival allows us to think about or plan what...
Playing it Safe - Dayna Hilton shares ideas on fire prevention, fire and life safety education, community risk reduction and customer service.
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FP&S Grants Deadline Extended and Free Fire Safety Programs
by Dayna Hilton - Thursday April 26, 2012
I hope that this blog post finds everyone well. After recovering from having three procedures done on my ankle in early January, I am finally back into the swing of things and ready to post more regularly. It has been a long healing process, but I am finally out of the boot that I have been wearing the past six years and ready to get my life back. Wanted to let everyone know that the application...
The View from my Front Porch - Join Dr. Harry Carter as he shares his wisdom from personal and fire service life experiences.
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You Must Become a Student of Firefighting
by Dr. Harry Carter - Monday April 9, 2012
My friends, the time has come to share an important principle with you about education in the fire service. Knowledge does not float freely through the air in the world around you. You cannot take a deep breath and inhale a whole bunch of information. You do not gain knowledge via osmosis. Simply holding a book firmly in your hands will serve not purpose in the gathering of new facts, figures, and...
Riding with Capt. Dave - Read blog entries from veteran firefighter Capt. Dave Fornell. He examines line of duty deaths, fireground strategies, command decision making and more
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Firefighter Safety: Don't Play with Trains
by Capt. Dave Fornell - Friday April 6, 2012
It seems like every week we read about an emergency responder being hit by a vehicle while working an incident scene on a highway. And, with each incident, we seek to ratchet up responders' awareness of operating in dangerous environments; making sure that apparatus is positioned to block the areas of roadways where we are working and mandating that each responder is wearing high visibility...
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Brand Equity, Marketing & the Fire Service: It's All About the Story
by Ben May - Tuesday April 3, 2012Many of us in the fire service have two jobs. My "day job" involves working for this big mouse and I have learned a few things along the way allowing me to blend that job with a passion for the fire service. It's a nice gig and I enjoy it immensely. At the risk of repeating myself, here are a few things to think about. Some of this I have learned from the mouse, and some I learned from loving...
Structural Anatomy of Buildingsonfire - Chris Naum's blog examines the role of building construction and fire behavior in the stability of structures where firefighters battle fires and rescue occupants
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Residential Pre-Arrival: What are your Considerations?
by Christopher J. Naum - Thursday November 24, 2011
A video clip of a structure fire occurring in a single family residential occupancy shows, in the first few frames a back draft occurring per-arrival of fire services. It’s apparent there is a developing and progressing fire in the Charlie division which may have originated in the, or vicinity of the detached garage (B-C) which had a breezeway connected to the main house. The large volume...
From the Editor's Desk - Firehouse.com Editor Peter Matthews discusses current events, training and other fire service industry news
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Remembering Hal Bruno
by Peter Matthews - Wednesday November 16, 2011When I received word that Hal Bruno passed away last night, I took a little time to reflect on the lessons that Hal taught me in my four years working with him at Firehouse Magazine. I learned as much about politics as I did the fire service and journalism from Hal, who always answered his home phone "Bruno!" as if he were in the newsroom at ABC taking a hot tip from a source. Hal was a...
On the Bleeding Edge of Change - Dr. Richard B. Gasaway blogs about the changes that the fire service faces.
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Groundbreaking research reveals link between golfing and firefighter safety
by Dr. Richard Gasaway - Monday July 4, 2011
Could playing golf improve your fireground situational awareness? One study seems to suggest so. While playing golf with his son, a neuroscience researcher began to contemplate the nexus between what it takes to achieve success on the golf course and how that might apply to firefighters. After all, the principles of situational awareness should be universal, he hypothesized. What would this look...
