An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. Some examples are "authentic replica," "boneless ribs" and "fresh prunes." Two of my favorites are "free with purchase" and "doing more with less." In the first instance, we must assume that the "free" item's cost is buried in there somewhere. Common sense tells us that it is difficult, if not outright impossible to do more with less, but fortunately, we in the fire service have a tendency to somehow make it work. Take, for example the need to flow water in quantities in excess of what can be safely delivered through hand-held hoselines. Couple this need with minimal staffing and you face the dilemma of either letting the building burn down to a size that can be...

Good afternoon from the Injured Reserve once again. Physical therapy is going great and my return to the jumpseat is getting closer and closer. Until then I am preparing my "Back the Truck Up" and "Hoarding" programs to rock out the Ohio Fire Expo . While updating my programs, the thought hit me about the 3F's of fighting fires. The fire service is a made up of people with service to their communities in mind, so how do we take that desire to serve and put it into action? One word: training! But when do you know that your training is working? That is where the 3 F's come in, so let's take a brief look at them: Fitness - without beating a dead horse, fitness is commonly overlooked. It seems like the lack of fitness training that...

Many times have my columns here touched the topic of problem-solving. However, these discussions normally covered the topic at the organizational level. However this time around I have crafted this column in a different way. I am going to discuss problem solving at the personal, company or unit level, in situations where you have neither the luxury of time, distance, nor distance to shield you from the impact of your problem-solving decisions.  In the work-a-day world of your fire department, you will normally be interacting continually with the small group of folks with whom you are assigned on a permanent basis. In the career world small unit leaders are normally dealing with the same folks on their shift over given period of time...

Hello from the injured reserve seat , still. As I countdown the weeks until my return to the jumpseat it's time to focus on fighting hoarding fires again. With my upcoming presentation on fighting fires in hoarder homes at the Ohio Fire and EMS Expo in Columbus, I am trying to cram a half days' worth of information into a 90-minute session. It's tough, but  I thought it would be great to share some "key points" here on the Views blog. Hoarder fires are happening everyday - barely a week goes by without my Google alert sharing another story of a fire in hoarding conditions. Since taking on this topic, fires in these conditions continue to happen and seem to be on the increase. Without a doubt, each of us have one of these houses in...