This will not be a normal Harry Carter commentary. I am really fired up about all of the nonsense which is going on in our nation and in the world at large. Since we cannot divorce the fire service from the world at large, I think that the time has come for a reality check on where we stand at this time in history.    As I sat watching the Sunday news show this week, I began to...

There are those who have held up November 11, 2011 as some sort of a special numerical festival. They seem to see something special in 11/11/11. That is something about which I am neither here nor there. No. what really counts for me is what happened at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. That is the date when the original War to End All Wars was ended. But was it really the...

Recently I spent some time reviewing the research files one my computer and was pleased to come across a really neat article on the basics of leading people within a volunteer environment. Let me suggest that they will apply to each and every type of fire department you will ever encounter.   The author of the piece in question devoted a great deal of time outlining a number of tips...

Over the course of the past several years, it has been my unfortunate duty to have noted a decided change in the type of people who are becoming leaders in our fire service. Perhaps it is a by-product of the way that our society has changed, or maybe it is just the next step in our evolution as a fire service. In either case, I am upset.   If I hear one more person, either a leader or a...

How many of you have ever ridden in the right front seat on one of your fire department engines, trucks, or rescue units? I am going to guess that a great many of you have. Let me suggest to you that there is a lot more responsibility in taking that position that merely being responsible for sounding the siren or blowing the air horn.   When you take that position you assume the role of...

Let me begin by stating that this is a column that many of my fellow fire service writers would not write. However, I am doing this because it is the right thing for me to do. There is no getting around it. When you screw up you must apologize. That has been my way for a long time now. You do not hide, neither do you make excuses or seek to place the blame on someone else. No, when you make a...

While I was cleaning up my desk the other day, I came across a very interesting article in an old edition of the Star Ledger newspaper of Newark, New Jersey. It had apparently found its way to the bottom of one of my famous 'stacks of stuff' on my desk. This article dealt with a topic which has long been near and dear to my heart. It spoke to the fact that research indicated that the best...

As is often the case in our life, the seed of this idea for my visit with you came from the message provided by one of my pastor's sermons. It is my guess that by now you have gotten the idea that all I do is scribble notes during my pastor's sermons. You would be right in pursuing this thought. So much good comes from my interaction with the church that I would be remiss if I failed to share...

This visit with you will be all about a topic which many people might not equate with Harry Carter. I will be discussing my personal battle with the twin demons of physical fitness and weight control. But Harry you might ask, aren't you fat? My answer to you will be quite simple indeed. Yes, I have had a weight control problem my friends and it is a problem of long standing.    However...

Maybe it is just me, but I am really not pleased with the manner of public discourse in our nation. It seems as though the concept of basing ones' arguments on the truth has taken that proverbial long walk off of a short pier. In my opinion, new lows are being set almost weekly (daily) with regard to the manner in which our political leaders, at all levels, treat the truth with a seemingly...

Dear friends, my study of the concept of leadership has formed a great part of my professional life for well over three decades now. Let me suggest that my research has documented the fact that some people really are better leaders than others. Let me now ask you a critical question. Why? Is this luck, fate, education, experience, or some combination of all of these?    Let me suggest...

I have a sad tale to tell. It speaks to a once great place that has fallen upon hard times. Of course this is not just one place. It is a composite of any number of places. It is up to you to fill in the blanks. For you see, I know the city about which I am writing: I know it quite well. In order to provide the fullest impact, I have decided to tell this tale in the form of a pseudo-fairy tale. It...

You might think that the title of this visit with you has something to do with sports. After all, this is my favorite season of the athletic year. I look forward to watching my New York Football Giants try to give away the game each week. I love them, but I worry that there are two diametrically-opposed teams working in the same time space continuum.   There is the tough, hard-hitting...

Recently it has been my sad duty to note that there has been a significant drop in the level of fire protection that many communities have. This is not in just one area, but it exists in a wide number of different areas of our nation. I have seen this in communities of every size. I have seen this in career, and combination, as well as volunteer departments. Far too many appear to be taking a...

Everyone reading this text belongs to an organization: In some case more than one organization. So that we will not diffuse our focus, let's all concentrate on the one type of organization where we have a common interest, the fire department.   As the member of a fire service organization, you will continually be subjected to the influences created by the three major elements of any...

Many years ago it was my good fortune to come across a very interesting article in the Star Ledger newspaper of Newark, New Jersey. It dealt with the fact that the best leaders were good listeners. I always find articles like these to be immensely interesting, for you see I am a really bad listener by nature.  I have been working on this for decades, but unfortunately believe myself to still be a...

It is with a great deal of interest that I read about the plans by fire departments across the country to close stations, create part-time fire stations and lay off people. I guess we are once again at that stage of government operations where the health and safety of the public is no longer of any concern. The hue and cry for fiscal reform always tends to drown out the reason needed to properly...

As we approach another national firefighter safety week, let me offer a few thoughts to guide your actions in the weeks and months which lie just ahead of us. Let me strongly advise you that people are our most important asset. How often have you heard someone say that?    Sadly, there are far too many for whom this phrase is mere window dressing. These people really upset the apple...

It has long been my belief that the truly effective leader must also be a good instructor.  You need to be able to share knowledge with people in order to generate a proper level of understanding. Without this ability to understand, it will be next to impossible to create a well-trained, cohesive firefighting team.    My research indicates that the three basic ways in which learning...

It is always a very special time in my life when a number of different thoughts which I have created at a variety of times and in a variety of places come together accidently into a really neat new notion. Such is the case here. Let me mention that the beautiful weather which spread across New Jersey recently served as the genesis for a number of trips to my favorite thinking spot: my front...

Let me pick up where we left off last in my last blog entry. In my community review here in Adelphia I looked at a number of issues. In line with this, a solid plan for the future has allowed us to budget for growth over time. It is better to increase your requests a little bit each year than to be faced with a sudden jump of major proportions. This is particularly critical here in New...

Over the past several years, I have seen a certain diminution in the level of fire protection that exists in a number of areas. I have seen this in communities of every size. I have seen this in career, and combination, as well as volunteer departments. Far too many appear to be taking a hit from their political and administrative leaders.   As an observer of the fire service scene...

It has been my privilege to be in the forefront of a number of different educational efforts within the fire service which have long held up the goal of professionalizing our field of endeavor as its primary goal.   Many have been the battles with folks who never could see the need for fire service people to have a college education. However, that did not stop those among us who felt the need...

When I sat down at the computer to begin work on this little session with you, I was torn in a number of directions. Should I write about something interpersonal, something technical, or something from my career in the fire service? I had trouble making the decision. My mind tossed and turned as I battled the demons of writer's doubt. Then it came to me in a flash! If I was having trouble...

Let's take a look at some of the elements that make up the operation of a fire department. The first thing we need to explore is the facility itself. A fire department’s facilities include buildings or areas for personnel, apparatus, equipment, and supplies; administrative offices; communication's functions; training facilities; and maintenance. In smaller organizations, these functions...

Let me begin by offering you my heartfelt best wishes for a safe and Happy New Years. Is it not amazing how quickly time flies my friends? Not only are we on the doorstep of a new year, we are about to begin the second decade of the 21 st Century. But was it not just a day or two ago when we were all hoarding food and toilet paper in anticipation of the 'Y2K Disaster'? Yet here we still...

We are approaching that day of great hope and expectation. On the 25 th of December we will once again celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Many are the folks who would rather religion not be mentioned in our media. To them I say, no, I shall not bow to your secular demands. I believe in God and I will write about my Lord as often as He grants me the ability to mention...

My friends, rarely do I ever know on any given day exactly where my latest idea for a commentary will come from. Many times it is an example from one of my loyal, regular readers out there around the world. Sometimes a telling example comes roaring into my life from one of my three great children. At other times, my thoughts turn to a mistake I might happen to see in the world around me...

  Over the past several years, I have seen a certain diminution in the level of fire protection that exists in a number of areas. I have seen this in communities of every size. I have seen this in career, and combination, as well as volunteer departments. Far too many appear to be taking a hit from their political and administrative leaders. As an observer of the fire service scene, I...