Commentary
Do firefighters write policies and procedures in your fire department?
Why haven't the IAFF and IAFC included professional psychologists who are trained and experienced in police and public safety psychology in developing mental health and wellness standards for the fire service?
Retired Battalion Chief–And now published author!
If you’ve come upon this book expecting to read about emergency calls, I responded to during my 26-year career with the Chesterfield (Va.) Fire and EMS Department, I'm afraid you might be a tad disappointed. But if you want to learn about the greatest single assignment that I had the pleasure and satisfaction of serving in during my career, you have the right book. Because in this book you'll learn about how a single project that I was a part of that created not one, but two transformational changes in our fire and EMS department.
What I’ve done since I retired as a fire officer
It took me five years before I found my “2nd career) as a freelance writer. During those first five years, I took positions as an operations chief for a small private ambulance company, a fire instructor and course developer at the Georgia Fire Academy, and finally as a contractor with a management services company providing services to U.S. Army’s Installation Management Command (Where I got to do an 11-month stint as a staff officer for the Army's Fire Chief).
Why aren’t more women becoming career firefighters?
Why does the fire service have difficulty attracting, hiring, and keeping women on the job? Because in too many fire departments there's still a “gauntlet” that women have to “run” every day! And that gauntlet is not a single challenge, but rather multiple challenges.
Book review: “Hot zone”–Memoir of a Professional Firefighter
I've read many other books about the firefighter experience over the years, but none of those authors managed to give me that same feeling that “I was there,” like Dennis Smith's "Report from Engine Co. 82." But that came to a screeching halt when I started reading “Hot Zone” written Division Chief (Ret.) Chris Howes. Howes has written what I believe will become “the book” that accurately describes the journey of a person in a fire and EMS department from the day they start their probie (entry-level) training to the day they retire.
Are Fire Departments “cutting off their noses to spite their face” with Age Discrimination?
I participate in several fire service-related Groups on Facebook whose target audiences are women in the fire service. One, Female…
Don’t know much about history: Firefighting in the U.S.
Our fire service history is steeped in myths, half-truths, and legends; understanding how our service evolved means separating fact from fiction. Former firefighter and fire service historian, Bruce Hensler, takes a fascinating look at the fire service in the U.S.
How Many Firefighters Does It Take to Rescue One Firefighter?
How much longer will we in the fire service allow this myth to survive? The fact is, there are few women or men that could rescue a downed firefighter alone.
What’s on my mind? Thoughts of a former firefighter
And yes, the flashover was just as it is described in all the firefighting textbooks. That, I can verify. I don’t remember much after that. I remember my arms in front of me, falling, my head and body striking something, which turned out to be the first floor. I remember hearing the horn sounding for a firefighter evacuation.
I’m not a “self-made” freelance writer
I've been truly fortunate to have a really fulfilling second career as a freelance writer after retiring as a fire department battalion chief. And the journey to get there has been kind of unique but I'm sure most freelance writers would say something similar if asked.
Taking a systematic approach to cancer risk reduction for firefighters
So, when it comes to your fire departments, cancer risk reduction efforts, do you have a system? Or is your current state that of several “moving parts” that may or may not be congruent with one another?
Is it bravery or is it courage?
Bravery and courage are frequently used interchangeably in our daily discussions. But in truth, they convey two different reactions that we humans can have to a stressful situation. Read on to see what those two reactions look like.