firefighting
Firefighter Recruitment for Today
I’m seeing more postings on social media platforms, e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, promoting social media infographicfirefighter employment opportunities in various locations around the USA and Canada. That’s a good thing, for sure, because if people don’t even know about the opportunities that are out there…but I don’t think that using social media to promote job announcements is any kind of “silver bullet” for fire service organizations looking to attract quality people to their “tribe.”
What I’ve Learned by Reviewing Firefighting Videos
We have more access to “real world” fire video because of mobile recording devices and the Internet, but how much are we really taking advantage of this wealth of information to get better at doing the job more safely, efficiently, and effectively?
Save Firefighters FIRST
Live with it. The insinuation in such comments is that a "me first" mindset on the part of every firefighter has no part in the fire service culture. Nothing could be further from the truth. If we, as firefighters, are not protecting ourselves or our brother or sister firefighters first to prevent injuries or deaths, then how are we able to accomplish the mission of saving lives if we become victims ourselves?
Stop Romanticizing Firefighting!
Until we stop romanticizing the job of a firefighter with “how it used to be”, we will never get the current and future generations of firefighters to understand—really understand and take it to heart—that when you look at the facts, the vast majority of risks in the business of firefighting should have gone the way of the dodo bird.
A Tale of Two Fires
I learned of the fire via a post on our Facebook Group, CFD Members Past & Present, and I have to be honest in that my first thought was “Oh, no!” Why such a reaction—which happened before I opened the link to the news story about the fire—to this fire? Because I’d seen it before.
Why On-line Training is the Future for Fire Service
The fire service in general has been slow to adapt to new work methods, apparatus, and technologies. (Yes, I'm going to say it, "200+ years of Online studenttradition, unhampered by change.") The technology is here today that can allow an individual to obtain the necessary knowledge of firefighting to successfully complete the knowledge-based portion of certification testing. What's not here today is the widespread acceptance that an individual can learn to be a firefighter using a computer or tablet. Why is that?
4 Tools for Personnel Accountability on Scene
There are many Personnel Accountability System options available to fire departments. There are four basic systems to pick from: name tag, passport, bar code and unit identifier; here's a look at what you need to know to find the right one for your department.
Should all fire trucks carry water?
The general public doesn't know the difference between an engine and a truck. They just know that they've called 911 to report a fire. And when that first piece of fire apparatus appears on scene, they expect that firefighters are going to start applying water to the fire. Perception is reality.
What You Don’t Know about Smoke Can Hurt You
In contrast, nearly 95 percent of the firefighters who have attended the class have made personal behavioral changes in their tactical approaches to fireground operations. While it’s a great feat to see individual firefighters taking note of the education, it’s disappointing that the majority of departments are not immediately taking action to protect the lives of their firefighters.
Tampa II: Additional Food-for-Thought
This brings to question, are fireground officers and today’s firefighters receiving adequate training? The question remains, are proper size-ups being conducted to allow for a decision regarding whether it is an offensive or defensive fire attack [situation]? It all comes down to decision making capability and fire ground safety. We simply need to focus on the basic fundamentals of fire fighting.
What You Don’t Know about Smoke Can Hurt You
In the end, firefighters contract disease, illness and death through inhalation, ingestion or absorption. To prevent exposure means wearing air and USING it, clean bodies and clean PPE. While the prescription for prevention is simple, the process is complex.
Readers Weigh-In: Why aren’t We Changing Our Ways?
If you are a fire service leader who's REALLY interested in attaining zero firefighter deaths and injuries, you must take 32+ minutes to watch this video that was produced by Dr. Burt Clark. (Dr. Clark has served the American Fire Service for 40+ years and is one of the "founding fathers" of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy, along with the now-retired Charles "Chuck" Burkell).