Before I get started, I'm not a safety Nazi.  I'm not a KSO (Keyboard Safety Officer).  And I probably violate more safety regulations than I should.  But when I'm unsafe, I wear my Personal Protective Equipment.  When I am acting safely, I wear my PPE.  That sounds like a double standard I agree.  But […]

  Undoubtedly this post will take a lot of heat from the jumpseat heroes who " Just Gotta Get in There ". It appears that while firefighters are working very diligently in keeping the " Culture of Extinguishment " Alive, we continue to encounter another problem. On our Fire Ground today agencies are getting smarter […]

There seems to be a lot of discussion surrounding Positive Pressure Ventilation again. When and When not to use a Fan ( Blower ) well Before we get into all of that let's look at a few other things. 1. Just because you have watched Youtube videos or your neighborig FD's have one or some […]

Many firefighters just don’t appreciate learning opportunities or recognize when learning opportunities present themselves. Recently, I thought about several examples I witnessed during “rookie schools” around the country. Rookie school, or Basic Fire School, is where you are taught “The Basics” and are expected to learn “The Basics” before applying them on the job. A […]

  This is the first of hopefully many follow-ups to the Boston Ladder Culture article.  After the Aerial or main ladder there are only 2 ladders of consequence on a truck; the 35′ and the 50′. The rest of the ladders; 40′, 28, 24, roof, pencil, Baby Bangor, Little Giant are almost all considered second […]

Why does Boston throw so many ladders?   Mainly because it’s better to have them and not need them. If you ask around Boston Fire you will get 4 common answers.  Most likely after they ask you why a firefighter would even ask a question like that. 1. Why not? 2. It’s a good practice 3. […]