To summarize so far – As part of the National Fire Academy (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP), the student is required to author an Applied Research Project (ARP) within six months of completing each of the four classes. For the executive Leadership class ARP, I sent a survey to 50 metropolitan departments including my […]
Continue readingMy PTSD Journey
So I have really never considered I have had PTSD, but some of the symptoms have been coming more evident as the years go by. I had started to notice I was a different person that what I can remember of myself before the start in public safety. I have always been a champion of […]
Continue readingImportant Qualities for Fire Service Leadership – Part 2
To summarize so far – As part of the National Fire Academy (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP), the student is required to author an Applied Research Project (ARP) within six months of completing each of the four classes. I completed an ARP that culminated in describing the top ten leadership qualities that fire departments […]
Continue readingImportant Qualities for Fire Service Leadership – Part 1
As part of the National Fire Academy (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP), the student is required to author an Applied Research Project (ARP) within six months of completing each of the four classes. After attending the NFA for the Executive Leadership course, I completed an ARP that culminated in describing the top ten leadership […]
Continue readingActive Shooters And The Fire Department
On a sunny spring day in April of 1999, at approximately 1119, a suburban high school in Jefferson County, Colorado, found itself under attack by two of its own. In less than fifteen minutes of the first-lunch period on that Tuesday, two student gunmen killed 13 and wounded 21 before they turned the guns on […]
Continue readingLeadership In A Crisis – Line Of Duty Death (LODD)
There have been many articles, papers, policies and procedures written regarding a LODD. The last thing a parent wants to get is a phone call at 2 AM from the hospital regarding one of their children having been involved in an auto crash. I know, I got one of those calls. Fortunately it was only […]
Continue readingMy PTSD Journey Part 2
My PTSD Journey – Part 2 So I have to be honest with you, I’ve had thoughts of suicide. Now, I haven’t talked much about because I was embarrassed about it, frankly. Now this hasn’t been all the time and it usually comes up when I haven’t had the best sleep or during points of […]
Continue readingThe Business of Fire & EMS
There has been a lot of talk lately of privatization of either fire service, EMS, or both in some communities. The thing about this choice to do so is that communities will suffer if the choose to do so. Why, do you ask? Because firefighting and even EMS is not a sustainable business model. There […]
Continue readingBeating the odds…a tale of one department
Beating the odds…a tale of one department I often see many departments using recruiting tools like this one. Volunteer firefighting seems like it’s a dying breed and will be going the way of the dodo bird, or will it? I recently traveled to Staunton, Virginia to pick up some donated equipment and had the pleasure […]
Continue readingBrothers Helping Brothers visit The Fire Asylum
This week I was given the privilege of observing The Fire Asylum’s Masters of Mayhem training program. The Fire Asylum is the brain child of Marty Mayes, a retired veteran police officer and firefighter from Texas. I have known Marty for quite sometime and this training program has been building for many years before this […]
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