I’m sure we have all seen the headlines at some time. The city names have been left out but you might find one to put your city’s name in. Here are just a few; fire department and union spar over station closures fire chief states weekend sick use is ‘disturbing, costly’ Judge sides with firefighters […]
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New Leadership – The First 100 Days
“However the economy is doing, a challenge for leaders in the twenty-first century is attracting and retaining not just employees, but the best employees—and more important, how to motivate them so that they work with passion, energy, and enthusiasm. But very few people with brains, skills, and initiative appear. The timeless challenge in the real […]
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Changes – Time may change me, But I can’t change time (David Bowie)
There are those who say that people never change. And if you are talking strictly about personalities, that might be true, but I don’t think so. Everyone changes with time. Environments that we work in change so we change or alter our behaviors to match the changing environment. Most of us get married at some […]
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Big City Thinking for Small Town USA
I have spent the last eleven years on a small combination department consisting of fourteen full time firefighters and ten volunteers. We seem to run into the same problems firefighters across the nation run into every day. We fight fires with less resources but are expected to more than what we are capable of doing. […]
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Can you be a fire employee and the leader and or member of a motorcycle gang?
There is a recent story out of Florida that’s has generated a lot of discussion. According to WFTS-TV’s I-Team, two fire captains, from two different departments, are chapter presidents of two different motorcycle gangs. One is with the Pagans and the other with the Outlaws. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) defines “outlaw motorcycle gangs” (OMG) […]
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A revisit to Women in the Fire Service
In April of 2015, I wrote an article on my perspective of women in the fire service. In the article I spoke regarding a local department that recently had harassment charges brought forward by several women. Some of those charges included the fact that there were not separate sleeping arrangements for men and women at […]
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The Importance of Outside Training
I know there are many of you out there that may not agree with this position, but I feel this is something firefighters and more importantly fire chiefs need to hear. A little background on this article is needed. I was promoted to an officer role early in my career as a firefighter. The captain […]
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Mayday, Mayday, Mayday
There are probably no more terrifying words at an emergency scene than these three. Firefighters immediately look around, or feel around, to see if everyone is there that’s supposed to be. Company officers check to see if their entire crew is present and where they are supposed to be. After the initial shock of hearing […]
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Perspective – How do you see it?
Someone once said that a person’s perspective is their reality. That is true to a point because that perspective, or reality, in some instances can be changed. For example, if you ask anyone which way a hurricane rotates, the first answer you will get is “Counterclockwise, of course”. And that is true. But only if […]
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