I founded and run the First Responder Training Center at Geauga Lake.  It was established to provide local First Responders a secure and safe environment for training.  What was once Wildwater Kingdom, SeaWorld and Geauga Lake is now available for SWAT, police, fire, K9, search and rescue, and drone training.  A large array of buildings and areas have been dedicated for training.  Use of the site is free of charge to all governmental entities and approved non-profit organizations. I currently have a Boy Scout working on his Eagle Scout badge creating fire department traini ..read more

When we cook in the firehouse, we are extending and transferring our culture to each other By Jarred R. Alden The air in the station fills with the smell of jalapeño popper chicken casserole. The crew is salivating, waiting for the taste of the cook’s dinner dish pulled from his secret book of recipes. The first bite is an explosion of taste with just the right amount of heat, spices, cream cheese, bacon, and unidentifiable mixtures. The driver looks at the crew, awaiting the verdict. The driver looks at his lieutenant for the same. The lieutenant waits to give an answer as the drama builds a ..read more

A significant year in firefighter fatality data By Bill Carey   2020 ended with a total of 96 on-duty deaths per the United States Fire Administration.  Details regarding the definitions and criteria used to determine and list our on-duty deaths are covered in an earlier article[1].  This number should increase slightly based on news of firefighter deaths contributed to COVID-19 and the death of a West Virginia Air National Guard firefighter[2] before the year ended. The total for the year is impacted by the deaths related to the coronavirus.  One third, or 35, of the 96 f ..read more

At 05:30 you are paged to a nursing home where a dementia patient has been reported missing They were last seen two hours prior. The temperature is 30F and there is snowpack on the ground. The nursing home is in a residential area backed up to a large wooded area. What is your protocol, what is your plan? We were dispatched to this call this morning.  ..read more

Outcome, Performance, and Process Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years? How will you get there? (Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department photo) By Gary L. Krichbaum It’s a given that you have been asked the following during a promotional interview: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” This common interview question is really not designed to evaluate your fortune telling abilities but is an indirect approach for what the interviewers and department really want to know: Do you have goals, and do those goals support the department’s? Most departments are looking for leaders ..read more

Please check out my YouTube channel where I share my golf and my story of PTS issues that I have myself.  I am trying to bring awareness to PTS through the game of golf.  I want to play golf with firefighters so we can decompress and reinvigorate on the course.  Please contact me if you would like to play a round of golf. kckfire8@gmail.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/ovaK7iq55sU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firefighter_golf/ Thanks, Captain Steve Pope Kansas City Kansas Fire Department ..read more

Sharing Best Practices in Business Intelligence from the Virginia Beach, VA Fire Department (pixabay) By Dr. Evgeniy Ivanov It has become universally acknowledged that data is of primary importance for making informed decisions. You can hear about data-driven culture or data-informed decision making in almost any organization or department, big or small. Nowadays, there is a new term being used to comprehensively capture all aspects of exploring data in a smart way – it is called Business Intelligence (BI). The Fifth Goal              ..read more

San Francisco Fire Department Revives Firehouse Decorating Contest Tradition from the 1940’s returns Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle (TNS) Hoping to brighten an increasingly grim holiday season, San Francisco firefighters will revive a tradition last seen during the Harry S. Truman administration: a city firehouse-decorating contest with prize money going to charity. From 1948 to 1950, the San Francisco Fire Department and other city agencies came together to transform fire stations into winter wonderlands, with holiday themes, lights and, in at least one case, live animals. After the ..read more

Wait, did I just say camera? This TI image shows an obstructed view of a power strip with adapters under a cabinet. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.) By Manfred Kihn One of the most undesirable roles in today’s fire service is conducting fire prevention inspections. Dealing with the public, walking through buildings, and writing reports sound like fun, eh! No, it’s not, but it has to be done, so let’s see what we can do to make it more enjoyable. Off you go with the required tools in hand to conduct your proper fire prevention inspections including a clipboard, tape measure, flashlight, camera, an ..read more

Give us your size-up report and directions if you were first arriving. Be first arriving at this fire in West Bradford. (Mark Walsh video) Answer based on resources and operations in your department. What apparatus and how many firefighters respond to this weekend house fire? What will be your initial on-scene report? What assignments or directions will be given to the responding companies What benchmarks are you looking for or reporting on in the first minutes of the fire attack? Fireground Basic Size-Up for the First-Due Engine Building Size-Up Engine Company Size-Up & IAP Development ..read more