Saturday, May 21, 2011
Midwest Firefighter
Start looking for a few of my posts at Midwestfirefighter.com It is the official training site of numerous FOOLS Chapters (including Flatwater FOOLS), and Nate Jamison from Lawrence has been so gracious to allow me some space on there from time to time. Great resources!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Friday, October 9, 2009
A halfway decent fire show....
In this day and age, the collision between reality and fiction is very apparent in the media...many of the dramas "mimic" reality, but still fall far short. And, for some reason, writers can't get a Fire/EMS show "just right." Not that I'm bashing "Rescue Me" (it is entertaining), but shows like "COPS" have been running for years while shows like "The Bravest" lasted about ten shows.
BET has a new series called "First In" that I just happened upon. It is about some firefighters in Compton, CA....you can watch the episodes on their site (http://www.bet.com/video/shows/FirstIn) or tune in Wednesday nights. Really, it isn't too bad of a show.
Fox Reality starts a new season of "The Academy" at the end of October by following a recruit class with the Orange County, CA Fire Academy. It should be interesting...I always enjoyed the original series when they ran with the LA County Sheriff. (http://www.foxreality.com/theacademy/#/index)
Of course, you can always watch "The Battalion" (www.thebattalion.tv) on the Internet. It has improved some over the past year or so...I got a little tired of the response footage, as I do that every day. I also got a little tired of the medical calls....I do that every day, also....just show me some fire, and I'll be happy!
BET has a new series called "First In" that I just happened upon. It is about some firefighters in Compton, CA....you can watch the episodes on their site (http://www.bet.com/video/shows/FirstIn) or tune in Wednesday nights. Really, it isn't too bad of a show.
Fox Reality starts a new season of "The Academy" at the end of October by following a recruit class with the Orange County, CA Fire Academy. It should be interesting...I always enjoyed the original series when they ran with the LA County Sheriff. (http://www.foxreality.com/theacademy/#/index)
Of course, you can always watch "The Battalion" (www.thebattalion.tv) on the Internet. It has improved some over the past year or so...I got a little tired of the response footage, as I do that every day. I also got a little tired of the medical calls....I do that every day, also....just show me some fire, and I'll be happy!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Crossfit
Anyone in the area is cordially invited to a Crossfit Lincoln workout. Check out their blog at http://crossfit-lincoln.blogspot.com to get your ass kicked, but the ass kicking will help you to kick ass at the next ass kicking fire you have....
Did that make sense?
Did that make sense?
Work this fire
Hello all...
Whaddya know...two posts in one night!
Take a look at this video and email me what you think. How would you fight this fire with the resources that you have? After a few posts, I'll let you know what I think, too.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Fgvs35j80
Whaddya know...two posts in one night!
Take a look at this video and email me what you think. How would you fight this fire with the resources that you have? After a few posts, I'll let you know what I think, too.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Fgvs35j80
Conflicted Thoughts
Well, it appears that it has been almost a year since I posted on this blog. Of course, there really is no excuse other than I've been busy and my adult onset ADHD sometimes doesn't allow me to develop a rational thought to place online. So, I'm just going to have a quick post tonight....
I've been thinking a lot lately about the true reason for our existence in the fire service....do we really promote saving lives, or do we only promote saving lives when it is convenient to do so. Are we creating a generation of firefighters (of which I might be one) who are self-serving and unwilling to take risks in order to do what we are supposedly sworn to do? I guess that one of the things that attracted me to this career was the fact that firefighters are perceived (or at least were at one time) as the ones who make selfless sacrifices. In some cases, that means placing our lives on the line. I'm not talking about being reckless; I'm talking about giving our firefighters a sense of pride in what they do that creates a willingness to actually do what the public expects us to do. There are soldiers, sailors, and marines fighting and dying at this very moment for our freedom; while every death is a tragedy, we EXPECT them to do it for us. And for that, we should be eternally grateful. But shouldn't those that call us expect us to do the same? A lot of the trade magazines would have you believe that you shouldn't ever do anything but try to stand outside a house fire and spray water or try to blow it out.
This ties into what we should really be doing: training and developing a mindset to be the very best at the very moment that we may be called to save a life. It is a burden that comes with the badge. It means that we should gain experience in any way that we can (and learn from the mistakes of others) so that we can make smart decisions that place our team in a position to make a difference. And it means cutting out all the bullshit that actually makes us less effective in our response....
Just my $.02...but you can comment and try to convince me otherwise.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the true reason for our existence in the fire service....do we really promote saving lives, or do we only promote saving lives when it is convenient to do so. Are we creating a generation of firefighters (of which I might be one) who are self-serving and unwilling to take risks in order to do what we are supposedly sworn to do? I guess that one of the things that attracted me to this career was the fact that firefighters are perceived (or at least were at one time) as the ones who make selfless sacrifices. In some cases, that means placing our lives on the line. I'm not talking about being reckless; I'm talking about giving our firefighters a sense of pride in what they do that creates a willingness to actually do what the public expects us to do. There are soldiers, sailors, and marines fighting and dying at this very moment for our freedom; while every death is a tragedy, we EXPECT them to do it for us. And for that, we should be eternally grateful. But shouldn't those that call us expect us to do the same? A lot of the trade magazines would have you believe that you shouldn't ever do anything but try to stand outside a house fire and spray water or try to blow it out.
This ties into what we should really be doing: training and developing a mindset to be the very best at the very moment that we may be called to save a life. It is a burden that comes with the badge. It means that we should gain experience in any way that we can (and learn from the mistakes of others) so that we can make smart decisions that place our team in a position to make a difference. And it means cutting out all the bullshit that actually makes us less effective in our response....
Just my $.02...but you can comment and try to convince me otherwise.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Get yer shit together...
Here is another video...a rookie putting on his SCBA (his bunkers are alread on) in less than 23 seconds...
Certain things should be automatic...this should be one of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnV5Bcm8WBg
Certain things should be automatic...this should be one of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnV5Bcm8WBg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments