Double LODD in New York

Four firefighters with the Webster Volunteer Fire Department were shot, two killed, when responding to a house fire. Below is the audio of one of the first responding firefighters.

How Far We Have Come-Yet Our Mission Remains the Same

Before you complain about a lack of funding, manpower, or equipment- think about our forefathers who have done the same job as us with far less. Appreciate what we have beacause it makes us faster, more efficient, and safer. Our mission never changes; the only variable is how well we accomplish it.

Double-Amputee Firefighter Returns to Work

By Jane Jerrard
Published Wednesday, October 24, 2012 | From the December 2012 Issue of FireRescue

When firefighter-EMT Scott McDowell lost his both legs—and nearly his life—to a mysterious infection last year, his small-town volunteer department, his employer, his paramedic school and his community pitched in with all the support they could muster. And today, against all odds, McDowell is back behind the wheel for the Montrose (Mich.) Township Fire Department (MTFD), with plans for the future.

Region 5 Course Update

This is an update on some of the upcoming catalog courses in Region 5:

 

·         1221-13-53, Pump Ops II, scheduled to start 1/5 at Colleton Co Fire/Rescue will go
·         1152-13-504, Fund of FF, scheduled to start 1/8 at Hampton Co Fire Dept will go
·         2100-13-504, Fire Officer I, scheduled to start 1/14 at St. John’s Fire Dept will go----this roster is set and we are unable to accept late registrations
·         2153-13-506, I-300, scheduled to start 1/14 at Burton Fire Dept will go
·         1250-13-508, Aerial Ops, scheduled to start 1/25 at North Charleston Fire Dept will go---there are 2 spaces remaining in this class
·         2155-13-508, Command Sim, scheduled to start 1/26 at Goose Creek Rural Fire Dept will go---this class is full
·         4171-13-505, Fire Instructor I, scheduled to start 1/28 at Bluffton Fire Dept will go
·         1220-13-504, Pump Ops, scheduled to start 2/4 at St. John’s Fire Dept will go---there is one space remaining in this class
·         4171-13-506, Fire Instructor I, scheduled to start 2/11 at North Charleston Fire Dept will go---there is one space remaining in this class
·         1152-13-505, Fund of FF, scheduled to start 2/12 at Berkeley Co ESTC will go---there are 3 spaces remaining in this class---please be aware that this class ends the Saturday before Easter.   This burn will go as scheduled, I just want to make sure all the students who register are aware.
·         2118-13-504, PICO, scheduled to start 2/19 at Summerville Fire Dept will go
·         2119-13-505, STICO, scheduled to start 2/21 at Summerville Fire Dept will go
·         3310-13-506, Rope Rescue, scheduled to start 2/22 at Hilton Head Island Fire/Rescue will go
·         1160-13-505, Truck Co, scheduled to start 3/2 at Goose Creek Rural Fire Dept will go
·         2102-13-501, Fire Officer II, scheduled to start 3/11 at Lady’s Island Fire Dept will go
·         2118-13-505, PICO, scheduled to start 4/6 at Goose Creek Rural Fire Dept will go---this class is free through grant funding
·         2172-13-506, Leadership II, scheduled to start 4/22 at North Charleston Fire Dept will go

 

These courses are in danger of cancelling (low enrollment):

 

·         2155-13-507, Command Sim, scheduled to start 1/5 at Indian Field Fire Dept (need 5 more students)---this class cuts off Thursday morning!
·         2728-13-505, Haz Mat Ops, scheduled to start 1/7 at Colleton Co Fire/Rescue (need 3 more students---this class cuts off Thursday morning!
·         1210-13-507, EVDT, scheduled to start 1/8 at Summerville Fire Dept (need 5 more students)---this class cuts off Thursday morning!
·         2147-13-504, NIMS ICS, scheduled to start 1/10 at Beaufort Fire Dept (need 3 more students)
·         3224-13-502, Arson Detection, scheduled to start 1/15 at James Island Fire Dept (need 4 more students)
·         2118-13-503, PICO, scheduled to start 10/23 at Beaufort Fire Dept (need 2 more students)
·         3224-13-503, Arson Detection, scheduled to start 1/26 at Berkeley Co ESTC (need 10 more students)
·         1210-13-508, EVDT, scheduled to start 2/4 at Hilton Head Island Fire/Rescue (need 8 more students)
·         1220-13-505, Pump Ops, scheduled to start 2/5 at Jasper Co Fire Dept (need 8 more students)

Step Up to the Task - You Go, We Go!

by Ryan Pennington

From www.firehouse.com

 

Now that I have your attention, how many of us had these words stuck in our heads for years after watching the movie "Backdraft." For years I believed that Bull, the character portrayed by Kurt Russell, was the best firefighter on the face of the earth. The scene where the floor gives way and a firefighter falls as his crew members grab him is where the title of this blog comes from. "I’m going, I’m going" said the firefighter. His crew members responded, "you go, we go," as they held onto him.

I believe that we need to get back to this way of thinking. While this story was set for the big screen, it was pulled from the trenches of firefighting. Today I am seeing a growing number of firefighters that feel like they have "earned" the right to stand around and watch other firefighters go through their training, the same firefighters that will be pulling the line with them.

There Are No Kelly Days for Character

By: Travis Rask
from www.fireservicewarrior.com

A few years ago, I was returning home from a little league game with my father; we celebrated a victory with a Slurpee at the local 7-11. On our way back to the car, I noticed a feral $20 bill in the middle of the parking lot. I fantasized about how to spend the small fortune I encountered, only to have my champagne dreams shattered by my father’s imposition to return it to the cashier inside. Strangely, this was one of the few times during my cantankerous childhood that I decided to follow parental advice. It wasn’t because I already had the sadistic prize of a brain freeze within my grasp; it was something much more important: Deep down (and stubbornly), I knew relinquishing something I hadn’t earned was the right thing to do.
Character is revered in the fire service, yet has become one of its more quixotic elements. I surmise this is due to a variety of reasons; the first and foremost being it doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and is much more susceptible to our own daily choices and actions than we care to admit. What you think, and what you do on a daily basis matter, and the cumulative value of your performance, reputation, and most importantly your soul, depends greatly on it. Unfortunately, due to the pernicious power of gradualism many well-intentioned people don’t realize this critical fact until they wake up to realize they’ve become what seemed impossible to many of us. We know what the aforementioned end result is when they lumber into the station for their twice-weekly tour of imposed liability and cancerous behavior on their so-called brothers and sisters.

Anniversary of the Worcester 6

Article about the Worcester Cold Storage fire from Esquire magazine:
http://www.esquire.com/features/perfect-fire-0700?click=main_sr

LODD Report:
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-134.pdf

Chief McNamee's reflection:
http://www.telegram.com/article/20091129/NEWS/911290432/1052