Fire Rescue EMS Management News

By Damian Owens | 01/10/2013

The need for improved communication among public safety agencies continues to be an important issue in the post 9/11 era. Interoperability or a lack thereof came to light during the responses to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Since then, interoperability issues and frustration over poor communication continue to emerge in large scale incidents and natural disasters, especially those that require the interaction of multiple agencies. Lack of interoperability is often a hindrance in many incidents of national significance, including the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Columbine School shooting, and most recently the Aurora Colorado Th... Read More...

Relevant Tags: COMMUNICATIONS, interoperability, agencies, communications, safety, communication, incidents, public, work together, public safety, safety agencies, large scale, training planning, responder safety, emergency responders

By Dennis Amodio | 01/10/2013

Disasters like Hurricane Sandy that impact large areas and several types of infrastructure, cripple communities and cost us lives are an unfortunate reality we face as First Responders. As firefighters it is our mission to do everything we can to mitigate the impact events like Sandy have on the communities we serve. It is also important for the first responder community to view the preparation for, response to, and recovery from events like Hurricane Sandy as an opportunity to learn how to do our parts better, and as a reminder of how valuable our day-to-day technologies are in training for and mitigating the impact of these large-scale inc... Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE PRE-PLANNING, plans, building, responders, first responders, large scale, pre planning, hurricane sandy, response recovery, situational awareness

By John Bierling | 01/10/2013

Last month we ended the Command and Control article with these words: “We’re all partners in this ICS process and that’s a good thing.” Read More...

Relevant Tags: COMMAND AND CONTROL, command, incident, ics, experience, ems, leadership, confidence, incident command, command control, effective leader, command system, education training, crew discipline

By Todd Shoebridge | 01/10/2013

Ever since you were young, you were amazed at the big red trucks with all the flashing lights and the loud bells, sirens and horns. Growing up you watched television shows like Emergency and begged to go to the theater to see The Towering Inferno. In elementary school and scouts you went to the firehouse on the annual station tours, or most importantly, you have a family member in a department. This is what you have always wanted to be — a firefighter. Now you’ve advanced through the ranks, you’ve gained experience, you have put in your time, taken the exam, and CONGRATULATIONS, you’re top on the promotional list, and now you’re an officer. ... Read More...

Relevant Tags: officer, personnel, safety, job, fire service, good officer, principals good, rapid intervention, safety officer

Glenn L. Hamm, II | 10/05/2012

Change — “Make or become different.” — Merriam Webster Although not noted by Merriam Webster, this remains one of the most feared and loathed words in the fire service. Read More...

Relevant Tags: personnel, leaders, department, fire service, merriam webster, responding call, service leaders, change process

By Ken Newell | 10/05/2012

What happened to the good old days when you could count on consistent construction cost inflation of three to five percent per year? If you were developing a Capital Improvement Plan for a new station three years from now you could just take today’s construction costs, increase it by three to five percent per year for three years, and know that what you had budgeted would likely be fine. Not anymore! We’re well into the second of the two most volatile construction pricing decades in history, with no sign of it getting back to “normal,” assuming that there is a “normal.” We all understand that the construction industry has always experienced ... Read More...

Relevant Tags: construction, fire, construction cost, five percent, public safety, safety facilities, construction prices, construction bids

By Jonah Smith | 10/05/2012

Recently, I was reviewing some fire service materials from a self-survival class, and read about a management challenge known as the Abilene Paradox. The author described how it could affect firefighting decisions, and how the challenges that this situation presents could prove tragic on the fire scene. Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, paradox, service, management, abilene, fire service, abilene paradox, service management, management challenge

Douglas Cline | 10/05/2012

Have you ever recognized what a difference a single minute in your life can make? Most of us only count down the minutes at the end of the day near quitting time, or when we are waiting for a big event. We never really recognize just how important every minute is because every minute makes a real difference. It is important to remember that for everything there is a season, a time for every activity. Be Aware of Critical Moments A critical moment is when you make a decision that has a critical impact on your life. These can include fire ground decisions, career decisions, attitude decisions or decisions on choice of words. These may last onl... Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, decisions, critical, important, fire service, every minute, decision making, critical moments

By Dave Murphy | 10/05/2012

“Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.” Ralph Waldo Emerson , U.S. essayist and poet (1883-1882) The role of a fire service officer is very complex. The typical fire department workplace is unlike any other. While we are assigned a designated duty station, we may be called to action at anytime and anywhere. The fire service deals with many different types of people and situations. The potential for “people” problems is ever-present. It is valid to say that the demands of a fire service supervisor are far greater than those of the average supervisor. Unlike most professions, many fire service supervisors (officers)... Read More...

Relevant Tags: officer, supervisor, fire service, common sense, fire department

Ron Cheves | 08/01/2012

I’m really tired of reading about volunteer firefighters doing stupid things! Some people already think of us as tobacco chewing, redneck, 4X4 truck driving, “belly-hanging-over our-belts,” wanna-be heroes, and we’re sure not helping our own cause. Read the news from across the country and you’ll see that we’re giving the public plenty to talk about. We had volunteer firefighters in Tennessee who responded to a fire and then refused to extinguish the fire because the homeowners did not pay their fire dues. Why respond in the first place? So you could get your photo taken and be the subject of national news? Read More...

Relevant Tags: THE VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT, volunteer, fire, chief, volunteer firefighters, fire service, about volunteer, truck driving

Ken Farmer | 08/01/2012

We all live and die by rules. We have all had rules to live by since the day we were born in most cases. Don’t do this, do this, always do this — you know the list! As you grew up you learned and were taught more rules. Your parents had rules, your teacher had rules, the coach had rules, and your drill sergeant had rules. Now you are all grown up and you got more rules! Your company has pages and pages of rules, standard operating procedures and guidelines! Your spouse has a set of unwritten rules you better know by heart! You may not want to admit it but you have some rules too that you want everyone to follow to make you happy. Simply stat... Read More...

Relevant Tags: BARNYARD MANAGEMENT, rules, life, fire, learn, learn rules, service leadership, fire service

Dave Murphy | 08/01/2012

With national elections on the horizon, we are constantly bombarded by each candidate’s economic quick-fix version which usually only serves to raise the debt ceiling culminating in just another “rainbow stew” budget line item to be shouldered by the American worker. In reality, the only possible long term solution to what ails our great nation was proposed in 2002, just before his untimely death. It has been 10 years since the passing of a true American hero, Senator Paul Wellstone. A dated dispatch from the St. Paul Pioneer Press that quotes Senator Wellstone as saying, from the Senate floor, “if you want real welfare reform, you focus on ... Read More...

Relevant Tags: EMS 2012, education, service, job, health, wellstone, american, fire service, good education, good job, health care, good healthcare

Joe Palmer | 08/01/2012

The lives of many diligent and hardworking folks in the Columbia area over the past several months have been dedicated to the legislative process surrounding the revisions to the S.C. State Retirement System (SCSRS) and the S.C. Police Officer’s Retirement System (PORS). Firefighters are included in both systems. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Barnyard Management, retirement, retirement system, system changes, new employees

Ken Farmer | 10/14/2011

“Many times you hear stories that make you think,” a friend from Kentucky recently told me. After some discussion, he detailed how he works with clients in his real estate business to get a better idea of exactly what they want in a home. He obviously wants to make his clients happy. He said often people don’t have a clear or precise idea of what they want in a house. His approach has been to gently encourage them “towards the barn” first by asking questions to narrow down what they wished for, as well as what they actually want. He asks some key questions like: What features do you want in the home? What is your vision of your home? What ma... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Barnyard Management, management, person, behavior, barnyard management, staff management

Douglas Cline | 07/25/2010

As we embark on a new decade and plunge deeper into the millennium, changes are sure to occur. The fire service will surely see many of these changes. The place that we need to make changes initially is within ourselves as instructors. We must be prepared to meet these new challenges and a new millennium with a set of fully charged batteries.The task of change is extremely hard, as we are often times nostalgic. However, we must strive to reach new levels in education and training. Read More...

Relevant Tags: FIRE,instructors, training, department, service, fire service