Report to training at 0900. It’s a training day. You look at the topic and can tell it was just thrown together at the last minute or just busywork to check a box for that day. How excited are you for ...

Recently, when asked to train a female firefighter I didn’t know much about, I found myself wincing. It’s not an abnormal reaction to wonder what kind of assignment you’re about to be handed. And yet ...

The fire service is built on a foundation of camaraderie, courage, and a shared mission to protect and serve. Yet, like any profession, it is vulnerable to the pressures of everyday operations, human ...

I learned a great deal about firefighting and the fire service from my father, who joined the fire department in 1938 and retired as fire chief in 1975, the year after I started as a career ...

Wake up! Your phone is playing that too-familiar tune, telling you another day is about to begin. And this is your shift. Time to go to the firehouse! But for you there is little enthusiasm, only a ...

My father was the first to tell me: “Keep it simple, stupid.” I never did much like being called “stupid,” so I spent the next ten years complicating my life. His life philosophy was tried and true, ...

Over the past few years, the fire service has undergone a renaissance in our understanding of our environment. This is mainly due to an increase in fire dynamics research from multiple agencies, ...

Flip through just about any firefighter calendar and you’ll see shredded abs, bulging pecs, and bodies that look more like fitness models than working firefighters. Now, I’m not knocking the guys and ...

The fire service doesn’t need more heroes. It needs more martyrs—those who die to ego, comfort, and self-interest long before their final alarm. If you signed up for glory, you misunderstood the ...

With the current economic climate and municipal budgets constantly under attack, municipal officials are endlessly scrutinizing the necessity for and deployment of fire department personnel. As a ...

Retired Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Master Technician Raul Perla died Thursday due to occupational cancer. Perla served nearly 28 years with the department after being hired as a ...

Cellulose insulation has been around since the 1970s, although it has become more popular in recent years, as green buildings now play a larger role in our society. Cellulose insulation includes more ...