What I’ve Learned by Reviewing Firefighting Videos
One of my post-Fire & EMS career “gigs” is reviewing firefighting videos from across the Internet as selected by my editor at FireRescue1.com, Rick Markley and creating a training guide for each...
View ArticleFire Sprinklers Save Lives–And Firefighters
Where is our leadership on the issue of having residential fire sprinklers installed in all new single (SFD) and multi-family dwellings (MFD) in the USA? Why hasn’t every State Fire Marshal Office in...
View ArticleShouldn’t Every Week Be Safety Week in Fire and EMS?
By: Robert Avsec Prompted several years ago by the high number of annual firefighter deaths from preventable causes, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and International Association of Fire...
View ArticleSome thoughts on flashfloods and swift water rescue
By: Robert P. Avsec One of my Fire Service colleagues, Chief Norm RookerChief (Ret.), Ouray County Colorado EMS, recently commented on a Discussion posting on LinkedIn, What Keeps You Up at Night? I...
View ArticleWhat’s One More Noise on the Fireground?
By: Robert Avsec One too Many. Play the first couple minutes of the following video and then stop it. Wasn’t the faulty pass device annoying? It’s more than annoying—it’s an unmanaged fireground...
View ArticleWhy are We Entering Burning Structures With Too Few Firefighters?
By: Robert Avsec Author’s Note: I originally had this piece written and ready to post before I taught a class at the Sissonville (WV) Fire Officers School on October 26 & 27. After teaching that...
View ArticleWhat is the Fire Service Culture?
By: Robert Avsec It’s like the weather: everyone talks about it. “It” is the culture of the fire service in the United States of America. We hear it, we see it (in print and on-line), and we talk...
View ArticleSmoke and Firefighter Disorientation: The Link to Firefighter Fatalities and...
By: Robert Avsec Take a few minutes and view this video: Firefighters Injured in Collapse During Overhaul This fire is a great example of the importance of conducting a complete assessment of a...
View ArticleThe Year in Review: Top 10 Most Viewed Posts
By: Robert Avsec Over the course of the last year, I’ve attempted to provide you—the readers of this blog—with a wide variety of subjects for you consideration and thought. So here are the ten most...
View ArticleUpdate: What I’ve Continued to Learn by Reviewing Firefighting Videos
By: Robert Avsec Note to My Readers: I first published this piece early in 2013. I think it’s pertinent to republish it–with some revisions–because I continue to see the same threats to the safety...
View ArticleThe Long and Winding Road: A Firefighter’s Battle with Cancer
By: Frank Vento with Robert Avsec I was having a good career at my department. I put in a great deal of time working on projects and studying hard for that lieutenant promotion that I really wanted....
View ArticleGood Guys and Gals Wear a Mask–And the Rest of Their Gear
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer In recent posts Robin Lawson and Frank Vento have shared their personal experiences with cancer; Robin as a two-time breast cancer survivor and Frank as one...
View ArticleReaders Weigh-In: Why aren’t We Changing Our Ways?
By: Robert Avsec If you are a fire service leader who’s REALLY interested in attaining zero firefighter deaths and injuries, you must take 32+ minutes to watch this video that was produced by Dr. Burt...
View ArticleWhat You Don’t Know about Smoke Can Hurt You
By: Shawn Longerich The Fire Smoke Coalition has been a leader in the fire service industry about the dangers of fire smoke. Firefighters and departments throughout the US have embraced the...
View ArticleTampa II Conference: Food for Thought
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer Ten years ago (Has it really been a decade already?) some of the “best and brightest” the fire service had to offer, met in Tampa, Fla., in an attempt to...
View ArticleTampa II: Additional Food-for-Thought
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer Well the folks at Tampa II have been hard at work for a second day in their efforts to make continued progress in developing strategies–and refining existing...
View ArticleFire and Injury Prevention for the Communities We Serve: A New Way
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer Just days ago, hundreds of our colleagues in the fire service gathered in Tampa, Florida on the 10th anniversary of the conference—commonly known as Tampa...
View ArticleWhat You Don’t Know about Smoke Can Hurt You
Editor’s Note: Robert is on a golfing vacation this week, so he’s giving a “replay” of an earlier post that you might have missed. By: Shawn Longerich The Fire Smoke Coalition has been a leader in...
View ArticleSuggestion for Revised Firefighter Oath
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer Suggestion for Revised Firefighter Oath: You have a duty to act. You do not have a duty to act stupidly or recklessly. There is no honor in dying on the job...
View ArticleWatch the 2014 National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service Live
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will provide live satellite broadcasts and web streaming of both the Candlelight Service and the National Memorial Service. Don’t miss the...
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