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Albion FD Says: You Have to Want It!

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you-have-to-want-it-jd-patch-87x212“You Have to Want It!” is the message that Albion Volunteer Firefighters and EMTs are sending to their community in a new effort to challenge more citizens to become part of their local volunteer emergency response team.

Thanks to a four-year $134,500 grant from the US Department of Homeland Security specifically for the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters, the all-volunteer fire department will have the funding to develop recruitment efforts and marketing materials with the help of Tiger Schmittendorf, who also helped them write and secure the grant. (more…)

Posted by tiger on June 21, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Command & Leadership, Funding & Staffing, News, Public Relations • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

From X-Box to the Box Alarm

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img_5855-cropAs I travel around the country talking with other firefighters, a commonly recurring theme of our chat is the future of the volunteer fire service.

The conversation always comes around to the topic of today’s firefighters and the next generation of firefighters. Some “more experienced” firefighters (notice I didn’t use the term older) share that they don’t understand the “kids” coming into the fire service today. (more…)

Posted by tiger on June 21, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Clearinghouse, Command & Leadership, Featured, Firefighter Safety & Health, Funding & Staffing, R&R Toolkits, Safety, Training & Development • Tagged: , ,

There’s at least Four Cs in NBFC

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img_6153Earlier today I had the pleasure of joining lots of other folks who  participating in the dedication of a new fire station for the North Boston Volunteer Fire Company in the Town of Boston, NY.

As I was sitting here remembering the ground breaking ceremony they held last fall, I was reminded of how proud I am to be associated with their fire company.

Many times when we discuss incident management, training and collaboration in emergency services — we refer to the Three Cs of: Coordination, Communications and Cooperation. For a small rural fire department, the North Boston Volunteer Fire Company (the NBFC) is far ahead of the curve when it comes to the Three Cs.

Those three Cs have become the hallmark for their operations for 105 years. Internally with their members and externally with their citizens, North Boston has always taken the lead in effectively communicating with their constituents. They’ve succeeded in coordinating their efforts with those they serve with and have made a career out of cooperating with others towards a common goal. (more…)

Posted by tiger on June 14, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Brotherhood, Fire Prevention & Education, Funding & Staffing, News

Clean the Litterbox

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My family is motivation for much of what I do in the fire service. Alex, Laurie and Kathleen (l-r)

This blog is a companion piece to my article titled “Make it Personal” featured in the June edition of Fire-Rescue Magazine.

 

I was reading a not so tongue-in-cheek blog on FirefighterNation.com written by my good friend Art Goodrich titled: “Ordering From the Risk Menu” and it reminded me of a Saturday I spent recently, full of fire service activities.

I started the day by attending a heavy dose of an 8-hour seminar focusing on preparation for a Line of Duty Death. If you’ve ever read one of my blogs, you know I’m very passionate about fire service funerals and making sure that they’re planned and executed appropriately, always considering the family’s needs first.

In contrast to Art’s blog, it’s important to plan that stuff too, but if we really think about it, doesn’t the need for proper funeral planning only further acknowledge our acceptance of failure in protecting our own from the risks we face? (more…)

Posted by tiger on June 11, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Brotherhood, Command & Leadership, Featured, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Funding & Staffing, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Safety, Special Operations • Tagged: ,
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