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Re-Enlist.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m posting this blog literally minutes after completing my first NetCast on the topic of volunteer recruitment and retention, compliments of FireCritic and FireDaily at www.firefighternetcast.com. What a tremendous opportunity that was to connect with so many people via the live chat and simultaneous telephone call-ins.

My helmet is off to those two gentlemen for harnessing that technology to accomplish something that they may not even realize they’re doing: Telling Stories.

Storytelling is important to the survival and success of the fire service. Very important. As I wrote in my article: “Saving Stories,” in this month’s edition of Fire-Rescue Magazine, storytelling “passes on our traditions, conveys our values and protects the rich heritage of the fire service.” Thanks to Rhett and John for doing just that through the tales shared on FirefighterNetcast.com.

At the end of the Netcast, I let the cat out of the bag about a new partnership I created between our volunteer fire service and the National Guard. Look for more info on that coming soon. In the meantime, the following is a story that is a little bit about my love for my father, my passion for the fire service and my appreciation for the military men and women who protect our freedom every day. (more…)

Posted by tiger on March 11, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Brotherhood, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, Public Relations, R&R Toolkits • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Run to the Curb” Kids

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Getzville Firefighter Ryan Russell with two appreciative fans

Getzville Firefighter Ryan Russell with two very appreciative fans

You’ve read my previous references to “Run to the Curb” type kids in “Fortune Tellers” and in my other writings. Now I’ve created a whole new web site just for telling my stories and to give you a place to share your stories too.

Run to the Curb.com is a work-in-progress blog I just created and a possible online book project too. There I’ll share my experiences, my stories and my thoughts on our need to be better story tellers. 

And, I want to hear your stories too. You can share your childhood experiences and your connections to the fire service and in doing so, share the brotherhood, history and traditions of the fire service with fellow firefighters — and those who wish they were.

Check back often as more stories are added and we build this legacy document together.

Run to the curb. Tell your story. Tell your fortune. We can’t wait to hear it.

Posted by tiger on November 30, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Brotherhood, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Public Relations, R&R Toolkits • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Creating a Clearinghouse

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FireRecruiter-904x160Patience is some times not one of my better virtues. I’ve been kicking around the idea of creating an online clearinghouse of recruitment and retention resources for quite some time.

Needless to say, it’s an area of the fire service that I’m quite absorbed in but I’ve always waited for someone else to create such a thing. Sure, there’s the National Volunteer Fire Council and VolunteerFD.org, which does a more than formidable job of compiling resources for the volunteer fire service, but I still felt there was something lacking. I needed more. We need more.

I identified a gap, an opportunity to create a single source for everything related to how we market to, recruit, indoctrinate, treat and retain the single most important resource in the fire service: our people.

Finally, I couldn’t wait any longer. I registered and published: FireRECRUITER.com – a single site dedicated to ensuring the survival and success of the volunteer fire service across our nation. (more…)

Posted by tiger on November 27, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Clearinghouse, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Public Relations, R&R Toolkits, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Reversal of Fortune?

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HEADLINE: Johnson City to Explore Adding Volunteer Firefighters http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20091116/NEWS01/911160345/1112/Johnson-City-to-explore-adding-volunteer-firefighters

Is it just me or are two worlds colliding here?

At the same time many volunteer fire departments struggle to maintain their ranks, their career counterparts are being stripped to the bone in both manpower and operating budget by their community’s and our country’s fiscal crisis.

This is not the first article I’ve read recently with a recurring theme — career fire departments reverting (or in some cases, converting for the first time) to combination departments.

We have many communities in our county, currently supported by all-volunteer fire departments, where a part or full time staffed career fire department would be simply unaffordable. They would have to go without fire protection if it weren’t for the dedication of their volunteers.

Unfortunately, it seems that several communities with pre-existing career fire departments are coming to the same realization: fire protection is a much needed but costly service to maintain properly. (more…)

Posted by tiger on November 18, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, News, training-fire-rescue-topics

Cross-Continental Divide or Deja Vu?

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Now I’m not the biggest EMS geek but two fellow Fire-EMS Bloggers have embarked on their own home-grown exchange student program that has proven to be pretty darn entertaining so far.

happyicon-50x50Justin “The Happy Medic” Schorr is hosting Mark “Medic 999“ Glencorse for eight days in San Francisco — the San Francisco Fire Department being Justin’s place of employment.

Medic999-50x50Following those eight days, Mark will swim home and  Justin will head to England a couple of days later to have tea and crumpets and a ride along with Mark. The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust being the place of Mark’s employment.

Their real-time information exchange is being chronicled across a variety of social media platforms so quickly that I think these two “world-apart paramedics” are feeling a little jet-lag.

Follow their adventures as they discover together that the more things are different – the more they are the same – at least when it comes to comparing cross-continental EMS delivery systems. 

Check out the full summary including links at: http://firecritic.com/2009/11/your-unofficial-guide-to-the-project/

And of course, visit the blogs of this “pair-a-medics” at http://www.happymedic.com and http://www.999medic.com for the latest posts, videos, photos and more.

PS – Their work is also being filmed for a pilot episode of a web series called Chronicles of EMS….stay tuned for more on that!

Posted by tiger on November 12, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Brotherhood, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, News, Patient Management, Public Relations • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s Time to get SAFER!

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SAFER LogoThis article is one in a series of toolkits focusing on recruitment, retention, fire service marketing and leadership.

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Are you SAFER than you were last year?

That is, did you submit a grant application under the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) “Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response” program for recruitment and retention?

If you didn’t, you missed out on a great opportunity to better your fire department, or in our case, the entire volunteer fire service in our region.

Here’s the good news. You get another chance. DHS just announced that the application period for the 2009 SAFER grants opens November 16, 2009. (more…)

Posted by tiger on November 1, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Clearinghouse, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Funding & Staffing, News, Public Relations, R&R Toolkits, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Please CO-operate. It’s a matter of life and death.

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Buffalo News Photo of 16-year old Amanda Hansen whose life was snuffed out by Carbon Monoxide - the silent killer

Buffalo News Photo of 16-year old Amanda Hansen whose life was snuffed out by Carbon Monoxide - the silent killer

This morning’s Buffalo News headline featured the photo of a bright, beautiful 16-year old girl with a promising future, her life snuffed out by a silent killer yesterday.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is colorless and odorless. It strikes with symptoms that could easily be mistaken for the flu. Small doses accumulated over time can be as dangerous as a prolonged exposure. Left undetected, there is potential for harm and death in almost every household in America.

Carbon Monoxide is a normal by-product of combustion. Natural gas fired appliances (stoves, boilers, hot water tanks, furnaces, etc.) give off carbon monoxide. So do wood burning stoves and fireplaces. However, under normal operating conditions and with sufficient ventilation, the CO does not accummulate to levels that can be dangerous to your health. (more…)

Posted by tiger on January 18, 2009 • Filed under: All Blogs, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Prevention & Education, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, HazMat, News, Safety • Tagged: ,

Part 3: Rockland County

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This article is one in a series of toolkits focusing on recruitment, retention, fire service marketing and leadership.

 

 

Earlier in our discussion of the clearinghouse approach to recruitment and retention, I outlined my theory that there are three levels of recruitment activities I’ve identified as “The Clearinghouse”; “T&E: Training and Education”; and lastly the “Trench Work.”

 

In discussing the clearinghouse concept, I stated my feelings that the role and responsibility of building awareness as to the need for volunteers falls on regional, state and federal fire service organizations or government itself.

 

So far we’ve discussed Pennsylvania’s revolutionary tactic to recruit new volunteers with www.rollwithit.com – their in-your-face movie trailer/music video targeting the next generation of first responders; and Erie County’s innovative efforts to ensure the survival and success of their 94 volunteer fire companies.

 

We’ve discussed some very creative approaches to addressing the recruitment and retention challenges of the volunteer fire service and what better way to continue this talk than to introduce you to Rockland County’s “Creative Approach to the Volunteer Fire Service” Committee. (more…)

Posted by tiger on November 11, 2008 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Clearinghouse, EMS Topics, Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, R&R Toolkits • Tagged: , , ,

Part 2: Samples of Success

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This article is one in a series of toolkits focusing on recruitment, retention, fire service marketing and leadership.

 

 

In Part 1 of our discussion of the clearinghouse approach to recruitment and retention, I outlined my theory that there are three levels of recruitment activities, three distinct angles of attack, if you will. I identified them as “The Clearinghouse”; “T&E: Training and Education”; and lastly the “Trench Work.”

 

In discussing the clearinghouse concept, I stated my feelings that the role and responsibility of building awareness as to the need for volunteers falls on regional, state and federal fire service organizations or government itself.

 

I introduced you to a revolutionary approach to recruiting new volunteers with www.rollwithit.com – the State of Pennsylvania’s high-tech, in-your-face movie trailer/music video targeting the next generation of EMS providers and first responders.

 

Here, I’ll introduce you to a few other successful campaigns in an effort to further demonstrate the value of attacking the R&R challenge at the highest level – the clearinghouse. (more…)

Posted by tiger on November 11, 2008 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Clearinghouse, EMS Topics, Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, R&R Toolkits • Tagged: , , ,

Part 1: What’s a Clearinghouse?

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In previous articles, I’ve attempted to present the fire service with real tools to use in improving their membership process and documentation including annual reports, prospective member guides and the interview process.

 

Recently, I’ve been working with a group of some 30 fire service leaders to offer solutions to the recruitment and retention challenges of their county’s fire service.

 

As part of that process, I’ve developed a three-tiered model to address what I call “recruitment and retention rescue and recovery operations.”

 

I call them “The Clearinghouse”; “T&E: Training and Education”; and lastly the “Trench Work” – where the hand-to-hand combat of recruitment and retention is won and lost.

 

For now, we’ll start to take a look at the bigger picture of recruitment and retention (R&R) problems and solutions. Here, we’ll talk about the top tier: the recruitment clearinghouse. (more…)

Posted by tiger on November 11, 2008 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Clearinghouse, EMS Topics, Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, R&R Toolkits • Tagged: , ,

Death Toll

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Here’s a hot topic that might set off some fireworks. Who knows, it might even incite a reader to leave a comment.

This is something very near and dear to me and something I feel very strongly about. I’ve wanted to write about this for a long time and a recent conversation with a friend prompted me to pick tonight to write it. And, now that I have the forum to do so, here goes.

I’ll be involved in at least two fire service funerals this week, and hopefully not a third but it’s quite possible.

In my role as Deputy Fire Coordinator, I’ve honestly probably attended perhaps hundreds of such funerals in my fire service career. We have more than 5,000 firefighters in our county, so that number isn’t probably too far off.

Let me start by saying that I mean absolutely no disrespect to any fire department for doing everything they can to honor their fallen brothers or sisters, regardless of the circumstances of their death, nor do I mean any disrespect to any brother firefighter who has gone before us, nor their family.

This is a topic that I have struggled with for quite some time and I’m frankly torn as to the right way to approach it. (more…)

Posted by tiger on November 11, 2008 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, All Blogs, Brotherhood, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Safety • Tagged: , , , ,
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