Although I never had the opportunity to meet or speak with the man, I was "in his presence" on a few short occasions and was always impressed by his talented writing abilities.

Today we mourn the loss of fire service and news world leader: Hal Bruno.

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The world is changing rapidly and the fire service is getting caught up in the tornado effect of technology on our society.

More and more fire departments are smartly using web sites, e-mail and social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter to recruit new firefighters and to stay connected to their community. There isn't much you can't do with a mobile device today that took a super-computer to do less than 30 years ago.

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a conversation with a large group of fire instructors titled: "From the Xbox to the Box Alarm" for the University of Kansas Fire and Rescue Institute wherein we discussed today's and tomorrow's generation of firefighters. The conversation focused not only on the challenges in understanding, motivating, training and leading this unique cadre of individuals, but also enlightened the participants as to the tremendous potential they possess for moving our fire service forward.

And, naturally, you can't have a conversation about today's generation of firefighters without discussing the importance of technology and the impact of social networking.

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Everybody Loves Sparky the Fire Dog!

Just as much as kids love firefighters, every kid (well, almost every kid) loves Sparky.

Recently I had the chance to catch some Run-to-the-Curb type kids interacting with their favorite Fire Dog, learning all about fire prevention and safety and making new friends. Thanks to Sparky, I’m sure these kids will be running to the curb to watch the fire trucks go by, just as soon as they’re old enough.

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This 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.

The deadline for filing completed applications will be December 18, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. EST.  As in previous years, the automated applications will be accessible from the Web site for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program at www.firegrantsupport.com/safer.

BIG MONEY – NO WHAMMIES!

The FY2009 SAFER program has approximately $210 million available for grants and the program guidance will hopefully be posted in the near future on the program’s Web site.

Last year I helped secure almost $1 million dollars in SAFER grants for local fire departments including a whopping $498,800 to fund recruitment efforts for our county chiefs association over the next two years.

The goal of our grant was to create the tools and resources necessary to make our fire departments successful in the fight for the volunteer fire service to survive and succeed.

It’s our estimation that there are two kinds of fire departments in our county: those who are experiencing an R&R problem – and those who are about to.

Thus, it only makes sense that a SAFER grant application be submitted that has a regional impact rather than multiple individual grants that create the environment for duplication and redundancy and inconsistent messaging. A county-based recruitment program promotes a unified front to the public, government, and the business community.

TRAVEL GUIDE:

If this year’s guidance is anything like last year’s, as you navigate the SAFER guidance document it clearly identified volunteer memberships with high turnover rates and high call volumes and populations served as grant priorities.

Having a recruitment plan that includes a coordinator and a solid marketing program; and projects that offer continuity and sustainability have a better chance of being successful. Projects that have a regional impact in lieu of a one dog–one bone like application improve your odds of winning.

The greatest thing about the SAFER grant is the flexibility in the allowable expenditures, which have included: Reimbursement for attending required basic training; marketing costs for recruiting; physical examinations; explorer and/or mentoring programs; staffing needs assessment; disability insurance; tuition assistance; length of service awards and other retirement benefits; and costs for administering the grant program respectively.

The guidance also spells out what’s not allowable. Historically cash awards for participation in activities other than those directly linked to operational services (responding to incidents, attending training, providing operational stand-by services) are not allowed.

It’s my belief that retention benefits = recruitment benefits. Inasmuch as different people join for different reasons, they stay committed for different reasons too.

Just as all emergencies start and end locally; so do the specific recruitment and retention challenges and applicable solutions of any given volunteer fire department. They need to be addressed accordingly.

SUSTAINABILITY:

One big challenge lies in the fact that the performance period for this grant is just four years.

Ultimately, SAFER Grants should be used as “seed funding” to reach the level of success that will serve as the justification for local funding in the years following the end of the grant performance period.

SHAKING THE DICE – MAYBE NEXT YEAR KID:

If you don’t apply this year, don’t worry. Providing the federal government sticks to its promise to fund the program – there’s always next year.

Personally, I’m not a betting man but given our current economic climate, I wouldn’t wait. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this “free money” program to perpetuate the volunteer fire service in America.

I’ll ask again: Are you SAFER? If you file an application this year or have done so in the past, I’d love to hear about it. Maybe we can feature your fire department in a future success story. If not, will you be SAFER next year? Start planning now for tomorrow’s success.

For a comprehensive offering of R&R resources, visit my blog at www.tigerschmittendorf.com. Click or call if you’re looking for ideas or want to volunteer your own. I’d love to hear your experiences.

Let me know how I can help.

Until next time… “Stay safe. Train often.”

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Note: Recruitment slogans, programs or themes described herein may be the copyrighted intellectual property of the author or other parties. Please contact the author before reprinting or using such content.

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Earlier 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.

THE FOURTH C: COMMUNITY
North Boston’s greatest success is built on the Fourth ‘C’ that some of us too often forget: Community.

North Boston has not only succeeded, but excelled at putting their community at the forefront of everything they do. That has never been more evident than it was at their dedication ceremony today where some 300 people from their community and the emergency services community came out to cheer them on in their new fire station.

They have mastered the art of involving and integrating their community in everything they do. The community they serve is the community they get support from. By clinging to all the right traditions of the fire service, they have triumphed at maintaining their status as the social epicenter of the North Boston community.

The community is there for them and with them at their pork dinners, fund drives, and $50,000 galas.

SOME MORE Cs:
There are some other C-words that come to mind when I think of the NBFC – the “Pride of the Valley.” I didn’t have to stray far to be reminded of what caring people they are when I stumbled across an auto accident as I left their fire station this afternoon. 

Two cars collided on Boston State Road right in front of me and just minutes from their new fire hall. They were quick to respond and took careful command of the situation, caring for the injured and bringing compassion to everyone involved.

Their beautiful new fire station now stands as not only a cornerstone of their community – but also as a centerpiece. Tastefully designed and constructed, the new fire facility fits perfectly into the neighborhood and proudly represents the men and women of the fire company who stand ready to serve their community 24/7 — 365 days a year.

A few more Cs come to mind: Congratulations, Celebrate and Challenge. Congratulations to North Boston Firefighters and the North Boston community on coming together to construct a new fire station that will serve your community for the next 105 years.

I challenge you to continue celebrating your service to each other. Celebrate your accomplishments together. Celebrate all that is right about your community. Celebrate the North Boston Volunteer Fire Company’s new fire station and all that it represents.

I always feel welcome when I’m with the North Boston Volunteer Fire Company and I thank them for the friendship they have extended to me.

Now, that’s cause to celebrate!

Check out all of the photos I took today at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerschmittendorf/

Click here to return to FirefighterNation.

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Erie County Fire Chiefs Awarded $500k Recruitment Grant
- Offer Opportunities for You to Get Involved

The Erie County Fire Chiefs Mutual Aid Organization, in collaboration
with the Erie County Division of Fire Safety, are pleased to announce
that they have been awarded a $498,800 SAFER-Staffing for Adequate
Emergency Response grant by the US Department of Homeland Security
specifically to enhance the recruitment and retention of volunteer
firefighters in Erie County.

The performance period for the grant is from April 30, 2009 to April 29,
2011 and includes funding for web development, mass marketing and public
events, and scholarship opportunities for new and existing volunteer
firefighters.

The Erie County Fire Chiefs are looking for young (and young at heart),
creative, tech-savvy, energetic and dedicated firefighters to get
involved in this ground floor opportunity to help chart the future of
the volunteer fire service in Erie County.

If you or someone you know are interested in learning more and getting
involved in this exciting opportunity, you are invited to attend a
“pitch-session” meeting scheduled for Thursday-June 4, 2009 at 6pm in
the Erie County Emergency Services Training and Operations Center in
Cheektowaga.

Although walk-ins are welcome, we ask that you RSVP via phone or e-mail
to the Fire Safety Office.  We look forward to seeing you there.

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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.

It’s when there is insufficient ventilation, incomplete combustion or a lopsided air to fuel mixture that problems occur. Such was the case with the hot water boiler that is believed to be responsible for Amanda Hansen’s death as she slept on a basement floor with her best friend and fellow swim team mate.

There are lots of steps to take in preventing its build-up, but the most important safety tool is a Carbon Monxide detector.

They’re not cheap but they are affordable, depending on the value you put on your life or that of your family. And, they are readily available at your local hardware store and even in many supermarkets, so there’s really no excuse for not having one.

Every house needs at least one and the best place to install them is closest to a potential source of CO build-up (gas or wood burning appliances) AND closest to where you’ll hear them.  The more the better. They’re designed to alert you long before readings reach deadly levels.

I’ve listed some resources that will help you understand what CO is and tell you lots of ways you can keep safe from Carbon Monoxide poisoning. But, all of this information is useless without a CO detector installed in your home.

So, I’m asking you this one favor, actually I’m begging you: Please CO-operate by purchasing a CO detector for your home today. Don’t wait. Don’t put it off until tomorrow, for as this most recent tragedy teaches us, tomorrow could be too late.

It’s a matter of life and death.

Buffalo News Article: http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/552790.html

Carbon Monoxide Safety Information -

EPA – http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/coftsht.html

US Fire Administration – http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/co/index.shtm

CDC – http://www.cdc.gov/co/

Home Safety Council – http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/safety_guide/sg_co_w001.aspx

Home Safe – http://www.homesafe.com/coalert/

Links to other Fire & Life Safety Sites – http://www.erie.gov/fire

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Chief Billy Goldfeder

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) has secured volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention specialist Tiger Schmittendorf as part of a round-table presentation at their 2009 Convention in Niagara Falls, NY.

Schmittendorf will join Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, host of FirefighterCloseCalls.com; J. Gordon Routley, who oversaw the inquiry into the Charleston Sofa Store firefighter fatalities; and Phoenix Fire Department Chief (Ret.) Alan Brunacini, who is largely credited with promoting customer service in the fire service as we know it today.

The four-man team will culminate what promises to be a day of lively, informative and even entertaining presentations at the FASNY convention on August 20, 2009. The panel will field questions from the audience and will discuss everything from firefighter safety to firefighting as a service industry.

“Some of the biggest names in the fire service are on that list and I’m just glad to be in the same room with them,” said Tiger Schmittendorf. “I’m humbled that FASNY would include me amongst these fire service leaders. I look forward to engaging in a conversation with them.”

For more information about the presentation and the convention, stay tuned to FASNY.com for details.

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I often coach fire officers and public officials at incident scenes as how to best deliver difficult news. While I encourage them to focus on the role of the rescuers – not the victims, showing respect and concern for all those affected by the tragedy is very important as we speak publicly. This uncomfortable situation is one that any of us could be faced with at any time.

Such was the case on the early morning of New Year’s Day in the City of Tonawanda NY. Despite heroic efforts to reach her, a young female died in this residential structure fire. I know firsthand how these events can have a profound impact on you and your outlook on life.

As I do most information, I viewed this news story through three different sets of eyes. As a citizen, I was deeply affected by the loss of life in our community, especially by fire, and felt badly for those whose lives were changed by it.

As a firefighter, I felt empathy for my brothers who struggled to make a rescue but were unsuccessful, and the pain they endure as being a part of this tragic scene. I think that viewpoint is often overlooked, especially in the media.

As a fire service leader, I objectively examined the way the fire department handled the emergency and how the outcomes were communicated. Frankly, I think Tonawanda Fire Chief Chuck Stuart gave an honest interview and did an excellent job of conveying the facts while showing respect for the victim’s family. Watch the video and let me know what you think.

I struggle to write about these things while emotions are running high. In doing so, my intent is not to be disrespectful or insensitive to those involved, but simply to share my observations and take advantage of a possible teaching moment for anyone else who might find themselves in a similar situation, in front of the camera in the heat of the moment, the next time the siren sounds.

As always, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was touched by this death, including the undoubtedly frustrated firefighters who responded to their call for help.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Fatal_fire_claims_one_life_090101

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/northernsuburbs/story/538155.html
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/northernsuburbs/story/538975.html
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/northernsuburbs/story/538992.html

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I’m not one to regurgitate information. I don’t do a lot of pass through e-mails. And I certainly don’t perpetuate “Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Some inane subject matter” e-mails like so many copy-and-paste-challenged people do.

But some things bear repeating. Some things strike you so profoundly, so succintly, that you simply feel obligated to pass it along, even if so many others have done so already.

This is one of those occasions. I’m re-publishing (with permission) this excerpt of an e-mail from my good friend and mentor Billy Goldfeder. It’s from his not-so-secret Secret List at FirefighterCloseCalls.com. If you don’t subscribe to it, you’re either out of touch or you don’t care about our brother firefighters getting hurt and dead.

This one hurts to the bone. Read it. Re-read it. Make adjustments to your life and fire service operations as appropriate.

Stay safe. Train often. Happy New Year!

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SCREAMING PAIN
 
Sometimes people drop off TSL because they disagree with our occasional commentary or rare cynicism. We’ll miss you. Really. But sometimes it is for reasons that rip right through your heart. Sometimes the reason is because of “screaming pain” that will just not go away. This is one “Dear Chief” letter we received from a man who has a very strong life-long right to be very un-happy. His letter starts and ends in quotes, as follows, he wrote:

“…….First of all Happy New Year!
 
I wanted to tell you why I am doing what I’m doing. Huh?…. You say?
I will be taking my name off the Secret List.  I’ve had it with the idiots out there in the fire service.
It is too depressing and aggravating reading what is reported. I buried my Firefighting Son 10 years ago in a LODD and no one can tell me why.  This is about the same time I hooked up with your Secret List e-mailing. I’ve read your informational notes in Close Calls and share your site with my FF friends. It makes me sick to read what Firefighters do when the adrenalin is flowing strong and then again, when it isn’t. 

=Limited or no PPE (while operating interior) ?
=Heart Attacks with elderly Firefighters (who are operating on the scene) ?

Why in God’s creation are we allowing people with over 50 years experience in the fire service still responding to (and operating at) emergency calls?  Studies show time and time again how stressful this job is on a healthy (and young) body. In most cases we are asking for trouble.

You want to decrease cardiac arrest in the fire service? Start with family history, then physicals (weight control!), then mandatory stress classes in every firehouse. Most of these issues, I am sure, happen on the volunteer side of the fire service. Which I know (the excuses of) it being ”tough” to regulate when the volunteer population is dangerously decreasing.
 
I did a talk a couple years ago for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.  It was a make shift talk since I had little time to prepare, but tried to get through it for the cause. So I spoke from my heart as I went. Whether it was right or not, I started my talk with these Firefighters with:
 
==”What if you get a call at three in the morning from an IC, or you answer the door at home to see a Fire Chief with tears in his eyes to tell you what just happened to your (Firefighter) Son or Daughter?”
 
==”Or you answer your door to hear your (Firefighter) Mother &/or Father just died in a fire.”
==”What if you were the Fire Chief having to make that call? What if you were the Fire Chief making that call knowing the injury or death was preventable. 
What if….CHIEF?

Making sure the equipment is ready does not end in the FD bays.  If an Engine has trouble starting or is unsafe we either must fix it or retire it, because it may cause injury or death. If an engine does not go where we want it to (brakes, tires, mechanical systems), we leave it in the bays until we fix what is wrong. Never use apparatus that isn’t 100%.

My point? 

I have been a Firefighter for over 15 years and I watched the Mother of my Son sob and cry at our Son’s, our Firefighter Son’s funeral. His brothers cried. We all cried. And as his Dad, I cried so uncontrollably for months wondering why it wasn’t me that was killed-instead of my child, Joey.  It should have been me that was killed.  Fathers aren’t supposed to bury their children. I went to Emmittsburg as a Father and listened to other LODD Fathers. I’ve shared your information with my people ever since I started reading it.  There is always something to learn and share.  So, your objective is working.

But…

Personally, I can’t read about the incompetence, or lack of leadership at some fire departments anymore without wanting to throw something or just sitting down and staring at a wall. It just hurts too much.
 
God Bless. Be Safe, Matt….”

(end of his letter)
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR. Some letter, huh?
 
I’ll bet that each of you said “HAPPY NEW YEAR” to someone last night. Some of you may have actually MEANT that. Some of you may have meant it as much as when the cop who gives you a ticket says “Have a Nice Day”. Thanks Officer-I will be sure to. But just in case SOME of you actually MEANT “Happy New Year” …and may be interested in applying some JUDGMENT…so that maybe we have, at least, a BETTER New Year…here are just a few GOOD JUDGMENT items that might help:
 
-Be personally prepared for the run when the tones go off. Healthy? Eating right? Medical physicals? Is your gear set? Where are your personal tools? Does your light and radio work? Apply some heartfelt judgment.
 
-Driving to or on the run?  Who is qualified to drive? Should “they” be driving? How are they driving? Slow enough to control the rig? Red lights? Stop signs? Is everyone seat belted or would you rather take a chance at slamming into the windshield and being ejected? A little judgment fixes this and avoids you being on the ICU vent until your family decides what to do with you.
 
-Enough staffing on the 1st alarm to provide water, stretch lines, vent, search, stretch more lines, rescue, supervise inside and all 4 sides outside while tracking all of your FF’s? Any less FF’s responding on the 1st alarm than what is calculably needed is predictably poor judgment. You can’t “do” a 25-30 Firefighter fire with 10 Firefighters and expect it to work well. We lose. The fire wins.
Civilians get killed. We do too.
Better judgment in planning staffing (including auto-mutual aid if that’s what it takes) and response appropriate alarm assignments makes it predictably much better. There were many examples of that in 2008.
 
-Size Up.  Several of the most horrific single family dwelling fire injuries and LODD’s in 2008 were because of poor judgment, specifically with incomplete or non-existent size up. Our response, resources, personnel and equipment must match the worse case scenario potential of what is reported. And we DO know what that is before have the emergency-if we wanna know. Pre-plan your buildings or neighborhoods. Good judgment gets us out of the firehouse and into the field to see what will be on fire soon.
 
-We ALL Want To Go in.  That’s why we joined. Most times we go in and should. But sometimes we can’t go in immediately. Sometimes we must wait or do something other than interior. Sometimes we don’t go in. We all hate that, but judgment applies. For example, when half of the light weight wood truss structure is well involved, we can’t always go in. A decent judgment thought is that when there is no real indication of people trapped, and a significant amount of the house is involved, we may want to focus on getting water on the fire. Get it flowing from the best vantage point asap before working on anything else that “might” be a problem. Maybe interior. Maybe not. Use good judgment in using what you have on the scene at that time to identify, slow down or fix the fire problem. Deal with what we KNOW vs. what if’s or what might be.

“But…but…but what if someone MIGHT be in there!?”

Most times the solution is to put the fire out. Get water on the fire. Quickly.
 
Look. If any of this is new to you, then you better be a probie. Otherwise, this is stuff we know. Sometimes we just need a reminder. Sometimes we need to be smacked on the helmet-like Joey’s Dad did to us above. And sometimes we need to be reminded that good judgment is a major ingredient to determining if you, them, us and we get to continue to go to fires.
 
Good judgment coupled with fire experience and training, in most cases, fixes problems. It can usually help avoid them. Not all-we said ”most” cases. We can’t forget that …SOMETIMES Firefighters must absolutely take risks when Mom is on the lawn screaming the kids are inside. Sometimes firefighters must risk (and sometimes give) our lives when the risk is pretty clear and good judgment is applied. When the size-up indicators are there…and when we have experienced and trained Firefighters and Fire Officers involved: Our judgment and the risks our Firefighters sometimes take usually pays off without creating any screaming pain for Firefighters parents, spouses, kids …or anyone else.
 
On behalf of Gordon, Brian, Forest, Chris, Barry and Rudy, we wish each of you and your families a happy, healthy and peaceful 2009.
Take Care,
BillyG
The Secret List 1-1-09 / 2020 hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

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