I am often reluctant to write about commercial business ventures in my blogs and other platforms as I am sensitive to the trusted relationship between a writer and their readers, and leary about self-promotion. Thus I have delayed writing this post for quite some time.

It wasn’t until I came to the realization that this is not about me or what I’m involved in as much as it is about you – my readers, followers and the fire service at large – that I felt the timing was right for sharing this exciting news.

Earlier this year I was invited by my long time and good friends Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert to share in their vision for tipping the traditional training program on its head. Dave and Chris have a knack for surrounding themselves with inspired people and a solid reputation for bringing innovative and successful solutions to the fire service community, so it wasn’t much of a tough sell for me to join them and the other members of their team at the table.

The conversations were very indepth and engaging, even sparring at points, but all with a common goal in mind: to bring a new and exciting approach to providing training for firefighters and first responders. As I looked around the room, I saw a tremendous amount of passion and caring for getting this right.

It wasn’t long before I was hooked and signed on as chief of training, charged with driving the direction of the educational content of their new conference concept.

So what’s this new idea, this next best thing? It’s called Go>Forward Fire and I will introduce it from three different perspectives. For everyone involved, it’s an exciting new venture in firefighter and leadership training from the same industry leaders who created FirefighterNation, FireEMS Blogs, and the original Firehouse.com.

From a fire service perspective, Go>Forward Fire offers “a conference in a box” solution to fire departments, training associations and related organizations looking for the opportunity to bring a national level conference to their neighborhood. Partnering with local fire service organizations, we work with you to tailor the content and agenda to your local needs and then bring top notch presenters and instructors to your region. Oh yeah, and we handle the logistics and marketing too.

All we ask is that you help spread the word and provide your honest input before, during and after the conference. What you get in return is the caliber of training you would normally pay big bucks and have to travel significant distances for and we bring it all to you in an affordable way so as to maximize the return on your training investment.

For conference participants, Go>Forward Fire is not your typical instructor-student interaction. These are not one-time events – but the start of an ongoing conversation and a life-long series of knowledge and experience exchanges. By engaging both the student and the instructor before, during and after each training event, Go>Forward Fire expands the relationship between the student and the instructor like never before with meaningful social and professional connections in a truly immersive learning environment.

While that may sound like a marketing pitch (It is. I wrote it.), as a Go>Forward Fire student, I assure you that you’ll enjoy an unprecedented level of access to some of the most experienced and emerging talent in the fire service. Once a G>FF participant – always a G>FF participant as far as we’re concerned.

This isn’t about how many PowerPoint slides we can glaze your cornea with or how many pounds of handouts we send you home with – it’s about the conversation. As I say in the disclaimers shared at the beginning of each of my presentations, I don’t care if we never leave the first slide as long as you’re satisfied with the direction your training goes in. It’s all about you.

As an instructor, joining our teaching team means that you’ll benefit from the opportunity to link to your students and other instructors in not only an integrated and intimate classroom setting, but also on the training ground, during meet-ups, through blogs, articles, videos, podcasts, commentary, webcasts, online learning and a growing list of social media connections all under one training network.

I’ve spoken and participated at more than a few conferences in my career. This is not your typical fly-in, do your stand-up routine and fly-out kind of gig. Not only do we offer more interaction, we insist on it. Teaching with us is not for everyone – only the most engaged and engaging.

This is the sharing opportunity you’ve been waiting for. The opening to truly coach and mentor the future of the fire service. The chance to have a deep and lasting impact on our emergency services community.  This is an innovative 360° approach to training our replacements and future leaders.

While the term may have already become cliché in the fire service, our overall goal is to be the kitchen table of conferences – not the kitchen sink. Our teaching team is comprised of many of the familiar names you know and plenty of names you’re going to want to get to know.

Accomplished fire service leaders like Chiefs Alan Brunacini, Tim Sendelbach, Chris Naum, Ed Hadfield, Dennis Rubin and Rich Gasaway; and up and coming instructors like Lt. Matthew McDowell from Bluffton Twp. South Carolina, Lt. Chris Sterricker from Suburban Chicago, Lt. Paul Hasenmeier from Huron Twp. Ohio and Training Officer John Shafer from Greencastle, Indiana will provide their keen insight to every firefighter, officer and chief participating. Their national presence will be balanced with local talent like St. Louis Fire Department Captain Nick Morgan and Chiefs Tony Correia and Ed Kensler from New Jersey and Chief Greg Jakubowski from Bucks County PA.

We’re very excited that several familiar bloggers will step away from their keyboards long enough to share their experiences in person, including Dave Statter from Statter911.com, John Mitchell – editor of FireDaily.com, Mike Ward, co-editor of FireGeezer.com, Jason Hoevelmann of FirefightersEnemy.com and Mick Mayers, author of FirehouseZen.com. You know that their conversational style of writing will translate well into the classroom conversation.

Something I’m most proud of is our following through on my vision of strengthening the connection between the fire service and the military. Marine Corps Sergeant and Volunteer Firefighter Jason Ferris will provide a keynote address titled: “It’s not a mission statement – it’s a calling” drawing on the common values our two institutions share. Furthermore, we’ll be donating $5 from each conference package purchased to the support the important work of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Making the team rock-solid are Brotherhood Instructors providing the intense hands-on components of each conference. Curt and Nate DeMarse, Andrew Brassard, Kevin Legacy, Chris Collier and their team of seasoned veterans from volunteer, career and combination departments across the United States and Canada will relate their vast and relevant experiences in a way that every firefighter can understand, regardless of the type of system or community they work in.

And, if you’ve ever been part of a good training experience, you know that some of the greatest value you take away from it is in the informal networking that takes place between classes. With Go>Forward Fire, those connections start inside and extend well beyond the classroom and on the training ground, not just during the breaks.

As our tag line says, Go>Forward Fire is the evolution of firefighter and leadership training, breaking down the barriers of the traditional classroom environment, creating long-lasting conversations and relationships that will undoubtedly make a difference in how we go forward in the future fire service. And here’s the best part: we’re going to have fun doing it – a lot of fun!

I’m so excited about this new training venture that I’m not sure I can adequately put it in words. I guess you’ll have to experience it for yourself to truly understand its impact.

While I am proud to be invited to be a part of this team, I’d be even more flattered if you’d consider joining us at one of our inaugural events planned this fall; or to attend or host one of the several new events we have in the works for 2012 and beyond.

Check out our conference details at www.goforwardtraining.com and tell them I sent you when you register. Use the promo code “SCHMITTENDORF” to take advantage of an added 10% discount on your conference costs.

Don’t worry, I’m not trading off any of my other ventures such as my feature writing here at TigerSchmittendorf.com, my story-telling at Run-to-the-Curb and FirefighterStorytellers; or my coaching at FireRECRUITER.com. And for those of you keeping score at home, I have no intention of giving up my full time gig serving as deputy fire coordinator in Erie County.

This is just another dot to be connected in my life-long quest to Go>Forward in the fire service. Thanks for riding along.

Stay safe. Train often.

Tiger Schmittendorf
Chief of Training
Go>Forward Fire

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Box 191 stands as a memorial to the five Buffalo Firefighters who were killed in a propane explosion on December 27, 1983

A year ago I wrote an article titled “A December to Remember” to remind us of our obligation to be better story tellers, for prosperity’s sake — and for safety’s sake. Earlier today, Chicago and the rest of the fire service buried the first of two firefighters killed in the line of duty on the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Stockyard Fire that killed 21 firefighters.

Given recent events and all the heartache they’ve brought, I’m not sure that December is a month to remember but instead, it’s one we’d like to forget.

Last night I had the privilege of joining some 50 firefighters and civilians as they stood in the cold at the corner of Grosvenor and North Division Streets in the City of Buffalo to remember an event that claimed the lives of five of Buffalo’s bravest. Surrounded by those drawn to the small memorial erected at the site, Division Chief Don McFeeley stood in the center of the intersection and retold the story of that fateful night when a propane tank exploded inside a warehouse — shattering windows, throwing debris and burning buildings across twelve city blocks.

Two civilians were also killed in the explosion that tossed and crushed the first responding Engines 1 and 32, and Ladder 5 like they were Tonka toys. He told how fate spared the crew of Ladder 2 responding from downtown as they got hung up on snowbank as they turned a corner a few blocks from the scene. Rescue 1 and Engine 3 inadvertently turned down a wrong street a block away from the blast, saving their crews from almost certain death.

Standing next to Chief McFeeley was Chief (Ret.) Jack Supple, whose brother Harvey was the first chief on location. We were standing in the exact spot in the street where Harvey was standing when he radioed for a second alarm assignment after being impaled by a piece of debris sticking out of his neck, causing a near fatal wound.

The year was 1983 and some of the firefighters present at the brief and informal ceremony last night were not even born, let alone in the fire department when the explosion happened. I was 19 at the time but remember it like it was yesterday.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to interview one of the firefighters who was there that fateful night. Pat Coghlan was a lieutenant on Engine 33 which responded on the fourth alarm. He recounted that experience and the deep impact it left on him on my Firefighter Storytellers radio show broadcast live from the Buffalo Fire Historical Museum. A young firefighter named Mike Lombardo was on his crew that night. Mike went on to be commissioner of the Buffalo Fire Department and just retired as a battalion chief earlier this month. Mike wrote a firsthand account of the incident titled: The Explosion for Firehouse.com in 2002.

Pat Coghlan was there at the ceremony last night as he has been every year since the explosion, along with his family and widows of the slain firefighters. It was an honor to honor those fallen brothers in front of alarm box 191 — flanked by flowers, flags and a marker reminding us that we have an obligation to remember that Buffalo Firefighters Michael Austin, Michael Catanzaro, Matthew Colpoys, James Lickfield and Anthony Waskielewicz answered their last alarm at that spot.

At exactly 8:23pm last evening, a Buffalo Fire Department dispatcher transmitted Box 191: “Twenty-seven years ago on this date, December 27th 1983, at 20:23 hours, five of our brothers responded to their last alarm. We invite all members of the department and all those monitoring this announcement to observe a moment of silence in their memory, and in the memory of all who have died in the line of duty.”

Despite these darkest days, the brotherhood of the fire service perseveres stronger than ever as we look forward with hope for the brighter days that only a new year can bring.

Links in this post:

• A December to Remember - http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/12/03/a-december-to-remember/#
• Run-to-the-Curb: Pat Coghlan – http://runtothecurb.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/fire-nerd-pat-coghlan/
• Firefighter Storytellers Radio Show with Pat Coghlan – http://www.firefighternetcast.com/2010/12/christmas-characters-firefighter-storytellers-128/
• Firefighter Storytellers – Show video courtesy of the Erie County Fire Blotter – http://eriecountyfireblotter.com/?p=4837
• The Explosion: Firsthand account by Buffalo Fire Dept. Chief (Ret.) Mike Lombardo at Firehouse.com – http://www.firehouse.com/news/line-duty-deaths/explosion
• Photos and video from last night’s memorial service – Courtesy of Jim Herr Sr. of the Erie County Fire Blotter – http://eriecountyfireblotter.com/?p=5029&show=gallery
• WIVB-TV – Firefighters remember N. Division St. explosion-12/28/10 – http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/buffalo/Firefighters-remember-North-Division-Street-explosion
• WIVB-TV Archive – 2009 Story on Fallen Firefighters -http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/News4_Archive_Division_Street_explosion_20090825
• WIVB-TV Archived Video from the night of the explosion -http://www.wivb.com/dpp/search/Darkest_day_of_firefighting_in_Buffalo_20090825
• Box 191:  Excellent article by Christopher Naum at The Company Officer – http://thecompanyofficer.com/2010/12/27/buffalo-box-191-north-division-december-27-1983/
• Remembering 5 Buffalo Firefighters Killed 27 Years Ago Today: Fire-Rescue Magazine article on FirefighterNation.com – http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/remembering-5-buffalo

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My Three-Part Risk Management Plan: Alex, Laurie and Kathleen

Despite the fact that I wrote this piece for Fire-Rescue Magazine last year, I’m pretty sure its content is still relevant as we ponder recent and not so recent events during Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/usfa-reminds-you-that….

As I stated in comments to another blog by John Mitchell (www.firedaily.com) titled: “The Charleston 43″ (http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/the-charleston-43) — if we don’t make these incidents personal to us, incidents like these have the unique ability to quickly become personal for us.

Thus, I present for your review, a re-post of “Make It Personal” http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/09/07/make-it-personal/

Let me know what you think of the piece and what you’re doing to make Safety Week 2010 personal for you.

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The Volunteer and Combination Officers Section of the IAFC recently released a new and long overdue guideline focusing on the proper and safe operation of fire department youth programs.

It holds something for everyone including chief officers, youth leaders, fire department administration, parents, support liaisons and the youth themselves.

Read more at FireRecruiter.com>>>

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I opened up Internet Explorer where my home page is literally my home page: www.tigerschmittendorf.com and I clicked on the FireEMS Blogs icon in the upper left hand corner to see what my fellow bloggers were up to tonight.

I was drawn to a blog from the “Raising Ladders” site that caught my eye, titled: “Finally, a first due job… and a pretty good one, at that.” I didn’t think much of the title when I first read it until I got into the rest of the story. It was the author’s first real working fire in his career.

His story, along with my story telling experiences earlier in the evening, got me to thinking: “I remember my first time…”

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Buffalo radio station WBEN-930AM listeners have overwhelming chosen the first responders to the crash of Continental Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, NY on February 12, 2009 as their “Persons-of-the-Year.”

READ THE FULL STORY:

http://www.wben.com/The-2009-WBEN-Persons-Of-The-Year—/5984262

Personal Note:

It’s been almost a year since the crash and I haven’t shared this personal story yet, but this is probably a good time to do so:

The night of the crash I was watching a movie with my 16-year old son Alex when my alpha-pager went off, as it does pretty frequently in our business. Thinking it was possibly another administrative message or perhaps a more routine event, I almost couldn’t believe what I was reading when I looked at my pager that told me: “Alert 3: Plane crash into a house.”

My kids will verify that we rarely swear in front of them. Foul language is unacceptable in our house. My involuntary response to the pager message was: “Holy S***!” Alex immediately sensed something and asked me “What’s wrong Dad?”

I said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I’m going to a plane crash.” I grabbed my laptop backpack and my go-bag for extended deployments and headed out the door.

When I arroved on scene I thought from what I saw that the entire neighborhood was burning — but it wasn’t. The fire was contained to just one house, one property.

The plane came down and the fire went straight up. The house “absorbed” the entire plane. That’s the only way I can describe what I saw.

It barely touched the homes on either side. It was truly amazing. I credit that to the leadership and proficiency of the Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company and their mutual aid partners.

The dedication demonstrated in their search and suppression efforts would be matched over the next week by the commitment of their ladies auxiliary in feeding and caring for more than 500 responders for three meals a day, for eight days straight.

Their sense of purpose permeated to the more than 1,200 first responders and emergency response professionals involved in the recovery effort that brought this small 100-year old community back to some sense of at least physical normalcy, in an astonishing eleven days.

I credit Clarence Center Chief Dave Case with literally saving the lives of his people. As suppression efforts were winding down he made the conscious decision to not involve his firefighters in the recovery process. Not that they weren’t capable of coping with it, but the plane landed just a few doors down from their firehouse, just over 700 ft. away.

Their mission was personal. As I’ve said many times while making presentations about this event, “It’s not like this plane was flying from Newark to Chicago and dropped out of the sky in Clarence Center. It was flying from Newark to Clarence Center.” There were few folks involved in the operation who didn’t have a personal connection to the crash, who weren’t somehow affected.

Thus, the “Three-Cs” of: Coordination, Communication and Cooperation were enhanced and enveloped by what I call the Fourth-C: “Community. ”

The Clarence and Western New York community rallied around those lost in the crash, those who suffered loss and those who cared for everyone affected by this tremendous tragedy. The outpouring was overwhelming but not unpredictable for this close-knit and resilient community.

As one federal official – a former resident of the area – shared with me at the scene, “I told my mother I was going to Buffalo because there’d been a plane crash. She responded by telling me that I would experience two things: ‘You’ll get all the cooperation you need… and you’ll be fed really well.’ She was right on both counts.”

Although there are many aspects of this experience that I cannot share in this forum, I just want to congratulate all those involved in the daunting response and recovery effort.

While still a horrible disaster with reminders that will loom in our community for a very long time, this recognition is a well deserved honor nonetheless. You have much to be proud of and I am proud to serve with you.

Stay safe. Train often.

RELATED:

From TigerSchmittendorf.com –

• 3407
• Clean the Litterbox
• Make It Personal

Memorial Sites:

• http://3407memorial.com/
• http://3407fundraiser.com/

From FirefighterNation –

• http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/flight-3407-responders
• http://www.firefighternation.com/main/search/search?q=3407
• http://www.firefighternation.com/main/search/search?q=CONTINENTAL+C…
• http://www.firefighternation.com/main/search/search?q=CLARENCE+CENT…

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I stumbled across this post from FireCritic (Fire-EMS Blog Network) and was dumbstruck. I haven’t thought of John Jordan in a long, long time.

In May of 1994, as Managing Editor of The Fire Fighter Newspaper and as a guest of VFIS, I and three other local firefighters (Dave Sherman, Jim Guy and Ric Dimpfl) traveled to Washington DC to attend the National Fire & Emergency Services Congressional Caucus Dinner coordinated by the Congressional Fire Services Institute.

Several hours before the dinner started and before I ever met him, John Jordan taught me a very valuable lesson: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

We were at breakfast at the Washington Hilton and this mountain of a man sat at a table across from us. With his scruffy beard and dressed in a flannel shirt and suspenders, I quipped:  “Now, there’s a volunteer firefighter if I’ve ever seen one.” Little did I know that I would be eating those words for dinner later that evening.

We spent the day visiting Washington landmarks and made our way back to the hotel. Passing through the heavy security, we were seated with a good vantage point near the center of the room full of probably 500 people or more. We enjoyed a nice meal and conversation and waited for the program to start.

After some introductions and opening remarks, Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Curt Weldon described the work of a volunteer firefighter from Bristol, Rhode Island who had been supporting firefighters in war-torn Bosnia. Following a detailed description of his work, the much-lauded firefighter stepped to the podium.

It was John Jordan, the mountain of a man with the scruffy beard, dressed in a flannel shirt and suspenders, that we had sat across from at breakfast. Boy, was I embarassed. Open mouth — insert foot.

He told of firefighters, many of them volunteers, fighting fires in raincoats and sneakers — while being shot at. Could you imagine? Fighting the fires was the least dangerous part of their job. Just trying to stay alive was the most challenging part. Despite the constant threat of Serbian gun and mortar fire, they perservered and did their jobs.

It turns out that the only thing bigger than John Jordan’s shoulders was his heart. We listened to their stories, embraced their mission and joined the relief effort and gained new friends in doing so. As a result of our exposure to this problem half-a-world away, we started a local relief effort for “Firefighters Under Fire.” We didn’t know much about the conflict or the politics of it all, nor did we care. It was just about helping fellow firefighters. It was just about the brotherhood.

I’m proud to say that our county’s firefighters (Erie County NY) sent more gear and equipment than any other county in the US at the time.  We were recognized in the Congressional Record by then-Congressman Jack Quinn as a result of our efforts.

Returning to the dinner the following year, we had the pleasure of hearing and meeting the Chief of the Sarajevo Fire Brigade that John had worked with. A few months later, we received word that, like many of his firefighters, the chief had been assasinated. We stayed in touch with John and his group for a few years after that but eventually lost touch.

I’ve often thought about what their situation is like now. I haven’t kept up on events in that part of the world nor the path of  John Jordan. Regardless, he remains a hero to me today.

My personal thanks to FireCritic for reminding me of one of the most rewarding missions I’ve ever had the honor to be involved in.

Here’s the direct link to the YouTube video in case, like me, you can’t watch from the FireCritic site:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhCCheLSz5M

To learn more about John Jordan and his incredible story, click here.

PS – I have some old news articles and background info about this whole experience. I’ll dig it up and add it here.

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I’m not big on forwarding for the sake of forwarding; or just regurgitating information in an effort to build traffic to a web site.

However, my good friend Billy Goldfeder sent out a broadcast yesterday that deserves sharing. His efforts were followed up by a newsletter distribution from the USFA Coffee Break that highlighted similar events.

These stories and Billy’s comments remind us of our obligation to be better story tellers, for prosperity’s sake — and for safety’s sake. It also reminds us that we have an obligation to those we love, those who are making the real sacrifices every time we leave home to go do what we love. Those we are obligated to do everything in our mind and power to go home to after every call.

May we never forget all those lost in these Decembers to Remember.

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This is from today’s USFA Coffee Break eNewsletter:

Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the cold storage warehouse fire in Worcester, Massachusetts, where six firefighters died searching for reported victims.

In honor of the Worcester firefighters, and all other men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty, the National Fire Academy today offers a new Coffee Break Training special feature: Coffee Break Training – Special Blend.  Throughout the year, on the anniversary of multiple firefighter fatality events, we will publish a special Coffee Break Training to recognize their sacrifices and provide tips to prevent a reoccurence of the tragedy.

So tomorrow, to honor those six firefighters, why not take the tips from this Special Blend and make some improvements in your community that will make all first responders safer?  The Special Blend can be found at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/sb_2009_1203.pdf 

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And here’s an excerpt from Billy’s e-mail reminding us to remember all of our brothers lost in Decembers past. Maybe because one of these events happened in my own home town is the reason I feel compelled to share these stories.

Each December, there are some very significant dates for the fire service, worthy of note and well worth discussion with Firefighters-especially your younger ones. For example, every Firefighter should well familiar with the multi LODD loss in Buffalo (NY) when 5 BFD Ladder 5 Firefighters (and 2 civilians) were killed in a propane explosion in December 1983. And that’s just one example.

(TIGER: I can remember that night like it was yesterday. I was in my sister’s apartment in North Buffalo, probably 3 miles or better from the blast site, when it shook the house. I remember making a smart-alec comment about stuff falling off the walls, but it wasn’t for quite a while that we learned what caused that uncommon disruption.)

As we now approach December 2009, we remember that 10 YEARS AGO (December of 1999), there were also 2 very significant multi-LODD fires that we must remember.

The first is the Worcester Cold Storage fire that occurred on December 3, 1999. The second, discussed below, is the loss of 3 Firefighters in Keokuk, Iowa.

 Read all the info at: http://firefighterclosecalls.com/fullstory.php?97100

The above information-and plenty from many other resources and websites as well-provides each of us with an opportunity to share:

-so younger Firefighters understand our history.

-so we all are reminded of the losses.

-so we learn from the lessons learned.

-and so we can honor the WFD and KFD members who gave their lives in the Line of Duty.

Take Care-BE CAREFUL.

PLEASE READ AND PRINT OFF ALL OF THE ABOVE TO POST IN THE FIREHOUSE & PASS IT ON (Also available on our home page with photos)

BillyG

The Secret List 12-1-09 / 0001 Hours

www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

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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.

What’s the solution? I’m not sure but I have some ideas.

I do know that it will take a lot of creativity, imagination, and willingness to adapt to overcome the staffing challenges that virtually every community faces — regardless if emergency services are provided by volunteer or paid personnel. The need for employing the “3 Cs” has probably never been greater: Coordination, Communication and Cooperation.

I’ve said before that there are only two types of fire departments today: Those who have a staffing shortage — and those who are about to.

The only remaining question is: Whaddayou gonna do about it?

Let me know how I can help.

PS – Did you ever notice that you never read headlines threatening to lay off, furlow or have rolling blackouts of garbagemen, administrators, parks and recreation workers, etc.? What’s wrong with this picture?

I have nothing against any of these people as they provide a very important service as well. And some would argue that garbage pickup affects public health – and I can agree to a certain extent – but why is it that the first thing they try to slash and burn is public safety?

Furthermore, why is it that many volunteer fire departments have to beg, borrow and essentially steal to underwrite the cost of their operations instead of being adequately supported by the communities they serve – despite already providing their labor for free?

When was the last time the police department held a bake sale to put another police car or officer on the street? Has the highway department ever had to hold a chicken barbeque to get a plow repaired?

Some days I just don’t get it. I guess this is one of those days.

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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.

Justin “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.

Following 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!

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