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The Vigilantes.
Vigilant Creed T-shirt
This is the first run of t-shirts featuring the Vigilant Creed. With the updated Logo on the right front chest and the short version of the Creed stylized on the back of the shirt to be worn proudly…
The Fireman’s Guide to Main Street: The Bowling Alley
The various construction styles, bowstring roofs, exposure buildings, wooden floors covered in wax and oil, and endless hidden voids make bowling alley fires a recipe for incendiary disaster. These fires are notoriously difficult battle spaces for even the most skilled fireman.
The Fireman’s Guide to Main Street: The Old Mill
The old mill: What would a town be without the mill? Nonexistent, that’s what. Unless you’re in a planned bedroom community platted in the 21st century then it’s highly likely your town grew around industry during the American Industrial Revolution…
The Fireman’s Guide to Main Street: The Taxpayer
The Type 3 Taxpayer: AKA “Main-street USA”. These are the quintessential multi-story brick buildings that exist in some version in every North American town, big or small. Ordinary Type 3 construction is by far the most common…
The Fireman’s Guide to Main Street: The Old House
The older single family homes in historic districts and around Main streets come in a countless styles and forms. From large ornate Victorians that line avenues from early prominent landowners to small shotgun bungalows within…
The Fireman’s Guide to Main Street: 5 Buildings to Know
Simply put, we all see buildings, but few understand what they’re actually looking at. That’s a problem, a really big problem for two important reasons: a building is the one thing that directly…
To Boldly Go!
I’ve often said that the hardest step a fireman takes on the fire ground is a step back. Everything we do is hard charging, lights and sirens, full speed ahead…
Thinking Person's Game
Some people’s hardest decision in life is whether or not they want ketchup on their fries. We wish all our decisions and operations were black and white. Truth is, that…
To Whom It May Concern
I’m a millennial firefighter and I’m offended. I’m offended that we’ll never get the same experience you got, and that is held against us as if it is our choice.
The Senior Man
. For the most part you can go into any firehouse in America where firefighters are working and ask “Who’s the Senior Man?”. Chances are you’ll be greeted by an…
The 9-L’s of Leadership #7: Live
As firefighters, we spend too much time together for anyone to be fooled. No one can spot a phony faster than a firefighter. Sure you can fool people for a little bit, but…
Are fires getting worse, or are the firefighters?
Not so long ago in the fire service, fires were a high-frequency and low risk event because we were running them a lot more. Today they would be classified as a low-frequency high-risk event, firefighters aren’t
The Half-Story
There will always be debatable hot topics in the fire service, fog vs smooth, interior vs exterior, wood ladders, metal ladders, this helmet vs that one
Renaissance Rising
If you look up the definition of renaissance you’ll find it means “a revival or renewed interest in something, a rebirth of old ways” I’m here to tell you that’s exactly what is happening…
A Commitment to Train
I will admit that I have been working on and thinking about this article for quite some time. It started in many forms before I left in April for FDIC in Indianapolis. Thoughts continued there, especially after…
For the Grinders
For the ones who don’t care about the B.S… For the ones who walk into a dirty station, don’t say a word and just clean it, because they know how to choose their battles. They could confront the other shifts, and they might…
Empty Walls
Google “fire service pride” and you’ll see real quick how abundant it’s presence is in our industry. There are books, articles, blogs, clothing, you name it, all dedicated to the “P” word. But what happens when none exists?