Notes from the Street Part 1 Americans often avoid thinking about death and failure. However, first responders must.  It goes with the territory. In my nearly four decades of serving communities, I’ve often viewed the world in “glass half-empty” terms. During the highs and lows of leading and following those on the streets, I made […]

  Please allow me to paraphrase an affirmation I read recently: “There are men of a rough persuasion who are willing to take care of the kinds of situations that ordinary people can’t. They’re called soldiers.” This, in my mind describes the men and women of the emergency services who have dedicated their lives for […]

Much has been written about the current scourge of firefighting that is cancer.  Support networks and research institutions are evolving from coast to coast while several states although slow to get their act together are beginning to develop and pass firefighter cancer presumptive legislation. In June of this year, a short article, “Seven Simple Cancer-Free […]

Many of us remember the first time we walked into our fire station as a newbie. The excitement (and anxiety) was palpable. In addition to the dozens of questions running through our heads regarding the rewards and dangers of being a first responder, we also wondered: Would we be liked? Accepted? Fit in? Able to […]

IN today’s supercharged, “if you snooze you lose” atmosphere, many believe if you’re not moving forward, you’re going backward. I don’t subscribe to that theory wholescale, but believe you have to take each issue, each problem, each challenge on its own merits. I am no longer a participant of that particular rat race, which allows […]

Planning for Crowd Surge Summer is the start of the party and celebration seasons. The warm weather lends itself to beachgoing, volleyball and music concerts.  It seems like every local yokel with a guitar and a few musically-inclined wannabes can get a crowd together with a few taps on their favorite social medial platform and […]