It’s Time to End the Stigma
My family tree has several branches that were broken off abruptly by suicides. As a young girl, I learned about stigma associated with suicide through the whispers and the church’s refusal to allow a full funeral mass for an uncle who took his own life
Pride, Honor, Commitment Will Live On
Last weekend, Kyle Ienn — chief of the Ralston (Neb.) Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad — was laid to rest. A lot has been said about Kyle, his leadership and his accomplishments with the department. Several national organizations such as the IAFC’s Volunteer and Combination Officers Section and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation have issued condolences either online or via e-mail that exalt the leadership he exhibited on the local, state and national level
Gone But Not Forgotten
Passion for the fire service doesn’t end with retirement. Rather, it is cherished and kept alive in the hearts and memories of the men and women who put in many years answering calls through all kinds of weather, hazards and hardships
How Departments — Even Volunteer — Can Win a 2011 SAFER Grant
Volunteer, combination or career departments can apply for 2011 SAFER grants during the current open application period.
The Complexities of Volunteer Decline
By Jim MacKay The problem of declining volunteer ranks is a complex and multi-facetted issue.
Disabled Public Safety Officer Fairness Act of 2011 Causes Some Concern
Co-sponsored by Reps. Charles Rangel and Tom Reed, HR 3367 revises provisions of the Public Safety Officer Disability Benefit law that pays disability benefits only to public-safety officers injured after 1990
What You Need to Know About Apparatus Refurbishing, Engine Regeneration
I spoke with a number of chiefs and officers from fire departments across the U.S.
The Ins and Outs of Customer Feedback
At some point you’ve probably considered this question: When in the course of a fire department’s response to an emergency does it most impact the hearts and minds of its customers? Here’s the actual story of what happened when a fire department attempted to answer that question by looking for trends in customer feedback and in the process stumbled upon a philosophy that suggests our most heroic or technically complex actions may not be what our customers remember or value most
Symposium Warns of Roadside Hazards
My favorite no-frills, apparatus-education conference each year is the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s Apparatus Symposium in Orlando. This year, if the list of legal liabilities offered at the beginning of the conference didn’t get my attention, the death threats at the end certainly did.
Video: Symposium Warns of Roadside Hazards
My favorite no-frills, apparatus-education conference each year is the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s Apparatus Symposium in Orlando. This year, if the list of legal liabilities offered at the beginning of the conference didn’t get my attention, the death threats at the end certainly did. The keynote presenter was attorney Jim Juneau, who offered the “Firefighter Law School.” In it, he described laws relating to the fire service and standards of care, and what their applications are in the community.