Articles

As firefighters, we recognize that preplanning a building is a necessity. We learn how it is laid out, what the pitfalls are, how to best attack the fire based on the building, and how to have a successful outcome. I know from experience that it’s not the premiere training like…

By Janet Wilmoth, Wilmoth & Associates Can you pick out a person who has heart disease? No. For some people, the first sign of heart disease is a heart attack. Can you pick out a person with diabetes? Not unless they tell you. What about someone with mental illness? The…

When we talk about firefighter wellness, there always seems to be the debate as to what constitutes health? I sometimes struggle with Safety and Health Week, as I do with Fire Prevention Week, as to how we become more sensitive to the issue by proclaiming a week in its honor…

We work day after day with our fellow firefighters and know them better than anyone else. And we all know firefighters who may be struggling with personal issues. With 20 to 30 percent of firefighters battling addiction, PTSD, depression or other mental health issues, it's time we all look at…

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) have announced the theme for the 2015 International Fire/EMS Safety and Health Week: Creating a Culture of Safety. Fire and EMS departments are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activity during the week of June 14-20 and…

Sometimes … as hard as it may be for us to understand, there are incidents that occur when we fail despite how good a crew we may have had on the first due rigs. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard you may have trained and prepared for your moment to…