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Mastery of our apparatus and equipment isn’t just how we...
Mastery of our apparatus and equipment isn’t just how we use them or maintain them. It’s just as important to know the terminology (which can often be different from place to place).Learn everything...
View Articleaware and in tune
aware and in tune: We talk so often about knowing what’s going on and being prepared for what we might face. If we plan to make this approach work, we’ve got to incorporate the ideas into how we...
View Articlethe greatest force multiplier
the greatest force multiplier: What is the single biggest thing we can do to make things work out in our favor on the fireground?Training. From the moment you first walked into a fire department...
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Be proudBe braveBe strongBut most of allBe prepared When we...
Be proudBe braveBe strongBut most of allBe preparedWhen we joined this brotherhood, we assumed a debt — one we agreed to pay for over the lengths of our careers. We made a commitment to give of...
View Articlefueling the machine
fueling the machine: You get out what you put in, the old adage tells us. In terms of our bodies, we know that we push them hard, so we should strive to eat and drink in such a way that maximizes our...
View Articleexecuting in half-___ mode won't do
executing in half-___ mode won't do: I bet we all know what three letters fill in the blank for the title, but there’s no need to guess if we read the linked post. It deals with failures we find...
View ArticleJust as there is more than one way to skin the proverbial cat,...
Just as there is more than one way to skin the proverbial cat, there’s also a number of ways to obtain initial purchase points on a vehicle involved in an accident. Try some of these out and see if...
View Articlefinish what you start
finish what you start: It can be easy to become disheartened, no matter how much we care about the job. There are often a lot of things working against us and our pursuit of a better fire...
View Articleremembrance is NOT enough
remembrance is NOT enough: Are we learning from fire service tragedies? Or are we merely building more monuments?It is good to see LODD numbers have reduced over the last few years, proof that some of...
View Articleexcuses not accepted...even safety-clouded ones
excuses not accepted...even safety-clouded ones: Safety is important, no doubt, but it should not take away from our mission. We are sworn to protect and serve the public and their property, and there...
View Articleclimates for change
climates for change: This is NOT a discussion about global warming. I just wanted to make that clear.Instead, the idea is that positive things can happen if we create and maintain an environment that...
View Articlereadiness comes first
readiness comes first: No matter how small the step or how tedious the task, whatever we can do to ensure we are prepared (physically, mentally, emotionally) is worth the time. Something as simple as...
View Articleintermission...?
Yesterday’s post was the last one left in the queue. That means today my real absence begins.Over the last month or so, I have been subjected to a great number of changes in my life. A public blog is...
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It is difficult for the general public to understand a great...
It is difficult for the general public to understand a great deal of the technical matters and finite points that are called for in our line of work, but even without that knowledge sometimes they have...
View Articleguess who's back?
Brownout’s over. Beneaththehelmet.com is back in business after what has been a challenging few months.And while not everything is sorted out, I missed writing here enough to push myself towards...
View Articlebags packed, ready to go
bags packed, ready to go: Making trips back and forth to the apparatus is simply foolish. Why tire yourself with shuffling to and fro for equipment when you can bring what you need with you? In this...
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Be honest with yourself — where do you fall in each...
Be honest with yourself — where do you fall in each category?Success begins at the personal level. Set yourself up to be at the top of your game, then help those around you to do the same.
View Articlethey don't call it fireFIGHTING for no reason
they don't call it fireFIGHTING for no reason: Defend. Attack. We wouldn’t use words like these in the fire service if there weren’t some similarities between what we do and what soldiers do. Same...
View Article"Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."
“Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.” - The first known appearance of these words in print were in a document put forth by Narcotics Anonymous. So how in the @#$%...
View Articlefind how to make it fit
find how to make it fit: Chances are, for most problems or issues we faced in your department, someone else has already found a way to handle it. Or there is an agency that has responded to an...
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