“It’s about doing it in a way that it can’t be done any better. That is the goal every day.”– Geno Auriemma LODD’s: Jan 07, 2011 Fire apparatus operator suffers fatal heart attack during annual fire department medical evaluation – Missouri. Jan 07, 2005 Fire equipment operator suffers a heart attack at the scene of […]

“With the absence of pressure, it’s hard to do great things.” – Geno Auriemma LODD’s: Two of today’s four NIOSH reports involve aerial apparatus. When is the last time you did a review of aerial apparatus safety? Jan 06, 2018 Career lieutenant killed in building collapse while fighting row house fire-Pennsylvania. Jan 06, 2012 Career […]

What better to start the a new year than a brush up on leadership skills and practices. L. David Marquet’s second book is Leadership is Language – The Hidden Power of What You Say…and What You Don’t. This book is full of examples of how language can facilitate success or lead to failure. David Marquet […]

Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them. – Paul Hawken LODD’s: Jan 04, 2012 Wildland fire fighter trainee suffers sudden cardiac death during physical fitness exercise – California. Jan 04, 2001 Fire fighter suffers a heart […]

A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether. – Roy H. Williams LODD’s: Another day without published NIOSH LODD reports but several can be found at Firefighterclosecalls.com’s History page. History […]

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. – Unknown LODD’s: Jan 02, 2016 Trainee suffers heart attack during fire fighter training and dies – Michigan. Jan 02, 2009 Career fire fighter dies when backed over while spotting an apparatus – New Jersey. History from Historyplace.com: January […]

Sorry about the delay in posting. The program and I have been having a bit of a disagreement. Hopefully that is now solved and we can begin the new year on better terms. If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it. […]

Real leadership is leaders recognizing that they serve the people that they lead. – Pete Hoekstra LODD’s: Dec 31, 2015 Captain suffers sudden cardiac death after performing physical fitness training – Mississippi. Dec 31, 2008 Fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death while working at a residential fire – Mississippi. Dec 31, 2008 One career fire […]

Today is the anniversary of one of the deadliest fires in US history. In 1903 over 600 people died in the Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago when a spark ignited a curtain above the stage. The most immediate change as a result of the fire was the widespread use of “Panic Bar” hardware on exit […]

As you can see by the NIOSH report from Wisconsin below, even a dumpster fire can result in a LODD! Be careful and act safely on EVERY incident! LODD’s: Dec 29, 2009 Fire fighter suffers probable fatal cardiac arrhythmia during on-duty mandatory physical fitness training – North Carolina. Dec 29, 2009 One fire fighter killed […]