20 Years in the Secret Service: My Life with Five Presidents by Rufus W. Youngblood is an eye opening read about the development and evolution of the protective details the U.S. Secret Service provides. LODD: Career fire fighter dies in fall from roof at apartment building fire – New York. 2007 Volunteer fire chief dies […]

I have had plenty of dry, bland chicken dishes at the firehouse.  One easy way to impart more flavor and moisture into your chicken recipes is to brine the meat for 2 to 12 hours.   Here is a link to a basic brine.  I really like this Bourbon Brine for Chicken.  Brining also works great […]

If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward. – Admiral William H. McRaven, USN Retired LODD: Reserve fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death while working on a fuel reduction crew – Arizona. 2004 In 1867, Nine Philadelphia, PA firefighters were killed when the front wall collapsed.  […]

“Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding” – Jim Valvano I set up The Fire Brief as a way to honor our fallen brothers and sisters by reviewing their cases to help prevent others from meeting the same fate.  On this anniversary of the Sofa Super Store Fire that […]

First, I would like to wish my wonderful wife Loni a Happy Birthday! I was recently made aware of a new chef that was posting on Instagram. Her name is Tieghan Gerard and she posts regularly on IG under halfbackedharvest.  She also has a website of the same name.  I have found her recipes to […]

“It’s now up to you to make people better off because you came this way, because you responded, because you showed up. You are your brothers’ keeper-keep them safe ….” – Tom Brennan LODD: Career fire fighter critically injured during surf rescue training dies two days later – Hawaii. 2016 Fire fighter suffers cardiac death […]

Question(s) of the Week:  How many places of worship do you have in your area?  Neighboring areas?  Are you and your crew fully prepared for a major incident at these types of properties?  What can you do to be better prepared? LODD: Career fire fighter dies in church fire following roof collapse – Indiana. 2011 Partial […]

The young women in, Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy, often said they “did secretarial work for the government”.  I only wish that I knew of these women in time to ask my mother “Just what kind of secretarial work did you do while […]

The Chef Show on Netflix quickly became a favorite during the lock down of 2020!  When we saw the episode with Mexican Street Corn, we knew we had to try it! LODD: Fire fighter dies of heart attack after skills training the previous night – New Hampshire. 2016 Volunteer fire fighter electrocuted by downed power […]

While looking for a good quote for today, I found the one from Fred Astaire below.  Isn’t amazing how some things never seem to change? The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.  – Fred Astaire LODD: Paid on call fire fighter suffers a fatal cardiac event just after completing […]