Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner details life on both sides of the Iron Curtain.  An eye opening read for those of us who have enjoyed freedom all of our lives! LODD: Airport fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death while on duty […]

From time to time the “Food Fund” seems to get a bit light.  My grocer often has chicken drumsticks marked down to less than $2 for a pack of 5!  Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks from the Food Network are easy and flavorful! LODD: No NIOSH reports for today’s date, but FireFighterCloseCalls.com reports several dating back to […]

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. – Charles R. Swindoll LODD: Career lieutenant dies after being trapped in the attic after falling through a roof while conducting ventilation – Texas 2011 Fire fighter trainee suffers heart attack during simulated fire suppression exercise – North Carolina 2007 Career […]

“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” – Vince Lombardi LODD: After conducting fire suppression duties at a structure fire, captain collapses in incident scene rehabilitation – Kansas 2007 Career engineer dies and […]

“Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.”― L. David Marquet, Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders LODD: Volunteer fire fighter dies after being run over by brush truck during grass fire attack – Texas 2002 Fire […]

“Good Firefighters will know their job. GREAT Firefighters will also know the job of the person above them as well as teach their job to the person below them.” – Bob Muszynski LODD: Volunteer fire fighter responding to an automatic alarm dies when engine collides with an embankment and tree then overturns – North Carolina […]

Question(s) of the Week: How is your mental health?  What about your crew’s?  How about your supervisors?  Few like to discuss the issue, but the IAFF and the NVFC have programs to help.  Do those in your “circle of influence” know about them? LODD: Volunteer captain dies while participating in advanced dive training at quarry […]

The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup by John Feinstein reveals how important the Ryder Cup is to professional golfers. LODD: Career fire fighter dies from fall off fire escape ladder – Illinois 2010 Fire captain suffers fatal heart attack after conducting live fire training – Pennsylvania 2008 Fire fighter dies […]

Super duper bean salad is a favorite dish for that old tradition of Pot Luck dinners.  It makes a lot and will keep well for a whole work cycle. LODD: Fire fighter-emergency medical technician suffers sudden cardiac death during physical fitness training – Nevada 2006 Live-fire training exercise claims the life of one recruit fire […]

If you’re going through hell, keep going. – Winston Churchill LODD: An Appleton, WI firefighter was killed and others burned in a fire involving a kettle of grease in the basement of a bakery. 1929 Major Incidents: “The Blast” of a truck carrying dynamite and ammonium nitrite in Roseburg, OR killed one firefighter, thirteen others […]