“The value of Fire Department Training lives or dies on the backs of the Officers facilitating it.” – Bob Muszynski LODD: Arkansas firefighter killed in apparatus crash – 2016 Wildland fire fighter dies from hyperthermia and exertional heatstroke while conducting mop-up operations – Texas 2011 Volunteer fire fighter dies in apparatus crash – Ohio 2008 […]

Question(s) of the Week: Today ends the NWCG’s Week of Remembrance.  Do you review Line of Duty Deaths with your crews to honor our fallen brothers and sisters by learning what we can from their sacrifice? LODD’s A firefighter is killed while responding to an incident in Washington Parish, LA 2017 Fire fighter trainee with […]

Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet, Captain US Navy (Retired) is an amazing book about turning followers into leaders. I only wish I was still on the job to implement many of his concepts.  https://intentbasedleadership.com/ You can also subscribe to Leadership Nudges with David Marquet on YouTube! LODD: Career fire lieutenant dies in […]

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence LODD: Fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death after responding to a water rescue call – Pennsylvania […]

Every SEAL knows that under the keel, at the darkest moment of the mission, is the time when you must be calm–composed–when all your tactical skills, your physical power, all your inner strength must be brought to bear.  If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment. – Admiral […]

“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson LODD: Junior fire fighter killed responding to call in his privately owned vehicle (POV) – Pennsylvania. 2000 One firefighter is killed and 2 injured by gunfire responding to a cabin fire in Fayettesville, PA 1977 Major Incidents: In 1994, US Airways […]

Today is the anniversary of the fire at Hackensack Ford that killed 5 firefighters in 1988.  As a very young officer at the time, I still remember my chief reviewing the video below and driving home its many lessons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfb-D6-ALh8 LODD: Lieutenant suffers sudden cardiac death at motor vehicle crash – Ohio 2012 Lieutenant suffers […]

On this anniversary of the 19 LODD’s from the Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished on the Yarnell Hill fire in 2013 (see LODD’s below), I want to recommend the book written by the sole survivor, Brendan McDonough.  Granite Mountain: The First-Hand Account of a Tragic Wildfire, Its Lone Survivor, and the Firefighters Who Made the […]

Question(s) of the Week: Does your department have guidelines for responding to calls during severe weather events?  What are some hazards your crew may encounter during and after severe weather?  What preparations should you make, if you can, before the severe weather arrives? LODD: Volunteer firefighter killed when tree falls during windstorm – 2012 Volunteer fire […]

From June 23 – July 10, 2018, the world was watching the development and rescue of a boys soccer team from a cave in Thailand. The book The Boys in the Cave: Deep Inside the Impossible Rescue in Thailand by Matt Gutman details the events that made this extremely risky rescue possible. There have been […]