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The Art of Blogging

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Blogging rules of etiquette have been around since the word blog was first coined.

 

It is safe to say that much that is written and discussed in the blogosphere is driven by the relative anonymity of the blogger and those wishing to point out their perspectives.

 

Because I have a deep respect for the power of “words”, I try to fashion a blog by adhering to these basic, blogging principles:

 

1)       I will resist making personal attacks. In my early days of blogging, I was a real schmoe when it came to trading insults. Not anymore! “Treat others as you would want to be treated” works for me. Argue with what is said in the post and not with who said it. The blog will likely stay on topic, which brings me to my next point.

2)       To keep the blog on topic, let the discussion take a natural course and though it might take the scenic route, it should remain close to the original topic. If you have something completely off topic to say, start another thread or send it in an email to that person. You want the blog to be entertaining and informative; not confusing.

3)       If I am stating an opinion, I will say that I am stating an opinion. If I am stating a fact, I will say I am stating a fact and will have supporting documentation or references to support the fact. I never confuse opinion with fact.

4)       I will make every effort to use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and upper/lower case. I will not shout at the reader by using all caps, but will instead keep to short, concise impact statements to advance my point of view. It isn’t a blog if you have a continuous, run-on conglomerate of words with no upper case, punctuation or conjunctions to connect or separate your thoughts.

5)       As cute as they are, I will not feed the trolls. When you feed them, they just want more. If you ignore them, they will go play with their own poop. Engaging them is the surest way to have your discussion locked down by a website administrator. Don’t give them or the troll the satisfaction.

6)       I have tried to create an identity that is true to my real name and my pseudonym. I will not separate the two and if you haven’t noticed, there is an abundance of fakers and pretenders blogging under the anonymity of their username, hacking away with the confidence that they will not be discovered. They steal intellectual properties from others and will not give their sources credit when it is appropriate to do so.

7)       If I screw up, I will admit it and fix it. If I find questionable material, I will ask the poster for more detail and if they can’t provide it, then I might report it to the web administrator. The veracity of the information is very important in the fire service. It must be reliable and come with a certifiable seal of approval.

8)        When citing statistical data, I will always cite my references. Because of the many entities that track the same information to different conclusions, it is important for the sake of debate to cite which agency’s stats are being used.

9)       I try to post cyber links that work and I will make every effort to cut down the size of any picture that I use in my blogs for speed’s sake. If I am told that a link didn’t work, I will attempt to fix it as soon as I can. As far as pictures go? If you’re like me, you will trash bin it if it hasn’t been sent email or blog size.

10)   And finally; what’s said on the blog, stays on the blog. If someone calls me “ball-less” for preaching safety, I don’t tell the wife or kick the dog. My family knows very little about my cyber escapades, which is fine with me. You have to remember to keep everything in perspective. It isn’t real until you meet that person.

 

So, I hope this helps in some way. As more and more people take to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., there will be new users who are unfamiliar with the world order. It might require us to “teach” them…

 

In a respectful way.

 

TcSs.

Art

 

The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author. You may read other works by the author at www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on September 30, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , ,

LODD? Not So Fast!

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I have found it increasingly confusing when looking for the hard/fast LODD number. I don’t have this macabre fascination with firefighter deaths, but I look at the reports to find trends that indicate that we are moving in the right direction in reducing the number of LODDs.

 

If you look at Firefighter Fatalities in the United States-2008 that was released in July of this year by the NFPA, there were 103 LODDs in 2008. Their definition of on-duty deaths is as follows:

 

Each year, NFPA collects data on all firefighter fatalities in the U.S. that resulted from injuries or

illnesses that occurred while the victims were on-duty. The term on-duty refers to being at the scene of

an alarm, whether a fire or non-fire incident; while responding to or returning from an alarm; while

participating in other fire department duties such as training, maintenance, public education, inspection,

investigation, court testimony or fund raising; and being on call or stand-by for assignment at a location

Firefighter Fatalities in the U.S., 7/09 2 NFPA Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA.

other than at the firefighter’s home or place of business.

On-duty fatalities include any injury sustained in the line of duty that proves fatal, any illness

that was incurred as a result of actions while on duty that proves fatal, and fatal mishaps involving nonemergency

occupational hazards that occur while on duty. The types of injuries included in the first

category are mainly those that occur at a fire or other emergency incident scene, in training, or in crashes

while responding to or returning from alarms. Illnesses (including heart attacks) are included when the

exposure or onset of symptoms occurred during a specific incident or on-duty activity.

The victims include members of local career and volunteer fire departments; seasonal, full-time

and contract employees of state and federal agencies who have fire suppression responsibilities as part

of their job description; prison inmates serving on firefighting crews; military personnel performing

assigned fire suppression activities; civilian firefighters working at military installations; and members

of industrial fire brigades.

Fatal injuries and illnesses are included even in cases where death is considerably delayed.

 

If you look at Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2008 that was released in September of this year by the USFA, there were 107 LODDs in 2008. However; an additional 11 fatalities qualified under the Hometown Heroes Survivor’s Benefit Act, bringing the 2008 total to 118. Their definition of on-duty deaths is as follows:

 

On-duty fatalities include any injury or illness sustained while on duty that proves fatal. The term “on-duty” refers to being involved in operations at the scene of an emergency, whether it is a fire or non-fire incident; responding to or returning from an incident; performing other officially assigned duties such as training, maintenance, public education, inspection, investigations, court testimony, and fundraising; and being on-call, under orders, or on standby duty except at the individual’s home or place of business. An individual who experiences a heart attack or other fatal injury at home while he or she prepares to respond to an emergency is considered on-duty when the response begins. A firefighter that becomes ill while performing fire department duties and suffers a heart attack shortly after arriving home or at another location may be considered on-duty since the inception of the heart attack occurred while the firefighter was on duty.

On December 15, 2003, the President of the United States signed into law the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act of 2003. After being signed by the President, the Act became Public Law 108-182. The law presumes that a heart attack or stroke are in the line of duty if the firefighter was engaged in non-routine stressful or strenuous physical activity while on duty and the firefighter becomes ill while on duty or within 24 hours after engaging in such activity.

The inclusion criteria for this study have been impacted by this change in the law. Previous to December 15, 2003, firefighters who became ill as the result of a heart attack or stroke after going off duty needed to register some complaint of not feeling well while still on duty in order to be included in this study. For firefighter fatalities after December 15, 2003, firefighters will be included in this study if they become ill as the result of a heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of a training activity or emergency response. Firefighters who become ill after going off duty where the activities while on duty were limited to tasks that did not involve physical or mental stress will not be included in this study.

A fatality may be caused directly by an accidental or intentional injury in either emergency or nonemergency circumstances, or it may be attributed to an occupationally related fatal illness. A common example of a fatal illness incurred on duty is a heart attack. Fatalities attributed to occupational illnesses would also include a communicable disease contracted while on duty that proved fatal when the disease could be attributed to a documented occupational exposure.

Firefighter fatalities are included in this report even when death is considerably delayed after the original incident. When the incident and the death occur in different years, the analysis counts the fatality as having occurred in the year in which the incident took place. One firefighter died in 2008 from injuries sustained in a 1999 incident, bringing that year’s total to 114. Information about this death in Massachusetts is included in Appendix A of this report.

There is no established mechanism for identifying fatalities that result from illnesses such as cancer that develop over long periods of time and which may be related to occupational exposure to hazardous materials or toxic products of combustion. It has proved to be very difficult over the years to provide a complete evaluation of an occupational illness as a causal factor in firefighter deaths due to the following limitations: the exposure of firefighters to toxic hazards is not sufficiently tracked; the often delayed long-term effects of such toxic hazard exposures; and the exposures firefighters may receive while off duty.

 

So, as you can see, since December of 2003, the number of fatalities and what constitutes an LODD has changed. What does it mean? It means that, if you quote NFPA, there were 103 LODDs in 2008. If you quote USFA, there were 107 LODDs in 2008 and if you include criteria for HHSBA, there were 118 LODDs in 2008.

 

For me, the failure to draw statistical data from ONE source and especially where just one fatality can skew the results is disconcerting. And when discussing LODD, if you are looking at whether programs are helping to bring the number down, you might cite the lower number, but where you are arguing that more needs to be done, you may cite the higher number. If everyone is quoting the same source of information, then there can be no confusion.

 

In closing, I would like to invite everyone to re-visit Bill Carey’s article that was written earlier this year: http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/2009-lodd-6month-summary-1

 

And I would like to point to a couple of interesting stats in the NFPA report for 2008 fatalities:

 

First, heart attacks in 2008 accounted for 41% of all career FF LODDs. Heart attacks in 2008 accounted for 52% of all volunteer FF LODDs.

 

Age groups – Career (21-25) 1 LODD; (61-65) 1 LODD; (66-70) 0 LODD; (over 70) 0 LODD.

Volunteer (21-25) 8 LODD; (61-65) 6 LODD; (66-70) 4 LODD; (over 70) 8 LODD.

 

Years of service – Career (5 or less) 4 LODD; (over 30) 2 LODD.

Volunteer (5 or less) 19 LODD; (over 30) 13 LODD.

 

If you read the reports, you may find information that will change the way that you recruit, retain and train your firefighters. We might very well find ourselves facing tough questions and tough decisions down the road if we want to continue our services.

 

If we truly believe that we learn from our mistakes, then the empirical data that we review and choose to ignore isn’t a “mistake”; it’s a crime.

 

We need to get it right.

 

This article is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is written by Art Goodrich a.k.a. ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-produced in any form without the expressed permission of the author. Please visit www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on September 28, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , , , ,

Setback Positives

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In our lives, we all experience setbacks; whether it be to goal attainment, our health, our finances or at our work places.

 

If we allow the negative energy from these setbacks to overwhelm us, they might very well result in failures to varying degrees.

 

However; though they might not be “blessings in disguise”, we can certainly analyze our experience, identify the negatives and turn them into positives. It will make us better, stronger and less likely to experience the same negative fallout.

 

Some of us have worked hard in our lives only to find ourselves at the bottom of the pile, when the plan was designed to get us to the top. Had we succumbed to the negative impacts, we would have stayed there; never realizing that we could fix what was wrong and continue our journey to the top. In effect; we simply gave up.

 

Maybe, we ran out of patience. Maybe, we ran out of money. Maybe, we ran out of people willing to support us. For whatever the reason, we allowed a bump in the road to end our journey well ahead of our final destination.

 

I can think back to MANY circumstances where I could have chosen to stay at the bottom; comfortable in knowing that I could produce a wealth of excuses to remain there. It was easier to feel sorry for myself than to fix a problem that would send me towards the top once again.

 

Earlier this week, I was met with another setback; one of a medical nature.

 

Some of you know that I have had my knees surgically replaced with joint prosthetics. They have worked flawlessly since my rehab. Though I have to be constantly mindful of little things that could cause me major problems, such as wet floors and extension cords, I have managed to enjoy a rebirth of activities that would not have been possible without the surgeries.

 

I fell while going down stairs and hypo-extended my left knee. I had to lie on the ground for about 20 minutes before I could even think about getting up. It was very embarrassing having several people standing around me not knowing what to do.

 

I toyed with the idea of going to the Emergency Room, but they would have given me something for pain and told me to see my orthopedic surgeon, so didn’t go.

 

Now; the orthopedic surgeon who replaced my knees has since retired, so I was meeting the guy that took his place for the first time. We connected as soon as he told me that I was an orthopedic “celebrity” at his office. In fact; he had been on the research team that developed the poly-ethylene parts that were in my knees! Small world, huh?

 

After several X-rays, I was returned to the exam room and he came in. Here is where it gets weird, but stay with me.

 

When you have a normal knee joint, unfettered with man-made parts; if you injure your knee and it makes a “clicking” sound, THAT is bad!

 

On the other hand, if you have a man-made knee joint and it “clicks”, THAT is good! Are you following me, camera guy?

 

So; if you have a man-made joint and it DOESN’T “click”, that, too is bad. My left knee didn’t “click”. Bad, bad, bad…

 

He diagnosed it as a very serious sprain of the medial collateral ligament. In order for it to heal, he would have to put me into a fixed brace and be completely non-weight bearing for the next six weeks.

 

What’s that mean, Doc? I can’t be on the leg at all?

 

That’s correct, Art. You will be on crutches for six weeks, because if the ligament isn’t healed after that time, I may have to go in and replace the joint with one that is hinged and will replace the stability of the MCL. It’s crucial that you stay off of that leg to give the ligament a chance to heal. And use lots of ice, said the good doctor.

 

After THAT sunk in and I had had a moment to myself, I realized that this was serious and I couldn’t mess around with a doctor’s advice like I had in the past. I mean; I was already trying to figure out a way that I could ride my motorcycle and play golf this fall. THIS is my favorite time of the year for both! Not to mention, no fall yard-work, cleaning the eaves, clearing off the garden or even taking Chopper for a walk. Do you know how worthless you feel when you can’t even let the dog out to do his business? Ah, but I will figure out a way and without violating my doctor’s orders.

 

Yeah; for a moment at the doctor’s office, I got to feeling sorry for myself, because I honestly felt that after my THIRTEENTH knee surgery, I was done with knee problems. And I kept dwelling on “what ifs”, instead of thinking about strengthening my knee and the rest of my body for that matter. I had a good cry and then my determination that has gotten me from the bottom of the pile time and time again came back.

 

So; I will use this latest episode in my life to strengthen my character and to strengthen my resolve. I will help others faced with similar circumstances. We are never alone and even when we give up on ourselves, there are those who know us who won’t give up. “Those’ are the ones we owe it to. They are giving us something at a time when we aren’t so sure that WE have anything to give.

 

I’m positive that this will all work out in the end.

 

TCSS.

 

The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author. You may read other works by the author at www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on September 26, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , , , ,

The Answer Might Be That There Isn’t One – Episode #32

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Vinnie was still struggling with the death of his friend, Eddie. The entire incident was just so screwed up! He was feeling enormous guilt.

 

Had Missy told Eddie that she had feelings for me?

 

Had I said or done anything to mislead Missy into thinking that I wanted her?

 

DID Eddie know?

 

Did Missy mention me by name to Eddie?

 

Vinnie didn’t want to think that he was responsible for Eddie’s death, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

 

Was Eddie thinking bad thoughts about me when he pulled the trigger?

 

Why didn’t he come after me, if he knew Missy wanted ME instead of HIM?

 

Vinnie convinced himself that Eddie didn’t know that he was the “someone else”. And he wasn’t about to ask Missy about any of it!

 

Vinnie had been avoiding Missy ever since the funeral for Eddie. Knowing how she felt about him made him very uneasy. He thought of her as a friend and had never thought of her in any other way. But he kept thinking that he may have said or done something that led her to think it was more serious than a friendship.

 

There was that one time that he drove her home from the bar, because she was too drunk to drive herself. Eddie was out of town and Vinnie promised Missy that he wouldn’t say anything to him about it. Missy tried to kiss Vinnie and Vinnie thought that it was because of the alcohol. He had kept his promise not to tell Eddie.

 

Could that secret be the connection to Vinnie that Missy felt? Was she confusing Vinnie’s act of chivalry with an emotion as strong as Love?

 

Thinking about it made Vinnie’s head hurt.

 

Why would anyone so young take their own life over a relationship?

 

How could anyone have such a strong emotional attachment to someone that you would kill yourself over them?

 

Dammit, Eddie; why didn’t you leave a note or something?

 

Why didn’t you talk to me about it?

 

Vinnie knew that, sooner or later, he was going to have to face Missy and tell her that he didn’t want a serious relationship with her. And he was already worrying about what her reaction would be.

 

Vinnie needed to talk to a pro; not necessarily a psychiatrist, but someone older and wiser. Vinnie picked up the phone and called Jake.

 

“Jake? It’s Vinnie. Can I come over and talk to you?” asks Vinnie.

 

Jake could tell by Vinnie’s tone that something was really bothering him and without hesitation, Jake said, “Sure” and hung up. Jake hustled around and picked up his place a little.

 

The doorbell rang and Jake went to the door. Vinnie was standing there with a pained expression on his face.

 

“What’s up, Cowboy?” asks Jake.

 

Without answering, Vinnie came through the door.

 

“Let’s go to the kitchen; less distractions there”, says Jake.

 

They sat down at the kitchen table and Vinnie was fumbling with his fingers.

 

“Vinnie; you wanted to talk. Remember? says Jake.

 

“Yeah”, says Vinnie.

 

“Then you need to say something”, prods Jake.

 

“This thing with Eddie and Missy is really eating at me. It’s all I can think about. As soon as I wake up until I go to bed again, I can’t stop thinking about it. Hell; I guess I even think about it when I sleep, because I’m having dreams, too. And now, the whole thing with my dad is coming back again”, says Vinnie.

 

“What’s this thing with your dad?” asks Jake.

 

“Dad committed suicide just before I graduated from college. He did it with a 12 gauge shotgun”, says Vinnie.

 

“Damn, Vinnie; why’d he do it?” asks Jake.

 

“I don’t know. He never left a note; no explanation”, says Vinnie.

 

“I think back and I wonder if it was something I did; something I didn’t do. I can’t seem to find the answer”, says Vinnie.

 

“What does your mom say about it?” asks Jake.

 

“We don’t talk about it. I can’t get up the nerve to ask Mom about it”, says Vinnie.

 

“Have you asked the cops about it? Maybe they could shed some light on it”, says Jake.

 

“No; I haven’t seen an “official” report, if that’s what you mean”, says Vinnie.

 

“What I mean is; maybe they have information that could help you that wasn’t necessarily in the final report”, says Jake.

 

“I don’t know, Jake. Maybe I don’t want to know, you know? I mean; what if he was having an affair or something? I wouldn’t want to know that. I want to remember Dad for the good things that he did. If there was another side to him, then that means that I didn’t know him at all. And I think that would be worse than not knowing why he killed himself”, says Vinnie.

 

“So; you don’t want to know why your dad killed himself, if it means finding out about things that you didn’t know about him? How are you going to get closure to that part of your life if you’re not willing to risk finding the truth; or lies, for that matter”, says Jake.

 

“I’m afraid that it will change the way that I feel about him”, says Vinnie.

 

“Why would it? Your dad obviously loved you enough NOT to expose you to that side of him, whatever that was and even with his death; he made sure that you would never know. Whether you want to believe that he wasn’t being honest with you; well, that’s what you have to find out. You might find out that it wasn’t another woman or a gambling problem or even problems with your mom. I doubt that he had an elaborate plan to commit suicide. Maybe it just snuck up on him in a moment of weakness. The mind can unleash some very powerful emotions that most of us can control. But in others, it can TAKE control and cause you to do things that you wouldn’t normally do. Maybe it was something that happened when your dad was much younger and like you, didn’t seek the answers to it. You need to find out, Vinnie or it will eat you up inside and eventually take control of you, if it hasn’t already. It might come at the most inopportune time; like when you’re on the tip of the ladder or at a car wreck or at the laundromat. You won’t pick the time or place. IT will! Does any of this make any sense?” asks Jake.

 

“You’re saying that I should talk to Mom?” asks Vinnie.

 

“I’m saying to go where the answers might be. If that is your mom, then go there. If you’re not sure that she even knows, then talk to the cops. Personally, I’d go to the cops first. That way, you can help your mom, if she didn’t know. And I think that she would also want to know. Maybe she’s carrying your dad’s death around with her too. Or she could be protecting you, just like your dad did. You have to understand, Vinnie, that parents have a duty to protect their children from harm; both physical and mental. Outside of school, it’s the parents who decide what you should know or don’t know. As kids get older, they start making their own decisions, based upon how they were taught to process the information by Mom and Dad. I guess you could call them “morals”. Regardless, it is done out of love, though it might not seem like it at the time”, says Jake.

 

“So, I’ll talk to the cops, first thing tomorrow”, says Vinnie.

 

“What else you got?” asks Jake.

 

“There’s this thing with Missy”, says Vinnie.

 

“What; you got a thing for her?” asks Jake.

 

“Quite the opposite, Jake. She’s OK, but the only reason I know her is because she and Eddie were always together or at least, it seemed like it. I never thought of her as someone that I’d like to…you know; DATE”, says Vinnie.

 

“So; she had a thing for you?” asks Jake.

 

“Apparently. She told Eddie that she wanted to date other guys and I guess that I was at the top of her list. Know what I mean?” asks Vinnie.

 

“Yeah; I have that problem a lot. Are you kidding? The women aren’t exactly forming a line outside of my door. Besides; ah, nevermind”, says Jake.

 

“No; what were you going to say?” asks Vinnie.

 

“Uh, it’s just that Joey and Sara thinks that their mom and I will get back together”, says Jake.

 

“The kids think that?” asks Vinnie.

 

“Well…hey; I thought you were here for my advice?” asks Jake.

 

“I think that we might have the same problems and they’re female”, says Vinnie.

 

“Let’s just stick with your female problems. That didn’t come out right, did it?” asks Jake.

 

“Not really; the truth is that Missy was kinda wanting me to ask her out, but I have a hard time thinking about her in that way with Eddie and all”, says Vinnie.

 

“Are you seeing someone else?” asks Jake.

 

“Actually, I have someone that I’d like to get serious with, but I don’t think that she even knows that I’m alive”, says Vinnie.

 

“A girl back home? Someone local? Come on, man; who is it?” asks Jake.

 

“She’s a firefighter,” says Vinnie.

 

“That’s cool; you’ll have a lot in common. What department?” asks Jake.

 

“She’s on our department,” says a somewhat embarrassed Vinnie.

 

“Ah; dammit, Vinnie…”

 

The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© is pure fiction. Any similarities to the people, places or situations portrayed in the continuing saga are purely coincidental. The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. ChiefReason and cannot be re-produced in any form without the expressed permission of the author.

Posted by chiefreason on September 21, 2009 • Filed under: The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie • Tagged: , , ,

WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

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On February 13, 2004 while administering aid to a victim of domestic violence, Lt. Brenda Cowan of the Lexington, KY Fire Department was shot and killed. She had held the rank of lieutenant for just 3 days. Her two partners were injured. I have included links to the story of when it first happened, the recent story of the plea agreement reached and a link to the blog that I did last year. Please read it and comment. As always, I appreciate it.

 

(News story) http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1645438&nav=0RZFKpSf

 

(FFN story) http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/guilty-plea-in-2004-kentucky

 

(My blog) http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/889755:BlogPost:358852

 

So; as the title suggests…where is the outrage? This case dragged out for 5-1/2 years because defense attorneys for Hutchinson were arguing his competency or lack of it, in his case.

 

Have you ever wondered how someone (an adult) can be described as having the developmental intelligence level of a 5th grader and doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong and yet; they know which end of the gun barrel a bullet comes out of, can tear the gun down while blindfolded, clean it and put it back together and hit a bulls-eye in a target from 500 yards?

 

And because he lives in his own little “Goofy Ridge”, we are supposed to rationalize it?

 

NO!

 

This case cries out for justice and a plea bargain that caps the sentence at 25 years is NOT justice but a miscarriage of justice. It’s as if the prosecutors didn’t feel that they had a strong enough case? I mean; there was only one guy in the house with a gun, shooting at the rescuers and that guy was Patrick Hutchinson. His gun; his house; his crime. But, the prosecutor had to “PLEA” out the case some 5-1/2 years later? Someone has a screw loose and it isn’t Patrick Hutchinson.

 

Two; not one, but TWO PEOPLE DEAD…two people injured and a family lost their loved one and a fire department lost a very bright and promising leader and the shooter gets what figures out to 12-1/2 years per MURDER.

 

Why must we process this as compassionate people for the murderer? What exactly is it that we owe him when he chooses to take the lives of other human beings? Why do we have to rise above the unfeeling/uncaring nature of his act and some him that we are willing to forgive and forget? Can we not remain civilized, but require that an appropriate punishment be rendered? Wouldn’t this, in effect, maintain our civility, because without deterrents, wouldn’t our civilization slip into one of being ruled by the “laws of the jungle”?

 

Why isn’t this being smeared all over the networks as a top story and one of complete disgust for our judicial system?

 

Our President calls cops idiots and we have to have a beer summit that was played out on EVERY news outlet in existence.

 

A congressman calls our supreme commander a liar and it almost brings our nation to a dead stop, but yet; a double homicide; a willful act with a gun brings a plea-bargained sentence of 25 years in prison and it’s business as usual?

 

If we want to see better health care in this country, then we should start by insuring the health of those who provide and especially those who provide it in an emergency setting!

 

Has violent murder become such a part of our daily society that it doesn’t even register a blip on the screen anymore?

 

Why aren’t we more outraged?

 

TCSS.

 

This article is protected by federal copyright laws under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the expressed permission of Art Goodrich aka ChiefReason. Visit me at www.chiefreasonart.com.

 

Posted by chiefreason on September 17, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , ,

Dare To Be Different!

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 What gives any of us the right to feel or believe that we are entitled to be called a firefighter?

 

For some of us, we have held a steady job, been married, are raising children, are helping with community projects in our small, rather rural communities and all the while, we have been thinking about joining the local fire department to help out…so we do!

 

We are interviewed, accepted and are issued gear, along with a pager. Does this entitle us to call ourselves “firefighter” or to be regarded by others as a firefighter?

 

For others, getting on a paid fire department has been in the family for four generations and has been your childhood dream. It’s never been an option; it has been your destiny. Your goal is to serve in a large city where history has been witness to some monumental fires and extraordinary firefighters.

 

We get our name on the hiring list, go through the testing including CPAT, complete our interview and get confirmation that we have been hired. Does this entitle us to call ourselves “firefighter” or to be regarded by others as a firefighter?

 

It occurs to me after joining this website that there is a “Who’s Who” of current and former firefighters who are offering up a plethora of information on a wide range of subject matter. The training articles are second to none and the authors are likewise. The author’s style and tone of their articles do not discriminate nor differentiate between career, paid on call or volunteer firefighters. It is information that anyone who wants to improve their skills as a firefighter can do so. Do you think the authors of the blogs, news articles or training articles even care about what TYPE of firefighter you are? Oh sure; there will be articles on rural water supply that may only apply to a rural, volunteer department, but on the flip side, you will see articles on aerial truck operations that are interesting to guys like me, but are targeting metro firefighters. We can’t leave out our friends in wildland firefighting. They engage in some highly specialized tactics that warrant their own niche as well.

 

Did I say “type of firefighter”? I certainly did.

 

All MEN/WOMEN are created equal. Firefighters are NOT!

 

This may be contrary to what you believe or have been told, but it is an educated opinion that is supported by years of personal observation. We have seen nicely choreographed illustrations from authors who have been on both sides of the spectrum. They have been career firefighters who have gone on to volunteer. We have also seen the other swing where volunteer firefighters have become career. In both cases, the firefighter is taking SOMETHING from where they came to where they’re going. It might just be oodles of experience and the respect that experience will earn you with your peers.

 

Why does it matter so much to want respect or acknowledgement or acceptance from people that you don’t even know? Why would you presume to even EXPECT respect from someone that you don’t know, because isn’t one of the pillars of respect built on knowing the person? In my mind, you are being disrespectful by immediately wanting respect simply because you are on a fire department. When these people have not seen us perform our tasks, then how can we expect them to measure us all the way to a level of respect? We can’t and we shouldn’t, because it is wrong and very frustrating for those who don’t understand.

 

And on the other side of the coin, how can we say that we are the SAME as they are if we haven’t seen them perform their tasks, which are only in our realm of basic skills until they go to academy and start riding the trucks. It changes right then and there. We are no longer the same. Numbers of calls and time spent in classes and training cans DOES change all of that.

 

For me, it has never been about puffing my chest out around the paid guys. When I got my FF II certification, I knew that I was better for taking the training, but didn’t bother to gauge it against a career firefighter. It didn’t occur to me and frankly, it didn’t matter. I was trying to raise the bar for our fire department. As we progressed, so did respect between us, because we realized that our training would help hone our skills and keep us sharp. Respect could be measured in the amount of training that you did or didn’t do.

 

And with regards to training outside of the department with other departments? It was done with the intentions of LEARNING and not whether career guys were busting on us. It was about doing it right or doing it wrong and having to do it again. And if you had to do it again, then you shouldn’t complain that you were being picked on, but rather, shut up and do it right. What; because you are in turnout gear, you are entitled to get a free pass? You think that’s respect?

 

I want to see an end to the career/vollie debate. We all know what we are capable of doing. We know if we have the right to call ourselves “firefighters” and to have the privilege to wear the gear and to serve our communities. We cannot take anything for granted; least of all training and our interactions with other departments on a mass incident.

 

As far as respect?

 

Worry about getting it from your kids, your fire department and your community first. That should be all that matters anyway.

 

Then, you can look at how you measure up with others who are in the fire service. Use it to weigh your strengths and weaknesses, then share your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. If you set out like you have nothing to prove and conduct yourself with a reserved and quiet humility, respect will sneak up on you before you know it. You may not hear it, but you WILL feel it.

 

Ask yourself if you want to be the same as all of the other firefighters or do you want to be different?

 

Dare to be different!

 

Tell yourself that you’re entitled to pursue the possibilities that exist in becoming the best firefighter that you can be for your family and your community.

 

Respect the honor, tradition, history and the dangers associated with firefighting.

 

Work on your life-saving skills and forget about saving the world.

 

Study hard and train hard. Word will spread. Respect will grow.

 

There you go; all because you dared to be different!

 

TCSS.

Art

 

This article is protected by federal copyright laws under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the expressed permission of Art Goodrich aka ChiefReason. Visit me at www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on September 16, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , ,