Once again I’m convinced that we were cut from the same cloth – I just don’t remember seeing you around the house – LOL.

Although our lives took different paths, they’ve ended up in the same place: right here, right now, connected by this technologically enhanced opportunity to connect.

You bring out a point that I make often, that if you’re not taking something away from helping others — if you’re not getting enough self-satisfaction – you’re probably not an effective firefighter.

It’s not selfish, it’s self-fulfilling your legacy of service.

Stay safe. Train often.

Our litigious world makes too many chief and administrative officers lean too far to the left of focusing solely on doing things the right (legal) way (or worse, not doing anything at all) instead of simply doing what they know is the right thing.

In the end, the rights of the criminal are protected, the victims are victimized over and over and the fire service gets another black eye.

* Long Pine City Council hires firm to investigate the Long Pine Foundation

(Posted Feb. 16)

The Long Pine City Council Tuesday, during its second special session in as many weeks, unanimously voted to retain a law firm to investigate the Long Pine Foundation’s handling of funds related to the Long Pine Palace and fire hall project.
The council agreed to pay a $2,500 retainer to the firm Jacobsen, Orr, Nelson, Lindstrom and Holbrook to research the Long Pine Foundation’s handling of funds, and will pay the firm an hourly rate of $175.
“We see discrepancies that need to be looked at,” Councilman Craig Bernbeck said.
Asked how hiring this law firm was different to a previous firm that researched the same issue, Bernbeck said the previous attorney did not find all of the foundation’s discrepancies.
Brenda Bernbeck with the city clerk’s office later told KBRB the city had spent $11,719 in legal fees to the previous firm, Sederstrom and Erickson, since 2008.
Resident Lynn Robertson read a statement imploring the City Council not to move forward with hiring a second law firm.
“I am very concerned about the fiscal integrity of the city of Long Pine,” Robertson told the council members. “Please act responsibly in upholding your office for the best interests of the city of Long Pine and vote against this special agenda item to spend yet another huge amount of taxpayer revenue on an issue that has already been explored exhaustively.”
Mayor Al Graves said there was no way to determine how much would be spent with the new law firm as it conducted its investigation.
Following the meeting, Long Pine Foundation President Linda Alberts said she had no idea what city officials were after.
“Every cent we have raised for the fire hall project is in an account in Omaha under the control of the Nebraska Community Foundation,” Alberts said. “I have no idea where they think this wrongdoing is coming from.”

I just can’t fathom why, from my view, they can’t get their stuff together and do the right thing.

Reform should be in session!

As for the NFPA…two things.

It amazes me at how much stock is put into the guidelines

and,

It amazes me at how little stock is put into the guidelines.

It seems to me that we (fire service and many others included) have worked on these guidelines for so long, yet they seem to fall on mostly deaf ears. Most Chiefs decide when to use them and when not to. Even departments who have adopted the standard do not follow them as much as they should.

and yes, they should be obtained by every department somehow!