Being A True Leader...

The World is full of leaders. People of all walks of life and in all kinds of jobs step up every day and assume the role of leadership. To some it comes naturally, others must work at it and some should never attempt it. It takes a special person. It takes courage to lead, because when you lead you expose yourself. Anyone can sit back and do nothing. Anyone can blame others and make excuses for inaction but a true leader makes it happen. A true leader gets the job done. A leader knows full well that there can always be repercussions for decisions that they make, but they have confidence in themselves and their crew. A true leader is always prepared and trains for moments where split second decisions must be made. A true leader lives for times like this. A leader also prepares others by guiding and mentoring so that one day they could also step up and become leaders themselves. This blog is dedicated to my good friend and personal mentor retired Battalion Chief James Campigotto...

Nothing Showing...

Nothing Showing is not what we like to hear when the first due Engine goes arrival at a fire call. It's kinda like going to a store when they have a sale but they run out of the sale item. In other words, it's very disappointing. We hear the words nothing showing upon arrival more than we would like to admit. Because we are firemen we like to fight fires! We like a good job! When people first here this they think we are crazy and really don't understand what we are all about. When the report of nothing showing goes out over the radio everyone and everything slows down dramatically. Speed goes down, heart rates go down, anxiety goes down and worst of all our guard goes down! Not to long ago a call came in for a house fire and the first in units gave nothing showing, investigating. When the front door was opened up they had smoke banked down to the floor! The next words you heard were heavy smoke inside the structure, we have a working fire! Now that's what I'm talking about. But you see a few seconds earlier I and everyone else started to slow down and undress because we thought this call was nothing. Firemen cannot afford to let their guard down ever! We lost our rhythm and had to regroup quickly. It was showtime! This is why they pay us the big money, right? lol. No this is where we get to perform our craft, our skill & our love of fire fighting. Be safe and remember to always keep your guard up...

It's A Young Man's Job?

Denial is something that we all deal with at one time or another during our lifetime. Sometimes it can be used in a positive way but most times it just puts off the inevitable. At the very least you should use it as a reality check! So where am I going with this? I had one of the more busier and physically demanding shifts at work yesterday than I have had in a few years. I won't go as far to say that I have gotten lazy but it's more like I have reached middle age and gotten out of shape. When I look at the crews that I work with I am the oldest person there 9 out of 10 times. How can this be? I am ONLY 44 years old! I have children that are older than most of the new guys at work. I used to poke fun and crack jokes about the gray haired company officers and wonder how long were they going to stay on the job? When were they going to retire and enjoy what they worked for? As I layed around my house resting today between sessions of icing down my sore hamstring muscle it hit me that I am not that far away from being that gray haired company officer! Where has the time gone? What I do know is that I am not going down without a fight and that there are still plenty of firefighting years left inside this body. I might have aches and pains but that comes with the territory. It might be a Young Man's Job but I will take a seasoned veteran fireman every time! Older guys have a work ethic that isn't taught anymore. Older guys know what to do. Older guys are like bulls and give 150% all the time. Older guys don't complain and get the job done! Older guys NEVER give up!!!

The picture posted here is that of Chief Ray Downey of FDNY. He was the most decorated Fireman in FDNY's history. He died on September 11th, 2001 at the WTC while leading his men in battle. This is the person that all fire company officer's should model themselves after.

First Due...

There's nothing more exhilarating than being First Due to a working fire. You can see the column of black smoke billowing in the distance, you hear the fire dispatcher give updates of receiving multiple calls with people possibly trapped inside. As you arrive you take in the view of the scene and you start processing all the information. You know you must stay focused as you give out orders to your crew. There is so much to do and not enough firemen or time to do it. What are my priorities? What to do first? Where to make entry? When all else fails use RECEO : Rescue, Exposure, Confine, Extinguish & Overhaul. This is a true & tested method for making quick decisions on the fire ground. This is right out of the FDNY handbook. Now it's time to execute! This is where the Company Officer earns his money. This is where his reputation is made. This is when your company makes a difference. This is what FIREMEN live for! This is what we dream about. This is who we are! Fighting Fire and Saving Lives & living the American Dream...

4th of July!

Just wanted to take a moment to honor and give thanks to those who gave their life for this country and to those who are currently serving to protect our freedoms. We have come a long way but where are we heading? We need to get back to the core values that our founding fathers set before us. We need to put God back into America. We need to thank God for all he has done. It is my prayer that the United States of America would once again become a God fearing nation. Pray for our Nation & Support Our Troops!!!

Kelly Day

Most firemen across the country get what's called a Kelly Day or K-Day. This is basically your day off inside of your 7 shift rotation. You work 6-24 hour shifts then get the 7th one off in a 21 day cycle. The reason for this is due to our schedule and the amount of hours worked in a pay period. This day off reduces the hours below the amount required to get paid for overtime. Mine is on Monday. Everyone has their favorites but as they say, there isn't a bad Kelly Day! I look forward to my K-Day but when your on it you wish you were at work with your crew. You hope that they don't catch any work while your gone. There's nothing worse than missing a good job (fire) and your crew was there without you. But that's the chances you take when your on Vacation or Kelly Day. It's the luck of the draw...

Smell of Smoke

Well here's the deal. I have a lot to say about allot of things, so what better place to say it than right here. I can't afford my own web page and I don't have my own cable TV show so this will have work for now. This blog will mostly focus on my job and what I have learned over the last 20 years or so. I will talk about everything and anything Fire Department related. I love FIRE and I'm not ashamed to say it! I like to teach, train and burn. I like to pre-fire plan buildings and go over what I would do in case a certain situation happens. I like to have a plan in my head with several backups ready to go. A good officer always has a backup plan! I am always thinking of different ways to approach things in the fire service. Most do not agree with what I think and say, but that's OK. I learned along time ago that I can pick up something useful or even lifesaving from the most senior Fire Chief down to the newest firefighter recruit. I just want to share ideas and thoughts and exchange information with those with similar interest. Look forward to hearing from you. Keep safe & train hard...MG