This is the countdown to March 17, and a happy 50th to my brother, Brian, the best brother anyone could ever want in the whole world. Hoisting one of many Guinness in your name, Brian Patrick. I mentioned the realistic experiences we had playing firefighter, but when I say that Brian and I were raised […]
This is the countdown to March 17, and a happy 50th to my brother, Brian, the best brother anyone could ever want in the whole world. We’re going to talk about our early career training. Yes, Brian and I used to pretend we were firefighters. In fact, we still pretend we are firefighters, but at […]
I happened to read Chief Matt Tobia’s piece on racism in the American fire service the other day (and you can read it here at FirefighterNation.com). The United States has a long and embarrassing history of discrimination. This is not to say other nations have not, but given that the United States of America was […]
This is going to be an article about fire service funding, or the lack of it. If you are easily distracted, don’t read the title and start spouting off. There is ALWAYS more to the story than just your perspective. Â Tragedy doesn’t begin to describe this situation, but in Saskatchewan a few days ago, two […]
There is a tenet of Eastern philosophy, heijoshin, that translates to maintaining a “constant, stable spirit”. Â The premise is that while we are constantly buffeted by distractions and emotions and other tumult, the true master lives in a constant and stable spirit, considering that nothing is permanent, that nothing is sacred, and that everything and […]
As you are well aware, there was an extraordinarily tragic fire this week in Annapolis, MD* where it appears six people- two grandparents and four of their grandchildren- may have died in the blaze.  This incident has also gotten a significant amount of media attention, from CNN; CBS via WUSA; and any number of other conventional media outlets. Understandably, there […]
I was reading an article this morning about yet another mutt (just because they are a “member” somewhere, I refuse to call them “firefighter”) whose actions erode the community’s trust in us as they broke into their own station and vandalized it.  To me it seems like the fire service could weed them out. However, even in my own […]
I woke this morning for a third time, having gone back to sleep when the alarm rang (twice- it’s a holiday), then later taking a nap (third time). Feeling refreshed, I sat down to take care of the business end of Firehouse Zen: answering e-mails, checking the Twitter feed, etc.  I also decided a “first post” for […]
Back in 2012 I ran a 21-part series on Firehouse Zen on altruism and leadership (going back I realized I skipped Part 18- go figure).  There are any number of analogous theories that run along this vein, including just culture, transformational leadership, and servant leadership.  In each, the common thread is the concept of leading from […]