Arson Fire in Providence

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20151208/NEWS/151209391/14110

As the holiday season begins to arrive, Providence is starting to kill the holiday season vibe of the traditional holly and jolly mood. On Tuesday December 8, 2015 yet another fire broke out in Providence. This is being viewed as an arson fire according to Providence Journal writer Jacqueline Tempera. After she interviewed Providence Fire Chief Scott Melo, he states “The two-story wooden frame home on Carpenter Street was fully involved, with flames shooting up from the roof, when firefighters arrived at 2:30 a.m.” Old mattresses were found outside the house burnt to a crisp, which investigators think was intentionally lit to burn down the house. By 4am firefighters had the fire completely out and luckily nobody was in the home or injured.

Another Job Well Done for Providence Fire

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20151129/NEWS/151129334

Providence Journal shares a great article of a fire that happened last Sunday November 29,2015. A fire broke out around 1030am at the Textron building in downtown Providence. Massive amounts of smoke poured out from the rooftop of the 25 story building. The Textron is the second largest building in Providence with approximately 250 employees and another 200 to 250 more employees of companies leasing space. The fire was on a Sunday, so luckily nobody was working or in the building besides the maintenance worker. The fire started from a HVAC cooling unit located on the roof of the building. Black smoke was able to be seen from Jamestown, RI (39 miles). Dozens of Providence fire fighters rushed to the scene, responding within minutes and had the fire extinguished less than an hour. Because of the waterproof sealer on the roof, their was no damage to the interior of the building and work resumed Monday morning. Another job well done by the Providence fire department. All their hard work and determination is greatly appreciated.

PROVIDENCE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN CHAOS

http://www.golocalprov.com/news/providence-fire-department-in-chaos

If you are living in the Rhode Island area or heard any news at all, you have probably heard the madness going on in our State’s capital. Golocal Providence news team writes this great article to inform us all of the uproar happening in Providence. Mayor Elorza plans to save 5 million dollars starting the fiscal year of 2017 by cutting firefighters pay and decreasing departments. His plan is to cut the platoons from 4 down to 3 with shift changes.
Some say change is good but in this case it is the complete opposite. Many years Providence fire has been wonderful for our city and ranking among the top in the nation for professionalism and efficiency. With this mess that our mayor created their has been numerous sick calls, injuries, and retirements. The city has a budget to start a fire academy for the year a 2015 that is not happening to make up for all the lost employees. Since the decision made by the mayor from July of this past year, 3 chiefs have either retired or rotated out. As Providence lead fire investigator Paul Doughty states ” The department and the city face several serious safety issues including most significantly, the mass exodus of firefighters, the majority of which were our most senior and experienced employees.” “More retirements will occur in January, and still Elorza has taken no action to begin the hiring process for new firefighters.” Serious changes need to occur. Not only is this wrong but we are putting others in risk by not being properly staffed and respond to calls as quickly as possible. This could lead to more deaths and illness that can be avoided.

Mirror,Mirror on the Wall

http://www.backstepfirefighter.com/2015/06/19/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall/
Dave Leblanc writes a very interesting article on the inside view of the guys in the fire service. Dave started working with the fire service since 1986, where he started off as a volunteer firefighter working in Arlington and West Haven while attending the University of New Haven getting his bachelor degree in fire arson. Started dispatching in 1993 and then eventually working full time for Harwick fire department in Massachusetts where he is the captain of the fire department.

I love the title of this blog, which is the main thing that caught my interest. Dave has been around some time and has worked with many other fire fighters and seen how they work. Many individuals after awhile on the job just go through the motions. Day in and day out do the bare minimum to just complete the shift. In this line of work going above and beyond it essential. Dave describes it well here.

“Our service incorporates our being prepared to do the job both mentally and physically. It involves our training. It involves our learning new material, reviewing old material, studying and finding ways to be more effective. But if you are that guy, a little older, thinning hair, maybe a paunch; that looks in the mirror and sees a six-foot tall, well quaffed, perfectly fit firefighter….well maybe it’s time you were honest with yourself, because everyone else knows what you look like. ”

Look at yourself in the mirror and be honest with yourself and try to improve yourself each and everyday. This is your career so if you don’t want to be there, many others would kill to be in your position. Make the most out of yourself.

Warwick Fire Department Hiring

I am currently looking into a career in the fire service as I have stated in previous blog posts. Fire Departments are quick with hiring and usually only have a 30 day window for handing in applications. This is tough for most seeing if they do not see an ad for it online, in the newspaper, word of mouth, etc. Then finding out past the deadline when it may be too late. For me I find out most likely through other individuals. Here are all the requirements for the application process of Warwick Fire Department that I hope you find helpful.
Now extending applications up until November 20,2015. No later than this date. Located in the second floor of the fire department headquarters. 111 Veterans Memorial Drive Warwick,RI 02886. The following originals and copies are needed at time of application.
-50.00$ certified check or money order made out to “Warwick Fire Department”
-Birth Certificate
-PPA certificate
-Valid motor vehicle operators license
-Drivers record
-high school diploma or GED
-BCI record
-EMT basic or cardiac license
Thanks and hope this helped out.

Www.warwickri.gov for applications

Going paperless in the fire world

http://www.firefighternation.com/article/technology/moving-paper-digital-logs

With it being the year 2015, it is safe to safe that technology has taken over. From Facebook to Twitter to smartphones, most documents are electronically submitted and I believe this is a good thing. David Cain who writes this article tends to agree as well. He was Deputy Chief for the Boulder Colorado fire department for the past 34 years. I would say he knows a thing or two.

Fire departments started off with paper documents. This includes checking inventory, writing patients reports to even grants. By using paper many things can get lost, misplaced, destroyed and even hard to read. What David explains in this article is the transition from paper to digital documents. Departments all over the country are happy with this change and it is improving work flow.

I Have Some Explaining To Do! – Fire Critic

I speak about Facebook Firefighters when I travel and talk about social media and improving morale. I can’t wrap my head around it. Instead of saying “WHERE THE HELL IS THE SCBA…THE SCBA…WHAT ABOUT THE SCBA…OH MY GOD…THE SCBA. OH THE HUMANITY” Why not instead say “What are the operating procedures for truck companies operating on SFD’s for ventilating roofs?” Hell, you never know, you might learn something.

Source: I Have Some Explaining To Do! – Fire Critic

I stumbled across a great article on a single family fire with live footage. Rhett Fleitz who is the lieutenant for Urban Fire department in Virginia shares this article. He is big into social media and shares fires from all over the country and likes to see the output from civilians and other fire department individuals.
I believe in this video that I watched the fire department did a great job in putting the fire out and saving as much of the home as possible. The community and departments seem to disagree. This shows how social media can down your department instead of making yourself look good to the community.
With this video being shared on social media, nobody cared that the fire was safely put out. But what everybody did care about was bashing on the appearance and how the fire personnel were not wearing proper equipment. The ventilation of the roof was not done by the book. If you take a look at the video, the fire was put out quick, as much of the house was saved as possible and nobody was injured. In my opinion that was a job well done. Social media had to ruin that and now this fire department is getting a bad rep for what was a excellent fire outing.

Civilian deaths and the Fire Service

http://www.firehouse.com/blog/11080477/high-number-of-civilian-fire-deaths-dont-compare-to-firefighter-deaths

Today I came across a interesting blog. Author and Battalion Chief John Salka writes about the amount of life’s lost each year in the fire service. John Salka has 32 years as a fire fighter, the last 13 as battalion chief of the New York city fire department. Also a writer of ” The Fire Scene” which is a section in the magazine the Firehouse.

John travels all over the country lecturing and teaching seminars. Often he is asked with the question ” How many civilians die each year at fires?.” Many individuals do not know this answer, most of them being actual firefighters who are saving these people. Firefighters risk their life each and everyday and are employed to make the community safe and save people in life threatening situations. May it be a house fire, car accident, medical emergency, etc. They are putting their life on the line to save others but some can just not be saved.

The number of fatalities each year is around 3,000 deaths. That is a large amount of deaths that need to be prevented. Each year the fire service is coming up with new equipment, gear, vehicles to help lower this high number. Hopefully  we see this number decrease in the future years.

Fire Safety and Why it Matters

http://www.firefighterblog.com/2014/07/21/taking-fire-safety-seriously/

Great reading on Mike Morales, a retired fire captain out of California. He explains the importance of fire safety and how important it is. Many people do not take the importance of fire safety seriously. With only a few simple things to check for in your home, it can prevent future fatalities that could happen.
I personally did not know the importance of fire safety and the numerous fatalities and damage it causes each year until I took a fire prevention class this year. This article should really open up eyes for people and hopefully prevent future tragedies. People should not become complacent and please take into consideration these little tasks that Mike discusses that can make all the difference.

Six New Jersey Firefighters Under Investigation – Fire Law Blog

Six New Jersey firefighters have been suspended or removed as an investigation is underway into allegations of sexual harassment of a female firefighter, sending threatening text messages, and forcing of a vehicle off a road. The firefighters are all volunteers from the town of Hammonton, and reportedly all of the conduct involved members of the department as perpetrators and victims

Source: Six New Jersey Firefighters Under Investigation – Fire Law Blog

Spread out all over the news is always a new case for sexual harassment. I did 6 years in the military and numerous upon numerous cases of sexual harassment has been going on and publicized all over. Their are more female fire fighters going into this field and now this may lead to more and more sexual harassment cases. Author Curt Varone who has over 40 years of fire service and former Providence Deputy Assistant Chief shares this article of six volunteer fire fighters who have been suspended on suspected criminal charges of sexual harassment. This is a serious matter and needs to be looked into.