More Columns From This Author

When the wind blows
June 19, 2013

This could be a title of a novel or a soap opera, but it is actually a response to Thursday’s storm. I heard a weather reporter say Thursday morning, “if you didn’t know that this storm was coming, you have not been listening because we have been forecasting it since the weekend.”

Preparing for collapse
June 12, 2013

Whether they were on the roof or under it, in the collapse zone, four firefighters lost their lives in a restaurant fire that spread to an adjoining hotel in Houston Texas. The after-action report, though not out yet, will share valuable information about what went wrong.

A firehouse staple
June 5, 2013

What do you write about when you have been without cell service and without a television for the last week? Though I did just return from a place like I just described, I had actually planned to share this prior to my trip. I have only been in fire stations a few times since retiring in 2010.

The ultimate sacrifice
May 29, 2013

Approximately 24 hours before a powerful tornado devastated Moore, Oklahoma, firefighters in Dallas were battling what would become a six-alarm condominium fire. At 3 a.m. on Monday, FF Stanley Wilson was awakened with the rest of his crew, dispatched to what would become his last fire.

At the drop of a hat
May 22, 2013

What is it that can make a person mad, “at the drop of a hat?” I say that it is when another person makes a mistake driving or drives with no regard for anyone else on the road. Whatever the case, our anger is roused when people cannot drive.

Dotted and crossed
May 15, 2013

Getting old is a reality of this life. The problem is, are you ready for that time to come? Many would say that this is not the role of a pastor, but I have found myself, on more than one occasion, having to guide people through the difficult decisions that aging brings.

Guest writer gives opinion on NBA outing
May 8, 2013

NBA veteran Jason Collins’ decided to come out as an open homosexual this week, making him the first active openly gay athlete on any major U.S. team. I am a lifelong lover of all things basketball, but to be honest I don’t really care to know about this man’s sexual preferences.

Risk a lot to save a life
May 1, 2013

Three guiding principles that Chesterfield Fire & EMS had posted on the walls of fire stations for years were

Order in the midst of chaos
April 24, 2013

As we watch an end to the mayhem in Boston and the surrounding suburbs that began with the bombings at the Boston Marathon, many may wonder how all of this worked? One short acronym, NIMS, National Incident Management System is the easy answer.

What does it mean?
April 17, 2013

Yesterday’s fast-moving brush fire caused traffic and lives to be disrupted for hours. The Virginia Department of Forestry’s fire danger rating for yesterday and today was a 3, or a high danger of fire. Though we do not have many days of low humidity, we do have winds, accompanied by the effects of drought and a lot of fuel from previous hurricanes.