I was watching television on New Year’s Eve, when I was quite disturbed by the message of a commercial that came on. The setting was a group of men drinking at a bar. When the one man got ready to leave, he contacted a designated driver. He left with his designated driver. The overarching statement was, “with more cops out there, why take a chance on getting a DUI?” This commercial was sponsored by “safety” organizations in Virginia and this was the message? I thought that it was a good commercial, right up to that statement. In my opinion, the…

In the early morning hours of Dec. 28, Hamilton, Ohio firefighters were battling a blaze in a single-family dwelling. The first arriving units had received information that there were possibly people inside. This information sets events into motion, namely the most dangerous mode that firefighters work under, the rescue mode. In this situation, firefighters are working without a rapid intervention team in place and may even be working without the protection of a hoseline. The end result of the Ohio incident is that there was no one home and a 28-year old firefighter lost his life, when the floor collapsed,…

I had the privilege of delivering the invocation at the graduation ceremony for Recruit Classes 50 & 50-A On Dec. 18. Recruit Class 50-A represented a group of prior service personnel that attended a reduced version of a normal rookie school, due to the fact that they came from other departments and had attended other rookie schools. Recruit Class 50 went through the entire training required for entry-level firefighters, without prior experience. Believe it or not, this experience took me back to my graduation from Recruit Class 16, in March of 1986. I really don’t remember a lot about my…

Can a building with a sprinkler system burn? The answer could be seen in a Chester apartment fire, a couple of weeks ago. The next question is how? In this case, the news reported that the fire started on a third floor balcony. Balconies and attic spaces are normally not sprinklered. You must understand the workings of a sprinkler system, in order to understand this part of the explanation. Most sprinkler systems are wet-type systems, with water right to the sprinkler head. When the fusible link gives way due to heat, the sprinkler head begins flowing water immediately. The problem…

It is that time of year. Thanksgiving has passed and folks cannot wait to put their Christmas trees and other decorations up. Some will put up their artificial trees, but many will put up live trees from a Christmas tree farm or from some lot, somewhere in the area. When picking a live tree that is dying, it is important to choose the freshest tree possible. One way to determine freshness is to pull on the branches. If needles come off in your hand, leave that tree on the lot. You want to start with a tree that will last…

I assume that most of you either saw the pictures or heard the story of the McKenney pumper and Dinwiddie sheriff’s vehicle that were struck on I-85, by a tractor-trailer. The units were working an accident at 2 a.m. in the morning, when the second accident occurred. I know very few details about this incident, but I spent my last four years, blocking for the engine or serving as the Tactical Safety Officer. Interstates and other limited access roadways present tremendous safety challenges to fire, police and EMS personnel. You have noticed that the entire back of new ambulances and…

I am not sure what you have thought about this series of articles, detailing my 25-year journey through Chesterfield Fire & EMS. My intent was to give you a small glimpse into the life of a firefighter. This last leg of the journey would require me to relearn my job. I had spent about 18 and a half years on an engine company, prior to spending two years in Fire & Life Safety. As I left the office, I was now the pastor of a church, which would play a big part in my future decisions. My new assignment would…

I doubt that it has changed much since I left the job; firefighters love to eat. I can remember some of the best meals that I have ever eaten were in a fire station. There is nothing worse than to sit down for a meal and have the “heartsaver” tones go off – 3.7 out of every 10 responses will be to a single-family or multi-family dwelling for a kitchen fire. Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where cooking is a big part of the celebration. Will you have uninvited guests coming to your home? Cooking related fires happen every…

So after 19 years on C-shift and most of that on an engine company, I was transferred to the Fire & Life Safety Division. My new roles would be titled Community Programs Coordinator and Public Information Officer. In other words, I would now spend the next two years leading the public education section of Fire & Life Safety, and spend a great deal of time working with news agencies in our area. Can you say culture shock? One of our first assignments when I arrived was to revamp the Juvenile Firesetter process for our organization. The first order of business…

I have been taking my readers through my fire service journey, but I feel like I need to step back and share some life-changing or life-altering moments in my life. I am going to give you a brief snapshot of my life-journey. 1976 – I became a Christian and a volunteer firefighter at Fire Station No.1 1977 – I was voted volunteer firefighter of the year at Station No.1 1978 – I graduated from Thomas Dale 1981 – I enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard 1983 – I became a husband, married to the most amazing woman 1985 – I…