I have to start this on April 6, 1996. I was on duty at Fire Station No. 2, and it was spitting snow that day. The phone ringing at a fire station was as normal as going to the store for meals. This day would change my life forever. The phone rang, and I heard on the speaker that I had a phone call. It was my battalion chief, who had told the firefighter who had answered the call to stay close to me, as he delivered the message. His message was that something had happened to my father and that…

With the executive orders from our governor restricting gatherings to 10 and under, and the church’s desire to be a responsible community partner, most churches have gone to an online format. That being said, some churches became the target of thieves stealing catalytic converters off of church vans. The church that I pastor became one of those victims, Tuesday, April 7. My wife and I had to go up to the church to get some meat out of the freezer for our curbside community dinner. I had not started the Ford van in a while, so I told my wife…

Two different fires occurred this past week in Chesterfield, with  common causes. In last week’s article, I wrote about the potential increase in the number of residential fires due to people being home more than ever. The causes of these two fires were ones of which that I have written many times in the past. If the chances of a fire occurring are greater, then we need to look at the most common causes and do everything to keep those kinds of fires from occurring. The most common causes of residential fires are unattended cooking, combustibles placed too close to…

As we journey forward in this “Stay At Home” initiative, I read a fire officer’s writeup stating that the number of residential fires could be on the increase. The pressure placed on properly operating equipment is greater than normal. Cooking at home has become the norm, rather than the exception. Curious children who may decide to experiment with fire must be watched 24-7. Houses burn at all hours of the day and night, but the probability goes up with these unusual circumstances. What this means is that during the day more fires are possible, but with people at home, the…

What a difference a few short weeks make. Their were rumors flying that we would not be able to leave South Africa on March 13, but we did with no incident. We then learned that they were going to close the South African border the following Wednesday, which I do not know that they did. What I do know is that South African Airways cancelled all international flights Friday, March 20. Our world, our nation, our state and our county have changed drastically, in a matter of days. I read an article from Swaziland, where nurses are protesting, causing patients…

I have just returned from South Africa, where I led a team of six, including myself, through the journey. In many ways, this trip was easy because we went to a place that I had been many times before. My team was made up of two that had been before and four that had not. Our pre-trip planning was as much about sharing what they should expect as it was in training them about their task. I had one new team member tell me, while we were there, that I had done a good job preparing them for this journey. I…

As we watched the outbreak and spread of this virus throughout Wuhan, China, I am not sure that most of us thought that it would spread beyond the Chinese border, much less cause a worldwide pandemic. We are living in the 21st century, a time where technology and knowledge is supposedly higher than it has ever been. I have just returned from South Africa, where my IPhone 10 served as the best means of GPS tracking. We have all of these things, but yet, we are in the panic mode over this virus. Picture this, my team and I were…

We have some great auto repair facilities in Chester, but today, one of those facilities set itself apart from all the rest in my book. In June of last year, I took my truck to a well-known repair facility for a complete brake job. Everything was fine until just recently, when the front discs showed signs of warping. For whatever reason, the discs did not last but about 8 months. We have all had things that did not last past the warranty. The issue is, what will someone do once a warranty claim is reported? I can tell you that…

I could easily turn these two subjects into individual articles, but both carry tremendous importance, so I am going to tackle both of them in this one article. I was reading the daily business plan for CF& EMS one morning, and I clicked on a link that takes you to the LODD (Line of Duty Deaths) for 2020. As of the last reported number, 10 firefighters had lost their lives in the line of duty across America. The cause of one of those firefighter deaths can be directly affected by you and me. You have heard a lot about the Move…

If your house catches on fire, how will your children get out? Your house catching on fire is bad enough, but add to it that a member of your family could not get out and that makes it even worse. The fire service has been doing pre-fire planning for years. It is high time that we take on this same attitude concerning our family that lives in our home. A fire could occur at any time, day or night. The actions taken by occupants during the day are different from the actions that may be taken at night, especially after…