Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Hope you have a very nice Halloween with lots of treaters and no tricksters. I live out in the country a bit, and a kid would have to be very desperate to hunt down my house for a Snickers bar. Wish they would. I love seeing those little kids all dressed up. Sigh! I remember going out on Halloween when I was a little kid. In Ohio, the end of October could be nice fall weather or cold enough that the only part of your costume you could see…
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Wednesday night, Oct. 31, will be a night of activities throughout communities everywhere. Many churches will have Trunk or Treats. In fact, Mission Community Church will be having one from 6 to 8 p.m. and you are invited. There will also be trick-or-treaters out and about on neighborhood streets. With all this increased exposure, let’s talk about safety measures. I want to start out with the children who will be wearing costumes and walking the streets. It is important that children wear reflective material or flashing lights on costumes. Parents should walk with their children always. Parents should have flashlights…
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. The mid-term election is right around the corner, and the voters need to step up and make their voices heard. Do we vote red or blue, some other color, or do we really look at the candidate and the issues? Probably some of each, but the real problem seems to filter all the way to Washington, where it appears that once they get there, everyone goes to his or her individual corners and refuses to come out to play. I understand the role of party affiliation, but how many…
On Monday, Oct. 15, my friend and a fire service mentor David “Chico” Creasy went home to be with the Lord after a four-year journey with cancer. David did not lose his battle with cancer, but used it to educate today’s fire service about the dangers of carcinogens and the steps necessary to protect firefighters from them. David had cancer, but I believe that God gave him and Martha an inner strength because of the cancer that drove them these four years. Creasy had already made an indelible mark in and on the fire service, but God had an even…
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Of late, it has been pretty quiet around the homestead, which is kind of nice for a change, but it also makes it a bit difficult to find things to write about. I did kind of sprain my left leg carrying several big bags of dirt down to the pond where I put in some new grass seed. I did not notice it at the time, but the next day my foot felt all bruised, and since this affected the way I was walking, it created a cramp in…
This past Thursday evening saw the devastating loss of a fire lieutenant while his crew was severly injured due to a major accident on I-295. From what I understand, the engine crew was dealing with a motor vehicle accident in the midst of wind and rain from Tropical Storm Michael. The engine was struck by a tractor trailer, causing the death of the fire officer and injuries to the engine crew and truck driver. Firefighters are taught to mitigate hazards, whatever they are. The problem is that our interstates are death traps for police, fire, EMS and citizens who find…
One source of heat that can lead to a fire is fans that operate in our homes. There are many different types of fans: ceiling fans, box fans, fans in air handling units, exhaust fans and bathroom fans. Whatever the type of fan, when they malfunction, they can cause excessive heat, especially once they lock up. It is important to keep fans clean and operating at maximum efficiency. When one malfunctions, it is imperative that it be replaced as soon as possible. Bathroom fans have caused some residential fires in the region. I recently had to replace the bathroom fan…
Hello and welcome back the wonderful world of the Dogpound. A couple of weekends ago I got the opportunity to attend, for the first time, a Chicago Bears football game at Soldier Field. Our host picked us from the hotel, and he was loaded down with tailgate goodies: barbecue brisket, chicken wings, pulled pork, baked beans and mac and cheese. So by the time we got to the stadium, we had a good dose of “essence of barbecue” on our clothes. I offered to carry the goodies that were stored in a caterer’s insulated soft bag with straps. I did…
We are right around the corner from this year’s Fire Prevention Week. The theme for this year is “Look, listen, learn, be aware, fire can happen anywhere.” The point is this: •Look for places fire can start •Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm •Learn two ways out of each room The goal this year is to take a holistic approach to the fire problem in America. I will seek to address each bulleted point, but more importantly, each of you must address each bulleted point in your individual context. If we seriously dealt with the first bulleted point,…
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. This happens to be a special week, a very special week; my birthday is this coming Monday. It is still a big deal, but not as big deal as it used to be., if you know what I mean. When you were little, you could not wait for your next birthday to come around. If someone would ask you your age, you would say, “I am 4 1/2” or “Almost 5 years old.” Then we looked forward to the really big event birthdays, like sweet 16, or the coming…