A Reintroduction to the Fire Critic

I would like to take the opportunity to reintroduce myself and what the Fire Critic is all about. This is mostly due to the new look and feel of Fire Critic version 2.0. Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert have created a top notch contingent of Fire and EMS blogs (FireEMSBlogs.com). Of course they didn’t go it alone, the whole team deserves praise.

The Fire Critic was dreamed up a couple of years ago, although it was only acted on recently. I actually have been holding onto this domain name since March of ’08. Due to other projects, I had to continue putting it off.

The topics discussed, reason for, and point of the Fire Critic didn’t come together until I started writing. I enjoy discussing a myriad of topics and you usually won’t find the same stuff week after week. I try my best to mix it up and I really enjoy bringing humor when I can. I am sure you have caught some sarcasm along the way as well….that is me being me!

When I started this blog I figured I would pick up some followers along the way. I never thought that the site would end up next to some of the greats. At the beginning, I used some news to fill the gaps. I have moved away from news and have left that up to STATter 911 and FireGeezer among others. I will occasionally cover a topic on the news, but I am not racing to beat those guys. One thing is for sure, either Dave Statter lives in the newsroom or they moved the newsroom to Statter’s house.

I have enjoyed breaking into some stuff you might not be used to on Fire and/or EMS blogs. Most of the stuff is done as experiments to show others what works and what doesn’t. I stick with what works and scrap what doesn’t.

Some of the regular columns include:

  • Monday Morning Shoutout – I send a shoutout to a blog or website that I like and think you should read. This is a highlight of mine. Any time I can help promote another blog that I am a fan of I love it!
  • Tuesday Morning Job Security Check – Photos or video that I try to keep it humorous, sometimes graphic.
  • Saturday Hotshot – I try to showcase a hotshot pic or vid from the net on Sat.
  • Top Ten Lists – Top ten of anything I feel like.
  • Blog Tips – I try to offer some assistance in making your blog better.

Some of the experimental and/or new things I am trying are:

  • Fire Critic Apparel – Check it out for all kinds of apparel.You can purchase your own shirts, mugs, aprons, etc.
  • Contests –  I have two contests in the works now. I have already learned a lot about them! I am in talks now with potential sponsors of future contests. Don’t worry, they are getting better and better! One for a Fire Critic t-shirt (ended today) and another for a Firefighter Edition Monopoly Game (ends 11/9). In the future, the contests will not last so long. That is one lesson I have learned…The time frame set on the first one was way too long!
  • Podcasts – I am entertaining the possibility of doing podcasts in the future. I am talking about a once a month type deal. I am not sure if I will pull this off, but I am interested
  • Blogfest – I ran a blogfest one day where I posted every half-hour or so for a 12 hour period. I think it ended up being 26 posts. I plan on doing another one in the future.
  • Product Reviews – I hope to get into more of these in the future!

Most of all, if you have something to share feel free to send it in.