Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
This is the first episode of the First Due Blog Carnival. I really enjoy reading the various posts from Fire Bloggers on the theme “I am a firefighter because…” . I was interesting how the theme was interpreted and how the various bloggers offered their thoughts on themselves. For those of you who submitted to the carnival be sure to post about it so everyone knows where to find it and check out the various stories! Feel free to grab the logo at the bottom of the page!
If I left anyone out please let me know asap and I will add it.
If you want more information on the First Due Blog Carnival click here. Let me know if you would like to host a future episode. The First Due Blog Carnival is not mine, but actually a blog carnival for the fire service. At this point, I am merely an administrator of the blog carnival.
Updated with 2 late submissions at the bottom!
Fred Simon at First Responder Liability offers probably the shortest post about why he is a firefighter. I really like: I am a firefighter because my non-firefighting friends are envious of me. Fred is a firefighter and a lawyer. I will call him for my next grievance! I have enjoyed reading this blog for a while now. Fred didn’t plan on focusing so much on firefighting with his blog, but he told me that is where it has progressed and is enjoying it!
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Joe Schmoe’s take on “I Am A Firefighter Because…” offers his introduction to the fire service following a very exciting career as a juvenile delinquent (jk). A great read! If you don’t read his blog “Report on Conditions” regularly you are missing out on a great fire blog! Who doesn’t like this guy? He writes an anonymous blog yet offers great posts from his job as well as funny stuff everywhere. This guy is hilarious! Tune in for his posts regularly.
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The Happy Medic offers his views on why he is a firefighter in a post he had written prior to the blog carnival. His story is a heart warmer and I can only imagine the pride his father must feel after reading this. Check out Sunday Fun – Dad for Justin’s story! Justin might have the best assignment of all Medic-Firefighters being assigned to an Engine!
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Notes from Mosquito Hill offers another previously written piece which validates that I picked a useful topic for this episode of the blog carnival. His post titled “The Show Must Go On” explains his firsts in the fire service.
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Captain Strauss offers a brand new blog to the mix with Captains Chronicles. She is not new to blogging though as we spoke briefly through email. Strauss offers her post “I am a firefighter because…” and gives thanks to her father and grandMOTHER for her becoming a firefighter. Look for big things from the Captain in the future. I think she is one of those bloggers that has plenty to say!
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Tiger Schmittendorf runs the blog TigerSchmittendorf.com. His post titled “It was in the cards” offers a superbly written composition of how and why he is a firefighter. You just have to love the way this guy writes! I must add that Tiger also runs the blog “Run to the Curb” which embodies a lot of us firefighters when we were younger.
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Here is another interesting read from the site Run to the Curb: RttC Kid: Chief John Buttino. It was submitted by Tiger and was recently posted on the Run to the Curb site. Check it out here.
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John Broyles, 1-Union-801 blog, points to Emergency as a reason for “I am a firefighter because…” . Another new blog on the block, check out his writing and be sure to friend him on twitter where I met him @ssgjbroyles. John is not your everyday firefighter, he is a military firefighter. He compares Military EMS to Civilian EMS…if that is what we call what we do.
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Mick Mayers of Firehouse Zen offers the story of how a kid who grew up listening to Philly Fires became a Chief in South Carolina. A 3rd Generation firefighter (from what I can deduce) who is entrenched in the lifestyle and writes a great blog. Check out “I am a firefighter because…” on Firehouse Zen.
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This may shock you, but the blogger behind The EMT Spot is a firefighter too! He offers us “I’m a firefighter” to let you know why he became a firefighter after 10 years as a paramedic. I’m a firefighter because I love putting people in the back of an ambulance and taking them to the hospital, but I also love going inside buildings that are on fire, tracking down natural gas leaks, rappelling off stuff, sawing stuff, breaking stuff, checking out alarm panels and crawling through the mud on the bottom of a lake.
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Chief Reason Art grew up believing that firefighters were the bravest, most honorable and unselfish people that walked the Earth. His post on why he is a firefighter offers an introspect into his life and why he became a firefighter. I have really enjoyed getting to know Art through his blogging and him calling in to Firefighter Netcast. I know this…This guy is passionate about FIREFIGHTING! He is a true icon in the fire service and his opinion and ideals are certainly worth reading and listening to. You may not always agree with him, but you will always learn something.
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John Mitchell at Fire Daily offers his reason for becoming a firefighter and paramedic. He also goes into depth on his first experience battling the red devil. He joined the FD “back in the day” when you learned trial by fire and gives a great example of fighting his first training fire. His post, simply titled “Stay Stoked“, is exactly how he ends each post and hopes that you continue to “STAY STOKED”!
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Bill Carey over at Backstep Firefighter takes us back to Salisbury, Maryland where his father was a firefighter. He offers us a first hand account of what it was like to grow up in a firehouse and follow in the footsteps of his father. His on-the-job training and experiences are glanced over (I am sure he has seen his share of fire) and it is not a surprise because he is a very modest man. His post titled “I am a firefighter because…” hits the mark and gives his story. Check it out!
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Shari over at Two in, Two out offers her story of being a firefighter’s wife. How could I not pay tribute to a firefighter’s wife? After all, they are our backbone…unless you are a female firefighter. You should also note that she just began her blog. Stay tuned for more! I always enjoy reading about the other side of the coin…what our wives view and how they feel about our jobs.
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Hydrant Girl doesn’t offer “I am a firefighter because…”. Instead she offers “I want to be a firefighter because…”. She offers her story and some photos as a late submission to the episode.
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Not Trained, but We Try Hard offers an emotional account of his experience with a LODD. He talks about the potential of leaving the business and why he does the job after the torment of losing two of his brothers. His post is aptly titled “Why am I a firefighter????????”
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Last, but certainly not least is my own account here on Fire Critic of why I became a firefighter as well as how I became a firefighter. I hope you enjoy my story as it is very close to my heart. It is who I am and as John would say I continue to “Stay Stoked”. I am one of those “Run to the Curb” kids that Tiger talks about and I hope to continue to enjoy what I do for many more years! My post is aptly titled “I am a firefighter because…“.
So there you have it. The first episode of the First Due Blog Carnival with 14 blogs on board. I hope to see the number of bloggers increase in future episodes. I understand that many don’t know what this is or what to think of it.
Be sure to post a link to the episode on your blog and get involved next time…
Next Months First Due Blog Carnival will be hosted over at Backstep Firefighter. The theme is “Influential Fire Reports”. Look for more information soon.
For the full information on the First Due Blog Carnival just click on the image below.
