I know this is big in my department and apparently it is spreading across the nation. The art of the custom firehouse kitchen table. While I am sure that this is something that has been around for a very long time, it is growing in popularity once again. If you have a customized kitchen table in your firehouse, send me a pic and a little write up and I will post about it!

Here is a question for you to ponder and comment! Is there rank in the firehouse kitchen? Should the Captain be exempt from cleaning up? I have heard horror stories of the Captain picking the meals but not actually cooking. I have heard horror stories of the Captain not cleaning up after dinner....EVER.

I love reading these blogs by firefighter wives because it is interesting to see their view of our lives. I have seen many wives who just don't get our lifestyle, our jobs, our Brotherhood. However, there are plenty who do get it and understand why we do what we do. I am very lucky to have found one who is very understanding!

The Fire Critic is out to make everyone happy. Especially the kids. No matter how old you are, you should have some "kid" left in you and experience life as a naive adolescent. This practice should not be included in fireground operations though!

A friend of mine, and Oren expert, Thomas Herman has just taken shipment of his brand new book "Oren Fire Apparatus Photo Archive". Thomas is what I would call the resident expert on Oren's. He has invested a large part of his life in studying, researching, and documenting Oren's history. You can now get your hands on Oren Fire Apparatus Photo Archive as it has just been published. This book promises numerous photos of Oren's from across the land.

I have two more Fire Critic gear sitings for you... It should also be noted that there will be signature FireFighter Netcast mugs available at FDIC booth 3755! To get your Fire Critic Gear click here!

Posting this week is light. The family is on the move in the big VA for spring break. Currently in Richmond and heading to Williamsburg shortly. Thursday night is Episode 6 of Firefighter Netcast. Our show will feature Nicholas Martin ...

What is the Brotherhood? To me it is many things, but in reality it is only one.... If you were to take a firefighter and strip them of their badge, remove their turnout gear, peel their skin back, and remove the organs, the brotherhood is that small fire that continues to burn inside of them.

As you can imagine, The Fire Critic is not a huge fan of pranks. We all want to be taken seriously and those who know me understand that I am very dry, not funny, and don't like the Fire/EMS service to be taken lightly. April 1st is over, the jokes are out of the way. I really want to get down to business! What shall we discuss first?