Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
On June 7, 2009 I started FireCritic.com as a new more worldly blog than the former blog I ran that was more defined by where I work. I had no clue of what the purpose would be with The Fire Critic at the time.
If you don’t know, FireCritic.com and the related social media accounts are run by one person…me, Rhett Fleitz. I am a career firefighter (Lt.) in an urban department in Virginia. FireCritic.com is powered by the First Arriving Network which hosts the biggest fire blogs in the Country.
I have been amazed at the amount of people I have gotten to meet. The men and women who make up America’s Bravest and Firefighters across the World. I get to follow your stories, your trials and tribulations. Your successes and failures. I have gotten to stand in awe as you stand up strong against insurmountable odds after tragedy has struck. I thank you for letting me be a part of it all.
You are my extended family. From Kalamazoo to California, the Oak Ridge Brothers to Canada’s Bravest. Around the world, I have gotten to meet firefighters in many Countries. FireCritic.com has been read in 227 of 257 Countries in the world. From over 4 million sessions in the U.S. to 3 in Turkmenistan. That isn’t too shabby.
I appreciate all of the friendships over the years, both online and in person. I have no clue what the future holds, but I am having a blast running FireCritic.com.
While I haven’t had many giveaways recently, one of the things I am most proud of is the fact that I have given away tens of thousands of dollars worth of products through the blog and Facebook.
Over the course of the past 5 years, the site has had 6.5 million page views. However, the growth was gradual. For instance, 2.5 million of those pageviews have been in the past 7 months.
This photo is from FDIC 2012. These ladies were in town for a breast cancer benefit walk. I had a great conversation with them which led up to this photo!
Yeah… The Fire Critic is growing.
In January of 2013, The Fire Critic FB page had just 16k hard earned and very involved fans on Facebook. As of today, there are currently 131k fans on FB who have continued to amaze me at the level of involvement they have in the page.
Each day, I get to learn from you all. That wealth of knowledge not only benefits me…but all of the readers.
In short, The Fire Critic is simply a pot potpourri of firefighters, friends, family members of firefighters, EMS professionals, and others who have enjoyed the common core topics shared via the web site and social media accounts.
There have been some of the funniest moments in the fire service shared on the site as well as some of the most trying and tragic.
The top 10 articles of all time are below:
- “I’ve Just Got This Car”…Hilarious Music Video of How Cops Really Want to be Firefighters
- The Cold Water Challenge…What is it Exactly? Is it Making a Difference?
- The Best of Motivational…or Demotivational Firefighting Posters (111 images)
- Fire Chief Tim Smith Stars in Show about Moonshiners in Virginia
- Rosenberg PD – Ever wonder what goes on inside of a patrol car…? Here is the inside scoop
- Update: Boston FD Lt. Walsh and FF Kennedy Killed in 9 Alarm Brownstone Fire
- Must See Video: Last Minute Rescue at Houston’s 5 Alarm Fire Today. Man Jumps Down One Floor To Reach Rescuers Right Before Collapse
- Video: No Firefighter Ever Wants to Be Caught on Camera Doing This at a House Fire…
- Top Ten 2012 Female Firefighter Calendars
- They Need Guidance…
Thanks for a great 5 years! Cheers to 5 more!
