Training

56 MORE Top Firefighting Books! That's right, you all weighed in on the best books and I have compiled the lists. This is part II which includes 56 books on top of the 54 original books. That's 110 books that you should check out!

I have something to say. Many ask why I don't weigh in on actions and tactics I see in videos I post on FireCritic.com. This is one of those times I CANNOT stay silent. Fast-forward to 3:50 in the video for what I am talking about. This is NOT a correct way of ventilating a roof. Most of you know I am not a "Safety Sallie". Our profession is inherently dangerous, we need to operate as safely and effectively as possible.

The Fire became contreversial when Stockton Fire Chief Piechura raised safety concerns over what he saw in the video. Good for him. While we have a dangerous job, we rely on others to create policy for our safety while we are on duty. Sometimes we may HAVE to take risks that are against policy.

I asked and you delivered...This past week, I asked you what your favorite Fire Training Facebook pages were on The Fire Critic Facebook Page. Below is the list you all shared, along with a couple of others I added. Many of them have corresponding web sites, so be sure to check them out too!

What can you learn from this video? Can you use this video to teach others about the dangers of operating on roofs like this one? While the video does not show how this firefighter gets into this situation, I believe we can use this video as a training tool to learn from.

Yesterday, the Valley of the FOOLS met for the second time almost doubling our membership in the first month. If you don't know what the FOOLS is or what we do, this might explain a little bit.

Brother Matt Hinkle runs BoxAlarmTraining.com and is most recently using video, and sometimes helmet camera video within his videos to share training tips.

As for me, I am a Rogue. It is obvious to me and it would be to those around me. I am not a bad Rogue that is out to destroy anything. I have always been the kind of person to ask the hard questions.

F.O.O.L.S. (Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society) Chapters are being formed in Virginia. Firefighters from the Staunton/Harrisonburg area and Roanoke/Salem area are meeting in Lexington, VA at the Lexington firehouse on January 5, 2014 at 6:30pm to discuss creating chapters in the region.

I missed the 6th Annual Lt. Brad Hutcherson Memorial Fire School by a couple of days. I was in Nashville just prior to the event this year, I just couldn't pull off being there for it.