Tag Archives: Rhett Fleitz

Ok, I admit that I haven't read them all....and some are picture books, others fiction, and yet some are simply leadership books and are not catered towards firefighters. However, this list of books includes many which are revered as the most important for firefighters to read and others are personal favorites of myself and other readers.

Arrival video of an apartment fire in Alexandria, VA on November 11, 2016.

Each year, firefighters around the World get together to publish firefighter calendars. One thing can be said about these firefighters...they do a great job of taking care of themselves and should be commended for it. More than that, they are doing a great benefit to the fire service by supporting others through charity.

It is refreshing to see more and more firefighters talking about this topic. BC Scott Steiner asks us all to be an advocate for mental health in your department.

Strength in Peers is hosting a First Responder Trauma and Resiliency Summit on both 9/17 & 9/24 Come and join Willie Wines Jr. and myself as we learn more about mental health and first responders. EMS CE hours are available for ...

However, to me it isn't that you climb or even how you climb...it is that you take the time to remember...take the time to share with younger firefighters, friends, and family about the sacrifices made on that day.

Even though it took a while to get to know Willie, I think we are very similar. Minus the mustache, farming, cowboy boots, southern drawl...ok, maybe we are very different and that is why we got along so well.

Here is a helmet cam and multiple pictures of the Sample Street fire on Mothers Day 2016 in Millvale that destroyed multiple houses. This video shows you what firefighters face during a structural fire and shows how rapidly a fire can progress and extend to exposure buildings. It also shows what the conditions are inside of a burning building and can give you an inside perspective of a fire.

Helmet Cam footage from Champions Tanker 21 crew on a fire in Warren Township 3/17/2016. Tanker 21 was the second due company and initiated a blitz attack before interior ops began. After about 10 minutes of interior work, crews were pulled from the interior due to a partial collapse of the second floor. No one was home at the time, and no injuries were sustained.

However, the word "Safe" could have been replaced with "Smart" and even the dumb firefighters who think that "Safe" is trying to keep us all in the yard would understand it's intentions...even if they can't comprehend what the knowledge means. All we can hope for is that they have strong leaders.