FDIC 2013 Review

FDIC 2013 is over. It was another great conference and time getting to be around like-minded firefighters from all over the world. FDIC is the greatest and best conference in the world but even using those words do not feel like justice enough to describe something so great. This years FDIC all started actually last year when I put in to teach my first ever 4 hour pre conference program.

Monday at FDIC was all teaching for me. I got to present my 4 hour class “The Medical Mayday”. The class focused on the fact that cardiac events are still killing firefighters and that all of our RIT training focuses on pulling people out of buildings, not the continuation of care after the firefighter has been pulled from the hazard zone. It also focused on the fact that firefighters are unique patients, and some talk and discussion about injuries on the fireground and some rehab and prevention measures. It was supposed to have a practical component along with it but there was a small mix up in that area, but that will NEVER happen again. Even with the mix up  felt it went great! The preconference programs are not ala carte like the regular class room sessions. The students who wish to attend sign up for the class prior to the conference so the fact that 30 people felt like this was good enough to take prior to the conference made me feel awesome. I got great reviews and everyone really seemed to enjoy the class.

Here is the FDIC coverage of my class: http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2013/04/firefighter-training-at-fdic-2013–medical-mayday.html

Tuesday I took no classes and had no teaching engagements so me and my brother decided to check out the NCAA Hall of Champions. Little did we know that we would find an inspiring story inside these walls.

 

This young man wanted to be a firefighter so bad he chose his college athletic career location-based on a volunteer fire station! Talk about inspiring most college athletes are just looking to go to the biggest school for a championship and move on the pro’s. Instead this guy was looking at a career first.

That brings us to Wednesday which is becoming my favorite day of the conference. I used to always skip opening ceremonies but the past few years I have gone and I have never regretted it. It starts with bag pipers then the presentation of the Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award, followed by a usually AWESOME speech by Bobby Halton, and a key-note speaker.

This year was no disappointment! You really need to log onto Fireengineering.com and see the video of opening ceremonies but here are some articles highlighting what was said.

http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2013/04/fdic-2013-courage-and-valor-winner.html

http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2013/04/fdic-2013-opening-ceremony-chief-bobby-halton.html

http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2013/04/fdic-2013-keynote-kastros-step-up.html

Again I can not stress enough the power and moving experience of what FDIC Opening Ceremonies is. Even if you can never ever go to FDIC you should live stream it online when it is going on, or watch it on video. Also share it with your crew it will be worth it.

After opening ceremonies the rest of the day was spent taking classes, all of which were great. Then my favorite social event of FDIC The FOOLS Brotherhood Bash took place on Wednesday night but first we got some dinner at Hooters

Not very many other places in the world does that happen, yet it is a common occurence at FDIC! The Brotherhood Bash was made even more cool by the fact that this year a local band from Richmond Va was headlining Rosie Soul and The Rock and Roll Cowboys!

Thursday brought one more classes but also exhibits!

Also the guys from the movie BURN http://www.detroitfirefilm.org/ where on hand.

 review from BURN http://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/burn-in-richmond-va/

This is Lucas Oil Stadium and it is just a small portion of what FDIC offers for exhibits. My complaints about the exhibits remain the same from last years FDIC review that you can see here http://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/fdic-2012-review-part-2/

Also on Thursday I got to see some of the yearly Firefighter Combat Challenge

This is an awesome event, I have never run one but have watched several. If you have the chance find one near you and go out and see it!

Thursday night also brought about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Stop Drop and Rock and Roll party in the Indiana Roof Ballroom. We had never been before. IT WAS A BLAST!!!!! For $15 we had some great food, good music, AWESOME fellowship with other brother fireman and it all goes to the NFFF www.firehero.org I know I will be hitting this event up again in the future, and recommend you do the same!

Friday morning I boarded a plane headed for Charlotte NC and my brother boarded a plan set for Cleveland as we could not get the same flight and our FDIC was over.

It was another great trip as you can see by the review, here are just a few of the people I got to see again or meet for the first time:

Rhett Fleitz  www.firecritic.com

Willie Wine http://www.ironfireman.com

Ben Peetz http://notjustanotherfire.net/

Mike Smith http://boronextrication.com/

Paul Hassenmier  http://firstduetackle.com/

The Owner of Hero Rush http://www.herorush.com/

Brian Brush www.fireservicewarrior.com

Ryan Pennington http://viewsfromthejumpseat.com/

Everyone at Fox Fury lighting http://www.foxfury.com/index.php

If I left anyone out I apologize.

Like I said it was a great time, and I can’t begin to express how great and powerful this conference is.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

BURN in Richmond VA

I was so excited a few weeks ago when I found out that BURN was coming to my hometown of Richmond Va. It came to DC a few months ago but I just could not make it up there to see it. This time I was not going to miss it and I am glad I didn’t!

I was able to attend the opening night festivities and it was a blast hanging out with a bunch of fireman, drinking a few frosty beverages, and they really did the event up with one of Richmond Fire’s Quints out front of the theatre, vendors, and food from the Halligan Bar and Grill owned and operated by Retired Henrico Fire Lt. Shawn Gregory. Here are a few pictures:

At about 10 mins to 7 they ushered us into the theatre and it was time for the movie! WARNING SPOILER ALERT!

The movie itself was great, it shows the true story of a city that has lost control and the firefighters who risk their life daily to try to protect it. The biggest problem and biggest debate is the 80,000 vacant homes in the city and how to deal with them. Some of the fireman think that every fire no matter what they should be going in because some of the homeless people use these as homes to squat in. The new Fire commissioner feels that if they are no danger to occupied homes and no one is in them to let them burn.

The 2 stories that spoke to me the most were of Dave Parnell and “Doogie”

Parnell as he is called is getting ready to retire after 30 plus years with the department. About 5 months before hs retirement his wife dies and now he is faced with living the rest of his life without his wife, or his fire department. This made me think a lot about my own retirement. While I am a ways off, all I have done since I was 15 years old was be a fireman. What will I do, and who will I be without the fire department. Sure I will still visit the stations and what not but I will not be pushing in, driving the rigs, going on EMS call, I will not be in the department anymore. It gives me a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about it.

Brendan or “Doogie” came on the job as a 19-year-old firefighter and 11 years later he is in a wheel chair as a result of injuries received at a building collapse. Again this spoke to me because I have been involved in the fire service since a very young age, and have literally zero other skills in my life. All of my training, education, and choices have been based on whats best for my fire service career. If I was hurt today how would I survive, what would I do?

This movie will speak to you and make you think. It will also make you appreciate what you have both in you personal and Fire Department lives. This is a MUST SEE FILM! It was so good I went to see it again with my shift from work this past Sunday.

A big shout out goes to a group of fireman from the City of Richmond who with some Union help brought this film here for us all to enjoy.

This story needs to be told, get this movie to your town or go see it in another town. Go to http://www.detroitfirefilm.org/ for more information on how to bring it to you and how to give donations. Lets et this movie in every major US city and get it put out on DVD.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

Product Review: Cobrabraid 550 Paracord Braclet “Firefighter” Edition and giveaway!

I was given the opportunity to review the COBRABRAID 550 Paracord Bracelet “Firefighter” edition  as well as the “Firefighter” edition key chain here are my thoughts on the products.

First the bracelet. It is made out of very durable paracord material. When I say durable I mean it. I got this bracelet dirty, wet, sweaty, soapy, hot, cold, you name it I put it through it and it stood up to all the tests I put it through. The design is nothing new as the thin redline in the black bracelet has been a symbol of fallen firefighter remembrance for as long as I can remember.

 

This version of the bracelet is secured with a velcro strap. The positives of this are the ability for you to add some extra tightness to your bracelet. However I found the material to become irritating while sweating, or if the bracelet became wet. COBRABRAID does offer a variety of other fastening devices for their bracelets so this is something customizable to the end-user. If you plan on wearing this during physical activity I would use some vaseline or runners glide to keep irritation down.

The key chain…

The key chain design is just like the bracelet, and the durability is the same as well. The only negative to this product is the carabiner size. It is very small and as I often clip my keys to my bag while I am at work the carabiner did not fit around the straps of my bag. I also often clip my keys to my belt loops while going into a store off duty, and some of my belt loops were to big for the carabiner. Other than that this is a solid product but could use some improvement with a larger carabiner option.

If this style is not to your liking then do not fret COBRABRAID offers a wide variety of bracelet, with multiple fastening and color options. They even have some special military, and police ones. They are also beginning to add medallions to the bracelets to add even more customization features. In these medallions you can add Maltese crosses, stars of life, your department patch etc.

For more information check them out on the web a WWW.COBRABRAID.COM oh and did I forget to mention this product is “Made In The USA” which is a huge point in any companies favor.

Ok so I know what you’re saying, you really like these products but you’re a little strapped for cash, well have no fear the great people over at COBRABRAID sent me a second bracelet and key chain combo to give away to my loyal readers.

These could be yours. All you have to do is email me at averagejakeff@gmail.com or tweet @averagejakeff me with the hashtag #COBRABRAID by July 9th 2012. Make sure you include your mailing address and name so if you win I can get them out to you asap. All entries will be assigned a number and via the “random number generator” (drawing out of a hat) the winner will be selected, and the prize sent out to you.

So tell your friends, enter to win and go to WWW.COBRABRAID.COM and check out all they have to offer. A big shout out to COBRABRAID for allowing me the chance to review the products an reward my readers with great products.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

FDIC Review Part 3

Welcome to part 3 of the FDIC 2012 Review! When we last left you it was friday of FDIC and the conference for me was just about wrapped up. We (my group) had all intentions of heading out that evening to the Indy Local 416 Party and Pumper Pull, but we wanted to eat at the Tilted Kilt first. Well before we were even done with our meal the rain came and it got cold and it never stopped.

I hope this is not a deterrent for Local 416 to not have the party again, or to move it back to the Union Hall. In the past they have had this party at their Union hall which is ( in my opinion) a considerable distance from the Down Town area and convention center which is the epi center of everything going on with an about the conference. Having been before when I was in college, I have always tried to convince my “group” to go but they never wanted to make the trek. This year they decided to move it to Georgia Street just outside the convention center. So of course the year I convince them to go IT RAINS!!!!! Oh well I hope it is back on Georgia Street year and the weather is better.

Basically after that the conference was over for me, I made one last trip over to do a final sweep of the exhibits. At one of the booths they were offering up a knife if you could win three hands of black jack well…..

 THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER PLAYED AGAINST THIS KID!!!!

But that is not all I won. It is obvious that not a lot of people have bought into the whole “social media” phenomenon, @FDIC was tweeting things all week-long and giving away free stuff to people who knew the answers to trivia questions. Well as we were waiting for our ride back to the airport to head home @FDIC tweeted that they would give away an IPAD 2 to the first person to answer a trivia question. Well the only people who responded where me, my wife, and my brother

BUT I GOT MINE IN FIRST!!!! Thats right folks I walked away with a free 16g IPAD 2 from FDIC all by following them on twitter! FDIC is not the only thing given away via twitter, celebrities host contests all the time. Just the other night NASCAR driver Joey Logano gave away race tickets to the upcoming race in Richmond. In addition you can get expanded content from all your favorite fire service bloggers, websites, personalities, etc. So bottom line is get on twitter and while you’re at it follow @averagejakeff

Even with all the great stuff the best part of it all was getting to take my dad out to his first FDIC! I wrote a little about my dad in the post here:  http://averagejakeff.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/nostalgia/ My dad is a simple guy with simple pleasures, a cold beer and a recliner and you put him anywhere and he will be happy. He would have never though of spending his own money to go to FDIC because it would take money away from his family, so when my wife was given a free full conference package after entering a Facebook contest (see social media) and we had the free hotel room for being instructors I knew if his department would put up some money we could get him out there. They did, and so he came and I think it is safe to say he had a blast! I hope this is not his last time wanting to make the trip, but if it is I am glad he got to see me teach, and see Karen push her book.

Here are just some other pictures from FDIC:

 

 

 

Well that’s the end of the FDIC 2012 Review Part 3. I hope you had as good a time reading it as I did living it! If I didn’t get t meet you or if we met and I missed talking about you please no hard feelings, it happens. Hopefully there will be an FDIC 2013 for me, but as the kids get older and more obligations come to the forefront you have to sacrifice. One thing I can guarantee is that this will in no way be my last FDIC, I plan on attending these things even after I am retired, hopefully to see one if not both of my sons follow in my foot steps.

Hope you enjoyed the review, keep following along on twitter @averagejakeff, please give the guys I mention in these reviews some business they are all doing GREAT WORK! Also I won (my wife won) one other thing at FDIC that I am keeping a secret that I will be giving away VERY SOON so stay tuned for that.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

FDIC 2012 Review Part 2

So when we last left you Wednesday night was over and a lot of great things were happening!

Thursday I did skip the General Session but I heard it was GREAT! I did make it over for class and had some great experiences. I took Suburban Fire Tactics with Jim Silvernail www.suburbanfiretactics.com , and Hoseline Operations for Multi Family Dwellings with Bill Gustin. Both those classes were good and offered a lot to think about. I was unable to take a 3rd class that day because I had to go get ready for the Courage and Valor 5k! The race Started at 6 and the afternoon classes didn’t let out until 5:15. I do not like walking out of classes early cause I think it is disrespectful. I am not saying I have not done it, I just always feel bad when I do, I mean all of the instructors but there heart and soul into their classes so even if you’re not digging it, or liking what you are hearing you owe it to at least stay.

First however my wife got a chance to promote her book “Incident Command for EMS” by having not one but 2 book signing/meet the author sessions, the first being Thursday

 Isn’t she hot, and pretty smart too! If you have not bought this book yet then what are you waiting for!

The Courage and Valor 5k was awesome! Chief Halton wanted 1,000 runners and almost made that goal with about 900 total runners/walkers. Only about 400 chose to have their run timed. I ended up finishing in 27:33 which was within my under 30min goal. I belive I placed 182 out of the 400 or so timed runners so not my best performance I will take it.

 Here is my wife Karen getting ready to run, she ended up finishing somewhere around the 35-36 min. mark I was super proud of her, for gutting the run out as she was not feeling it. She is setting the example that EMS providers need high fitness levels as well!

Thursday night was also the NFFF Stop Drop and Rock and Roll party, unfortunately we did not make it over there, after running showering, and eating we just ran out of time. I honestly regret it but when you’re traveling in a big group you make sacrifices. They sacrificed eating later for us to run so we sacrificed going to an event. Thursday night ended up just being a night to wind down a bit, have a few drinks, and converse with people attending the conference.

Friday was all about the exhibit floor and promoting my wifes book. The Exhibits were VAST, they really need to have them open more. I know the goal of the conference is for education, but in my opinion if people are going to take a class then they will no matter what else is going on. Make those people who just do exhibit only passes pay more to off set the cost for those that are paying out of their own pocket to do it all.

 This is a shot of Lucas Oil Stadium and it is only a SMALL part of all there is to see during the exhibits at FDIC.

It was also during the exhibits that I saw something cool/scary/innovative all in one!

 

 

This “rig” comes from Volusia County Florida and it is well, all of the things I said it was! It is a 300 gal pumper that seats 2 people (a 3rd if they ride in the ambulance part) and has an ambulance body on the rear! This thing also has a foam tank, and a 500gpm pump. I have seen a similar concept with Miami Dade as they use the ambulances as “Rescue Companies” but they just have an extended cab with ambulance body, and a bunch of saws, forcible entry tools, etc. I had never seen it go this far. I actually think the concept while scary is kinda brilliant especially if you have reduced staffing. By making every ambulance and engine you can maximize the ability to do more with less. It is not the perfect system but in times of reduced staffing and budget cuts we have to be innovative. If this rig shows up at a house fire before a traditional engine company they can go to work, instead of waiting. This was the best , most interesting rig of the conference in my opinion, and generated several discussions.

Also during FDIC 2 other very significant events took place. The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge. Here ae some pics.

 

Again I was felt with a little bit of regret. Last year I watched the climb and did not participate. The climb is all about your tribute to the fallen. So when I had the chance to climb in Richmond Virginia with brothers and sisters from my department, and surrounding departments I knew this is where I wanted to give my tribute. Since they have already planned another climb for Richmond this year I decided I was not going to climb at FDIC. Had I known they were not going to get 343 climbers I would have done it. To me it is a travesty at a conference of 30,000 we can not get 343 people to climb. I will not let that happen again, the next time I am there and there are not 343 climbers I will be climbing. Like I said I will also be climbing again in Richmond Va in September this year and would love for us to get 343 climbers so come join us, I will even train with you!

I did get the chance to commemorate the memory even further of firefighter David Halderman of the FDNY who I climbed for in Richmond by getting a Brotherhood Band www.bandsforbrothers.com  with his name on it.

 Like I said after I climber, I still have the picture of him, and he will always be a part of me, and a reminder of a lot of things. Now I will honor him everyday by wearing this band.

Well this is getting long enough so I will end it here, I still have a little bit more to say and some other things to share about FDIC 2012. So stay tuned for part 3 of the review!

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

 

FDIC 2012 Review Part 1

This is gonna be a long one folks so get your coffee, your breakfast, get in the comfy chair, etc.

So we arrived back from FDIC 2012 on Saturday evening, well some of us did. You see while waiting at the Indy airport the airline we were traveling on had oversold the plane. So they offered up 2 not one but 2 round trip tickets to anywhere they flew if someone would bump themselves and take a later flight. Well in 2013 my wife and I plan on running the Disney World Marathon in Jan. and taking our kids there in July 2013 so she jumped at the chance and now our flights for the 2013 Disney World Marathon are paid for! The only problem is that she ended up having to wait 4 hours for another flight and did not get back into Richmond Va until midnight. A sacrifice but WELL WORTH IT!

But let’s go back to the Tuesday of FDIC our group Me, Karen my wife ( Author of ICS for EMS, Emergency Operations Asst. Manager for the Virginia Office of EMS, and President of the East Hanover Vol. Rescue Squad), My father in law Frank (HMERT coordinator for the Virginia Office of EMS, Life Member of the West End, and East Hanover Vol. Rescue Squads, and holder of several officer positions in both of those organizations, My Brother Danny ( Fireman City of Richmond Rescue Co. 2, Member of the Central Virginia Tech Rescue Team, and Member of the Mechanicsville Vol. Fire Dept.), and making his first trip to FDIC my Dad Ed “The Mole” Owens (Sergeant Stafford County Fire Rescue, Lieutenant and Life Member of the Mechanicsville Vol. Fire Dept.) all arrived at the Richmond International Airport and headed out to indy around 11. With a quick stop in Atlanta we got to Indy right around 4pm.

Since I had to teach the following morning I went right to the convention center with my wife for AV check. Once that was done we hit the town so to speak having dinner and drinks at Champions directly across from the convention center. While there we ran into Jonah Smith www.hosejockey.blogspot.com and Jason Jefferies www.workingthejob.com . After that we hit the Local 416 Fund Raising event at Rock Bottom Brewery had a few “Fire Chief Ales” then kinda called it a night.

Wednesday was of course opening ceremonies and in the past I usually never go but the past few years I have been really motivated to get up and hear some great speakers, boy am I glad I did Bobby Halton ROCKED THE HOUSE!

http://bcove.me/2ppsgqns

If that speech does not make you get motivated to train, and do the right thing then get out of the fire service right now cause you will never get it!

I had to leave before the Keynote to go set up my computer for my class. “Engine Company Emergencies” in my opinion was a huge success. I had about 70 people only 1 walk out, and a lot of positive comments. Sure some of it is simple, but it seems to me that those are the things that are hanging us up sometimes. The basics (hose line management, chocking doors, fire ground discipline, etc.) are a lot of the problem and things that we do not cover in our RIT training.

Before and after class I got to talk with Chris Huston www.engineco22.net and Brian Brush www.fireservicewarrior.com I regret that I did not get to hang out with them more but with so much going on with them and me we just kept playing “twitter tag”.

After my class I had the chance to take some other great classes the best was no doubt “Engine Company Operations: Gallons Per Second” With Chief Curt Isakson from Escambia County Florida. I will not spoil it for you, but take a class from this guy he runs his own site at www.countyfiretactics.com and it is all good stuff.

Also Wednesday night I had the chance to go to “Unplugged” With Jon Norman, Alan Brunaccini, and Bobby Halton. This “class” is really just a kitchen table BS session but I always get a lot out of it, and the messages and quotes you can pull from it will last you a life time!

 If you have never been you are missing out!

Finally on Wednesday was the Fools Brother Hood Bash. To me this is THE event at FDIC music, beer, fireman, bag pipers what else do you need! After the Brother Hood Bash we headed back to the hotel for a “night-cap” and I am glad I did we ran into Rhett Flietz aka “The Fire Critic” www.firecritic.com and he honored me, my dad, and brother with his and Capt. Wines www.ironfiremen.com new challenge coin from NM Coin

 Aren’t these things cool. To me it is an honor to get these as they didn’t have a ton to give out. Just another way Rhett has helped me out. he has sent product reviews my way, he was one of the influences I had for blogging, and he always offers honest opinion on a variety of topic. Plus he is always down for a beer and good time! Captain Wines is very similar I have only met him twice and while he may not even know my name he recognizes my face and always represents the highest level of brotherhood. Plus like me they are from Virginia, making our bond even one of State hood. These guys are class acts all the way!

Well I am gonna end this one right here, I have a lot more pictures to post and things to add about the conference. Also I am going to be having a giveaway very shortly so keep an eye out for that.

Be Sure to keep following along on twitter @averagejakeff and support all of the guys I mentioned in the post they are all doing great work and no matter the stance they take our goal is common, a better, safer, more educated, and more dedicated fire service.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE! Also stay tuned for FDIC 2012 Review Part Duex!

Wildfire Pro App Review

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Firewhat.com (www.firewhat.com) and asked to review their Wild Fire Pro App for the Iphone, well since I don’t have an Iphone I had to pass the review on to my brother Danny O below are his thoughts:

Wildfire Pro By: Firewhat

 

                The Wildfire Pro app for the iPhone is a very dependable and informational app.  Although it is mostly geared towards wild land fires it could also be used for structure fire as well.  This app has a lot of information for the reasonable price of $4.99.  Some of the features of the app include a map of incidents, a guide section, and calculators.

The incident map shows where there are current wild land fires in the United States.  When you click on the individual fires more information pops up.  This information includes the size of the fire, the latitude and longitude, the area where the fire is (State, City, and County), the % of the fire that is contained, and numerous other topics of interest when dealing with wild land or structure fires.

The guide section is broken down into 4 sections; size up, safety, operations, and weather.  Each section provides very detailed information and reminders on each topic. You can almost consider them as mobile checklists if you’d like.  They provide definitions, guidelines, and overall general information about each of the above topics.  This is a very good addition to the app.

Overall this is app is very helpful if fighting wild land fires is up your alley.  This app has lots of room to expand and I personally can’t wait to see what else these guys come up with.  This app has lots of potential and is receives the Average Jake stamp of approval.

It seems like this app is very functional and is perfect for Wild Land Firefighters, and even those of us that are in structural departments yet have to respond to wild-fire incidents. Firewhat.com also offers a wide variety of other apps and information and they are developing new stuff every day. Head on over and check them out at WWW.Firewhat.COM

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

Book Review: Firemen

Fireman is told from the view-point of Gary Ryman, and is about three generations of a firefighting family. The book starts off with Ryman detailing his fathers entry into the volunteer fire service, and the various incidents that shaped his interest into following in his fathers footsteps.

A large portion of the book details Gary’s journey in the fire service as he goes to his first fire, becomes a company officer, is a live in firefighter while attending college, and eventually making it to the chief officer ranks.

Finally the book details the beginning of Gary’s son Mike as he beings to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, and father as a third generation fireman.

My self being a second generation fireman I have definitely felt a lot of the emotions that the author has experienced. My dad has been a fireman for around 30 years in various capacities (industrial, volunteer, and career) and me and my brother have been in the same position as the author on several instances coming up under someone with a lot of knowledge and background, learning from him, getting scolded for doing something dumb, and finally succeeding and getting to a level where he viewed us as equals and not just his sons. So on that level I really enjoyed the book as I could relate to it. I can also relate to being a young  fire officer in a volunteer organization, then having kids and having to cut back (or stop all together in my case).

One thing that was both positive and negative was how the book was layed out. The book is a lot like a firehouse BS session, while good it is sometimes hard to follow. The author will tell a detailed account of an incident, and state that was not the only call that would be horrible that day (or some other teaser) then never talk about it or mention it again. I found this a little frustrating as it could have led to more detail of the story. I also wish there would have been a little more on his “live in” experience while attending college. I feel like that alone is another whole book and I hope him or some other author out there visits this topic, I would surely like to read it, and if I could go back and do it over again it I would have chosen that path to pursue my college education.

Overall this si a good read, and shows how the fire service has progressed over three generations. I definitely recommend picking it up and giving it a chance.

You can pick up the book here: http://www.fire-men-book.com

You can also become a fan of the book on face book: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fire-Men-Stories-from-Three-Generations-of-a-Firefighting-Family/183551625026176?sk=wall

A special thanks to Tribute Books http://www.tribute-books.com for giving me a copy of the book to review.

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

 

Firehouse EXPO 2011 Review

Well I am back from Firehouse EXPO 2011, and while it was extremely hot in Baltimore a good time was had by all!

This years EXPO had some unique aspects of it. The best thing was the free (with exhibit hall pass) classes offered in the exhibit hall. These classes were 1 hour-long and were short, sweet, to the point, and affordable. I was able to sit in on one of Billy Goldfeders sessions and it was outstanding. This is something I hope becomes a standard for this conference as it really maximizes your dollar.

Another great thing is the apparatus, now this conference does not nearly offer the apparatus number that you will see in Lancaster Pa, or FDIC but it does offer som unique things, for example there were a couple of Virginia rigs there that I probably would not have gotten the chance to see had they not been on display here are a few

Those were just some of the amazing pieces of apparatus that were at the EXPO. There were also a lot of events non more important than the 9/11 Stair Climb, I have posted about his several times and I think it warrants repeating, this event is the greatest tribute you can possibly give to the 343 fireman that were murdered on 9/11. To go through just a portion of what they did shows that you will never forget. If your interested there is one in Richmond Va on 9/11 and there is still a ton of room left (only about 90 climbers so far). If you think you can not do it then if you live close I will come and train with you, but do not let that stop you from participating in one of these days.

All in all this was a great success but also a tiring  I think my youngest son would also agree!

I do however have some suggestions to make the conference better:

1. More Social Media Coverage: hardly anyone was tweeting, or Facebooking this needs to be a priority to keep people abreast of whats going on, and to entice to people to come next year. Also with all of the Netcasts, and streaming ability that is out there some of these classes need streams. You could even charge via paypal and have people pay to watch the streams of classes. Bottom line the technology is there and this ability for this show to reach beyond the attendees is there.

2. Apparatus Positioning: This is a small thing but the show floor is so tight, that it is hard to get good apparatus pictures. It needs to be more spread out, or they may need to find a larger venue to host the apparatus portion.

3. Keep the free classes: this speaks for it self.

4. More after hours events: They should take the example from FDIC on this. At FDIC there is something every night. Sometimes its a movie, sometimes its a concert, sometimes its a block party but there is something to do with the conference every night, and people go to them. I went to the FOOLS night at Camden yards and sat in the FOOLS section it was empty and hardly anyway was identified as a firefighter, or FOOLS member. I went  because I thought it would be cool to watch a game with a bunch of brother fireman, I should have paid more money and sat in more comfortable seating because there were hardly any fireman there.

5. BRING BACK THE PARADE: This was one of my favorite parts of the EXPO and it has been gone for far to long, bring it back please it was fun, and it was a great event for the children, and photo takers.

Like I said overall this was a succesful EXPO, but it could be so much more! Let me know your thoughts on the EXPO in the comments section, email or twitter (www.twitter.com/averagejakeff)

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

Black Diamond X2 Boot Review

Well here it is folks the long-awaited Black Diamond X2 Boot Product Review. Before I get started I really have to thank Black Diamond specifically Caitlin Gambee for giving me the opportunity to review this great product. It was a great and humbling experience, now on with the review!

First here is the website that you can go to look at all of the information on the boot http://www.blackdiamondfootwear.com/leather-fireboots-277-0912/ and here is the “spec sheet” for the boots http://www.dreamingcode.com/dc_ecomm/DocumentManage/DocumentManagement/78_442doc.pdf 

Sure some of that stuff matters but what I really wanted to focus on was performance in a variety of situations because at the end of the day that is what really matters.

Here are the boots in my turn out pants

Since we did not have any fires during my eval period I tried to simulate various firefighting conditions through training and physical activity. The one thing that really stand out to me is how light and comfortable these boots are. I have worn a lot of leather boots, Ranger, Warrington PRO, Globe, etc. and sure they all start off feeling better than the rubber brand boots, but they typically lose that comfort feeling after a little while. The Black Diamond X2 boots stand the test of time were comfort is concerned.

I worse these boots in training scenarios, emergency calls, ran on the treadmill, and did a circuit workout and they were comfortable on my feet the entire time. They have better in soles than  my station boots! The big test as far as comfort goes came on an incident just last week, the honey moon period was over with the boots and we had and incident on a bridge which required a lot of walking, and standing, for a loooooooooooooong time. My feet did not hurt during or after when in my other boots I would have been begging to pull them off.

Two other great things are the wide opening, and integrated “loops”. Again with other leather boots after sweating in them I have had a problem getting them off my feet, not these boots, the go on fast, and come off smooth. The integrated “loops” for carrying your boots are strong and you can not break them, as you can with other sewn on versions.

However it is not all good and I did find 1 negative to the boots specifically about the integrated “loops” and the stretch material backing. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wears shorts to sleep in, or to work out in while they are on duty. Well during my physical activity tests, and during calls I found that when you added sweat, bare skin and those 2 components of the boot it would have the tendency to rub or chaf. The more sweet and the more activity the worse it was. It was nothing that would “rub raw” but it could be uncomfortable especially over a long period of time on a hot day or after a really sweaty workout.

Lastly the stiffness of the neck of the boots is phenomenal. A lot of boots lose their shape after time and we have to find creative ways to ensure they stay easy to get into. Well not these boots I have soaked them in sweat, water, and worn them to access and they still stand tall just like the day I pulled them out of the box! The soles and other components havent even begun to wear out either!

Bottom line is these are great boots, and well worth the money. But I warn you if you buy them you better have enough money for 2 because you will want to have another pair lying in wait for when they do finally wear out (a long long time from now), or if your like me and have multiple sets of gear you will want them in all of your sets. So go over to the website and get you a pair of these boots today!

Again I would like to thank Black Diamond for the chance to do this, and for anyone else out there that has a product contact me via the contact info on the tab the top of the page tool bar and we will see what we can work out. You can message me in the comments section on twitter.

Do not forget to follow along on twitter @www.twitter.com/averagejakeff

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!