Editorial

Back at the station over a hot cup of coffee there will be plenty of time to bounce around ideas of woulda, shoulda, coulda. but on an emergency scene, while it’s okay to ask for help, make sure you do it the right way. Then make your decision, – one of my favorite captains would say “make it so!”

Brotherhood extends beyond boundaries of age, sex, pay, service and locality. You can meet brothers in emergency services from anywhere in the world, male and female, paid and volunteer, union and non-union. In fact, this brotherhood extends to pretty much anyone who wants to join, provided they understand what brotherhood means and are willing to give of themselves before asking to take.

2012 was unique in many ways, but like every year since I became a member of this community what I saw and heard this past year made me proud to count myself among the brotherhood of emergency responders.

As you may know, Rescue Digest is located in Western Connecticut, just a few minutes away from the town of Newtown. While Rescue Digest consists of only two regular staff, many of our contributors are emergency responders who live or work in and around Sandy Hook, one literally next door to where the incident took place.

Zoning! Most people view Zoning Regulations as feel-good legislation, designed to uphold community image and quality of life. But, aside from accessibility and operation of emergency vehicles, where else does Zoning play a role in emergency response?

Wait, Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around with doors? Over the past three years I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to try my hand at writing (articles and textbooks), research (American Heart and Stroke Associations) and presenting (Lectures and Workshops). These are all things that, as was true about my introduction to emergency services in the late ...

Five Questions (and YOUR Answers) for anyone interested in Life Safety Education   1)    For readers involved in community’s emergency/disaster planning, do you include individuals providing Life Safety Education in the planning phases? Why, or why not? 2)    Who provides Life Safety Education in your community? 3)    Do you provide details to your Life Safety Educators so that they can ...

Stress: There’s no doubt that to work in any branch of emergency services, you have to have a passion for it. For those of us who volunteer, we do it like it’s our job. For those of us for whom it’s our job, we get paid as if we’re volunteering.

Rules of the fireground can help you back at the firehouse and at home (even if you’re not a firefighter).   These five rules are short and simple, on the verge of obvious but they’re crucial to the survival of every working firefighter. They aren’t meant to be read out of a handbook while in the heat of combat, but ...

  As Educators Must We Still Seek Learning When It Becomes Difficult? The other day I StumbledUpon an article explaining the different laws of physics that work to keep airplanes, well, in the air and how what I thought I knew about aerodynamics was wrong. Having gone to engineering school at one time, I was intrigued.