Ok, the Joe is hot..lets evaluate the probie’s coffee skills. I have with me the FDNY Probationary Firefighting Skill – Coffee Making check sheet, obtained from Brother LeBlanc. We can check things off while Probie makes another pot and we talk a little about my favorite topic, ….”Leadership”. I promised I’d continue with Leadership Principles […]

Here we sit at the kitchen table. I enjoy the table in the back lot too, but there’s no C’gars allowed these days. Can’t say as I like it, but can’t argue much with it either. So its hot Joe, n’ we’ll make do. Had a heck of a time, this past several weeks. Been […]

“Leadership is intangible, and therefore no weapon ever designed can replace it.”  — General Omar Bradley   This is the way I see it over the rim of my cup o’ Joe.  Today’s fire service is faced with countless difficulties including economics, extreme technical leaps, generational differences in values and ethics and now even post […]

The following diatribe is written poorly at a late hour.  My sincere apologies.  But I would like to take the time to dedicate this declaration to the five highly dedicated firemen that have helped me this far acting out the foriegn roles of drill instructors.  They have followed my lead, endeavored to meet it and have […]

“The first day, the look on the DC’s face was priceless, he looked like he was gonna have a coronary. I asked him, “You want me to back off?” He said, “No, I am out of my element, …but I have never seen so much accomplished in so short a time. Keep it up, I’ll go protect your job!” The trials and tribulations of training recruits how to be a part of the fire service and convincing the establishment that it still has merit in the modern world we serve in.

Did you know who the procession was for last Friday?  Did you hear the drums beat, the pipes calling, take note or shroud your badge?  No?  Not the usual coverage, I agree.  A slightly more subdued affair.  Still I would have liked to have known. This past Friday, the New York Fire Department members gathered […]

Well, fill the cup….its been a while. I’ve been on a leave of absence, learning more about life. Its that time for me I think. I’ve been all grown up for a bit now, but still feel young at heart and life has its way of dragging you into reality. I returned to duty just […]

Often when I think about my attitudes about a given subject and the core beliefs I have, I go back to my young life in the Marines. It was there that the foundation was laid that makes me the fireman that I am today. Here’s a few thoughts about the finest officer I ever knew.

What kind of firemen and women should we be? Take a look from the past. Those who know the past, know their history are then aware of their lineage. They have a good foundation that is there to fall back on. “As you walk through the engine bay through the old house, you come across reminders of these men. Old leather helmets and fronts, brass nozzles and iron axes, perhaps a parade item or two and you see things that they took great pride in and cherished as emblems of their chosen profession.”

Its not easy to lead firemen on the scene or in the firehouse. It is also not easy to be good at followership when you are confronted with poor leadership. You can make a difference in this age old struggle by putting your own self interest aside for another time. Remember, the love of the job.