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, ….â€Leadershipâ€. I promised I’d continue with Leadership Principles […]
“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 […]
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.”