EMTbravo

I must apologize, and thank everyone for their patience and loyalty during these technical issues. Believe me, I am just as frusterated as you. Unfortunetly, I'm not able to jump on these issues as quickly as before. I'm hoping these issues don't persist any longer, but if they do I will be taking steps to address the issue. Again, thank you for your patience......it's nice to get all the "EMTBravo withdrawal" emails and know the support is there, I just wish I could give you 99.9% uptime consistently. PLEASE, I hope this doesn't keep you from posting and visiting!!

I've re-evaluated my decision to close EMTBravo.com, especially after realizing how much it means to so many people, even the way it is. I realized that keeping it online in it's current form wasn't hurting anyone or anything after evaluating the resources it taxed on the server. EMTBravo.com has been put back online effective immediately, provided the visitors and members understand it's going to be a little stagnant for a while. I've come up with some solutions that I think will work for both me and the loyal visitors and members, just give me some time to implement them. For the time being, I won't be requesting any donations, and will be discontinuing my advertising program. I don't want the percieved obligations that come along with it. All the donations that I have recieved over the last several weeks have ensured that the EMTBravo website(s) remain online through the end of April. I'm going to have to figure out a way to make it work for me to resume paying for the entire site costs out of pocket and with whatever I can make through the Google Ad program. If I can't make it work, well then...... Thanks for your continued support and understanding.

If the sites are down, please visit the EMTBravo Development Blog at http://www.emtbravo.blogspot.com That is hosted on a seperate server, and I will post information there in the event of an extended outage. .

Joe, you're right....I can not win no matter what I do. I try to please everyone, and that's my problem. Can someone translate this for me? It makes absolutely no sense because it's so hard to read w/ grammar and spelling. Also, each sentence seems to contradict each other. I'm not being sarcastic either.

I know many of you have been experiencing problems accessing or loading the EMTBravo websites over the past few weeks. Some adjustments have been made to the server, and hopefully this situation is now corrected. If you have any further difficulties, please advise me ASAP via EMAIL at the following email address: Seth@EMTBravo.com Also, if you haven't heard, EMTBravo.COM is back online. See the following topic link for details: http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=24733

If you're trying to reply to an INCIDENT ALERT, and can't, here's why: 1. You must be a Verified Member in order to post on EMTBravo.net. Here's more information on how to become a Verified Member: http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php?autocom=dstaffapp 2. If you're already a Verified Member, and still can't reply, it's because the INCIDENT ALERT forums are for the posting of an Incident only, by one member. To discuss or ask questions about an Incident, please look for the corresponding thread or create a new thread in the INCIDENT WORKSHOP section of the board, right below the IA forums on the main board index. If you need further assistance, please contact a Member Support Associate. Thanks! -Seth

This incident seems to have coincided with the placement of the banner ads on the top of the forum. I removed one of the banners, which should reduce the page width. Does that do anything? If so, I'll probaly have to make the ads smaller and more scalable.

As you can see on the main board index, each forum has now been assigned Forum Leaders. To avoid redundancy with our moderation and staff, we ask that if you have an issue in a particular forum, that you contact ONE of the forum leaders (AKA Moderators) for assistance, who will assist you in handling your problem, complaint, conflict, etc. Thanks for your cooperation! Seth G.

As many of you know, it's very time consuming for me to post custom photo spreads for EMTBravo.com using member submitted photos. I was thinking of going to a forum-based photo posting format. Members would post their photos in a topic. I would link on the main page to particular threads. Also, I would post links to member's personal galleries of specific photos, like I do with OTJNY and several other sites. But, would the above make EMTBravo.com obsolete? The feature photo would remain the same, and I would still openly solicit everyone to submit a current photo for consideration. Thoughts? Input is appreciated!

Just to let you know, the EMTBravo.net webteam is working, after the recent turbulence, to try to restore EMTBravo.net to a more constructive, positive, respectful, and most importantly right now, calm enviroment. We acknowledge several of the issues lately, and are working on several solutions to end the "nonsense" that's been cluttering the forum, as well as some new ideas to make the forum even better. Please know that we all care a great deal about this forum, and put a lot of time and mental/emotional energy into it. We want to provide the best forum possible, one you thoroughly enjoy reading, learning from, and sharing information. We're not going to let a very small number of members ruin it for all of us. Thanks for your patience!

I just reviewed which of his posts were deleted....for the record, it was only three posts, NOTHING to do with discussions about the fire services, the posts that were deleted was one iin which he made inflammatory and insulting remarks about members of this site that had NOTHING to do with the discussion at hand, and the other was a one-word post that contributed NOTHING to the discussion. Also, for the record, this member made NO attempt to contact me to resolve the issue, which would have been the appropriate way to handle the situation instead of making this inflammatory thread throwing false accusations at us. He was also informed both times why his posts were deleted. I respect JFLYNN's knowledge and contributions to this site, and what sparked him to make this post, especially after reviewing the facts? His claims of censorship are completly invalid unless he can prove otherwise.

I like your idea......I think I am going to develop it.......thanks! And thanks to all the other members for the input!

Thanks to everyone for their support. I try hard not to make the ads invasive or extravagent, but at the same time noticeable, so the advertisers get what they pay for. I would truly like to cover this site 100% out of my own pocket if I could, it would make my life a lot easier, but unfortunetly I don't have the finances needed to even consider that right now. The support shown on this thread is much appreciated. We should be able to cover server costs for April with just a few more donations, and hopefully some new advertisers.

Just a head's up, to cover server costs, EMTBravo will be offering inexpensive web hosting for personal emergency services related websites for EMTBravo members only in the near future. Details are in the works, and we hope to announce this new service soon. (Chances are this will be a premium member feature)

NEW! We have made 395x80 advertising banners available on EMTBravo forums, on the main index pages, both at the top and bottom. Please view http://www.EMTBravo.net for an example. We have space available at modest rates, all revenue directly supports the server costs of the EMTBravo websites. Please contact EMTBravo@EMTBravo.com for further details and rates if you're interested. The EMTBravo websites are visited by a broad array of emergency services personel, and banner ads on our forums are an excellent and cost-effective way to reach your customers.

Members- For some reason, I think some people are having trouble accessing two of the forums. If a few of you wouldn't mind, could you please try visiting the sites, and reporting any errors or difficulties you may encounter trying to load or view the site. LINK IS: http://www.emtbravoAUSTIN.com AND: http://www.EMTBravoCHICAGO.com Thanks! -Seth

The above is just a SURVEY, to help with some reasearch we're doing regarding a POSSIBLE "Premium Member" subscription program that several members and staff have suggested. Please participate in the survey above, and add any comments to this thread. Thanks Seth

The question was, whether you'd pay for a Premium Membership or not, and related discussion. You didn't address the question. This forum is only as good as what you take from it. Obviously, you haven't been reading a lot of the topics lately, because there have been some very knowledgeable minds sharing opinions and information relating to emergency services. As far as the other discussion goes, EMTBravo is a COMMUNITY. Many of us on here, many of us regulars, are friends or have developed friendships through this forum, and like to discuss other topics as well with one another. When you're at the station, do you ONLY talk about the fire service, and balk when someone talks about sports or current events? When you came on here, you were young as you still are. A lot of members guided you, and you learned a lot from this forum. Additonally, this forum has served as an avenue for you to network and promote your YouTube videos and Fire scene photos. This forum has treated you well, and I feel that you're now biting the hand that fed you, so to speak. I'm insulted. (NoFearFD formerly known as NRFDTL11Buff) BTW, what does "idk" mean?

I'm just curious about how we can make the main page, http://www.emtbravo.com, better? I'm considering a redesign, as well as adding several new features, and would like to hear some input from visitors to the site.

I added a new profile field so that members could add their previous emergency services experience and affiliations, besides their current. This information is completly optional, and is visible by viewing the profile, and the information is on the left side of the screen under "Other Information".

I'm thinking about a new class of membership, but can't decide which of the two I should apply the title to? Option 1: EMTBravo Elite Members would have 1,000+ posts Option 2: Members who use their real names Would appreciate any help in deciding.

Jack10562 has suggested a "MVM" class.....AKA a "Much Valued Member" class. There is a system in place where moderators member advocates can "rate" a member based on the quality of their posts and contributions to this forum. The member or moderator can log why they are adding to a positive rating for a member, and the member can see who's rating who. I may do away with the "Verified Member" class, replace that with "Alpha Member", and then we could have a "Much Valued Member" class. Also, I've wanted to do a "Member of the Week" and "Topic Of The Week" or month for a while now, so we could highlight some of the awesome members here, and maybe we could tie that into the new system. BTW, The real name thing is out, and the post count thing is out. Thanks for everyone's input on developing this idea. I'm not saying it is going to happen or it's not, just considering.

Further development of the idea: maybe the members has to have 1,000+ posts AND be nominated for Elite membership based on the quality of the posts and the such.

After some though, I agree with the not divulging members names. Plus, it would be a logistical challenge to set up, which I currently don't have time for. So, I think an "Elite Member" will be a member with 1,000 posts or more. So it will be Verified Member (could we rename this) 0-500 posts Alpha Member 500-1,000 posts (and in good standing) Elite Member 1,000+ posts (and in good standing) Ideas? Comments? Feedback?

Members- We are now recruiting (2) two Member Advocates for EMTBravo.net (these forums) DUTIES: -Conflict resolution -Mediate complaints between members and moderating staff, and vice versa -Advise Senior Administrative staff on member related issues -Help develop forum rules and policy -Assist other members -Assist moderators, as requested -Represent members REPORTS TO: Director Of Member Relations REQUIRMENTS: -Proper spelling and grammar skills -22+ y/o and above preferred -Great customer service and conflict resolution skills -Able to remain neutral and objective -Able to respond to emails and PM's in a timely manner -Maintain a positive presence on the forums If you are interested in this newly created position, please send an EMAIL to EMTBravo@EMTBravo.com and tell us why you'd be a great choice for this position on the EMTBravo team! The EMTBravo team will collobarate on who gets the spot, with deciding factors being but not limited to: history and activity on the forum, etc. If enough applications are recieved, we will consider making this a Membership-elected spot.