Return To Effectiveness

[mfc2257 464]

This is a link to a post Joe Brown made on his blog earlier this month. He is the tillerman for his platoon at DCFD Truck 17 as well as the Tower Ladder Captain at Kentland Volunteer Fire Department. Amongst other things he is one of the founders of Traditions Training which has held classes for Millwood and other Westchester County Departments. I've read his stuff over the years and found this post to be interesting.

Return To Effectiveness by Joe Brown

[JohnnyOV 2]

Fantastic article. Being an OSHA compliance guy for work, I preach safety all the time (and get quite the ribbing for it), and how we should not take undo risks to ourselves. However, we can still be the most effin' aggressive interior firemen, while still maintaining our safety by understanding the fire. Get in there and make the push. Nothing is more effective.

[antiquefirelt 994]

This is a link to a post Joe Brown made on his blog earlier this month. He is the tillerman for his platoon at DCFD Truck 17 as well as the Tower Ladder Captain at Kentland Volunteer Fire Department. Amongst other things he is one of the founders of Traditions Training which has held classes for Millwood and other Westchester County Departments. I've read his stuff over the years and found this post to be interesting.

Return To Effectiveness by Joe Brown

Excellent blog. One of the things I ask anyone who tells me about the newest great article in any rag is "who wrote it?" Without validity an author can easily spin fiction into a non-fictional safety policy. Living up here in the sticks, we tend to get a ton of state certified fire instructors with very little fire experience. All it takes is a Fire Instructor 1 class and a train-the-trainer in a particular area and suddenly this person can teach?

Given the certifications I have, I could teach a high-rise firefighting class, having never responded to a single high-rise incident. I wouldn't, as I cannot in good faith see instructing on topics where I have no relevant experience, and I expect the same from anyone who teaches our personnel. This doesn't make expanding our knowledge base as easy, but it does ensure that the topic covered is at least covered with useful information and questions can be properly answered, not passed over or worse made up by assumption.

Kentland always seems to come up with plenty of reasons to hate them, but one can't help but see why they are so effective on the fireground when their leadership makes this much sense.

[mfc2257 464]

Kentland always seems to come up with plenty of reasons to hate them, but one can't help but see why they are so effective on the fireground when their leadership makes this much sense.

I think the issues with Kentland are more about perception than reality. They are relentless marketeers of what they are good at and don't miss an opportunity to post it on their website and that rubs some folks the wrong way. Fact of the matter is whether or not you like their personalities, they are a top notch fire department. Credit too should be given to Bladensburg VFD which is just down the road from Kentland. They too are a phenomenal all volunteer FD that boarders the District of Columbia.

[antiquefirelt 994]

I think the issues with Kentland are more about perception than reality. They are relentless marketeers of what they are good at and don't miss an opportunity to post it on their website and that rubs some folks the wrong way. Fact of the matter is whether or not you like their personalities, they are a top notch fire department. Credit too should be given to Bladensburg VFD which is just down the road from Kentland. They too are a phenomenal all volunteer FD that boarders the District of Columbia.

I cannot disagree. Certainly Kentland has pushed the perception that they are Second to None. In doing so they've certainly pushed the buttons of a few, with their cavalier attitude and incessant chest beating. On the upside, they've made themselves into a FD that has no shortage of volunteers, and who can quickly toss aside those who don't live up to a high standard of quality fireground skill. So while they do tend to piss a hole bunch of people off, it appears the area they serve is better off for it. Just like anything though, once in a while the boundaries are pushed, so I can say while I probably would've loved to been a firefighter there in my younger years, I'd certainly not want to be a chief there.