I had a really nice chat with a SAR member who was tasked with making some changes with the team’s gear and “tactics”. The team had been and was continuing to go through a lot of “ups and downs” with rosters and leadership. He understood the task wasn’t so much as “making changes” as much …
For Either Fire Departments or Search and Rescue Teams… What is an Update vs a Revision? Read More »
There is a “sweet spot” – a triangle – that could represent the optimal balance between education, purchasing, and training in a specific context, such as acquiring and using equipment for a fire department or another specialized field. Here’s how this triangle might look: Education: This corner of the triangle emphasizes the importance of knowledge …
When public safety is at stake, the government must provide adequate funding for emergency services such as fire departments. Unfortunately, when money is scarce and other projects are given priority over necessary emergency services, the consequences can be dire. In this blog post, we will explore how the public would respond to a situation where …
When economic downturns hit the United States, it can have far-reaching consequences on how public safety services, such as fire departments and search and rescue, are able to continue operating. While many state and local budgets attempt to protect these essential services from budget cuts during times of recession, there can often be reduced funding …
How Recessions Impact Fire Departments and Search & Rescue in the US – Part 1 Read More »
Aside from being compatible with other components of the system, all equipment should be of sufficient strength to offer appropriate performance under whatever load might be applied, plus offer a sufficient factor of safety above and beyond that. While single body weight loads (one person) are often practices and aspect of litter work (as an …
Excerpt from The Cornerstone: Knowledge & Perception What exactly is a Journey? The Latin adjective “diurnus” means “pertaining to a day or daily”; English diurnal stems ultimately from this word. When Latin developed into French, “diurnus” became a noun, jour, meaning “day,” the medieval French derivative Journee meant either “day” or “something done during …
The year was 2003… almost 5 years post my bellwether event in Sedona. These “leaders” had shown me not just an existence of something new, but of a direction of a trend of things to come. During these years, I had taken other courses and had become much more familiar with “the vertical terrain”. Mind …
What’s the #1 leadership and team building mistake rope rescue technician’s make? Read More »
There are thousands upon thousands of riggers within the fire service and other emergency services such as Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and all of them at one point or some point will need or have already turned to online training. Regardless of what has transpired over the last 6 months, online training has been increasing …
RLA’s 3 Tips For Better Online Learning ~ Experience and Behavior Read More »
(This article was originally run in Firehouse October 1, 2019) Russell McCullar clarifies whether 15:1 is still relevant and says that fire departments should select gear and load limits that meet their needs. All Photos by Russell McCullar Not long ago, I was explaining to one of my students that our training agency was undergoing …
This week on Tech Pick of the Week we focus on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) specifically carabiners. It is always good practice to inspect your gear on the regular. Our tech expert Luke Bryan breaks down a few key elements to look into while inspecting your carabiner cache. Before beginning inspection on your carabiner make …
