| Fire Chief

Contributors

Janet Wilmoth

Janet Wilmoth grew up in a family of firefighters in a Chicago suburb. She first worked for FIRE CHIEF magazine in 1986 as an associate editor and also served as FIRE CHIEF's international...

by Janet Wilmoth Jun. 17, 2013

Why PIOs should evolve into external affairs officers

While the fire chief ultimately is responsible for his or her department’s image, a PIO or external-affairs officer can help develop relationships and more open communications with local media and the community at large....More

Glenn Bischoff

Glenn Bischoff is the editor of Urgent Communications and FIRE CHIEF magazines, published by Penton Media. Over a 30-year journalism career his publications have won several...

by Glenn Bischoff Mar. 14, 2013

Varner: Despite progress, firefighter radios still have a long way to go

Bruce Varner — retired chief of the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Fire Department and the chairman of the NFPA electronic safety equipment committee — said that audio quality hasn't been fixed to the satisfaction of the fire service — and when audio quality suffers, things can go south in a hurry....More

Mary Rose Roberts

Mary Rose Roberts is a senior editor at Penton Media, with a focus on wireless technology, public safety and fire leadership for FIRE CHIEF, Urgent Communications and Wildfire magazines....

by Mary Rose Roberts May. 23, 2013

Did self-deployed responders hurt operations following Oklahoma’s EF-5 tornado?

Whenever someone is hurt, our nation’s first responders are compelled to rush in to help. I love that about this industry. However, self-deployed first responders also put themselves and the operation at risk unknowingly....More

FIRE CHIEF Contributor

by FIRE CHIEF Contributor Jun. 13, 2013

Considering PSOs is like playing with fire

By Harold A. Schaitberger -- While researchers at MSU might think and hope that fire and police consolidation could be the next big thing in public safety, the concept is in fact old, tired and dangerous....More

Guest

by Guest Feb. 24, 2012

A Lofty Vision from a Lowly Rank

By Kyle Maine When I was in high school, I made the decision to pursue a life in the fire service. The career had all the aspects that appealed to me as a young, active, philanthropy-minded boy. I spent the two years following my high-school career....More

Jim Spell

Capt. Jim Spell of Vail Fire and Emergency Services recently retired after 35 years of service, beginning with two...

by Jim Spell May. 23, 2013

There's no turning back when trust erodes and shaming becomes public

With a vote declaring this sacred loss of trust, there is no turning back. What’s done is done and, regardless of the justifications or excuses, the fabric of command and control has been torn forever....More

Robert Avsec

Robert Avsec is a retired battalion chief for the Chesterfield (Va.) Fire and EMS Department and a former fire instructor.

by Robert Avsec May. 20, 2009

21st Century Manifesto

The first decade of the 21st century has seen no meaningful changes to the fire service culture’s tolerance of fire deaths, injuries and property loss. Yes, I said "tolerance." American has known it's had a fire problem since at least 1948, when....More

Doug Boeker

by Doug Boeker Nov. 9, 2011

Why Can’t the Airlines be More Like Us?

While I was out of town, my father was hospitalized. As I already was scheduled to fly home that same day, I thought it should be simple to change my ticket to fly to his city instead and delay my return home a day or two. The airline said that would be....More

David Bullins

by David Bullins Jul. 28, 2010

Wasting Time Productively

The chief just gave you a badge with crossed bugles. Congratulations! Fast forward a few days, and you’ve been assigned to a new shift and new platoon. You don’t really know the new firefighters you’re working with and they certainly don’t know you. It....More

Mark Burdick

by Mark Burdick Jun. 15, 2010

No Longer Onlookers

By Mark Burdick and Ben Bobrow These are challenging economic times, and we are all sharing that pain. Despite our budgetary concerns, we know our first responsibility is still public safety and saving lives in our communities. What isn’t always clear....More