Mary Rose Roberts

Senior Editor, FIRE CHIEF

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. She also writes about city and county issues for American City & County.

Posts by Mary Rose Roberts

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid 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....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid May. 16, 2013

No-confidence vote in Boston fire chief shows cultural divide

Is it better to promote within to meet the cultural demands of a fire department, or should cities feel free to bring in outside people for new ideas?....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Apr. 8, 2013

Are you a 'bad' leader?

The right leadership can bring out the best in everyone while a bad boss can destroy morale and reduce success, said Kathleen Brush, a 25-year....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Apr. 4, 2013

Finding the right product for the task

With myriad products on the market, making the right purchasing choice can be a challenge. This is especially true when it comes to technology, which....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Mar. 28, 2013

Many Americans clueless about residential fire safety (with related video)

My father consistently emphasized the fire dangers of little things, like not changing out the dryer’s lint trap or leaving an electric blanket on....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Mar. 21, 2013

Technology key to reduce public-safety administration overhead

Do you embrace technology? According to a new survey released by IT provider Red River, citizens believe the federal government and those funded by....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Mar. 14, 2013

One-size-fits-all products a bane to fire service

It’s comforting to know that there are those in the fire-service industry who recognize generic radios just don’t work....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Feb. 27, 2013

Lowe’s community grant a good fit for fire departments

Through grant programs, Lowe's donates more than $30 million annually to education and community-improvement projects across the U.S. and offers....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Feb. 13, 2013

It's time to talk openly about first-responder suicide

For those in public-safety leadership, it is important we start to talk even more openly about the emotional health of responders. Let’s not let one....More

by Mary Rose Roberts in Mutual Aid Feb. 7, 2013

Why fire chiefs should care about the cyber war (with related video)

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned in a speech at Georgetown University Wednesday that a hostile country could attack America by computer,....More