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Great start to the Black Diamond X2 Boot give away!

WOW! What a great start to our “Give Away” …..

I’m very excited and proud to be able to team up with Black Diamond Footwear and give back to our readers, fans and followers!

After all, it’s all of you folks who made and have kept this site going! THANK YOU.

If you haven’t heard of the X2 boot yet, maybe we can get you on one of those Geico comercials … “what … have ya been living under a rock or something?” LMAO ..

Naaa .. if you really haven’t visit the Black Diamond Footwear site for full details.

If you haven’t heard of the “give away” yet, we will get you a co-star role in the above mentioned comercial …LOL

Click HERE for DETAILS and how to enter to win a free pair of Black Diamond X2 Boots

Like I mentioned above, we’ve had a GREAT start. You folks have pulled through again!

We had 25 entries in the first 24 hours of the contest. That’s AWESOME!

Our very first entry came in from Missouri just 5 minutes after we announced the give away!

Here’s the pic sent in by Steven Piper … THANKS and good luck Brother!

I figured we’d have entries from all across the Country … man was I shocked!

I have received e-mails from as far away as Spain but so far, the farthest picture that I have received has come from Alaska!

Yea… Alaska. Reckon they’ve ever seen or met anyone like me? LMAO (lets hope not)

Here’s Steven Schreck’s entry photo…..

I’m not sure which member shown here is Brother Schreck but I’d love to hear and learn more about his Department and working in Alaska. Good luck in the give away and thanks for the entry Steven.

I’ve gotten several pics of a Brother with a son or daughter on the rig!

You guys know I’m a “softy” for those due to the Buckaroo. I received one shot accompanied with a GREAT story from Brother Kit DiStefano. Apparently, Kit has a GREAT Captain and obviously has a beautiful son.

I also received a shot from one of Ironfiremen’s regular readers Sonny O’Connor. Here’s a shot of Sonny and his son..

Thanks for the loyality Brother .. good luck to you as well.

I’ve even gotten a few shots from Brothers and Sisters who have gotten wedding photos taken on their rig.

How cool is that!

Johnathan Jenkins sent one of him, his new bride and who I’ll assume are “in laws”.

I also got this one from Jessica Etzl of a BEAUTIFUL “blushing” Bride in her wedding gown!

Now DON’T Panic. The pics shown in this post WILL NOT receive special attention or have an “edge” in the drawing. The drawing will be RANDOM and video taped. These shots just made for a good story / post tonight.

I plan to create an album to post on Face Book (and a link from this site) so you can view all the entries

My point here was that we are getting a good variety of photos … everyone is getting in on the fun!

Hell, even the Buckaroo tried to enter….

LOL .. he already has a pair of X2′s so I’ll declair him ineligible but I should add here that the possibility of personal friends and co-workers entering is very real.

I WILL allow both in the give away due to the efforts we are taking to verify our results .. (the last thing I need is more stress or controversy in my life..lol) If you have reservations or concerns about my allowing friends and co-workers be eligible, free free to contact me via e-mail (use the contact tab at the top of the page) and I will share a cell number for a personal conversation.

So again, THANKS for all the support etc of this site, Black Diamond Footwear and the give away. You folks have already made it a success!

Please take the time to vist and THANK Black Diamond Footwear for allowing us this oppurtunity. These boots cost over $300!

You can find their Web Site HERE or visit them on Face Book HERE

Also take the time to become a “FAN” of Wooden Ladders and Ironfiremen (Ironfiremen.com)

You folks stay safe and in house.. I’ll check back in tomorrow.

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 31, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Black Diamond, Black Diamond Boots, Black Diamond contest, Black Diamond Footwear, Black Diamond X2 Boot, Boot Give Away, Buckaroo, Captain Wines, Fire Boot, fire photos, fire truck pictures, free boot, Free fire boot, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Jessica Etzl, Johnathon Jenkins, Kit DiStefano, Sonny O'Connor, Steven Piper, Steven Schreck, Willie Wines Jr, X2 Boot

Get your free pair of Black Diamond X2 Boots!

15 comments

That’s right … another “give away” … this is your chance to win a FREE pair of the Black Diamond X2 Boots !

Everyone knows I am the Black Diamond Footwear 2011 Fire Blog of the Year . I was not content with just letting myself sit back and bask in the glow of being the winner. I decided to ~~swindle~~ talk Black Diamond Footwear into allowing me to give back to my readers and fans.

That’s right! I am giving away a brand new pair of Black Diamond X2 boots.

The very simple rules are below:

This is a GREAT pair of boots that you’ll be sure to enjoy. There have been 2 reviews from the Fire / EMS Blog Network on the boots already. See Tiger Schmittendorf’s ” Black Diamond’s X2′s To The Rescue“ or A Firefighter’s Own Worst Enemy’s “Black Diamond X2 Boots“ Look for future reviews on the boot here on Ironfiremen.com or on The Fire Critic.com

Also visit BLACKDIAMONDFOOTWEAR.COM to learn more about the X2 Boot and other great products

The rules are simple ….

TO ENTER:

You must submit a photo of yourself in front of your rig (fire apparatus…Engines, Ladders, Command vehicles and ok, ambulances count for you proud types!).
You do NOT have to be a firefighter to enter but you MUST submit a photo of yourself in front of (beside, behind etc) a piece of apparatus.
Entries can be uploaded directly to my FaceBook Page or sent to my E-mail
All entries must include your name. You may add your department, rank, etc. if you would like.
All entries will be shown (as updated) on Ironfiremen.com
ENTRIES WILL CLOSE AT MID-NIGHT APRIL 13, 2011
All entries will be compiled and a winner drawn at random by a special guest.
The winner will be announced here on Ironfiremen.com on April 14, 2011
The winner agrees to sumit a photo to Ironfiremen.com of them wearing the boots following the contest (within 2 weeks of receiving the boot)

EASY! Thanks again for your loyal support of Ironfiremen.com, The Fire/EMS Blog Network and Black Diamond Footwear!

Help get the word out … “Share” “Like” or “Recomend” us on Face Book. “Tweet” us on Twitter or simple call a friend!

Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 30, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: A Firefighters Own Worst Enemy, Black Diamond Boot Give Away, Black Diamond Boots Fire/EMS Blog of the Year, Black Diamond Fire Boot Product Review, Black Diamond Footwear, Black Diamond X2 Boot, Boot Give Away, contest, FDIC, FDIC 2011, Fire Critic, Fire Critic.com, Fire/Ems Blog Network, Free Boots, Ironfiremen Give Away, product review, Tiger Schmittendorf, X2 Boot

“Sh%*” Burns!

4 comments

LMAO…. we’ve been saying it all along and now, The Fire Geezer has confirmed it!

Check out Bill Schumm’s latest post about a NYC fire HERE

I can’t help but to to think about Nate Demarse and the other Brothers and Sisters of the FDNY who have to face “crap” like this… (did you get that??? “Crap” like this …LMAO).

All kidding aside, most folks have NO IDEA the kind of situations etc that our Brothers and Sisters across the Country have to deal with on a day to day basis.

I’m sorry they had to but I’m also just as sure that the Brothers of the FDNY handled this one exceptionally …… I also bet it got several laughs.

Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 30, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, fires, hazmat, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: bio hazard fires, Brotherhood Instructors, Captain Wines, FDNY, Fire Geezer, FireGeezer.com, funny fire calls, HazMat fire, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, links, Nate Demarse, Willie Wines Jr

FDIC bounce back

3 comments

I’m just beginning to feel normal again after returning from FDIC on Sunday.

Our flight out of Indy was delayed and for once, our travel woes were not due to Rhett’s scheduling or planning. This time, it was Mother Nature and despite her best efforts, we arrived home on time and with ALL of our luggage !

It was a welcome change to be awakened by the Buckaroo playing with his trucks and tractors rather than Rhett snoring or the need to hit the exhibit hall floor.

Now, don’t get me wrong ….. Rhett and I had a GREAT week at FDIC. Better than either of us expected. Long nights and longer days but in the end …. it will all pay off.

So, it’s taken me a few days to feel like I’m back on my normal schedule.

Jet lag or whatever they call it …. I don’t know.

I’m just happy to be changing the Buckaroo’s diapers rather than Ironing Rhett’s clothes…LOL

Yea.. I iron his clothes. It’s actually just like traveling with the Buckaroo. I have to get them both out of bed in the mornings. I get them their bath, dress em, get a little breakfast in their bellies and make sure they don’t forget their backpack (ok.. that’s just Rhett … Buckaroo wouldn’t be caught in public wearing a “backpack”…LOL ). They’re about the same size. Dave Statter even calls Rhett my “son” and there are some guys around the firehouse who call him “Buckaroo #2″ …LMAO

All kidding aside, Rhett is a GREAT travel partner and we do well together on the road. That said, there is still no place like home.

We left Indy on Sunday morning in short sleeve shirts.

When I woke up Monday morning, it was snowing to beat the band!

Luckily, it only amounted to a coating but WOW what a change a day can make.

I live in a BEAUTIFUL valley between Roanoke and Blacksburg, Va.

It was almost calming to walk out the door to barn yards, hay fields and pastures rather than the concrete jungle that we spent our last week in … ok … it was calming .. VERY calming.

And, just like locations; I traded one “little buddy” for another…

A best friend for a grandson …..

Just look at the little fella. How many other 2 yr olds would be up and out at 6am, feeding cattle in the cold and snow and be alert and awake enough the throw his “signature wave”?

LMAO … he’s the BOMB!

It was amazing and humbling how many folks in Indy asked about the Buckaroo!

So, We’re home, safe and back to our normal routines. For me, that’s time on the farm … in the truck or tractor to reflect on this past week. I know I’ve said it here before but WOW … what a success!

Rhett knocked one out of the park with his presentation on Social Media!

See FireCritic’s “FDIC Is A Success For This Guy“

And just like with the Buckaroo when pees outside or in the pottie … I was PROUD! LMAO …. see ” I ALMOST CRIED…FDIC CONTINUED ”

For the most part, everything in the Firefighter Netcast booth went good.

Once again, we were set up in the Fire Rescue Magazine Booth

Jeff Berend, Tim Sendlebach, GoForward Media and all of their crews are a CLASS ACT …. what a great bunch of folks to be associated with.

The interviews were AWESOME. Tim is the Editor in Chief of Fire Rescue Magazine and is a great speaker. He also brings in some HUGE names from the fire service.

What a privilege to hear these interviews first hand. Thanks to Fire Rescue Magazine, Elsevier Publishing and GoForward Media and Firefighter Netcast for allowing me to join them again.

We also met some great companies and vendors whom we’ve spoke with since our return…. The “fancy” name ..or as Rhett calls it is “networking”…LOL

We were able to work out a TON of details on some great projects we have planned for the near future.

Black Diamond was one of those companies. Of course, we have been around Black Diamond for some time now. After all, I am the 2011 Black Diamond Boot Fire Blog of the Year!

We have some new and really exciting news from Black Diamond coming up in the next day or so … TRUST ME … you wont want to miss it! Thanks again to owner Alan Lunder and Black Diamond for their continued support of the Fire Service and the Fire Blogging community.

We also found a winner with Zach Green and FoxFire or MN8 Products

Rhett has already started a 3 part product review over on FireCritic HERE

I too will be conducting a product review but as usual will be adding my little “twist”.

Something else you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss!

Thanks again to Zach and his “Illuminating Goddess” Aryie for showing us their product and allowing us to help bring this amazing technology to the Fire Service.

I also got to meet some old friends.

You may remember the name Kevin Shea.

He became a common firehouse name back in 1991 after making a daring rope rescue from a burning building 12 stories above Times Square.

Captain Todd Stone and I were lucky enough to bump into Kevin on the street of NYC back in 1992 0r 93 following the St. Patty’s Day Parade. I have some cool pics from that day but had better hold on to them

Kevin is now retired to somewhere majestic out west and living the life of hunting. Good luck, best wishes and happy hunting Brother!

I also ran into Captain Dugan of the FDNY

Captain Dugan and I met a few years back when he was a presenter at one of our annual Officer Seminars here in ” The Noke ”

Captain Dugan presented the keynote address at FDIC this year … a HUGE honor!

He is an educated and motivational speaker who is passionate about our history, our future and the job in general.

He gave an inspirational address but, much like the Fire Critic; I’m wondering if it was the RIGHT MESSAGE … WRONG TARGET

Maybe a title and address to the ones NOT in attendance would have been more apropriate … “Why weren’t you here”.

Ok, there is a lot more I could hit but will wait to spread it out over a few future posts. The good news is that we (Rhett and I) are home and absorbing everything we were able to do and take in.

As mentioned, stay tuned to Ironfiremen.com as well as to the FireCritic.com for some very exciting upcoming news ….

Don’t forget to “like” “share” and “tweet” our posts in order to get the message to as many as possible. Thanks as always for reading and following… I’ll check back in sometime tomorrow.

Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 29, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2011 Fire Blog of the Year, Alan Lunder, Black Diamond, Black Diamond Boots, Black Diamond Girls, Blog of the Year, Buckaroo, Captain Mike Dugan, Captain Wines, Elsevier Publishing, FDIC keynote address, FDIC Keynote speaker, FDNY, FDNY 2011, Fire Critic, Firefighter Netcast, FoxFire, GoForward Media, high angle rescue, Kevin Shea, Mike Dugan, MN8 products, Rhett Fleitz, rope rescue, Tim Sendelbach, Times Square rescue, Willie Wines Jr, Zach Green

Swift Water Rescue in Roanoke

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Snow and cold temperatures add to the realisticness of Roanoke’s Regional Heavy and Tactical Rescue training.

The Regional team consists of members from Roanoke Fire / EMS, Salem Fire / EMS and Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Departments.

Captain Chad Riddleberger explains that in temperatures ranging from - 10 to +110 degrees, Roanoke Valley’s Bravest are on the job!

Stay Safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 29, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, news, rescues, special-operations, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Captain Wines, Chad Riddleberger, Fire Department training, Heavy and Tactical Rescue, high angle rescue, HTR, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, News 10, News video, regional training, Roanoke Fire and Rescue, rope rescue, Salem Fire / EMS, Swift Water Rescue, SWR, Willie Wines Jr, WSLS, WSLS 10

IAFF loses another Icon

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IAFF reports the loss of General Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Vincent J. “Vinnie” Bollon.

Brother Bollon passed earlier today (March 28, 2011) while at home.

Mike Ward .. aka “Fossil Medic” has the story over on Fire Geezer.

Brother Bollon served as IAFF General Secretary/Treasurer from 1988 – 2010. He was one of the longest serving “principle” Officers to date.

( Also see “A LOT TO COVER” at Iron Firemen.com covering the loss of D. Duane Dixon )

See a Special Tribute to Vincent J. Bollon from the IAFF HERE.

I will post more detail and arrangements as available.

Rest in Peace Brother! Thanks for all the hard work and effort …. WELL DONE!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 28, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Captain Wines, Fire Geezer, Fossil Medic, IAFF, IAFF death, IAFF secretary / treasurer, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Mike Ward, Vincent J Bollon, Vinnie Bollon, Willie Wines Jr

Statter naked, tons of pics and More from FDIC ….

3 comments

Ok, let me clean up the last post a little or at least explain some of the pics. I don’t know how but I managed to loose more than 1/2 of it in the publishing process. I was pushed for time so instead of rewritting the whole thing, I just threw in several pics for ya.

I basicly ended with Rhett and me visiting the Black Diamond Booth. We got a great tour / demo from the owner himself Alan Lunder.

We also spent some time with the Black Diamond Gals ….

Yea… that’s the pic I’ve been waiting all week to get!

Notice the girls and I are wearing the new X2 14″ pull on Fire Boot

I have some more exciting things planned with Black Diamond and will fill ya in as soon as I get all the details finalized.

Thanks again to Alan and Black Diamond Boots for all they do! Take the time to visit their web site and order your pair today …. tell em I sent ya.

We also spent some more time with Zach Green of FoxFire.

Rhett (Fire Critic) began a 3 part “product review” for FoxFire just last week. I think I’ll be doing one for them as well.

You guys know me well enough by now to know that I tell it like it is. If I don’t like something (a product etc) … I’ll say it and I wont push or promote something that I don’t believe in or trust either.

That said, Zach’s product is unbelievable.

It’s not without flaw and there is room for improvement in every new product. Another good thing here is that Zach listens. He is a firefighter himself so he knows how we are….. he’s “one of us”

He has already gotten imput and suggestions and made the necessary adjustments.

I can’t wait for you guys to see this stuff in action … and you HAVE to. It’s just that difficult to explain adequately.

The other cool thing is that he not only has FoxFire Gals … he has something better…..

That’s Ayrie Uckotter who pulls everything together for Zach … her official title?? “Illuminating Goddess”

Look for more exciting news about FoxFire and their products in the future here at Ironfiremen or from the FireCritic.

So, after the floor closed Thursday, we headed out to an event called Stop, Drop and Rock and Roll.

The event was held to raise money for The National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation.

After dinner and drinks, they held an auction to raise funds for the foundation .. Chief Billy Goldfedder had the honor of being the auctioneer and did a fantastic job.

We never miss an oppurtunity to snap a pic and “compare staches” when we’re together and this trip was no exception. Chief Billy came up to say hello and we grabbed this shot…

Yea .. I know … he’s got me. Great Stache Chief!

Speaking of the auction … the top bid went to a leather helmet from PHENIX . The helmet went for like $4,000. Yea… 4 GRAND and worth every penny if you ask me.

#1 … it was / is a GREAT cause.

#2 … The helmets are GREAT! Look, fit, functionality, customability etc … you gotta check out these folks and their line of products (hit the link above). Their price includes your choice of liner and the shield … AND THE SHIELD. Here’s a shot of a natural colored on with an awesome shield…

Again, look for more and exciting news about the National Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial in the future here on Ironfiremen.

We shortened our stay at the Stop Drop and Rock and Roll even to make yet another dinner with Elsevier, Go Forward Media and Firefighter Nation. It made for a long day but worth every minute.

Yesterday was just as busy. I spent the day back in the booth with John Mitchell and Firefighter Netcast. It’s a great “gig” for a man in my position.

I get to listen “first hand” to so many great speakers and interviews. A big part of our job here at FDIC was recording interviews for Fire Rescue Magazine.

Just like at FRI in Chicago, Editor in Chief; Tim Sendelbach conducted the interviews and once again he did a fabulious job!

Here, he’s pictured with 2 of his 4 guest. The “Bloke” in the middle is from Australia while the gentleman to the far left hales from Sweden.

It was a GREAT interview. I can’t give away too much here but I will say the discussion will change the way you think … and maybe even operate. The other guests had been involved in some live fire studies conducted in Chicago. The information they were able to collect and diseminate may change the way we work. More GREAT STUFF from Fire Rescue Magazine!

After a long day in the booth, we headed out for a cold beer before attending the “Meet Up”.

We ended up stopping in the “Wild Beaver” …. I LOVE THIS BAR!

LOL …. This is our waitress. I don’t know her name and it really doesn’t matter

We had met up with Mike Smith of Boron Extrication .

It was cool to once again “put a face to a name” here in Indy.

If you’re on the job or anywhere are extrication, Mike’s site is a MUST read.

This was his first time meeting me or Rhett and attending a Fire/EMS Blog Network function. I think he enjoyed himself and actually seemed pretty excited about the experience. It was great to finally meet ya Mike … keep up the good work!

So, the next stop was the “Meet Up”

The meetup was hosted by Fire Rescue Magazine, Firefighter Nation, and FireEMSBlogs.com and sponsored by ISI and Black Helmet Apparel.

This is where I caught Dave Statter Naked …

Get your minds out of the gutter! I can’t believe you guys read this far waiting and hoping for a shot of Dave in “the buff” … you’re all SICK ..LOL

What I mean is that this is the first time I’ve seen Dave where he WASN’T working. He ALWAYS has a mic or video camera in hand looking for that next big story.

Here, I caught him relaxed. No computer, no mic or camera … just enjoying the evening. The sad news is that it didn’t last long.

Our sponsors had TONS of “give aways” for the night and they chose Rhett to “do the honors”

Poor Dave… he was CRUSHED!

Once again the “Fire Boy“ from Roanoke managed to top Dave Statter

Right place at the the time ??? Who knows the story here is that it brought Statter to tears… yea … I got the pic!

That’s Dave wiping a tear ….. LOL

All kidding aside, the Meet Up was GREAT! Thanks to ISI and Black Helmet Apparel for sponsoring the event.

We made it back to our hotel room and got up once again this morning to stand our post on the exhibit floor for the final hours of the show.

We ended the event with an interview with ”Doc” Multrup.

Tiger Schmittendorf (from the Firefighter Netcast show Story Tellers ) spent some great one on one time with the Chief Emeritius from Hyattsville, Md.

I love Tiger’s “platform” on FireFighter Netcast. He does just what the name says … he records our stories… our history.

That said, Doc Multrup had some great tales!

Again that was the part of this job that I enjoy so much … hearing these interviews in person and first hand!

We finished our work week with a Firefighter Netcast business lunch / meeting. There, I got to meet Chief BillyHayes. Chief Hayes is the newest addition to the Firefighter Netcast family. His show will focus on prevention and risk reduction in the fire service. I have meet Chief Hayes before and can assure you that this is yet another show on the netcast that you will not want to miss.

Another note here is that all the Pod Cast this week were sponsored by FD LiveIn and Wall Shields.

This pic is of Chief Ed Plauger.

He was being interviewed by Tim Sendelbach …

Chief Plauger was the Incident Commander at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 ….

Yea …. he was the man who handled ALL OF THAT.

Again… I heard Chief Plauger speak about Incident Command FIRST HAND!

WOW!

My point here was to hit FD Live In and Wall Shields for their support. Please take the time to hit their links above and see what these folks are all about!

I’m a huge fan of both and luckily, I got to spent a lot of time with the guys from FD Live In….. Nick and Nick (Big Nick..Little Nick)

Big Nick and I seemed to “connect”

He stuck to me like glue and was really cool and fun to hang with.

Knowing how I am… I had to screw with him a little … imagine that…

I got him on the “arm wrestling” deal. I always pick the biggest, meanest, youngest guy in the room. I do that because I’m the exact oppisite…LOL.

We were talking about “the job” ..my size … heart etc. so I challanged him. “I’ll arm wrestle ya for $20 bucks”.

He bit. We made it all the way to the table and even locked grips. Then I continued our conversation. Size makes no difference. Age neither. I had the advantage because I had a tool. Not just ANY tool … the best any of us can carry … OUR HEADS.

I had told him I’d “arm wrestle” for $20 … I NEVER said I’d beat him…… LOL. It was all in good fun and I think he even learned a lesson. Anyway, thanks to Nick and Nick as well as to Wall Shield for the fun night!

Ok, so I hate to drag this post on and on but there has been so much here at FDIC to talk about. I guess in the end, its about all the people we met and the conversations we had.

People I’ve never met … old friends … leaders in the Fire Service etc… It was a good trip. Now, I have to pack up and prepare to head home in the morning to check in on the Buckaroo and catch up on all the farm work that has been neglected this week.

I’ll leave ya with some more pictures and maybe even a brief description … thanks for following … don’t forget to “friend” “share” and “Tweet”

I check back in as soon as I can .. You guys stay safe and in house…

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 26, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: Ayrie Uckotter, Billy Hayes, Black Diamond, Black Diamond Boots, Black Helmet, Black Helmet apparel, Captain Wines, Chief Billy Goldfeder, Chief Billy Hayes, Chief Ed Plauger, Chief Wayne Vick, Dave Statter, Ed Plauger, FD Live In, FD LiveIn.com, FDIC, FDIC 2011, Fire Critic, Fire Rescue Magazine, firefighter gear, Firefighter Netcast, firefighter photos, Firefighter Story Tellers, FoxFire, Hyattsvile FD, Hyattsville FD, Ironfiremen, leather helmets, MN8, NFFF, Phenix Helmets, Pink Warm and Dry.com, Rhett Fleitz, Statter911, Tiger Schmittendorf, Tim Sendelbach, Wild Beaver, Willie Wines Jr, Zach Green

I almost cried … FDIC continued

6 comments

I haven’t talked about it a lot but now I can. He’s been nervous … real nervous. Rhett has been scheduled to teach at FDIC for some time now and I can tell how it has worried him in the past few days.
He’s been a nervious wreck! He hasn’t slept a wink since we’ve been here.

Wednesday night, I gave him an extra bottle of milk and rocked him for more than 2 hours before he finally fell asleep. Thursday morning, I got him up, got him his bath, ironed his cloths and got him ready to start the day (quite a task for a 34 year old…LOL)

It worked… the little fella looked “rested” for the first time since we pulled outta Roanoke.

As I said, I got him up, gave him his bath, ironed his clothes and got him dressed.

I took him to the lobby for a pop tart and bowl of cereal …..

Got his coat , sweater and back pack on and put him on the shuttle to the conference center…. I didn’t know how it would turn out.

In the end, my “little buddy” did perfect. A solid 10! He ACED it!

His Social Media class went great! All the worry and fretting for nothing! I was like a father sending his son off to school … PROUD! LMAO … I say that jokeingly but also very seriously.

This was the first time Rhett has presented this calss and he did it at the largest venue in the Fire Service… FDIC. Not only did he have the brains and balls to pull it off … people actually showed up! 70-80 people with some great reviews. A total success for the expectations he had going into this deal.

CONGRATULATIONS to Rhett for a job well done! He represented himself, his companies, his associates and Department very well.

Ok, so I got Rhett off to school and then I had to help John (John Mitchel) setup the Firefighter Netcast Booth and prepare for our days work.

As usual, Fire / Rescue Magazine set us up in their booth. A little work here and there, some pre-casting check offs and we were open for business.

We had some open space in the schedule which allowed us the time to meet some new companies / folks and conduct some random interviews.

Part of our job here is recording pod cast for Fire/Rescue Magazine Editor in Chief Tim Sendelbach. This is not the first time we’ve done this for magazine nor the first time we’ve had Tim behind our mics.

It’s a GREAT oppurtunity. Tim attracts and schedules so many great and “big name” guest.

The neat thing is that we get to hear these folks speak first hand on topics that affect and impact the fire service in a huge way.

Yesterday, Tim had the Brunicinis on. Not just the famous Chief Allen Brucini but The Chief AND his sons! WOW! Me and the Brucinis … now theres something you don’t see everyday!

We met so many great people (as we always do) and I’m thankful to John and Rhett for allowing me to be a part of Firefighter Netcast.

Not all of the people we met were guests on the show.

We had friends and fans stopping by all day. “Fans” .. can you believe that? I have fans?

LOL .. well it’s true. Heres a brother who stopped in to say hello. I can’t remember his name but he is actually from a town pretty close to us … Wythville, Va.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to stop by the booth and say hello … it was humbleing and a pleasure.

The “floor” of FDIC is AMAZING! This place is HUGE and every vendor in the country must be here. They opened the exhibit floor with Pipes and Drums … very cool

We got a few short breaks during the day and took a little time to hang out at the Black Diamond booth.

We got an up close and personal look at several boots from the owner himself Alan Lunder.

Rhett was like a kid in a candy store ….

He picked up, touched and tried on every pair of boots that they had on display.

Me? I found the Black Diamond girls.

$#*^&%^%$##&^^&%!!!

Sorry folks… I hit “publish for this post and then realized that more than half of it was “lost” somewhere.

I’m gonna throw in several pics here and then catch ya up a little later… sorry for the screw up.

Sorry for the screw up…. I’ll fix it in a bit.

Stay Safe and in house.

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 25, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, training-development, Uncategorized • Tagged: Alan Brunicini, Black Diamond Boots, Chief Billy Goldfeder, Chief Brunicini, Chris Naum, Dave Statter, FDIC, FDIC 2011, Fire Critic, Fire Rescue Magazine, Firefighter Netcast, FoxFire, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Pipes and Drums, Social Media, Tim Sendelbach

FDIC 2011 update

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Wow !!! What a day. Networking, registration, setting up etc and we haven’t really began to work. It’s been a long but very fun day. Again, we have met so many people who know our name or face (well … my face anyway). The networking and discussions have been awesome!

I can’ believe I’m getting paid for this …. I still don’t understand why but I’m glad Art gave up the position. Anyway, I have too much to tell and too little time. It’s almost 1 am and we have a long day tomorrow. That said, I’m just gonna give ya a bunch of pictures from the days events.

I’ll follow up sometime tomorrow with some descriptions and details of whats happening here in Indy. As always, please remember to “share” , “friend” or “recommend” us on Face Book or to “tweet” the post so as many people as possible can see whats happening at FDIC.

Rhett will teach his Social Media class tomorrow at 13:30 in room 134-135. John and I will be manning the Firefighter Netcast controls from the Fire/Rescue Magazine Booth (#4244).

We’re here all week … look us up. Visit in person or contact us via Rhett’s cell which can be found on his Face Book Page

Enjoy the pics … details a bit later…

Stay safe and in house!
Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 24, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Bag Pipes, Captain Wines, FDIC, FDIC 2011, Fire / EMS Blog Network, Firecritic, FoxFire, Hooters, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, MN8, Pipes and Drums, Sexy fire babes, Statter911, Tiger Schmittendorf, Willie Wines Jr

Fire Critic and Ironfiremen make FDIC in INDY

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I don’t how but once again, I have survived another trip with Rhett. At 42 years old, you’d think I would have learned by now. Here’s how the conversation went..

Rhett: Hey Willie, we’re going to FDIC. I heard Statter got a gig up there teaching so I paid off a few folks and bought a class of my own.

Me: FDIC??? Is that like Fire house Expo?? What do you need me for?

Rhett: I need a face to go with my brand …. a bodyguard … someone to carry and set up all the equipment …. someone to draw the fans to our booth … someone to practice my presentation to …. I mean come on, after Art quit you’re all I have. Why do you think we hired you?

Me: Look son … I have other things to do this week. The Buckaroo and I enrolled in a shoe tieing seminar, we have … WAIT! Did you say you only hired me after Art quit? WTF?

Rhett: Wait…wait … wait. I didn’t say that. Art had a career change …. some “things” came up. He moved on… you were always gonna be on the payroll…. You’re our guy!

Me: “Always” huh? “Your guy”? Well I don’t know … maybe I should just do like Art and move on ..you know … ”refresh” until I spoil or that gig becomes “unfresh” as well.

Rhett: Willie, for whatever reason; I need ya. Name the price! Indy has some great strip clubs and I found us a flight at half price. The trip is on me!

Me: The trip is on you? No cost to me???? Strip clubs??? Half price flight?? I wonder what that will be like (this is not my first trip with Rhett)..

Yea… you guys are right… I should have known. The thing is … he made it sound genuine…. like he needed me. I took the bait.

How was I to know that a half price flight was the equivalent to a half plane? I should have known better. Remember our trip to FRI in Chicago? See that post HERE.

Well obviously, when I seen that plane; I knew I had to put my foot down. I told Rhett … Brothers or not …. I will not fly on another of your “bargain” flights.. Call a mechanic or book us with another company!

Again, you guys know Rhett … the “Social Media King”… he reached out…

FaceBook, Twitter, 4 square you name it … he pulled no punches and got a repairman on scene.

As if my nerves weren’t shot enough!

Talk about a “monkey wrench” LMAO

I knew right then and there that it was time for me to take control. Rhett was obviously in no mental condition to handle the logistics and planning of this event.

Enter Captain Wines … aka Ironfiremen.com

Things started to look up!

Not only did I get us a legitimate flight, I also managed to get one with an attendant who recognized me from my site!

I didn’t even have to ask here for a pic …

A bump to first class and next thing ya know.. we’re in Indy!

That’s just how I roll ! LOL

We get in with no troubles and John picks us up at the airport and delivers us safe and sound to the hotel. We get out of the car and 4 guys walk up … STRAIGHT to me.

“You’re that guy” … “That web site” .. I stuck out my hand and said, Willie … Captain Wines of Iron Firemen. “Yea .. Yea … I knew that was you! That mustache … I love that site!” I introduced Rhett … “Rhett Fleitz of Fire Critic“. Yea..yea “good to meet ya Capt!” LMAO.

It was GREAT to be recognized right off the bat. We settled in to our room, had a tottie or two, changed cloths and set off to meet Rhetts arch nemesis Dave Statter.

We arrived at Statter’s hotel to find that he was stuck in an elevator on the 13th floor …yea.. Lucky #13.

Actually, it was lucky because Indy’s Ladder #13 was on scene to get em safely out.

Boy were we glad these guys were on the job! Within minutes, our beloved Dave was free and joining us in the Lobby. It was like he and Rhett hadn’t seen one another in years. The hugs … the kisses … a pat on the ass … yea ..( I threw up in my mouth) LOL.
Then, he had to tell us how he barely made it out of there alive. Ohhhh it was horrible! Statter puts such a “spin” on things. Then, he introduced us to all the firemen who responded to incident. He was like a moth to a flame I suppose because he knew them all by name (guess he hasn’t seen a real fireman in a while). One of the Jakes even let Dave touch his attic ladder! Dave was in Indy heaven.

All kidding aside, it was great to be back together with Dave and Rhett … the three of us “click”. We had a great meal, a few beers and then met up with someone you’ll be hearing plenty about in the near future.

Rhett recently did a product review for Foxfire … see that review and link HERE . We had a nice chat over drinks with the President and “Illuminating Genius“, Zachary Green. Zach is a great guy and as I said, you’ll be seeing more of him and his products very soon. Foxfire will be set up here at FDIC in booth #3124 … be sure to check em out.

So, we ended the night early for some much needed rest. We’ll be up and back at it in the morning. I’ll get our schedule and regular updates up as soon and often as possible. If your in Indy and want to “meet up” with Ironfiremen or the FireCritic, contact us via Rhett’s cell which can be found on his FaceBook page.

Until I get back to ya …

Stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 23, 2011 • Filed under: news • Tagged: Art Goodrich, Dave Statter, FDIC, FDIC 2011, Fire Critic, FoxFire, Indy FD, Indy Ladder 13, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Lumaware, MN8, MN8 products, Nocturna, Rhett Fleitz, Statter911, Zachary Green

6 Students escape fully involved off campus house fire in Lexington, va

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The off campus home housed 6 Washington and Lee University Students. They were in the Furrs Mill home when the fire started Sunday night but were able to escape without injury.

Stay Safe and in House!
Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 22, 2011 • Filed under: fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: campus fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Captain Wines, escape from fire, Fire/Ems Blog Network, fully involved fire, house fire, house fire video, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Lexington, News 10, students escape fire, Va, Washington and Lee, Washington and Lee University, Willie Wines Jr, Working fire, WSLS, WSLS.com

Aquired structure training Roanoke Fire / EMS

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Stay safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 21, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, news, rescues, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: aquired structure, aquired structure for fire training, Captain Wines, fire training video, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, News 10, News channel 10, Roanoke Fire / EMS, Roanoke Va, search and rescue, training video, Willie Wines Jr, WSLS, WSLS.com

Georgia Shout out and FDIC bound!

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You folks may remember a recient post where I helped my dad (Pop) drive a bus down to Flordia and back… ( See Home Again )

The bus hauls the Bluegrass Band Nothin Fancy and has become kind of a regular gig for Pop in his retirement.

This weekend, the band was down in Thomasville, Ga. Apparently, the hot water heater on the bus went out and left the boys out in the cold.

What do you do when you’re hundreds of miles from home and need some help?? You stop by the local fire station of course!

Pop rolled em into the nearby Thomasville Station #1 where they were met by Derick Knight. Derick and the men of station #1 opened their house and welcomed the guys in.

While Pop was telling stories from his 30 yrs on the job, the band was able to grab nice hot showers.

Pop said the guys from Station #1 were 1st class all the way. It was also really neat for the band to get to see 1st hand how the Brotherhood of the Fire Service reaches all across the Country.

I’m not sure how many pieces or men were assigned to Station #1 but Pop seemed drawn to their Tower Ladder. Learn more about Thomasville Fire / Rescue and a bit of their history HERE .

Special Thanks from Ironfiremen.com to Derick Knight and the Brothers and Sisters of Thomasville Station #1.

It’s little actions such as this that keep the “Brotherhood” alive. .. Kinda like my recent post Save The Shoes . If you guys are ever in the Roanoke, Va area … look me up and we’ll return the favor. Thanks again !

Ok, the rest of ya don’t have to be in Va. to look me up. The FireCritic and I are headed to Indy for FDIC! WoooooHoooo … I can’t wait to get there!

Rhett will be teaching the class “Social Media: The Fire Services next Big Innovation” in classroom 134-135 on Thursday, March 24th @ 1:30.

Our good friend and fellow Network Blogger Dave Statter will also be teaching on Thursday @ 1:30. Dave’s topic is ”The PIO Reporter: Telling Your Story in a World Where “Spin” Doesn’t Work”.

I will be in the Fire Rescue Magizine Booth #4244. John Mitchel (Fire Daily) and I will be there recording and live Pod Casting for Firefighter Netcast. Make sure to drop by and visit.

I will also be over at the Black Diamond Boot Booth as well as many other locations throughout the week…. yea… me and the Black Diamond Gals !!! (This is gonna be a good trip)

You’ll also want to catch up with us and all the other Fire/EMS Blog NetworkBloggers at the “meet up” on Friday the 25th at O’Reilly’s Irish Bar & Restaurant. Take the time to RSVP on Face Book HERE

Rhett has a pretty good run down of events you’ll want to attend HERE and we’ll post our schedule as soon as we arrive and finalize all details. Rhett’s cell is on his Face Book page … if ya can’t find us, give him a call and we’ll work something out.

SEE YA THERE!

Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 21, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: Black Diamond, Black Diamond Fire Boots, Black Diamond Girls, Bluegrass Bands, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Captain Wines, Dave Statter, FDIC, FDIC 2011, FDIC Instructors, Fire / EMS Blog Network, Fire / EMS Blogs, Fire Critic, Fire Daily, Fire Rescue Magazine, Firefighter Netcast, Ga., Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Nothin Fancy, Rhett Fleitz, save the shoes, TED, Thomasville, Thomasville Fire / Rescue, Thomasville Ga Fire / Rescue, Thomasville Station 1, Thomasville Tower 1, Thomasville Tower Ladder #1, Willie Wines Jr, Willie Wines Sr

MEDIC!!!!

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We need one … actually, we need several.

The Roanoke Rampage is licking some wounds today. Yesterday was our opening game of the 2011 season and it didn’t go well … not for Roanoke anyway.

We played the Chicago Fire Department .. The Chicago Blaze. These guys have their stuff together!

To save a little money on the flight, they flew into NC and drove to Roanoke in rental vans. Andrew and I met em at the hotel to make sure they arrived safely, without incident and got settled in.

Andrew got the team over to our practice field for a couple hours and then I met back up with them for a quick bite to eat.

The brought 7 vans … 70 people.. players, coaches plus a few wives / girlfriends etc!

70 people to an away game …. WOW!

They seemed like a pretty cool bunch. One neat thing about this team is that they are 100% firefighters. The Police Department in Chicago has their own and separate team. Must be nice.

Our team is consists of members from at least 10 different departments. If you added all of those departments together, we probably still wouldn’t have as many members as they do.

Rhett even made it out for a while and everyone seemed to have a good time. Their coaches imposed a 11pm curfew so their night ended early.

That was pretty good forward thinking because they were at 100% on game day. The weather was perfect and about 650 fans showed up for the game.

They “whooped up” on us pretty good…. figuratively and literally.

The final score was 35 / 0. Yea ZERO and we had 5 players hurt. A couple with season ending injuries.

Our Defence Captain and starting linebacker Brad Harris ruined his knee early in the game. My understanding is that he got both the ACL and MCL and has already been scheduled for surgery. His playing days are for sure over but I’d bet money that we’ll have him on the sidelines as soon as he’s able.

We also lost our QB Jarome Hardee to an ankle injury. Word on the street is that he wont return either.

Our biggest running back Kareem Thompson was also benched with an ankle while 1st year player Brooks went out with a knee.

The good news is that these guys will heal.

At the end of the game, all aggression etc is left on the field ans both teams are once again Brothers who had just fought for charity.

League rules dictate that the Home Team host an after party / dinner for the visitors.

C-Shift Brother JJ Price has a catering company on his days off so he prepared plenty of pulled BBQ pork, cole slaw, baked beans and desert. We also had plenty of cold beverages on hand and once again Chicago seemed to enjoy the hospitality.

Good friend and past council member Bev Fitzpatrick allowed us to have the event down at the Transportation Museum. It worked out nice because our Union Hall wouldn’t have held that many people.

Our Fallen Firefighter Memorial is on this site and it also allowed Chicago to see some of our history.

Again, I think it turned out nice and that Chicago was grateful.

The other neat thing about the Museum is that they have all kinds of stuff on display for the kids. Not only do we play for charity, we are also family oriented.

The Buckaroo was just one of the children in attendance and all of them had a BLAST.

Trains, vintage automobiles, wagons, antique fire equipment …. the Va. Museum of Transportation has a little of everything.

The Buckaroo sat on or in each piece…LOL

He also shook hands and made friends with each member of the Chicago team.

Thanks to JJ and his crew for a great meal. Thanks to Bev for giving us a place to host all the Chicago members and to all the wives / girlfriends etc who pitched in to make the day as positive as possible.

After the dinner, the Chicago crew wanted to head downtown to celebrate their win …and who wouldn’t.

I escorted em down to a local watering hole to finish out the evening. Again, they had a BLAST.

Captain Wines and the Chicago gals

Even their wives seemed to really enjoy the trip. I “got in good” with the women folk from the moment we met. When they arrived at the hotel, the women’s personal bags (suitcases) were even larger than the players equipment bags. There they were, traveling with 60 some huge football players and it took a 130lb redneck from Va to offer to carry their bags…LOL

I don’t think they’re accustomed to “southern hospitality”. Apparently, the way we say ”yes mamn” and “no mamn” is music to a Chicago Gals ear …LOL

They were a great bunch of ladies and fun to hang with.

I guess, in the end; we represented ourselves very well (despite the loss on the field). I’ve said it in last years post … just the fact that we put on the pads and take the field is a win. Our charities are so worth while that any and all effort towards them is positive.

Thanks to Chicago for making the trip and to all the fans who took to the stands. Our next game is here at home against South Carolina … I’ll have more details soon.

I’ll check back in with ya tomorrow before Rhett and I head out for FDIC on Tuesday.

Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 20, 2011 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Brad Harris, Captain Wines, Chicago, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Jerome Hardie, Kareem Thompson, National Public Safety Football League, Rampage Football, Roanoke Rampage, Va Museum of Transportation

Save the shoes

3 comments

Thanks to Gavin Miller for the link..

Stay Safe and in house!
Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 20, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, news, videos • Tagged: Capt Wines, Gavin Miller, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, life lessons, Mark Bezos, motivational speaker, TED, volunteer firefighter

Roanoke’s Bravest

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Posted by Iron Firemen on March 19, 2011 • Filed under: news

A note from Father Webb..

3 comments

I LOVE comments … especially good ones.

At dinner last night, I told Father Webb about this site and that he would “make the post” …. I’m not sure if telling a Priest to check out Ironfiremen.com is a good idea or not but I did…LOL.

Anyway, apparently; he checked it out. He sent me an e-mail regaurding his visit and I thought I’d share it with you. I asked you folks for imput on Chaplin Programs and it seems as if he’d like some as well. It was also cool that apparently he was also familular with Father Judge… here’s his e-mail…

“Captain Wines:

The pleasure was all mine last night. I never fail to be impressed by the warmth and welcome that I receive every time my boot hits the floor of a new firehouse, and last night was no exception. What a treat to get to meet both Station 5, the Battalion Chief, and Station 13 all at once! I’m dropping a thank you note to Station 5, Shift C, but it applies just as much to you and your men. Please let them know of my gratitude.

Please also let me know about any comments you receive back on Iron Firemen – ideas are just what we need as we start building a new program in Roanoke. As an aside, I have always had a special reverence for Fr. Judge and am honored that my work would have in any way called him to mind for you.How cool is that?

Peace to you in your work, and thank you again.

Yours in faith,
Fr. Sandy

The Rev. Alexander H. Webb II (“Sandy”)
Curate, St. John’s Episcopal Church”

If your department has a Chaplin Program … good or bad … please let me or Father Webb know about it. That’s one of the things we do so well in the Fire Service… learn from eath other!

Thanks …

I’ll check back later this evening…. I’m heading out to meet the Chicago FD in a few hours to get them settled before our big game tomorrow!

Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 18, 2011 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Captain Willie Wines Jr, Captain Wines, Father Judge, Father Sandy Webb, Father Webb, Fire department Chaplin Program, Fire Department Chaplins, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, reader comments, St John

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!

3 comments

Happy St. Patty’s Day from Ironfiremen.com

I hope the “luck of the Irish” rides with all you brothers and sisters out there on duty tonight. Regretfully, I’m one of those pulling a tour. But hey, I know all you Jakes out there with the night off will drink a green pint or 20 for those of us who cant be out there with ya!

If any of ya find any leprechauns running around out there that look like this one …. snatch on to her for me (you guys know I have a “thing” for thigh highs and midgets…LOL)

All kidding aside, I hope you are all having a fun and safe night out. That said, if you are out painting the town green, DON’T drink and drive. Please remember to use a designated driver or call a cab .

Even though I’m stuck here, we really haven’t had too bad of a day. The weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and it’s beginning to feel a little like spring.

They’ve been paining our station for the past week or so and the oil base paint has added a new aroma to our house. We’ve had all the doors open and fans set in every direction but we are still faced with the not so pleasant fragrance. Lucky for us, the Chief came to visit.

He decided there was no way he was gonna allow us to cook or eat in these conditions so he invited us up to Station #5 for our evening meal.

Turns out, the Chief was pulling double duty today … chief and chef.

Chief Adkins (Theodore Wendel …. TEDDY) and I worked together for many years on Ladder 2 when I was first hired. Teddy was the Senior Private and I the Junior when Ladder 2 was a tiller (open tiller). We went through a lot doors together and he taught me several lessons along the way. Working back then was FUN … we didn’t want a day off because we were afraid we’d miss something.

Teddy taught me about “seniority” in the fire house. As a kid and rookie fireman, obviously; I wanted the tiller position. Teddy would always remind me how I needed to learn “this” position or “that” task before trying to jump right to the tiller. That was unless it was raining, snowing or just plain cold as hell …. then it was time for me to learn the tiller …LMAO.

Teddy was also one of the men who taught me how to cook in a firehouse. It’s NOT EASY. The station was a double company with the Battalion stationed there as well. There were 10 men to cook for each day. You had to plan the menu, shop and cook and meals had better hit the table at noon and 18:00.

One of Teddy’s special dishes is the St. Patty’s Day staple … corned beef and cabbage.

It’s a casserole type dish that is very good. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Anyway, that’s what he so fittingly prepared tonight.

Thanks to Chief Adkins and the Brothers and Sisters at Station #5 for having us down.

We weren’t the only guest at the Station #5 table tonight. The ambo had a paramedic student riding and the Chief had Priest ride along. The student is Jewish so it was mentioned that I should include a joke in tonight’s post…. 12 Firemen, a Jew and a Priest were sitting at …errrr… LOL … I’d better not.

The Chief’s ride along was Reverend Sandy Webb of St. John’s Episcopal Church. The Reverend is helping to start a Chaplin Program in our Department and wants to get out to meet our members and see a little of what we do and face.

We have attempted Chaplin programs in the past but none have lasted. Our Brothers out in the County have a great one in place and I hope Father Webb can create something similar.

Everyone was on their best behavior and the Father seemed to enjoy not only the meal but the typical firehouse table chatter.

I’m not sure he fully understands what he’s getting into but I know that he has some pretty good help by his side so I’m certain he’ll do just fine. (sorry about the first picture and the “midget and thigh high” comment Father but I did ask you to keep an open mind when checking out the site…lol) Special THANKS to Reverend Webb for his efforts on our behalf.

It’s a bit odd I guess but St. Patty’s Day always has me thinking of New York and the FDNY. I used to go up every year and march along side the Brothers from 39/16. I made the trip one last time following the 9-11 attacks and was honored to march ahead of 343 American flags.

FDNY Chaplin Mychal Judge (Died September 11, 2001)

With the FDNY on my mind and a Priest in the house, my thoughts were of Father Mychal Judge.

Father Judge was the Chaplin for the FDNY and was known and loved by all its members. He was a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor

You’d never know it by looking at him in that pic would ya? He looks like a fireman. Most FDNY members who knew him would likely tell ya that he was a fireman.

He responded to countless incidents to pray for and comfort the victims and members of the FDNY. The attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 was no different. Father Judge was there from the beginning.

At 09:59 am that morning, when the South Tower collapsed; Father Judge was in the lobby of the North Tower. Debris and rubble from the South Tower collapse filled the North Tower lobby and took Father Judge’s life.

He is officially listed as the 1st victim of the attacks. His body bag was labeled “0001″.

I will never forget the images of those 4 men carrying his body from the rubble in a chair.

His funeral was held on September 15th and was attended by more than 3,000 people. His helmet was presented to Pope John Paul II and there has even been talks of Sainthood. Streets have been given his name, statutes have been erected, and medals awarded. The Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance takes place every year in New York around the 9/11 anniversary. It begins with a Mass at St. Francis Church on West 31st Street, then proceeds to the site of Ground Zero, retracing Judge’s final journey and praying along the way.

So as you can see, the position of fire Department Chaplin is not one to be taken lightly.

Father Judge set the bar high.

I’m wondering how many of your departments have a Chaplin Program? How is it working? Do the members find it helpful? Do you have any advise for our members or for Reverend Webb as we begin building ours?

I did find a site with some information on Chaplin Programs for those of you who, like us; may not have one in place or may be thinking about starting one. Check out Chaplin Fellowship Ministries for more.

That’s gonna do it for now …. for all you local folks, don’t forget to come out and support The Roanoke Rampage as we take on the Chicago Fire Department in full contact football for charity this Saturday, 3 pm at Salem Memorial Stadium.

Until next time… stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 17, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, in-the-line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2001, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Chaplin, Chaplin Fellowship Ministries, Chief Teddy Adkins, corned beef and cabbage, Father Mychal Judge, Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance, FDNY, FDNY Chaplin, Fire Department Chaplin, Fire department Chaplin Program, Firefighter Chaplin Program, firefighter meals, firehouse cooking, first 9/11 victim, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, line of duty, Line of duty Death, LODD, Pope John Paul II, Reverend Sandy Webb, Roanoke City Station 2, Sainthood, September 11, September 11 attacks, sexy leprechaun, St John's Episcopal Church, St Patricks Day, St Patty's Day, St Patty's day meal, St. Patricks Day 2011, Tiller ladder, Twin tower collapse, twin towers, Walk of Remembrance, Willie Wines, Willie Wines Jr

Off my game, Firefighter Netcast and Firemen hitting cops!

4 comments

I think I may be in a “slump”. Now, I’ve never been the articulate type (yea.. I used a “big” word) but usually, I get my point across. I don’t know why but a lot of the folks I’ve met through this site say they love it because of my style of writing. I write like I talk. I “shoot from the hip” and say what I feel. The mis-spellings and poor grammar add to the allure.

I posted yesterday on the “ Fukushima 50” and I’m afraid I didn’t get my point across. Either that or some of you took it wrong.

I haven’t received ANY feedback and that’s strange. I always get an e-mail or 20 saying I’m dead on or an idiot. This post… nothing. That and only 4 FaceBook “shares”. If you will, allow me a few minutes (lines) to “set the record straight” and make sure I’m sending the right message.

Japan and the Japanese people are facing a horrible tragedy. I did not and will not belittle their situation. The story and articles I focused on were concerning 50 workers from a nuclear plant. About 800 were evacuated … sent out while 50 volunteered to stay behind and do what they could to stabilize the situation. I don’t know their “official” jobs or titles but would bet some are firemen (one article spoke of them using firefighting equipment in efforts to cool the reactors / fuel etc).

These men and women are true HEROS. Nobody can doubt or argue that point. Where I wanted to go with last night’s post was that these folks have always been there. They were heroes before the earthquake or tsunami ever hit. I’d bet they were willing to give their life for their profession long before last week.

It’s that fact that got me thinking of September 11, 2001 and every brother and sister on the job in America today.

It takes a disaster such as Japan’s for the media to “pick up on” the dedication some of us have for our jobs. The commitment . Our duty. 50 people with this type of dedication make national headlines while we have over 1 million firefighters at the ready to do just the same in America today.

WikiAnswers reports that in 2007 the U.S had 1,148,800 firefighters at the ready. I’m sure that today, those numbers are even higher.

It saddens me to think about that and how we are so quickly forgotten. You wont find a U.S. headline stating how many members we have at the ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice if need be. No …. we have no disasters here … no terrorist attacks. We’re not needed or thought about by the masses right now.

Our headlines are of money sucking union monsters. It’s now OUR fault that we are in the economic shape we are. How did this happen? Again, I never wanted to take away from the Fukushima 50 … it was just ironic to me … almost deshavu. Heroes today … forgotten tomorrow.

As I said in yesterday’s post, it wasn’t just the story but the pictures as well. Those guys walking out of the plant in their suits .. like out of the gates of hell. I remember the shots of our FDNY brethren walking out of the ash clouds… the rubble.

The aerial shots of the reactors and plant. I didn’t (couldn’t) find the pic I wanted to use but back in 2001, the post (or somebody) used a similar shot of Ground Zero before the collapses. The trail of smoke from the towers …. it was all just too eerily similar for me.

The Fukushima 50 are true heros. They always have been. I hope their pay and benifits have reflected such dedication. I hope their families are, have been and will be taken care of. I hope they haven’t had to bite, spit, fight and struggle for every and anything they have EARNED. I hope the people who allowed and placed them in these positions thought enough of them to give them a collective voice in decisions pertaining to their lives.

Again, I never meant to take away from the situation they face. I only hope it doesn’t worsen. I hope that folks like the Fukushima 50, Japan’s firefighters, EMT’s, Doctors etc don’t face the fading feeling of worth that we have following the 9-11 attacks. My thoughts and prayers have been and remain with the Japanese people as well as with those involved with rescue and humanitarian efforts.

I hope that made sense.

Ok, Firefighter Netcast. Tonight, my good friend and Fire Service Leader Chris Naum will be live with his regular Netcast show Taking it to the Streets

Tonight’s show begins at 9pm est. and is titled “Near Miss Reporting and one Captain’s Close Call“ .

I brag a lot about Chris and his work and can assure you that you wont want to miss tonight’s special 2 hour show. The show is live and has a call in number. Chris, Firefighter Netcast and I encourage you not only to listen to the show but to also become a part of it by calling in. The show also has a “chat room” where plenty of “off air” debate and discussion occurs. TRUST ME ….. TAKE THE TIME TO TUNE IN!

The Direct Link to the show is HERE

Ok … Firemen hitting Cops! Wait…. it may be Cops hitting firemen … or a whole lot of both!

This Saturday March 19th, The Roanoke Rampage will host Chicago Fire Department for some full contact football for charity!

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

You all know by now that we play in the National Public Safety Football League. We need to FILL THE STANDS. The game starts at 3pm at Salem Memorial Stadium. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. Remember …. all the money goes to great causes .

I’ll be meeting Chicago at the airport on Friday. I will get them settled in and assure they are comfortable and have everything they need. Then, I’ll see if I can get em out to a local “watering hole” and keep em out all night. That way, they’ll feel like crap on Saturday LOL. This outta be good!

Anyway, please make plans to attend the game. We will have dancing girls, cheer leaders and the works. We have a GREAT program put together and are still selling our gun raffle tickets (Kelly Grayson … why haven’t you bought yours yet????) The weather is supposed to be in the 70′s so make plans to bring the entire family…. I’LL SEE YA THERE!

I’ll check back as soon as possible. Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 16, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, funding-staffing, in-the-line-of-duty, major-incidents, mass-casualty-incident, news, special-operations, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2001, 9/11, A day in the life of an ambulance driver, American firefighters, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Chicago FD, Chris Naum, earthquake, FDNY, firefighter close calls, Firefighter Netcast, Ground Zero, Hero, in the line of duty, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Japan, Japan earthquake, Japan tsunami, Kelly Grayson, National Public Safety Football League, Near Miss Reporting system, NMRS, NPSFL, Nuclear diaster, nuclear release, radiation danger, Rampage Football, Roanoke Rampage, Roanoke Rampage Football, September 11, Statter 911, Taking it to the streets, The Fukushima 50, tsunami, union firefighters, wiki answers, Willie Wines, Willie Wines Jr

Buckaroo withdraws …

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Apparently, some of you are having Buckaroo withdraws.

Trust me ….he’s doing just fine! As a matter of fact, he’s even better than that.

The bad news is that you only have until April 17th to keep enjoying his presence here on Ironfiremen.com

You see, April 17th is his Birthday and I’ve already bought his present … shhhhhhh!

Oh yea… it’s real!

Talk about hell on wheels! (LMAO) … The little fella will never work another day on the farm or want to come in at dinner time.

It’s a 50cc … more than enough for his first ride.

This particular bike has been passed around through a few firemen. I believe it was originally purchased by Captain Scott Mutter for his son Justin. It was then sold to 1st. Lt Tom “Sanchez” Mougin for his son Thomas. Soon, it will be the Buckaroo’s!

She needed a little work but I hid her up at Smiley’s shop and we got right to work.

Next thing ya know, we had her up and running good as new. I still lack a breather hose for the air cleaner and a little plastic work. Throw in a good cleaning and she’ll be ready just in time for the 17th!

I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HIM ON IT !

For those of ya worried … DON’T. It has an adjustable throttle stop and a pull cord so that I can walk behind him and kill the motor if necessary.

He’ll do just fine!

The hardest thing for him will be deciding who to take riding with him.

Most followers will know that the little fella is kinda “sweet” on Rhett’s daughter Jade. You may even remember him calling and asking Rhett if she was home ( Taking it to the next level ) … LMAO I LOVE THAT VIDEO …” is Jade there? ”

For once, Rhett was speechless!

Anyway, the Buckaroo went to football practice with me last night and apparently has found a new friend …

Meet Kamren Stone. Stone as in daughter of Captain Todd and Chief Marci Stone ..

LMAO .. Marci has to be worried. We were assigned together back when she was hired and I made Lt. at Station #6. She knows me pretty well.

She has to be wondering how much the Buckaroo is like me … and worried that he just may be …LOL

So it’s like I told ya … the Buckaroo is doing just fine. Oh wait.. the story gets even better. Yesterday, I took him with me to our local Cycle Center to buy a battery a his new 4 wheeler (he didn’t know what I bought or what it was for). Anyway, while there, he sat on EVERY motorcycle and 4 wheel in the place. This is no small dealership either..

My dad …aka “Pop” (Willie Wines Sr.) called and said he needed the Buckaroo to come over. He had a surprise for him. So, after leaving the Cycle Center, we ran by Pop’s ….

I’m not sure who had more fun or enjoys it more but Pop went out and bought a train set for the little fella. He even got a sheet of plywood and had it set up right in the basement … THEY HAD A BLAST !

Of course, now Pop is talking about more trains and cars. Some buildings, trees etc …. he’ll have an entire miniature town built in the basement before ya know it.

So there ya have it … girls, trains and 4 wheelers …. the Buckaroo is holding his own! LMAO

Stay safe and in house (and thanks for asking about the Buckaroo).

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 15, 2011 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: 4 wheeler, 50cc 4 wheeler, ATV, Buckaroo, Captain Todd Stone, Chief Marci Stone, funny kids video, funny video, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Justin Mutter, Kamren Stone, Marci Stone, Rhett Fleitz, Scott Mutter, Thomas Mougin, Todd Stone, Tom Mougin, Toy trains, Willie Wines Sr

Fukushima 50 …

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Yea… I’m here and back at Lucky #13 on duty today.

As usual, I was simply “swamped” over 4 day break and didn’t find the time to check in.

When I say “swamped”, I mean that literally. I’ve been knee deep in mud and muck for about as long as I can stand.

No, that’s NOT my tractor but the situation I’ve been faced with all week is very similar.

Of course, being mired in mud is not necessarily always a bad thing ….

I almost feel bad … here I am complaining about the mud, being stuck etc .. and then I see this poor gal …

She’s not dressed for this …. obviously, she was caught completely off gaurd …

It almost hurts my eyes to see her like this …. ALMOST (LOL).

Photo from CBS News.com

Ok, so on to something more serious. So We were sitting here watching Katie on the evening news. It seems as though we have some new Heroes emerging from the tragedy in Japan.

They are calling them the “Fukushima 50“. They are 50 workers who choose to remain inside one of the nuclear power plants in an effort to save others … here’s a quote…

“Since the disaster struck in Japan, about 800 workers have been evacuated from the damaged nuclear complex in Fukushima. The radiation danger is that great.

However, CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that a handful have stayed on the job, risking their lives, to try to save the lives of countless people they don’t even know.”

Read the entire story HERE.

Kinda reminds me of a couple thousand guys back on September 11, 2001.

Remember those guys?

They kept responding in. They poured into those buildings. They climbed those stairs and kept climbing.

To ” save the lives of countless people they don’t even know”

Here’s another quote from the CBS coverage … “The official said that his friend, one of the Fukushima 50, told him that he was not afraid to die, that that was his job.”

“That” was his job … well I’ll be damn.

Photo from The New York Times

You know, it’s not just the talk of these “Fukushima 50″ that take me back to that day .. some of the images do as well.

It’s almost ironic … eerily ironic

That aerial photo of the power plants came from The New York Times ( article HERE ).

The same New York Times that posted aerial shots of the World Trade Center attacks and the devastation they brought to Manhattan

You following me here? See the similarities?

The New York Times as in from New York City. The same New York City that is closing stations. That has implemented “brown outs” …

The New York City where our “New York THOUSAND” … The FDNY responded from!

I wonder how long it will be before the Fukushima 50 are forgotten?

How long before Japan begins shutting down power plants and laying off employees?

Now, I mean no disrespect to Japan or the Japanese people. Nor is it my intent to take away from the devastation they have encountered. They are faced with a horrible tragedy that seems to be far from over. No, this was not a terrorist event but horrific just the same.

For whatever reason, the coverage keeps taking me back to that September day.

Task Force 1 and 2 have been deployed and are on the ground and working in Japan. Dave Statter has the full coverage and a description of operations HERE .

My thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and Sisters from TF1&2 as well as with the Japanese people.

Stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 15, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, in-the-line-of-duty, mass-casualty-incident, news, special-operations, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2001, 9-11, 9-11-2001, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, CBS, CBS New correspondent Jim Axelrod, CBS News, Dave Statter, FDNY, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Japan, Jim Axelrod, New York City, nuclear disaster, nuclear release, radiation danger, radiation exposure, September 11, Statter, Statter 911, The Fukushima 50, Willie Wines Jr, World Trade Center, World Trade Center attacks

3 story, 12 unit apartment building destroyed by high winds in Roanoke, Va

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Storms … high winds, rain and hail blew through Roanoke this evening andleft a trail of debris behind.

Around 2pm this evening we received a call that a roof had blown off a building … yea right. We run this address all the time so I know it’s a complex of brick apartments. I’m thinking we’ll get there to find some missing shingles…

Well, we were 1st in and guess what … THEY WERE RIGHT! From my vantage point, I could see sky through the 3rd floor apartment!

The exterior appeared to be stable while debris was visible in the 3rd floor units. We quickly secured all utilities, made a walk around and began our searches. Primary and secondary searches on all floors resulted in “all clear”.

Oh .. wait … We did make one “grab” and once again it came from “Lucky #13″

Yep … Boots (Todd Harris) saved the dog from apartment #9. Only one resident was home when the storm hit and she was out of the building prior to our arrival. When we made apartment #9 the dog had that look like “what the hell just happened?”

This picture is the actual dog and his beloved rescuer “Boots” talking over the incident. Boots says the dogs swears he didn’t do it… LMAO.

Further investigation found the exterior and load barring walls to be stable despite heavy damage to the roof.

Here’s a shot of the damage from the tip of Ladder #5.

Obviously, with half of the roof missing, the upper floor sustained heavy water damage from the storm.

It didn’t take long for the carpet on the 3rd floor to soak through and begin leaking to the 2nd.

The brothers from Ladders 5, 2 and 1 quickly went to work on salvage operations. Furniture and personal belongings were placed into strategic piles and then covered with salvage covers. This effort not only saved thousands of dollars but priceless memories as well (pictures, documents etc)… Well done boys!

We responded 12 pieces which brought 26 members to the scene.

I guess it ended up being just a big “salvage” operation and that suits me fine. The time of day was just right so everyone was at work .. or not at home anyway. The other plus is that good salvage operations are tangible… the occupants can see and touch it! They know their Fire Department worked to save their personal property. Chalk another “PR” incident up for “Lucky #13″ (revisit this earlier post)

Here are a few more shots from the incident ….

You may recognize that face from the center pic. That’s Brad Glidden .. aka “Opie” from my Melrose Misfit and Station #3 days. Opies Captain (Clayton Martin who also draws a lot of attention here on IronFiremen) gave him a pretty hard time this evening. Opie came in on Engine #3 and was assigned with my crew (Wheezy was there with Ladder 5). Captain Martin was teasing him saying that he should be happy because he was back on an incident with his “daddy” (referring to me). Clayton has even been calling Opie “Buckaroo #2″ LMAO.

Well the good news is that YES Clayton he was with me ….

He was INSIDE …. he was “DOING IT” ..LOL

Had he of been unfortunate enough to had to remain with you, where would he have been??

Yea..OUTSIDE …. YARD BREATHING! LMAO … LMAO

All kidding aside, 3 Engine was on our heels and that placed Captain Martin in a “Command” position. As always, Clayton did a great job of assessing the situation, making the necessary assignments and mitigating the circumstances.
Click HERE for some local News coverage or watch the video below …

Ok, since I was kinda on the subject of “my boys” .. (Opie, Wheezy, Tyrone, Coon and Bugg) I haven’t posted about a new delivery yet.

Coon and Sherry are now the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl … Brook Boone!

I’m not sure of the weight, length etc but I do know that she had all her parts.

Baby, Mom and even Dad are home and doing well.

Ahhhh the heart ache he is in for … LOL

Just wait til the Buckaroo gets his eyes on that little cutie! LMAO

Those of you who have followed my site from the Station #9 and #3 blogs know how much Coon and “The Boys” mean to me. Scott is a Top Fireman, a great Medic but, most importantly; a good MAN. Scott will make a fantastic father and he and Sherry will make a great home. I proud of and for them … best wishes and congratulations brother!

Ok, I’m done for tonight … I’ve had reports out the YANG! I’m gonna try to get a little rest. We start 4 day tomorrow andwill attend our local St. Patty’s Day Parade on Saturday. I’ll check back as soon as possible.

Thanks as always for reading and following. Please remember to hit the “share” or “like” tabs on Face Book and/or to “Tweet” me on Twitter.

Stay Safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 10, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, major-incidents, news, special-operations, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Brad Glidden, Brook Boone, building collapse, building construction, building searches, Captain Clayton Martin, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Clayton Martin, dog rescue, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, ladder operations, major incident, pet rescue, public relations, Roanoke storm damage, Roanoke wind damage, roof operations, salvage, salvage operations, Scott Boone, search and rescue, severe weather, storm coverage, storm damage, storm damage pictures, Todd Harris, WDBJ7, Willie Wines, wind damage, wind damage pictures, wind storm

Could you have left him to die?

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Last week, a Wyoming man fell a couple hundred feet into an abandoned mine shaft just outside of Reno Nevada.

Rescue efforts were organized and operations undertook.

At some point (I hope early in the incident) a camera was lowered into the shaft. This was rescue vs recovery … the man was ALIVE.

What were the odds? What were his odds from that moment on? Who knows .. I guess it’s debatable but bottom line … he was ALIVE.

At some point, they attempted to lower a rescuer or rescuers into the shaft. Apparently, they knocked some rocks loose and a rescuer was struck by falling debris. There’s a huge surprise … falling rocks in a mine shaft (it’s like heat in a fire … the two go together). Anyway, the powers to be decided that the risk was too much. The risk was too much or the “reward” wasn’t worth the price.

Too risky? Wasn’t worth the risk? We’ve all heard the sayings … ” risk a little to save a little … risk a lot to save a lot (a life) and risk nothing to save nothing”. This is our job … it’s what we do! Firemen go into fires … they’re gonna be hot. Cave / mine rescue people go into caves … rocks are gonna fall. At what point did that human life in the bottom of that mine become a “nothing”?

Check out a couple articles on the incident HERE and HERE

Who decided? At one point it’s a life … living breathing (talk to any anti-abortion person as to when life is life or not). I don’t want to get into a life debate here but WHO decided this person is gonna die anyway? How did they do it from a few hundred feet away and did they make the right decision / call?

We often get reports of someone trapped in a house fire. We find the fire fully involved and know that nobody could survive the blaze. We never have to see that person trapped while alive … we never have video of them awaiting rescue. This had to be a difficult decision.

My good friend, fellow Blogger and Fire Service Leader Chris Naum has been talking about this for some time now… Rational Aggressiveness, Survivability Profiling, Tactical Patience and more. Read Chris’ article Combat Engagement from his site The Company Officer.

I can’t say if the call was right or wrong … I wasn’t there. What I will say is that we all need to be educated and prepared to make such decisions. Educated in many ways. Although I often agree in many ways with Chris, I always add that we need to maintain a certain level of aggressiveness. EDUCATED AGGRESSIVENESS.

If we don’t, then we serve no purpose. Why even call the cave / mine rescue if it’s too dangerous for them to go into? Why call the Fire Department if all they are gonna save is the foundation? Why give the Fire department more funding, staffing, new equipment etc for “surround and drown” operations? Was Ray McCormick so far off ? I think not. We need to get back to not only a “culture of extinguishment” but to a “culture of rescue” as well. We just need to do both smart, aggressively and safely.

I’m not advocating killing members or putting ourselves needlessly at risk but I will remind you that our job is dangerous … we save lives and property (and a lot more).

I received several e-mails on the photo I posted yesterday. This was a house fire that I was first due on from Engine #9 back in 2008.

My Lieutenant, Rob “Bugg” Reid somehow snapped these photos while performing his duties. The pic to the right was just after arrival.

I was met at the Engine by 2 citizens who stated that homeless people were staying inside this structure and that they were (or may be) still inside.

We stretched in. The members in the front yard are from the 1st in Medic or 2nd due company… we (the Melrose Misfits) are stretching up the attic steps at this point.

I took a 1 3/4 … not a 2 1/2. I needed to get there fast. We carry 500 gallons on the rig and had a hydrant on the corner next to where we positioned.

I didn’t search … I wanted a line between where the people may be and the fire was. I wanted water on the fire to give the truck company a chance to locate and rescue any victims.

I knew the situation … the conditions .. evaluated, made a plan and put it into affect within seconds.

Who these people were was of no consequence to me. Their social or economic status had no impact on my decisions that night.

The good news is that they were not there. All searches resulted in “all clear”.

The even better news is that there were no firefighter injuries.

Why’d we go? It’s our job. That’s what we are expected to do .. what we’re paid to do. It’s why those folks came up to me and told me someone was still inside .. they knew we’d go get em.

Was it a wise choice??? Again … who knows? I didn’t have a video from the interior of the structure showing it empty or the victims screaming for salvation.

I had to take it all into account. The fire was in the attic. It was vented. The heat, smoke etc was going out the top. These homes are rough sawn construction … they hold.

If I put water on it, the smoke, heat and steam will go up and out … not down to the living space.

Hitting this fire gives anyone trapped a shot. All this was decided in SECONDS.

That brings me back to the mine rescue. These guys had DAYS. They had video of the victim ALIVE. Then … THEN … they decided it was too dangerous. Were they not trained to the level they needed to be? Some will say they were and displayed that by calling off the operations. Did they not call the needed resources? Pride? Again… I don’t know … I wasn’t there..

Maybe they should have called the Fire Department.

Just working your brain … or wasting mine.. LOL

Stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 9, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, news, patient-management, rescues, special-operations, Uncategorized • Tagged: burried alive, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Captain Wines, cave rescue, Chris Naum, culture of extinguishment, culture of safety, Gather, Gather News, Gather.com, house fire, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Martin Griffith, mine rescue, Nevada mines, NewsNow.com, Ray McCormick, rescue fatality, strategy and Tactics, Taking it to the streets, The Company Officer.com, Willie Wines, Willie Wines Jr, Working fire, working house fire

Arson fires on the rise, more of EMS Today and the fire truck bar.

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We had a Captain’s meeting today and our Chief updated us on a briefing that he had recently given our City Council.

Kind of a “State of the Department” if you will. Our “numbers aren’t that bad. In my mind, there were 2 “stand out” categories… “Dollar Loss” … in 2010, we had around 3.6 Million Dollars in fire damages. I know … you’re thinking 3.6 mil doesn’t sound so good to me right? Well, there were 2 more factors thrown in there. We had 2 Major fires in the City last year .. that took a BIG chunk of that 3.6 The other factor was the “Pre-incident dollar value”…. what it was worth before it burned. That number was over $185 Million. All the fires were valued at over 185 million and we held damages to 3.6 That means we saved 181.4 MILLION in property!

The other “number” that hit me is our percentage of holding our fires to “the floor of origin“. We dropped off in this category falling to only 62%. Now generally, we do a GREAT job of holding our jobs to the “room of origin” (we are on a fire in 4 minutes or less 90% of the time) so I was shocked to learn that our numbers had fallen as to the floor of origin. Why the drop? ARSON

Our Arson numbers are higher than ever (38%) and climbing. Our Chief explained to Council that it’s even a “different” arson than what you might expect. We are not seeing “arson for hire” (where an arsonist is paid to burn down a building so the owner might collect on insurance) we are seeing intentionally set fires out of vengeance. The story even made the front page of today’s paper .. here’s their “on line” abbreviated article.

The fire from the story (where the fire was out on arrival) is not the only example of “arson for vengeance” here in the City. We had an employee of a local Pet Smart set a fire during business hours, in broad daylight causing over a million in damages. See that post from the “Melrose Misfit” days HERE .

Anyway, I thought that was an interesting fact ….. moving on

I wanted to share a few more shots from Baltimore and EMS Today.

Here’s one of me and PJ Cane. PJ follows the site regularly and was the first guy to come up to Rhett and I when we arrived. PJ not only follows my site, he often takes the time to post comments. I have been wanting to meet him for some time now and was glad to have the chance.

He was there with his soon to be wife and that in itself is a whole other story… I’ll post more on that and PJ soon.

Here’s another shot of me and Dave Statter.

I always enjoy getting up with Dave on these out of town trips because it gives me a little help busting Rhett’s balls…LOL

It is a little embarrassing that everyone else is eating steak and lobster and drinking beer while Dave orders all that fancy / smancy “organic pod of split pea” soup and white wine … LMAO

The good news is that he really is a great guy who’s fun to be around … OK..OK .. the honest answer is that he bribes us to hang around him with wallet photos of his wife…LMAO (just kidding Hillary)

Here’s another of me and my new found “Aussie Medic” buddies and then some fellow bloggers / friends..

We had a really good trip and only met one person who I wish I hadn’t. I don’t know this guys name but he was hanging outside our window Friday morning. Hanging … literally.

Now, we stayed at the Sheraton which by most standards is a fairly fancy joint. The rooms were comfortable and spacious. They had hot water. The heat and AC worked. We had a fridge and the drink / ice machine was on our floor and near by.

I just figured that they would have had a better “wake up call” system in place.

I don’t know “what” this guy was grinding on all morning but what ever it was sounded like finger nails across a chalkboard …. YEA … that’ll get ya out of bed in the morning!

Ok, my post on Snowbird’s custom made Fire Truck Bar was a huge hit. The bad news is that I didn’t even show ya all there is to see. There are so many things, big and little; that he did that I couldn’t cover em all in one post.

One part I didn’t talk much about was the back bar.

If ya look closely in the pic to the right, you notice how the bar top looks like broken glass. It is.

I don’t know how he even came up with half the stuff he did! For the back bar, he used 3 sheets of glass … 2 tempered, 1 laminated (he could NOT use the actual windshield from the truck because it was curved and not flat).

Anyway, through trial and error (it took him a few trys) he figured out to lay down a sheet of tempered first. Then he placed the sheet of laminated glass on top of that. He added the 2nd tempered piece (after placing decals on both the top and bottom sides to give it a 3 dimensional look) on top of that.

His outside framing allowed for room to pour a 1/8″ coat of bar top to seal and protect the glass. THEN, he drilled a hole and hit the laminated piece with a window punch. It “spidered” perfectly and looks super cool! Check out the video of him making the punch..

COOL huh??? Anyway, I talked to Snowbird earlier today and we’re gonna do something here @ Ironfiremen to add a complete slide show or something so you guys and gals can see the entire process .. start to finish.

That’s gonna about do it for tonight … they are calling for heavy rains again tomorrow so I had better try to get a little rest. I’ll check back in as soon as possible. Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 8, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, ems-topics, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, news, training-development, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Adam Fleming, arson, arson fires, arson for hire, Baltimore, Baltimore fire, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, custom bars, Dave Statter, dollar loss, dollar loss from fire, EMS Today, EMS Today 2011, Fire Geezer, fire loss, Fire Truck bar, Iron firemen, IronFiremen.com, Pet Smart, Pet Smart fire, Phillip Dillon, PJ Cane, property damage, property damage from fire, Rhett Fleitz, Roanoke Arson fires, Roanoke Times, Sheriton Hotel, Snowbird, STatter911.com, Todd Harris, Willie Wines, Willie Wines Jr, Working fire pics

Dave Statter shows off his editing skills …

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LMAO … only from Statter

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 5, 2011 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Captain Wines, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, funny video, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Rhett Fleitz, Statter, Statter911, xtranormal

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Great start to the Black Diamond X2 Boot give away!

Get your free pair of Black Diamond X2 Boots!

The very simple rules are below:

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FDIC bounce back

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FDIC 2011 update

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Roanoke’s Bravest

A note from Father Webb..

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!

Off my game, Firefighter Netcast and Firemen hitting cops!

Buckaroo withdraws …

Fukushima 50 …

3 story, 12 unit apartment building destroyed by high winds in Roanoke, Va

Could you have left him to die?

Arson fires on the rise, more of EMS Today and the fire truck bar.

Dave Statter shows off his editing skills …

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