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Why I travel ….

I’m back home safe and sound.

For those of you who didn’t even notice I was gone, I’ve been in Verona New York (up State) for the New York State Association of Fire Chief’s Fire 2013 Expo!

As always, I was with Zach Green and my MN8 Fox Fire family. It was a GREAT show!

I always get asked why I travel so much. Why I enjoy going to these shows and exactly what is “it” that keeps me going back. The answer to that is simple …. it’s THE PEOPLE!

We always meet so many GREAT Brothers and Sisters at these events. I guess we call it “networking” now but the opportunity to meet, talk with and share information (and the brotherhood) with these folks is invaluable. I learn something from every trip we take but more so, I make life long friends and get to share and spread the Brotherhood.

Before I even left, I posted on Face Book that I was heading North.

Within minutes, I was getting messages with invitations to stop by this station or that one. To meet this Brother or that for lunch etc. It always amazes me and is very humbling that these Brothers and Sisters openly invite me in.

I did make a stop on this trip beyond my regulars. On the way up I-81 I dropped in on the Riverheads VFD.

Brother Chris Botkin invited me out and gave me a great tour of their station and rigs. I could see the PRIDE these Brothers have for the job by the way they kept the house and their rigs. Thanks to Chris for inviting me out. I wish I had longer to stay by the short rest was needed and very welcomed.

Find Riverheads VFD on Face Book HERE

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book HERE

After the first day of the show, Mike France and the Capitol Region Fools (find them on Face Book HERE) invited us out for a “meet-up”.

This was another GREAT group of Brothers and Sisters that I really enjoyed meeting and spending some time with.

The good news is that I’m going to get to see them again and spend even more time with them. They have booked me and Rhett to speak at one of their upcoming events this September.

We will be delivering an 8 hour presentation on a variety of topics. I should be very interesting and Rhett and I are both very excited to be presenting for this group.

Get me and Rhett to speak at your event. Click HERE

As usual, we were very busy in the booth…. we always are and for several reasons.

“The most interesting man in the world” was there for one reason and that guy from the Dos Equis beer commercials made an appearance as well.

LOL … all kidding aside, we are always busy because the product is that good. For us it’s all about firefighter safety. About increasing your visibility, aiding in your accountability and decreasing your chances of becoming disoriented.

If you’ve never seen the product in person, you need to. We can’t effectively explain what it is and how it works. Contact us through our web site or via Face book to find a dealer near you.

Visit MN8 Fox Fire Web Site and Face Book

As hard as we work in the booth … we play and rest with just as much vigor afterwards.

There are always a group of old friends and “regular” show attendees / vendors that we are able to catch up with at each show. This event was no different.

Clayton Murphy from Crosstitched was there. If you’ve never seen Clayton’s work, that the time to hit the link I provided. Clayton is a class act and it’s evident in his work. Even the boxes he ships in will make an impression on you … trust me.

Paul Hassenmeier from First Due Tackle was there as was Tiger Schmittendorf. Tiger is well known for his work and many of the web sites he runs such as Fire Recruiter, Run to the Curb, Firefighter Story Tellers and Tiger Schmittendorf.com

He’s a plethora of knowledge and always a BLAST to hang out with. It was good to be able to spend some time with him once again.

I should also mention Bryan Sypniewski and Dolores Bochenek. They are both part of our “Boots on the Street” team who helped work the booth this weekend and they did an AWESOME job!

Like I said, beyond our team, family and long time friends, it’s always good to meet new Brothers and Sisters for the first time. Some many people came up to speak to me this weekend that I could never mention them all.

Everyone offers words of encouragement, condolences and appreciation. Again I’ll say it humbling… VERY humbling. Thanks to each of you for taking the time to talk to me.

I remember you all and several stand out. One of those stand outs was Dave Hitt from Vestal New York. We have been talking to Dave on Face Book for a while now and we were all very excited to meet him in person.

Dave even wrote a blog post about the expo and our visit. Check it out here … Through the Smoke

Special Thanks to Dave for the “shout out” in his post but more importantly for taking the time to drop by the booth and say hello.

Thanks as well (and again) to everyone who took the time to drop by or hang around and chat. If you took a photo of us, please remember to “tag” me in them if you post to Face Book.

I hated to leave but Sunday was Fathers Day and I made it back just in time.

I got to spend a little time with the Buckaroo before heading out to spend a little with Pop.

I have to admit that even as tired as I was, it was very relaxing spending time with dad and the boys of Nothin Fancy .

The boys were up in nearby Floyd County Va playing a few bluegrass tunes for the folks. If you’re a Bluegrass fan and have never heard of Nothin Fancy be sure to use these links and check them out… you’re gonna LOVE em!

Nothin Fancy on the web, Nothin Fancy on Face Book

It was an outside venue and VERY relaxing. It’s always good to be out with friends and family and it tied up my weekend very nicely.

Besides the great music, there is a very nice restaurant nearby and all sorts of other activities to get into.

Apparently, they even had a face painting booth. Looks like my wife found out where it was. Mustache envy knows no boundaries …. just look at her face … GUILTY! LOL

I hope you all enjoyed your Fathers Day as much as I did mine. If this rain ever quits, I’ll be back in the hay field until about Christmas. Meanwhile, I’ll try to get back to ya as soon as possible. Until I do … stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on June 18, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, news, Training, Uncategorized • Tagged: Black Diamond Boots, Bluegrass Music, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Crosstitched, Dave Hitt, Dave Statter, FDNY, fire, Fire 2013, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter pics, Firefighter Tee Shirts, firefighters, First Due Tackle, Floyd Va, house fire, IAFF, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Nothin Fancy, NYSAFC, Statter 911, Through the Smoke, Tiger Schmittendorf, Working fire, Zach Green

New York, fatal crash / fire and Officer development

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I’m in upper New York State …. Verona actually.

I’m here with Zach Green and my MN8 Fox Fire family to attend Fire 2013 .

The event (expo) is put on by the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs and is being held at Turning Stone Resort and Casino .

It’s a VERY fancy place and sure to be a great show! You should have seen the look on their faces when I walked into the hotel with my cowboy hat and boots last night. When I asked “How yall doin” you could have heard a pin drop ….. LMAO (they’re gonna LOVE me here!).

We will be set up in booth #2125 so if you’re at the show, be sure to stop by for a personal demo of the MN8 FoxFire product line.

If you’re already using FoxFire, stop by anyway to tell us how it’s working for ya or just to say hello.

I’m not sure of our full schedule yet but I do know that tonight, I will be at the Capitol Region F.O.O.L.S meet-up. If you want to attend, you can find more details HERE . These are a GREAT bunch of Brothers and Sisters and actually, Rhett and I will be back up here in September to speak at one of their events …. I can’t wait!

And hey … if you’re here; don’t forget to visit our friends Clayton Murphy of CROSSTITCHED and Paul Hasenmeier of First Due Tackle as well !

Clayton is set up with the exhibits and will even be giving away a Fire Cam while here! Paul is teaching an extrication “hot” class. Be sure to look em up.

Crosstitched on Face Book Here

First Due Tackle on Face Book HERE

While I’m up here “living large”, the Brothers and Sisters of B-shift are back home “doing it”!

Looks like they had their hands full yesterday.

As far as I can tell, there were 2 fatalities, two transported and several others injured. The incident shut down both lanes (directions of travel) of a major highway through the city.

More photos and details in the links below ….

click HERE, HERE and HERE

I’m not sure who all was on duty yesterday or who was first in but I do know that the Officers and members of B-shift are all “dialed in” and good at what we do. Most likely, it would have been Engine #2 (Captain Trussler), Engine #3 (Captain Kesterson) or Engine #13 (Captain Dillon) first in. Either way, it looks like the boys did a great job of handling the incident. STRONG WORK Brothers….. STRONG WORK.

So, It’s time for me to iron my Bunker Kilt and get ready for today’s events. Rhett stayed behind this trip as he’s at the Virginia Fire Officer’s Academy in Richmond ( “getting his learn on” …LOL). He says it’s a GREAT class and that he’s taking a lot away from it. I can’t wait til he gets a post up about it over on FireCritic…. be sure to keep an eye out for it.

So there ya have it. Short and sweet for now. I’ll try to get ya more tonight … depending on how late those F.O.O.L.S keep me out.

Until I get back … stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on June 13, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, hazmat, major-incidents, news, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: Black Diamond Boots, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Clayton Murphy, Crosstitched, Dave Statter, Fatal crash, FDNY, fire, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter pics, Firefighter shirts, firefighters, First Due Tackle, house fire, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, NYSAFC, Roanoke Fire/EMS, Roanoke.com, Statter 911, Turning Stone Resort, Va Fire Officers Academy, WDBJ7, Working fire, WSLS, Zach Green

Through the ranks

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It must be promotion season because they’re popping up everywhere. There are several that I’m aware of with more pending. There are a couple I’ll share with ya along with a retirement.

Promotions can go either way. Sometimes they work out well … other times not so much. I guess it all depends on the position, the process and the person. Sadly, a lot of times; we see people promoted to a position for the wrong reasons and that most always sets the stage for failure.

Whether or not a newly promoted member has (or should have) ”come through the ranks” has always been a highly debated topic in the firehouse (especially when the promotion is to an Officer or Chief Officer position). Personally, I give a lot of merit to those who have.

Follow Ironfiremen on Face Book Click HERE

It just seems simple to me. Coming through the ranks allows you to learn and become proficient at each level you’ll soon be expected to supervise or manage. I think it would be difficult for a Chief Officer to set and enforce policy and procedures for firefighters if they’ve never been one themselves. If they’ve never worked as a firefighter, as a Driver / Operator, a Lieutenant, Captain or Battalion Chief. If they’ve never worked in a firehouse, pulled 24 hour shifts, missed Christmas, ball games etc. How could they understand those they intend to lead? I could (and may) be wrong here. I once had a Chief of Department tell me that the pilot of a 747 Jetliner never had to load the luggage to become a good pilot. His point was true I guess but I’d argue that had that pilot loaded luggage at some point, then he would understand that how the luggage is loaded has a direct bearing on weight distribution and how the plane will or will not handle / fly. He would also better understand what the people working with and around him has to deal with on a daily basis. In my opinion, it would have made him a better pilot.

Anyway, the promotions I’m gonna tell ya about did move through the ranks and I’m excited to see how they handle their new positions. I know they have the experience and skills. I’m sure they’ll do well.

I was very excited to learn that Mark Akins made Battalion Chief last week. It’s been 34 years in the making!

Mark works for the John’s Creek Fire Department , just outside of Atlanta, Ga.

John’s Creek is a fairly new Department having been established in 2008.

They have 3 stations staffed with approximately 78 firefighters. Learn more about the Johns Creek fire stations HERE .

Johns Creek has some GREAT members and is sure to grow. I can say that because I’ve had the honor of meeting a few of them, including their Chief Jeff Hogan.

Rhett and I were in Atlanta back in August 2011 to attend Fire rescue International.

It was a great trip that included a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

That’s where we first met Mark (then a Captain) and his A-Shift crew from Station #63.

Mark was a loyal fan and follower or both Ironfiremen and FireCritic.com. He read that we were planning the trip and invited us out to meet and share a meal with him and his crew. To Rhett and me, just the invite screams PRIDE.

Mark had so much Pride in his Company and Department that he wanted to share it with us. It was a great visit and it was easy to see from the moment we walked in the door that these brothers “got it”.

An additional post on Atlanta & Johns Creek HERE

Congratulations to the Johns Creek Fire Department and all it’s members. You just got yourself a great Battalion Chief. Congratulations as well to Chief Akins!!! All the hard work and effort has paid off Brother. Sometimes, the “good guys” do finish first. Well EARNED and DESERVED Brother …. keep up the strong work and look after the boys down there.

Ok, so the next promotion is in a Department closer to home for me and involves another member who has worked through the ranks.

The Roanoke Fire / EMS Department (Va) announced last week that Battalion Chief Jeff Beckner will be promoted to the position of Deputy Chief of Operations.

Roanoke Fire/EMS is located in beautiful Southwestern Virginia. They cover approx. 43 square miles protected by 11 stations and 200+ members. They hold an ISO rating of 2.

Roanoke Fire/EMS web site

Roanoke Fire / EMS on Face Book

I know Chief Beckner personally as well. I’ve known him for years actually. I know he worked through the ranks and has been well respected by the members of the Roanoke Fire Department throughout his career. Chief Beckner has close to 30 years on the job having served most recently as an Operations Battalion Chief on the South Battalion.

Jeff (Chief Beckner) has always been a strong leader. As a Captain, he always built strong companies. He carried that ability / trait with him to the level of BC and built strong Battalions as well. Hopefully, he will continue the trend as Deputy Chief and build an even stronger Department. I’m sure he will and look forward to seeing the progress he makes.

CONGRATULATIONS to Chief Jeff Beckner on his promotion to Deputy Chief of Operations!

I happen to know a little of the inside story on the Roanoke promotions. Because of Chief Beckners bump to Deputy, several more promotions are likely to follow. There seems to be at least 2 Battalion positions open, 4-5 Captains and then some 1st. Lt and Lieutenant positions open to fill as well. Why all the promotions ??? Retirement.

Battalion Chief Manual retired from the Training Division and Deputy Chief Ralph Tartaglia is retiring as Deputy Chief of Operations after 37 years of service.

Yea … 37 years!

Chief Tartaglia also worked his way through the ranks and has served as the Deputy of Operations for 2 Chiefs now.

Like Chiefs Akins and Beckner, I know Chief Tartaglia well. He’s often said that if he ever needed a letter of recommendation written that I would be the first person he came to. He said that because he has read a lot of letters that I’ve written throughout my career. That’s both a good and bad thing…. LOL.

A local news station did a small piece on Chief Tartaglia’s retirement … watch it below ….

WSLS 10 NBC in Roanoke/Lynchburg Va

For those wondering, Rhett (The Fire Critic) and I both tested from promotion within our Department. Rhett tested for 1st Lt and Captain while I tested again for Battalion. Rhett is ranked somewhere in the middle of his lists and I haven’t received my results as of yet.

In my opinion, our process is somewhat flawed but I’ll post more on that in the future. Until then, CONGRATULATIONS to Chief Akins and Beckner on their promotions. Im back on duty tomorrow and then headed to New York for a Chief’c Convention on Wednesday. I’ll get back to ya as soon as possible but until I do …

Stay SAFE and in HOUSE!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on June 10, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter pics, firefighters, house fire, IAFF, Jeff Beckner, John's Creek Fire Department, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, Mark Akins, MN8 products, promotions, Roanoke Fire/EMS, Statter 911, Working fire

Bedford Boys

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Today, June 6, 2013 marks the 69th Anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy.

156,000 troops from The United States, The United Kingdom, Canada, free France and Norway made up the Allied forces.

The small town of Bedford, Va provided some 30 soldiers (Company A) to the 29th Infantry Division when the Virginia National Guard’s 116th Infantry Regiment was activated. Company A would assault Omaha Beach as part of the First Division’s Task Force O.

By the end of the day, nineteen of them were Killed In Action. At the time, Bedford’s population was 3,200. That meant that proportionally, Bedford suffered a larger loss than any other community in the United States.

To learn more about “The Bedford Boys” and The National D-Day Memorial, click the link below.

The National D-Day Memorial

D-Day “Photos From the Front”

I should also note here that the National D-Day Memorial is now located in Bedford. If you’ve never been, you should schedule a visit soon!

I hope you took the time today to remember our D-Day Veterans … I did.

It’s often said that these men were from our “greatest generation” and I tend to agree. Because they were the “greatest” doesn’t take away from those that followed. Bedford is a good example.

Today, there is another group of “Bedford Boys” but they’re not military … they’re Firefighters.

These “boys” are just as professional and dedicated as their predecessors. They’re a class act and a great Department that I’ve wrote about several times here on Ironfiremen.com.

Their Captain, Greg Fulton (or “413″ as I call him) stopped by my station this morning (several of their members, including their Chief work for my Department). We had a great conversation about all the things I stand for … The Brotherhood… Tradition, Pride, Honor and Respect.

I got to meet and hang out with a group of his boys at the Harrisburg, Pa Fire Expo. Greg (413) and I shared a little of that experience from both perspectives (don’t worry boys … I didn’t tell him everything…LOL) .

click to enlarge

Then, Greg told me of their recent loss.

A past Chief, John Turner passed away just last week.

Thinking about today’s anniversary (D-Day), The Bedford Boys and The Bedford FD’s loss, I found it ironic that Chief Turner was appointed to the BFD in 1944.

Greg told me several stories about Chief Turner.

Then he told me about the funeral.

The Bedford Fire Department carried Chief Turner to his final resting place in a piece of apparatus from the BFD.

The Respect, Honor and Tradition were evident!

They didn’t carry the Chief in just any piece, they carried him in their 1927 Seagrave!

That’s the actual truck pictured left.

It was not only a front line piece for the BFD, it was also the first motorized fire truck in Bedford County at the time.

Can you believe the purchase price was a whopping $12,500?

It got away (out) of the Department / County at one time but the boys located her, bought her back and refurbished her to original condition. It’s now on display at the Bedford County Welcome Center. When you come to visit the D-Day Memorial, be sure to stop by and see it.

Again I’ll mention Tradition, Pride, Honor and Respect. I think the original “Bedford Boys” would be PROUD of the job today’s Bedford Boys are doing. Keep up the strong work Brothers and THANKS!

Bedford Fire Department Web Site

Bedford Welcome Center

I’m starting 4-day break tomorrow and will check back in with ya as soon as I can. Until I do …

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on June 6, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Bedford Boy, Bedford Fire Department, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Chief John Turner, Company A, Dave Statter, FDNY, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter pics, firefighters, FoxFire, house fire, IAFF, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Seagrave, Seagrave Fire Trucks, The Bedford Boys, Working fire, World War II, WW II

Rekindle

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I don’t do it often but I want to revisit a post from my past. I have a lot of new followers / fans who may not have been around in the early days and believe it or not … sometimes I actually managed to get up some cool posts….LOL

I’m back on duty today and we have a fill-in. We had an overtime person for 1/2 the shift but tonight we got a transfer from the South Side.

I was happy to see Adam Fleming (or “Snowbird” as I so affectionately call him) walk into the house this evening.

Snowbird and I go way back. We were assigned together at Station #6 back in 1997 just after I made Lieutenant.

Station #6 was not only a busy house (and still is) but it also held a lot of family memories for me as my dad spent the majority of his career there.

Needless to say, Snowbird and I seen a lot of work together but we also had just as much fun. We became good friends.

Fast forward to the year 2011 and I got a very cool phone call from him.

He was telling me about this “bar” he had built for his basement. Of course he knows how much I enjoy a “tall tottie” or an ice cold Old Milwaukee so he figured I should have one (or twelve) at his place just for “old time sake”.

What he described over the phone didn’t touch what I found when I got to his house that day.

WOW!!! I was speechless! He had taken an actual fire truck and made it into a BAR!!! This thing was amazing!

I’ve drank at some very fancy places. I’ve also had a few at some dumps but this bar ranks right up there with the coolest ever. Almost every piece he used was salvaged from a 1988 Pierce Arrow.

The rig came from the Orange, NJ Fire Department. I wrote a little about the rig and Snowbird’s plans in a the post linked below …..

A HELMET TIP TO OUR “NORTHERN” BRETHERN…

You have to see this thing to believe it!

Snowbird and a few friends went all out and their time, labor and efforts are evident.

He kept the front wheels and tires on it (YES … those are actual wheels and tires).

The water faucet for the sink is one of the 2 1/2″ discharges from the rig.

The coasters behind the bar are the actual pump gauges. His attention to detail was amazing. I wrote a little more about it in another post …..

Read “Yankee Ingenuity” click HERE

Starting to see what I mean? Well tonight, we were talking about the bar and he tells me one of the guys who helped him build it has some MUCH BETTER PHOTOS.

His friend Joe Amato lives in our area and was a huge help in the bar’s construction (along with Robert Shumate). Joe is also originally from up on the other side of the Mason – Dixon line but now lives in our area and serves as a volunteer for a local Fire / Rescue Department. Use this link below to see more than 100 other photos of the bar from Joe’s Face Book page ….

Joe Amato’s Face Book Photo Album

And YES ….. all the lights and sirens work too! Here’s a video they used to win a contest through Pierce Mfg. asking folks to show them their “cab”.

So anyhow, I just wanted to revisit an older topic and post that I thought you may enjoy. I hope you did.

Since I directed you to Face Book in the post, while you’re there be sure to like and follow Ironfiremen.com as well. We finally passed the 13,000 “like” mark last week!!! WoooHooo!

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book here

I have a big event to attend in the morning and will try to get some pictures up asap. Until I do get back to ya … stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on June 4, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Adam Fleming, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, custom bars, Dave Statter, FDNY, Fire Critic, Fire Truck Bars, firefighter, firefighter pics, firefighters, house fire, IAFF, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Orange Fire Department, Orange NJ, Pierce fire trucks, Statter 911, video, Working fire

The Emotion of Brotherhood and wearing a dress….. ok… it’s a Kilt!

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I’ve gotten several comments, e-mails etc since attending the Harrisburg, Pa Fire Expo last weekend. Like all of the trips Rhett, Zach Green, the MN8 FoxFire Team and I take, this one’s success was well beyond expectations.

I hit some of the highlights of our Expo adventures in my latest post. Use the link below to read that article if you missed out on the details.

Brotherhood of the Harrisburg, PA. Fire Expo

You can also view 40+ pictures from the weekend by visiting the Ironfiremen.com Face Book page in the following link …..

Harrisburg Fire Expo Photo Album

Most of the comments I received were “private” although lots of Brothers and Sisters we met “tagged” themselves in photos and left some great “public” comments. Several of the messages dealt with my visit to two neighboring companies … Colonial Park Fire Company (#33) and the Progress Fire Company (#32). Both were AWESOME visits!

To begin with, Lt Mike Rodkey of Colonial Park hit me up to invite us for dinner. We had never met prior to his invite.

After a few conversations and some scheduling, we arranged to meet them at the station for dinner on Friday evening after our first day on the Expo exhibit floor. I was exhausted.

My wife (Donna) had traveled with me to Harrisburg and accompanied me to Colonial Park. We felt welcome as soon as we got out of the truck.

This was obviously not my first invitation / visit to a firehouse. It was also not the first time I had been invited to share a meal with a Company of firefighters but each experience is as emotional as the first.

I can’t explain it but there’s “something” special that happens for me at these events. I don’t know why Brothers and Sisters across the Country choose to share these things with me but they do. It’s humbling.

One of the first things I noticed when we arrived was the crowd. There was a lot of people gathered but what stood out most was the number of wives and children …. FAMILY …. it was obvious to me that Colonial Park is a firehouse vs. “station.

Something as seemingly simple as the station tour can make an overwhelming impact on a first time visitor to a station (house). My tour was given by a young “live-in” member, “Cheech”. The PRIDE he displayed in showing me each and every little detail of the station was infectious. He knew and explained the history of things like their custom kitchen table, the run board, the photos on the wall displayed in custom diamond plate holders. Their Public Safety Education trailer and custom made “props”.

They have a “Trophy Room” near the front entrance of the station. Trophies and photos line the walls and the center piece is a early model rig used by Colonial Park. Sam Swartz conducted the tour of this room. Sam has been a volunteer at Colonial Park for over 50 years! That in itself says something about who Colonial Park is … about the type of Company they are.

While I was getting a tour of the house, others were cooking and setting the table. It wasn’t long before we all sat down to a fabulous meal…. TOGETHER. Sharing a meal (or “breaking bread” as we call it) is also something very personal. This wasn’t each person grabbing a plate and gulping the food down in which ever secluded place each chose. This was a group of firefighters … husbands, wives and children … a FAMILY sitting down to eat together, talking across, up and down the table and they had invited ME into their group.

I often hear people on the job talk about the mythical “Brotherhood” and how it either doesn’t exist or is fading. I couldn’t disagree more.

After our meal, we gathered for a few pictures and I had to say my “good-byes” for the evening. I got a little emotional while talking with them … I do that more and more here lately. You see, I explained to them that the Brotherhood is NOT dead. It’s alive and well in houses just like Colonial Park all across our Country. Sometimes, the members just have to slow down for a minute to see it. Sometimes, it takes someone like me, looking (coming) in from the “outside”; to point it out.

It can be overwhelming to see it working … the Brotherhood. To KNOW it still exists. It’s overwhelming to me because I need it. I need to KNOW it lives and that I’m a part of it …we CAN’T do this job alone. The Brotherhood is a big part of why I joined the Fire Service and I couldn’t stand seeing it gone.

The Brotherhood doesn’t have to be something big …. something tangible. The heart of Brotherhood is often found in the seemingly small things. TRADITION, PRIDE, HONOR and RESPECT is shown in a multitude of ways.

Click HERE to purchase your Ironfiremen / Fire Critic Challenge Coin!

Click here for your Ironfiremen / Fire Critic “Hey Brother” shirt!

I also fielded several questions about the kilts Rhett and I often wear. And for those of you who don’t know, there is a difference between a man wearing a dress and a kilt …. I’m not sure you really want to know what that difference is though …LOL

Rhett and I currently have two kilts that we LOVE. One is Alt Kilt, the other a Bunker Kilt (click on the names for a link). Kilts are a huge part of Fire Service history here in the USA. Yea … kilts.

In the beginning of our Countries development, being a firefighter (or police officer) wasn’t a highly sought after job. In the big cities, these positions were often filled by Scottish and Irish immigrants. When these members died, their funerals were often traditional of their homeland …. kilts, bagpipes, drums etc.

We wear our kilts out of RESPECT and to HONOR those who came before us. So Brothers and Sisters (or whoever) will ask us why and we can share some of the history and TRADITION of our job. We wear them with PRIDE (plus … we look so damn good in em! LOL)

I get the same thing here at home or around the station. The odds are that if you drop by my house, or see a pic of me from the station; I’m wearing my bunker pants.

No, we are NOT as busy as a Rescue Company in FDNY but I EXPECT to be! The first time our rig rolls out the door (on a run, for training, to the grocery store etc) I have em on. You’ll hardly ever catch me on the rig without them on.

I EXPECT fire. I also wear my seat belt … ALL THE TIME. I don’t want to be out on the road and catch a run without being ready. I can’t undo my belt and stand up to get dressed while responding. I don’t want to roll into a “job” and jump out of the rig to get dressed in the street. I can however slide on my coat and SCBA on with the seat belt secured…. that’s why I wear my bunkers. I’m ready to work.

I don’t get what the big deal with our kilts and bunker pants is. If I wore a baker’s apron and chef hat I could understand it. We are FIREFIGHTERS … it’s what we wear and what we do!

Anyway, I’m back on duty tomorrow but will catch up with ya again as soon as possible. Until then, stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on May 23, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Baltimore fire, Black Diamond Boots, Box Alarm Leather LLC, brotherhood, Brotherhood Chips, building fire, Bunker Kilt, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Colonial Park Fire Company, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter kilts, firefighter pics, firefighters, Harrisburg Fire Expo, house fire, IAFF, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 Fox Fire, MN8 products, Morning Pride, Morning Pride firefighter gear, Nate Camfiord, NM Coins LLC, Phenix Helmets, Roanoke Fire/EMS, Statter 911, Working fire

Brotherhood of the Harrisburg, Pa. Fire Expo

2 comments

I just returned from the Fire Expo in Harrisburg, Pa. It was another GREAT trip, full of BROTHERHOOD but not without it’s ups and downs. It was almost like a roller coaster ride … let me try to explain.

To begin with, although Harrisburg is a show Rhett and I have been wanting to attend for some time now, it was not on our schedule this year. As it turned out, Zach Green and our MN8 Fox Fire team really needed us so we began scrambling. I was able to work it out but Rhett wasn’t. Once again this year, I would be traveling without him.

The good news was that my wife was able to take some time off so she could go in his place. Donna has never traveled with us (or me) to one of these shows before so I was excited to get to show her what they are like and everything we do.

Donna and I loaded up the “Blog Mobile” and pointed her North….. we wouldn’t make it far though. About 15 miles into the trip, I stopped at the only stop light we would encounter between the house and Harrisburg. When I stopped, smoke was visible from under the hood, right at the windshield.

She says to me (as if I haven’t noticed it) … “I think the van is over heating”. My reply was simple… “nope”.

“We’re never gonna make it …. this thing is over heating already …. I’m telling ya” she says.

As the light turns green, I tell her … “Honey … it’s NOT over heating … IT’S ON FIRE”. You should have seen the look on her face…LOL. I pulled into the store parking lot just through the light and we get out. I popped the hood and she was rolling. Donna was about to panic and asked me “what are we going to do?”.

Calmly, I told her “calm down … I’m a fireman … look in the cooler and get me a beer” (I had a cooler packed for Expo). Then, her panic turned to anger …. “You’re NOT going to stand here and drink a beer while this van burns up!” LMAO. I didn’t pack or have any water (or an extinguisher) …. I need SOMETHING to put this thing out I quickly explained. Get me a beer and start emptying our luggage.

So there I am …. shaking and opening beers to extinguish the fire. You can imaging the look on Captain Week’s face as Roanoke County’s Wagon 10 rolled in!

Turns out, that while sitting in the driveway since FDIC; a bird had decided to use the engine compartment as a place for nesting. It was turning out to be a GREAT start of our trip!

We arranged for a tow truck and switched vehicles to get back on the road. We were running beside a gasoline tanker as it blew a trailer tire and sat for hours in bumper to bumper stopped traffic due to a crash just south of Harrisburg but we eventually made it to our hotel.

The next morning, the MN8 FoxFire Team would assemble on the exhibit hall floor for the first of three busy days.

Once again, we had Andrew Arnold and the Box Alarm Leather Team in the booth so it was almost like we were twice as busy.

Box Alarm and MN8 FoxFire have teamed up to deliver yet another GREAT product! With Box Alarm’s quality work (and a LIFETIME GAURANTEE), using 8-10 oz bridle leather (tanned in the USA), 3M’s flame resistant reflective fabric combined with MN8′s advanced illumination technology, these two “by firefighters, for firefighters” companies have delivered one of the best radio strap combination packages on the market! We debuted them at FDIC and SOLD OUT! They were just as popular in Harrisburg. To learn more about this new product, CLICK HERE or HERE .

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book. CLICK HERE

I’m always VERY busy giving demos while in the booth but I also get to spend a few minutes talking with hundreds of Brother and Sister firefighters. I think that’s one of the things I like the most about working these shows … meeting and making new friends within the Fire Service.

After the show on Friday, I did just that … met and made some GREAT new friends.

Donna and I got to spend the evening and share a meal with the Brothers and Sisters of Colonial Park Fire Company.

I have to tell ya …. these Brothers and Sisters “get it”.

When Lt. Mike Rodkey invited us out, I wasn’t sure if we could pull it off. When “on the road” we (the MN8 FoxFire Team) usually travel as a team and it’s difficult to drop in and visit a company with a crew of 8-10. On top of that, we had about 4 separate invitations / obligations for that evening and we were already worn out from the long days work in the booth. All things considered, Zach and I decided to split the team and try to cover as many obligations as possible. I was glad I made it to Colonial Park!

My visit started off with a tour of their house and rigs. “Cheech”, a Colonial Park “live-in” member; rolled out the red carpet. You could see the PRIDE in the company and it’s members as he showed me every little detail. Everything was neat, clean and in order …. another example of PRIDE.

I also got to meet and talk with Sam Swartz.

Sam is like the 2nd or 3rd most ACTIVE Senior member of the Colonial Park Fire Company with 50 YEARS OF SERVICE!

Sam showed me around their trophy / display room where they housed one of their earlier pieces along with numerous trophies, photos etc.

He also shared some of their HISTORY and TRADITION with me. I could have listened to his stories all week! IT WAS AN HONOR meeting him and having the opportunity to hear his stories!

After the tour, it was time to eat and just like everything else I had seen from Colonial Park, they went all out.

London Broil on the grill …… and I mean MELT IN YOUR MOUTH London Broil!

There’s something very humbling to me to get to sit down at a table with a group of firefighters and their wives, husbands and family and share a meal. A meal that they paid for out of their pockets and yet decided to share with me. It’s humbling because I know the sacrifices they’ve made to be able to do this. I’ve shared in it. It’s like we’ve known each other all along even though we’ve never met. It’s BROTHERHOOD.

We took a few photos and I got the opportunity to shake each of their hands and thank them before Donna and I had to head out to our next meeting. I would like to say to them once again … THANK YOU!

Find Colonial Park Fire Company on Face Book HERE

Eventually, we made it back to our hotel room for a few hours sleep. Before we knew it, we were back on the floor at Expo. The 2nd day was as busy as the first. Once again I got to meet several GREAT Brothers and Sisters during and between my demos.

After Saturday’s show, we were off to the “Progress Bash”. Although it wasn’t a F.O.O.L.S Bash, it was very much like one.

This Bash was hosted by the Progress Fire Company … just down the road from Colonial Park.

These Brothers and Sisters know how to throw a party!

The place was PACKED and we had a BLAST!!

I wasn’t the only one wearing a kilt (BunkerKilt.com) but I was shocked to see that I was the only one wearing my helmet (Phenix Helmets) . I do have to admit that I wasn’t the best looking one there in a kilt. I can say that for certain because the Girls of Fire House Dolls were also on hand. We took a few pictures together and I even got to review their 2014 calendar … TRUST me … use the link I provided and look them up … yo’r gonna LOVE the new calendar!

Stan Jaworski was also on hand with his camera. Stan is well known for his photos and I’m personally a big fan. Check out some of his pictures from the 2013 Progress Bash HERE and find him on Face Book HERE .

There were also some Pipes and Drums in attendance. I never caught their name nor learned if they were like a “renegade” bunch or not but either way, they did a very nice job! Here’s some video…

Progress Fire Company on Face Book Here

So it was another late night to bed and an early rise for day #3 of Expo. Again we were shocked at just how busy we remained. Just like days 1 and 2, we got to meet so many dedicated Brothers and Sisters.

We also had a very special guest salesman in the booth.

Word got out to 14 year old Ian Swarr that our Team was a little overwhelmed at our first Harrisburg Expo so he came to the Rescue.

Zach and the crew actually got to have dinner with Ian the night before and I thankfully were able to convince him into helping out on Sunday.

Ian is a true inspiration and I’m honored to call him my friend. He even took Donna around the Expo floor to introduce her to all his friends and “show her the ropes”

I’m not sure exactly what they did but they both returned with a sack full of swag and smiles on their faces …lol. If you want to talk about “heart” and meet a GREAT young man… look no further.

Learn MORE about Ian by clicking HERE!

There’s NO WAY I can mention everyone I got to see and spend some time with this weekend. I won’t even try because I know I will leave someone out. There are a few however that I want to give a “shout out” to and I think I know a way to encompass the rest.

Once again, we got to spend some time with the guys from Fire Cam. These guys are AWESOME (even Dave Statter hangs out in their booth). Rob Schield and Cris Burch are another example of guys who “get it”. If you’re not familiar with Fire Cam and their products, YOU SHOULD BE.

This is the ONLY Fire Helmet Camera designed by Firefighters. You can learn more and find them on the web by CLICKING HERE . Also find them on Face Book HERE .

Another name I want to drop is Clayton Murphy of Crosstitched. Clayton was also set up at Harrisburg and spent some time with us. For those of you who don’t know, Crosstitched is the designer and supplier of the IronFiremen / Fire Critic “Hey Brother” shirts. Crosstitched is another Firefighter owned company that needs (and deserves) our support. Clayton is a SUPER guys and ALL of his designs ROCK! Wait until you order some of his shirts … as soon as you see the box he ships in, you’ll know he’s a class act! He also does CUSTOM shirts !

Visit their Web site HERE or find them on Face Book HERE

I apologize for not listing everyone I met and spent time with. It is also nearly impossible to include all the pictures we took. I did put together a small photo album on Face Book. Take a look and feel free to TAG YOURSELF if included in one of the shots. Also, please share and / or tag me if you have a photo of us from Expo. Use the link below to view the album …

Harrisburg Fire Expo Photo Album

I have a few more stories to share with from Expo but I’ll catch them in a later post. There have been a couple LODD’s over the weekend and storms are tearing through the several states leaving huge paths of destruction and several dead. Please keep all those affected including the Brothers and Sisters responding to these incidents in your thoughts and prayers.

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on May 21, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, fires, news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Amazing Grace, Black Diamond Boots, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, car fire, Colonial Park Fire Company, Crosstitched, Dave Statter, fire, Fire Cam, Fire Critic, fire video, firefighter, firefighter calendars, firefighter pics, firefighters, Firehouse Dolls, Harrisburg Fire Expo, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Pipes and Drums, Progress Fire Company, Sexy female firefighter calendars, Statter 911, vehicle fire, Working fire, Zach Green

Forward thinking Chief vs. the “good ol boy system” … who has Public Safety’s best interest in mind for Botetourt County?

4 comments

Botetourt County’s Emergency Services has made our local news again. Just over a year ago, the County hired Carr Boyd to serve as their Emergency Services Coordinator. It was a HUGE debate and met with a lot of criticism.

Several of the County’s Volunteer Chiefs ( two, more so than others ) were very out spoken and did not support the hiring of this position. At the time, it seemed as if their main argument against the position was that the Coordinator would have the authority to assume command of an emergency incident if necessary. One Chief (now former) was even quoted as saying ….

if an emergency services director assumes control of a scene “there are going to be a lot of hurt feelings and busted noses.”

They were using terms like “my scene” and saying things like they didn’t need anyone coming in “here” and telling them how or what to do. There were a lot of egos flying around and it seemed to me that the only people who could get hurt were the ones whom Botetourt’s Emergency Services were there to protect … it’s citizens and visitors.

Here’s a quote from an article I posted back when this all started … “This job is NOT ABOUT YOU or being in “CONTROL”. It’s not YOUR fire. It’s about the people we have sworn to serve and protect. There is no shame in asking for or accepting help. If supplemental paid positions will decrease response times and increase the level of Public Safety in Botetourt County, then I’m all for it and any Chief in his right mind should be as well. Drop the egos and do the right thing guys. DO YOUR JOB … I have family who lives there and I’m depending on you! ALL OF YOU !” Read that entire article in the link below …

VOLUNTEER VS. PAID …RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH !!!

Well, it took just over a year for them to accomplish their goal. I hope they’re happy.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Carr Boyd will resign from the position effective at the end of the month. Some local coverage and video in the links below …

From WDBJ 7

From Roanoke.com

Above, I said it took “them” just over a year to accomplish their goal. By that, I meant the group that opposed the position in the first place…. YEA …. they never went away (well … one of em did). Some are actually still serving as Volunteers within the County (some being Chief and/or Company Officers).

More “hurt feelings and busted noses” for Botetourt County’s Emergency Services.

First off, I’m EMBARRASSED. I’m embarrassed and ASHAMED. There’s a WHOLE lot more to this story than is being told (in the “main stream” media anyway).

I’m embarrassed and ashamed because it seems as if Chief Boyd has been hung out to dry. The only person stepping out in support of him is, the newly appointed (and former) Buchanan Volunteer Fire Chief; John Manspile. In an article on Roanoke.com Cheif Manspile said …

“He’s been exactly what this county needed,” Buchanan Volunteer Fire Chief John Manspile said. “He’s been doing what was practical, what needs to be done. … I can’t see where he’s done anything wrong.”

Chief Boyd has yet to comment publicly on the issue. He’s showing a level of tact and restraint I don’t think I myself possess.

I’ve been looking (waiting) for someone to EXPLAIN. To tell us the details. Why would Chief Carr relocate his family all the way from NC to work a single year and then retire? Because he was FORCED OUT … that’s why (or that’s my opinion anyway).

I’m getting reports (off the record) that some members of the group that initially opposed the position and Boyd’s hiring never gave up their fight.

Reportedly lead by one of the Volunteer Fire Chiefs, who is himself a convicted felon; this group set out to rid the County of Boyd and apparently they have succeeded … BUT AT WHO’S COST?

It’s rumored that the group discovered an issue with Boyd’s training. I say “rumored” because I haven’t confirmed it as of yet. We know he was a Captain (and “Acting” Battalion Chief) in Charlotte, NC before coming to Botetourt County. He must have had some training.

The rumor continues that the group took the issue to the Board of Supervisors and gave the option … Boyd’s resignation or the resignation of several of the volunteers. If that is indeed the case, and how it “went down”; then the Board made the WRONG decision.

Read “Volunteer Leadership” Click HERE

Is this a “paid vs volunteer” or a “good ol boy club” issue? The County has already said that they plan to fill the position. I wonder if the same group opposes that? Or maybe it was just Chief Boyd they opposed? I wonder who they would support for the position …. one of their own?

Someone who wouldn’t have to make the tough decisions. Someone who wouldn’t have to enforce policy? Ahhhhh ….. the ol 2 steps forward, 6 steps back game!

Read some of the comments from Roanoke.com Click HERE

Just recently, the Botetourt’s Board of Supervisors heard the story of Volunteer Companies being unable to staff units while citizens were on scene performing CPR for extended period of time.

Like many other Departments across the Country, Botetourt needs to find new ways to meet the needs of their citizens. They need to find a new way of doing business in relation to providing Emergency Services. Carr Boyd was doing just that.

I’m not sure if the answer is through a Combination , Career or all Volunteer System but I do know they need to become “forward thinking” rather than taking leaps backwards (like it appears they just have). I also feel that whatever direction they decide to go, convicted felons and those who place personal gain over Public Safety shouldn’t be a part of it. The past Buchanan “issues” in Botetourt should have proven that point to the Supervisors.

I have spoken to Carr Boyd recently. Although he would not comment on the current issues, he did share that his main concern at this point is assuring that the members of Botetourt’s Emergency Services are taken care of (career and volunteer members) through this ordeal.

I’m sure he could have “thrown some stones” …. he didn’t. Instead, he took the road of a good Officer … of a good Leader … even after all this, he’s “looking after the men” (and women). Carr Boyd is a CLASS ACT. I wish some of remaining Officers in Botetourt County were more like him.

I wrote this post a couple days ago and have had it awaiting publishing in my que. Apparently, someone was looking over my shoulder as I was typing. I say this because of a comment I received last night. If you missed it, I posted it in a short stand alone post late last night.

Use the link below and take a look… it may help you understand just a little more of some of the challenges (and types of people) Carr Boyd faced over the past year…

Read CHRISTINE PADERICK … STOP READING THIS SITE!

I say instead of the Director of Emergency Services, Botetourt should rid their Department of Felons and allow the professionals (volunteer and career) to do their jobs and perform their duties.

I have a LOT more to say on this issue and will continue to gather the facts for a follow up post.

Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on May 18, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, ems-topics, fire-rescue-topics, funding-staffing, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Botetourt County Board of Supervisors, Botetourt County Director of Emergency Services, Botetourt County Va, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Carr Boyd, Christine Paderick, Dave Statter, FDNY, Felon firefighters, Fire Critic, firefighter pics, firefighters, house fire, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Scott Paderick, Social Media, Statter 911, Troutville VFD, Working fire

Christine Paderick … STOP READING this site!

10 comments

I don’t know who she is or why she’d make this comment. I haven’t posted in a while yet she chose to comment on a post dated from May 3rd and on a topic that never mentioned her.

Maybe her guilt is troubling her? Maybe she thinks that I’m planning a post on the Botetourt County Emergency Manager, Carr Boyd’s resignation. Maybe she thinks I’ll say something as to how someone she’s connected with may have been at the root of or at least in part responsible for part of the problem. I’m not sure of her reasoning but she did not use any of the wording or language that would cause me to delete her comment. I’ll post it.

Just like me, CHRISTINE PADERICK is entitled to her opinion and I’m happy to share it here on my site. I don’t agree with it but it’s hers … just as mine is MINE. Here’s what she had to say…

Christine, if you are indeed “tired” of reading my “BS” …. dont hit the link or type my url into your browser. On a side note, if YOU need someone to talk to … I often share a variety of great links for counseling

Stay SAFE and in House !!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on May 17, 2013 • Filed under: Uncategorized • Tagged: brotherhood, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, Felon firefighters, Felons, Fire Critic, firefighter pics, firefighters, MN8 products, Scott Paderick, Social Media, Statter 911, Troutville VFD

Promotions … “Silly Season” is here, recruitment, retention and more!

5 comments

First off, let me say thank you for the continued support. My last post, “You can’t teach Heart” was very well received and I appreciate it . It’s nice to know that I still have a few readers / followers out there.

I do need to clarify one thing though. I’ve received several e-mails, phone calls, messages etc following that post saying how good it is to have the “old” Captain Wines “back”. They say they are glad I’m past (or over) my grieving etc….and that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I know I took you folks to some “dark” places over the last 4 months but I felt compelled to do so. I shared with you some of my thoughts’ feeling and lessons learned following my brother’s death by suicide. I tried to be as honest and open as possible.

Just because I’m a little more visible and posting on a more regular basis doesn’t mean I’m “past” or “over” anything. I NEVER will be. There’s a hole in my heart that will never be filled.

There’s not an hour that goes by that I don’t think of Jackson. The reminders are EVERYWHERE and I can’t hide or run from them. I’m slowly learning to embrace them but it’s hard.

I’m fighting depression every minute I’m awake and I still grieve his death. It’s getting better but, it’s been an uphill struggle. I never knew or understood what a horrible illness / disease depression was (is) before the events of December 30th.

I haven’t told ya in a while so I’ll remind you now that we are ALL “climbing”. We are ALL fighting demons of one sort or another. I’ll also remind you that we are NOT alone … there ARE folks out there who know and understand what we are going through and they stand ready to help us through whatever challenges we face.

If you’re like me and need someone to talk to or lean on, PLEASE try one of the links below …. there’s no shame in it. It’s working for me and it can for you too …

The Sweeney Alliance, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, North American Firefighter Veteran Network,

Grief.com, Recover from Grief.com ,

Ok ….lets move on. So around where I work, it’s promotional testing time. That equates to “silly season” for me!

I call it that because everything required to participate in the process and because of all the “jockeying for position” that’s already started.

We will be testing for Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, Captain, and Battalion Chief. There will also be a Deputy Chief of Operations appointed due to an upcoming retirement. As far as the other positions, we don’t even know how many are open yet (around here, it all depends on who’s counting).

Promotional testing can be one of the most stressful events of a firefighter’s career. Usually, there’s a huge reading list, hours upon hours of study (additional times away from family), the testing process itself and then the waiting game.

We have a written test to narrow the field of candidates (Lieutenant-Captain) followed by a practical portion. For the Lt. candidates, the practicals are made up of a 10 minute presentation (on the same subject / topic which is announced following the written test), a driving course / evaluation, a pumping evolution and an IMS / Fire scenario.

The 1st Lt., Captain and Battalion candidates will also face a fire / IMS scenario, a “problem employee” situation and a presentation. Battalion Chief candidates will work an “in basket” scenario instead of the presentation. Again …. all very stressful.

Rhett actually took his written test on Wednesday. He take the practicals next week. Being that he is already a Lieutenant, he has the option to test for 1st Lt and / or Captain. He is testing for both.

GOOD LUCK to all of our candidates (at every level). As a Company Officer, I hope you’ll remember to take can of your members. If you do, you’ll have a long and enjoyable career. If you don’t …. LMAO … well lets just say that they can make you life hell.

That brings me to recruitment. I HATE that word. I guess it’s not so much the word as it is how many Departments go about it (“recruitment”). They’re doing it WRONG!!

I’ve always said that if someone has to come out looking for you, and then try to convince you that “this” is what you want to do or who you want to work for … THEN I DON’T WANT YOU. We’re FIREFIGHTERS ….. we deal with lives not files, folders or boxes!

I hear of Departments complaining about a lowered number of applicants all the time. They look at all these “outside” reasons in search for a reason /solution and always miss the issues core.

To me, it’s an internal issue. An issue within that Department. In my opinion, it shows a lack of (or poor) leadership / management (or something along those lines). Either way, I’d bet that the members of that Department are NOT happy. That’s sad because our MEMBERS are our best recruiters and it’s so easy to keep firefighters happy!

Think about it. When the members are happy, they reflect a positive image of their Department. When they’re out in the community and someone asks them about “what they do” or where / who they work for, a happy employee is eager to share that information and does so in a positive manner.

On the other hand, an unhappy or disgruntled employee’s response will most likely be “you don’t want to work here”…. OUR MEMBERS ARE OUR BEST RECRUITERS!

My good friend and Brother Tiger Schmittendorf is one of (if not “the”) our Nation’s top fire recruiters. He’s pictured on the far left in the photo above left (with Me, Rhett and Dave Statter). Tiger runs several web sites worth visiting and if you’re having recruitment issues / problems then he’s the man you want to see.

Visit Fire Recruiter.com click HERE

I’m gonna stop here for now as I’m finding it difficult to focus.

We started our 4-day break Thursday morning and, later that evening; I decided to pull Ironfiremen.com’s mobile headquarters down to the farm.

Once again I find myself setup by the creek and to be honest, my mind is more on the camp fire and a tall tottie than it is on writing right now.

I’ll try to check back in sometime this weekend either here or on my Face Book page.

Follow IronFiremen.com on Face Book click HERE

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on May 3, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Black Diamond Boots, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, Fire Recruiter, firefighter, firefighter pics, house fire, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, NFFF, North American Firefighter Veteran Network, promotions, recruitment and retention, Roanoke Fire/EMS, Statter 911, The Sweeney Alliance, Tiger Schmittendorf, Working fire

FDIC 2013 Ironfiremen & Fire Critic Style!

2 comments

FDIC 2013 was a HUGE success!

Despite having to drive 8 hours in the pouring rain, we made it home safely. I hope everyone else did as well.

I’m worn out … mentally and physically. Spent some time with the Buckaroo and my beautiful bride before heading out to the hot tub for a little “unwind” time while thinking over everything we experienced this week.

Can you tell by the pic? You can take the fireman out of FDIC but you can’t take FDIC out of the fireman! LOL

What I mean by that is FDIC is so huge and all encompassing that there’s no way you can attend and not come away with something. A full week of training and Brotherhood shared by the absolute BEST in our business! I’ll share with ya a little of what I experienced and brought home …

Unfortunately, Rhett and I did not attend any of the training this year. Our schedule simply wouldn’t allow it.

This year, we represented 2 GREAT companies and friends of the Fire Service while working their booths on the exhibit floor.

Black Diamond Boots asked us to be in their booth this year and we couldn’t have been more pleased. Rhett and I are both big fans of Black Diamond and the X2 Boot. We wear them in our gear and have for years.

That’s what makes it easy for us to be in a booth like Black Diamonds (that and the “Booth Babes”) …. it’s a great product and we use it daily. We believe in it and can talk to potential buyers in an up front and honest manner.

When we’re standing there selling these boots, we are WEARING them. We wear them ALL DAY LONG … 3 days in a row! We work in them, we climb in them. We can do this because they are a great boot …. they fit well and they’re comfortable.

Would you trust a fire boot salesman wearing Nike tennis shoes? I didn’t think so. Anyway, we got to meet a lot of great Brothers and Sisters shopping for boots. We (Black Diamond) even gave a pair away each day. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to try on a pair. It was GREAT meeting you all. We know you’re gonna love this boot so be sure to visit their web site or find them on Face Book to locate your local dealer.

Black Diamond Boots Dealer locator Black Diamond on Face Book

We only spent 4 hours with Black Diamond. The rest of our time on the floor was spent with Zach Green in the MN8 FoxFire booth.

Rhett and I have been part of the FoxFire Family for several years now. We’re a natural fit!

It’s another product that we use every day on the job. It’s a product geared toward firefighter safety and accountability …. AND IT WORKS!

By firefighters for firefighters … who understands us better?

This year was VERY exciting for Zach and our team as we unveiled several NEW PRODUCTS at the show. One of those products is a SCBA Identifier Tag. Another GREAT “Illuminating” product to aid us in visibility and accountability.

We also had our good friends from Box Alarm Leather in the booth to help promote our Illuminating Radio Straps.

That’s right …. made right here in the USA by Box Alarm Leather, they come with a lifetime warranty and THEY GLOW!

Rhett and I have been big fans of Box Alarm for years as well. GREAT quality with quick and reliable service. They are the company who made our custom fronts as well.

You can purchase the Radio Strap, a universal radio case and anti-sway strap as a complete kit or purchase them separately (they ALL “Illuminate”!!!). Be sure to visit these links to learn more and order yours today!

Find MN8 FoxFire on the Web or on Face Book

Find Box Alarm on the Web or on Face Book

I guess I should back up just a little an say that we arrived to FDIC on Wednesday.

We parked the “Blog Mobile”, ran our bags up to the room and headed out to the F.O.O.L.S Bash.

The Bash is ALWAYS a good time and we haven’t missed one yet!

The only thing we enjoy more than meeting all the Brothers and Sisters at the Bash is when the Pipes and Drums start to play!

I posted a short video of them playing in a previous post this week … CLICK HERE to see it.

Like I mentioned above, beyond the training events at FDIC, there are PLENTY of “Brotherhood” related events.

Another one that we NEVER miss is the Stop Drop and Rock and Roll event put on to benefit the NFFF (National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation) .

It’s a GREAT event! “Over the past ten years, Stop, Drop, Rock ‘n’ Roll has played an important part in helping us honor America’s fallen firefighters. It is a chance for firefighters to give back to the fire service and have fun at the same time. Through a small donation at the door you have all helped the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation honor and support the families of firefighters who have died in the line of duty.”

This years entertainment was none other than Darryl Worley and he did ONE HELL OF A JOB!

He played acoustic and sounded GREAT and even took the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures afterwards. He ended the show with one of his hits, “Have you forgotten?”

The only thing better than listening to Darryl sing was getting to dance to his music with the CEO of Phenix Helmets, Nicole Clesceri ! I’m not sure of the final numbers but I think the auction went ok as well this year. I do know that everyone in attendance had a good time and we can only hope we raised a LOT of money for the NFFF and our surviving families.

Another event we attended was the Fire Rescue, Fire / EMS Blog Network and Firefighter Nation “Meet Up”.

For those of you who don’t know, Rhett, Dave Statter and I (along with SEVERAL others) have our sites hosted by the Fire / EMS Blog Network. The Network is FULL of many great writers providing us all with a variety of resources related to the job.

Fire Rescue Magazine Editor in Chief, Tim Sendelbach recognized several of our writers for their contributions this year. I was honored to have been one of those recognized. It was totally unexpected … I was humbled and HONORED.

Afterwards, we headed over to dinner with our MN8 FoxFire family.

Every year at FDIC, Zach treats the team to dinner on Friday night.

It amazed me to think back over the past few years and realize just how much (and quickly) our team / family has grown.

Maybe that explains why Zach and MN8 FoxFire was presented the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award earlier this month. This year, there were at least 20 people at our dinner! next year, we just may have to rent out the entire building!

Speaking of renting out an entire Building …. later that evening, Rhett and I also hosted our very own “Meet-Up” at the Hard Rock Cafe and it too was a HUGE success!

WOW! There were 100-150 people who came out to share a few drinks and some Brotherhood with us. We have always wanted to do something like this but for one reason or another haven’t been able to pull it off.

Our good friend and Brother Andrew Catron, from the blog The Model City Firefighter took the lead for us and put the event together. We couldn’t have done it without him! Shane Parkins, another great friend, Brother and President of the National Firefighter’s Endowment was also a huge contributor in that he helped sponsor the event. We should also mention (and THANK) Rob Schield from Fire Cam and Chris McCorkle form Blackjack Flashlight Holders for providing some great gifts for us to give away at the event!

For me, beyond the attendance; there were several highlights of the evening. The first, was a special presentation made to me by Erin and Stephen Foster of Ayden’s Gifts .

“Our missions are to bring handmade memorials to those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Our goal is to paint something for you to cherish for years to come! Whether it is a plate, mug or figurine!”

This presentation was totally unexpected and caught me off guard. HONORED and HUMBLED doesn’t even begin to define what (or how) I felt. I’ve spoken here on the site many times of late about showing and sharing emotions (despite the outer appearance of being “tough” firefighters) …. Erin and Stephen brought me to tears that night and it happened in front of a huge crowd.

Im still not quite sure what to say.

The quote above is from their site and as far as I’m concerned, they have succeeded in accomplishing their mission! Just look at the detail here.

It’s in Carolina Blue … Jackson’s favorite team / color. It has the Carolina logo. The foot, to me; symbolizes all the “foot prints” Jackson left in my life and on my heart. The quote on the outer rim is from an Allison Krauss song that I posted about just a few weeks back in a post called “Positional Awareness … Where the Hell am I ??” .

PLEASE …. take the time to check out their site. Read the story of why they do what they do and look at some of their art work. Be sure to like and follow them as well.

Adyden’s Gifts Blog Ayden’s Gifts on Face Book

Another highlight for the night was having FDNY’s Rescue 2 member Rob Wiedmann stop by.

You may remember Rob (and Firefighter Gersbeck) was seriously burned in a December 19, 2011 Crown Heights fire in Brooklyn, Ny. It was an unimaginable event that was caught on video. Dave Statter still has it up over on Statter911.com CLICK HERE for the video .

Rhett, Zach(MN8 FoxFire) and I teamed up to collect money for Rescue 2′s MayDay Fund which supported the families of Rob and James. Our reader support for the fund raiser was nothing short of amazing AMAZING and we soon hand delivered a check to Captain Flaherty and the members of rescue 2.

Read about it in a previous post of mine “Money WELL Spent!” .

Rob actually dropped by our booth on the exhibit floor of FDIC. We said he simply wanted to stop by to say hello and thanks us once again for our efforts following his injury.

He also wanted to assure his gratitude was passed along to all of you who gave support (including thoughts, prayers etc).

Rob is a GREAT guy who for me, defines the meaning of HEART. I have a saying I use often … “You can’t teach heart” and Rob is a prime example.

His training and instinct played a huge role in getting him out of that building BUT … it was also “HEART”. Heart has kept him going throughout his healing process (28 months now with more surgeries scheduled). Heart drives him to continue to get out and promote the Fire Service and our Brotherhood. I’ll have more on “Heart” in an upcoming post ….
Rob was there with a few Brothers from Sons of the Flag Burn Foundation , Ryan “Birdman” Parrott, Zane, and Nathan.

You’re going to start hearing a lot about these guys and their efforts here on Ironfiremen.com in the future. We asked Ryan (the group’s founder) to say a few words at the Meet-Up and then we passed my boot around for their cause. We raised $730.00 in about 10 minutes! Be sure to check out the links below to learn more about these guys …

Sons of the Flag Web Site Sons of the Flag on Face Book

Again I’ll add that what really “made” the meet-up was everyone who attended. We got (and continue to get) so many comments about how much we (Rhett and I) are doing for the Brotherhood. I explained to several of the folks there that night …. we didn’t do anything. We rented a room and bought some beer. YOU GUYS … you Brothers and Sisters are the ones who showed up. You’re the ones who sacrificed your time and made the decision to attend. YOU are the the ones who “made” the event …. THAT Brothers and Sisters was the display of Brotherhood that night! Thanks again for attending!

Rhett did a little “name dropping” and shared his views on our Meet-Up and FDIC in general over on the Fire Critic. He also has links to some great pictures … read that post in the link below

FDIC Wrap Up: The FireCritic and Ironfiremen Meetup

There is so much more I want to share about our Meet-Up but I think I’m going to work it into one of my next posts. All in all, FDIC was a huge success for us and we can’t wait until our next event.

Thanks to EVERYONE who took the time to come up and speak to us. Be sure to follow us on Face Book to find more pictures and info on FDIC and more! Be sure to keep check back and THANKS for following …

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book Click HERE

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 29, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, fires, news, Training, Uncategorized • Tagged: Ayden's Gifts, Black Diamond Boots, Box Alarm Leather, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Darryl Worley, Dave Statter, FDNY, fire, Fire Critic, fire video, firefighter, firefighter pics, Fools Bash, house fire, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, NFFF, Phenix Fire Helmets, Sons of the Flag Burn Foundation, Stop Drop and Rock and Roll, Zach Green

Live coverage of the West, Texas Memorial Service

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View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 25, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: brotherhood, Captain Willie Wines Jr, City of West Texas, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, firefighters, LODD, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, NFFF, Statter 911, West Texas LODD, West Texas Memorial Service

Pipes and Drums! F.O.O.L.S Bash FDIC 2013

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Here’s a short video of some Pipes and Drums from the FOOLS Bash last night here at FDIC. I’ll get a more details post up as soon as I can. Meanwhile, if you’re here; be sure to stop by the MN8 FoxFire booth (#5571) or the Black Diamond Booth (#2401 between 4-6pm) and say hello.

See more pics etc from FDIC on my Face Book page by clicking HERE

Stay Safe and in House!
Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 25, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Bag Pipes, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, FDIC, FDIC 2013, FDNY, Fire Critic, firefighter pics, firefighters, house fire, leather helmets, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Morning Pride, Phenix Helmets, Pipes and Drums

Supporting West, Texas and gearing up for FDIC

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Support has really been building for our Brothers and Sisters in and around the town of West, Texas following last week’s devastating and fatal blast.

The National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation has set up a special, National fund for the survivors.

“In light of the tragic event in West, Texas on Wednesday and in cooperation with local support efforts, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has established a national fund to accept monetary donations to assist the survivors and coworkers of the fire and EMS personnel who died in the line of duty”.

More about the Fund from the NFFF HERE

NFFF on Face Book HERE

DONATE to the West, Texas Fallen Hero Fund HERE

Tim Smith from the hit Discovery Chanel show “Moonshiners” is hoping his “celebrity status” can help raise funds as well.

When not filming his show, Tim also serves as the Volunteer Fire Chief for the Climax (Va) VFD.

Rhett posted about Tim, the show and him being the VFD Chief in December of 2011. It ended up being his 2nd most popular post on Fire Critic.com for 2011.

Read that post by clicking HERE

Tim made our local news tonight due to his efforts to assist the West, Texas Fire Department.

Chief Smith left Virginia this morning at 09:00 am. They will be traveling down I-85 to Atlanta Georgia and then following I-20 into Texas.

They will be making as many stops as possible along the way to collect donations for West Texas.

They are accepting any and all donations … money, supplies, equipment etc.

If you, your Department or business would like to host Tim and his crew or have them stop at your location to pick up a donation, you can contact them through the Climax VFD site HERE (their itinerary is also listed on that site) .

Click HERE for video coverage from our local news station WDBJ 7

There is also a Memorial Service planned for this Thursday (April 25th) in Waco Texas. Rhett has all the details over on Fire Critic (I’ll include the link) and if they get a live stream out, we will do our best to have it up on both of our sites for those unable to attend in person.

Memorial Service details for the West, Texas fallen

More coverage of the West, Texa explosion including identities of the fallen from the Fire Critic by clicking HERE

Rhett and I will be at FDIC on Thursday but our thoughts will be in Texas. I hope yours will be as well.

We leave out for Indy on Wednesday morning at 7am. We have a couple Brothers riding up with us and a couple more sharing our suite. It’s going to be a GREAT trip.

Our first stop will be at the FOOLS Brotherhood Bash at 5pm Wednesday. It’s always a BLAST and a great way to kick off our trip.

FOOLS Bash event page on Face Book HERE

Thursday, you’ll find us on the exhibit floor spending time between the MN8 FoxFire and Black Diamond booths (Booth #5571 for FoxFire and #2401 for Black Diamond). Be sure to stop by say hello!

Rhett and I are also hosting our very own “Meet Up” at FDIC this year! We’re getting the Brothers and Sisters together for some fellowship and Brotherhood at the Hard Rock Cafe @8:30 on Friday.

Ironfiremen / FireCritic Meetup “event page” HERE

View our complete FDIC itinerary HERE

We shouldn’t be too difficult to find anyway. For some reason, we always seem to stand out in a crowd.

Odds are you’ll find us wearing one of our kilts. Last year, we were sporting our ALT Kilts. This year, we will also be showing off our custom wear from Bunker Kilt!

You’re also likely to find us in our new Morning Pride turnout gear from Honeywell.

We’ll be updating our status on Face Book so you’ll know exactly where we are. Be sure to look us up and say hello. We LOVE meeting our friends, fans and followers … yea … BOTH of ya …LOL.

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book. Click HERE

I’ve gotta catch up on a little farm work tomorrow, wash the Blog Mobile and get packed but I’ll try to get another post up for ya tomorrow night.

Until I get back … stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 22, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Alt Kilt, Black Diamond Boots, brotherhood, building fire, Bunker Kilt, Captain Willie Wines Jr, City of West Texas, Climax VFD, Dave Statter, Discovery Chanel, FDIC 2013, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter pics, firefighters, Fools Bash, Hard Rock Cafe, Honeywell, house fire, LODD, MN8 products, Moonshiners, Morning Pride, NFFF, Statter 911, Tim Smith, turnout gear, West Texas, West Texas LODD, West Texas Memorial Service, Working fire, Zach Green

Captain Wines and The Fire Critic on Prime Time TV, fire video, FDIC and more!

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Once again I have a lot of catching up to do but this time, it’s not entirely my fault. The server for our network has been up and down over the past several days so we haven’t been able to get a post up. Hopefully, the situation is corrected now and we can get back to business as normal.

So, to catch ya up … it’s been a long week.

We worked the Thursday, Saturday, Monday cycle this week (24hr tours).

Goerge (my Lt) is off on vacation and Boots is still out on sick leave (he’s recovering well). That left just me and our newest member, Jerry Thompson at the station. Instead of calling in OT for the entire shift, the Company was placed out of service and Jerry and I detailed out to fill other vacancies for the day.

Jerry went to “The Green House” … aka Station #3 and I went down to Station #5 and rode the Ladder.

Yea… an Engine Captain on a Ladder. Well, around here; you never know what you may end up doing. I’ve explained it a few times here on the site that due to our staffing etc. an Engine Company can easily be assigned “Truck work” and vice versa.

I’ve also talked about having been assigned to a Ladder a couple times during my career. The truth of the matter is … I LOVE truck work! Especially now that 2 of our Trucks have the added responsibility of performing vehicle extrication for the City (Ladder 5 being one of them).

It was a good day with the Brothers and Sisters at Station #5. That evening, I got an over time man and put Lucky #13 back into service.

Turned out our OT man was none other than Captain Chris Trussler from down at “The Deuce” on B-shift.

Captain Trussler and I go way back….way … way … WAY back actually.

I call him “Lucky”. 1.) Because he’s got a little leprechaun in him and 2.) Because he’s so damn “lucky”.

We were both assigned to Ladder #2 as Privates back in the day (on different shifts). Like many Crusty Old Jakes, there are hundreds of stories involving / surrounding Captain Trussler. I was even involved in a few of em.

I always remember the one about a working fire in the projects near the station. There were reports of people trapped on the second floor and “Lucky” was assigned the search. The Brothers are going to work and here comes Trussler falling /rolling down the interior steps and out the front door. He had a victim. A 350 pound lady wearing her nightgown and a pair of gorilla slippers. They end up in the front yard with the lady on top of him. So a couple of the boys run over to make sure he’s still alive and he tells them … “I got the little one, her sister is still up there!” … LMAO!

Lucky’s a “Good Jake” and we had a BLAST reminiscing over old stories. He’ll be testing for Battalion Chief in the next few weeks and I hope he does well …. I’ll work for him ANY day.

Our middle day turned out MUCH busier. Instead of overtime, they transferred a man from the South Side. Keith Snead from Station #1-A was trading time with a C-shift Brother and drew the short straw. He hadn’t been here 10 minutes before we caught a working fire. Nothing says thanks for working on a beautiful Saturday morning like catching work at 07:30am. Unfortunately, the runs kept coming all day long. The saddest incident we ran was a vehicle fire. Nothing breaks your heart like rolling in on a 1967 Camaro that’s on fire. Here’s some video ….

The car was obviously custom. A good training point from this video … something to keep in your mind is just how custom it was. Even the engine was customized…. so much so that it had Nitrous aka Nitrous Oxide system. Yea …NOS… a 20lb bottle mounted beside the driver’s seat! Good thing Snead got a good knock on the fire.

I’ll let ya know how our Monday tour goes a little later but until then, I have plenty more to share.

To begin with … set your clocks, DVRs, VCR’s and whatever else you have. The Fire Critic, Rhett Fleitz; and I will be on Prime Time TV Sunday night at 7pm (April 28th)! That’s right … Rhett and I will appear on MSNBC’s 100th Episode of “Extreme Caught on Camera”. Check your local listings and be sure to check us out! Here’s the trailer …..

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

If you can’t wait until Sunday night to see us, all you have to do is show up at FDIC. Rhett and I will be heading up on Wednesday and staying until Sunday.

Most of my time will be spent on the exhibit floor with Zach Green and our MN8 Fox Fire family.

This year, our booth will be our biggest yet. So big in fact, that we even invited some friends. Joining us for FDIC 2013 will be Statter911, Box Alarm Leather and Fat Ivan.

Be sure to drop by Booth 5571 to say hello!

You will also be able to find us in the Black Diamond Boot Booth! You may remember that Ironfiremen.com won the “2011 Black Diamond Boot Fire Blog of the Year” contest.

That was a HUGE honor for me regardless of the contest, I’m a fan of Black Diamond Boots. I wear them EVERY DAY on the job. Actually, Rhett and I both wear the X2 Boot in our gear and we LOVE them!

Be sure to stop by Booth 2401 to say hello and try on a pair of X2′s

Visit the Black Diamond Web Site HERE

Find and “LIKE” Black Diamond on Face Book HERE

Find “Product Reviews” of the X2 Boot HERE

The exhibit floor is always exciting but also very busy for Rhett and I.

If you’re looking for a really good time and little more “face time” with either of us, be sure to attend our “Meet Up”.

That’s Right … Rhett and I, with support from Shane Parkins of NFE and others; are hosting our own Meet-Up this year!

Join us on Friday evening, 08:30pm at the Hard Rock Cafe. We’ve created an “Event Page” on Face Book HERE … be sure to stop by!

Find the Ironfiremen / Fire Critic complete Itinerary for FDIC 2013 HERE

We shouldn’t be hard to find. Fools Bash, Exhibit floor, Stop Drop and Rock and Roll, our Meet-Up and the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

Unfortunately, I will not be climbing this year but Rhett will.

I will however continue to support the Climb and the NFFF by registering for the event. I will also be wearing my memory badges while all the other Brothers and Sisters are making their climb.

This year, I will be wearing an additional badge. One of a member who was not murdered on September 11, 2001 but died of suicide on September 5, 2012.

W.D. Patterson was a good friend of mine and a huge supporter of the 9/11 Stair Climbs and the NFFF.

More about W.D’s passing HERE and HERE

Read a Tribute to W.D by Brother Brian Edwards HERE

Register to CLIMB at FDIC by clicking HERE

Rhett and I will be updating you and sharing our FDIC experience throughout the week. Be sure to keep checking back here or on our Face Book pages.

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book HERE

I’ll try to get back to ya Monday night with an update and again on Tuesday before we head out Wednesday morning. As always, thanks for the continued support.

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 22, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, Black Diamond Boots, Box Alarm Leather, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, Extreme Caught on Camera 100th Episode, FDIC, FDIC 2013, Fire Critic, fire video, firefighter, firefighter pics, firefighters, FOOLS, Fools Bash, Hard Rock Cafe, house fire, Lucas Oil Stadium, MN8 products, MSNBC, NFFF, Statter 911, W.D.Patterson, Working fire, Zach Green

The power of people ….

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It should be pretty evident that I’ve taken some time off … a lot of time actually.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d be away … I wasn’t even sure if I’d come back at all.

When I say “away”, I’m speaking mostly of my social media presence … posting here on Ironfiremen.com and staying active on my Face Book pages. I even though about going away physically … packing up and moving. I just wanted to get away … to forget and leave the events of the last 3 months behind me. To start over somewhere new. It wouldn’t have worked and I knew it.

Instead, I dug a hole and crawled into it. I isolated myself from everyone…. at home and on the job. Despite wanting to “put my boots back on”… (Read “A Firefighter’s Boots), I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone. I didn’t even respond to hundreds of e-mails / messages. That didn’t work either … holes are dark places and I was lost (Read “Positional Awareness …Where the Hell am I?”)

Looking back, I think I was just trying to avoid those awkward situations. Most people didn’t know what to say to me or how to say it. Many that tried would often say the wrong thing. Here’s some helpful hints …

“The 10 Best and Worst things to say to someone in grief”

Yes, I’m still grieving but, slowly and surely I’m climbing my way out of this hole.

It’s the “power of people”. You guys haven’t left my side. Even though I haven’t responded, the e-mails, letters, phone calls and messages keep coming in. You’ve stood by me with sympathy and support like I’ve never experienced. People like Peggy Sweeney (The Sweeney Alliance) and Shannon Pennington (Firefighter Veteran) have picked me up on a daily basis.

In the last two weeks, I’ve seen some daylight. I’ve been getting out and around other people some and it’s helping. I’ll share some of those events with ya in this post …

It started with 2 days of teaching our recruit Class #16.

I taught Fire Behavior and Control along with Salem Senior Firefighter / Medic Chris Smith aka.. “Smitty”.

That happened just at the time my wife had a lump removed from behind her breast (surgery went well … results are back and was not cancer). My mind really wasn’t focused on firefighting but it proved to be a welcome and needed “distraction”.

I seen a lot of potential in this group of recruits but it’s still early in their training and that have a way to go yet. They were attentive and seemed eager to learn. They asked several great questions and I think (hope) they all learned something over the 2 days I got to spend with them. They are lucky to have the caliber of instructors they have scheduled for their academy. I reminded them that THEY asked to be here. I hope they WANT to. They were given the opportunity and now it’s up to them to prove they belong. It’s up to them to EARN that position … nobody will “give” it to them. It takes dedication and heart and we can’t teach either of them! Good luck to Recruit Class #16.

That weekend, our local Football team, The Roanoke Rampage; hosted Cincinnati here in Roanoke.

The Rampage play in the National Public Safety Football League. The teams are made up of Firefighters, Police Offices and EMS personnel.

All the teams are non-profit and play for various charities local to their perspective cities.

The Rampage won by a score of 20-2 and moved to 2-0 in their division. Their complete schedule can be found in the links above. Be sure to also check out the NPSFL site to find the team nearest you and lend your support. The next two game for the Rampage are away games but I’m hoping to attend at least one of them. Follow the Rampage on Face Book … click HERE !

We did a little pre-game tailgating for this one.

Of course we did it “Ironfiremen.com” style and set the camper up.

Several folks made it by to share in the food, beverages and Brotherhood.

We even had a celebrity hang out for the day. Team Hunter was on hand and in full force. The Buckaroo and Hunter had as much fun (if not more) than most of the adults. If you’re not familiar with Team Hunter, check them out on Face Book by clicking HERE or the link above. Hunter’s a GREAT kid and your support has made (and continues to make) a difference in his life. Be sure to “Like” his page and send in a photo …. it really makes his day.

It was a great time and I really enjoyed seeing and talking to everyone who stopped by. Hunter’s dad, Baron; took hundreds of photos and I’ll try to get a few up on my Face Book page later on.

Click HERE to Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book

I’ve had some more “people time” with friends back at the station as well.

You folks may remember or know Andrew Catron from blog The Model City Firefighter .

Andrew is a good friend and a Brother Firefighter from Kingsport Tenn. Andrew was one of the guys who went with me and Rhett to FDIC last year. Andrew is one the guys who “gets it”. He’s very active in many aspects of the fire service and he’s making a positive impression on many of the people he’s reaching.

Beyond his Blog (linked above) and many other things, he is also very active with the National Firefighter’s Endowment. If you noticed the job shirt I was wearing in the second picture of this post, it’s from the NFE and Andrew was very instrumental in their development. Learn more about Andrew by clicking HERE and return the support by following his blog “The Model City Firefighter”. You can find / follow him on Face Book by clicking HERE .

Andrew and his family (Rachel and Issac) made a trip up to Roanoke to see the sites and check in on me and Rhett. I always tease Andrew by calling Rachel his “sister”…. I tell him there’s no other way a gal that pretty would hang out with him …. LOL.

He knows I’m just kidding but Rachel actually believed I though she was his sister for a while …LMAO.

Well, she’s prettier in person and Issac and me hit it off from minute one!

We had a GREAT visit. We hung out at station #13 for a while before heading down to Historic Station #1 and our Fallen Firefighter Memorial.

Later that evening, they visited the Mill Mountain Zoo / overlook before heading to Blacksburg for dinner with Andrew’s brother. I think and hope they had a good visit … I know I enjoyed it. You’ll be seeing more of Andrew soon as he will once again be traveling with us to FDIC in a few weeks.

Another good friend and Brother Firefighter stopped in later that evening as well.

Nate Camfiord took the time out of his busy schedule to check in on me. You guys may know Nate from his AWESOME photography. He was the one behind the camera for our Ironfiremen / Fire Critic.com “Hey Brother” tee-shirt promotion. He’s also the Brother who started the “Boot” campaign in my healing process as well as many other projects including Team Hunter.

Nate will become even more well know and famous following FDIC this year as one of his photos will be on the cover of one of PennWell’s latest publications (more on this in a future post).

It was another great visit with many laughs shared. Be sure to click his name above as I linked it to his Face Book page … you’ll LOVE his photos!

Most recently, I’ve spent some time camping with friends. I’m ruined! LOL

On Friday, Kevin and I pulled the Buckaroo out of school early and headed to Claytor Lake to set up.

Later that day, Roanoke County Firefighter Brandon Sheppard (and his family) along with Radford Fire Department’s Henry Barnett (and his family) joined our group.

It was a GREAT weekend and very relaxing!!

Lazy days spent watching the Buckaroo and Hunter play while just taking it easy and enjoying where we were.

Walks through the woods …. to the lake, play ground and beach.

There’s just “something” about getting out and camping that’s refreshing.

Everything seems “better” when you’re camping.

Even the food. Yea …. that’s Brandon Sheppard cooking breakfast!

We’re going to be doing a LOT more camping this year… a LOT LOT more. Even if we just set up by the creek on the farm, we’re gonna be camping somewhere.

Of course it’s not all about “getting away” either.

Sometimes, as it was at Claytor Lake this weekend; it’s good to be around other people.

I still have my long johns on yet their were people laying out on the beach! Now that’s the kind of people I like to be around … the ones wearing bikinis! LMAO

If you have a camper or tent and want to join (or invite) us for a camping trip, just hit me up. We’ll be somewhere pretty much every weekend and would love the company. You’ll have a BLAST!

So, thanks to EVERYONE for the continued support. It feels good to be getting out again and you’ll be seeing a lot more of me from this point on. Rhett and I have FDIC coming up in two weeks and I have a ton of other stuff to share as well. Keep checking back here and following on Face Book for all the details.

Until then, stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 15, 2013 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Andrew Catron, brotherhood, Buckaroo, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Claytor Lake, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter photography, firefighter pics, football, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Model City Firefighter, Nate Camfiord, National Firefighters Endowment, NFE, NFFF, North American Firefighter Veteran Network, NPSFL, Peggy Sweeney, Recruit school, Roanoke Fire/EMS, Roanoke Rampage, rookie firefighters, Team Hunter, The Sweeney Alliance, Va State Parks, Wooden ladders and Iron Firemen

Opening up

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For those of us “on the job”, it’s a fairly common term.

We use it when talking about forcing entry into a structure or cutting a ventilation hole in the roof. Sometimes it’s even used for vehicle extrication (using the “jaws of life” to cut open a car).

More often than not, it’s a “Truckie” term ( a firefighter assigned to a Ladder truck) although sometimes, due to today’s staffing issues; an Engine Company can be assigned these tasks.

I’ve been thinking about “opening up” and the various meanings of the term a lot here lately …. as related to the job and emotionally.

Today, I’m working an extra shift. I’m paying back a Brother (Tim Cady) who worked a day for me last week.

I’m pulling the tour at Station #1 (aka “The Big Show”) on A-shift. I’m riding the seat of the Ladder.

It’s a brand new Pierce, 100′ tiller and with a price tag of 1.2 million, she’s a sweet ride.

I spent my younger years in the Department assigned to a Ladder ….. it was good, honest work. I’ve learned a lot since then. Truck work made me a good fireman. I’d like to think I’m older and wiser now but some will argue that.

I’ve been assigned to an Engine Company since I made Captain back in 2000. On the Engine, I’m thinking about size ups, water supply and getting to the fire.

Riding the Ladder, my thought process has to change just a bit. Today, I’m thinking about placement, forcible entry, search, rescue, ventilation, salvage, overhaul and even extrication.

“Opening up” is a priority for me and the A-Shift crew today. Opening up so so the Engine guys can get on the fire. Opening up to ventilate. Opening up to make our searches or opening up vehicles for extrication purposes.

The rig I’m riding is perfect for the job. It’s a 1.2 million dollar tool box. Everything we need to do our job … to “open up” is stored away nice and neat inside her.

It sounds difficult but it’s not. It’s all we know … it’s what we do. The other type of opening up however … the emotional opening up … that’s not so easy.

My absence from postings and social media has been pretty obvious lately. In a recent post, “Climbing Out”; I shared with you that I am just reaching the “depression” stage of my grief (or PTSD) and it’s been a difficult journey.

The honest answer is that I just haven’t felt like writing. I still can’t seem to focus or get motivated.

I had the chance to travel up to Long Island New York last week for their Fire, Rescue and EMS Mega Show.

I got to spend the weekend with my MN8 FoxFire family. I call them “family” because they are … it was an easy decision to go.

I thought it would be “A Needed Distraction”.

In some ways, it was. I was hoping it would open some doors for me and it did …. it also slammed a few in my face.

Most of you know that Rhett (The Fire Critic) and I very seldom travel without the other but he was unable to make this trip.

Not wanting to drive alone, I figured I’d ask my sister, Marci; to tag along.

If nothing else, we’d get to spend the weekend together and that’s never a bad thing (or it shouldn’t be anyway). She was excited! We both were.

What I didn’t figure on was how emotionally difficult it would be for me (and maybe her too).

She reminds me so much of Jackson. I’ve never looked at or thought of her that way.

She looks like him. She acts like him. Her mannerisms. How she uses her hands when she talks, how she crosses her legs. How she talks. Little things but everywhere I looked, every time I turned around, she reminded me of Jackson and it breaks my heart. My stomach stayed in knots … that “sick” feeling all over again … the hurt.

I may have the same affect on her. Everyone always said that we all looked exactly alike (dad, me, Jack and Marci). I’m sure Dad sees Jack in us and I know it hurts. So here’s another door I’ll (we’ll) have to figure out how to “open up”. I’ve got to learn to be around things (including people / family) that remind me of Jack. I need to figure out how to make these “reminders” trigger the good memories and not rekindle my pain and sorrow.

I’m not sure how to do it. How to open this door.

I don’t think it’s one that can be “forced”. I think I’ve been doing too much of that lately … “forcing” the issues.

Today is two months since Jack took his life. Everyone is still asking “how” I am … how I’m “doing”.

My reply has become standard … what everyone wants to hear. I’m “ok”. I’m “hanging in”. Making it “day by day” or “one step at a time”.

I’m not so sure that’s 100% true. Click that photo to the left. Do you ever hide your true emotions with replies like that? Are you telling those around you what they “want to hear” or how you’re truly feeling?

I have to admit again that “opening up” here on the blog (as difficult as it has been to do) has been therapeutic. I think it’s been my best therapy so far. I wasn’t so sure in the beginning.

“Opening up” for all my readers to see was a huge decision for me. I wasn’t sure I even could (or should for that matter). I’m glad I have.

While in Long Island (and many times before, via e-mails etc) several Brothers and Sisters approached me with not only sympathy and condolences, but with THANKS as well. They actually thanked me for sharing my story. I don’t think I was expecting that.

Some say it’s uplifting, a source of inspiration and that it’s even helped them through their own struggles with grief. Others say they miss the “old Willie” and that they are patiently awaiting the return of my “regular” postings while they understand and support my latest directions.

I met several GREAT Brothers and Sisters while in Long Island but one in particular will always stand out in my mind.

A true BROTHER and Captain Daniel Purcell of the Scarsdale Fire Department paid me a VERY special visit. He said he has been following my site (and Rhett’s) for a while now. When he seen I would be in Long Island, he had to come meet me.

We had a GREAT conversation. I wont share the details but it was very humbling. He brought gifts and even asked about the Buckaroo. I don’t think he was even interested in the show …. just delivering his message to me. THANKS AGAIN CAPT ! I hope you know how much that visit meant to me.

If it helps you to know, I’m not the only one talking about stress and “Behavioral Health” these days. “At an international conference on Friday, March 1, the NFFF introduced a new Behavioral Health Model that changes the way the fire service assists firefighters and others on the path to healing. It is based on the concept that no two firefighters will necessarily have the same reaction — not even to the same call”.

Learn more about what they’re doing / saying in the links below ….

“Helping Firefighters Deal with Psychological Stress from Job’s Routine and Extraordinary Events”

Life Safety Initiatives

And once again I’ll add my standard links / resources for grief, stress and PTSD …

Grief.com, Recover from Grief.com , The Sweeney Alliance,Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, North American Firefighter Veteran Network

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 2, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, ems-health-safety, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: brotherhood, Buckaroo, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, emotional health, Fire Critic, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, firefighter health and wellness, Firefighter mental health, firefighter pics, firefighters, grief, house fire, ladder ops, Long Island Fire Rescue and EMS Mega show, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, mental health, MN8 products, NFFF, North American Firefighter Veteran Network, Roanoke Fire/EMS, Scarsdale Fire Department, stages of grief, Statter 911, The Sweeney Alliance, Willie Wines Jr, Zach Green

A needed distraction …

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I’m gonna try getting out again for a little while. I’ll be heading North to attend the Long Island Fire, Rescue and EMS Mega Show on Feb 23rd and 24th. I think it will make for the perfect “distraction” from everything else going on in my life.

I’ll be up there with my MN8 FoxFire family working the booth. I’m not sure what our booth “number” is but we’re never hard to find. We’re the guys with the “glow in the dark” stuff and there’s usually a huge crowd gathered around …. look for us and stop by to say hello if you’re at the show.

I feel like it’s going to be a good trip…. I know it’s a much needed one for me.

As far as the show / booth goes, we’re bringing some new products with us…. our newest actually.

MN8 FoxFire has started making 1 x 3 inch helmet “bars” (as opposed to tetrahedrons) for those of you not wearing a leather helmet (of course we’ll have plenty of our tetrahedrons available as well).

In true firefighter fashion, the bars have proven to be useful in other applications as well …. be sure to drop by and check em out…. I know you’ll love em!

We’ll have all of our other great products on hand as well …. Helmet Bands, Equipment bands, Grip Wrap, Epoxy, Tee-shirts, hats etc. and I’ll be on hand to give ya a personal demo. If you’re not familiar with our Products, visit our Web Site HERE or find and follow us on Face Book HERE .

We’re also going to have a special guest / visitor in the booth with us this weekend. My little sister, Marci; is gonna make the ride up with me !

EASY fellas…. EASY. Like I said … she’s my SISTER.

I’m not gonna call her a “booth babe” but she will be hanging out at the show with us. Be sure to to say hello and give her a chance to tell ya how awesome she thinks our product and the entire MN8 FoxFire team is.

We’ll be leaving out first thing in the morning (Thursday) and arriving in Long Island sometime late evening.

Our travel route will take us straight up I-81 from Roanoke to I-78 to I95 and the Lincoln Tunnel (most likely). If you’re on the way and wouldn’t mind a visit, just let me know … we LOVE stopping by and visiting Firehouses when we travel (who knows, you may even make the pages of Ironfiremen.com). Marci and I both will be checking and updating Face Book as we travel so hit us up if you want us to drop by and / or meet up.

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book HERE

We’ll be staying at the Sheraton on Motor Parkway in Hauppauge, Long Island. We’ll be looking for something to “get into” so if you’re close by or have any good suggestions, let us know. I know we’ll head into the City on Friday sometime (or maybe just one evening) but we’re flexable.

I think this trip will be just what I need to get back in the swing of things.

It’s gonna feel good to be back in New York, in my kilt and working. I’m excited! Hell, just being able to wear my kilt will make the trip worth while (of course I’ll wear my kilt ANYWHERE).

Wearing it around the farm draws too much attention (it distracts the cows …LOL). I had the chance to slide back into it down in Florida for 2013 Fire / Rescue East but I really wasn’t “there” yet. This trip feels more “normal” … like it should be.

The only thing that will be missing on this trip will be my “little buddy” …. the “Buckaroo #2″ … aka Rhett Fleitz (The Fire Critic). Yea …. once again, Rhett will be unable to make the trip. He’s afraid the hotels gym wont meet his needs / specs.

I’ve nicknamed him “WTA” (While Tony Atlas).

You see, Rhett’s been on a STRICT diet and workout program lately …. he’s “bulking up”.

He’s been drinking all the “muscle juice” he can find. Eating egg whites laid by a hen with only 3 tail feathers who sits on her nest facing east.

For lunch, the leaf of lettuce in his salads was grown on a glacier at the base of Mount Everest.

For dinner, a single green bean, uncooked and grown in only the purest of soils.

For desert, he can down a 12 pack of creamy, delicious probiotic Activia yogurt faster than the cookie monster can eat a sleeve of Chips Ahoy. Of course he can “snack” on protein bars and such as long as he just eats the cardboard wrapper they’re contained in.

You see, Rhett in preparing to enter his 1st bikini contest …. no kidding ! A BIKINI CONTEST!

His wife Becky has been training for over a year now to participate in her first fitness / figure / bikini contest. She doesn’t need the training … she’s already HOT (blind … but HOT ..LOL). Well, Rhett decided he’d support her by being be her side in her endeavor … as in RIGHT by her side.

He wrote about it in a post titled ”THE CHANGE BEGINS – TRAINING AND DIETING FOR A GOAL“

In all seriousness, Rhett’s been VERY disciplined in sticking to his diet / workout.

He’s sticking to it and it’s paying off …. HE LOOKS GREAT (although still not as good as Becky).

What he doesn’t realize is that like everything else in his life, he STILL wont surpass Dave Statter!

As hard as Rhett is trying, Dave does double the effort by accident. It just come natural to him and once again, “Fire Boy” is left playing “catch up”.

LMAO …. all kidding aside, Rhett has some family obligations keeping him from making this trip. We have PLENTY more scheduled for 2013 so it wont be long before we’re back on the road, together again.

So, I’ll try to keep ya posted as much as possible throughout the weekend. Once again, if you’re on our route or will be attending the show, be sure to let me know so we can meet up. Until I get back to ya ….

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on February 20, 2013 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Alt Kilt, brotherhood, building fire, Bunker Kilts, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, firefighter, firefighter fitness, firefighter pics, firefighters, house fire, John Deer, Long Island Fire Rescue and EMS Mega show, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Statter 911, Working fire, Zach Green

Climbing out ….

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The good news is that I’m back in my “boots”. I’m back in bunker gear and pulling regular tours.

The bad news is that I’m still not 100% and I know I never will be again. I’m still working through the grieving process and searching for my “new normal” (read my previous post “Searching for a New Normal” by clicking HERE) .

In another previous post (“Melt Down”) , I told ya about the “stages of grief” and how grief is as individual as the person suffering through it. We don’t necessarily go through the stages in order and by no means in the same way.

I’m currently working through the “depression” stage (and, I believe; suffering through PTSD).

I was expecting it but have never fully understood exactly what “depression” was. I’m learning the hard way.

My thoughts continue to wonder with every waking moment and it’s difficult for me to focus.

I still can’t eat. I just don’t have an appetite … I’m not hungry. When I try to force myself to eat, I throw it back up so I figure why bother.

I’m sleeping some at night now but I’m not REALLY “sleeping”. I’m tired all the time and can’t motivate myself to get out and do anything. I try to make myself go “somewhere” or do “something” but I don’t. I know I need to.

I haven’t even been able to write (evident in my recent lack of postings and absence from Face Book).

I’m not getting along well with others … I just want to be alone.

All these things seem so petty and easy to fix but they’re not.

That’s the hardest part for me. I know what’s happening and what I need to do ….. I just can’t muster the energy or motivation to get it done.

I have to start climbing my way out of this hole … I thought I have been but it doesn’t feel like I’m making much progress. I can’t stay here (like this) forever.

One of the folks I’ve been seeing offered a prescription for anti-depressants. It’s not for me. There’s a small part of me that almost took her up on it just so I could learn for myself (and share with you folks) if they (the pills) “really” work or not. Unfortunately, I’m not the “pill” taking kind ( I hardly even even take an aspirin) so I won’t be able to tell you “first hand” about anti-depressants. I can tell you that depression is REAL . It’s an illness that can be crippling.

I see a lot of it in the firehouse for one reason or another. Not just in situations like mine (the loss of a loved one) but also over financial issues, marital problems etc. If you want to learn more about depression and take your “Depression IQ quiz”, take a minute and CLICK HERE .

The best thing for me has been talking about it. Getting “it” out of my head and off my chest. I’ve wrote about them a lot here lately but once again, I want to share with you some folks who you CAN TALK TO. People who understand and that do MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

These folks are not just for you or me either. They are there for our Brothers and Sisters as well and it’s up to us to let them know that help is available. PAY ATTENTION … look around you. If someone in your company, your Battalion, Department or whatever is needing help, point them in this direction. You know … firefighter “so and so” whos wife just left him. Ol “what’s his name” from Engine whatever who just took a 3rd mortgage out because he lost his 2nd job. That S.O.B on the Ladder who we all know has been drinking too much …. all these Brothers have someone to turn to. Let them know before it’s too late. Here are the links ….

Grief.com, Recover from Grief.com , The Sweeney Alliance,Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, North American Firefighter Veteran Network

I had a bad day yesterday. Like most everyday, there’s always something that will remind me of Jackson.

I pulled a tour Saturday (we work 24hr shifts) and when I got home yesterday morning, the Buckaroo was waiting for me. It was 8am , he missed his “Paw-Paw” and wanted to play.

He got his motorcycle toy out. It’s like the old Evil Knievel wind up toy. If you’re a boy and anywhere near my age (44), I’d bet you had one.

I showed him how to use some books / magazines to make a ramp so we could make some jumps down the hallway. It was just how me and Jack did it when we were kids.

I could see us like it was just yesterday. Then the thought hit me (as it always does in situations like this) …. I wanted to call Jackson and tell him what we were doing. He would LOVE it! Knowing that me and the Buckaroo were doing exactly what he and I did as kids. I know he’d remember our ramps … our jumps…. fighting over who went next…. he’d understand and know EXACTLY what we were feeling / doing. He’d have that unforgettable smile on his face just thinking about it.

I’ll never get to make “those” calls again … not to Jackson and it’s killing me. This grief … the depression…. it keeps knocking me down but I won’t let it keep me here.

Like I said in the beginning of this post, I have to start climbing my way out of this hole.

“CLIMBING”…… Seems I wrote about that one time …. back in July of 2011 actually in a post titled “We are all Climbing” (Take the time to hit the link and read that post … I think you’ll find it worthwhile). Stairs, ladders or whatever obstacle, it seems we all are indeed “climbing”.

Me? I’m gonna find my way out …. I’m gonna find that “new normal” because I’m going to keep climbing …. it’s all I know to do.

I’m gonna start by getting out of town again. I’m going to head up north and spend a little time in NYC and out on Long Island.

I’m going to attend the Long Island Fire, Rescue and EMS Mega Show on Feb. 23rd / 24th. I’ll be working the booth with my MN8 FoxFire family but I’ll also be doing what I love best … meeting, spending time with and talking to all the Brothers and Sisters in attendance. I think it will be just what I need to get “moving” again …. to “re-engage” and get “back in the game”.

I’ll get ya more details in the next day or so …. until then, thanks again for all the support. Thanks too for allowing me to share all of this with you …. I LOVE YA ALL!

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on February 18, 2013 • Filed under: administration-leadership, ems-health-safety, ems-topics, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: 9/11, 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, Baltimore, Buckaroo, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Captain Wines, Depression, emotional health, Evil Knievel, FDNY, FDNY Rescue 1, Fire Critic, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, firefighter health and wellness, Firefighter mental health, Firehouse Expo 2011, Fox Fire, grief, Jack Wines, Joe Schmoe, Joey Angelini, Joseph Angenlini, Kevin Totten, Kevin Tottin, Long Island Fire Rescue and EMS Mega show, mental health, MN8 FoxFire, MN8 products, NFFF, North American Firefighter Veteran Network, Paul Combs, Report on Conditions, Rescue 1, Rescue me, Rhett Fleitz, September 11, September 11 attacks, stages of grief, stair climb, Statter 911, The Sweeney Alliance, Tommy Gavin, Willie Wines Jr, Wooden ladders and Iron Firemen, World Trade Center attacks

Catching up

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As usual, it’s been pretty hectic around here. Not only have I been busy, I’ve also been sick.

I’m still not 100% but I am back at work. I figured I had better take a minute or two and catch ya up on whats been happening.

To begin with, I got to go on a field trip with the Buckaroo and his Pre-School class. We went to a pumpkin patch, complete with a corn maze and all sorts of activities for the kids.

They had a BLAST and I did as well.

I have a whole new respect for our school bus drivers (do you realize how many years it’s been since I’ve rode a school bus?? OMG)

In the picture, the Buckaroo has decided that the tractor driver needs some assistance so he’s headed toward the tractor to take over …LOL

Without preaching, I’ll offer this to all of you “on the job”. If you are not already … TAKE THE TIME to go on these types of trip with your kids. I never did with my girls and now regret it. Going with the Buckaroo has shown me just a small piece of what I missed due to the job. TRUST ME .. MAKE THE TIME.

The Buckaroo and I also made a stop by our Credit Union / Union Hall one morning.

While there, we bumped into these two characters.

Check out the shirts…. almost like little twins ..awww!

If you haven’t checked out The Chive.com yet, apparently; you’re in the minority. It’s full of cool photos and videos.

They even have a “Firefighter” section. Look under “The Brigade” tab and then under the “Branches” tab … or just click HERE .

Zach Green and our friends over at MN8 / FoxFire also have a similar shirt but theirs GLOWS IN THE DARK! Yea.. it’s a cool shirt that says “Keep calm and fight fire”. You can check them out and get yours by clicking HERE .

Totally off subject, I also need your help…. well my sister does anyhow.

First off …. YES…. that’s REALLY my sister. Second off … YES .. I know shes hot. Third off … yes I have 3 more and they are hot as well. Lastly …. NO !

Marci is trying to win a free make over or something…even though she doesn’t need it as much as she does a longer skirt.

You can help her win by “liking” her picture. Go to THIS LINK. She is in the 5th row down on the left.

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book. Click HERE & “LIKE” the page

Speaking of “HOT” …. check out our little “Rookie Randy”

He is ROCKING that porn stache!

The C-Shift North Battalion is riddled with “stache envy” and for once, it’s not all about me…LOL

The Elvis collar, just the right crease in his hat, the shades and that stach … who else could pull it off? I think our little “Rookie Randy” just may be growing up! LOL

All kidding aside, Randy is doing very well .. both on the job and off.

We are working on getting him cleared to drive the Engine.

Now to many (at least those not on the job) this may sound simple, but it’s NOT.

Our Department has set guidelines but George (Lt Perdue) and I hold even higher standards.

There’s a lot more to driving a fire truck than simply sitting behind the wheel. First, you have to know where you’re going and Randy has a big territory to memorize.

After you safely get to the scene, you need to know how to pump. Again, there’s more to pumping than simply charging a single line. I’ll post more on our process and Randy’s progress in the near future.

He did get another “first” this cycle as we tested hose on Saturday.

Once a year, our Department tests all of our hose.

For us, that means 1,000 ft of 5″ supply line, 1,200 ft of 2 1/2 ” hose and 700 ft of 1 3/4″ hose (not including our high rise packs or what we have in the station).

In the picture, Georgie (Lt. George Perdue) is using our hose tester. Our 1 3/4″ and 5″ have to be tested at 400 psi and obviously we can’t do that with the Engine.

Every piece of hose comes off the truck, is inspected, charged to the necessary pressure, then drained and reloaded onto the rig. Special THANKS to the crew from Station #5 (including Battalion Chief Teddy Adkins) who came out to help us load the 5″.

So today is our middle day of the cycle and it hasn’t been as busy as Saturday. It’s actually been quite nice.

We started the morning off by opening our house to some Brothers from Franklin Tennessee.

Beau Doss has been a long time friend and follower of both The Fire Critic and IronFiremen.com. He recently made the move up to Bladensburg, Md to test the waters of their “Live In” program at Station #9. While he remains a member, Beau decided to move back closer to home and they stopped by the station this morning on their way back to Murfreesboro, Tnn.

Click HERE to learn more about Fire Department “Live In” programs.

Rhett set everything up and we decided to fix the guys some breakfast before their long ride home to Tennessee.

Little Randy danced around the kitchen like a ballerina for more than an hour. The next thing you know, we had sausage gray, biscuits, fried potatoes, eggs and fried apples.

My dad, our Battalion and Support Driver (Donnie Foutz) even made it out.

Beau’s Dad, Greg; was along as well. He went up to help Beau make the trip home. Greg is on the job in Franklin Tennessee. Is is also their past Union President. Learn more about the Franklin FD HERE .

Actually, Greg and Beau are originally from right here in our area. Greg spent several years in nearby Vinton and has family that’s retired from our Department. They still have family here in the valley so I hope they’ll get back for another visit.

Rhett and I always enjoy getting to meet and spend time with our supporters. Dad knew a lot of Greg’s family (as did I) and Donnie remembered well their days in Vinton. Everyone really enjoyed the morning.

We had a small discussion about Brotherhood and how something as simple as cooking a meal is a huge gesture in maintaining and upholding it. Think about that the next time you have visitors to your station. How well do you treat them? How do you expect to be treated when visiting a firehouse? Of course I’m not saying you need to fix a meal for every visitor … this was a planned visit but, do you offer them a cup of coffee? A station tour along with a sit down and chat or just rush them in and out.?

Remember, you’re not just representing your Company or your Department … you’re representing us all … the Fire Service.

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on October 22, 2012 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: brotherhood, Buckaroo, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, FD Live In, Fire Critic, firefighter pics, firefighters, Franklin Tenn Fire Department, Lt. George Perdue, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, Randy Armbrister, Roanoke Fire/EMS, Statter 911, Zach Green

Is simply “Remembering” enough?

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Face Book is loaded with the messages today. “Never Forget” … “I remember” … “Where were you” etc. Every post I see has something to do with the events that took place 11 years ago today.

Although these statements have merit, I’m not sure they carry the necessary weight.

“Never forget” …. HOW COULD YOU? How could any adult who was alive that day forget what happened? How COULD you forget the images? People jumping, citizens pouring out while firefighters rushed in. The impact of that 2nd plane. The towers crumbling like piles of ash.

“I remember” … I HOPE SO! Citizen or public servant, I hope you remember the sacrifices made. I hope you remember how vulnerable we were and still are as a nation and who stepped up to the “front lines” as we were under attack. I hope you remember what they did to us that day …. what they took from us…. and those they murdered.

“Where were you?” … GLUED TO THE TV … that’s where you were unless you were on scene or responding in to either of the 3 sites. Where ever you were, hopefully; your mind, thoughts and spirits were in Pa, Washington DC and NYC. I know mine were. I’ll tell ya where you were …. In the same place we all were. In a state of disbelief and confusion. Scared, mad and searching for answers. I know EXACTLY where you were because like so many others, I was standing there beside you!

I’m not sure how to express or say what I’m feeling tonight. I’ve been thinking about it all day. I don’t want the words to become “catch phrases”. Something “cool” to say but without meaning or purpose. “Never Forget” should be way more than a slogan on a tee shirt. Saying it is NOT enough. Remembering is not either. Not just once a year when September 11th rolls around.

I met Lee Ielpi almost a year ago now, back in October of 2011. He is the strongest man I’ve ever met. He’s retired from FDNY’s elite Rescue 2 in Brooklyn. His youngest son (Brendan) is on the job today and currently assigned to that same company. His eldest son, Jonathan; was murdered in the attacks of 9/11. Jonathan was also on the job and assigned to Squad 288 in Queens. They lost 19 members that day … more than any other unit in the FDNY.

Lee now runs the 9/11 Tribute Center. “9/11 Tribute Center offers visitors to the World Trade Center site a place where they can connect with people from the September 11th community. Through walking tours, exhibits and programs, the 9/11 Tribute Center offers “Person to Person History,” linking visitors who want to understand and appreciate these historic events with those who experienced them”.

Lee gave Zach Green and I a personal tour of the center. I posted about it HERE . In that post, speaking of Lee and ground zero; I said “he hasn’t left yet”. I feel the same way about me and the Center. A part of me remains there.

You see, one of the exhibits is a set of turn out gear. Not just any gear mind you … Jonathan Ielpi’s gear. It’s like he’s standing right there and Lee has to walk by it every day. What do you think “never forget” means to this man? His son’s turnout coat and helmet! He walks by it everyday to share the story with us. To educate us and the generations to come.

THAT Brothers and Sisters is the meaning of NEVER FORGETTING. I guarantee you that Lee Ielpi REMEMBERS and he knows EXACTLY where he was not just that day but for months following … he was on that pile searching for his son!

Not as Lee does, but I too remember EVERY DAY. I have mentioned (and shown you) here on the site how I have photos of the fallen hanging near my bed. I see their faces every morning as I wake up.

I carry photos from our 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs in my turnout gear. They are part of my daily / morning check and remind me of the sacrifices made by others as well as of the one I may one day be called to make.

I’ve made the climbs. I even climbed in the shadows of the new Freedom Tower with Rhett and the founding members of the Stair Climb Committee.

I assist the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation anyway I can.

I support and work on behalf of the National Firefighters Endowment.

I leave my family to travel and deliver motivation speeches. I teach classes, promote life saving technology and try to do my part in making a positive impact on the fire service.

It’s more than a t-shirt, helmet sticker or catchy slogan for me. I hope I don’t need any of that crap. I’d rather you know that I remember EVERYDAY and would hope you can tell that by my actions and not by the slogan on some shirt or hat that I’m wearing.

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on September 12, 2012 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2001, 9/11, brotherhood, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, FDNY, Fire Critic, firefighter pics, firefighters, Ladder 49, Lee Ielpi, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 products, never forget, NFE, NFFF, Rescue 2, September 11, Squad 288, The 9/11 Tribute Center, where were you, Wooden ladders and Iron Firemen, World Trade Center

North Carolina Brotherhood

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I’m back from Raleigh, NC where I attended the Wake County Firefighters Association’s Brotherhood Bash . It was another GREAT trip despite how it started.

To begin with, Rhett had to back out at the last minute so I was forced to travel alone. Now don’t panic … Rhett’s just fine. I stopped by the drug store before I left and picked him up some Monistat 7 …. he sould be just fine in a week or so (LMAO…just don’t tell him they make a Monistat 1..LOL).

I also messed up on the hotel. You see, Rhett or Zach always handles our accommodations ( we most always stay in a suite ). Since I was alone and on my own, I just looked up affordable hotels in the Raleigh area. I checked out the pictures and found something that seemed clean and affordable … I mean I was just going to be there for one night..right?

When I arrived, I knew I was in trouble. The hotel I choose was on Capital Blvd. and was located behind a “check cashing” store and a pawn shop. The “office” had hours of operation, a sliding window and a ton of video surveillance. Again, I figured, how bad can it be?

I had a few farm chores to accomplish before I left home, so I was in jeans, a button up shirt and my cowboy hat ( I obviously didn’t “fit in”..LOL). I was hot, tired and dirty. All I wanted was a tottie and shower before heading out for the Bash. After checking in, I get out of the car and I’m immediately approached by a young fella asking to borrow some money. I politely said no and went about my business.

There were a few steps up to a landing and my room was just down the way. On the way up, I noticed my new friend was following. When I got to my door and sat my bags down, I realized he now had a friend. Apparently, he (the friend) thought he knew me because he called me “Tex”. He also must have thought I was deaf because he asked if I hadn’t heard his friend needed some money.

How unthoughtful of me! I apologized for the inconvenience of them having to walk all the way to my room and paid the “friend”. Apparently, the original kid didn’t want his half of the payment and just up and ran off. Anyway, I went back to the ~~vault~~ office and got a refund on the room. I was lucky and found a nice room in the downtown area. I also got that tottie and shower I was after.

After cleaning up and jumping into my Alt Kilt, I headed around the corner to Napper Tandy’s for the Wake County Firefighter’s Association’s 2nd Annual Brotherhood Bash.

I HAD A BLAST !

The Brothers and Sisters in North Carolina really made me feel at home …. it’s obvious they “get it”.

The Brotherhood was EVERYWHERE. I met and talked to so many great folks. Some of them even recognized me from the site!

The beer was cold, they had a GREAT band plus, Pipe and Drums! Although I don’t believe they called themselves “renegades”, I do think that the player in attendance were from Pipe and Drum groups from all across the state. Whatever they call themselves, these Brothers and Sisters did an AWESOME job. To me, a Fire Department function just isn’t complete without the Pipes and Drums ….. I LOVE EM!

I wish I could remember the names of everyone I met but I can’t. If you see yourself (or someone you know) and I didn’t name them, please “tag” the photo. Along those same lines, if you use a photo of me ( and we took a ton of em ) please “tag” me as well.

And, while we’re speaking of “tagging”, if you haven’t already, follow me on Face Book. We are almost at 3,000 ”likes” !

Follow Ironfiremen on Face Book .. click HERE

One of the things Rhett and love the most about these type of events is getting to talk with Brothers and Sisters from all across the Country. It really seems like we all share the same problems / issues. It’s not all bad either. I had a great conversation about “leadership” with a newly promoted Captain. We talked about how to EARN respect instead of demanding or expecting it. We talked about team building and securing the confidence of those you mean to lead. Of course strategy, tactics and training were also hot topics for the night.

I also had the honor of meeting Battalion Chief Don Crafford of the Thomasville Fire Department. That was another GREAT conversation. The Chief even says that he’ll be wearing an Alt Kilt at next years Expo … I can’t wait to take that picture!

The Chief was very impressed that I made the trip from Va just to attend their Bash. I explained to him that it’s simply part of what Rhett and I do, that the Brotherhood knows no boundaries…. there are no borders, County or State lines.

He even tried to give me gas money! Obviously, I couldn’t accept it so we both decided to put it into “the hat” for the Bash. A GREAT conversation and an even better gesture! THANKS Chief .

I also got to spend some time with our good friend Jeff Harkey of FireNews.net

You guys may remember Jeff from a post of mine last August when I was going to kill him and Rhett. Take the time to read this one … you’ll laugh your ass off .

Read Funeral Arrangements for Rhett Fleitz and Jeff Harkey by clicking HERE

The Bash was held in conjunction with the South Atlantic Fire-Rescue Expo and Jeff plays a huge role in putting it on. It looked like a GREAT show! Rhett and I will definitely be back next year …. maybe even teaching… we’ll see.

They showcased a lot of the Tradition, Honor and Pride held by the North Carolina Firefighters. They had several pieces of antique apparatus on hand including hand pumpers and steam engines. These were not old run down pieces either … they were immaculate and in working order! How do I know they worked??? THEY PUMPED EM! Yea … THEY PUMPED EM!

Dave Statter’s #1 Fan, Mike Legeros has some video of them in use on his Face Book page HERE . He also has some GREAT photo albums of the Expo and Bash in the links below …

Mike Legeros Expo 2012 album HERE

Mike Legeros Brotherhood Bash 2012 album HERE

Again I’ll ask you to share any phots or video you might have of the Expo / Bash and I’ll do my best to get em up. I also want to say THANKS for the invite and all the Brotherhood shown to me while in Raleigh … it was an HONOR meeting each and every one of you!

Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on August 11, 2012 • Filed under: administration-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Antique Apparatus, Box Alarm Leather, brotherhood, Brotherhood Bash, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, firefighter pics, firefighters, FireNews.com, FOOLS, Fools Bash, Ironfiremen, Jeff Harkey, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, Mike Legeros, MN8 products, Phenix Helmets, Raleigh NC, South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo, Statter 911, Steam Fire Engines, Wake County Firefighters Association

Getting high and rocking Fire Rescue International (FRI) 2012

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“High” as in a mile high … as in Colorado high …as in Rocky Mountain high.

Rhett and I just returned from FRI 2012 ( Fire- Rescue International) in Denver, Colorado and WE ROCKED IT!

You should have heard Rhett banging out John Denver tunes on the street pianos of downtown Denver…. LOL

It was another GREAT show and experience for us. We have a good time anywhere we go but this trip was AWESOME! If you didn’t make it, start planning now to join us in 2013 back in Chicago.

Once again, we traveled as Team MN8-Fox Fire along with the Prez Zach Green and the lovely Kelly. This trip, we also had Chief Robert R. Rielage (Wyoming, Ohio Fire Department) Bryant Davis (Captain, Wyoming Ohio Fire Department) and Paul Dykena (firefighter Kirtland Air Force Base) along for the ride.

We made an awesome team!

Once again, the MN8-FoxFire booth was the center of attention.

I truly believe that we currently have the best product on the market when it comes to firefighter accountability. In my demo/ product presentation, I talk about visibility, accountability and orientation ….. this product offers all 3!

If you’re not using our product, you should be. Zach is honoring the “show price” for the next few days so be sure to check us out asap and start “Illuminating” your Department!

Buy MN8-FoxFire HERE

When we got into Denver, Rhett and I had the day to our selves.

We had decided that there was no way that we could be “that close” to Colorado Springs and the IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial without stopping in ….

we rented a car and struck out!

It was an AWESOME ride with unbelievable views!

I had been to the Memorial 20 some years ago as a Rookie Firefighter. I traveled out with good friend and Brother Randy Smith (now 1st Lt of Ladder #1C).

The trip and the names on that wall made an impression on me … one I’ve never forgotten.

Two of the names on that wall came from my Department and Local (IAFF Local 1132)…. I remember their deaths.

Robert G. Cassell and Harvey H. Helm were killed by a drunk driver on November 1, 1985. We’ve since had 2 “medical” LODD’s while no others have been lost while on scene of an incident.

In the picture to the left, I’m standing in front of the 1985 section of “The Wall”…. obviously, we took the time to find Helm and Cassell.

It was a somber moment … humbling.

We were there alone and never spoke a word …. quiet. Each knowing what the other was feeling / thinking, we said a silent prayer for all of the names before us. I hope they never add another.

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book Click HERE

So, the following day was all work at our FRI Booth.

Like I said above, we were busy … VERY BUSY.

The great thing about being so busy is that we get to meet so many great folks …. people from all across the Country and even some from others.

For us, that’s a big part of the shows … networking … meeting our Brothers and Sisters and hearing their stories.

We get a small chance for that while on the floor but the honest answer is that we’re really too busy to talk as much as we’d like. The real networking comes in the evenings … after the show .. out on the town.

That’s when we REALLY turn it up a notch!

At places like The Tilted Kilt !

This is when we really shine …. trading coins, talking shop and posing for photos.

If you don’t have one of our Challenge Coins or patches yet, don’t panic. They are available online and you can have your custom patch or coin made as well. If you haven;t done so yet, visit NM Coin LLC for for more info and to get your Ironfiremen / FireCritic Challenge Coin (I’m heads …lol)

VISIT NM Coin LLC

Of course, you’ll notice that once again we rocked our Kilts ( Alt Kilt.com ) and helmets with custom Box Alarm Leather Fronts!

It’s hard not to notice us and everybody seems to love the “look” … wait until you see what we are bringing out next ..lol

Want us in your gear? Wearing or using YOUR product? Check us out at ….

Firefighter Product Review

We also got to meet and hang with some big names and faces while in Denver.

That’s the other thing about these shows …. you just never know who you’re going to meet or bump into.

You guys know Michael Lombardi right?

Michael Lombardi as in the guy who plays the character ”Mike Silletti” in the TV show “Rescue Me“.

Lombardi was not only on the floor of FRI, his band; Blood Moon Therapy, played at the Hard Rock while we were there.

Rhett and I had the chance to see and meet with him at both places …. he’s actually a pretty cool guy. He loved the helmets, kilts and most of all .. “the stache”.

Find Michael Lombardi on Face Book HERE

We also got to see and hang out with the likes of Brian Brush as well as the guys from The Remembrance Rescue Project and the Terry Farrell Fund.

All are a great bunch of guys …. BROTHERS

There is a lot of talk, debate, discussion, even scuttlebutt about these two groups going around as of late but for NOW … Rhett and I have been giving the “benefit of the doubt ”.

I will tell ya that we are involved. Asking questions, giving advise etc. I hope it’s taken to heart …. otherwise, one of the groups may not receive our support. As for now, what’s important (and what I wanted to share) is that we were all together … in one place …. drinking beers and sharing the Brotherhood.

Rhett gave his take on the issues in a previous post found HERE .

Read posts from “The Secret List” HERE and HERE

We’ve since learned more details and that’s why / how we became involved. My “take” is simple ….. those Rescue Trucks HAVE TO SURVIVE …. they actually already have … they made it through the collapses of the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001.

They are a mobile “Tribute” to the 343. A tool. A “tool” to educate the next generations as to the events of that fateful day. The day our Brothers and Sisters (such as Terry Farrell) were murdered.

I stood there in AWE as I looked at Rescue 4 ( Queens). I’ve rode along in that very rig. I couldnt help but think of the hands that have been on the door latches. I thought about the men who took their last ride in that very rig … and there it was … right in front of me. I was once again humbled and honored. Rhett and I can’t wait to get the chance to show this truck and tell it’s story to our children … ours and theirs. I hope the “issues” are soon resolved ..we’ll see.

So like I’ve been saying … it was a great trip and the best part is always the people we get to meet.

For all of you that we did get the honor of meeting, if we haven’t done so already; tag yourself in the photos. On the other hand, if you have pics of us, tag us as well .

Our next road trip is planned for this upcoming weekend.

We will be heading down to Surry County, North Carolina to deliver “bail out kits” awarded by the National Firefighters Endowment. See how they earned the kits by clicking HERE.

If you’re not familiar with the NFE, you should be … especially if your Department needs money… yea … I said MONEY.

How about your choice of a new Ford or Chevy truck? How about a $5,000 Equipment Grant? They’re easier to get than you may think. If you didn’t hit the link above, use the one below to find out how to apply. Don’t forget to join the “Officer’s Club” while you’re there …

Find the National Firefighters Endowment here

After our stop in Surry County, we’ll be headed to Raleigh for a F.O.O.L.S Bash …. more on that later this week. Until then, I’ll leave ys with a few more pics from Denver … enjoy

Rhett has a complete photo album of our trip over on his Face Book page… be sure to check it out

FireCritic’s FRI 2012 photo Album on FB

As always, thanks for following along. I still have a little bit of “jet lag” and tons of work to catch up on around the farm …. it’s going to be a long ~~day~~ week.

That said, I’m back on duty Thursday and will check back in with another post as soon as I can. Until I do, stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on August 7, 2012 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Alt Kilt, Box Alarm Leather, brotherhood, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Challenge coins, Dave Statter, FDNY, FDNY Rescue 4, Fire Critic, Fire Rescue International, firefighter pics, firefighters, Fools Bash, FRI 2012, IAFF, IAFF Fallen Firefighters Memorial, Ironfiremen, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, MN8 FoxFire, MN8 FoxFire Helmet Bands, MN8 products, National Firefighters Endowment, NFE, NM Coin LLC, Phenix Helmets, Remembrance Rescue Project, Terry Farrell Fund, Tilted Kilt, Zach Green

The difference a year makes … Firehouse Expo 2012

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Rhett and I are safely home from Firehouse Expo 2012 …. it was another GREAT trip!

I don’t know how it continues to happen or if and when it will ever “level off” but, so far; every trip we make ends up being better than the last … both personally and professionally.
Once again, we were traveling with Zach Green and the MN8-FoxFire team.

Zach, the owner and President of the company; said something to me the other day that caught me off guard. He reminded me that this trip would be our 1 year Anniversary. I had never thought of it that way. Actually, I almost didn’t believe it. It seems like we’ve been together much longer than that.

Turns out, Zach was right; it’s only been a year. Back at FDIC 2011, Zach was stalking me and Rhett for a “product review” of MN8-FoxFire. I’m glad he found us! Fast forward to Firehouse Expo 2011 and Zach found himself in a bind. He needed some help in the booth and I just so happened to be there and available.

I went to work in the booth the next day and we haven’t slowed down since! It’s been an amazing journey.

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book click HERE

Our conversation and the success of this trip has got me thinking of how far we’ve come over the last year … me / Rhett and MN8-FoxFire.

2011 was my first time ever to Firehouse Expo ( Read my review HERE ). It was also the place where Rhett and I would make our 1st 911 Memorial Stair Climb (see that post HERE ). We’ve since completed 5 climbs and have even made one in the shadows of the new Freedom Tower with founding members of the Stair Climb committee (click HERE for that post! )

News coverage of this year’s 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb in Baltimore by clicking HERE .

Last year, the MN8-FoxFire booth was busy … this year, it was PACKED! Once again, the MN8-FoxFire booth was the focus of attention on the exhibit floor.

It’s apparent that “the word” is getting out about MN8-FoxFire and their amazing products. We sold more in day #1 of Expo 2012 than we did in all 3 days of the 2011 show.

Learn how to join Team MN8-FoxFire by clicking “HERE” .

Of course, Rhett and I draw plenty of attention by ourselves. It’s hard not to when we’re walking around in kilts, structural boots and leather helmets.

We stand out in the crowd…. and WE WANT TO. It’s who we are and what we do. For us, it’s a great marketing / networking tool. Folks stop us in the isles (and out in the street for that matter) just to talk and take photos. They invite us into their booths or stop us to question our purpose.

It’s that image, the exposure or “popularity” (if you will) that’s helped us create a new site / venture over this past year as well ….

Click HERE to check out Firefighter Product Review

It’s a great site (even if it is ours). Not only do we give “our” review of the products up for review, we also give the “user” or readers the chance to “score” or rate the product themselves.

Last year, we blended into the crowd. Nobody noticed what we had on or who we were working for. Nobody gave us a 2nd look. This year … totally opposite.

Take our Custom Fronts (helmet shields) for example. EVERYBODY wanted to know where we got em. It was a GREAT opportunity to tell them about Andrew and Mary Arnold from over at Box Alarm Leather LLC (see their review HERE ).

Our Custom Kilts were also a HUGE hit and point of conversation. When we needed a kilt and wanted it “our” way … there was only one company out there that was willing to work with us … ALT Kilt . We love telling the story of how all the bigger companies turned us down yet ALT Kilt was willing to go the extra mile.

This year, companies are approaching us for Product Reviews. We’ve got several in the “Que” awaiting publishing and received just as many more last week at Expo. Be sure to hit the link above to follow and look for future reviews for items such as Dragon Fire Gloves , ESS Eye Protection, Black Helmet’s German flavored design (Kampf gegen Feuer), the 2013 Firehouse Dolls Calendar and much, much more.

Click HERE to have us review your product

Here’s another example of the difference a year can make. In 2011, one of my fans / followers; Daniel Lawson came to the booth. For whatever reason, Daniel wanted to meet me, more importantly; he wanted me to meet his new born son … talk about humbling! He explained how he loved reading Ironfiremen.com and following along with the “Buckaroo’s” growth / adventures when he’s included in a post.

This year, Daniel and his son returned to the booth for a follow up photo/visit … man has that little fella grown! I was also excited to learn that Daniel and his wife are expecting their 2nd child …CONGRATULATIONS! I guess my camera lens will have to grow along with his family lol.

In the end, THAT’S what it’s all about … making new friendships …lasting friendships …. sharing and promoting BROTHERHOOD… it’s what keeps us going! Thanks for stopping by Daniel … looking forward to next year’s photo.

The best example of “the difference a year can make” that we found while at Firehouse Expo 2012 came out of New York City. You see, FDNY’s Rescue 2 had a booth set up. That in itself is not a big deal. What was a big deal was who was in the booth …. Rescue 2′s Firefighter Robert Weidmann!

You may remember Firefighter Weidmann’s name from a fire in Brooklyn, NY back on December 19, 2011. That blaze injured 5 members of the FDNY (two out of Rescue 2 Weidmann and Gersbeck). Weidmann was the most seriously injured of the five. He received burns over 40% of his body, including his face, head and hands. His escape was captured on video! The arrow in the picture left is believed to be Weidmann making his way to the window.

Read my original post on that fire HERE

He suffered and fought through months of grueling rehab and recovery. In true Firefighter fashion, he showed the same heart and determination after the fire as he did while engulfed in flame. HE SURVIVED!

He survived and he made it to Firehouse Expo where Rhett, Zach and I had the HONOR of shaking his hand!

It was a HUGE honor for us and the highlight of my trip! Brother Weidmann is a TRUE firefighter … an IRONFIREMAN. Even in the middle of that fire, he was teaching the rest of us valuable lessons. He had on his gear … ALL OF IT and, he was wearing it correctly. He was physically fit and in the shape / condition to make that escape. He had the situational and positional awareness to find his way out. Captain Flaherty said he fought with the strength of 10 men during his recovery and on Friday, July 20th he was standing in Baltimore, Md…. YOU CAN’T TEACH HEART!

Back in February, Rhett, Zach and I solicited your help in raising money for Brother Weidmann and Rescue 2′s “MayDay Fund”. The fund is designed to help support injured members and their families. Your support was overwhelming and the 3 of us (Rhett, Zach and I) then had the honor of hand delivering the check in your name. READ THAT POST HERE .

During our visit in Baltimore, Brother Weidmann asked us to pass along his heart felt appreciation for all the support he, his family and the members of Rescue 2 received. You’re efforts were NOT in vane! As soon as he returns to duty, Rhett, Zach and I will head back to Brooklyn for a follow up visit and a full report on his recovery…. the difference a year makes!

Rhett has made some “strides” over the past year as well ….not in the same manner as Brother Weidmann but, he too; is showing some heart.

Last year, I was the only one in the group who would ride the mechanical bull at PBR Baltimore. This year, “Fire Boy” decided he’d give it a try.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that you don’t ride bulls while wearing a kilt. I also failed to mention riding while wearing your wife’s socks may not be the best idea either.

Although I don’t believe in protective head wear for professional bull riders, I did think it was kind of cool that Rhett wore his leather helmet while riding. Of course I still don’t think he topped my ride. I didn’t do it in a kilt nor did I wear my leather. What I did do was ride WITH a PBR girl!! See that post and watch the VIDEO HERE !

It seems he’s also softened up his feelings for his true internet father, Dave Statter.

Last year at Expo, it seemed as if they couldn’t get along.

Bickering and arguing over who the TRUE ”King of Blogs” is.

They even argued about the true identity of the Fire Critic and if he actually even existed at all.

Once again, I had to step in and, apparently; my tactics worked ….Just look at em now…. arm in arm. Embracing in public. You should have seen em holding hands and skipping up to the PBR bar …LMAO

In the end, Firehouse Expo 2012 was a HUGE success for us and …. we had a BLAST! The best part was meeting so many friends … old and new. Thanks to everyone who dropped by the booth for a FoxFire demo or to just say hello. Thanks as well to the Northern Va FOOLS as associate sponsors for hosting the Brotherhood Bash … it lived up to it’s name despite the rain!

If you’ve never attended Firehouse Expo, make your plans for 2013 NOW … Rhett and I will be there and I CAN’T WAIT! Check out what Rhett and Zach had to say about the trip and then I’ll leave ya with a few more pics from our Baltimore adventures …

Click HERE for The Fire Critic’s Firehouse Expo “wrap up”

Read Zach’s post on the trip by clicking HERE

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on July 24, 2012 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: ALT Kilts, Baltimore Md, Bedford VFD, Box Alarm Leather LLC, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Chris Naum, Dave Statter, FDNY, FDNY Rescue 2, Fire Critic, Firecritic, firefighter pics, Firefighter Product Reviews, Firefighter Robert Weidmann, firefighters, Firehouse Expo, FireProductReview.com, FOOLS, Fools Bash, house fire, Ironfiremen, leather helmets, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, Mechanical bulls, MN8 FoxFire, MN8 products, NFFF, Northern Va Fools, PBR, PBR Baltimore, PBR Girls, PGFD, Statter 911, Zach Green

Working Fire, Extrication and Firehouse Expo!

1 comment

We caught a small job at shift break this morning… we were coming on, B-Shift was going off.

It’s a hell of a way to start the day.

Engine 5 was first due with us on their heels.

There wasn’t a lot of work and “little miss Carlie” made quick work of what there was anyway. It’s hard to believe she’s been on the job a couple years now … I can remember her first fire 0r the first time she was on the nozzle anyway..

See that post by clicking HERE .

I’m sure Bugg did the work on the picture above … he’s done some awesome mixed black / white and color shots.

This pic to the left is one of my favorites ….

That’s the ole “War Wagon” from our “Melrose Misfit” days back at Station #9.

She brings back a lot of good memories plus it’s a very cool shot!

I also like the one he did of the new Station #5 shown below…. I’m gonna have to get him to teach me how he does that.

Cool pics huh? One other neat thing goes back to the first picture (top right). Because the fire was at shift break, several of the members hadn’t had the time to change into their uniform yet. They just threw their gear on over their civi’s.

Did ya notice the shirt Wheezy has on? Apparently, I’m the only one on the planet who didn’t know what The Chive is. Apparently, it’s a web site that’s even more popular than that Fire Cricket site. A lot of cool pics, videos etc. They even have a section dedicated to firefighters … check it out HERE .

So, like a started out saying … it’s been busy around here lately. Storms, fires, extrications etc…

The pic right is a MVC we caught last day.

We were first in with reports of “possible injury”…. ya think??

We arrived to find 3 vehicles involved and this Caddy with heavy damage.

We got an additional Engine, 2 Medics and Ladder #5 for extrication.

As usual, the boys did a great job and made quick work of the incident.

Don’t worry, we’re not hogging all the excitement …we’re actually going to take it on the road ….

Rhett (FireCritic.com) Zach Green (MN8-FoxFire) and I will be bringing a TON of excitement to Firehouse Expo in Baltimore this week!

Rhett and I will be wearing our custom made kilts from ALT Kilt and should be easy to spot in a crowd.

We shouldn’t be too hard to find anyway. Thursday evening at 3pm, you can find us at the Northern Virginia Fools Bash..

Details for FOOLS Bash HERE

We will also be on the floor of the exhibit hall in Booth #123 with MN8 FoxFire

Follow MN8 FoxFire on Face Book HERE

Be sure to stop by Booth #123 to say hello and get a personal demo of the FoxFire Products from Rhett or myself. Also hit us up on Face Book to see exactly where we are and what we’re doing … we’d love to meet up and grab a few beers.

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book HERE

We will get you more details as to our whereabouts over the next few days so be sure to keep checking in. Until I get back to ya … stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on July 15, 2012 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Alt Kilt, brotherhood, building fire, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Fire Critic, firefighter kilts, firefighter pics, firefighters, Firehouse Expo 2012, FOOLS, house fire, Ironfiremen, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, Melrose misfits, MN8 FoxFire, MN8 products, Northern Va Fools, Rhett Fleitz, Roanoke Fire/EMS, vehicle extrication, Wooden ladders and Iron Firemen, Working fire, Zach Green

Archives for mn8-products

Visit MN8 Fox Fire Web Site and Face Book

Nothin Fancy on the web, Nothin Fancy on Face Book

click HERE, HERE and HERE

Visit their Web site HERE or find them on Face Book HERE

The Sweeney Alliance, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, North American Firefighter Veteran Network,

Grief.com, Recover from Grief.com ,

Be sure to drop by Booth 5571 to say hello!

Be sure to stop by Booth 2401 to say hello and try on a pair of X2′s

Grief.com, Recover from Grief.com , The Sweeney Alliance,Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, North American Firefighter Veteran Network

Grief.com, Recover from Grief.com , The Sweeney Alliance,Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, North American Firefighter Veteran Network

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book. Click HERE & “LIKE” the page

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book Click HERE

Rhett gave his take on the issues in a previous post found HERE .

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book click HERE

Click HERE to check out Firefighter Product Review

Click HERE to have us review your product

Follow MN8 FoxFire on Face Book HERE

Follow Ironfiremen.com on Face Book HERE

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