Be prepared!

Searching through the internet looking for details of the recent firefighter LODD in Maryland I can't help but think about preparing for my next shift! Seems like everyday another type of Firefighter emergency comes up. Why is this, I believe it's because the fire department is called on every type of emergency. From power lines down to swift water rescue we have to be prepared for it all. This makes it easy to get sidetracked from our main job. Fighting Fires! This is a dangerous job that we all know and love. Question is are you prepared? Are you prepared to call a mayday? Are you prepared for a scba emergency? Are you prepared to bail out a third story window? These are just a few questions to ask yourself before your next run. As we say goodbye to a hero we must honor him by preparing ourselves! So others may live!!!

Thoughts and Prayers!

From Firefighter Close Calls:

It is with deep regret that we advise you of the Line of Duty Death of Baltimore County FF Mark Falkenhan, 43. Mark was killed this evening after becoming trapped and calling a mayday in a multi-family dwelling fire and suffering massive burns. FF Falkenhan had recently left as a career Baltimore County FF to take a position with the United States Secret Service. However, he was an active member of Baltimore County’s Lutherville Volunteer Fire Company (Station 30), a part of the Baltimore County FD. Mark was also an Instructor with MFRI, the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute. He leaves his wife and 2 children, ages 10 & 13 behind.

Thoughts and prayers to his family and his fellow firefighters.

In the batters box!

Last night was a long night in the city! In the endless amounts of emergencies, a new theory came to mind. In baseball the warm up zone is known as the batters box. Have you ever thought that in emergency services we are always in the batter box? As we staff our stations or stand bye with our pagers at the ready, we are preparing for our next at bat. Only difference is that in our business we don't know when it is our turn to bat. What does that mean to us? It means that we should ALWAYS prepare for the next run like it's the world series! The uncertainty of what lies ahead should be in mind as you prepare your ppe and should not be taken by surprise. Because in our business you can go from the batters box to the world series in a matter of seconds! Always remember that preparation is the best practice. Be safe everyone and thanks for stopping by the jumpseat!