Who are They? Really? And Who are We? Really!!

The other day I was talking with a close friend who is going through some difficult times. During this chat, we both agreed that as we travel the roads of life, we meet many people. And we often catch ourselves calling them "friends." It's a form of speech that has become very commonplace in our society.

The truth is though, (and we both agreed on this point) that the vast majority of the people we meet on life's highways are actually acquaintances, not friends.
How would you define a friend? Is a friend the person you had coffee with after you bumped into each other at the supermarket? Is a friend the one you call when you really need help, who replies, "Not today, Bill. But ask me another time and I'll be there?"
On these highways, many of these people identify themselves as your friend. And in the "ME" environment of today, some are so starved for attention or companionship that we just accept their self-label of "friend."

However, my friend and I agreed that we don't know who really are our friends, unless there comes a time when we are in need. And when we do call upon them for help or support, the faux-friends will be there as long as you're not asking them to do something that other "friends," may not approve of, even if you really need them.

Thus, we posit that these people are merely acquaintances. When we are in need, whether it's someone to talk with, money problems, family illness, and other severe troubles of the day, your friends are there with you, before you even call them. They are there to comfort you, to support you, to be a strong shoulder for you and, to protect you; not necessarily physically, but emotionally, to act as a shield like a super-hero may carry, so bad words that come your way are deflected.
We may be too old to wear super-hero PJ's to bed anymore, but most of us know who are real friends are. Just like the "Bat Signal," we know that our friends will always be there to help us and support us.

However, we in fire-rescue services have an advantage. And that is that whether you're a career member, a volunteer or an on-call, we are blessed, for unlike the majority of people with a family, a few friends and many acquaintances, we gain a second family. A family we live with, eat with, joke with, and yes, even argue with, from time to time.  

And just like our "blood" family, the fire family are probably the strongest, most loyal friends anyone might ever desire. They are usually the first ones to know when we have lit up our "Bat Signal," calling for help. They will be first on the phone, first on your doorstep, first at your church, synagogue, mosque or other place of your worship. And they do so, without even being asked.

Why? In my humble opinion, it is due to the fact that we do not choose to be fire-rescue members. We are chosen. Whether it's biology, astrology, magic, genes, etc. something drives us to follow this path in our lives. Sometimes, we may try to pull in another direction, yet we almost always wind up coming back.

Now, think of the people that you can unquestioningly label as a friend. Examine their personality. Look at their vocation. You will often see that they too, are dedicated to something very important. And the acquaintances? They probably flit around from one opportunity to the next. Now do you see the difference?

Have a enjoyable and safe holiday weekend. 

A Dangerous Trap Even YOU May Not See!

Quick Background

I usually use this blog to address issues facing the Fire-Rescue Service or our experiences as we try to produce a new, one-hour television drama about the Fire-Rescue service. I've never brought up my long time computer experience here before, but I believe it's a necessity today. And that's because there is a dangerous trap waiting for all first responders, as well as the public, in general.

I have 30 years experience in computers. Though I've never taken a single computer course, I can build one from the case up; diagnose about 95% of problems, install modems, networks, Wi-FI systems and extenders, networking, etc. Yet for the past five years or so, my most frequent service call has been for virus and especially, malware or adware incursions.

Almost every computer comes with adware. It is those little "freebie" programs that come included on a brand new computer, be it laptop or desktop. PC's often come loaded with adware. Mac's sometimes have some. Malware, on the other hand, is software that is planted into your computer without your approval or even knowing about it. It happens when you open an email from someone you don't know, or you open an ad-pitch email. Or, you may misspell the address of a website, even by a single letter, and you're taken to a "look-a-like" site. Once you land there, an infection is planted and you're at risk for identity theft, having your bank account(s) cleaned out, etc.

However, there are solutions for you, both through legitimate software and reputable computer techs and consultants, like me. But recently, a new and much more insidious attack is being waged on the average computer user.

"How do THEY Know That?"

Over the last year or two a new trap has begun to be sprung. You're sitting at your computer, reading an article, watching a film, reading my blog, when suddenly a pop-up windows appears and says,
"YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED!!! DANGER!!! DANGER!!!!  Do not shut down your computer! If you do, the worm will destroy all of the data on your hard drive. Please leave your computer on and call us, "PC TECH SOLUTIONS & Bait Shop!" We will help you protect your data!"
Or, it may come as a phone call. "Hello, this is Alex and Windows Support. We've detected a problem in your computer that is very dangerous. But don't worry, we can help you. So how are you today?"
After you've changed your underwear, you start asking yourself, "How do they know I have a problem? Most likely though, they won't even give you the time to make that clothing change. They will attempt to intimidate you, but then assuage you by telling you that they can fix the problem for anywhere from $250-$600.00! They may say that you need a program to detect malware on your computer and get rid of it and they can remotely install it, run it and clean your computer for $200.00! (Hint: You can download a free program to do the same thing!! It's called "MalwareBytes" and it's free at http://www.malwarebytes.org. I've been installing this program on client's machines for over five years and it has saved both their butts and mine, every time!

Remember, their M.O. (modus operandi - mode of working) is to scare the crap out of you so that you'll immediately allow them to do anything they want to your computer.  

 Wrap-Up and What You Can Do
 Most of you reading this are first responders of one kind or another. You probably use a computer, pad, MDT, tablet, etc. of what kind or another every day you're on duty. And, most likely, you have a smartphone and at least one of the items above, at home. However, unless you have a higher level or tech savvy that reading email, buying products on Amazon(R), and watching videos on NetFlix(R), you can easily fall victim to one of these scams. So what can you do?

1. If you receive an unsolicited phone call (and you cannot recognize the Caller ID) and the caller states that he/she is with "Windows Service Support" or "PC Support Center" or something like that, HANG UP on them. Don't even give them the time of day! DO NOT LET THEM FRIGHTEN YOU OR THREATEN YOU!! (You may want to jot down the telephone number, the time and date they called, and report it to your state and Federal consumer protection. The federal website is http://www.donotcall.gov.
2. It a threatening pop-up window appears on your screen (that does not come from your anti-virus or anti-malware software that you know you installed or had installed) ignore it. These windows may also say it's from the FBI and they've caught you with kiddie porn or terrorist information and they are locking your computer unless you immediately wire them $250!! Understand from the start that the message is bogus and called a "ransom bug." For the average computer user, they appear to lock up your computer and will not allow you to clear your screen. If that happens, contact someone you know who is a more advanced user and, using any of the most common (and almost always FREE) anti-malware software, you'll be able to remove the "ransom bug."
3. If you don't have someone to turn to, you can always visit any Tech Center of stores like BestBuy, OfficeDepot, Tiger Direct, HHGregg, etc. While it may cost you a few bucks there, it will restore your peace of mind.

Listen, we've been trained to always be aware of our surroundings. We learn how to perform a blind search of a home or building on fire, by sticking to the right side wall and keeping a hand on our life-rope or hose. We learn how to test a roof, set of stairs, or floor, before we step on and take a chance on falling through. You've invested too much time and effort to waste that training that hopefully will prevent you from falling into a trap. Now, do the same thing online! Don't fall into a trap! 

"100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" = #26Acts

     Remember when we were kids and were taking a long drive with our parents, or perhaps on a camp bus on the way to an event? What's the first song the comes to mind, most often used to kill time and perhaps, to drive your parents or the bus driver crazy?

 

     "A hundred bottles of beer on the wall,

     A hundred bottles of beer;

     You take one down and pass it around,

     Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall.

    Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera.

 

     A dedicated group of kids could keep that ditty going right through either the very end and the last bottle, or your parent turning around and yelling, "If you kids don't stop singing that piece of crap, we ain't going nowhere! Got it?"

 

     Several years ago, the term, "Pay it forward," entered our vernacular. At first, many people didn't understand the message that it was bringing to the masses. "Who's paying for what? Are you paying for me? What am I paying for? What is 'paying it forward?" 

 

     Slowly, people began to understand the turn of the phrase, to do something good for someone other than yourself. It didn't necessarily have to deal with cold, hard cash. It might have meant to do someone a favor; help someone out with a problem. And when finished helping them and they thanked you, you would advise them to "pay it forward," and do something nice for someone else. And so on.

 

     Those of us in the fire-rescue service are always ready to help someone else out. Rarely does that help come in the form of money. Most of the time, that help comes as we respond to that person's emergency situation. In both my eight active years, as well as the time Dalmatian Productions has been around to try and shoot or gather video of emergency responders, there have been plenty of occasions when we would be sitting around, just waiting for the bells to ring. And sometimes, we would actually acknowledge that for us to be able to perform our services, someone would have to suffer, in some manner. What a horrible  thought that turned out to be. For us to do a good deed, someone would have to have a serious need for our help. We didn't cause it, nor did we create it. This has almost always been the relationship between emergency services personnel and the public that they serve. However, what happens after the emergency is over? Do we just roll up our hoses, wash the apparatus, and wait for the next call? Or do we reach up and pull another "bottle" off of the "wall?"

 

     Many, many, many of us have been searching for ways to reach out and help both the families and the community of Newtown, CT. None of us, even in our deepest, darkest, place, could ever conceive of perpetrating such a heinous act as the cold-blooded killing of twenty children, ages 6-7, and six wonderful adults who had dedicated themselves to the art of elementary education. What's done is done and we cannot "unblow that horn," as a late friend of mine would often say. So what next? We all cannot make our way up to Connecticut to try and lend a hand, though many strangers have done exactly that! Three teenagers from Georgia drove through the night, to visit with students from Newtown High School, just to give them a hug. As one of the travelers said, "I know if this had happened to me, I'd need a hug to help me."

 

     Yesterday, NBC journalist, Ann Curry posted a tweet with the simple Twitter code of #26Acts. Her idea was that one of the best ways to honor the memories of the 26 victims of the Newtown killings, was to turn evil into goodness. For each victim, perform an act of kindness. Immediately, the tweet went viral, across the U.S. and across the globe. Responding tweets told of everything from simply helping someone cross the street to turning over the proceeds of a well-earned paycheck to another who has been unemployed for several months. These and thousands of others have been "paying it forward" for more than twenty-fours hours now.

 

     Even before I knew of the #26Acts, I was trying to think about what I could do to help out there. As I sat here at my computer, I was running the multiple videos that had been playing out on the various news outlets on Friday and through the weekend. Then it donned on me. I thought about that part of me that has never left my soul and still defines who I am. I am a boy of the firehouse. And I thought about my brothers and sisters in Newtown and the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department. They were some of the first rescuers on scene. What they saw was no less what is scene on a battlefield, on any given day. The horror and tragedy of war were thrown in their faces last Friday. So, I wrote the following to them:

 

"To my sisters and brothers in Newtown CT - On Friday, you answered an alarm that no amount of training could have ever prepared you or any of us who have or currently serve the fire-rescue service, for. Drills and simulations are one thing; the horror of Friday, December 14th, could not have even been imagined.Yet, as we your colleagues would expect, you acted with valor and bravery, above and beyond the call of duty.

However, this is who we are and what we do; we, along with our sisters and brothers, in blue, run in when everyone else is running out, of emergency situations.

In the highest honor and regard of the history of the American Fire-Service, thank you for your courage, your dedication, and your perseverance to the goals of our vocation or avocation. May the Almighty guard and protect you and yours, and bring you solace and comfort for your efforts."

 

"Twenty-six Acts of Kindness to do,

Twenty-six martyrs we share,

I took one down and shared it around,

Twenty-five Acts of Kindness I bear..."