"Calling All Cars! Calling All Cars!! Where is Everybody???

If you're either over the age of 50 or an aficionado of old, black-and-white crime series and movies, you'll probably recognize the title of this blog entry. In these well-aged television programs and movies, one would hear someone on the police radio reaching out to any vehicles on the department's frequency. While it might sound somewhat comical today, its reality is all too real for the fire service and everyone involved in public safety. Here we are, well on our way into the 21st century  where we can send and receive radio signals from our satellites, billions of miles away and we still need to deal with inferior radio communications for first responders.

In his "Fire Politics" column in the June issue of FIREHOUSE(R), Kevin O'Connor (who serves as the Assistant to the General President of the IAFF) explains that the actual "creation" of the FirstNet program, is not much of a program after all. If you're a relatively young and new firefighter, you may not know that as far back as 1982, leaders of the fire and police services have been requesting, simply put, a radio band allotment, dedicated to voice and data communications for first responders. You might be thinking,"Radio band? Every one of us has a radio with our frequencies!" However, FirstNet goes further by providing interoperability between departments and agencies. Imagine, after a major incident in your response area that required numerous mutual-aid agencies, you have the ability to turn to a frequency that enables you to hear commands and other information directly from the incident commander.

Think of it this way, on 9|11, the FDNY could barely communicate with the NYPD. This led to another call to the government to build, "a national, interoperable communications network exclusively for public safety"* In 1992, in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, Miami-Dade County Fire-Rescue and Police units were barely able to communicate with like agencies responding from Broward, Palm Beach, and other agencies, to assist. FirstNet could have precluded those difficulties.

Mr. O'Connor goes on to explain that while the government provided certain bandwidth for the project, it is for data only, no voice. Moreover, the program will be managed, not by leaders in the fields of Public Safety, but by former "bigwigs" in the telecom industry and non-public safety executives; leaving a very small representation (sic "voice) from Public Safety officials who truly know and understand what is needed. And to add insult to injury, the bandwidth is not exclusive to Public Safety; rather it is "shared" and can be used by commercial users.

Pretty disappointing, right? Now ask the most important question, WHY? Why did this effort to provide public safety a strong radio spectrum to use on major disasters, fail? It appears that many of us were the cause. "What? Us? What did we do? I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything! Oh...I see...I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Too many of us did not do anything to lend our support to the effort. 

As current and former firefighters, LEO's, EMT's and Paramedics, we can no longer afford to leave issues as important as FirstNet, on the shoulders of just a few of our great leaders. We must begin to play a role in guiding public safety to its very best and most professional level that we can. Additionally, all of us, whether career, volunteer, on-call, etc., can participate.

How? Visit this link to the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. Keep abreast of what the government is doing for or to us. Be sure to read Mr. O'Connor's  "Fire Politics" column in the June issue of FIREHOUSE(R) Magazine. If you're a career firefighter and IAFF member, be sure to read and discuss the news and issues at the local, state and federal levels that effect the fire service. If you're a volunteer, you're able to interact with the Congressional Caucus mentioned above. And all of us can contact our congressional representatives and request their assistance in improving public safety for all. 

Remember - if we are unable to protect ourselves, how are we expected to protect those we are sworn to serve?

*Kevin O'Connor, "Fire Politics," FIREHOUSE Magazine, June 2017, p.18.

Where Do We Go? What To Do? - The Tragedy Call

This can be a very rewarding job. And, it can be a terrifying job, as well. There's nothing like showing children the apparatus, watching their excitement when we turn the lights on or sound the siren (hope it's a Q!). When they're excited like this, we can slip in some safety information like, "stop, drop and roll, E.D.I.T.H., etc. And when they leave, they leave with fun in their eyes and having learned some safety in their brains. However, most of us know that this is a terrifying job as well. Not in a personal sense that we fear what we do; rather, we fear what we might see and/or have to do. And this has nothing to do with being a rookie or probie, nor does it deal with our chores.  

This "fear" is rooted in what we may have to see on the job. No doubt, the two worse sights would be any death that involves a child and anyone that is found subsequent to extinguishing a fire and finding the victim complete burnt. While there is no doubt that this job would force us to come to terms with someone's passing, there is a big difference between these calls. That's why I refer to these terrible instances as, "tragedy calls." Strangely, in my short eight-year volunteer career, when my injury took me of the "line," I had dealt with both instances and sadly, a couple of times with each one.

On a normal call, when were' finished we pack up the hose, ladders, ropes, etc. and had back to the barn. Upon arrival back to our station, there's a lot of back-and-forth cajoling and boisterous story-telling. However, when returning from a "tragedy call," we return and go about our chores without the joking and boisterous chatter. And for those of us who have answered several of "tragedy calls," we may say differently, but in reality, it never hurts any less.

This one aspect of our chosen vocation or avocation can carve a very deep chasm in our personal psyche; sometimes to the point where it affects who we are as a person and of course, as an effective fire-rescue member. Yet, far too many of us who have gone through this change, have buried it deep and far away. We don't want to talk about it with anyone. Not our spouse or partner, not our chief, captains or colleagues.It sits there, eating away at us like a cancer.

In researching the material for my book, "Fish Out of Water: Two Jewish Guys in a Deep South Firehouse," I found that the term post traumatic stress disorder was first used by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980. For the next five years or so, it was used to describe how many of our brave men and women who had been returning from service in the Far East, were suffering. Family members and friends were saying things like, "He's not the same as he sued to be," or "She wakes up screaming at night from nightmare she's having about a bombing in a small village."   

As I've stated above, we too have seen many terrible things. However,in 1979 one incident eventually led to how the reality of what we see can chage us. On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10, took off from O'Hare Airport on its flight to Los Angeles.Within minutes, it had come apart and crashed in a fireball, killing all 258 passengers, 13 crew members and 2 civilians on the ground. As one firefighter put it:
"We didn't see one body intact, just trunks, hands, arms, heads, and parts of legs. And we can't tell whether they were male or female, or whether they were adult or child, because they were all charred. Another first responder on the scene stated, "It was too hot to touch anybody and I really couldn't tell if they were men or women. Bodies were scattered all over the field.^{" (From Wikipedia.com)}


From my book:

Then on May 25, 1979, the Friday before Memorial Day, that all changed due to a single, tragic incident. American Airlines Flight 191 crashed into a trailer park just off the perimeter of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, killing all 270 passengers and crew on board and at least two individuals on the ground. The airport’s ARFF⁵⁸ responded as did several local departments, such as Des Plaines. At first, they were told it was a cargo plane that had crashed, but as soon as the first responding units arrived on scene, it was clear that this has been a passenger plane.

The scene has been described as a “valley of death,” with human remains, much of it charred by the massive fireball from the fully-fueled jet. However, like most of us, with the adrenaline coursing through their systems, they quickly got down to business, initially to subdue the remaining fires and then to take stock of who and what remained.

In an article I read online, within 24 hours, several people who had been on the scene early on, began to suffer emotional disturbances. A now-retired Des Plaines firefighter who had been a lieutenant at the time, said he was alright until the next morning, when he climbed into his truck to drive to work and just sat there and cried. By Sunday and Memorial Day Monday, dozens of workers reported many symptoms.

Whether it was due to the reality of the size of the accident (it still holds the record as the most lethal U.S. aircraft accident) or the large numbers of people claiming problems, counselors were finally brought in to help anyone who felt that they were experiencing some sort of post-traumatic ramifications. Thus the reality that first responders of all types i.e. firefighters, police officers, EMT’s, paramedics, etc. have feelings too, was born. (Fish Out of Water: Two Jewish Guys in a Deep South Firehouse," 2016, Steven S. Greene)

So, we return to today. And today, beyond the tragedy calls, there are many, many more pressures on us. There are marital/relationship strains, financial, medical and social strains, all culminating in psychological changes to many of us. Sadly, many of us try to bury the pain and anguish in a deep, dark place in our minds. But it doesn't always stay there. It comes out to taunt and torture us. And sadly, it has taken its toll in both a significant rise of PTSD diagnosis and, even worse, fire-rescue suicides.

Listen, if we can do the job we do, we can find a way to deal with this personal pain and beat it before it beats us. Talk to a comrade, officer or even the chief. Seek out your religious leader. Ask to see the fire surgeon. And remember, whatever you tell the your religious leader or the fire surgeon is confidential. They cannot divulge this information without your express, written consent. 

As we watched the videos of 9|11, we watched our colleagues march into a building thet they knew for sure, that there was no way to squelch that fire and perhaps, the real possibility of not returning. But forward they went. And yes, there were some who just couldn't go. They asked a chief and received permission to stay on the ground level.

We can and should learn from their courage and bravery. There are many tasks that we cannot do alone; we must have a partner. The same is true when you feel that what's inside you pychologically speaking, is too much, Find someone you trust.

There is no reason to go it alone. Just as we're partners on the nozzle, on the truck company, on the heavy rescue, we are partners in this as well. Talk. Do not be a statistic. Every single comrade in the fire service, whether in your department ir anywhere else in this country, loves you too much to see you do anything rash.Talk Talk TAlk TALk TALK!

Stay safe and let's make sure everyone goes home.

***************************************************************************************************

I want to thank our "partners" that assist us with our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force," through social networking and not through any financial contribution. If you would like to be a "partner" with us, please send us an email to Dalmatprod

@FHTribune

 @CindyEll411

https://www.facebook.com/ffcancer.org/

 

 

@FIRETECINC FIRE-TEC -  Leaders in Firefighting Training, Equipment and Consulting

 

 

@CoolTowelOnline COOL TOWEL

 

 Please visit them.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah..."When Life Gives You Lemons,,,,"

We've all heard it dozens of times, right? From our parents and other family members, former bosses, spouses (or is that spices?) and of course, our closest of friends, who've probably never tasted a lemon in the last ten years because they're too busy drinking their frappa-lappa-miko-apo! And as tired as we are of hearing the phrase, it does have a ring of truth and the Wikis and other online files can deliver plenty of true tales. Sometimes though, you can't jump directly from the lemons to the lemonade; you just have grab the lemon and bag of sugar and move towards the new action. And that is exactly what we (Dalmatian Productions, Inc.) are doing. 

First though, a word of thanks to those of you who read this blog, follow us on Twitter (@Dalmatprod & @CAUSE_ORIGIN) and/or listen to the podcasts. Without your understanding and support, we probably would have thrown in the towel a long time ago. So please, keep it up!

Here's the story - As many of you know, we have working for over 20 years to bring a quality program about our great fire-rescue services to television. First we tried early reality TV; the days of "Rescue-911,"  "On Scene: Emergency Report," and several others. That didn't work.We tried again when "reality" grew up a little bit like, "COPS." That worked - only a little bit and only outside of the U.S. or Canada. 

"What else can we do?" we would repeatedly ask ourselves. Here you had four first responders who only knew about the "real" in reality. We didn't know anything else. That brought us to around ten years ago or so, when I was just browsing the Internet, just to browse, not looking for anything in particular. I found a fire story that I liked, read that and it led to a few more. I was just reading some reports of working fires, rescues, etc. Then, after almost two hours, I came across an article about the Philadelphia Fire Department. This I liked. Why? Because my wife's sister and her family have lived in that area for over 40 years and we had visited often. And during almost every visit, I would visit firehouses all over Montgomery County and the City of Philadelphia. However, in reading this article, I learned something new - the structure of their Fire Investigation Office and how unique it was.

Besides the Fire Marshal, there were some unique investigators in with he mix; a firefighter who had also been trained in investigative and forensic work, a full-time detective with the Philadelphia Police Department, who was assigned to the Fire Investigations Office, an agent from the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms) and his dog, who were assigned to the city and others. 

"WOW!" I thought. "This could be a great show!" Then I reconsidered. They'd never let us do a "ride-along" with them for a reality show. But....what if it wasn't a reality show? What if it was a drama? Initially, I didn't share my idea with my partners. I just tossed it around for a while, writing a page here, a page there.That was the birth of "CAUSE & ORIGIN." (and yes, we understand that today, the more common phrase used is reversed to "origin and cause," but that just does sound as good as our, older version!) Yet, with no leads, we didn't know what to do next.

The rest of the story until now, is history, as they say. We have tried for the last 2-1/2 - 3 years to get this TV show picked up for the production of a pilot episode. But that hasn't happened either.

Thus, about three weeks ago during one of our conference calls, our L.A.-based partner told us interesting news about some of his immediate past work on a movie, some people he had met and some others who had re-entered his life. And he pitched the idea that with no progress on the television front, let's try to produce a feature film-length movie. Whether it played in a theater or through a streaming service, wasn't important. We would do it. 

That is what we announced yesterday. We are going to produce a film about the fire service, by firefighters, hopefully, supported by firefighters, for firefighters and all other interested parties.

Interested? Good! Stay tuned!

Be safe and let's make sure every one goes home!

 

Our Personal Health - Who is Really In Charge

We're living in a time when we seem to be fighting about the rights we are accorded by our Constitution. Some argue that our Founding Fathers knew all they needed to in order to create a constitution which would forcefully and clearly demonstrate that we had thrown off the mantle of Colonial rule and that our citizens would be free and equal. OK, maybe free. OK, maybe mostly free.

Two hundred forty one years later, it appears that we're using the amendments as weapons of war - against each other, more than we use them to actually secure the rights and freedoms I believe our Founding Fathers intended. There are the arguments about the First Amendment that is supposed to guarantee our freedom to speak...about any topic we choose, other than outright treason, and even then, to just talk about it, might be protected too!

Then there is the constant bickering over the Second Amendment - the right to bear arms. Some argue that we have the right to bear any arms we want, because the Constitution did not outlaw any weapons. Still others want to forbid anyone except for the police and military to have arms. And we are no closer to working on a solution that we are for a manned expedition to Saturn's sixth moon, Enceladus.

Now I come to the crux of the matter - who is in charge of our health? Since we all agree that we use the possessive pronoun, "our," the answer should be perfectly clear, each person is in charge of their own health! But ask yourself, "Is that really true?" Let's say you are an accountant. Would your employer have any need to assure that you are in peak physical condition? Other than wanting you healthy so that you may do your work, we would probably agree, "No."

What if you are a teacher in a middle or junior high school, teaching math? Would you agree that what applied for the accountant, applies here? What about an attorney? A mayor? A refuse collector? A computer programmer...and so on?

But what about a firefighter, a LEO and/or an EMT/Paramedic? Forget what you feel; would you still claim that you are in charge of your personal health? If you, then I believe you are in the wrong profession. Because these three professions need you to be at your very best physical condition to perform your assigned tasks. And there is the very real risk of a domino effect if you aren't!

In any of these three professions, besides all else, you have taken an oath to protect the lives of others. We all know the saying, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." So what happens in the middle of an emergency situation in which not only a citizen's life is depending on you, but your partner and/or colleagues are depending on you, and you give out? Now the dominoes begin to fall.

The victim is in more trouble, your colleagues have to stop what they were doing to cover for you. And now, either instead of or besides the initial victim, your colleagues have to start taking care of you. You mumble beneath the oxygen mask, "Oh, I'm OK, I'm just a little tired" as you try to sit up, but find you have less strength than a piece on linguine. You're not OK. 

Now, one team is rushing you to the nearest ER. To hell with the scene of the emergency, they are focused on you, taking your vitals, administering medications, driving quickly, but carefully to the hospital. You realize for the first time that the siren you hear is not getting you to the emergency, you're the emergency it is screaming for.

When the initial emergency is over, instead of going back to patrol, the firehouse or the rescue base, most of your coworkers make their way to the hospital. They are going there, because of you. They are waiting for news about you. And as they wait, slowly at first, then more quickly as the info gets passed around, they realize that  your emergency was not due to an accident, fall, burn, collision at the location, it was because  you were ill! As they realize this, they pause for a moment and look inwardly at themselves. 
"Geez, could that happen to me?"
"Wow! We're about the same size - we switch clothes all the time. Am I like that, too?"
"Damn, I can't remember the last time I really looked at myself in the mirror!"
"I've been meaning to stop smoking, really I have!"

And then silence. Everyone stands a bit taller, but looking down. No one knows how to look directly at your spouse as he/she quickly walks up to the sliding doors of the ER, carrying one child in his/her arms and hold the hand, almost dragging a second one. The doors close. All is quiet.

And then, the scream.

The rules and regulations of your job will tell you what your physical requirements are. And when you signed up, you met most, if not all of them. But today is now - not then! You don't meet those  requirements any more. You've stopped trying. Or you say, "I'll start doing some exercises next week!" Yet, strictly interpreted, you do not meet the departments qualifications any longer.

Could you be threatened with being docked a couple of days? Sure, but what difference will that make. You'll stay home, do a few chores, then do exactly what you've been doing for ages, that got you written up in the first place!

YOU...AND ONLY YOU CAN BE IN CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH! IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH, THE DEPARTMENT ISN'T GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU, YOUR DOCTOR ISN'T GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU,  YOU have to be in charge of your health. End of story.

Why Us? Why is it Always Firefighters??

In no other profession do its workers go form "Heroes-to-Zeros" more quickly than in fire-rescue. It doesn't matter if we're career, volunteer, combo or paid-on-call, we are all "painted" with the same, very wide brush. "Why?" you ask. Because everything we do is inherent in performing our sworn oath, to protect and save people and property. 

Think about it; almost every time there is a big story about a rescue, a major conflagration and yes, even an LODD, all manner of newspapers, Internet sites, television stations, all whip up a huge froth, lauding the fire-rescue people who were involved as "great heroes," "bravest of the brave," and so on. Then, a week later, community leaders start asking questions about the career department's contract or the volunteer department's need to replace a twenty-seven year old engine, with seals leaking and a tank that can barely hold water! Not to mention the need for new PPE, Haz-Mat needs, etc. "Heroes-to-Zeros!"

This revolving door of adoration followed by disrespect has always bothered me. It bothered me before I became a firefighter and it has bothered me ever since. For the most part, our comrades in "blue" and "green" are not affected by this as much as the fire-rescue service is. Funny thing is that all three services take an oath for the greater good of society. However, in my eyes, we always wind up with the "short straw."

If you've been following this blog for a time you are well aware that for the last twenty or so years, our company, Dalmatian Productions, Inc., has been working very diligently to bring a positive-themed show about the fire service to television. OK, so it was only television and videotape when we started in 1992 and today, it is all manner of video distribution. 

When the "tone" of reality turned negative, we decided that the only chance we had was to try dramatic television. We had bounced around several ideas and finally settled on our current project, "CAUSE & ORIGIN." When writing the script, our goals were to be as realistic as possible, include educational aspects and develop a story that will entertain viewers whether or no they are affiliated with the fire service. Our story line is not just "smoke, flames and sirens;' rather it tells the complete story of a third-generation firefighter and what he deals with in his department and in his home life. We have provided both our synopsis and pilot script to many folks, both in and out of the fire service. Not one, not a single one came back with a negative review or comment! We believe that speaks to the quality of our premise and how it is told. 

Having had a great deal of exposure to and work with the Philadelphia Fire Department, we based our story there. And we are very proud to say that the PFD and the Office of Film & Television support our efforts. 

However, if you look at any television listings magazine, you will see a plethora of television shows based on the police. There's a mixture of shows that have been on for many years and others that are more recent, as well as news one debuting this month. This begs the question, "Where are any shows about the fire service?"

That answer is simple. There is one. Only one. One that chose titillation, infidelity and drug abuse, not to mention numerous depictions of actions that no firefighter would do, nor would an officer order a firefighter to do. 

That's it. No more. Just one show. Does this speak to the point that the fire service is so droll and simplistic that it cannot carry a television audience? Are we just blase and not worth the effort?

To be perfectly honest, maybe we are. A year ago, we posted both the synopsis and the entire script for the pilot episode on Amazon's TV website. It allows people to visit the project, read whatever is posted there about it and to leave their own comments. If there is a strong, positive reaction by the visitors, Amazon might actually, pick the show up, at least to produce a pilot episode.  I busted my butt to get as many people as I could to go to the site. I used our Twitter accounts, emails and phone calls. And the total number of people that just visited the site over three or four months? Twelve! Only twelve people took a few minutes to visit our page on the Amazon site. 

Somehow, some way, we, as a united effort, need to get a message to the TV-streaming industry, that a strong and positive show about the fire service is, at the least, worth producing a pilot and testing it with audiences. These networks spend hundreds of millions of dollars on pilots and shows that they cut after just two or three episodes. All we want is a chance. 

Finally, the message I want to get across to every producer is to remember who shows up at your door when you dial 9-1-1 for a medical or fire emergency!

Stay safe and let's make sure every firefighter goes home.

New For Us - New for you - Let's Do This Together

We have been creating these podcasts only since last November. Yet, we have been very lucky to have had some excellent guests who have shared their passion for one aspect of this job or another. And we are very grateful to them for having done so.

If you have followed some of our "tweets" on Twitter from @Dalmatprod, and/or rerad some of our messages here in the Blog, you know that there are two areas we are dedicated to: leadership and premature LODD's due to preventable health issues. Well friends, we're adding a third area as of today - the immediate reduction of firefighter cancer incidences.

Earlier this week, we interviewed a new guest, Bill Banks of Fire-Tec in Margate FL. he was a Ft. Lauderdale firefighter for over 20 years and retired a few years ago as a battalion chief.We had a great interview and even though we had previously said we were going to release a new "5-Alarm Task Force" podcast every other Monday, we're going to work our butts of to get Bill's interview on the air by this Monday.

We didn't find Bill on our own. A couple of months ago, we had a new follower, Cindi Ell, who is the president of the International Firefighter Cancer Network. Their goal? "Working to Extinguish Firefighter Cancer Throughout the World" We also were followed by the people behind the new, "Cool Towel." And they told us about Cindy and her work and Bill and his work.

Now to many of us, when we think of firefighter cancer, we immediately look back at the terrible tragedy of 9|11 and the brave men and women who worked that pile, day in and day out. We now know that many of them contracted all different types of cancer and other afflictions, all due to their selfless efforts. However, that assumption would be incorrect. Here's a cold hard fact for you: The cancer rate in the U.S. general populace is 22%. The cancer rate among U.S. firefighters is 68%!!! 

So, in the next few weeks, look for our interview with Bill Banks, Cindy Ell and the team from "Cool Towel."

Stay Safe
Everybody Goes Home

Why Does it Seem We Are always Knocking Our Heads Against the Wall?

Come on...if you've been a firefighter for a couple of years, you already know that this headline means. You've seen it, you've heard and most likely, you've dealt with it. And the same is true for every officer, from our lieutenants to our chiefs. We go from "hero-to-zero" in a single heartbeat. And why? Are we not doing this job that 99.9% love. Is this not the job/avocation that we dreamed of since we were little kids and perhaps was the job referenced in the quote, "If you find a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life?" Then why the hell is it so difficult? No, not difficult to do...difficult to be!

A major part of our work is fire education and prevention. Yet, there never seems to be enough money in the budget to hire more people to do this job and/or purchase the educational tools that will help us reach our audiences from age five to eighty five? And what is the goal of this fire education that we strive for? To reduce the number of fires and injuries to the people and property in our communities.

We just posted Episode 7 of our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force," with Chief Tim Travers of the NFPA Sprinkler Initiative. (Find us on iTunes or at 5-Alarm Task Force)

Now we all know that sprinklers are not a new invention or method to suppress fires. As Chief Travers says they go back into some of the factories of the late 1800's. Most of us probably have one commercial property in our districts that is has sprinklers or at least, a standpipe system. And...I'll wager that quite a few of us have been called out to a sprinklered property, where the activation of one or two sprinkler heads mitigated the fire we faced on arrival. Then why the hell is it so hard to convince our municipal and state legislators to pass a bill requiring sprinklers to be installed in every new, 1-or-2 family residence! When you listen to what Chief Travers has to say, you will probably be as wide-eyed as I've been, to hear his experiences as he covers almost one-half of the U.S.

The key word is this discussion is, new construction. We are not asking for retrofitting every residential structure in the country! (Although we all know plenty of structures that could sure use a sprinkler retrofit!). The Initiative is the effort to require sprinklers in new construction. You need to hear some of the myths and downright falsehoods that are presented by those against this proposal. We require smoke detectors in every new residential structure. Chief Travers even has the numbers to show the difference in the number of lives lost before the smoke detector legislation and since. He also has the figures for the loss of human life caused by improper disposal of cigarettes and how, once proper legislation to require self-extinguishing cigarettes was passed, that number dropped!

Are you asking, "What can I do about it?" If are that's good! The first thing to do is learn the facts. Not from a book, not from a PDF file online; just sit back and listen to Chief Travers' interview on this podcast. I am very sure that almost every one of us believes that there is not enough human-power and money to really allow us to do as large a fire prevention and education program that we desire to. However, your help here only may cost you some time. Here's how:

1. Listen to Chief Travers and you'll learn a great deal about this program. 

2. Go to http://www.firesprinklerinitiative.org and learn some more ,especially if there is an Initiative committee in your state.  

3. Learn what you can do to help the Initiative if your state (like mine, Florida) has not passed the proper legislation. 

4. Fight back against the naysayers with facts.There are still 20 states that have either dropped the ball or haven't even tried to pick it up.

Remember, every time a new state passes the legislation and enforces it, there will be lives saved. And that is the business we're in; we save lives.

Listen and Learn!

Stay Safe!

Every one goes home!