The humble pike pole's entry into the U.S. fire service began in the 1600s when it was used to pull down walls and neighboring buildings in the path of a fire to stop the fire's spread. Also known as a ceiling hook, the pike pole is the "hook" in a hook-and-ladder company, also known as a truck company.

In the past couple of years, many communities have been faced with torrential rains and flooding. As we've seen in the most recent flooding in Colorado, we are exposed to a huge risk when it comes to emergency response to both the slow rising water type of flooding and flash floods.

One thing that I do believe is that cases like this are to Fire and EMS leadership and management what the "a canary dying in a coal mine" meant to coal miners underground.

Climate change along with continued human encroachment into the wildland urban interface is making many fire departments realize that they need wildland firefighting capabilities, and these departments are not all west of the Mississippi River. Those departments are finding that their Type I and II engines, the traditional pumping apparatus with an in-line pump, are not the right fit when combating fires and protecting structures in the WUI.

By:  Robert Avsec I opened my e-mail yesterday to view the latest FireRescue1.com newsletter and this is one of the leads: Pregnant firefighter placed on unpaid leave by Conn. department City officials are investigating saying the department may be violating state and federal laws by placing her on unrequested, unpaid leave because she’s pregnant. The next thing I did was ...

By:  Michele Nitsch with Robert Avsec In marketing, one the most important aspects is to know your PRODUCT and how it can improve someone’s life.  While fire departments, large and small, provide an array of services, the one common “denominator” is problem solving.  The viewpoint held by many people in the USA, especially since the tragic events of September 11, ...

It seems to me that many fire and EMS organizations are a bit "Johnny-come-lately" when it comes to the health and well-being of their people, and some still have not come to the party. I was very fortunate to have spent my career with one of the organizations that‘s frequently been on the forefront of efforts to constantly make improvements for the safety, health and welfare of its people.

Your ability to develop professional networks has increased exponentially with advent of social media, and particularly LinkedIn, the most used professional networking platform on the planet. Check this article out to see how you can start making it work for you.

I once heard this at a leadership and management seminar I attended and it’s stuck with me all these years: Middle management is like the white frosting in an Oreo cookie. It’s the “glue” that holds everything together and it’s the “buffer” that keeps the two hard cookie layers apart.

Here's what you need to know before replacing, or buying your first, airport rescue and firefighting vehicle.