Latest Articles

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  Volunteer Servitude & The Enslavement of the Modern Fire Service

  July 2, 2019 // 21 Comments

  Firefighting is perhaps one of the oldest and most well-established institutions in what is now the United States of America. The roots of the North American firefighter can be traced back over a century before the country was even formally established. The earliest days of the American fire service were an organized community effort born of necessity. Throughout the [...]
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  Welcome to Fire Service Middle Management

  June 24, 2019 // 0 Comments

  It was May 2017, and I had just promoted to an officer’s position. I stepped out back behind Station 2 to enjoy the late-spring weather when a city police officer pulled up to chat.  “Congrats on the promotion!” He said. “Welcome to fire-service middle management!” The officer departed as quickly as he had arrived and left me standing there, wondering if he was [...]
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  Beard Bros

  March 17, 2019 // 4 Comments

  Beard Bros The Holidays are upon us. As I worked on this piece, I was frequently surrounded by Christmas cards. The cards arrived from all parts of the area; from hospitals, other departments, former patients and the like. On one of these cards, I saw an image of Santa Claus in a fire engine. With his full, snow-white beard flowing in the wind, I can only assume that he [...]