Trauma is something most people don’t have to deal with very often. But for those of us in the fire service it is a regular occurrence. A house fire can expose civilians to several types of trauma: emotional trauma from losing one’s possessions, and physical trauma by possibly being injured in the fire. [...]

It is so great when spring arrives in the Seattle area! People seem to come out of hibernation. It is not that we all hide from the rain around here. If we did, nothing would ever get done! But when the sun comes out and the temperature warms up, it seems like everyone [...]

Whenever budgets get tight in the economy or even in our own homes, we look for ways to cut back, tighten the belt and weather the storm. Unfortunately, when it comes to the way that our local governments handle economic crises, the public servants get caught in the middle and are often used as pawns in [...]

The process of coming “on duty” involves more than just relieving the person you are replacing on the rig. Here in Seattle, once you replace your bunking gear with theirs and announce over station’s P.A. that “so and so is relieved,” you record it in the watch office journal and now you are “on duty.”

But the [...]

Sometimes the “shift gods” orchestrate one’s schedule in such a way that you get to work holidays. This year the that shift I’m on, “C” shift, was scheduled to work Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Day. Bummer! But for those of us working shift work, that is just how the cards [...]

Each of us guides our lives by certain principles that we may or may not be aware of. Some people go through life never really taking the time to reflect on what guides their lives, what helps them make decisions that affect their lives and those around them. Principles are those values that we [...]

Training is a never-ending part of life in the fire service. Like many fire departments, here in Seattle we have to complete certain types of training to keep our certifications current. This benefits us by keeping our skills up, and it also benefits the communities we serve because it ensures better service to them.

Last shift we [...]

So – what happens at the end of the shift? The 24 hours on duty are coming to a close and it will soon be time to head home for some much-needed time off. In Seattle, the end of the shift starts with several benchmarks in the morning. The first is the time check. At 0655 [...]