Discussions

We Need to Be Better at Taking Care of Our Own There is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in the fire service and EMS. "We're family." It's a great saying. But if we're going to say it, we have to mean it. Mental health has become one of the biggest conversations in first responder culture, and rightfully so. We spend our careers walking into situations that most people will never experience. We hold dying patients' hands. We tell parents their child is dead. We watch fa

"Because That's How We've Always Done It." One of the greatest strengths of the fire service has always been our ability to adapt. Every emergency is different. Every patient is different. Every fire is different. So why do we sometimes resist changing the way we lead our own people? For years, one phrase has echoed through firehouses across the country: "That's how we've always done it." Sometimes that's the right answer. Sometimes tradition exists because generations befo

A firefighter's perspective on why so many good firefighters are quietly falling out of love with the profession they once called home, and how declining morale, fading brotherhood, and poor leadership are changing the fire service from the inside out. Every so often, you'll hear a firefighter say, "I don't love this job anymore." Most people misunderstand what that really means. They assume it's burnout. Laziness. Someone who has simply lost their work ethic. In my experienc