I wrote the following when I was nearing the end of my run. I never did get what I wanted. The people I left behind, the ones working on the streets of Providence with one day off a week are struggling. Morale is everything, take that away and things just get worse. Things couldn’t get […]

I started writing City Life in 2006. Finished it about 16 hours ago. It’s  going to be available  as an ebook soon with a print version early next year. Here’s a taste of what’s coming. Thanks for reading. . .   There comes a time when every one of us will need somebody. It is […]

Okay, Melissa, Mike and Billy, you’ve had your fun. Now it’s time for the REAL great lovers to be exposed. Firefighters have their cute little calendars; cops have the tools and that “up against the wall and spread ‘em” stuff going on, and police wives are, well…police wives! When it’s time to get down to […]

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started the application process to become a firefighter. I had a vague understanding about what firefighters do, and couldn’t wait to gear up and go in, full speed ahead. Little did I know that there is so much more to this life than fighting […]

Some advice from somebody who has been there*…   *disclaimer: the nicest patient told me while in the back of the rescue about the “last one who came,” and how she made the her feel small, and worthless, and worse than before she called. And here I thought we were supposed to make people feel […]

FIRE EMS: CONTINUATION OF CARE http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2015/09/fire-ems-continuation-of-care.html 09/16/2015   By Michael Morse You have been on scene with a gracious couple for nearly 15 minutes, waiting for theEMS rig to arrive, treat, and transport. The patient, an 82-year-old-female complaining of shortness of breath and dizziness, has been evaluated, her vital signs assessed, and she has been […]

Every now and then I have a moment of clarity… It is tempting to draw the line in the sand, circle the wagons and hide behind the uniform. They are shooting cops. They are out of control. They are taking our benefits. They don’t respect the badge. They don’t deserve us. They are not taking […]

It doesn’t matter if you have worked forty hours straight without a break. It matters not if the patient is a frequent flier, 400 pounds, third floor dweller who refuses to walk. Nobody cares that it is 4:00 a.m., and the patient is in better shape than you are.   Conking out in the Captain’s […]

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself out there for the world to see. Yeah, I’m an alcoholic, big deal. Who cares. A firefighter e-mailed me last week. Before becoming one of us, he was brought back to life by firefighters after he overdosed. He’s four years clean now, and taking things one day at […]

In an alleged attempt to cut overtime costs, the Mayor of Providence implemented a new platoon structure, forced his firefighters-some of the busiest in the country- to increase their work week by 14 hours, barely compensated. With mandatory overtime most Providence Firefighters are now ghosts to their families. The Providence Fire Department COULD be a […]