Mutual Aid, well ain’t that great! Sounds great, but it ain’t. What it is, is one city or town saving money on the backs of other cities and towns. What it ain’t is some precursor to a nifty little consolidation of services plan that will save taxpayers millions while providing the same or better level […]

Worcester Fire Department Lieutenant Menard died saving his crew while fighting heavy fire; believing a baby and another person were trapped.  It was a tragic end to a heroic battle. I’m certain that until the very last seconds he thought he would pull it off and be on his way to Disney when the shift […]

I think of Worcester, Massachusetts as Providence, Rhode Island’s sister city – similar population, lots of wood frame, old structures and a top notch fire department.  Once again busloads of our firefighters will be descending on our sister city to show our respect for a fallen brother, and offer whatever support we can for the […]

Jason Menard, WFD. He was thirty-nine. Died this morning fighting a fire in Worcester, Massachusetts. Left his wife, kids and parents. Saved his crew. Their wives, kids and parents will grieve, and mourn the loss of their husband’s officer, and console the men who got out, and will do their best to honor the memory […]

There were some tough guys back then, back in ’91 when I was a new guy and didn’t say much. Guys in their mid forties, guys who also didn’t say much but for far different reasons, guys who got on the fire department before it was a sought after position were the heart and soul […]

“The time is upon us—the dedicated firefighter—be it volunteer, call, or union to advocate for the fire side of our profession while maintaining our EMS proficiency.” https://www.fireengineering.com/2019/10/31/480509/engine-company-ems-keeping-the-fire-in-ems-response/

By Michael Morse There comes a time when a firefighter knows it’s time to say when. Usually, we know it long before we actually retire. Climbing icy ladders, hauling charged lies up burned-out stairways, looking for pulses on mangled bodies, and showing up again and again wears a person down. The thrill of the job—and […]

Make no mistake; we do what we do because we love it. We can carry on all day long about the hardship, the stress, the risk and the misery, but at the end of the day, when the ambulance is clean, the hosebed packed, the station ready for the next shift, the portable radio passed […]

By Michael Morse They are the best of calls, they are the worst of calls… Just about every firefighter I know would rather enter a fully involved, occupied fertilizer factory without a charged line than deliver a baby. Until, that is, they deliver one. Field deliveries are a bit unnerving, but they can be one […]