“The current political climate” is a phrase that describes how dysfunctional life in the United States has become. The words are used by the media and politicians, as well as by people at coffee shops, bars and dinner tables, to strengthen their position on hot topics: Donald Trump, racism, Supreme Court nominations, global warming and […]

  I always try and remember that what we do spans generations. . . 1954 The fire started in the kitchen, he told me, his mother and aunt had been drinking, and forgot about the pan of oil on the stovetop. It ignited, then before they could put it out the stove caught fire. It […]

By Michael Morse One important thing I learned about the fire service and the brother (sister) hood; you get exactly what you put into this job. Expecting miracles without doing the work is a fool’s game. Expecting something as magical as true brotherhood to form between strangers thrust together by a common vocation is ridiculous. […]

“On September 9th 2018, our lives were changed in a blink of an eye. Our father Captain Vincent John D’Ambra of the Providence, Rhode Island Fire Department was the victim of a horrific motorcycle accident which led to a traumatic spinal cord injury that we are now learning will change our lives forever. He is […]

Dan Rinaldi does a lot more than make great chili. . . It was hot, blistering hot, the sun seemed to be inside the earth’s atmosphere, pounding her inhabitants with unrelenting heat. The A/C unit in Rescue 1 was useless, I was miserable, my partner was miserable, everybody was miserable. Everybody but Dan Rinaldi. We […]

Rest in peace Senator McCain “Hello Senator Reed,” I said without considering that maybe he preferred to be left alone. It was too late to take it back so I pressed on. “Don’t you have people to do this stuff?” He chuckled at that, and replied with a little grin, “I sure do. Me!” We […]

By Michael Morse “When the tones go off, and the call is for an EMS crew requesting assistance, know this: the folks who called for help are listening for your sirens, and are breathing a little easier knowing that the cavalry is on the way.”   https://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2018/08/engine-company-ems-the-cavalry.html  

She sat in her chair, looking out the window, waiting for the end. Thirty-seven years old, less than a hundred pounds, tired, depressed and dying. She wanted to stay at home, but her condition required a trip to the hospital, perhaps her last. Stone cold eyes greeted me, eyes that had given up the fight […]

The rest of the world might have gone nuts, but that is no reason for us to join them. Society is embracing the idea of questioning the police, as if the police were created to harass them. Showing disrespect to a uniformed police officer is a badge of honor these days; street cred gained through […]

“We are the professionals on an emergency scene; it is we whom people depend on. We are not struggling to find the right words while filled with worry; we are simply doing our job to the best of our abilities. Communicating with our patients is the first step toward properly treating them. It is not […]