My best friend from the Providence RI Fire Department’s 42nd Academy raised a great next generation firefighter.  Not sure which impressed me more with her Instagram post that I hijacked for this post; the original gesture or her reaction.  Well Done Tay Brown, and the person who expressed their appreciation.  Rest easy Providence, you are […]

All in the family of firefighters… Michael Morse We know how it feels when all we can do is not enough. We live with the mental images of what can go wrong in an uncertain world. We know exactly how fragile life is, and how quickly it all can end. Yet every one of us, […]

One hundred people from my area died sixteen years ago today. One hundred people who were my age, listened to my music, went to the same places I did, lived their lives the same way I did and had dreams, like I did. I knew some of them. Everybody around here knew some of them. […]

There is no movement. There is no conspiracy. There is no organized, brainwashed hostile cult of MAGA lunatics following their leader. Groups of people roving the country looking for people who are not white, rich, heterosexual and conservative to do them harm exist only in the fantasies of disturbed people who gather on social media […]

https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190218/adult-entertainment-industry-a-very-powerful-lobby-in-ri These places are not pretty, or glamorous, or sexy. Not even a little. Funny how quickly the illusion of erotica and beauty is shattered by bright fluorescent lights. The girl, who moments ago captivated her crowd of twenty admirers with her sultry swaying, bleary eyed come-ons and spread legged suggestions didn’t look so good […]

Men make fun of each other. We do it loudly, in public and don’t hold back; especially men who do tough jobs. We exploit each other’s weaknesses for our own amusement. There is no honor or dignity in it, it is not kind or dignified. We hurt each other’s feelings, then do it again. More […]

By Michael Morse “Either I’ll be high, or I’ll be gone.” He opened his eyes. The bugs in his head stopped buzzing, and he looked at me. “You weren’t breathing,” I said. It was just me and him in the back of an old ambulance in Providence, Rhode Island. A team of people had helped […]

  By Michael Morse 10. When a firefighter acts like a fool, the rest of them put a stop to it right quick. Funny thing about firefighters: When one does something stupid, the entire profession is tarnished. We are held to a higher standard. That’s okay; we’ve earned it. 9.  Firefighters don’t care what color, race, gender, shape, […]

Things they don’t teach in school . . . Her parents heard choking from behind the closed door. They tried to open it but something held it closed. The stepfather put his weight into it but it barely budged. Some commotion behind the door, then deadly quiet. He kicked the door in. His stepdaughter, two […]

I thought my high blood pressure was hereditary. I used to take a reading whenever I had a chance, and for twenty-three years in was in the 140/90 range – high enough to make me worry but not high enough to REALLY worry about. Now that I’ve had some time away from the tones I’ve […]