Fire Daily

Bio

Hi! I'm a firefighter/paramedic and a lieutenant in suburban Chicago. As is the case with many of you veterans, my interest in firefighting began with Johnny and Roy. Or Chet. Or that other guy, the one that did all the work. Not Captain Stanley. As a volunteer in the 70's I rode the tailboard, nose firmly against the musty hosebed during those long winter runs in a blizzard. In the summer, who remembers the chaffed upper legs from where the 3/4 boots rubbed mercilessly when we wore only shorts underneath? The 80's brought paramedicine into my life. Back then, we pushed 2 amps of bicarb early on in the arrest, and pushed Isuprel, both probably killing our patients. CPR was different back then although the human body hasn't changed that much (the four most important words in CPR back then were: ‘you take the mouth'). I finally bit the bullet in the 90's and went full time. Since then, I've focused on training- my own and for others- by heading up our training division. My second job was as adjunct faculty at our local college instructing Firefighter II, EMT-B and paramedic courses. I am also a certified fire investigator and safety officer. I hold an AAS in EMS and fire science and I'm currently pursuing a bachelors as a member of the 30-year program. I've been sidelined recently, the victim of a line of duty injury keeping me away from my right seat and my brothers- my second family. This blog keeps me close to the issues that remain important to me, even away from the engine. I'm honored to be a part of the blog team at FireEMSblogs.com. I'm in such great company and hope to contribute in a way that can keep up with them all. If you haven't yet peeked in on the talent here, you are in for a treat. Make it a point to stop by as you surf the web, I promise you'll be better for it.