I originally found out about this show from www.firecritic.com.  If anyone has watched “The Academy: Orange County Fire”, it should be required viewing for EVERYONE in the fire service.  I have a special interest in it because the OVM on my Truck (and my former roommate) used to be a Reserve Firefighter with the OCFA.  If you care about this job (if  you “get it”) and truly believe in the mission of the fire service to SERVE the public, then you will truly appreciate the efforts Captain Contreras and the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) cadre.

Throughout their academy, they talk about ATTENTION TO DETAIL and PROFESSIONALISM as well as other traits that seem to be fading away in the “web-based fire training world”.  In my opinion, because these traits are instilled so passionately and relentlessly during their Recruit School, it lays the foundation for the OCFA culture and speaks volumes about the level of service provided to the citizens of Orange County, California.

It is a breath of fresh air to see a department/organization that truly takes its responsibility seriously.  Remember, it is our DUTY to SERVE the public and PROTECT lives and property.  Whether you get a paycheck or not does not matter.  What matters is that when the alarm sounds, and you leave the firehouse, that you are ready to go to work with ATTENTION TO DETAIL and PROFESSIONALISM.

Watch it by yourself or at the firehouse with your crew at www.foxreality.com/theacademy or at hulu.com.

Thanks and Be Safe

Today is my first full day of being part of the Fire/EMS Blog network.  I have a ton of new content coming around the corner.  However, I am on vacation.  I’ll be adding articles on LODD as well as an article, from my first contributor, talking about strategy and tactics for forcing multiple overhead doors.

Since the purpose of my site is to bring up ways to better yourself through various avenues, I would encourage those of you who visit my site to go to the “partners” drop down at the top of the page and wonder through all of the other blogs in the network.  There are some great fire and EMS minds at work and there is a lot of information to be shared.

The more points of view you can see, the closer you’ll get to seeing the whole picture.  Enjoy the new site and enjoy the new network!

FTM-PTB and Be Safe