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Stories From The Street: A Debt Repaid

Dan was a volunteer firefighter in Warrenton Virginia and the town had hired him as the first paid firefighter. He was conscientious, funny, jovial, skilled, big hearted and well respected. I know of a time when he took his own money and bought food and clothes for two young boys hanging out on the street […]

Stories from the Street: Prevent Next Year’s Fire Today

If you’ve been watching the local news for the last two months, you’ve probably noticed there is rarely a day or week that goes by without mention of a house or apartment fire. Naturally, coming from the fire service, I have an interest in such things and made a phone call to Fire Marshall Robbie […]

Stories From The Street: Real Men Cook With Fire

You know the drill: Real men cook with fire. So he goes out and buys a turkey fryer, $30 worth of peanut oil, and lights the gas burner. The boys hang out waiting for the oil to heat up enough to drop the bird in for a 20 minute cookoff. Real men don’t read directions! […]

Stories From The Street: House Fire Started by Dog Smoking in Bed

How many times have you seen these headlines and thought to yourself it could never happen to me? We’ll I’ve never actually seen such a story, but there are many house fires related to dogs, dog beds and dog houses. As the weather gets colder many dog lovers want to keep their outdoor pets warm […]

Stories From The Street: Learning Life Lessons The Hard Way

Several years ago a former Chesterfield Firefighter had moved back to California to be closer to his wife’s family. There was a beautiful lake called Shasta in northern California his family loved to boat on. One Sunday evening, they launched their boat with plans to spend time after the crowd had already loaded their boats […]

Summer Safety Is No Accident: Tips From A Former Firefighter

We all look forward to the summertime and all the activities that come with being outdoors. The fun in the sun is a reward for being cooped up in the house during the winter and rainy spring months. Along with all the outdoor activity comes increased exposure to risk. I remember a call I responded […]

Health & Safety: The Dangers Of Distracted Driving

Two seconds was just enough time to avoid being killed on a Virginia road this past weekend. I was towing my boat to the lake for the maiden voyage, the weather was warm, sunny, and beautiful.
Towing a boat trailer can be a little nerve-wracking on narrow country roads. You are trying to keep the right […]

Theft Happens: Tips To Prevent Property Loss & Travel Safely

I was recently on a flight from Richmond to Denver on a major airline. The flight stopped at Charlotte for 90 minutes then continued on to Denver. I always carried my snowboarding jacket with me while travelling instead of packing it in the bags, just in case my bags were lost or delayed. I had […]

Health & Safety: Simple Things You Can Do To Prevent Water Damage

As my former wife screamed from the house for me to “get in here now.” I thought there must be a fire in the house, and I ran from the back yard. My dog was running along beside me enjoying the sprint as I looked for smoke.
We ran into the house, still seeing no […]

Tips For Helping Rescue Crews Reach You Faster In Emergencies

One of my last memorable calls as a fire captain and paramedic occurred last spring, and it turned out to be a career highlight! Our company was dispatched to a home a few miles away for an “impending birth.” As we approached the scene I was reviewing in my mind some of my training on […]

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