nobrotherfightsalone.org
Links - No Brother Fights Alone Foundation
http://www.nobrotherfightsalone.org/links.html
The framework of a good foundation is based upon those around you. Just like in the fire service, nothing is done alone. Here are links to those friends who have made NBFA what they are today. Sign Up for our Newsletter.
mark-vonappen.blogspot.com
FULLY INVOLVED: Treat People Right
http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2014/01/treat-people-right.html
LEARN, COACH, LEAD. Monday, January 13, 2014. As a rogue, you can feel ostracized and jaded for loving the job. Maybe you've made enemies and burned bridges to light your way. If you feel that your love is unreasonable and unrequited, it can lead you to do things that damage relationships and hurt your career. How do you avoid self-destructive behavior? Anger is the poison in this whole process. We spend entirely too much time chasing an ideal of what should be rather than focusing on what is. Them shoul...
mark-vonappen.blogspot.com
FULLY INVOLVED: Trapped By Flashover: A Survivor's Journey
http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2014/01/trapped-by-flashover-survivors-journey.html
LEARN, COACH, LEAD. Saturday, January 25, 2014. Trapped By Flashover: A Survivor's Journey. The following information is taken from the official investigation of the Stilt Court residential fire. Some language has been added for clarity. On October 7, 2008, Sacramento Regional Fire Emergency Communications Center (SRFECC) received multiple 911 calls for a building fire at 17 Stilt Court. The callers stated smoke was coming from the second floor of the house. As firefighters from E15 and E18 were exiting ...
mark-vonappen.blogspot.com
FULLY INVOLVED: A Letter From the Rookie
http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-letter-from-rookie.html
LEARN, COACH, LEAD. Wednesday, December 5, 2012. A Letter From the Rookie. This letter came to me from a firefighter in a major metroplolitan department here in the USA. If this rookie had a voice, this is what he would say. I want to learn. You and the crew have many combined years of service and every one of them was spent learning something. You are teaching me these things whether you know it or not; whether you want to or not. I look up to you. I want to learn. I am watching.". Remember too, that we...
mark-vonappen.blogspot.com
FULLY INVOLVED: Defiant
http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2012/04/battle-hymn-of-defiant.html
LEARN, COACH, LEAD. Monday, June 23, 2014. An open letter to those who believe that the job is about anything other than hard work to maintain your edge. Hope and luck don't keep you safe, your training does. A little back story on this one; it started out as 100 sentences that I wrote to my boss. The self imposed punishment essay read, "I will never try to ensure the quality of fire department training again.". We had a closed door meeting a little while later. To whom it may concern,. We are taking sig...
mark-vonappen.blogspot.com
FULLY INVOLVED: Coaching Them Right
http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2012/11/coaching-them-right.html
LEARN, COACH, LEAD. Tuesday, May 5, 2015. Running threads throughout many of the posts I have had in this blog involve trust. Faith in the leader, the team, the person next to you, and ultimately in yourself are what I feel are keystones of successful operations. The words we choose and the style of teaching we employ can make or break learning sessions. Even when all other means have failed I'm not a fan of belittling firefighters - ever. Standing over a trainee with your arms folded, shaking your head ...
mark-vonappen.blogspot.com
FULLY INVOLVED: November 2011
http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html
LEARN, COACH, LEAD. Monday, November 28, 2011. One Team, One Fight. Have you ever watched a really efficient fire company in action and wondered how a crew can move almost effortlessly through an evolution with little apparent communication and few breaks in the routine? A group of 2 to 5 people acting as one, accomplishing all assigned tasks at maximum efficiency. In these times of uncertain budgets, fluctuation in staffing levels on a daily basis and a large turnover of personnel, communicating expecta...
mark-vonappen.blogspot.com
FULLY INVOLVED: Daddy's Girl (Explicit)
http://mark-vonappen.blogspot.com/2014/01/daddys-girl.html?spref=bl
LEARN, COACH, LEAD. Wednesday, January 22, 2014. So, I’m at this backyard BBQ when this guy walks up…. Listing, he points his wine glass at me, “Fireman, right? 8220;Uh-huh.”. It always goes the same way…. Idyllic, bullshit conversation ensues…. 8220;Checkers and coffee all day, right? 8221; He chuckles and claps me way too hard on the shoulder in a way that is way too chummy for a guy who’s not my friend. Who the fuck is this guy? I smile back, “Right…”. Get me out of here. I can feel it, here it comes.
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