The Washington Fire Chiefs EVIP Program is changing.  As most of you know, the EVIP program is due for re-accreditation in 2013.  Rather than update the existing program, the EVIP committee elected to go in a different direction. 

We have attempted to update the materials to make both the instructors' and students' jobs easier.  This new program has a section which spells out the annual continuing education requirements, such as:  Accident Case Reviews, Rodeo, Road Course, etc.  It also has an Instructor re-certification requirement whereby instructors must attend a Train-the-Trainer course once every five years...

On September 10, 2001, my wife and I started moving into our new home. Two months late getting the house completed, we had grown impatient and were glad to finally be moving in. Our plan was to get all the furniture and “big stuff” in on the 10th and then get all the “other stuff” in on the 11th. As we got started early on the morning of the 11th, we did not yet have our cable TV hooked up and our radio was still packed away, since it was “small stuff.” My wife ...

Revenues are down and budgets are being stripped. It always seems the first reaction is “effective immediately, no outside training.” We limit our personnel’s ability to network with others and gain knowledge. A valuable part of this networking is often asking others “what is your organization doing to minimize the impacts.” I would challenge people to look at the bang for the buck we receive when we do send somebody to attend training at a conference or ...

Public safety, in terms of funding, typically consumes more than 80% of a municipal operating budget. This high percentage reflects the great pride that citizens and elected officials take in their fire and rescue services. Emergency medical services and fire services personnel are the apples of most citizens eyes, heroes from a 9-11 era -- that is, until people start losing their jobs, kids start moving back in with their parents, and one in five mortgages are under ...

Date: 8/17/2012 Body: Looking at the statistics of fire ground injuries and deaths, I realized that I could be the most dangerous thing on the fire ground. 60% of fatalities are over the age of 40 (that’s me), 30% are over the age of 50 (that’s me, soon). The number of deaths by heart attack is 44%. That doesn’t have to be me. Many younger firefighters look critically at the older firefighters, questioning their physical condition. Many have even said, “We should have higher fitness ...