If you were stranded on an island and you could pick one individual from the annals of the history of the American Fire Service to accompany you, whom would be your choice? This question was posed to some of FDIC International 2018 instructors. Here are their responses...

Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department: Here are a few:

Curt Varone and Brad Pinsky: They would take immediate legal action and get the decision of being stuck on an island reversed.

Bobby Halton: He would know exactly what quote from history would allegedly make me feel better about being stuck on an island with him.

Frank Brannigan: He would be able to construct a boat from the trees on the island and get us the heck out of there.

Alan Brunacini. He would figure out a way for me to still be nice even though I am stuck on the island.

Mike Dugan: I could stand on his shoulders and easily be able to see and wave to any approaching ships.

Harry Carter: I would sleep well because he would never run out of stories to tell me ... that would put me to sleep.

Dave Dodson: He would be able to make a fire for cooking, ensuring that the smoke would be safe and readable.

Bill Gustin: As island native cannibals approached us, he would offer them "peace cigars," and the odds are that they wouldn't eat us for dinner.

Ron Kanterman: On the slight chance that "two Jews are better than one" when stranded, he would bring measurable value to the situation.

John Salka: In the case that pirates attack, his command presence and voice would scare the life out of them.

Ray McCormack: His ability to keep fire in our life would ensure cooking ability and a signal at all times.

Frank Montagna: If life got too exciting, he would keep things calm, relaxed, and perhaps even slightly boring.

Frank Ricci: If we are attacked and treated unfairly, he would take the case all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Ron Siarnicki: He would come up with a way to do fundraising.

Mike Wilbur: He would ensure that our boat--once built--would have approved seat belts. 

Steve Chikerotis: When we DO get rescued, there would be a great TV show about our being stranded.

Steve Kerber: We would have a scientific understanding of why we got stuck on the island. 

Paul Combs: Our adventure would be graphically documented in nice colors.

Father Tom Mulcrone: We will be well-protected from up above while on the island. 

Jerry Wells, battalion chief, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department:  For me, it would be a Dallas firefighter named Jerry Keith Henderson.  https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2014/february/worst-fire-in-dallas-history-golden-pheasant-inferno/ Jerry was killed in the line of duty in Dallas on February 16, 1964, in the downtown "Golden Pheasant Fire.” He left behind a wife and five children. He was a great friend to my dad, who also was a Dallas firefighter). I was born March 9, 1964, and was named Jerry Keith Wells in his honor. It would be an honor to meet a man that was so well thought of by my father that he would give me that name. Jerry and I could catch up on so many things: family, fire

If you were stranded on an island and you could pick one individual from the annals of the history of the American Fire Service to accompany you, whom would be your choice? This question was posed to some of FDIC International 2018 instructors. Here are their responses...

Gregory G. Noll, CSP, CEM; GGN Technical Resources, LLC; Lancaster, PA: Tom Brennan. I miss his humor, his wit, and his dedication to the fire service. He would make me smarter while we laughed our way through every conversation!

Here’s another thought. Instead of just one person, how about a Fire Service Station version of "Field of Dreams" staffing an engine, a truck, and a rescue squad--the “Station of Dreams?”

            My Engine Company:

• Bob McLeod Sarasota (FL) Fire Department and longtime International Society of Fire Service Instructors officer
• Keith Royer, ISU Fire Service Extension and ‘Father of the Iowa Formula’ and key training resources in the 1960s
• Leo Stapleton, Boston (MA) Fire Department
• Alan Brunacini, Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department

            My Truck Company:

• Tom Brennan, Fire Department of New York
• Robert Quinn, Chicago (IL) Fire Department Commissioner and ‘Father of the Snorkel.’
• John Mittendorf, Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department
• Francis Brannigan, U.S. Navy, and Building Construction author

            Rescue/Special Operations:

• John Norman, Fire Department of New York
• Fred Endrikat, Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department
• John Eversole, Chicago (IL) Fire Department
• Ray Downey, Fire Department of New York

Captain Bill Gustin, Miami-Dade (FL) Fire/Rescue Department: Among the living, I would choose Deputy Assistant Chief (Ret.) John Norman, Fire Department of New York, because I am a huge student and follower of his. I’ve read every edition of his tactics book and attend his classes at FDIC International every year. He has an uncanny ability to explain complicated concepts in a way that can be easily understood. His knowledge and experience go far beyond the FDNY; he studied fire protection at Oklahoma State University, designed sprinkler systems, and was a member of a small volunteer fire department. Despite all of his experience and his stellar reputation, Chief Norman is a humble man with great humility. He loves firefighters and the fire service. I would take a note pad and a pen with me and pick his brain cleaner than a chicken’s neck. He is a man I truly look up to.

My other choice is my Dad, Bill Gustin. Not only because he is my father but also because of his extensive knowledge and experience as a fire officer. After serving in the Navy in the South Pacific in World War II, he began his fire service career with the Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol. The Patrol was financed by the Fire Insurance Board of Underwriters; its mission was to reduce claims caused by water damage. As firefighters were fighting a fire, the Patrol would spread salvage covers to protect merchandise, configure water chutes to divert the flow of water, drain a building’s pipes to keep them from freezing, and cover holes in roofs cut by firefighters. In 1948, he became a proud member of Squad Co. 2, in the “skid row” area just west of downtown, of the Chicago Fire Department. During the 1950s, this area had one of the highest rates of civilian fatalities per square mile in the world. When my Dad was p