Scott Orr

Usually, I talk with a member of the fire service on this show, but today’s a bit different. Brian McDonald is an author, but not a firefighter. He’s written several […]

What do you think of your city’s news media? Maybe you think of reporters and photographers as an annoyance. Perhaps you view them as a necessary evil. Or—and this is […]

  If you’re thinking you’d like to try for a company officer or to move up to a chief officer position, I have a question for you: Who has been […]

Some people call it “auto-pilot.” It’s that ability to arrive at a scene and immediately go to work. That’s a learned skill, and it has a place on the fireground. […]

Every firefighter can recall the worst incidents in his or her career—you know, the ones that made a serious impact on their psyche. They may not have realized it at […]

I have a question for you today. Why did you become a firefighter? I know, you probably haven’t had to think about it since you were interviewed before hiring. But […]

Smaller fire departments often work with less personnel than they need. That means there are very few specialists in a volunteer department or a rural agency. One of the specialists […]

Firefighters are athletes. You may be part of the culture that already knows and accepts this truth. But if this is a foreign idea to you, or if you disagree, […]

Now that the wildland fire season lasts pretty much all year long—and homes continue to be built further from city centers–the focus is turning to homes in the wildland-urban interface. […]

I have no idea how many times I have heard the old phrase, “Practice makes perfect.” Of course, nowadays, we understand that it’s wrong. If practice is going to be […]