During my search through the Fire & EMT blogosphere for the TOP blogs, we found a ton of great bloggers. There are countless firefighters and EMTs out there with great advice, stories and suggestions.
But while I searched, I also found a whole different kind of fire blog: blogs that represented entire units of firefighters, instead of just one particular FF! This bigger take on the fire world opens up whole new opportunities for fire blogs.
We are so pleased to profile one such blog today! Ladies and gentleman, today’s top blog is…
CAL FIRE: Inyo-Mono-San Bernardino Unit!
If you are looking for an inside look into a CA fire unit, this is the blog for you. But that’s not all CAL FIRES offers. It’s also a one-stop-shop for information about the Unit and its personnel, fire and life safety information, access to fire safety videos, product safety, regional cooperators in fire and life safety, and a large collection of fire service pictures of training, fire fighting and firefighters accomplishments.
Phew. That’s a lot of coverage. But what’s great about CAL FIRE is that it actually delivers.
My favorite thing about CAL FIRE? The blog does a stellar job of presenting relevant, useful fire and safety information in clear, interesting ways using great photos and linked resources.
Exploring the blog, I started to wonder how it came about. So we chatted with a CAL FIRE editor to get the inside scoop!
How would you describe CAL FIRE?
Our blog is an information site both for CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit personnel, CAL FIRE personnel and the public at large.
What is the focus or mission of the site?
The mission of our blog is to provide up to date information on what CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit personnel are achieving and accomplishing. The blog is also designed to provide fire and life safety information to the general public while providing information of interest to the news media.
Why did you start it?
We began the CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit blog site to provide information to unit personnel, the public and the news media about what was going on in the Unit as well as fire and life safety information.
How long has it been filling this role?
Since May 25, 2010 when the blog was created.
How long have you been blogging?
On and off for more than five years. This is the first consistently maintained blog that I have done.
What’s your favorite thing to write about?
For the Cal FIRE San Bernardino Unit blog, everything I write about is my favorite. I enjoy spreading the word about the accomplishments and achievements of our personnel as well as keeping fire and life safety information before the public and news media.
What can you tell us about your blog ‘community’?
Our ‘community’ consists of interest from around the world such as Russia, Germany, Brazil, Egypt and South Korea to name a few. I am not only surprised by the reach of our blog but that so many different people would be interested. Last month for example we had 3,742 page views… I am humbled and inspired to do the best job I can in providing information that displays our unit and personnel to the world.
What has been the best your best experience as a blogger?
When we were named a top fire department blog last year.
(Woo hoo, Congrats!)
What have you learned?
I have learned that people hungry for information and this, as I mentioned, inspires me to provide the best information and photographs possible.
Any great stories to share with us?
Yes, during the annual ABC7/Firefighters Spark of Love Christmas Toy Drive in 2011 we were able to have the “Angel Cars” at two events. The toy drive events were held in the cities of Highland and Yucaipa, where the CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit is the city fire department. Both events were honored to have these cars which pay tribute to the fallen emergency responders who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and United Flight 93. These beautiful white cars contain the names of every person who died in those tragic events. We were indeed honored to have them as a part of our Christmas Toy Drive efforts to help less advantaged children in those communities to have a brighter Christmas.
If you win, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings? Why?
If I win, the money would be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association because not only are they a great organization that is working continually to find a cure for this disease, but this is an organization that all of CAL FIRE has chosen to assist in raising funds for a cure.
To prepare for our Battle of the Blogs, I’ve spent the last few weeks combing the Fire & EMS blogosphere.
And you guys, there are a ton (and I mean a ton) of Fire & EMS blogs out there.
Today, we are so proud to spotlight one of our top blogs: The Fire Critic!
This is Rhett Fleitz, aka ‘The Fire Critic’
Rhett is a bit of a blog veteran. ‘The Fire Critic’ isn’t his first rodeo. He’s been blogging since 2005, has authored multiple blogs, and written 1300 articles for ‘The Fire Critic’ alone! Exploring his blogs, we had to learn more about this blog rockstar. Check it out:
So, Rhett, how would you describe your blog?
My blog is a fire service blog hosted at FireEMSBlogs.com and ranks among the top fire blogs in the World. It is about anything and everything firefighting including fire based EMS occasionally.
What woudl you say is the focus of the Fire Critic?
The focus of my blog is to give my readers interesting articles to read. I do write a good bit myself, but I also feature other links, videos, and content from other blogs around the World. I try to use my network and my reach to help my readers find new blogs and help other blogs get new readers. I try to share the stuff I enjoy reading myself. I write in all different kinds of ways. Everything is an experiment for me. Sometimes I write without offering my opinion on a topic so I don’t sway others opinions. I offer posts that include the good, bad, humorous, sad, and ugly of the fire service.
Why did you start this particular blog?
I saw a void in blogging when it came to the fire service and filled it with the uniqueness of what The Fire Critic is all about. Even though “The Fire Critic” was simply the name of the blog, it has actually become somewhat of an alter ego. So many people know me as The Fire Critic and might not realize what my real name is.
How long have you been writing on this particular blog?
I began The Fire Critic in June 2009. That includes almost 1300 articles which works out to a little over a post a day.
What’s your favorite thing to write about?
I really enjoy writing about great articles by other bloggers and writers and helping share their message. That is probably the most rewarding. It is great hearing from other bloggers thanking me for sharing their stuff.
What about your least favorite?
I dislike writing about Line of Duty Deaths. I still find honor in sharing information about our fallen, I would just rather not have any LODD’s to write about.
What is your blog ‘community’ like
The network surrounding fire service blogs is immense. Every day, more firefighters are finding out about fire bloggers and starting to follow more and more. The content created by fire bloggers rivals that of any original content on the main fire service web sites. I get my inspiration from other bloggers and firefighters. I find my motivation to keep on doing it through the communication between myself and my readers as well as the occasional out of the blue comment of thanks for doing what I do.
What has been your best experience as a blogger?
Probably the relationships I have forged just through blogging, email, twitter, and facebook. It is amazing how I might meet someone in person after knowing them online for years. Typically once we meet in person it is like we have known each other personally for a long time. If you blog, people get to know you…You kind of become a “celebrity” at times. People might have read about you for years and when they meet you they talk to you like you should know them too. I have a terrible memory and hate it when this happens. It makes it tough for me at times.
Have you learned anything through your blogging experiences?
I have learned that it isn’t worth it to try to please everyone…it simply isn’t possible. I have helped so many fire bloggers get started, one thing I always tell them up front is that it takes time to get readership and you have to stick with it if you want to succeed. If they aren’t willing to put the time in, they won’t succeed.
If you win the TOP BLOG competition, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings?
The National Firefighters Endowment because I believe in what they are doing and I want to see them grow into a huge success that will help fire departments across the United States.
Is there anywhere on the web where people can keep up with you, other than the blog?
Springtime is a beautiful time of year – but it also begins the lead up to several dangerous weather related seasons. One such dangerous season is fire season, which runs from summer to fall, and is especially threatening to our western states.
The best time to prepare for fire season is before it starts – so here are some tips to help you stay safe during fire season.
If you live in an area that could be threatened by wildfires, you should make sure you have at safety zone of at least 30 feet around your home, and as much as 100 feet if you live in a pine forest. Are your plants fire-resistant? If not, you might consider replacing them with hardwoods. Regularly clean up fallen leaves, pine needles and other plant debris, especially from underneath structures, and trim away tree branches that could touch your roof or are at least 15 feet from a stovepipe. If any tree branches on your property touch power lines, contact your power company to come have them trimmed.
You can make your own disaster preparedness kit, and store items in an easily transportable container, such as a camper’s backpack or a duffel bag. Your kit should have a first-aid kit, some canned food and an opener, a battery powered radio and flashlight with plenty of extra batteries. You should also have a supply of drinking water; experts recommend about three gallons per person. You might also consider stashing away a small amount of cash in your disaster kit. Some weather resistant clothing – such as ponchos and rain boots – may also come in handy. Include copies of all your most important documentation in the disaster kit, such as insurance policies, wills, birth and marriage certificates, credit card and banking information, titles and deeds to your property. Place these items in waterproof bags in the kit, or in a fireproof safe, if you have one. As a double precaution, send copies of your important documentation to a relative or friend who lives in another state or region.
If you haven’t prepared a household inventory, it is also advisable to do this, and you can do it either with a video camera, a Polaroid or digital camera or by taking notes. Include copies of the tapes or notes in your water- or fire-proof safe havens.
September 11, 2001 was day that would have been remembered for its beautiful weather. Then, at 8:46 a.m., 5 hijackers crashed American Airlines flight 11 into the World Trade Center’s North Tower, and our worlds changed forever.
In the chaos that followed, the first responders of New York City and Washington, D.C. rushed headlong into the burning buildings in an attempt to save the people trapped inside, despite knowing the immense danger they were placing themselves in. Over the course of that day, a total of 411 first responders were killed – 341 firefighters, 60 police officers, and 10 paramedics.
We wanted to take some time today to share some sites with stories to remember and honor these heroes, check out the links below to read more about a few of the people who went above and beyond the call of duty on that day:
I ran across this amazing story through a Facebook posting, which led to the Clarion Ledger from Jackson, MS.
This a story of true heroism, and should remind us all why we need to take time to appreciate all that firefighters are willing to risk to save a life.
At CalCas – we truly enjoy putting together programs that allow us to offer help to firefighters, educators, nurses, and peace officers. One such program was the “Help your Fire Station” contest we ran earlier this year.
In January, Mike Stopa, a firefighter and EMT (and also the VP of the Medina Township Firefighters Association) won $500 that his station will use to replenish their fire prevention materials.
For more information, you can read the newspaper article here. To keep up to date with upcoming contests, be sure to join us on Facebook or Twitter.
This a story of true heroism, and should remind us all why we need to take time to appreciate all that firefighters are willing to risk to save a life.