Bob Newell was both old school and cutting edge at the same time, always focused on training his replacements. I was fortunate enough to be just one of many.

A lot has happened in these 5 years. I was a chief officer in my volunteer fire department then and now I'm back to riding backwards, still struggling to find my place in my company. The ups and downs in my personal and professional life are countless. Against all odds, I even survived long enough to turn 50 last week. lol

We've built three new multi-million dollar live fire training facilities, created state-of-the-art roof ventilation simulators, added fresh blood to our cadre of dedicated instructors and coordinated nearly 5,000 training events from our Erie County Fire Academy. Those are big investments.

I think that one of our greatest investments, and thus our greatest returns have come from the fact that we've trained and graduated more than 1,000 new firefighters in our county in the past 5 years. More than a thousand firefighters now unselfishly serving their volunteer fire departments and their communities.

If anyone thinks that today's generation is only all about themselves and not about giving back — they need to observe one of our Firefighter 1 Boot Camp courses. I'm proud to say that Erie County NY is bucking the national decline in volunteerism as we brought in over 600 new recruits in 2012. Those sheer numbers are a tribute to the great work ethic and spirit of our caring community.

But that's not by accident. We've invested heavily in creating recruitment opportunitites for our fire service and volunteering opportunities for those considering life in the fire service. And, we've invested even more in high quality training generating well balanced and capable firefighters poised to be great team members, and for some, team leaders. We have trained our replacements.

Five years ago, on January 22, 2008, we lost a man who shared and enhanced our vision to be a quality fire training organization that trained firefighters to be the best. Robert 'Bob' Newell was a friend, instructor and mentor to thousands in his career that spanned 40 years. Bob was one of the visionaries and lead instructors of our Firefighter 1 Boot Camp that is now a model for basic training statewide. Locally, there are few firefighters in leadership positions today who were not affected by his uniquely disciplined but giving style of delivery. I am one of those firefighters and I contine to be not only a-ffected but in-fected by him today.

I think that one of Bob's greatest gifts was his ability to do a quick size-up of someone and determine if they were worth his investment in their future and success. If you were one of those people, there wasn't absolutely anything that Bob Newell wouldn't do for you. Although he never said it, he quietly made you realize that it came with a price, that his investments in you were "matching gifts," in that you had to match his gifts with the best of your attitude, efforts and willingness to help others in return.

This past year, we started a new tradition of giving out the "Robert E. Newell Firefighter 1 Boot Camp Recruit of the Year Award" to "The One Worth Investing In!" Quite fittingly, the first recipient was Randall Stanton from the Depew Volunteer Fire Department who succeeded with a never-give-up attitude while overcoming many physical and mental challenges.

I'd like to think that I inherited not only Bob's keen "size-up" skills, but his ability to impart grace on those who at first blush didn't fit the "profit profile" of his investment of time and energy. That was the beauty of Bob, as tough and hard-nosed as he personified, he always left the door open for you to prove his theory wrong. He always opened his heart and his head to anyone who eventually came around to sharing the value in "matching" his gifts to the fire service and others.

He trained his replacements. I am just one of them.

More than a year ago, I created a web presence titled: TrainYourReplacement.com (often referenced as TYR), publicly admitting that like many others, it took me too long in my career to realize that I've really only ever had one job in the fire service: to train my replacement.

And I'm proud that I didn't create it alone. Although I'd reserved the web site name several years ago it wasn't until I intentionally invited a young man to partner with me in delivering training to a group of some 150 fire instructors in South Dakota that I actually launched the site.

I met that young man just once prior to extending the invitation to join me — a brief encounter in the instructors room at FDIC that created a lasting impression and an ongoing friendship. We collaborated by phone and even met half-way once to close the four-hour travel distance between us, holing up in a friendly firehouse in Ashtablua, Ohio, merging our thoughts, ideas and presentations; and eating ice cream.

By sharing this opportunity and under no obligation to do so, I made an investment in him, and in myself. The investment paid off big time. Our tag-team approach to "Generations Unplugged" at the South Dakota Fire Instructors Conference was hugely successful by all accounts. In fact, I'd even say that his creative approach to making the training needs of his generation relevant to a wide array of experienced instructors stole the show. And I was ok with that.

Paul Hasenmeier -- a young firefighter and instructor I look up to, figuratively and literally!

Our relationship would probably not fit the traditional mold of mentor/mentee. Just like life, technology and personal communications in general — the playing field has flattened. Ironically, I taught him how to create and manage a new web site and he's taught me some old school firefighting tactics. While I do my best to impart my experience and guidance in navigating life in the fire service, I take away his zest for self-improvement and raising his personal bar for preparedness and performance. He inspires me to reach higher. Like one of our TYR instructor equations: to go from being just interesting to inspired, and to go well beyond inspired to be truly innovative.

While "this kid" will soon accomplish a master's degree in public administration, he constantly encourages me to complete my quest to earn a degree in emergency management, finally compiling my extensive experience, training and more than a hundred unclaimed college credits into something I can frame on the wall, representative of my long journey to just be "a good firefighter" some day.

I'm humbled by the fact that this is just one of the great opportunities I've been given to train my replacements over the past 5 years since Bob left us and in my entire 32-year fire service career. And, you should know by now that my passion really starts with focusing all my energy on recruiting our replacements.

An increasing number of young firefighters reach out to me for educational, career and life guidance and I can think of few honors as great as that. I'm flattered whenever someone visits our fire academy and compliments me by saying that they see my "thumb print" on a lot of people and things there. Thank you notes from interns and firefighters I've helped create opportunities for; and discovering that trainees have gone on to achieve great honors and careers are the greatest rewards I could ask for.

The message of hope that TrainYourReplacement.com shares is that the earlier and more often we're able to instill the TYR attitude, we're convinced that the longer and more successful careers we — and our replacements will enjoy.

TrainYourReplacement.com is simply a framework, a placeholder for ideas and examples of how training our replacements can and will pay big dividends. It emphasizes the importance of sharing our experiences with the less-experienced by becoming better storytellers. And, just like the lives of Paul and I, we're not totally sure where the site is headed, but we know it's going to be great — and great getting there.

Thanks to great firefighters and instructors like Bob Newell and Paul Hasenmeier and many more just like them who I'm blessed to have in my life, I'm enjoying the hell out of training my replacements and I hope to enjoy that luxury for many years to come. I hope you will too.

Stay safe. Train often.

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GIVING: Just a few weeks ago I was deployed with seven of my cohorts on the Western New York Incident Management Team (IMT) to assist in the response and recovery efforts related to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy blowing through Long Island and New York City.

RECEIVING: As we were traveling through New York City on our way to our final destination at the Nassau County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) we were informed that they had absolutely no means of housing our eight-person team. There were no hotel rooms available within an hour or more of our work site and despite bringing cots and bedding with us, there was ‘no room at any inn.’

Thank God I have friends in the fire service throughout the state and country as it took just one phone call to Rob Leonard, a good friend and brother firefighter with the Syosset Volunteer Fire Department and public relations committee chair with FASNY, to find us a place to rest our heads. Despite being without power and heat at his own home, Rob connected us with their chief and commissioners to clear the way for us to bunk at their nicely appointed Woodbury Firehouse.

THANKS: Due to the widespread lodging shortage, Syosset accommodated us for the first three nights of our deployment. Warm beds and hot showers were a welcome relief at the end of the 14-18 hour days we were working. Without them we would have literally been left out in the cold. For their generosity, hospitality and brotherhood in the face of their own challenges – we THANK them.

GIVING: We were paired with an IMT from Minnesota and amongst other assignments, tasked with managing a receiving and distribution site for disaster relief supplies. I witnessed firsthand some of the worst hit areas in Queens, Brooklyn, Rockaway and other parts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Photos and TV stories don’t do justice to the devastation, the magnitude of the relief effort or the power of the human spirit as we saw example after example of the less fortunate stepping up to help the even less fortunate of those who were affected by this mega-storm.

Although we were officially operating there as part of New York State’s IMT, part of our personal mission was to ‘give back’ to those who had come from that end of the state when the small village of Gowanda NY was hit with a 100-year flood in 2009. Gowanda is situated in the southeastern portion of our Erie County with the largest part of the village being located in Cattaraugus County.

The incident required a large-scale activation of the New York State Fire Mutual Aid and Mobilization Plan which brought resources from almost every end of our state. The brotherhood of the fire service showed through brightly in the days and weeks that followed. Our being there for our fellow New Yorkers during Hurricane Sandy was just a small opportunity for us to pay it forward for all the assistance we received a few years back.

RECEIVING: A few days into our deployment my wife texted me to tell me that Jack, one of my best friends, was raking all the leaves in our yard and mowing the lawn with a push mower as my tractor was in the shop for repairs. That’s no small task as I have over an acre of open grass area. Jack is one of the hardest working people I know and he is always the first in line to help out anyone in need. Laurie yelled at him to stop but he just replied with: “He would do the same for me.”

THANKS: I was humbled by this seemingly small act and reminded of how fortunate I am to have people like Jack in my life, a good man and a great friend. I’m thankful for him and the other close friends we have to rely on, even when I’m not around, and even without being asked. That’s real friendship.

RECEIVING: I had been away from home for six days when the ringing of my cell phone jarred me awake in the middle of the night at the Syosset firehouse. On the other end was my wife Laurie telling me that our son Alex had just been in a horrific car accident and he was in our county’s trauma center. It was a parent’s worst nightmare.

She was by herself in the waiting room and no one had come out to update her on his condition. I made a phone call and got an emergency room nurse to come out and fill her in.

Knowing I was away on deployment, he was attempting to surprise his mom by coming home from college. What a surprise it was. For still unknown reasons, Alex’s car apparently slipped off a deep shoulder on the right side of the road, causing it to then jack hard to the left. His car reportedly went through a utility pole, off a tree, rolled several times and came to rest at the bottom of a ravine.

First arriving responders found him standing next to his overturned car, covered in blood, glass and gasoline – with live power lines down around him. His car was mangled and twisted, much of its outer skin torn right off, the front passenger seat twisted off its frame and the trunk and backseat unrecognizable. He was so drenched in gasoline that they could not fly him to the trauma center and he had to be transported by ground under the care of EMTs from the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation Volunteer Fire Department (CIRVFD).

By all accounts of those at the crash scene, he should not have survived.

Quite amazingly, his injuries were nothing compared to what the car had suffered. Ten hours later he was discharged from the hospital with a few stitches in his head, some under his chin, a few cuts on his back and the worst of it was that his eyelid had to be sewn up with dissolvable stitches on the inside. His eye was swollen, his face had suffered some road rash and he had a burn on his arm from an unknown origin. Other than those relatively superficial cuts, abrasions and bruises – he escaped unscathed. He didn’t break a single bone. A CT Scan confirmed there was no head injury and a later follow-up with an eye surgeon determined there was no damage to his eye itself.

Torn as to whether to jump on a plane and come home or stay and continue our important work, it was my amazing wife who convinced me to stay in Long Island. As she has to do every time there’s an emergency at home – and I’ve left home because there’s an emergency somewhere else – she handled it.

Two days later, Alex returned to his college classes. The stitches have been removed and his face has healed considerably. He feels lucky to be alive and is thankful for that.

THANKS: I often share my belief that those making the real sacrifices are not those who get up in the middle of the night and not those who leave the dinner table, but those who are left behind when we go to do what we love. Laurie is a living example of that. As is the nature of our business, I’m often needed somewhere else when she needs me most. I half-jokingly tell folks that the only thing she can consistently rely on me for – is to be unreliable. Yes, she is a saint.

I responded to a house fire with the CIRVFD the other night and took the opportunity to thank them for taking care of my son. The EMT-in-charge at the accident said he had asked my son his name while treating him in the back of the ambulance, and he responded with: “Alex Schmittendorf. And yes… Tiger is my father.” We laughed. I guess he gets that a lot.

I’m thankful that my son is alive and well and that I have a loving family and a growing list of friends who are there when you need them most. Those aren’t things you can put a price tag on, not even for a Black Friday Sale.

GIVING: There’s not much more that I love more than being a firefighter – and there’s not much I love about being a firefighter more than being the first-in nozzle man. We responded to a reported house fire this morning in our neighboring automatic aid district. As part of a four-man crew on our first-due engine, I grabbed the nozzle and the first few lengths of hose from the cross-lay, waiting for my partner to pick up the rest of the hose load before walking away from the engine. We stretched the line towards the front door of the house as the engine crew from the first-arriving home company put water on the fire in the attached garage, the apparent starting point.

We masked up at the front door and went inside. Looking through the thermal imager, the officer indicated that we had fire at the ceiling to our left and I opened the line briefly. We moved deeper in and quickly pushed the extending fire back towards the garage. Shutting down again, we transitioned to overhaul operations, pulling the drywall and insulation from the high peaked ceiling to expose any remaining fire. We ventilated the remainder of the first floor by opening windows and closing doors behind us. Simultaneously, we started to remove the resident’s personal effects from the kitchen and dining room areas to avoid further damage. Part of our crew went into the finished basement to check for extension and laid salvage tarps in any areas where water was leaking down through the ceiling.

What would normally be reveled as a quick stop on an intensive fire was overshadowed by the fact that the homeowner was a member of the home fire company where the fire occurred. There’s nothing to relish, nothing to celebrate in a good stop – when the affected are one of your own.

Her niece and nephew were home at the time of the fire and narrowly escaped, THANKS to working smoke detectors. She arrived home a short while later with a look of dismay at the extent of the damage to her home.

My partner and our officer consumed our air bottles and went to rehab as assigned. Sitting out at the street and taking the whole scene in for the first time, I was filled with a sense of sadness for someone who works so hard to help others.

When their chief came over to thank us for our hard work, I spontaneously took all the money I had out of my pocket and handed it to him. I suggested he pass a helmet around to the other firefighters on scene and take up a collection for his member who had lost almost everything. He took my suggestion by the horns and together we raised hundreds of dollars for her and her family, right there on the spot. That took away a little of the sting of the sadness of the day and also helped me put things in perspective.

THANKS: Through the seemingly minor challenges of our downstate deployment, the indescribable devastation of a major disaster, my son’s unbelievable survival of a seemingly un-survivable accident, other harsh challenges we’ve faced at home over the past year, and the sad reality of fire coming home to one of our own – I am once again reminded of the fact that no matter how bad of a day I think I’m having, I am always guaranteed that someone else is having a worse day than I am.

It also reminds me of how I blessed I am to have a career doing what I love, to work with a dedicated and fun group of professionals, to be surrounded by people I love and who love me, and to ‘receive’ the opportunity to give Thanks and Giving every day.

When I donned my helmet right before I went into that house fire this morning, I remembered my three-part risk management plan, to go home to the three names written under the back lid: Laurie, Kathleen and Alex.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. May you have as much to be thankful for as I do.

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Lt. John Mitchell of FirefighterNetcast.com fame and Snyder Fire Chief (Ret.) Tom Merrill are just two of the countless friends I have been blessed to gain in my 32 years in the fire service.

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It was thirty-two years ago, on September 2, 1980, when I raised my right hand and said “I will” serve my community as I was sworn in as the first junior firefighter the Evans: Center Volunteer Fire Company ever had. I was 17.

Like the old sidewalk they’re replacing outside our fire station, my path in the fire service has been full of both ups and downs. From the highs of truly helping people and really saving lives — to the agony we face in the streets, and sometimes in the firehouse, when our best efforts just aren’t enough, at least in the eyes of some people.

Through all of it though, I have had the good fortune of always being surrounded by great people who have had a deep and profound impact on both my personal and professional life.

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From our sister site: FireRECRUITER.com

What started out as a vision for a successful joint recruitment project has morphed into a passion to connect firefighters and soldiers of all stripes.

Based on the concept that we're looking for the same people — and we are the same people, I created a joint recruitment project between our county's volunteer fire service and the NY National Guard.

If you think about Guardsmen, Soldiers and every other appropriate title given to those who serve in all the branches of the US Military, they can be ideal candidates to recruit into the volunteer fire service. They already understand discipline, respect, teamwork and the chain-of-command — and they certainly get the whole "brotherhood" thing! As many have shared about this idea, "it's a no-brainer!" 

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Certainly, a recruitment video with appropriate visuals and a good, solid message can be effective, but FireGeezer proposes that we need to do something about our culture, our society, to inspire and perpetuate volunteerism. I couldn't agree more.

As I've said before:

“Simply put, it’s my belief that the survival and success of the volunteer fire service relies on our ability to create more opportunities – for more people – to volunteer less time.

Our success depends on our ability to effectively plan for, lead and manage people; whether you don’t have enough – or you have more than you can handle.

The possibilities for their involvement are only limited by our imaginations.”
- Tiger Schmittendorf – From: "A New Pyramid Scheme for your Volunteer Fire Department"

 

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With both pain and peace in my heart, I was there with my friend, my brother, Chief Dennis Allen when he took his last breath earlier this morning.

Dennis fought a long and tough fight against pulmonary fibrosis, winning the battle through a double-lung transplant three years ago and, although others may see it differently, in the end — winning the war by going home to be with his God, his family and his loved ones.

There isn't much more to say about Dennis that I haven't said already but I will save those thoughts for his service later this week.

For now, I just want to give you a glimpse of the man, the firefighter, the husband, the father and the friend I knew and loved. His life and love for his wife Marlene, his sons Scott and Marcus, and everyone he touched — are an inspiration to us all.

• BLOG: Brotherhood in Action-A Guy Named Denny Allen
• Brotherhood – http://my.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/889755:BlogPost:1063380
  • Brotherhood – Reprint of article in FASNY's "The Volunteer Firefighter" – Brotherhood-Dennis Allen
• Buffalo News – BuffaloNews080904-DENNIS ALLEN
• A Night at the Museum – http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/01/museum-tour/
• Fortune Tellers – http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/09/fortune-tellers/
• My Photos of Dennis on Flickr.com – http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerschmittendorf/sets/72157624020730656/

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Following is the blog I wrote about Dennis in April of 2008, just prior to his receiving his double-lung transplant on July 2, 2008 — the date we refer to as his second birth-day! The benefit referred to in the article was a huge success, bringing some 800 members of our community together for what was truly a celebration of his life and an event that is still talked about in our town today. I won't be surprised if the turnout to support his family is very similar in the events that will unfold later this week. Thank you in advance for your kindess and caring.

BROTHERHOOD IN ACTION: A Guy Named Denny Allen

By: Tiger Schmittendorf – April 2008

Some people have character and others are a character.

My friend Denny Allen… he’s both.

There are certain people in your life who are always in need of something – while others a re always there when you need them.

My friend Dennis Allen is always there when you need him.

Certain people work behind the scenes but manage to find their way into the spotlight. Others do their work on the scene but manage to stay in the shadows.

My friend Denny Allen has been on the scene more times in his lifetime than anyone else I know, but he never stands in the limelight.

Let me tell you a little about my friend : Denny Allen.

Dennis Allen has lived in Angola all of his life. He grew up here, on Sunset Boulevard, across from what is now my back yard. He never really stood out from the crowd, just a good neighborhood kid in a good neighborhood.

He worked hard at the Engler Lumber Company during and after high school, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in Boy Scout Troop 528, sponsored by the Evans Center Volunteer Fire Company.

That was his first introduction to the fire service, his launch into what would become a lifetime of service to his community. That was 1971.

He left the area for a short time to study forestry at Paul Smith College in the Adirondacks. While there, he became a MET-Medical Emergency Technician, the precursor to today’s EMTs -Emergency Medical Technician and paramedics.

Dennis Allen returned home and became a fixture in the fire company and the community. It wasn’t long before Denny Allen was recognized as a leader and was made an officer almost immediately. He rose through the ranks of the fire department quickly, served for several years as an assistant chief and eventually was promoted to fire chief by his peers. He served two separate terms in that capacity, as recently as 2003.

To say Dennis has a certain way about him is being polite. Never one to boast, he’s also never one to hide his feelings. A relatively quiet man, you never have to wonder where you stand with Denny Allen.

Not the most tactful, not the most polished, just the most dedicated.

His strong, silent type is compensated for by his crass sense of humor and his signature smile.

It’s not really a smile in the traditional sense of the word. His lips stay together while the corners of his mouth curl up ever so slightly. His eyes squint, his nose scrunches, he shakes his head and his eyes well up and he starts coughing if you get him laughing too hard. The end result is a contagious smile that you just can’t help laughing at. We affectionately call it a “pie face.”

His typical approach is to sit back, quietly listen to a group of people and then, when you least expect it, he drops a bomb that puts everyone on the floor laughing.

Dennis also has a serious side and is never one to shy away from tough situations or hard decisions.

He’s always in the thick of it on an EMS call and has a long -standing reputation for being a sure-shot at starting IVs – a practice that earned him the nickname “Needles” many years ago. Dennis is always calm, cool and collected under pressure. Nothing shakes him in an emergency.

Denny Allen has been omnipresent at fires, rescues and first aid calls for 37 years in the Town of Evans community – responding to every single emergency he was physically available for. Now in his 50’s, Dennis continued to make late night responses – even when the younger guys apparently needed their beauty sleep. Dennis responded to more than 350 emergencies in 2006 alone.

His fire company achieved many firsts under his direction, command or influence. Evans Center was the first fire company in our community to have a Hurst Jaws-of-Life rescue tool, the first water rescue unit, the first cardiac monitor; thermal imager and the first FAST-Firefighter Assist and Search Team.

The fire department was also the first in the county to have its own on-site training facility and the first to promote their web site on their apparatus.

Dennis was instrumental in the design, planning and construction of the fire company’s new Erie Road Firehouse#1 dedicated in July of 2001. He holds the fire department record for delivering the most babies in the field or in the back of an ambulance.

Dennis responded twice to Ground Zero following the attacks of September 11, 2001, providing EMS support to the first responders working the pile and covering calls for the FDNY while they tended to their brothers and each other. He served as the local representative to the Erie County Fire Advisory Board, as Code Enforcement Officer for Towns of Evans and Hanover; and as an EMT-I for Rural Metro Medical Services.

As an EMT for more than 30 years, Dennis was instrumental in shaping the delivery of emergency medical services in the Town of Evans and is responsible for the town upgrading their level of prehospital care to paramedic.

But don’t think for a second that his life is only devoted to the fire service.

Dennis demonstrates the unique ability to effectively balance family, work, play and fire department activities. I envy him for that.

Three of the reasons Dennis was so successful are his wife Marlene, a long standing and dedicated active member of the fire company’s ladies auxiliary; and his sons Scott and Marcus. Both of them are Eagle Scouts just like their dad.

Always putting his family first, Dennis instilled his core values of community service in each of them, involving them in everything he did and being involved in everything they participated in.

Denny Allen knows the true meaning of brotherhood. He is the kind of guy who is always there to lend a helping hand, whether it’s putting on a new roof, cooking a charity chicken barbeque, or just to have someone to listen to.

We’re not talking a hollow hand shake or a one-armed hug or a pat on the back – kind of brotherhood. Dennis has never been outwardly affectionate, except with his family, and he’s not big on formalities. I’ve never heard him talk about brotherhood; I’ve only seen him demonstrate it.

We’re talking about real brotherhood that extends well beyond the firehouse doors and into our personal lives. To Dennis, brotherhood is not just a bold-lettered phrase on a T-shirt.

Dennis demonstrates brotherhood by helping to carry friends’ furniture up flights of stairs into a new home. Helping each other strip and paint houses, chop fire wood, dig ditches or do whatever else required many hands to make light work. We work hard and we play hard too. That’s the kind of brotherhood that he embodies.

Now Dennis Allen needs our help.

Dennis was diagnosed in 2005 with pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal disease that attacks the lungs and diminishes breathing capacity. It’s the same disease that took his Brother Dave’s life just seven years ago at age 49. Dennis is now 55.

Dennis is now on a waiting list for a double lung transplant at Cleveland Clinic. We anticipate that thousands of dollars will be needed to cover non-reimbursed medical and living expenses and the loss of income for both Dennis and Marlene, as she will most likely exhaust her paid leave to care for him for months following the surgery.

A testimonial celebration honoring Denny Allen is planned for September 6, 2008 at the Evans Center Volunteer Fire Company located at 8298 Erie Road in the Town of Evans. The event will feature live music, food and refreshments, indoor and outdoor activities and plenty of opportunities to get involved in supporting this great effort.

The committee sponsoring “Brotherhood in Action: The Dennis Allen Project” will also be scheduling raffles and other fund raising events leading up to the main event. One of the feature activities of the day will be a live auction of firefighter artwork and memorabilia. Much more is still in the planning stage.

It’s estimated that Denny Allen has responded to more than 10,000 emergency incidents in his firefighting and EMS career that spans almost four decades.

One of the committee’s goals is to create a “tree of life” that will hold one dollar for every one of Denny’s 10,000 emergency responses. Contributors will receive a “life saver” card with a photo of Dennis and room to write well wishes or words of encouragement. The life saver cards will then be displayed in the firehouse and at the benefit in September and given to Dennis as a keepsake. One dollar is all we’re asking for.

Help us put brotherhood in action. Join us in honoring this fine man who has unselfishly dedicated himself to serving his fire company and his fellow man.

Many people are consumers and some are contributors. Dennis Allen is a contributor.

I hope you’ll consider contributing to saving the life of our brother Dennis Allen.

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I have to tip my helmet to the volunteer fire service in Pennsylvania who is no stranger to these challenges — or to innovative solutions to those challenges. I’ve previously mentioned them in “PA VFDs Dip Into Fountain of Youth” for potential solutions as well as I’ve applauded their efforts in the successful recruitment campaign: “Roll with It!” — the sexiest thing to come to volunteer recruitment I’ve ever seen. It rivals the GoArmy.com and NationalGuard.com campaigns.

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Today we mourn the loss of fire service and news world leader: Hal Bruno.

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More and more fire departments are smartly using web sites, e-mail and social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter to recruit new firefighters and to stay connected to their community. There isn't much you can't do with a mobile device today that took a super-computer to do less than 30 years ago.

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a conversation with a large group of fire instructors titled: "From the Xbox to the Box Alarm" for the University of Kansas Fire and Rescue Institute wherein we discussed today's and tomorrow's generation of firefighters. The conversation focused not only on the challenges in understanding, motivating, training and leading this unique cadre of individuals, but also enlightened the participants as to the tremendous potential they possess for moving our fire service forward.

And, naturally, you can't have a conversation about today's generation of firefighters without discussing the importance of technology and the impact of social networking.

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It wasn’t until I came to the realization that this is not about me or what I’m involved in as much as it is about you – my readers, followers and the fire service at large – that I felt the timing was right for sharing this exciting news.

Earlier this year I was invited by my long time and good friends Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert to share in their vision for tipping the traditional training program on its head. Dave and Chris have a knack for surrounding themselves with inspired people and a solid reputation for bringing innovative and successful solutions to the fire service community, so it wasn’t much of a tough sell for me to join them and the other members of their team at the table.

The conversations were very indepth and engaging, even sparring at points, but all with a common goal in mind: to bring a new and exciting approach to providing training for firefighters and first responders. As I looked around the room, I saw a tremendous amount of passion and caring for getting this right.

It wasn’t long before I was hooked and signed on as chief of training, charged with driving the direction of the educational content of their new conference concept.

So what’s this new idea, this next best thing? It’s called Go>Forward Fire and I will introduce it from three different perspectives. For everyone involved, it’s an exciting new venture in firefighter and leadership training from the same industry leaders who created FirefighterNation, FireEMS Blogs, and the original Firehouse.com.

From a fire service perspective, Go>Forward Fire offers “a conference in a box” solution to fire departments, training associations and related organizations looking for the opportunity to bring a national level conference to their neighborhood. Partnering with local fire service organizations, we work with you to tailor the content and agenda to your local needs and then bring top notch presenters and instructors to your region. Oh yeah, and we handle the logistics and marketing too.

All we ask is that you help spread the word and provide your honest input before, during and after the conference. What you get in return is the caliber of training you would normally pay big bucks and have to travel significant distances for and we bring it all to you in an affordable way so as to maximize the return on your training investment.

For conference participants, Go>Forward Fire is not your typical instructor-student interaction. These are not one-time events – but the start of an ongoing conversation and a life-long series of knowledge and experience exchanges. By engaging both the student and the instructor before, during and after each training event, Go>Forward Fire expands the relationship between the student and the instructor like never before with meaningful social and professional connections in a truly immersive learning environment.

While that may sound like a marketing pitch (It is. I wrote it.), as a Go>Forward Fire student, I assure you that you’ll enjoy an unprecedented level of access to some of the most experienced and emerging talent in the fire service. Once a G>FF participant – always a G>FF participant as far as we’re concerned.

This isn’t about how many PowerPoint slides we can glaze your cornea with or how many pounds of handouts we send you home with – it’s about the conversation. As I say in the disclaimers shared at the beginning of each of my presentations, I don’t care if we never leave the first slide as long as you’re satisfied with the direction your training goes in. It’s all about you.

As an instructor, joining our teaching team means that you’ll benefit from the opportunity to link to your students and other instructors in not only an integrated and intimate classroom setting, but also on the training ground, during meet-ups, through blogs, articles, videos, podcasts, commentary, webcasts, online learning and a growing list of social media connections all under one training network.

I’ve spoken and participated at more than a few conferences in my career. This is not your typical fly-in, do your stand-up routine and fly-out kind of gig. Not only do we offer more interaction, we insist on it. Teaching with us is not for everyone – only the most engaged and engaging.

This is the sharing opportunity you’ve been waiting for. The opening to truly coach and mentor the future of the fire service. The chance to have a deep and lasting impact on our emergency services community.  This is an innovative 360° approach to training our replacements and future leaders.

While the term may have already become cliché in the fire service, our overall goal is to be the kitchen table of conferences – not the kitchen sink. Our teaching team is comprised of many of the familiar names you know and plenty of names you’re going to want to get to know.

Accomplished fire service leaders like Chiefs Alan Brunacini, Tim Sendelbach, Chris Naum, Ed Hadfield, Dennis Rubin and Rich Gasaway; and up and coming instructors like Lt. Matthew McDowell from Bluffton Twp. South Carolina, Lt. Chris Sterricker from Suburban Chicago, Lt. Paul Hasenmeier from Huron Twp. Ohio and Training Officer John Shafer from Greencastle, Indiana will provide their keen insight to every firefighter, officer and chief participating. Their national presence will be balanced with local talent like St. Louis Fire Department Captain Nick Morgan and Chiefs Tony Correia and Ed Kensler from New Jersey and Chief Greg Jakubowski from Bucks County PA.

We’re very excited that several familiar bloggers will step away from their keyboards long enough to share their experiences in person, including Dave Statter from Statter911.com, John Mitchell – editor of FireDaily.com, Mike Ward, co-editor of FireGeezer.com, Jason Hoevelmann of FirefightersEnemy.com and Mick Mayers, author of FirehouseZen.com. You know that their conversational style of writing will translate well into the classroom conversation.

Something I’m most proud of is our following through on my vision of strengthening the connection between the fire service and the military. Marine Corps Sergeant and Volunteer Firefighter Jason Ferris will provide a keynote address titled: “It’s not a mission statement – it’s a calling” drawing on the common values our two institutions share. Furthermore, we’ll be donating $5 from each conference package purchased to the support the important work of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Making the team rock-solid are Brotherhood Instructors providing the intense hands-on components of each conference. Curt and Nate DeMarse, Andrew Brassard, Kevin Legacy, Chris Collier and their team of seasoned veterans from volunteer, career and combination departments across the United States and Canada will relate their vast and relevant experiences in a way that every firefighter can understand, regardless of the type of system or community they work in.

And, if you’ve ever been part of a good training experience, you know that some of the greatest value you take away from it is in the informal networking that takes place between classes. With Go>Forward Fire, those connections start inside and extend well beyond the classroom and on the training ground, not just during the breaks.

As our tag line says, Go>Forward Fire is the evolution of firefighter and leadership training, breaking down the barriers of the traditional classroom environment, creating long-lasting conversations and relationships that will undoubtedly make a difference in how we go forward in the future fire service. And here’s the best part: we’re going to have fun doing it – a lot of fun!

I’m so excited about this new training venture that I’m not sure I can adequately put it in words. I guess you’ll have to experience it for yourself to truly understand its impact.

While I am proud to be invited to be a part of this team, I’d be even more flattered if you’d consider joining us at one of our inaugural events planned this fall; or to attend or host one of the several new events we have in the works for 2012 and beyond.

Check out our conference details at www.goforwardtraining.com and tell them I sent you when you register. Use the promo code “SCHMITTENDORF” to take advantage of an added 10% discount on your conference costs.

Don’t worry, I’m not trading off any of my other ventures such as my feature writing here at TigerSchmittendorf.com, my story-telling at Run-to-the-Curb and FirefighterStorytellers; or my coaching at FireRECRUITER.com. And for those of you keeping score at home, I have no intention of giving up my full time gig serving as deputy fire coordinator in Erie County.

This is just another dot to be connected in my life-long quest to Go>Forward in the fire service. Thanks for riding along.

Stay safe. Train often.

Tiger Schmittendorf
Chief of Training
Go>Forward Fire

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