FRI 2010 continued

Ok, so the other night, I gave you a little taste of our experience in Chicago but, I have to tell you that there was so much more. Yea, we had fun..ok.. we had a LOT of fun but, we also worked a little and learned even more. Although I wasn't able to attend any of the lectures / seminars, because of where we were and who I was with, I actually got to hear the "meat and potatoes" of a lot of the "hot topics". Let me explain. For starters, Dave Statter and The National Fallen Firefighter Memorial were a big reason and help in us (Rhett / firefighter netcast) being there. Statter is the host of Fire Hero Radio and did several interviews / pod cast while at FRI. If you don't know by now, I am and have been a big fan of Dave and this week we actually got to meet face to face.

He was NOT a disappointment in person. Statter's work and passion for the NFFF was not only admirable but intoxicating. We did a short pod cast late in the day on our last at the show. He and his wife spoke of the grounds and surrounding area of the memorial and the conversation was near spiritual. Beyond that podcast, I was also able to hear Richard Gist discuss the NFFF's Behavioral Health Initiative as well as listen in on a talk with NFFF Director of Fire Programs Victor Stagnaro.


Other NFFF interviews included topics such as Everyone Goes Home Program discussed with Ralph Webster and Mike Brooks.

If you are not familiar with the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation YOU SHOULD BE. It was humbling to learn and see just a small piece of how much work and effort goes into keeping the foundation running and in the public eye. The 29th Memorial is coming up October 2nd and 3rd 2010, make plans to attend now.
Another huge reason for our attendance was due in no small part to Fire Rescue Magazine. We were set up in their booth. Tim Sendelbach is the Editor in Chief and he was with us from day 1.

Fire Rescue Magazine was a huge contributor / sponsor of FRI so Tim had access to all of the speakers. Tim began the week with an interview with Chief Conneally who was the event's keynote speaker!

Tim stayed in front of the mic tirelessly to capture the hottest topics from FRI straight from the presenters mouths. We heard Tony Kern speak on "The War on Error Management". We heard Billy Schmidt speak on "Training Management" as well as Martha Ellis on "Firefighter Fitness". Rick Black, Butch Cobb and Ralph Donio were interviewed on ISO and Accreditation. Other interviews included Brian Crawford, Marc Revere. Adam Thiel spoke of Fire Service Challenges and the value of labor / management relationships.

Tim spoke with Chris Riley on Leadership and the Company Officer Handbook. I even got to hear Tim interview the past and newly elected President's of The IAFC Jeff Johnson and Jack Parrow on the challenges and future plans for IAFC and FRI!Now, I didn't list titles with any of the above names for fear of getting them wrong, but trust me.. everyone of them are a Chief Officer with "EFO" and /or "CEO" behind their name along with many more credits (these people know what they are talking about).
Another "big name" / company that was partly responsible for us being there was Go Forward Media. I have to tell ya.. if it involves the Internet or getting your name out there, Dave Iannone, Chris Hebert and Paul Andrews are the guys to see! That's part of the big announcement I've been telling you about. I'm making the move and the guys are bringing me over to The Fire / EMS Blog Network. This is a humbling and HUGE step for me and this little rag of a blog. That said, I guess I'm gonna have to step it up a little. Now Chris and I talked quite a bit about it and he said to keep doing what I've been doing. Apparently people like my style of writing and enjoy the blog. I guess it has been my past content / post (here and at Engine 9 blog) that has allowed me to make the jump to such a well rounded and respected group but, I still feel that this group deserves a little more. That said, I will continue to post as I have in the past but plan to add a "spin" as well. I'll try to weigh in on some local, state or national events / news and maybe add in a little training column here and there... who knows. I know you'll like the new look and hope you'll enjoy the small changes. I know I'm excited. Let me know what you think. It will take us a week or so to make all the necessary changes so hang in there...it will be well worth the wait. Ok, so theres a little wrap up of Chicago, I'm on 4 day break and back in the hay fields but will try to get another post up soon. Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter (this is a huge help for the "big switch" so tell all your friends too). Thanks again for following, stay safe and in the house, I'll see ya soon.
Captain Wines

There's no place like home..

Everybody knows that there's no place like home but I must also admit that I had a really good time in Chicago. I have so much to tell ya about, I'm not sure where to start. I guess for tonight, I'll throw some pics and brief comments etc at ya so you can see one at least one side of what we were able to experience. You all know by now that Fire Rescue International 2010 was held in Chicago and Rhett invited me along. Rhett was heading up to work the exhibit floor for one of his many companies. This trip he traveled as Firefighter Netcast. Our job was to record and produce several interviews / pod cast for various clients. I will post on those clients / interviews etc tomorrow because the content / networking was unbelievable. Tonight, I'll show you a few of the faces, some of our travel and a little of the show... so here we go.
After registration etc. we sat down to shoot the bull and have a cold beer or 20 with Chief Art Reason. Art's real name is Art Goodrich. He is the host of one of the regular shows over on Firefighternetcast entitled The voice of Reason. Art is also the one who got to interview Steven Pasquale ("white Sean" from Rescue Me).

Art and I hit it off from the start and he even showed me his tattoos...


Of course then, Rhett had to show how tough he was so he held his hand over a candle for 10 minutes (Art or I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was one of those candles that used a light bulb instead of a real flame..LOL)

The next day, we went to work on the floor.

We seen TON of familiar and famous faces


(Chief Brunacini in top photo and Dave Statter below) There were TONS of vendors as well. A lot to take in. Everything from antique apparatus to state of the art..



And as much as I make fun of the "yellow" fire trucks in our area, you have to stand up for this PINK one... Pink Heals

Two of the competitors for my Department's new station alert system was on hand as well. Here's a shot of one of them.. WOW!!! What a demo. And I also got to see all the "latest and greatest" from Scott. (Eat your heart out Smurf)




We took in a ball game and even had a few beers with Chief Billy Goldfeder


My presence on the trip was quite the influence on Rhett.

Sadly, I'm afraid the strain was more than he could bare ... LOL

I'm gonna stop there for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll bring you more of the people we met and the life saving initiatives that were discussed. Until then, stay safe and in the house.
Captain Wines

Quick update from Chicago...

Ok, that's not Chicago but the pic says a whole lot about our situation right now... STUCK!! Oh yea baby.. another wonderful flying experience. We have been sitting, walking around and drinking in Chicago's OHare airport for ohhhhh about a week now. Yea... stranded. Once again, Rhett's "discount flight plans" came through. It appears as though "something" has happened to our plane. Something "mechanical" but apparently secret enough that they wont tell me.

This airport / flying business is starting to remind me of a really bad movie..

I tried to tell em that I am pretty good at turning a wrench. I can weld and fabricate just about anything. They assured me that they have their own mechanics and have the situation well in hand...



WOW!! Had I only have known. All kidding aside, we are stranded in Chicago but things are working out. I will update with details of our adventures as soon as I get home. You wont want to miss that post! Here are a few "teasers".... I got to meet and hang with Steven Pasquale (white Sean...aka Sean Garrity) of Rescue me and Chief Billy Goldfeder. IT WAS COOL!!!!!


Ok, thats enough for now.. I have to go to the "lost child" desk and see if I can find Rhett. Wish me and us luck.. hopefully we'll see good ol Va soon.
Stay safe and in the house til we get there..
Captain Wines

Chicago!!

You all know by now that we have indeed landed in the Windy City and all I can say is WOW! There is so much to take in, I just may stay another week. Well there is so much to take in and the fact that I'm a little scared of the flight back to Lynchburg. Yea... leave it to Rhett! "Oh, we don't have to drive Captain..I can save us a ton of money on airline tickets if we fly out of Lynchburg". HOLY CRAP! I've never been so nervous...

Thank goodness Rhett's Firefighter Netcast partner John Mitchel took care of the rest of the arrangments. He follows the blog and has gotten to know me somewhat through my postings. That said, he even went as far to assure that I had an egg sandwich for breakfast this morning..how cool is that? He also made our sleeping arrangments. The hotel we are staying at is unbelievable! Again..WOW!
Here are a few shots ...


And, contrary to what you may believe, this place is "right up my alley"..oh yea... they even have pictures of naked gals on the ceilings..

The city?? Fits me like a glove as well. I've found a farmers market, a watering hole and even a cow. Yep.. a cow in downtown Chicago...



Rhett and John were off testing their karoke equipment for our hetic schedule of pod cast tomorrow from Fire Rescue International. You should see Rhett practicing his radio voice. He tries to make himself seem "taller". You know... that "deep" Barry White voice. I swear..if I didn't know any better I'd believe Rhett is a good 2 inches taller when he's on the mic.

While they were out testing / practicing I took a short tour of the town. You seen the pics above but I also made it by a station. I got the chance to visit station #1 here in Chicago. They are a fairly busy house that runs an Engine, ladder and Medic. Here are the pics...



I also noticed a little of how these guys work up here. Rhett would fit right in as a Lt. / driver / chuffeur etc. look at these "midget style" hydrants..

LMAO... anyways, we're here and doing fine. We have a baseball game to attend tonight, maybe some dinner and a few drinks. Up early tomorrow to set up the karoke machine and prepare for some interviews. Here's the headline... Chief Art Reason is going to interview "white Shawn" (Steven Pasquale) from the TV show Rescue Me and I will be there. YEA!! Tomorrows post will have a pic of me and a cast member from my favorite TV show.. have I mentioned I love this town?? Ok, so I met plenty of new peeps tonight..I'm plotting changes etc for the site.. and I'm going to turn it up yet another knotch. Stay tuned... you wont want to miss this. I'll be back tomorrow, follow me on "picture book" and "churp churp" as well. Until then, stay safe and in the house.
Captain Wines

believe it or not...

I don't know how but we actually made it to Chicago. We flew out of "lynchburg" on a one prop piece of rivot loosing, metal flapping, don't know how she didn't come apart piece of ..yea to land in Charlotte. From there, we took a real plane to Chicago. I actually fell asleep at takeoff. I'm in the center seat. My head on one gals shoulder... drool not noticed. My hand in the other gals lap, her massaging my fingers.. no better way than to put me to sleep! Rhett in a panic the whole time! Me tired of fretting about him. we arrrive just as I had anticipated...safe and sound. Make it to our room.. The "RITZ" I'm telling ya (1st class all the way) and have a "unwind tottie". WOW! I needed one. Then off to dinner. Chris Naum and John Mitchel took VERY good care of us. Thanks a million for the great conversation, food and beverages. Later on, we held an "in house" chat with a local CHIEF. WOW!!!!! Anyway, it's gonna be a good trip. The gals seem to like men in cowboy hats who say "yes Mam" and "thank you". Something was also mentioned about big mustaches... hummmmmm. anyway, we are tired and going to bed. I'll have some pic's etc tomorrow plus some details of our trip so far. Check me out or follow now on Face Book and Twitter.. see ya in the morning. Until then, stay safe and in the house.
Captain Wines

Eager anticipation.. Chicago bound!

We fly out tomorrow morning. Those of you who know me are aware that I don't get out or away from the farm much so I'm pretty excited about our trip. Knowing my inexperience in these matters, Rhett called earlier today to check on me.
Rhett: Hey Capt. How's it going? You excited? Need anything or are you even packed yet?

Me: Packed yet?? You gotta be kidding me! I've been building rolls and packing for a week now. Not to mention getting the mules ready.

Rhett: Mules?? What exactly are you up to now??

Then I explained the process.... no spur of the moment job by any means..



Rhett: You really are an idiot! Don't you have a suit case?

Me: Sure I have a suitcase but how in the heck will I get all this stuff in it?
After I piled all my cloths in it, the top wouldn't close.

Rhett: Have someone sit on it until you can get it zipped... GEESH!



Me: Ok, but what if someone can see or gosh forbid steal my undies?

Rhett: How can anyone see your undies if they're in a suitcase?



I explained the over stuffed travel satchel then continued..

Me: Plus, now they have all those fancy, high tech x-ray scanner thingy machines at the airport. Rumor has it they can see EVERYTHING!





Note: I'm in neither of the last two pics but sure hope that gal in the bottom one is in the line in front of me ;-) and the conversation continued..

Me: I am a little worried about the scans and searches... you know I stand out and get picked every time. That said, I have developed a plan..



Me: PLUS.. I bought a book and have been reading up on such activities..



Rhett: (while laughing) Look.. I told you that instead of driving the "Cowboy Cadillac" I would use my vast resources and find us a really good deal. I did just that! We are flying out of Lynchburg and they most likely don't even have the scanners etc. so you have nothing to worry about.

Me: Lynchburg??? Your "vast" resources??? REALLY good deal?? Hummmm. So, what kind of plane are we taking? Do they show movies? Have dancing gals or serve in flight beer?

Rhett: Trust me Capt... Top of the line.. first class all the way.



(what else would you expect out of Lynchburg @ $29.95 each way??)

Rhett: You are getting worried and all worked up for nothing.

Me: You mean you're not?

Rhett: Why would I be??

Me: Well, what about you getting past security? What if they have those signs like they do at the carnival??





Me: The only way we're slipping past this one is with you in a 8 inch pair of high heels or if the people in Lynchburg are as backwards as I think they are..



Rhett: Relax... we'll do fine with the flight.

Me: I hope so cause I've been planning our activities for a week now.

Rhett; Planning? What have you been up to now?

Me: Moi?? Nothing special. Just been using my extra special, high tech, one of a kind, make ya have a really good time, above normal senses.

Rhett: Your what??

Me: My.. errrrr... ummmm well, it's like radar only more like NUDAR!

Rhett: Are you out of your mind!?! Becky will kill me... hell, she'll kill us BOTH!

Me: Rhett, listen to me... I'm not talking one of those sleezy joints with naked gals and such... I'm talking first class here.. a place for "gentlemen"



Me: Wasn't it you who told me just the other day about packing my football pads and getting some new fancy type of britches? You said no jeans or cowboy hats. We will be "rubbing elbows" (so I read between the lines and packed my pads)with some pretty important people up there. The everyday attire will be "slacks" and a nice shirt.

"SLACKS"??? WTF! What is a "slack" anyway? I spent most of the day shopping in Blacksburg and I couldn't fine a "Slack" store or department ANYWHERE! Is that some kind of "Yankee" term or what? And like I dont have nice cloths? Well I'll have you know that since I couldn't find a "slack" store, I went to the golf shop.

Rhett: Why go to the golf shop?

Me: Well, I figured John Daley is on TV and famous and all, so I'd just pick up a little something from his line..he's always wearing nice britches and all.. oh yea.. Capt gonna have his "bling" on in Chicago.. Look out ladies!



Hell, I even took a bath...



Chicago will never be the same! We're there tomorrow, look for us at the Fire Rescue Magizine booth, hit me on my cell or in the comment section here to hook up. We have plans to catch a ball game, hit a few stations and who knows what else... See ya there, until then stay safe and in house.
captain Wines