Project Backstep

06/03/2026

Had some overtime today I went out back and messed around with this 100’ shoulder load. A vast majority of the fires I go on I can drop a forward accordion with the nozzle and 50’ coupling at the sidewalk and the extra 50’ stretches just fine. But I’ve struggled coming up with a reliable way to get the whole 100’ at the door without having to dropping it and picking my nozzle, 50’ coupling, and 100’ coupling back up. I like the idea of having a way to stretch it successfully while continuously moving towards my point of entry. I challenged myself with really trying to think outside of the box and try some different things that I typically would just write off as “won’t work”. With all that being said I might have come up with a relatively reliable idea. I would take the nozzle, 50’ coupling, and 100’ coupling in my outside hand, and then grab all of the other loops with my inside hand. The only real sticking point I found was you had to make sure to keep you hands apart when you dropped the stack because if you didn’t have the extra loops dragging on the ground, the nozzle and coupling sections would just carry the entire stack wherever you are going without stretching out. In no way am I saying this is perfect and I’m definitely going to keep working on it, would really like to hear how you guys handle getting all 100’ to the door on builder homes/buildings if you’re running the 100’ should load!

02/03/2026

Finally!!! Some good weather on a duty day. We also had a rider that’s going through school at CTEC so we put him through some paces and showed him some of the basics that we work on around the station regularly. Spread the word, share what you know, and leave it better than you find it!

23/02/2026

Mother Nature decided to play a cruel joke and give us another snow storm after having 60* weather 4 days ago so we’re still just training in bay again today. Started talking through Jake’s teach back on saws for his journeyman program and then did a refresher on the hip grip and knee walk so we can hit the ground running when it warms up enough to flow some water! I’ve had a couple comments recently mentioning how I don’t stomp when I sound the floor during my knee walk like it is taught through nozzle forward. I utilize the heel tap versus a stomp because what we are looking for with either is holes in the floor. We can say that we’re “sounding the floor” with a stomp. But I know for me, there is no way I’m going to be able to accurately access and sound the floor when moving down a smokey hallway while flowing water. I transitioned to using the heel tap because with it I can still effectively feel for a hole, but I can now keep my weight shifted further back onto my back knee. This way if I do end up putting my foot into a hole in the floor I have a greater chance of not falling in because majority of my weight is shift back. It’s not for everyone and in no way am I saying what the nozzle forwards guys teach is wrong, this technique just works better for me and I feel it puts me in a better position to be successful

21/02/2026

I see people on here complaining about how the brotherhood is dead in the fire service. I can tell you from personal experience, they are wrong. If you don’t have brotherhood where you work, go find a new place that has it. It’s out there, it’s real, and it’s worth finding. I can also say from my own personal mistakes, you aren’t going to be a part of the brotherhood if you don’t put the work. Be the guy who into the job. The guy that everyone looks forward to being on the truck with. The guy that goes the extra mile to work around the station and make everyone’s lives better. It’s worth it, go find it, earn it, because when you find a place where the brotherhood is strong, every shift is a day you look forward too

27/01/2026

This is definitely going to be one you aren't going to want to miss!

🚨 🔥 Limited seats per day!! 🚨 🔥
Can Confidence - VentEnterSearch LLC

Sign up link below!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1980877875048

21/01/2026

17/01/2026

Huge thank you to Chief Nicholson for giving me the opportunity to come out and teach my class “Building a Better Backstep” for the first time! I had an absolute blast meeting everyone and hope I was able to share some good info. I know I definitely learned a ton and hope to eventually get an opportunity to make improvements on the class and share it somewhere else eventually!