One of my mottos since becoming a firefighter is that you can’t have too many flashlights, carabiners, or knives, so I was excited to review the pink Bright Star Right Angle Responder Flashlight in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.   . You can never have too many flashlights, carabiners, or knives.   I’m always a […]

My thoughts for today about my fire company:   Being a female in the volunteer fire service comes with a unique set of challenges; some of which are very real and nearly tangible, and others, I admit, may only exist in our (often self-conscious) imaginations. These challenges present themselves differently for all of us, so […]

Advice for a Girl Joining an all Male Fire Department   This list was given by Kenia Trevino in response to a question posted on Triple F’s group page. I thought it was very wise and so I’m sharing it! Of course, no list is definitive. There’s always more to say or do. What are […]

Shannon Huffman Polson, former Apache helicopter pilot and Army 2nd Lt, writes about female leadership for her column She’s Got Grit. In this article she branches out from the military to the fire service and asks me a few questions. I’m not an officer, just a firefighter, but if you’re interested you can read more […]

The Ever Evolving Fire Service   March 28, 2016   MDFR Air Rescue North and Fire Boat North responded to a sailboat approximately 8 miles off Miami to treat and transport a diver with signs and symptoms of severe decompression sickness. Upon arrival, Fire Boat crew boarded vessel, packaged patient, and transferred patient to Fire […]

In the last few years Miami Dade Fire Rescue has lost so many firefighters in their prime, it’s hard to fathom. We are still reeling. It’s taken me a few days to process the loss of Maggie Lane, but I’ve come to feel her life defines her far more than her death. It’s Maggie’s life […]

    “Black Hawks crossed the sky with Humvees dangling beneath like enormous steel spiders. A C17 took flight while inside intensely focused critical-care teams crisscrossed the plane’s leviathan belly. Young soldiers with rifles and a hundred pounds of gear on their bodies trotted for miles down a seemingly endless road. And there we were–a […]

Triple F–A Manifesto   Manifest discipline emotionally, professionally, morally and intellectually. Let your discipline be revealed in the way you dress, speak, walk, work, and comport yourself with co-workers and the public. Develop attention to detail. Start small and work up. Take pride in the little things. Kick ass on the big things.   Embrace compassion […]

Heroes Wear Haix     It didn’t take me long as a rookie firefighter to understand the importance of having good boots.  The blocky rubber boots issued in the academy and made for men felt like chunks of concrete on my feet, and as soon as I graduated to the field I invested in a […]

The Station Ready Rookie; Firefighter Preparation Beyond the State Skills Test is a slender gem of a book. Simple. Concise. Direct. And yet it is chockfull of wisdom and common sense. It lays out practices essential for anyone who wants to excel in the fire service. If firefighting is just a paycheck and an ego […]