Last month I was at a conference in Washington for an organization whose board I Chair. I was asked to give a brief presentation. I spoke, it was well received, but when I sat down the person sitting next to me whispered, “Nice job, you must have been under the gun though, you didn’t do a PowerPoint.” This got me to thinking.
Each Sunday morning at the firehouse we hold probationary training school. Due to the nature of the material we cover the advent of PowerPoint has been a boon. We can lecture, show the numerous acronyms we use in the fire service relevant to the lecture in written form on the screen and play video and still shots. All of this helps enhance our training methods. But in my overall estimation, the vast majority of times we all have to sit through tedious PowerPoint presentations can be avoided by not showing them at all.
Like in the movie Groundhog Day I have a situation that happens over and over again, in the same manner each June. My department hands out a number of scholarships to deserving students at the high school, I take pictures, submit them to the local paper and they never get printed.
This past Saturday night I was part of a standby crew that did an overnight shift at a neighboring volunteer fire department. We brought an engine and an ambulance to their house to answer calls during their department’s installation.
What is it about blue lights? In New York State a blue light can be used by a firefighter responding to an alarm, but it serves strictly as an indication for another driver’s courtesy. The public does not have to yield. It seems blue lights have this hypnotic, mezmorizing effect that causes most motorists to become totally oblivious to your attempt to get to the fire house as quickly as possible while staying within the speed limit and rules of the road. Many doesn’t know exactly what to do, a number of sadistic drivers intentionally slow down, while a few good citizens actually yield.
As a volunteer fire department PIO, and not in house based, I have to be prepared to respond from wherever I am in the community when an alarm is toned out. Since my main PIO “toolbox” is located at the main house, I need a fully redundant system that can duplicate some of the items I keep in the firehouse.
