THE GREAT FLORIDA FIRE SCHOOL
November 8th to 12th, 2017
From November 8 - 12, firefighters from all over the State of Florida and even one from New Jersey, along with well-known national instructors, joined together in Ft. Myers Beach FL for The Great Florida Fire School. The School offered numerous classes on many topics, including but not limited to, "Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service," "First & 10 - When Things Go Bad," "Thermal Imaging: Not Just for Overhaul!" "Forcible Entry," "Extrication - Beyond the Basics," "VEIS," "Hoarder Homes - Piles of Hazards for Firefighters," "Normalization of Deviance," "!0 Biggest Mistakes Firefighters Make with Fitness," "Chauffeur - The Unsung Hero" and many more. Additionally, there were numerous "hot" classes like "Primary Searches - Putting Them First," "Intelligently Aggressive Hose Management and Live Fire Scenarios, among others.
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On Friday evening we attended the "Backdraft Ball." The event began with a moving presentation, beginning with the Presentation of Colors by the San Carlos Fire Department Honor Guard, accompanied by the Guns & Hoses Pipes and Drums of South Florida. This was followed by a PowerPoint presentation of the Line of Duty Deaths in the Fire Service up until this date of 2017. The Keynote Speaker was Captain/Instructor John Dixon of the Teaneck NJ Fire Department.
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On Friday evening we attended the "Backdraft Ball." The event began with a moving presentation, beginning with the Presentation of Colors by the San Carlos Fire Department Honor Guard, accompanied by the Guns & Hoses Pipes and Drums of South Florida. This was followed by a PowerPoint presentation of the Line of Duty Deaths in the Fire Service up until this date of 2017. The Keynote Speaker was Captain/Instructor John Dixon of the Teaneck NJ Fire Department.
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Following this address awards to presented Firefighter/Medic Carlos Tavarez and Firefighter/Medic Joshua Granada, of the Orlando Fire Fire Department, as State of Florida Career Firefighters of the Year. Tavarez and Granada were the first two paramedics on the scene of the Pulse Nightclub shooting rampage. They treated and/or transported nearly thirty-three percent of the victims that terrible night.
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The award for State of Florida Volunteer Firefighter of the Year was presented to Firefighter Heather Mazurkiewicz of the Bayshore Fire Department. Heather is a strong advocate in Tallahassee for the Cancer Presumption Act, representing all Florida firefighters. With cancer rates for firefighters nearly forty percent higher than the general population, Florida is one of only thirteen states that have not passed this very important bill in the nation. She takes on many additional roles for the fire service on top of trying to spend quality time with her family.
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From November 8 - 12, firefighters from all over the State of Florida and even one from New Jersey, along with well-known national instructors, joined together in Ft. Myers Beach FL for The Great Florida Fire School. The School offered numerous classes on many topics, including but not limited to, "Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service," "First & 10 - When Things Go Bad," "Thermal Imaging: Not Just for Overhaul!" "Forcible Entry," "Extrication - Beyond the Basics," "VEIS," "Hoarder Homes - Piles of Hazards for Firefighters," "Normalization of Deviance," "!0 Biggest Mistakes Firefighters Make with Fitness," "Chauffeur - The Unsung Hero" and many more. Additionally, there were numerous "hot" classes like "Primary Searches - Putting Them First," "Intelligently Aggressive Hose Management and Live Fire Scenarios, among others.
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This year's conference brought some of the top national and local instructors: Instructor John Dixon, Ryan Pennington, Capt. Dan Kerrigan, Capt. John Hayowyk, David Wilanski, Ryan Gallik,Capt. Joe DeVito, Marc Weiss & the Florida Gulf Coast F.O.O.L.S., Paul Capo, Barry Spinweber, Jr., Jeff Pilotto, The Team from East Coast Fire Tactics, Daniel Miller, John Nichols, Brandon A. Ball, Chief Mike Tucker, Charlie Frank, Lt. Kevin Onorevole, Heather Mazurkiewicz, Corey Adamski, John Lovato, Jr. and Zach Schleiffer.
We're happy to share some videos and sound bites of many of them below.
We're happy to share some videos and sound bites of many of them below.
AUDIOS
We were honored to receive an invitation to attend the Great Florida Fire School by the Volunteer Coordinator, Capt. Joe DeVito of the Ft. Myers Beach Fire Rescue District and Mr. Robert Amick, IPP Executive Director of the Florida State Firefighters Association. Through Joe's and Robert's cordial invitation, we had the opportunity to meet several of the many guests we have had on our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force," including, Captain/Instructor John Dixon, Lieutenant/PM Ryan Pennington and Captain Dan Kerrigan.
David Wiklanski
"Resilience" |
Dan Kerrigan's Class
A Student's Perspective |
Lt. Ryan Pennington
Heavy Contents Fire (Hoarding) |
Capt. John Hayowyk
Chauffeur: The Unknown Hero |
David Wiklanski
Striving for 25-Developing Resilience |
Dan Kerrigan
10 Biggest Mistakes Firefighters Make with Fitness |
Heather Mazurkiewicz
Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service |
Kevin Onorevole
Escaping Violent Encounters in Public Safety |