We Were Honored. . .Thank You!

FireReport was recently Honored with awards. We received an award from "The Paramedic Times", who will soon be joining us at FireFighting.Com. This award is for Web Excellence in the Emergency Services Field.

Then, Brian Hare with the World’s Bravest Web Site writes:

I’m the Admin for Worlds’Bravest On-Line a site dedicated to the Emergency Personnel. We have reviewed your website (http://www.firefighting.com/FRN/readme.htm) and all agree that it deserves our Kewl Site Award! Your site shows outstanding information and graphics to better help the Emergency Population. It’s sites like yours that help give the Emergency Field a great name! Keep up the great work, and god bless.

As I have said time and time again in my Editor’s Notes, FireReport would not be where it is today if it were not for our Readers. Again, Thank You for your continued support! Keep those comments coming!

Mutual Aid in Cyberspace!
By: Jerry Smith, General Manager
INTER CONSULTING SYSTEMS
Home of the Internet: "Emergency Grapevine"
http://www.wionline.com/ics

At this writing, I have about a year of surfing experience in Cyberspace tucked under my belt, and of course; that makes me some kind of resident expert or better yet, who cares? This is my second try at reporting about Mutual Aid in Cyberspace for the Internet Fire Report Newsletter? And, for this not so technical article, I will continue to go with a simple definition of mutual aid in Cyberspace: "A network of computer systems interconnected around the world to direct, manage and share information through an organized hookup called the Internet. Which brings into question; the purpose of this article? I see this Mutual Aid in Cyberspace column and others to follow as a discussion platform for the not-so-expert Internet user who wishes to share their experience and perception of the web with me. I’m also very interested in what’s going on in the emergency services community as it pertains to the Internet. What do you use the Internet for and why? You can join me by e-mailing your thoughts, and I will share them in the next article. You can contact me today by e-mail at: jerryfire@earthlink.net This month; I feel like ragging on my Internet Service Provider. Yesterday, I really lost my cool. It’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m just minutes away from e-mailing my weekly editorial contribution off to the 911 Fire, Police & Medical Webmaster. However, at the last minute; I decide to log off and eat my lunch. Thirty minutes later, I’m ready to fire up old blue again and blast off. Unfortunately, as I dial up my ISP nothing happens, I try repeatedly, each time praying that something will connect me so I can send e-mail to the Internet post office. I get so frustrated; I decide to turn the PC off and go outside and get a breath of fresh air. After a short break, I telephone my ISP and a recorded message tells me the system is down, and have a nice day. They say the system has crashed and it will be down until their engineers can get it restarted. This goes on for a few hours, and I end up doing yard work for the rest of the afternoon...

A story of ISP subscriber torment is nothing new in Cyberspace, so I guess I should get use to it. When this does happen, why is it we never hear back what caused the failure? It’s as if, this is an okay way of doing business, like it or lump it. Okay, I can accept that analogy, but I expect my billing to be adjusted for the time I’m not receiving my Internet service. Maybe, there should be a penalty if they cannot restore service in 90 minutes and the problem is in their control. The penalty should be to waive a fraction of my next months billing. Sure Jerry, some Internet provider is going to give up some of their monthly allotment in billing fees to satisfy your anxiety. What are you smoking dummy? Enough whimpering, let’s get back on the Cyberspace track. How do I protect myself in the future against this kind of electronic disaster? Do I need two Internet service providers? I would appreciate hearing from some of you computer system experts out there? I’m afraid the next time this does happen; I’ll end up on a black leather couch needing some form of emotional therapy. Maybe, I can blame all of this frustration on my fire-rescue service career. It’s just a natural instinct for most emergency responders to want to raise the hood, get out the duct tape, and fix it now. I apologize for going on and on about this, but I’ve made myself feel better; thank you very much.

Have you heard about the new Emergency Grapevine, an Emaze message forum and discussion system at Inter Consulting Systems? In late August, my Webmaster Patrick Irvin, a young Tuscaloosa Firefighter and co-owner of WI Enterprises undraped the message forum for its preview showing. One month later, It’s being called one of the nicest message forums around according to Mr. Dennis Espindola Sr. of 911 Fire, Police & Medical Website fame. Since its launching, the Grapevine has registered well over 350 people from around the world, including the International countries of Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, and yes, most if not all states in the United States. In the next day or two; the Grapevine will top 400 members. For those of you who have yet to register, drop by: http://www.wionline.com/ics and sign up, it doesn’t cost anything but a minute or so to register. Once you get into the ICS site, click on the Emergency Grapevine icon, and you’re ready to register. To setup your account you will be asked to post a username and password; please use lower case characters in the two respective boxes. After which; you leave the thread, and then log back in. Now you’re one of us; a registered member with benefits one can only begin to imagine. Please don’t forget your encrypted password or you will have to register again, sorry about that.

If you’re still wondering what’s in it for you, or is it worth the effort? Think about what happened to Fire Chief John L. Buckman of the German Township Fire Department in Indiana. In a little over six days, the fire chief received over 125 responses to his posted question about the political make-up of a Fire Department Board of Directors. I ask you; is that a sign of the power within the Grapevine or not? Now that doesn’t mean everyone has been so successful, a couple of recently posted questions received no response at all when I asked a week ago, maybe they have by now.

It’s important when configuring your question for Grapevine posting that you temper your emotions, and look who’s telling you about emotional control. Seriously, too much emotion is apt to turn off any positive responses. You also want to provide good information to act on. Leave nothing to the imagination of the reader, paint a good word picture and you will get your better results. I wonder if that’s why; I’m getting very little response about the articles I write? Look at it this way; you can learn from my mistakes. All for now my Internet friends, see you next time, same place, and please be careful...

About the Writer... Jerry Smith is a retired L. A. City Fire Captain and State OES Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief who retired in 1987. And, after 36 years, he continues to keep very active in fire-rescue service affairs with his Inter Consulting Systems firm and his creative Website on the Internet. He also writes for the USA 9-1-1 Magazine and the American Fire Journal. If you wish, you can contact Jerry by telephone or fax: 805-489-9337 in Arroyo Grande, California.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in FireReport are not necessarily those of the Editor, Staff, Sponsors, or FireReport Newsletter as a whole. Many of our articles are Reader Contributed, so the views are those of the Contributor.

If your looking for a Web Based Forum Message Area, Visit
Inter Consulting Systems or Emergency Grapevine"

Powered by the: "Emaze Webthread Discussion System"
Probably one of the best Forums around


Please make note of new email address for the
FireReport Newsletter
firereport@texoma.net

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